ReadersMagnet Review recommends these five new space sci-fi novels to check this November.
Goldilocks by Laura Lam
Published last year, Laura Lam’s Goldilocks is a blend of space survival and impending apocalypse thriller. The story revolves around five women determined to ensure humanity’s survival before Earth runs out of time. Valerie Blacks lead an all-female mission to find another inhabitable planet. They must journey to the Goldilocks Zone, where a planet with just the right conditions for human habitation exists. Valerie is with her surrogate daughter, a botanist eager to get out of her mother’s shadow. However, their journey to their new home might prove to be a challenge as things start going wrong on the ship, and someone is possibly hiding a secret that will change their journey forever.
Moon Luck by Scott Harral
Moon Luck is a 2020 space sci-fi thriller by Scott Harral. It’s a classic ‘whodunit narrative that follows thirty astronauts inhabiting the moon for extended periods. These astronaut scientists occupy a base where they carry out experiments and research and, in the process, develop close relationships as well as animosities. The inhabitants also grow plants on the moon as well as explore the surface for minerals. When a senior member of the base was found dead in what appears to be an accident, the population suddenly became restless as the investigation seemed to hint that the dead senior member was murdered. In Moon Luck, we see Harral’s glimpse into the near future as we inhabit the Moon and what possibilities lie ahead, which is quite exciting for space sci-fi readers.
The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez
Simon Jimenez’s 2020 space sci-fi opera is a sure treat for fans of deep space odyssey and saga. The novel follows the lives of three people- a ship captain, a mysterious mute child, and a millennia-old woman haunted by her past and a lifetime of mistakes and the unexpected journey they will share. When a mysterious mute child with unimaginable power (Ahro) lands in the care of a solitary woman (Fumiko), their lives are changed and together with a captain unfettered by time (Captain Nia Imani). The Vanishing Birds is an epic saga reminiscent of David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas but emphasizes time, personal identity, and freedom. It explores themes of classicism, social inequality, and interstellar society.
Inhibitor Phase by Alistair Reynolds
Alistair Reynolds is a best-selling British author of sci-fi novels known for creating the Revelation Space universe. In 2021, Reynolds released his latest space sci-fi opera, Inhibitor Phase. Set in the Space Revelation universe, the story follows a group of humans taking shelter in the caverns of an airless, crater-pocked world called Michaelmas. For thirty years, they have been hiding from a ruthless, infinitely patient cybernetic entity hell-bent on extinguishing the last of human survivors. The people are led by Miguel de Ruyter, who has given them hope against the wolves. When a human ship enters into their solar system and threatens to lead the wolves to their camp, Miguel decides to go on a dangerous mission to provide distraction and save the people.
Holdout by Jeffrey Kluger
Jeffrey Kluger’s Holdout is one of the highly anticipated sci-fi novels this year. Holdout is a story of one astronaut’s determination to save the person she holds most dear and to do what is right. Walli Beckwith, a model astronaut with a stellar career and who has spent more than 300 days in space, refuses to leave her post aboard the International Space Station after an accident that forces everyone to evacuate. American and Russian colleagues are confused by her decision. One thing is certain, whatever reason she chose to stay is more important than her career and her own life. Holdout is the kind of space thriller we haven’t seen in a while, and it’s bound to take readers to the edge of their seats.