Scary monsters by Michelle de Krester

Scary Monsters had me singing the David Bowie song whenever I looked at the cover, but drove all else from my head when I was reading. It is two novellas, each with its own cover, and you can choose the order in which you read them (I chose Lyle first). Don’t be fooled by the cover art, they are both dark. Lili is set in the early 80s and Lyle in the not-too-distant future. Both characters migrated to Australia when they were young, and the issue of belonging is a scary monster for each, and racism, misogyny and ageism permeate the book. Lili is teaching English in France before going to university, and her story is about friendship, power, and growing up. Lyle lives with climate crisis, extreme pressure to conform in a believable dystopian future. Disturbing, beautiful, darkly humorous, clever and thought-provoking, it might be my favourite de Kretser novel.

The mother fault by Kate Mildenhall

Set in a dystopian near future where the climate is ravaged, everyone is microchipped, and people can be removed from their families and locked away in BestLife facilities. Mim’s husband Ben works in Indonesia, and she is at home with their two children when she hears that he is missing. As she realises how very wrong the situation is, she and the kids set off to try and find Ben. It’s a tense thriller, with a believable setting, and high adventure over land and sea. Thought provoking in expected ways about the direction of our world in terms of climate, government, and business, but also a deep meditation on motherhood; the weight of it, expectations, the physical and emotional toll, and impact on one’s sense of identity.

The obelisk gate by N.K. Jemisin

The second book in the trilogy, this brought more character development and an expansion of the glorious world building. It took me a while to get through this, as with the first one, but I did find it compelling. It’s dark, complex, intricate with a lot of heart, and I look forward to the final book.

The knife of never letting go by Patrick Ness

Todd Hewitt is the youngest person in his small town, just about to turn thirteen and become a man like everyone else. That’s right, there are no women left, just men who can not only hear each other’s every thought, but also those of the animals. Secrets can still be kept, however, and Todd knows that the town is keeping one from him, and before he can find out what it is, he makes a discovery that will send him running from the town, into adventure. The idea of what life would be like if you could hear men’s thoughts is a fascinating one, as is the that of creating a new society. I really enjoyed this fast-paced ride with endearing characters on a journey towards understanding, and powerful themes of racism, sexism, and colonisation. If you don’t like a cliff-hanger, line up the next book straight away!

Klara and the sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

Klara is an AF, an Artificial Friend, and we meet her as she gazes at the world from her shop window, learning about people as she watches and waits for the one who will come and buy her. When she does go home with a young girl of promise, we come to see the sort of world they are living in, and what sacrifices might be made in the pursuit of perfection. Like the best speculative fiction it asks big questions about where technology is taking us, the nature of humanity and love, and what makes life meaningful. It is a quiet story, slow, on the bleak side, and gently moving.

The living sea of waking dreams by Richard Flanagan

The Living Sea of Waking Dreams is about an elderly woman in hospital with declining health, whose children seek to prolong her life at all costs, in a world that is on fire, and facing extinctions of many kinds. There are elements of magical realism, unlikeable characters, language which accentuates the difficulty of finding meaning, relentless onslaught of ecological and personal loss, and the complicated struggles of modern life, yet it is not without hope or glimmers of light, and is certainly thought-provoking and immersive. It seems like Richard Flanagan looked at the world in the summer Australia burned, and was tempted to despair, but wrote out his feelings resulting in this poetic, dream-like story.

The fifth season by N.K. Jemisin

I really struggled to get through this, not because I was disliking it, I didn’t seriously consider giving up, but somehow the three seemingly separate storylines kept me at sea for too long. In the last third however, as they came together I began to be invested in this world. Extraordinary world building, dystopian feel, and only faint glimmers of light and hope, this is a wildly imaginative world, and I definitely need to find out what happens.

Early riser by Jasper Fforde

Set in Wales, in an alternate history where humans hibernate through the intense winters, Early Riser is a satirical, dystopian thriller, and very funny. Charlie Worthing is a young person with few prospects, when he lands a job as a Winter Consul, staying up while the world sleeps, keeping the peace and investigating viral dreams. It’s a mystery filled with eccentric characters, hilarious details, social commentary, and a lot of heart. Jasper Fforde’s humour appeals to me very much, and while I found it a little slow to begin with, the delightful Charlie kept me going until the story enthralled me. I listened to the audiobook, and very much enjoyed the Welsh accent.

Neuromancer by William Gibson

Honestly, I had no idea what was going on most of the time in this science fiction classic. Much more at sea than with Pattern Recognition, which has a protagonist with the same name, but a female version. It was slow going, and baffling, but I still enjoyed it, and never felt like giving up. It was a strange, but compelling adventure, and so prescient, having been written in 1984!

The testaments by Margaret Atwood

It is many years since I read The Handmaid’s Tale, and I have not watched the television adaptation. The Testaments tells the story of the fall of Gilead, moving back and forward in time, told from the perspective of three women. It is a fast paced, tense, disturbing, and moving look at the horrors and wonders of what people can do to each other, the corrupting influence of power, the strength within us, and love.