We are currently living through an unprecedented rise in the popularity of science fiction over the past couple of years. From new releases from established names such as Star Wars to the rise of authors such as Brandon Sanderson, science fiction media is generating millions and millions in book sales and at the box office. This rise has aided in promoting the study of science among young people, with a study published by the Bulgarian Journal of Science Education pointing to science fiction as crucial to fostering scientific literacy among young students. Science fiction, with its new technologies and new societies, has a clear appeal for many of us, especially those with an interest in the study of science.
Yet there is still a disconnect which exists between science fiction’s popularity and its treatment as “serious literature.” Science fiction is not often treated as literature worth seriously engaging with, with the genre dismissed as a “lower” form of escapist art lacking depth or “literary merit.” Science fiction authors often have to defend their works as having literary or philosophical merit. In the afterword to Arthur C. Clarke Award winning novel The Sparrow (1996), Mary Doria Russell had to clarify that her novel, a work dealing with issues of morality and evil, was indeed science fiction. She wrote that “At the heart of religion, and at the heart of anthropology, and at the heart of science fiction, there are similar concerns, though there are differences in the kinds of stories we tell and the conclusions that we reach.” If science fiction as a genre was treated seriously as a means of exploring such ideas, then Russell would not have had to write this sentence defending her work. The implicit suggestions of reviews like these is that science fiction cannot be engaging on a philosophical or anthropological level, that science fiction by nature has to be pulpy or escapist.
This is, of course, not true. Science fiction can present new artistic possibilities for the reader, exposing our imagination and thinking to new worlds and ideas that may seem unimaginable. As the great American writer Ursula K. Le Guin states, “Science fiction can be imaginatively demanding and intellectually complex, but academic prejudice left readers untaught in how to read it.” Here’s a look at some truly great science fiction novels that I hope are easily accessible and which would, like all great novels, teach you how to read the genre.
- War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
Let’s start with one of the earliest works of science fiction, and a novel that few have managed to eclipse in the years since it was first published in 1898. Telling the story of an alien invasion set in Southern England, Wells creates a world that feels both alien and disturbingly familiar, grounding the extraterrestrial threat in a Victorian-era context. Wells gives us detailed descriptions of the Martian machines and weapons, and the vast desolation of their colonial ambitions displays his power to describe a despairing situation in simple yet beautiful prose. Wells’ Martian invaders offer a stark contrast to the fragility of Earth’s civilization, with a cold and methodical approach to invasion that clearly echoes humanity’s capacity for the destruction of our natural environment.
- Ubik by Philip K. Dick
From the writer of some of the most influential works in the genre’s history, Philip K. Dick presents us with one of the greatest novels of the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Describing a world full of telepathy and espionage, Ubik is a novel unfolding in a universe that constantly shifts and warps, creating a space where time, memory and identity become increasingly unstable. The novel's world is one where technology intersects with the supernatural, and where corporate power manipulates both life and death with the language, full of fragmented, dreamlike narrative structures that mirror the characters' instability. Philip K. Dick invites us to consider how reality itself is constructed, the intersection of technology, philosophy and the human mind acting as the driving force behind the plot and its themes.
- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
Winner of both the prestigious Hugo and Nebula Awards for best novel in 1970, Le Guin’s masterpiece of world-building tells the story of the planet Gethen — a frozen, isolated planet where inhabitants are ambisexual and can change sex depending on the needs of reproduction. Le Guin writes on the fluidity of gender expression way back in the 1970s, challenging norms of gender and power way before such crucial conversations became subject to national discourse. Le Guin's language mirrors this fluidity, with her careful descriptions of Gethenian society, politics and religion paying close and detailed attention to the nuances of gender roles for both individuals and communities. The book’s rich and intricate world-building and examination of gender and society ensure its enduring relevance, making it a standout work in science fiction that continues to captivate readers decades after its publication.
Basil Bob is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at bob27@cornell.edu.
