The Next Chapter's speculative fiction panel shares 9 books to escape into this summer
The panel includes Ames Geddes, Drew Hayden Taylor and Chinelo Onwualu
Whether you're looking for magical worlds, mythical creatures or a thrilling mystery, The Next Chapter's speculative fiction panel has the perfect books to get lost in on a warm summer's day.
The panel is composed of: speculative fiction writer Chinelo Onwualu; Ames Geddes, who is a curator and librarian for the Toronto Public Library's Merril Collection; and Indigenous playwright and writer Drew Hayden Taylor.
The three of them sat down with Ryan B. Patrick to discuss nine horror, fantasy and science fiction books they always recommend.
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
Ames Geddes: "If you've been watching The Last of Us and you want to see fungus go horribly wrong, this is a great book for you. It's very creepy, very atmospheric; the tension and the dread just builds throughout the novel as you feel [things] are going to go wrong and question how bad it's going to get. The answer is very. It will give you chills during the wonderful summer months."
Inspired by the gothic short story, The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe, What Moves the Dead reimagines the eerie tale in the gloomy countryside of Ruritania. Madeline Usher is dying and her childhood friend Alex rushes her to the Ushers' estate only to uncover dark family secrets and a mysterious fungus. Can they escape the nightmares of the House of Usher or will it consume them?
T. Kingfisher is an American writer and illustrator also known as Ursula Vernon. What Moves the Dead won the Locus Award for best horror novel in 2023. Her other books include Nettle & Bone, The Twisted Ones and A Wizards Guide to Defensive Baking.
The Famished Road by Ben Okri
Chinelo Onwalu: "It's one of the first books of African speculative fiction that I read that took the spiritual traditions that I grew up in and placed them into this amazing literary landscape."
First published in 1991, The Famished Road is the first in a trilogy of novels which draws on the spiritual traditions of Yoruba. Azaro is split between the land of the living and the spirit world, where no one suffers. As political tensions and violence rises in the land of the living, Azaro must make difficult decisions for himself and his family.
The Famished Road won the Booker prize in 1991.
Okri is a Nigerian-British writer of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. His other books include The Last Gift of the Master Artists, Every Leaf a Hallelujah, and An African Elegy. In 2023, he received a knighthood from King Charles III for his services to literature.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Drew Hayden Taylor: "This book is one of those rare books where the story behind the book is almost as interesting as the actual book itself."
A classic of speculative fiction, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel originally published in 1818. Set across 18th century Europe, the story follows the ethical dilemmas of scientist Victor Frankenstein and the grotesque monster he creates.
Mary Shelley was an English writer of the gothic tradition. She wrote Frankenstein at the age of 18 after she imagined the idea during a writing contest with Lord Byron and her husband, Percy Shelley, on a dark and stormy night. Originally published anonymously, Frankenstein would go on to be one of the most famous works of gothic horror. She died in 1851 at the age of 53.
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Ames Geddes: "Every Heart a Doorway is for everyone who wanted to discover Narnia as a child and secretly still want to find it … For such a short little book it packs quite an emotional punch, as well as a really interesting story."
Every Heart a Doorway is the first book in McGuire's fantasy series. Nancy, like many children before her, found herself in a magical alternate world for what felt like years. When she returns to Earth she finds refuge in Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children where other kids also long to go back to their fantasy worlds. As a mystery unfolds, will Nancy find where she belongs?
Seanan McGuire is a California-born fantasy writer. Her other books include Middlegame and the October Daye series. Every Heart a Doorway won the Hugo Award for Best Novella in 2017.
Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson
Chinelo Onwalu: "The book itself is a confluence of a lot of Caribbean folklore and history in the way it's written, its dialect, its dialogue and the references within it. It's a world populated entirely by descendants of Caribbean peoples so all of that history and culture is infused into this world."
Midnight Robber is the 2000 science fiction novel which takes place on the Caribbean-colonized planet, Toussaint. When a young girl named Tan-Tan is taken by her father and they are cast out to a world of brutality and monsters from folklore, she becomes the Robber Queen. Inspired by Caribbean folklore, Midnight Robber is a story of survival and resilience.
Nalo Hopkinson is an acclaimed Jamaican-Canadian science fiction writer, editor and creative writing professor. Her debut 1998 novel, Brown Girl in the Ring, received the Locus Award for Best First Novel and was a finalist for Canada Reads in 2008.
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
Drew Hayden Taylor: "[The Time Machine] was a comment on the dangers of classism and where it can go. It's science fiction but it's a science adventure … I just remember as a kid being swept along in the journey."
Published in 1895, The Time Machine is one of the most famous works of science fiction. The novella follows a time traveller as he ventures into a strange world far into the future. Infused with larger themes of class, race and environmentalism, The Time Machine is a classic sci-fi adventure.
H.G. Wells was an English writer and considered one of the fathers of science fiction. He is best known for his novels The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, The Invisible Man and The Island of Doctor Moreau. He died in 1946, at the age of 79.
Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk
Ames Geddes: "[Even Though I Knew the End] is fast-paced, super intense and very entertaining. It's a fairly short book, I think I read it in a single sitting."
Helen Brant is a magical private investigator — literally. Even Though I Knew the End is a sapphic fantasy novel who sold her soul to save her brother and now resides in hell. When given an opportunity to save her soul by finding the serial killer known as the White City Vampire, she stops at nothing to find them and reunite with her loved ones.
C.L. Polk is a fantasy writer from Calgary. Their other books include Witchmark, Stormsong and The Midnight Bargain. Witchmark, their debut novel, won the 2019 World Fantasy Award for best novel. It was also nominated for a Nebula Award, Locus Award, Aurora Award and a Lambda Literary Award. The Midnight Bargain was championed by Olympian and broadcaster Rosey Edeh on Canada Reads 2021.
David Mogo Godhunter by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
Chinelo Onwalu: "It's one of the best depictions of the city of Lagos by someone who lived there and grew up there."
Set in an alternative Lagos, David Mogo Godhunter is a fantasy novel influenced by Nigerian mythology. Post-apocolypse, David Mogo is tasked with bounty hunting other godlings. As Mogo becomes entrenched in epic battles and politics, he must decide where he stands and how to save Lagos.
Suyi Davies Okungbowa is a Nigerian writer of African speculative fiction. His other work includes the novel Son of the Storm and as a contributing writer for Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda.
Hunting by Stars by Cherie Dimaline
Drew Hayden Taylor: "French, this young teenage boy is kidnapped and put in one of these newfound residential schools and he has to deal with them: the politics there and if he should get out or if he should become a collaborator … I was along for the journey and I'm ready for the third installment."
Hunting by Stars takes place in the world of The Marrow Thieves, a post-apocalyptic North America where only Indigenous people have the ability to dream. Residential schools are re-established to capture and hold Indigenous people, and search for the secrets to dreaming in their bones. Hunting by Stars picks up on 17-year-old French, who wakes up in a pitch-black room. In The Marrow Thieves, French lost his family to the residential schools and found a new family to travel with, while dodging the "Recruiters."
Hunting by Stars is for ages 12 and up.
Cherie Dimaline is a bestselling Métis author best known for her YA novel The Marrow Thieves. The Marrow Thieves, was named one of Time magazine's top 100 YA novels of all time and was championed by Jully Black on Canada Reads 2018. Her other books include VenCo, Red Rooms, The Girl Who Grew a Galaxy, A Gentle Habit and Empire of Wild.
