Science fiction has a special place in my heart. From Doctor Who to Star Trek to Star Wars, I’ve enjoyed a smattering of science fiction in my media consumption. Despite that, I never really considered myself a sci-fi kind of girl.
Until I read Adhara’s Sonder by Mark Alexander McClish. I know, it’s probably silly that it took me so long to realize I was into science fiction. Plus, as I mentioned in a blog previously (Top Titles To Live Your Best Gothic Life), science fiction and Gothicism live hand in hand.
In fact, there’s quite a few crossovers in the gothic and science fiction media. It may surprise you or you may have never considered a specific text as science fiction (or gothic!). Either way, I hope you’ll take a look at the following titles and let me know what you think!
Also, if you’re a writer, then you ought to also be a reader. Even if science fiction isn’t your favorite category, finding a crossover and exploring alternative genres will help expand your horizon. And you never know, you might be like me and not even realize you’re into it!
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Few creatures of horror have seized readers' imaginations and held them for so long as the anguished monster of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The story of Victor Frankenstein's terrible creation and the havoc it caused has enthralled generations of readers and inspired countless writers of horror and suspense. Considering the gothic novel's enduring success, it is remarkable that it began merely as a whim of Lord Byron's.
"We will each write a story," Byron announced to his next-door neighbors, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin and her lover, the romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.
The illustrious poets failed to complete their ghost stories, but Mary Shelley rose supremely to the challenge. With Frankenstein, she succeeded admirably in the task she set for herself: to create a story that, in her own words, "would speak to the mysterious fears of our nature and awaken thrilling horror — one to make the reader dread to look round, to curdle the blood, and quicken the beatings of the heart."
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. The disturbing Mr. Hyde is making his repugnant presence known in late 19th Century London. But punishment for his vile acts are always parried by the good, and well-respected, Dr. Jekyll. Soon, the secret relationship between the two men will be revealed. A classic that continues to be referenced today, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde will forever be locked in literary history.
“There comes an end to all things; the most capacious measure is filled at last; and this brief condescension to evil finally destroyed the balance of my soul.” The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. Robert Neville may well be the last living man on Earth . . . but he is not alone. An incurable plague has mutated every other man, woman, and child into bloodthirsty, nocturnal creatures who are determined to destroy him. By day, he is a hunter, stalking the infected monstrosities through the abandoned ruins of civilization. By night, he barricades himself in his home and prays for dawn....
At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft. "I am forced into speech because men of science have refused to follow my advice without knowing why. It is altogether against my will that I tell my reasons for opposing this contemplated invasion of the Antarctic - with its vast fossil hunt and its wholesale boring and melting of the ancient ice caps. And I am the more reluctant because my warning may be in vain. Doubt of the real facts, as I must reveal them, is inevitable; yet, if I suppressed what will seem extravagant and incredible, there would be nothing left. The hitherto withheld photographs, both ordinary and aerial, will count in my favor, for they are damnably vivid and graphic. Still, they will be doubted because of the great lengths to which clever fakery can be carried."
“It is absolutely necessary, for the peace and safety of mankind, that some of earth’s dark, dead corners and unplumbed depths be let alone; lest sleeping abnormalities wake to resurgent life, and blasphemously surviving nightmares squirm and splash out of their black lairs to newer and wider conquests.” At the Mountains of Madness
The Coming Race by Edward Bulwer. "In the year 18 happening to be in I was invited by a professional engineer, with whom I had made acquaintance, to visit the recesses of the mine, upon which he was employed. The reader will understand, ere he close this narrative, my reason for concealing all clue to the district of which I write, and will perhaps thank me for refraining from any description that may tend to its discovery."
Also known as Vril: The Power of the Coming Race, this is the tale of a subterranean matriarchal Master Race, able to control a mysterious energy force, called the Vril. It inspired the real-life Vril Society in Germany and beyond, and was believed by people everywhere be thinly disguised reality.
The Wolfen by Whitley Strieber. In the dark, they are watching...They are waiting for you.
No one has ever lived to tell the horrifying truth about them. Yet even now the Wolfen are gathered in the night-dark alleys ... unseen, poised ... ready to destroy their helpless human prey. Only one man and one woman, trained cops, willing to risk their lives, stand in the way.
“No pack knew how these cities came about, but man inhabited them, keeping for himself the warmth they produced in winter, and the dryness that was not affected even by the most violent rain. While the sky poured water or snow, man sat comfortably in the cities. How these things grew and why man possessed them, nobody could say.” The Wolfen
Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos) by Dan Simmons. On the world called Hyperion, beyond the reach of galactic law, waits a creature called the Shrike. There are those who worship it. There are those who fear it. And there are those who have vowed to destroy it. In the Valley of the Time Tombs, where huge, brooding structures move backward through time, the Shrike waits for them all.
On the eve of Armageddon, with the entire galaxy at war, seven pilgrims set forth on a final voyage to Hyperion seeking the answers to the unsolved riddles of their lives. Each carries a desperate hope—and a terrible secret. And one may hold the fate of humanity in his hands.
Adhara’s Sonder by Mark Alexander McClish. In a city isolated from the rest of the world following the third global war, a young inventor is approached by a time traveling android from the future who tells him it is his destiny to save the city from destruction. As they perform maintenance around the city, preventing catastrophes before they happen, he discovers that his destiny is not at all what he thought it would be-but does he even have a choice?
Adhara's Sonder is a classic tale of fate and destiny vs. personal choice and the consequences presented by both, made fresh and new with a futuristic sci-fi twist. This novel is sure to please any lover of adventure, suspense, and mystery.
“In my time, Hudson City is on the brink of destruction,” she continued seriously. “You are the key to preventing the threat from gaining power.” Cyrus crossed his arms tightly, frowning. Adhara seemed far away as she finished, staring at him intently, “I am here to shape your destiny and guide you along a path that will save Hudson City from a terrible fate.” Adhara's Sonder
So, there’s some new reading material for you! If you do end up picking up one of these books, let me know. I’m always interested in what books stick with what people!
Be sure to check back every week for a new blog post! I promise it won't always be about science fiction, but it will be interesting. It gives me a chance to connect with you and hopefully make your writing journey a little easier. So, until next week, remember that we may be different species but we are all part of the same family, so be kind to yourself and kind to others and I'll see you next week!
Ravven White is the founder of Curious Corvid Publishing, author of bestsellers I Am Ravven and The Cry of The Ravven. Her debut novel, The Sentimental Dead, arrives this Halloween. You can find her books on Amazon, Kindle, and in major bookstores worldwide. She lives in a castle under the sea with her loved ones. You can usually sense her arrival by a curious flapping of wings.
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