Every few months, a post goes around on social media of speculative fiction readers bemoaning that no books in [X] subgenre are being published. Those posts are almost always wrong, especially when it comes to young adult fiction. YA authors have been cranking out incredibly creative and diverse books for years. Although YA publishers don’t tend to publish much science fiction, what we do get tends to be weird, exciting, and fresh. So let’s kick off the new year with a list of five young adult science fiction books that are probably exactly what you didn’t even know you were looking for.
Mirage by Somaiya Daud (Mirage #1; Flatiron Books, 2018)
Somaiya Daud’s debut takes space opera and layers it with Amazigh and Moroccan cultural influences. Amani is forced to become the decoy for Maram vak Mathis, the imperial princess of the brutal colonizers known as the Vathek. The more time she spends in the palace—especially with Maram’s handsome fiance Idris—the more driven she becomes to help the rebellion. An epic, fiercely anti-colonial science fiction novel.
Early Departures by Justin A. Reynolds (Katherine Tegen, 2020)
Q and Jamal’s friendship ended two years ago after the death of Jamal’s parents, for which he blamed Q. After losing Q as well, Jamal is drowning in grief. Then a mysterious stranger offers him a second chance, to bring Q back to life, at least for a few weeks. This is a lovely story about forgiveness and love. There aren’t many young adult science fiction novels by Black authors that are also about Black boys, but this is one of my favorites.
We Light Up the Sky by Lilliam Rivera (Bloomsbury YA, 2021)
Pedro, Luna, and Rafa, go to the same school in Los Angeles, but aren’t friends. But when an alien lands in their neighborhood and takes the form of Luna’s cousin Tasha who died of covid, the three teens become a trio. It’s up to them to warn everyone of the oncoming danger, but who will listen to three Latinx kids? It reminds me a lot of the movie Attack the Block with its hard reality, caustic young people, and biting social commentary. It’s also one of a few young adult novels to deal explicitly with the pandemic.
Aetherbound by EK Johnston (Dutton BYR, 2021)
This is one of those novels I will never stop yelling about. I have thought about it at least once a week since it came out; it’s that moving. Pendt Harland escapes her abusive family and flees to a space station controlled by the Brannick twins. It’s on the quiet side for a space opera, but it’s full of heart and soul and it’s gloriously queer. (There aren’t many YA novels that feature a polyamorous relationship, and even fewer that are science fiction.) The story is sad yet hopeful. You have no idea how much I want a sequel.
Against the Stars by Christopher Hartland (Tiny Ghost Press, 2023)
If you loved They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera, you should check this one out. In a not-too-distant future England live Seb and Elliot. Society is in upheaval over Glimpses, a new technology that allows a person to see 44 seconds of their future. Seb hates the technology and blames it for destroying his parents’ marriage. Elliot, meanwhile, tries it and sees himself in a romantic moment with Seb. Is it the tech that brings them together or can they choose their own fate?
Alex Brown is a Hugo-nominated and Ignyte award-winning critic who writes about speculative fiction, librarianship, and Black history. Find them on twitter (@QueenOfRats), bluesky (@bookjockeyalex), instagram (@bookjockeyalex), and their blog (bookjockeyalex.com).
