Sci Fi for the Sci Shy

Would you rather translate the complete works of Shakespeare into Klingon than voluntarily read science fiction? No worries! Dip your toes into this rich and rewarding genre with a few of these highly enjoyable science-fiction-ish works, below, which have sci-fi elements – without being overwhelmingly alien...

The Giver,Gathering Blue, and Messenger by Lois Lowry
Originally written for young adults, these books focus on eerie yet realistic utopian societies and deal with mature issues such as death, human desire, and individuality versus the greater good. You’ll never look at apples in the same way.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
At first this novel appears to be a familiar coming-of-age story set in an English boarding school… but is it? By the time the mystery is revealed, you are entranced by the characters and utterly captivated by their – and our – modern human predicament.

Pastoralia , CivilWarLand in Bad Decline – collections of short stories by George Saunders
Bizarre, deliciously imaginative, and oddly tender, Saunders’ stories re-imagine a present world that is very much like ours, only stranger… A common theme is what happens when the forces of technology and capitalism combine – with both comic and tragic results.
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
At once a deeply felt romantic tale and a head-spinning adventure, this novel is sure to make you laugh, cry, and think. Did we mention that one of the main characters is a librarian? A don’t-miss.

Other sci-fi-ish titles of interest:

The Handmaid’s Tale and Oryx and Crakeby Margaret Atwood
The Children of Men by P.D. James
Lives of the Monster Dogs by Kirsten Bakis