Best summer books of 2022: Science fiction
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Mickey7
by Edward Ashton, Solaris £16.99
The colonisation of frozen planet Niflheim relies in large part on Expendables — people willing to have their consciousness transferred from one cloned body to another as necessary. Unhappily, a slip-up means that two versions of the titular Mickey now have to coexist. Ashton’s darkly comic debut shimmers with inventiveness.
Appliance
by J O Morgan, Jonathan Cape £16.99
Elliptical yet precise, Appliance considers how new technology — in this case a device that can transmit matter — has a transformative power on ordinary lives, and not always for the better. Comprising a series of discrete vignettes, the novel is a serious-minded examination of the instinctive human ambivalence towards innovation.
The Kaiju Preservation Society
by John Scalzi, Tor £16.99
Well-meaning people strive to prevent incursions by rampaging, skyscraper-sized leviathans from a parallel Earth on to ours. Their efforts do not always succeed, particularly when there are evil corporate shenanigans afoot. Scalzi delivers a dose of sheer, shameless SF escapism that monster-loving nerds should take to their hearts.
Tell us what you think
What are your favourites from this list — and what books have we missed? Tell us in the comments below
Braking Day
by Adam Oyebanji, Jo Fletcher Books £16.99
Generation-starship Archimedes is nearing the end of its century-long voyage, about to reach the colonisable planet that is its destination. All is not quite going according to plan, however, as engineer protagonist Ravinder discovers in a story that celebrates human accomplishment and the value of collaboration in a pleasingly un-preachy manner.
All The White Spaces
by Ally Wilkes, Titan Books £8.99
It’s 1920, and British explorers stranded in Antarctica struggle to survive, even as they are hounded by malevolent ghosts. Ambitiously, the novel blends collective national postwar trauma with transgender issues, toxic masculinity, and personal grief. The frozen polar wastes are a blank page where lives may be rewritten.
Summer Books 2022
All this week, FT writers and critics share their favourites. Some highlights are:
Monday: Economics by Martin Wolf
Tuesday: Environment by Pilita Clark
Wednesday: Fiction by Laura Battle
Thursday: History by Tony Barber
Friday: Politics by Gideon Rachman
Saturday: Critics’ choice
Join our online book group on Facebook at FT Books Café
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