M.K. Fraser

My current work-in-progress is a near-future, sci-fi novel about a crew of four who sign up for a one-way trip to Mars and a lifetime starring in a reality TV show about the colony. Things almost immediately go very wrong.

In the course of writing that book, I discovered some sci-fi that swept me to far off worlds and re-discovered some of my favorite sci-fi novels (you’ll notice I’m not such a “space opera” reader, my pics lean more towards the near-future works that involve technology that looks like something that might be under development today).

I’ve also included some of the fun non-fiction I have encountered as I try to remind myself that I can’t just make everything up.

Novels

Planetfall by Emma Newman

I love this book so much. I’ll write a proper review of it one of these days, but for now I will just say that it is phenomenal. The plot is unique, the characters are fantastic, and it’s thought-provoking and emotional as well as exciting. This is the first in a series, though it works very well as a standalone. The rest of the series diverges, but I’ve read (and enjoyed) them all.

The Martian by Andy Weir

Okay, near-future sci-fi has to include this book. And why not, it’s fun and funny, and the science throughout never drags and always serves the plot. I admit that I find Weir’s dedication to research more than a little intimidating, but I took heart from the fact that he also broke the laws of physics on page one, all for a good story.

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

This one came out all the way back in 1996, and I think it may be the book that made me think that sci-fi was more than space operas. This book is thoughtful and challenging and merges science and philosophy in ways that remind me of both Planetfall and Station Eleven. It’s beautiful.

The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal

This is actually the second book in a series (the first being The Calculating Stars), but it’s the one in which the main character blasts off for Mars. Mary Robinette Kowal is a research superstar, and has somehow managed to befriend astronauts and astrophysicists, so her science is pretty on point. This alternate-history sci-fi series is really original and continues with The Martian Contingency, which I believe comes out in early 2025.

Nonfiction