A beginner's guide to science fiction and fantasy

Also this week: Four books to read on Haiti, critics' picks and more. [View this email online]( [NPR]( by Petra Mayer [The Goblin Emperor, On Fragile Waves and This Is How You Lose The Time War]( NPR People have a lot of preconceived ideas about science fiction and fantasy -- that it's just for nerds, that the writing's not great, that everything is an 18-book series that isn't even finished yet. But I'm here to tell you that isn't true now, if it ever was! It's never been a better time to read some SF/F; you may recall that we devoted this year's [summer reader poll]( to that subject, perhaps? So I was super excited this week to get to team up with Pop Culture Happy Hour and the Life Kit podcast as part of their summer-long series of guides to genre fiction, to produce this handy-dandy beginner's guide to science fiction and fantasy! (Featuring special appearances by poll judges Tochi Onyebuchi and Amal El-Mohtar, alongside yours truly.) [So please click here]( to hear my attempt to be half as smart as Amal and Tochi about what defines science fiction and fantasy, why it's a great time to read some, and what you should read! --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- [Wings of Ebony, Legendborn, King of Scars]( NPR And if that's not enough ... we've also got the excellent Daniel José Older, who stopped by Weekend Edition Sunday to give us [some recommendations on young adult fantasy reading.]( "I love a story that really transforms the world that I'm in, even if it's using a totally different world," he tells host Susan Davis. "At the end of the day, every young adult novel should be about a young person stepping forward into who they are, whether that be through understanding life better or finding, you know, magic bad guys." Turning to a more serious subject -- Haiti has been rocked by catastrophes in the past couple of weeks; first an earthquake, then a tropical storm. For Haitian author Myriam J.A. Chancy, that means a vicious cycle is about to kick off again: Plans for reconstruction, without consulting those most affected. [She recommends four books that can help you get a handle on what's happening in Haiti and why.]( Photo of Myriam J.A. Chancy by N. Affonso [Myriam Chancy]( Finally this week -- NPR's Own (well, she used to be ours) Kat Chow has a new memoir out, the powerful, poetic, dryly funny Seeing Ghosts. [Critic Kristen Martin says]( "Chow considers what we owe our ancestors, how generational grief's root system pervades our lives, and the melancholia of loss — not just of people, but of places and identities." You can also check out a conversation between Chow and her former Code Switch teammate Shereen Marisol Meraji [here](. Linden A. Lewis is out with The Second Rebel, the sequel to their stylish queer space opera The First Sister. [Critic Jessica P. Wick says]( the book "is as engrossing as it is because it's full of characters passionately invested in something." And speaking of sequels, Redemptor, Jordan Ifueko's hotly-anticpated followup to her hit YA debut Raybearer, is out -- [critic Danny Lore says]( that while the book has a few flaws, "overall, I found Redemptor impossible to put down." [Seeing Ghosts, by Kat Chow]( [The Second Rebel, by Linden A. Lewis]( [Redemptor, by Jordan Ifueko]( I hope books bring you what you need this week! — Petra --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. --------------------------------------------------------------- What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [books@npr.org](mailto:books@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Pop Culture, Code Switch and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Books emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]