W27 – SPRING 2022
How to Read Safely in a Science-Fiction Universe By Prerna Chaudhary (AMC, ‘22) illustrations by Jessica Lyle
“Dune’s” 2021 movie release has made some of us naively turn to it as an introductory novel into the world of science-fiction. This has inevitably scared us away to make us feel like, hey maybe I’m not built for this? The novel is equally impactful as intimidating, but that doesn’t mean sci-fi is worth giving up on. I like to think of sci-fi as a spectrum where we have “Dune” on one side, which is in a world I can barely recognize (even with its allegories). And on the other side we have shows like “Black Mirror,” falling under the category of
speculative fiction. These stories are set in a world where I can see myself reflected using a new piece of technology or unusual system. According to MasterClass, “Margaret Atwood defines speculative fiction as literature that deals with possibilities in a society which have not yet been enacted but are latent.” With this broad definition that includes sci-fi under its umbrella, we can get into the first recommendation: “Children of the New World” by Alexander Weinstein Sci-fi is a genre that lends itself to world building, yet some of my favorite stories begin with a world seemingly similar to ours. “Children of the New World” by Alexander Weinstein falls much closer to the “Black Mirror” style that is easier to understand than “Dune’s” style, but has its peculiarities. The short story anthology format is scifi beginner friendly while still keeping you engaged, and if you don’t like one of the stories, just skip to a new chapter! A well known short story from this collection is “Saying Goodbye to Yang,” an exploration of the evolving definition of family. It has been turned into a movie distributed by A24 in North America, so it has that artsy stamp of approval as well as my own. I don’t want to give
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anything away because the shock factor is one of the best parts of sci-fi. If I were you, I’d go in blind. If you find yourself confused at any point, however, just pull up a review article that summarizes the story in the beginning to better understand it. Getting to know a world you’ve never been to is daring, so internet breakdowns can serve as helpful reading guides – SparkNotes isn’t just for catching up on assignments! The other stories I recommend from this collection are “The Cartographers” and “Ice Age,” which can be best summarized by this quote from the inside flap of the cover:
“Weinstein is a visionary new voice in speculative fiction for all of us who are fascinated by and terrified of what we might find on the horizon.” Sci-fi is so powerful because it uses futuristic technology and far off universes, to get varying perspectives on the human condition and reflect back on our own world.
