This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Earth, amirite? The place is a hot, (probably) unfixable mess! But imagine, instead of having to clean your place when it gets too dirty, you get a whole new house instead. Getting a shiny new planet and leaving Earth behind is not something many scientists think is possible, but it’s an idea that sci-fi authors have been writing about for decades.
And the “let’s trade Earth in for a younger model” trope has been gaining popularity this century, for obvious reasons. Which means there are a lot of fantastic books about humans setting out in search of a new habitable planet, or actually colonizing a whole new world. Of course, things rarely go well, because we’re humans—we excel at effing things up. Wherever we go, there we are. Sure, if the planet is clean and stable, it buys the human race some more time. But usually, there turns out to be a disease, or dangerous alien lifeforms, or a nefarious plot. Sometimes even before humans reach a new planet. And these five books are fantastic examples of the necessity of a new home planet and all the ways it can go wrong.
Mickey7 by Edward Ashton
It’s the future and the Earth stinks, so humans are setting off on a mission to explore a potential new home planet. Mickey has a lot of problems on Earth, so he signs up for the expedition as an expendable. That means he will be used as a test subject for whatever foreign atmosphere, plant matter, and more that the ship encounters. If Mickey dies, it means the rest of the crew should steer clear. But the good news is that Mickey’s consciousness can be uploaded into a new body. So far, he has died and been replicated seven times. But when his seventh self is thought to be dead, the eighth version is created, only for Mickey7 to show back up at the colony, alive. Spoiler: Hijinks ensue! This has been adapted into a film called Mickey 17 by Bong Joon-ho, which will be released in April 2025. It stars Robert Pattinson and looks absolutely bananapants.
The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera
In this incredible award-winning middle grade novel, a comet has destroyed Earth, and only a few hundred people can leave it to start over. Petra Peña, her parents, and her brother are four of the lucky few who will be put in sleep stasis for hundreds of years as they make the journey, their memories of the old Earth erased. But something goes wrong during the sleep procedure, and Petra wakes to discover she still remembers everything. And not only that, but the future they were told would await them has been hijacked by the evil Collective. Now it is up to Petra to tell stories, like her abuelita taught her, and give hope back to the people in their new home.
The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei
In this excellent locked-ship, sci-fi debut, humanity hasn’t even reached their new home yet before everything goes wrong. Asuka is one of 80 young people chosen to travel to a prospective planet. It is a mission they will not return from—the planet is too far away for a human lifespan to travel and return. The crew has to be suspended in sleep for some of the journey. The hope is that when they reach their destination, they can send a message back to Earth, saying, “Come on in, the water’s fine!” But shortly after Asuka and the crew wake up, a bomb goes off, killing three crew members and knocking the ship off course. Who is responsible for the bomb? Will there be more? And can Asuka and the crew find out who did it and get the ship back on track?
A House Between Earth and the Moon by Rebecca Scherm
This is one of my favorite sci-fi reads of the last few years and one that feels pretty real. The realism comes from the fact that the Earth is going to pieces, but only the extremely rich can leave it for a new colony in space. Alex is a scientist who has been working for two decades on an algae that may help reverse climate change. But his focus on his work has cost him everything else in his life. That’s when he’s offered a position on Parallaxis, the first-ever luxury residential space station for the rich. He can perfect his new algae strain and help out with other projects. So Alex and a crew of other professionals travel to Parallaxis and quickly discover they bought a line of bullpucky. The space station isn’t finished being built yet! Meanwhile, back at the Earth ranch, the owners of Parallaxis, billionaire sisters, are clashing; Alex’s estranged family is suffering from all the new ways that technology can torment people; and Tess, a psychologist, is hired to spy on the people leaving on Parallaxis, which becomes her obsession.
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
And this is an excellent generational ship story, meaning that humans have to live onboard a spacecraft for generations, because Earth is gone or they’re trying to find a new planet for centuries. In this searing debut, the HSS Matilda houses the last of humanity, forever searching for a new home planet. But even though the humans have left Earth behind, they haven’t left behind the racism and injustices that occurred. Aster lives on the lower level of the ship with the other marginalized people, who are forced to work the crops and subjected to cruelties. With memories of her mother haunting her and explosive secrets about what really happened to her being revealed, Aster must decide if she wants to fight against the harsh systems and rules of the ship for a brighter future for those around her.
And be sure to check out more Book Riot recommendations for space travel! Okay, star bits, now take the knowledge you have learned here today and use it for good, not evil. If you want to know more about books, I talk about books pretty much nonstop (when I’m not reading them), and you can hear me say lots of adjectives about them on the Book Riot podcast All the Books! and on Instagram.
If an SFF fan forwarded this newsletter to you or you read it on bookriot.com and you’d like to get it right in your inbox, you can sign up here
