Journey to other realities in June's best speculative fiction books

Washington Post

17 hours ago

Multiverses rule pop culture right now, because we love imagining that the world might be better than this one — or at least different. This month's best science fiction and fantasy books include an alternate version of real-life history, plus two books where portals allow people to visit wildly different realms. Forget superheroes meeting other versions of themselves — these books offer truly earth-shattering thrills.
In Patel's version of the 1960s, the British Empire never abandoned India — instead, it brutally slaughtered Gandhi, Nehru and others in the 1930s. Kalki is a young woman whose long-missing father was a leader of the Indian Liberation Movement, and now she's ready to step up and fight to free her country.
Scenarios in which things turned out worse are a staple of the alternate-history genre (see Robert Harris's 'Fatherland'), but Patel takes a subtle approach to the trope, exploring the dehumanizing logic of colonialism and what it takes to fight back. 'Ten Incarnations of Rebellion' might remind readers of Season 2 of the Star Wars series 'Andor,' thanks to the one-year gaps between each of the 10 sections, but also to its unflinching look at the costs of liberation.
Patel's brilliantly observed story stands alone, though, showing both the empire's brutal tactics and the social dynamics of the colonized. Some Indians collaborate for their own gain, and the British use Hindu-Muslim tensions to divide and conquer. One of Kalki's allies is a low-caste Dalit, who fears more caste-based oppression in a postcolonial India. Patel cleverly demonstrates how great uprisings come from small acts of defiance, like sharing traditional songs and displaying Hindu myths. It's uplifting but also harrowing and at times distressing. Toward the end, Kalki looks at her friends and realizes, 'The empire had changed us all for the worse.'
In Patel's version of the 1960s, the British Empire never abandoned India — instead, it brutally slaughtered Gandhi, Nehru and others in the 1930s. Kalki is a young woman whose long-missing father was a leader of the Indian Liberation Movement, and now she's ready to step up and fight to free her country.
Scenarios in which things turned out worse are a staple of the alternate-history genre (see Robert Harris's 'Fatherland'), but Patel takes a subtle approach to the trope, exploring the dehumanizing logic of colonialism and what it takes to fight back. 'Ten Incarnations of Rebellion' might remind readers of Season 2 of the Star Wars series 'Andor,' thanks to the one-year gaps between each of the 10 sections, but also to its unflinching look at the costs of liberation.
Patel's brilliantly observed story stands alone, though, showing both the empire's brutal tactics and the social dynamics of the colonized. Some Indians collaborate for their own gain, and the British use Hindu-Muslim tensions to divide and conquer. One of Kalki's allies is a low-caste Dalit, who fears more caste-based oppression in a postcolonial India. Patel cleverly demonstrates how great uprisings come from small acts of defiance, like sharing traditional songs and displaying Hindu myths. It's uplifting but also harrowing and at times distressing. Toward the end, Kalki looks at her friends and realizes, 'The empire had changed us all for the worse.'
Type-A personality Brenda and rebellious slacker Kat might seem like opposites, but it turns out Kat lives in a different world than ours: one of magic and mystical creatures. Kat and Brenda spark a romance, thanks to mysterious portals that keep opening between their two versions of Los Angeles. But Kat is the Chosen One in a prophecy, destined to sacrifice her life to save her city, and Brenda finds clues to a conspiracy that threatens both realities.
I was expecting 'Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe' to be similar to 'Spells to Forget Us' by Aislinn Brophy, another romance between a magic-user and someone who knows nothing of magic. Lee, however, takes a different path, showing how Brenda and her friends rejoice in learning about magic — and eventually change how Kat thinks about it, too. A great romance is partly about characters expanding their worldview, and Lee deftly uses her characters' love affair to explore their fictional world, slowly unveiling a complex mythos. In Kat's world, magic has been domesticated until it looks just like technology, and it takes people from a world of tech to see how magic can be used more creatively.
'Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe' is a slow boil: It takes almost 90 pages for Kat and Brenda to spend time together. But after that, the book picks up steam and becomes endlessly fun, especially once you get to the adorable miniature dragon. Lee's book stands apart from the recent flood of fantasy romances thanks to its clever interweaving of high stakes with a heartfelt love story.
Type-A personality Brenda and rebellious slacker Kat might seem like opposites, but it turns out Kat lives in a different world than ours: one of magic and mystical creatures. Kat and Brenda spark a romance, thanks to mysterious portals that keep opening between their two versions of Los Angeles. But Kat is the Chosen One in a prophecy, destined to sacrifice her life to save her city, and Brenda finds clues to a conspiracy that threatens both realities.
I was expecting 'Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe' to be similar to 'Spells to Forget Us' by Aislinn Brophy, another romance between a magic-user and someone who knows nothing of magic. Lee, however, takes a different path, showing how Brenda and her friends rejoice in learning about magic — and eventually change how Kat thinks about it, too. A great romance is partly about characters expanding their worldview, and Lee deftly uses her characters' love affair to explore their fictional world, slowly unveiling a complex mythos. In Kat's world, magic has been domesticated until it looks just like technology, and it takes people from a world of tech to see how magic can be used more creatively.
'Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe' is a slow boil: It takes almost 90 pages for Kat and Brenda to spend time together. But after that, the book picks up steam and becomes endlessly fun, especially once you get to the adorable miniature dragon. Lee's book stands apart from the recent flood of fantasy romances thanks to its clever interweaving of high stakes with a heartfelt love story.
Seven doors appear around the globe, each of them opening periodically to reveal an otherworldly realm. Ayanna's father belongs to a cult that worships the doors, but her Catholic mother believes the doors to be a hoax — and after a divorce, Ayanna's sister, Olivia, goes to live with their mom, while Ayanna stays with their father. A fateful encounter traps one sister on the other side of a portal while the other starts being able to communicate with ghosts.
'Meet Me at the Crossroads' has a lot to say about grief and living with the constant presence of the dead — but it's ultimately a life-affirming book about overcoming depression. Giddings has an unparalleled ability to write about upsetting events while still capturing the tiny joys of being alive. Chief among those joys is finding a group of friends who see you and are willing to help you do foolish things to help you heal. She explores religion as both a response to grief and a nourishing fellowship. A subplot about an abusive ghost feels at times as though it belongs in a different book, but it eventually pays off beautifully.
All in all, 'Meet Me at the Crossroads' sparkles with humor and insight, confirming Giddings as one of the best current authors of speculative fiction. There are so many quotable lines, including a description of velociraptors as never needing vacations, because for them 'stillness was death. Their religion was momentum and feasts.'
Seven doors appear around the globe, each of them opening periodically to reveal an otherworldly realm. Ayanna's father belongs to a cult that worships the doors, but her Catholic mother believes the doors to be a hoax — and after a divorce, Ayanna's sister, Olivia, goes to live with their mom, while Ayanna stays with their father. A fateful encounter traps one sister on the other side of a portal while the other starts being able to communicate with ghosts.
'Meet Me at the Crossroads' has a lot to say about grief and living with the constant presence of the dead — but it's ultimately a life-affirming book about overcoming depression. Giddings has an unparalleled ability to write about upsetting events while still capturing the tiny joys of being alive. Chief among those joys is finding a group of friends who see you and are willing to help you do foolish things to help you heal. She explores religion as both a response to grief and a nourishing fellowship. A subplot about an abusive ghost feels at times as though it belongs in a different book, but it eventually pays off beautifully.
All in all, 'Meet Me at the Crossroads' sparkles with humor and insight, confirming Giddings as one of the best current authors of speculative fiction. There are so many quotable lines, including a description of velociraptors as never needing vacations, because for them 'stillness was death. Their religion was momentum and feasts.'