Robot Overlords

A selection of books that fit each month's Robot Overlords theme.

Updated September 12, 2023
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Parable of the sower
Butler, Octavia E.
Paper Book
A New York Times Book of the Year · Nebula Award nominee · Featuring an introduction by Gloria Steinem From the pioneering New York Times bestselling science fiction author of Kindred. The radically speculative odyssey of a...
Kindred
Butler, Octavia E.
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling author of Parable of the Sower and MacArthur "Genius" Grant, Nebula, and Hugo award winner The visionary time-travel classic whose Black female hero is pulled through time to face the horrors of American slavery and explores the...
How long 'til black future month?
Jemisin, N. K.
Paper Book
Three-time Hugo Award winner and NYT bestselling author N. K. Jemisin challenges and delights readers with thought-provoking narratives of destruction, rebirth, and redemption that sharply examine modern society in her first collection of short fiction, which includes never-before-seen...
An unkindness of ghosts
Solomon, Rivers
Paper Book
A breathtaking science fiction debut from a worthy successor to Octavia Butler. --One of Esquire magazine's 50 Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time "Solomon debuts with a raw distillation of slavery, feudalism, prison, and religion that...
Do you dream of Terra-Two?
Oh, Temi
Paper Book
An NPR favorite book of 2019 Winner of the ALA/YALSA Alex Award When an Earth-like planet is discovered, a team of six teens, along with three veteran astronauts, embark on a twenty-year trip to set up a planet for human colonization--but find that space is more...
The stone sky
Jemisin, N. K.
Paper Book
Humanity will finally be saved or destroyed in the shattering conclusion to the post-apocalyptic and highly acclaimed NYT bestselling trilogy that won the Hugo Award three years in a row. The Moon will soon return. Whether this heralds the destruction of humankind or...
The city we became
Jemisin, N. K.
Paper Book
An instant NYT Bestseller! Four-time Hugo Award-winning author N.K. Jemisin crafts her most incredible novel yet, the first book in The Great Cities Duology, a crackling tale of culture, identity, magic, and myths in contemporary New...
Out there screaming : an anthology of new Black horror
Peele, Jordan
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The visionary writer and director of Get Out, Us, and Nope, and founder of Monkeypaw Productions, curates this groundbreaking anthology of all-new stories of Black horror, exploring not only the terrors of the supernatural but the chilling...
Akata witch
Okorafor, Nnedi
Paper Book
Affectionately dubbed "the Nigerian Harry Potter," Akata Witch weaves together a heart-pounding tale of magic, mystery, and finding one's place in the world. Twelve-year-old Sunny lives in Nigeria, but she was born American. Her features are African, but she's albino. She's a...
Shadow Speaker
Okorafor, Nnedi.
Ebook
Amazon Editor's Pick, Best SFF September 2023 *  The Strand, Science Fiction Pick of the Month October 2023 Deluxe, expanded edition of an out-of-print early novel from Africanfuturist luminary Nnedi Okorafor, with a brand-new introduction from the author. Niger...
Akata woman
Okorafor, Nnedi
Paper Book
Akata Woman is the New York Times bestselling third book in the series that started with Akata Witch, named one of Time magazine's "100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time" and "100 Best YA Books of All Time," from award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor. ...
Death of the author
Okorafor, Nnedi
Paper Book
THE INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER Recommended by New York Times Book Review * People * NPR * Rolling Stone * Los Angeles Times * Reader's Digest * and more! "This one has it all." -- George R.R. Martin * "As delicious as it...
The reformatory : a novel
Due, Tananarive
Paper Book
*Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winner * New York Times Notable Book * Locus Award Finalist * Winner of the Bram Stoker Award and the Shirley Jackson Award * "You're in for a treat...one of those books you can't put down...Due hit it out of the park." --Stephen King ...
Ghost summer : stories
Due, Tananarive
Paper Book
Nominated for an NAACP Image Award!Named one of The LA Times Best Books of 2015!"In these extraordinary tales, American Book Award-winner Due (My Soul to Take) uses a clear-eyed view of history to explain (but never excuse) the present." - Publishers Weekly (Starred)Stephen King says, "Ms. Due...
The Black girl survives in this one : horror stories
Evans, Desiree S.
Paper Book
INSTANT INDIE BESTSELLER! "This anthology makes a statement: Black women belong in horror...Projects like this -- brave, necessary -- celebrate Black women, and will hopefully inspire the future of the genre." --The New York Times Book Review A YA anthology of...
The changeling : a novel
LaValle, Victor D.
Paper Book
"[This] haunting tale weaves a mesmerizing web around fatherhood, racism, horrific anxieties and even To Kill a Mockingbird. And the backdrop for this rich phantasmagoria? The boroughs of New York."--The New York Times Winner of an American Book Award, a...
Lone women : a novel
LaValle, Victor
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Blue skies, empty land--and enough wide-open space to hide a horrifying secret. A woman with a past, a mysterious trunk, a town on the edge of nowhere, and an "absorbing, powerful" (BuzzFeed) new vision of the American West, from the award-winning author of...
The ballad of Black Tom
LaValle, Victor D.
Paper Book
One of NPR's Best Books of 2016, winner of the Shirley Jackson Award, the British Fantasy Award, the This is Horror Award for Novella of the Year, and a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, World Fantasy, and Bram Stoker Awards People move to New York looking for magic...
The angel of Indian Lake
Jones, Stephen Graham
Paper Book
A National Bestseller The final installment in the most lauded trilogy in the history of horror novels picks up four years after Don't Fear the Reaper as Jade returns to Proofrock, Idaho, to build a life after the years of sacrifice--only to find the Lake Witch is...
The only good Indians : a novel
Jones, Stephen Graham
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones comes a "masterpiece" (Locus Magazine) of a novel about revenge, cultural identity, and the cost of breaking from tradition. This is a remarkable horror story that "will give you nightmares-...
I was a teenage slasher
Jones, Stephen Graham
Paper Book
A USA TODAY Bestseller An Alex Award Winner From New York Times bestselling horror writer Stephen Graham Jones comes a classic slasher story with a twist--perfect for fans of Adam Cesare and Grady Hendrix. 1989, Lamesa, Texas....
Don't fear the reaper
Jones, Stephen Graham
Paper Book
A Locus Award Finalist December 12th, 2019, Jade returns to the rural lake town of Proofrock the same day as convicted Indigenous serial killer Dark Mill South escapes into town to complete his revenge killings, in this riveting sequel to My Heart Is a Chainsaw from...
VenCo : a novel
Dimaline, Cherie
Paper Book
"Once I opened VenCo, I was propelled through an entire night of charmed reading. Cherie Dimaline creates a world utterly fantastical, yet real. VenCo is funny, tense, and cracking with a dark, divine energy."  ---Louise Erdrich, New York Times bestselling author of The...
Lakewood : a novel
Giddings, Megan
Paper Book
NPR Book of the Year 2020 Electric Literature: One of 55 Books by Women and Nonbinary Writers of Color to Read in 2020 |  Lit Hub & The Millions: Most Anticipated Books of 2020 | Ms. Magazine: Anticipated 2020 Feminist Books | Refinery29: Books by Black Women We are Looking Forward To...
The haunting of tram car 015
Clark, P. Dj©·l©?
Paper Book
P. Djèlí Clark returns to the historical fantasy universe of "A Dead Djinn in Cairo", with the otherworldly adventure novella The Haunting of Tram Car 015. Finalist for the 2020 Hugo Award Finalist for the 2020 Nebula Award Finalist for the 2020 Locus...
Ring shout : or, Hunting Ku Kluxes in the end times
Clark, P. Dje?li?
Paper Book
IN AMERICA, DEMONS WEAR WHITE HOODS. In 1915, The Birth of a Nation cast a spell across America, swelling the Klan's ranks and drinking deep from the darkest thoughts of white folk. All across the nation they ride, spreading fear and violence among the vulnerable. They plan to bring Hell to Earth....
The dead cat tail assassins
Clark, P. Dje?li?
Paper Book
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins are not cats.Nor do they have tails.But they are most assuredly dead.Nebula and Alex Award winner P. Djèlí Clark introduces a brand-new world and a fantastical city full of gods and assassins.A Most Anticipated Book of 2024 According to Bookish, She Reads, Civilian Reader...
A master of djinn
Clark, P. Dje?li?
Paper Book
Nebula, Locus, and Alex Award-winner P. Djèlí Clark goes full-length for the first time in his dazzling debut novel, A Master of Djinn. Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha'arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural...
Trail of lightning
Roanhorse, Rebecca
Paper Book
One of the Time 100 Best Fantasy Books Of All Time 2019 LOCUS AWARD WINNER, BEST FIRST NOVEL 2019 HUGO AWARD FINALIST, BEST NOVEL Nebula Award Finalist for Best Novel One of Bustle's Top 20 "landmark sci-fi and...
Black sun
Roanhorse, Rebecca
Paper Book
NOMINATED FOR THE 2021 HUGO AWARDS AND THE 2020 NEBULA AWARDS FOR BEST NOVEL From the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Resistance Reborn comes the first book in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy, inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian...
Fevered star
Roanhorse, Rebecca
Paper Book
Return to The Meridian with New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Roanhorse's sequel to the most critically hailed epic fantasy of 2020 Black Sun--finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, Lambda, and Locus awards. There are no tides more treacherous than those of the...
Tread of angels
Roanhorse, Rebecca
Paper Book
Celeste, a card sharp with a need for justice, takes on the role of advocatus diaboli, to defend her sister Mariel, accused of murdering a Virtue, a member of the ruling class of this mining town, in a new world of dark fantasy from the New York Times bestselling...
Mexican Gothic
Moreno-Garcia, Silvia
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * "It's Lovecraft meets the Brontës in Latin America, and after a slow-burn start Mexican Gothic gets seriously weird."--The Guardian   ONE OF TIME'S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME * WINNER OF THE LOCUS...
Silver nitrate
Moreno-Garcia, Silvia
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * From the author of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau and Mexican Gothic comes a fabulous meld of Mexican horror movies and Nazi occultism: a dark thriller about the curse that haunts a legendary lost film--and awakens one woman's hidden powers. ...
Gods of jade and shadow
Moreno-Garcia, Silvia
Paper Book
The Mayan god of death sends a young woman on a harrowing, life-changing journey in this dark, one-of-a-kind fairy tale inspired by Mexican folklore. "A spellbinding fairy tale rooted in Mexican mythology . . . Gods of Jade and Shadow is a magical...
Velvet was the night
Moreno-Garcia, Silvia
Paper Book
GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK * From the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic comes a simmering historical noir about a daydreaming secretary, a lonesome enforcer, and the mystery of the missing woman they're both desperate to find. ONE OF...
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau
Moreno-Garcia, Silvia.
Ebook
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the bestselling author of Mexican Gothic and Velvet Was the Night comes a lavish historical drama reimagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century Mexico. "This is...
Certain Dark Things A Novel
Moreno-Garcia, Silvia.
Ebook
From Silvia Moreno-Garcia, the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic, comes Certain Dark Things, a pulse-pounding neo-noir that reimagines vampire lore. Welcome to Mexico City, an oasis in a sea of vampires. Domingo, a lonely garbage...
New suns : original speculative fiction by people of color
Shawl, Nisi
Paper Book
Winner of the 2020 Locus, World Fantasy, British Fantasy, Ignyte, and Brave New Words Awards. "There's nothing new under the sun, but there are new suns," proclaimed Octavia E. Butler. New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color...
The inheritance of Orqui?dea Divina : a novel
Córdova, Zoraida
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER Perfect for fans of Alice Hoffman, Isabel Allende, and Sarah Addison Allen, a family searches for the truth hidden in their past in this "expertly woven tale of family power, threaded with as much mystery as magic" (V.E. Schwab, #1 New York Times...
Riot baby
Onyebuchi, Tochi
Paper Book
"Riot Baby bursts at the seams of story with so much fire, passion and power that in the end it turns what we call a narrative into something different altogether."--Marlon JamesElla has a Thing. She sees a classmate grow up to become a caring nurse. A neighbor's son murdered in a drive-by shooting....
The ghost bride
Choo, Yangsze
Paper Book
Now a Netflix original drama! From the New York Times bestselling author of The Night Tiger, a Reese's Book Club pick, Yangsze Choo's stunning debut, The Ghost Bride, is a startlingly original novel infused with Chinese folklore, romantic intrigue, and unexpected...
Listen to Your Sister
Viel, Neena
Paper Book
Most Anticipated by Goodreads, People, BookRiot, Reactor, Screenrant, and more! For fans of Jordan Peele's films, Stranger Things, and The Other Black Girl, Listen To Your Sister is a laugh-out-loud, deeply terrifying,...
The poppy war
Kuang, R. F.
Paper Book
One of Time Magazine's 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time "I have no doubt this will end up being the best fantasy debut of the year...I have absolutely no doubt that [Kuang's] name will be up there with the likes of Robin Hobb and N.K. Jemisin." -- Booknest From #1...
Babel : or the necessity of violence : an arcane history of the Oxford Translators' Revolution
Kuang, R. F.
Paper Book
Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller from the author of The Poppy War   "Absolutely phenomenal. One of the most brilliant, razor-sharp books I've had the pleasure of reading that isn't just an alternative fantastical history, but an interrogative one; one that grabs colonial...
The monsters we defy
Penelope, L.
Paper Book
"[P]itch perfect, with wit, romance, and a lovable found family." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review) "This smart and entertaining, magical heist novel hits all the right notes!" ―T.L. Huchu NPR...
The perishing : a novel
Deón, Natashia
Paper Book
Lou, a young Black woman, wakes up in an alley in 1930s Los Angeles, nearly naked and with no memory. Taken in by a caring foster family, she'll go on to become the first Black female journalist at the Los Angeles Times. When she befriends a firefighter at a downtown boxing gym, Lou is shocked to...
The spite house
Compton, Johnny
Paper Book
Eric Ross is on the run from a mysterious past with his two daughters in tow. Having left his wife, his house, his whole life behind in Maryland, he's desperate for money--it's not easy to find steady, safe work when you can't provide references, you can't stay in one place for long, and you're...
Even though I knew the end
Polk, C. L.
Paper Book
"Stylish supernatural noir with a heart and a thrumming pulse. I devoured it." --Laini TaylorC. L. Polk turns their considerable powers to a fantastical noir. A magical detective dives into the affairs of Chicago's divine monsters to secure a future with the love of her life. This sapphic period...
The midnight bargain
Polk, C. L.
Paper Book
2021 World Fantasy Award Finalist for Best Novel | 2021 Nebula Award Finalist for Best Novel | 2021 FIYAHCON Ignyte Award Finalist for Best Novel | 2021 Canada Reads Finalist | NPR Best Books of 2020 | November 2020 Indie Next Pick | Apple Books: Best Books of October  "A sleek,...
Stories of your life and others
Chiang, Ted
Paper Book
From the author of Exhalation, an award-winning short story collection that blends "absorbing storytelling with meditations on the universe, being, time and space ... raises questions about the nature of reality and what it is to be human" (The New York Times). ...
Exhalation
Chiang, Ted
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR * Nine stunningly original, provocative, and poignant stories--two published for the very first time--all from the mind of the incomparable author of Stories of Your Life and Others ...
The paper menagerie and other stories
Liu, Ken
Paper Book
A publishing event: Bestselling author Ken Liu selects his award-winning science fiction and fantasy tales for a groundbreaking collection--including a brand-new piece exclusive to this volume. With his debut novel, The Grace of Kings, taking the literary world by storm, Ken Liu...
Severance
Ma, Ling
Paper Book
Maybe it's the end of the world, but not for Candace Chen, a millennial, first-generation American and office drone meandering her way into adulthood in Ling Ma's offbeat, wryly funny, apocalyptic satire, Severance. "A stunning, audacious book with a fresh take on both...
The memory police
Ogawa, Yo?ko
Paper Book
*** 2019 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST *** *** LONGLISTED FOR THE 2020 INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE AND THE 2020 TRANSLATED BOOK AWARD *** *** NEW YORK TIMES 100 NOTABLE BOOKS OF THE YEAR *** A haunting Orwellian novel about the terrors of state surveillance, from the...
Love after the end : an anthology of Two-spirit & Indigiqueer speculative fiction
Whitehead, Joshua (Writer)
Paper Book
This exciting and groundbreaking fiction anthology showcases a number of new and emerging 2SQ (Two-Spirit and queer Indigenous) writers from across Turtle Island. These visionary authors show how queer Indigenous communities can bloom and thrive through utopian narratives that detail the vivacity...
To shape a dragon's breath
Blackgoose, Moniquill
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER . WINNER OF THE NEBULA AND LODESTAR AWARDS . FINALIST FOR THE ASTOUNDING, LOCUS, AND BRITISH FANTASY NEWCOMER AWARDS . "My favorite book of the year . . . a coming-of-age story that is cozy and hair-raising in equal measure."-Charlie Jane Anders, The Washington Post
Ninefox gambit
Lee, Yoon Ha
Paper Book
New York Times Best-Selling Author - Nominated for the 2019 Hugo Award for Best Series - Winner of the 2016 Locus Award - Nominated for the Hugo, Nebula and Arthur C. Clarke Awards When Captain Kel Cheris of the hexarchate is disgraced for her unconventional tactics, Kel...
A taste of honey
Wilson, Kai Ashante
Paper Book
A Taste of Honey is the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Theodore Sturgeon, and Locus finalist novella that N. K. Jemisin calls "a love story as painful as it is beautiful and complex". Find out why Wired named it one of the 20 Best Books of the Decade! Long after the...
Black water sister
Cho, Zen
Paper Book
A finalist for the 2022 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel One of BookPage's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Books of 2021 One of Tor.com Reviewers' Choice Best Books of 2021 One of Book Riot's Best SFF Standalones of 2021 "Ghosts. Gods....
The Order of the Pure Moon reflected in water
Cho, Zen
Paper Book
"Fantastic, defiant, utterly brilliant." --Ken LiuZen Cho returns with a found family wuxia fantasy that combines the vibrancy of old school martial arts movies with characters drawn from the margins of history.A bandit walks into a coffeehouse, and it all goes downhill from there. Guet Imm, a young...

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