spiritual fiction

~ Life of Pi – by Yann Martel ~

Review from Drew: Don’t feel like I have to say much for this one, other than - even if you’ve seen the movie, it is so, so, so worth it to read the book. So much nuance and commentary in there, about religion and animals and will to survive and life. And the writing is absolutely spectacular.

~ Wild Seed – by Octavia Butler ~

Review from Drew: I’m a little obsessed with the concepts of the Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine, and I’ve never seen them as clearly portrayed as in this novel. Doro is an ancient spirit with boundless powers, possessing humans and killing without remorse as he jumps from body to body to sustain his own life. He’s immortal, so he spends his time traveling the world and breeding humans with supernatural powers into beings that at least might resemble him. He knows no equal until he meets Anyanwu, who can heal with a bite and transform her own body, mending injuries and reversing aging. She uses her powers to cure her neighbors and birth entire tribes, surrounding herself with kindred who both fear and respect her. The mixing of the two is horrifying, and magical, and fuckin’ well worth the read.

~ The Kin of Atta Are Waiting for You – by Dorothy Bryant ~

Review from Drew: This one is a hidden treasure. Slight trigger warning at the beginning, as the narrator commits some horrible domestic violence to kick off the book. But the you drop into a utopian community where the entire society is set up around improving your ability to dream… It’s great food for thought for the new world we hope to build, and I highly recommend.

~ The Dispossessed – by Ursula K. Le Guin ~

Review from Drew: My ex’s favorite book of all time - I just finished it and whole-heartedly agree with her. It’s a science fiction novel about a brilliant physicist who was raised in a utopian anarchist society as he tries to bridge the gap between his world and their sister planet, which looks very much like our own. There are tons of new-paradigm seeds in this story that have planted themselves firmly in my subconscious. And Ursula Le Guin in general is a must-read for any science fiction lover - I’d recommend The Left Hand of Darkness as well.