Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Favourite Sci-Fi Films

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week’s theme is all to do with films. I thought about making it bookish related but then I realised hey, I’ve already done a post like that! So if you’re interested, here are some of my favourite book-to-screen adaptations.

For this post, I’m going with my favourite Sci-Fi films. As you’ll know, I love Sci-Fi, and it’s a much bigger and more encompassing genre than some people think. They hear ‘science fiction’ and they think ‘oh god that’s so geeky. Isn’t it just spaceships?’. But Sci-Fi has so many subgenres, like dystopian and apocalyptic a la The Hunger Games and Mad Max. Or Superhero films, those are Sci-Fi! Time travel, alternate history, cyberpunk. Sci-Fi is everywhere.

I’m not going to include superhero films in my list because pretty much the whole thing would just be Marvel movies, so, without further ado, here are some of my favourite Sci-Fi films:

1. Star Trek (2009)

I had never been interested in Star Trek. I’d watched all the Star Wars films but Star Trek just didn’t seem as cool. Which is ironic, because I now think Star Wars is the geekier of the two franchises. But anyway, Star Trek just didn’t float my boat, until they rebooted it and oh my god. This film blew me away.

I watched it at home one day on Sky Movies because it was free and I was bored and I’d heard it was good, so why not? After watching it, I immediately bought the DVD and then waited impatiently for the DVD release of Star Trek: Into Darkness because I’d just missed it in cinemas.

Now I’m just waiting for Star Trek: Beyond as I didn’t have time to go watch it at Vue, but I am a little sad about seeing it as it was one of Anton Yelchin’s last films and he was such a great actor. Hopefully the film is good though.

2. The Martian

This film was so tense it gave me a migraine. The climactic end just made me unbelievably stressed. However, I still want to read the book (and risk another possible migraine) because the film was so enjoyable and moving. Plus, Sebastian Stan.

3. Mad Max: Fury Road

Now, for all my talk about loving post-apocalyptic fiction, I was hesitant about Mad Max: Fury Road. From all the trailers it just looked like a real man’s film like yeah lads cars guns yeah lads. Don’t get me wrong, I like action, but I hate those films that are just all about blowing things up and have zero plot. However, because it was post-apocalyptic, I decided to give Mad Max: Fury Road a go.

And just like Star Trek, it totally exceeded my expectations. I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen for one moment in case I missed something. In all honesty, it is just one big car chase, but it has so many crucial underlying themes revolving around feminism and humanity and the environment. It’s so much fun too, and the world-building is fantastic. Honestly, this one is a total gem, and Charlize Theron steals the show from Tom Hardy, which is a difficult thing to do because normally it’s Tom Hardy who steals the show in pretty much everything he’s in, main character or not. I highly recommend this one.

4. Sunshine

Now this is a real hidden gem. Danny Boyle is one of my favourite directors and pretty much masters whatever genre he takes on. Whilst most of his films have made it quite big, Sunshine has stayed in the shadows as a cult film loved by the critics but not really known by the general public. I’ve never really understood this because it’s such a brilliant film. It has well known actors like Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Rose Byrne, Hiroyuki Sanada and Mark Strong. Yet somehow it never really took off.

If you’re a fan of Gravity with George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, then you’ll love this, it’s along the same kind of vein and just as tense.

5. District 9

There’s a line from this film my Dad quite often likes to repeat in his rather good South African accent because it makes him laugh. It’s when the main character, a man in charge of evicting the malnourished aliens from their South African slum, approaches a small alien – labelled a “prawn” – and says, “Hello, little guy! It’s the sweetie man coming!”. It’s funny and unsettling all at once. Because the irony is, whilst these aliens came to Earth seeking help, they are vastly more intelligent. I mean, they were able to leave their planet and travel millions of miles through space for a start, something we’re nowhere near close to doing. Yet we haven’t assisted them at all. The novelty of extra-terrestrial life has worn off and we’ve confined them to an impoverished slum and oppressed them.

This film, whilst humorous, is a social commentary on man’s treatment of the ‘other’ and is really hard-hitting. Definitely a modern Sci-Fi masterpiece.

6. Children of Men

I’ve featured this film before in my best book-to-screen adaptations, which I linked to at the top of this post, because both book and film are brilliant pieces of dystopian fiction and film-making. With no baby born for almost two decades, humanity is faced with its own extinction. What lengths would we go to?

7. Edge of Tomorrow

I’m not a massive Tom Cruise fan, and it annoys me that he seems to play the same role in every film. However, Edge of Tomorrow breaks this mould. Cruise is a bumbling, haughty Major who has never seen combat, until he’s suddenly thrown into a suicide mission battling the war against superior alien forces. Yet the real hero of this film is Emily Blunt as hardened veteran Rita Vrataski. She shows Cruise how it’s done and he never quite gets up to her level.

Overall, this film is a solid effort with some great moments of comic relief (at Cruise’s expense). It’s also based on the manga All You Need Is Kill. I was a bit disappointed to find out about this afterwards and see that they had changed the central character from Japanese to American. Whilst it may have been refreshing to see Cruise play someone other than the macho hero who can do everything, the studio obviously wanted a big name to try and attract an audience. The usual Hollywood white-washing.

8. 28 Days Later

I told you I liked Danny Boyle. And Cillian Murphy, for that matter, and it seems Danny Boyle agrees. There’s no need to explain this film because if you haven’t heard of it then you’ve been living under a rock; it’s a zombie sci-fi horror classic. But instead of the dead coming back to life, it’s actually a virus known as Rage, and these ‘zombies’ are some of the scariest you’ll ever see on screen.

9. Inception

This film was a total mind-bender but oh so good, and definitely one of a kind. Great acting, amazing plot, and a brilliant soundtrack from Hans Zimmer, this is one that will always stay with me.

10. Star Wars

Just all the Star Wars. The old, the new, and the even newer. Whilst the script for the originals and the prequel franchise were extremely corny, they’re still total classics and made Sci-Fi mainstream. Plus I’m so excited for Rogue One this December.

What are some of your favourite Sci-Fi films? Do you agree with my picks? Disagree? Let me know in the comments below!

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books I’ve Added To My Wishlist Lately

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week’s theme is 10 books you’ve recently added to your TBR. I’ve changed it to ‘wishlist’ because I class my TBR as books I actually own that are sitting on my shelves waiting to be read. My wishlist, however, is on Amazon and it’s where I’m constantly adding new books so I can keep track of all the ones I want.

So, here are 10 books I’ve recently added to my Amazon wishlist:

The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig | YA Historical Fantasy

It was the kind of August day that hinted at monsoons, and the year was 1774, though not for very much longer.

Sixteen-year-old Nix Song is a time-traveller. She, her father and their crew of time refugees travel the world aboard The Temptation, a glorious pirate ship stuffed with treasures both typical and mythical. Old maps allow Nix and her father to navigate not just to distant lands, but distant times – although a map will only take you somewhere once. And Nix’s father is only interested in one time, and one place: Honolulu 1868. A time before Nix was born, and her mother was alive. Something that puts Nix’s existence rather dangerously in question …

Nix has grown used to her father’s obsession, but only because she’s convinced it can’t work. But then a map falls into her father’s lap that changes everything. And when Nix refuses to help, her father threatens to maroon Kashmir, her only friend (and perhaps, only love) in a time where Nix will never be able to find him. And if Nix has learned one thing, it’s that losing the person you love is a torment that no one can withstand. Nix must work out what she wants, who she is, and where she really belongs before time runs out on her forever.

I’d heard a lot of good stuff about this book but, for some reason, it never really appealed to me. But after reading Jackie’s review @ Death By Tsundoku I was convinced to finally give it a chance and add it to my wishlist. Also, it has a diverse cast!

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin | Fantasy

Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky – a palace above the clouds where gods’ and mortals’ lives are intertwined.

There, to her shock, Yeine is named one of the potential heirs to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won, and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle with a pair of cousins she never knew she had. As she fights for her life, she draws ever closer to the secrets of her mother’s death and her family’s bloody history.

But it’s not just mortals who have secrets worth hiding and Yeine will learn how perilous the world can be when love and hate – and gods and mortals – are bound inseparably.

Another book I added to my wishlist because of Jackie @ Death By Tsundoku! Plus that cover is just wow.

They Mostly Come Out At Night by Benedict Patrick | Fantasy

Lonan is an outcast, accused of letting the monsters that stalk the night into the homes of his fellow villagers. Now, he will not rest until he wins back the heart of his childhood love and reclaims the life that was stolen from him. However, locked safely in his cellar at night, in his dreams Lonan finds himself looking through the eyes of a young prince…

Adahy has a destiny, and it terrifies him. How can he hope to live up to the legend of the Magpie King, to become the supernatural protector of the forest and defender of his people? But when the forest is invaded by an inhuman force, Adahy must rise to this challenge or let the Wolves destroy his people.

Watching these events unfold in his sleep, Lonan must do what he can to protect his village from this new threat. He is the only person who can keep his loved ones from being stolen away after dark, and to do so he will have to earn back their trust or watch the monsters kill everyone that he holds dear.

I can’t remember who, but someone on WordPress reviewed this book a day or two ago, which is why it’s on my wishlist. If you’re that blogger, then let me know and I’ll add a link to your review here! This sounds like a very dark and creepy fantasy.

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro | YA Mystery

Jamie Watson has always been intrigued by Charlotte Holmes; after all, their great-great-great-grandfathers are one of the most infamous pairs in history. But the Holmes family has always been odd, and Charlotte is no exception. She’s inherited Sherlock’s volatility and some of his vices and when Jamie and Charlotte end up at the same Connecticut boarding school, Charlotte makes it clear she s not looking for friends.

But when a student they both have a history with dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Danger is mounting and nowhere is safe and the only people they can trust are each other.

There are a lot of Sherlock ‘retellings’ out there, but I’m hoping this is one of the good ones. I’m also excited to see a female Sherlock!

The House of Birds by Morgan McCarthy | Contemporary

Oliver has spent years trying to convince himself that he’s suited to a life of money making in the city, and that he doesn’t miss a childhood spent in pursuit of mystery, when he cycled around the cobbled lanes of Oxford, exploring its most intriguing corners.

When his girlfriend Kate inherits a derelict house – and a fierce family feud – she’s determined to strip it, sell it and move on. For Oliver though, the house has an allure, and amongst the shelves of discarded, leather bound and gilded volumes, he discovers one that conceals a hidden diary from the 1920s.

So begins a quest: to discover the identity of the author, Sophia Louis. It is a portrait of war and marriage, isolation and longing and a story that will shape the future of the abandoned house – and of Oliver – forever.

I’ve always been really interested in the World Wars and WWI/WWII fiction is one of my favourite genres. They’re often harrowing reads, but so engrossing, and I’ve heard good things about this book.

The Vagrant by Peter Newman | Sci-Fi | Apocalyptic Fiction

The Vagrant is his name. He has no other.

Years have passed since humanity’s destruction emerged from the Breach.

Friendless and alone he walks across a desolate, war-torn landscape.

As each day passes the world tumbles further into depravity, bent and twisted by the new order, corrupted by the Usurper, the enemy, and his infernal horde.

His purpose is to reach the Shining City, last bastion of the human race, and deliver the only weapon that may make a difference in the ongoing war.

What little hope remains is dying. Abandoned by its leader, The Seven, and its heroes, The Seraph Knights, the last defences of a once great civilisation are crumbling into dust.

But the Shining City is far away and the world is a very dangerous place.

I think someone may have given this a good review, which is why it’s on my wishlist, but either way it sounds right up my street! I’ve been severely lacking in any apocalyptic fiction recently and it’s my favourite genre! However, this book does have quite mixed reviews, so fingers crossed I like it.

Emperor of the Eight Islands by Lian Hearn | Historical Fantasy

An ambitious warlord leaves his nephew for dead and seizes his lands.

A stubborn father forces his younger son to surrender his wife to his older brother.

A mysterious woman seeks five fathers for her children.

A powerful priest meddles in the succession to the Lotus Throne.

These are the threads of an intricate tapestry in which the laws of destiny play out against a backdrop of wild forest, elegant court, and savage battlefield.

I started Lian Hearn’s YA series, Tales of the Otori, years ago, but I was in that phase of skipping through books, spoiling the ending for myself, and giving up, so I never got past Across the Nightingale Floor. However, I’ve always been a huge admirer of Japan and its culture, especially in my early teens, and I finally got to go there a few years ago! So, as you can imagine, Hearn’s books are just my kind of thing as they’re set in a mythical medieval Japan. I’m determined to finish her YA series and hopefully start this new adult series in the future.

Timekeeper by Tara Sim | YA Fantasy | Alternate History

Two o’clock was missing.

In an alternate Victorian world controlled by clock towers, a damaged clock can fracture time–and a destroyed one can stop it completely. It’s a truth that seventeen-year-old clock mechanic Danny Hart knows all too well; his father has been trapped in a Stopped town east of London for three years. Though Danny is a prodigy who can repair not only clockwork, but the very fabric of time, his fixation with staging a rescue is quickly becoming a concern to his superiors.

And so they assign him to Enfield, a town where the tower seems to be forever plagued with problems. Danny’s new apprentice both annoys and intrigues him, and though the boy is eager to work, he maintains a secretive distance. Danny soon discovers why: he is the tower’s clock spirit, a mythical being that oversees Enfield’s time. Though the boys are drawn together by their loneliness, Danny knows falling in love with a clock spirit is forbidden, and means risking everything he’s fought to achieve. But when a series of bombings at nearby towers threaten to Stop more cities, Danny must race to prevent Enfield from becoming the next target or he’ll not only lose his father, but the boy he loves, forever.

This sounds sooooooo gooooood. An alternate Victorian England where time can stop if the clocks do? LGBTQ+ rep? Sign me up!

Flashfall by Jenny Moyer | YA Sci-Fi

Orion is a Subpar, expected to mine the tunnels of Outpost Five, near the deadly flash curtain. For generations, her people have chased cirium the only element that can shield humanity from the curtain’s radioactive particles. She and her caving partner Dram work the most treacherous tunnel, fighting past flash bats and tunnel gulls, in hopes of mining enough cirium to earn their way into the protected city.

But when newcomers arrive at Outpost Five, Orion uncovers disturbing revelations that make her question everything she thought she knew about life on both sides of the cirium shield. As conditions at the outpost grow increasingly dangerous, it s up to Orion to forge a way past the flashfall, beyond all boundaries, beyond the world as she knows it.

This sounds like it has a big similarity with Red Rising, namely a mining community on another planet who are the lowest in society and are fed lies about what’s going on in the outside world. However, it seems that’s where the similarities stop. Hopefully this book holds its own and doesn’t turn into some half-hearted regurgitation of Red Rising but, either way, it sounds pretty good. (Released in the UK on 1st Dec).

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova | YA Urban Fantasy

Alex is a bruja and the most powerful witch in her family. But she’s hated magic ever since it made her father disappear into thin air. So while most girls celebrate their Quinceañera, Alex prepares for Death Day the most important day in a bruja’s life, and her only opportunity to rid herself of magic.

But the curse she performs during the ceremony backfires and her family vanishes, forcing Alex to absorb all of the magic from her family line. Left alone, Alex seeks help from Nova, a brujo with ambitions of his own. To get her family back they must travel to Los Lagos, a land in- between, as dark as Limbo and as strange as Wonderland…

I’ve seen a lot of love for this so decided to add it to my wishlist. It sounds really intriguing (and diverse!) so I’m looking forward to buying this one.

And that’s it! What books have you added to your wishlist recently? Have you read any of these? Want to read them? Let me know in the comments below!

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Horror Novels On My Wishlist

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week’s theme is all centred around Halloween, one of my favourite times of the year (and also my Dad’s birthday). I’m a big fan of horror so I decided to do this week’s Top Ten Tuesday Halloween theme on 10 horror books I’m dying to buy.

If you want to see what horror books I’ve read and enjoyed, I did a post a few months ago and you can check it out here.

So, here are 10 Horror Books On My Wishlist:

The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beaten the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED.

Now, twenty years after the Rising, bloggers Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives – the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will get out, even if it kills them.

I know this isn’t a proper terrifying horror novel, but I’m starting this list off easy. I’ve seen a fair few people raving about Feed and I’m a massive zombie fan but, for some reason, I’ve just never got round to picking this series up. However, I know it’s more of a unique twist on the zombie apocalypse so I’m really intrigued to give this book a go.

Goodreads | Amazon UK

The lives of the Barretts, a suburban New England family, are torn apart when fourteen-year-old Marjorie begins to display signs of acute schizophrenia.

To her parents despair, the doctors are unable to halt Marjorie’s descent into madness. As their stable home devolves into a house of horrors, they reluctantly turn to a local Catholic priest for help, and soon find themselves the unwitting stars of The Possession, a hit reality television show.

Fifteen years later, a bestselling writer interviews Marjorie’s younger sister, Merry. As she recalls the terrifying events that took place when she was just eight years old, long-buried secrets and painful memories begin to surface and a mind-bending tale of psychological horror is unleashed.

I can’t remember who, but I saw a blogger review this and enjoy it and since then it’s been on my wishlist. Possession stories can be hit and miss, yet if Stephen King likes it, I’m sold.

Goodreads | Amazon UK

What if you only had 3 minutes to save your own life and the clock is already counting down…Three minutes. Nessa, Megan and Anto know that any day now they wake up alone in a horrible land and realise they’ve been Called. Two minutes. Like all teenagers they know that they’ll be hunted down and despite all their training only 1 in 10 will survive. One minute. And Nessa can’t run, her polio twisted legs mean she’ll never survive her Call will she? Time’s up.

I’ve been so hyped for this since its release and I can’t wait much longer! I’ve only seen glowing reviews of this book so I have very high hopes. It sounds like it has fantasy elements too. A horror-fantasy? What could be better?

Goodreads | Amazon UK

Oskar and Eli. In very different ways, they were both victims. Which is why, against the odds, they became friends. And how they came to depend on one another, for life itself. Oskar is a 12-year-old boy living with his mother on a dreary housing estate at the city’s edge. He dreams about his absentee father, gets bullied at school, and wets himself when he’s frightened. Eli is the young girl who moves in next door. She doesn’t go to school and never leaves the flat by day. She is a 200-year-old vampire, forever frozen in childhood, and condemned to live on a diet of fresh blood.

I enjoyed the American film adaptation of this book, but I know that both the Swedish film and the Swedish book are much scarier, so I’m really keen to give both a go. The Scandi’s really know how to make something creepy.

Goodreads | Amazon UK

For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, the New Hampshire College Prep program is the chance of a lifetime. Except that when Dan arrives, he finds that the usual summer housing has been closed, forcing students to stay in the crumbling Brookline Dorm formerly a psychiatric hospital.

As Dan and his new friends Abby and Jordan start exploring Brookline’s twisty halls and hidden basement, they uncover disturbing secrets about what really went on here . . . secrets that link Dan and his friends to the asylum’s dark past.

Because Brookline was no ordinary mental hospital, and there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried.

There is something particularly terrifying about asylums. However, this has always confused me a little because people seem to think that the patients are the scariest part, which is actually just really discriminatory. In fact, it’s the horrific ways in which the mentally ill were treated that’s the most terrifying.

But anyway, I digress, this still sounds like a chilling read.

Goodreads | Amazon UK

Summer. Massachusetts.

An old Silver Wraith with a frightening history. A story about one serial killer and his lingering, unfinished business.

Anyone could be next.

We’re going to Christmasland …

I loved Joe Hill’s latest novel, The Fireman (check out my review here), so I’ve been looking forward to trying more of his work. (Even more so when I found out he’s actually Stephen King’s son!)

I saw a review on Amazon label this as “horror-fantasy”, which I wouldn’t have guessed from the blurb as I thought it was more about serial killers, but I’m even more intrigued now.

Goodreads | Amazon UK

When sisters Silla and Nori escape London and their abusive father, Aunt Cath’s country house feels like a safe haven. But slowly, ever so slowly, things begin to unravel.

Aunt Cath locks herself in the attic and spends day and night pacing. Every day the forbidden surrounding forest inches slowly towards the house. A mysterious boy appears, offering friendship. And Nori claims that a man watches them from the dark forest – a man with no eyes, who creeps ever closer. . .

I just finished Dawn Kurtagich’s first YA horror The Dead House this morning and I’ll hopefully have the review up tomorrow. So, you’re thinking that if The Creeper Man is on my wishlist, then I must have loved The Dead House, right?

Well, it was okay. I think it got a bit confused if I’m honest. I’ll go more in depth in my review tomorrow, so look out for that, but I know that The Creeper Man is supposed to be better so I’m willing to give Kurtagich another try.

Goodreads | Amazon UK

Danny is only five years old, but in the words of old Mr Hallorann he is a ‘shiner’, aglow with psychic voltage. When his father becomes caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, Danny’s visions grow out of control.

As winter closes in and blizzards cut them off, the hotel seems to develop a life of its own. It is meant to be empty. So who is the lady in Room 217 and who are the masked guests going up and down in the elevator? And why do the hedges shaped like animals seem so alive?

Somewhere, somehow, there is an evil force in the hotel – and that, too, is beginning to shine . . .

We’ve had Stephen King’s son, now here’s Stephen King himself.

And I know what you’re thinking: I’m a horror fan and I haven’t read any Stephen King?! I know, I know, but for some reason I’ve just never picked up one of his books. That’s not because I don’t want to; on the contrary, I really want to. It’s just I’ve never got round to buying one. And what better place to start than with what most would describe as King’s best horror: The Shining. 

I confess to not even having seen the film either, but I do obviously know all the iconic scenes, “Red rum” etc. I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on this sometime in the future.

Goodreads | Amazon UK

Drip…drip…drip… In five days, she will come…

Roberta ‘Bobbie’ Rowe is not the kind of person who believes in ghosts. A Halloween dare at her ridiculously spooky boarding school is no big deal, especially when her best friend Naya and cute local boy Caine agree to join in too. They are ordered to summon the legendary ghost of Bloody Mary: say her name five times in front of a candlelit mirror, and she shall appear… But, surprise surprise, nothing happens. Or does it?

Next morning, Bobbie finds a message on her bathroom mirror – five days – but what does it mean? And who left it there? Things get increasingly weird and more terrifying for Bobbie and Naya, until it becomes all too clear that Bloody Mary was indeed called from the afterlife that night, and she is definitely not a friendly ghost. Bobbie, Naya and Caine are now in a race against time before their five days are up and Mary comes for them, as she has come for countless others before…

This has got great reviews since it was released so this is one I’m definitely excited to get. I find paranormal horrors the scariest and this one sounds right up my street.

Goodreads | Amazon UK

Whoever is born here, is doomed to stay until death. Whoever comes to stay, never leaves.

Welcome to Black Spring, the seemingly picturesque Hudson Valley town haunted by the Black Rock Witch, a seventeenth-century woman whose eyes and mouth are sewn shut. Blind and silenced, she walks the streets and enters homes at will. She stands next to children’s beds for nights on end. So accustomed to her have the townsfolk become that they often forget she’s there. Or what a threat she poses. Because if the stitches are ever cut open, the story goes, the whole town will die.

The curse must not be allowed to spread. The elders of Black Spring have used high-tech surveillance to quarantine the town. Frustrated with being kept in lockdown, the town’s teenagers decide to break the strict regulations and go viral with the haunting. But, in so doing, they send the town spiraling into a dark nightmare.

I saw a blogger review this a little while back and I’ve been looking forward to reading it someday ever since. I think it’s such a unique and interesting premise how the town has become used to the haunting and that they’ve shut themselves off from the world. Definitely excited about this one.

Goodreads | Amazon UK

And there you have it! Ten horror novels from my wishlist.

I haven’t actually read a lot of YA horror but, as you can see from this list, I’m trying to rectify that. However, after The Dead House not being as scary as I hoped, I’m a little sceptical of YA horror. Can it really be as scary as adult horror? Do the publishers allow that? 

Do you have any horror recommendations? Have you read any of these books? Let me know in the comments below! And keep an eye out for my review of The Dead House!

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten ALL TIME Favourite Books of the Sci-Fi Genre

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week’s theme is Top Ten ALL TIME Favourite Books of X Genre, and I have chosen Sci-Fi because it’s such a broad genre. From space opera to the apocalypse to dystopia, Sci-Fi encompasses so many different genres and that’s what I love about it. It can be funny, harrowing, epic or terrifying, there’s just so much scope.

NB, where I list the genres of the novels below and write ‘Sci-Fi’, it means it’s set in space. If it doesn’t list ‘Sci-Fi’, then it’s not set in space.

So, in no particular order, let’s begin:

The Passage trilogy by Justin Cronin, Post-Apocalyptic / Science Fantasy / Horror: I’m currently on the final book of this series and I’m so sad it’s almost over for me. This series has been with me for years and I’ve loved it. It’s extremely well written with a huge cast of characters and such a detailed plot. Also, Stephen King loves it. Need I say more?

The Forest of Hands and Teeth series by Carrie Ryan, Post-Apocalyptic / Zombie Outbreak / Young Adult: This is a really harrowing and unique series, fraught with emotion and tension. These books had my heart racing so often that I thought I might keel over before finishing it. Thankfully, I’m still here to tell the tale.

Red Rising trilogy by Pierce Brown, Sci-Fi / Dystopian / Young Adult: I’ve only read the first two books in this series and I’m waiting to get my hands on Morning Star but, so far, this trilogy has been exceptional. Great characters, a complex plot and amazing world-building.

Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer, Science Fantasy / Horror: This is one of those novels that flits between science and the fantastical which I really loved. The first novel is amazing, and the others great too (I devoured them all one after the other, they were that good I didn’t want to read anything else) but the first novel was definitely the best in the way it was written. These books are terrifying and confusing, in a good way.

The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff, Sci-Fi / Young Adult: Illuminae was just too good. I don’t know how Kaufman and Kristoff pulled it off. This series had me laughing one moment and sobbing the next. It was ruthless and hopeful, a truly great, truly terrifying, Sci-Fi novel that would make such an amazing film. (But only if Ridley Scott did it, please).

Pure trilogy by Julianna Baggott, Post-Apocalyptic / Young Adult: I’ve raved about this series many a time on this blog because it deserves so much more recognition than it actually gets. The characters and writing in this book are amazing, with El Capitan being one of my favourite characters I’ve ever come across; I have such a soft spot for all of the characters in this series. It’s also a truly unique idea and these books don’t pull any punches. Seriously, read them.

The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey, Post-Apocalyptic / Zombie Outbreak: This book has been made into a film which is being released this month! However, just in case the film is terrible, read the book first. Melanie is a brilliant character, full of hope, and the writing again is great.

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion, Post-Apocalyptic / Zombie Outbreak / Romance (but good romance): This was such a good book, so philosophical and funny and poignant. As I’ve said before, one of my favourite passages ever written is in this book. I’d point it out, but it’s basically a major spoiler. However, the sequel to this novel is out the beginning of next year and I cannot wait.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, Science Fantasy / Time-Travel: David Mitchell is one of my favourite authors and this is my favourite book of his. It’s another one that mixes science with the fantastical, and I love David Mitchell’s style. His writing is great, always funny but also emotional, and he weaves the threads of different people’s lives together in a complex, but ultimately satisfying, way. I don’t know how he does it, but it’s impossible not to become emotionally invested in his characters, even when they aren’t that nice. This book made me laugh and cry.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, Dystopian / Speculative Fiction: Atwood is the queen of dystopian and speculative fiction. My teacher gave me a tattered copy of this book to read when I was in high school as she thought it would be something I’d like, and this is what kick-started my love for these kinds of genres. Beautifully written, deeply feminist, and with a unique world, I will never get bored of this book.

What are some of your favourite Sci-Fi novels? Do you agree with any of my picks? I could go on, to be honest, but it’s Top Ten Tuesday, not Top 100 Tuesday. Anyway, let me know in the comments below!

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books I’d Buy Right This Second If Someone Handed Me a Fully Loaded Gift Card

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

So this is actually my first ever Top Ten Tuesday! I’ve never done it before simply because, whilst I’ve liked most of the topics, I haven’t always been able to think of ten books. Maybe I’m just lazy, but the topic this week caught my eye so I’m gonna go ahead and do it.

Without further ado, here are ten books I’d buy if someone handed me a fully loaded gift card:

The Big Lie by Julie Mayhew: I saw Julie Mayhew at YALC this weekend and I really loved the sound of this novel. However, by the time I heard her talking about it, I’d already planned what I was going to buy with the last of my money! So this is definitely one I want to get ASAP; it has such an interesting premise.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo: I’ve only read The Gathering Dark in the Grisha series (mostly known as Shadow and Bone, but my copy is The Gathering Dark for some reason). I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t my favourite novel so I never got round to finishing this series. However, I’ve seen everyone raving about this book so I really want to give the world of the Grisha another go!

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir: This is another series I’ve just never got round to starting. I know it’s pretty popular so I’m looking forward to trying it.

The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave: I saw this everywhere at YALC and it’s been on my Amazon wishlist for a while. The cover is just gorgeous and hopefully the story is just as good!

Chasing the Stars by Malorie Blackman: I never finished the Noughts and Crosses series, which I really regret, and I’ll get round to finishing it one day. I saw part of Malorie Blackman’s panel at YALC and she was so funny. This book was already on my wishlist but now I’m even more eager to buy it.

Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge: I met Frances Hardinge at YALC and she signed my copy of The Lie Tree, which I read earlier this year and loved it! Her books are really odd and creepy and so well-written, and I’m excited to get my teeth into Cuckoo Song some day.

Morning Star by Pierce Brown: This year I’ve devoured both Red Rising and Golden Son and reviewed them here and here. This series is simply amazing and I can’t recommend it enough. Golden Son was left on such a cliffhanger so I really need to get my hands on Morning Star soon.

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh: I’ve heard a lot of good things about this duology and the covers are very pretty. However, I’ve also seen some more mixed reviews, so I’m hoping it’ll live up to my expectations.

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas: I read and reviewed Throne of Glass earlier this year after humming and hawing about the series for ages. Thankfully, I really enjoyed it! So I’m looking forward to continuing with it. Also, Chaol over Dorian any day.

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi: I’ve been wanting to read this since before it was even published and I still haven’t got round to buying it. I’ve heard mixed things but the cover is gorgeous, and so is the prose from what I’ve seen. Let’s hope I like it!

And that’s my first ever Top Ten Tuesday done! I found it difficult narrowing down my list to just 10, as there are 139 books on my wishlist! What would you buy if you had the money? Let me know in the comments!