10 fiction books worth reading that imagine what climate change could look like
Paola Rosa-Aquino
![10 fiction books worth reading that imagine what climate change could look like](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstaticbiassets.in%2Fthumb%2Fmsid-96283039%2Cwidth-700%2Cheight-525%2Cimgsize-177362%2F10-fiction-books-worth-reading-that-imagine-what-climate-change-could-look-like.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
- Climate fiction, affectionately called cli-fi, is a literary genre that has grown in the past decade.
- This storytelling explores how we might live in a warming world — and helps us imagine a better one.
"The Light Pirate" by Lily Brooks-Dalton (2022)
!["The Light Pirate" by Lily Brooks-Dalton (2022)](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-96283128,width-700,height-525,imgsize-35956/quotthe-light-piratequot-by-lily-brooks-dalton-2022.jpg)
Lily Brooks-Dalton's "The Light Pirate", which takes place in the near future, follows an electrical line worker, his pregnant wife, and their two sons as they prepare for an incoming hurricane in a small town in southeast Florida.
In four parts, Brooks-Dalton explores how Florida deals with climate change over decades.
"The Ministry for the Future" by Kim Stanley Robinson (2020)
!["The Ministry for the Future" by Kim Stanley Robinson (2020)](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-96283123,width-700,height-525,imgsize-411124/quotthe-ministry-for-the-futurequot-by-kim-stanley-robinson-2020.jpg)
"The Ministry for the Future" by Kim Stanley Robinson, is a novel that follows an international organization with the same name. It's mission: To advocate for the world's future generations.
Stanley Robinson uses fictional eyewitness accounts to tell the story of a changing world.
"Bewilderment" by Richard Powers (2021)
!["Bewilderment" by Richard Powers (2021)](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-96283120,width-700,height-525,imgsize-54866/quotbewildermentquot-by-richard-powers-2021.jpg)
"Bewilderment" follows astrobiologist Theo Byrne as he searches for life throughout the cosmos while raising his 9-year-old. In it, Richard Powers writes about the father-son duo going on a camping trip, coming face to face with the natural world. There, they try to understand why so little is being done tackle climate change.
"Legend" by Marie Lu (2011)
!["Legend" by Marie Lu (2011)](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-96283117,width-700,height-525,imgsize-805540/quotlegendquot-by-marie-lu-2011.jpg)
"Legend" is the first of Marie Lu's dystopian Legend trilogy. It's set in a future where cataclysmic environmental events caused society to collapse. The US is split into two nations — the Republic and the Colonies.
The story follows two young teens: June, a military prodigy, and Day, a criminal on the run from the Republic authorities.
"American War" by Omar El Akkad (2017)
!["American War" by Omar El Akkad (2017)](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-96283114,width-700,height-525,imgsize-53504/quotamerican-warquot-by-omar-el-akkad-2017.jpg)
Set during the tail-end of the 21st century, "American War" tells the future history of a second US civil war that begins when northern states outlaw fossil fuels. In the novel, author Omar El Akkad writes about the protagonist, Sarat Chestnut, and her family as they try to find safety in a world altered by climate change.
"The Water Knife" by Paolo Bacigalupi (2015)
!["The Water Knife" by Paolo Bacigalupi (2015)](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-96283109,width-700,height-525,imgsize-44256/quotthe-water-knifequot-by-paolo-bacigalupi-2015.jpg)
Paolo Bacigalupi's "The Water Knife" depicts a US gripped by drought and water scarcity. It's set in the near future and follows Angel Velasquez, the titular water knife and an enforcer for a Nevada water authority. In the book, water rights disputes spark a militarized fight in the southwest.
"Future Home of the Living God" by Louise Erdrich (2017)
!["Future Home of the Living God" by Louise Erdrich (2017)](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-96283104,width-700,height-525,imgsize-94196/quotfuture-home-of-the-living-godquot-by-louise-erdrich-2017.jpg)
"Future Home of the Living God" is set in Minnesota in a dystopian future. In it, Louise Erdrich tells the story of a Native American mother-to-be making her way in a world dramatically shaped by human-caused climate change.
"The High House" by Jessie Greengrass (2021)
!["The High House" by Jessie Greengrass (2021)](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-96283101,width-700,height-525,imgsize-270170/quotthe-high-housequot-by-jessie-greengrass-2021.jpg)
Jessie Greengrass' "The High House" is set in the near future. It tells the story of four people, brought together by a climate scientist, attempting to make a sanctuary in high ground, away from climate disaster.
"Termination Shock" by Neal Stephenson (2021)
!["Termination Shock" by Neal Stephenson (2021)](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-96283098,width-700,height-525,imgsize-217062/quottermination-shockquot-by-neal-stephenson-2021.jpg)
In "Termination Shock," Neal Stephenson writes about a Texas billionaire named T.R. Schmidt who wants to embark on a risky geo-engineering scheme: firing rockets that spew sulfur dioxide into the air in an effort to reverse climate change.
"Tentacle" by Rita Indiana (2018)
!["Tentacle" by Rita Indiana (2018)](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-96283092,width-700,height-525,imgsize-566202/quottentaclequot-by-rita-indiana-2018.jpg)
"Tentacle," written by Rita Indiana, is a novel set in the Caribbean during a time of environmental collapse. The protagonist, Acilde Figueroa, leaves that dystopian future for a voyage back in time with the help of a magical anemone. It was first published in Spanish in 2015 under the title "La mucama de Omicunlé."
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