Worldbuilding is so important in science fiction and fantasy. I used to think I was a stickler for really believable worldbuilding, but I’ve come to realize that what I want more is something interesting. I can forgive something that doesn’t quite make sense if it’s different, if it’s unique, if it makes me think “That is so cool.” (This is not to say that glaring worldbuilding holes don’t bother me. They do. But not as much as they do many other avid SFF readers.)
Below are a few recent-ish young adult SFF books that I think present some unique, creative, and interesting worldbuilding. I’ve linked to my reviews where relevant. Note that it’s certainly possible to have fascinating worldbuilding in an otherwise lackluster book, so not all of the books come highly recommended overall. But they did all present something in the worldbuilding that engaged me.
Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon
Schoon’s book takes place on a future colonized/terraformed Mars, where a group of exovets care for unusual alien life forms. I loved the creative alien animals, including ones that are so massive, the vet climbs into a pod which is then swallowed by the creature so the vet can work on it internally. There’s also a sentient cockroach, which oddly enough did not give me nightmares.
Half Lives by Sara Grant
Half of Half Lives takes place in a fairly distant future. This section features a strange culture that uses odd slang and makes references that seem familiar, but not familiar enough to be completely recognizable. Learning how this culture is tied to the events of the other half of the book is what makes it really intriguing.
The Obsidian Blade and The Cydonian Pyramid by Pete Hautman
Hautman’s time-travel books are chock full of crazy ideas. They include a couple of very well-realized, very futuristic, and very odd cultures. What makes these cultures so intriguing is the way Hautman reveals how they developed from our own contemporary cultures. It’s fascinating to read about something so bizarre (like a “disease” involving math) springing from something we consider to be very mundane.
Incarnate and Asunder by Jodi Meadows
In Meadows’ world, each person who dies is reincarnated in a new body, her memories intact. It’s a cool plot device but also a fascinating bit of worldbuilding. Imagine the possibilities of an entire culture with a collective memory that goes back centuries. Imagine friendships and relationships that have existed that long, and will continue to exist in perpetuity. How different would those relationships be from our own, relatively fleeting ones?
Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst
Liyana lives in a world where gods can quite literally take over the bodies of humans, who offer themselves as sacrifices to those they worship. I love how the gods here are not imaginary (or simply non-interventionist), but very, very real. I also dug the desert setting, which is a refreshing change from the more cookie-cutter medieval Western European settings found so often in fantasy.
Crewel by Gennifer Albin
Albin’s book straddles the line between fantasy and science fiction. Some inhabitants of Arras, the world in which the book is set, have the ability to literally weave the fabric of that world. These spinsters can change the physical layout of Arras, up to and including obliterating a person out of existence, by weaving (or breaking) threads. It’s an intriguing worldbuilding concept, I think, but a little under-developed.
What other books would you add?