Books like The conqueror's child by Suzy McKee Charnas

Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune follows Paul Atreides as he rises from betrayed heir to the enigmatic Muad'Dib, guarding the precious spice melange that fuels galactic politics and extends life.

Isaac Asimov’s classic science‑fiction saga follows psychohistorian Hari Seldon as he establishes a Foundation to preserve knowledge and prevent thirty‑thousand years of darkness after the fall of the Galactic Empire.

In the 29th century, humanity’s vast Hegemony spans dozens of worlds connected by farcaster portals, while the enigmatic Shrike guards the Time Tombs on the lone planet Hyperion. A diverse pilgrimage of chosen individuals must each recount why they were summoned to witness the tombs’ reverse time cycle.

Human survivors flee a dying Earth to a terraformed planet, only to find it inhabited by dangerous lifeforms and two emerging civilizations vying for survival.

In a future where corporations weaponize genetic engineering, Paolo Bacigalupi’s *The Windup Girl* explores the ethical and societal consequences of bioterrorism and gene hacking.

Ursula K. Le Guin’s landmark 1969 novel explores a gender‑fluid alien society on the ice‑bound world of Gethen, challenging human assumptions about sex, politics, and humanity through a compelling diplomacy adventure.

In Ursula K. Le Guin’s classic, physicist Shevek leaves his home planet of anarchists to seek truth, challenge entrenched structures, and bridge the divide between his egalitarian society and the wider civilized universe.

The Sparrow follows a Jesuit priest’s first contact with aliens, a harrowing ordeal that forces him to confront faith and the existence of God.

A young man in a town of telepathic men must confront impossible choices as secrets force him to run.

Freshwater is a powerful, culturally grounded exploration of trauma and identity in a Nigerian context, told through the eyes of a non-binary protagonist who navigates grief, self‑harm, and dissociation.

A gripping science fiction novel that explores gender, humanity, and the dangers of genetic experiments.

M. John Harrison’s novella *Light* intertwines the minds of a hyper‑intelligent serial killer, a far‑future girl aboard the spaceship White Cat, and a cyberpunk hustler, weaving cosmic space‑time with psychological intrigue.

An ancient underwater artifact awakens two immortal beings, bringing them into contact with modern scientists and a world of war, sea monsters, and queer identities.

In this award‑winning collection, Dubravka Ugresic reimagines the Baba Yaga legend, weaving it into contemporary themes of femininity, ageing, identity, secrets, storytelling, and love.

In a future where global power has shifted eastward, two women, Meena in India and Mariama in Africa, flee danger and cross continents, their paths intertwining on a quest for safety and self‑discovery.

A small village faces the arrival of a new technology that could connect everyone to a wider world, but not everyone is ready for it.

A science‑fiction exploration of a human crew’s arrival on a planet orbiting Star Sigma Draconis, where internal conflicts aboard the mother ship threaten both the planet’s life and the mission’s success.

Ursula K. Le Guin’s first anthology of her 13 celebrated science‑fiction novellas, including the Tiptree‑award winner "The Matter of Seggri," bound in a single volume with an introductory essay.

Historian and New York Times bestselling author Crowley presents the epic story of the emergence of Portugal, a small, poor nation that enjoyed a century of maritime supremacy thanks to the daring and navigational skill of its explorers--a tactical advantage no other country could match. Contains primary source material. The epic story of the emergence of Portugal, a small, poor nation that enjoyed a century of maritime supremacy thanks to the daring and navigational skill of its explorers--a tactical advantage no other country could match. Portugal's discovery of a sea route to India, campaign of imperial conquest over Muslim rulers, and domination of the spice trade would forever disrupt the Mediterranean and build the first global economy. Author Crowley relies on letters and eyewitness testimony to tell the story of tiny Portugal's rapid and breathtaking rise to power. Conquerors reveals the Império Português in all of its splendor and ferocity. Figures such as King Manuel "the Fortunate," João II "the Perfect Prince," marauding governor Afonso de Albuquerque, and explorer Vasco da Gama juggled their private ambitions and the public aims of the empire in pursuit of a global fortune. Also central to the story was Portugal's drive to eradicate Islamic culture and establish a Christian empire in the Indian Ocean. Portuguese explorers pushed deep into the African continent and ruthlessly besieged Indian port cities. The discovery of a route to India around the horn of Africa was not only a brilliant breakthrough in navigation but heralded a complete upset of the world order. For the next century, no European empire was more ambitious, no rulers more rapacious. In the process they created the first long-range maritime empire and set in motion the forces of globalization that now shape our world.--Adapted from book jacket.

Gwyneth, the daughter of an English lord, is abducted by the Viking Selig she once saved, thrusting her into a perilous romance that tests love and fate on the high seas.

Four Japanese-Canadian sisters confront family expectations and a harsh prairie landscape as their father pursues a dream of rice farming in Alberta, hoping to escape limitations and find a mythical Kappa Child who offers hope.

A collection of short stories set in a speculative universe where women bear the label of "fems" and are blamed for a world‑ending devastation known as the Wasting.

Shelley Jackson’s debut novel follows conjoined twins Nora and Blanche as Nora seeks a mysterious London Foundation that promises to make them one, forcing a painful reckoning with their shared past and identity.

In a 2038 America torn by natural and political upheaval, journalist Braemar Wilson meets an alien visitor, and together they uncover a covert human‑alien conflict that threatens the fragile new society.

A tale of racial tension, community power, and the clash of dreams between African American and Seminole Irish performers in the era of silent films.

Fifteen‑year‑old Kivali wrestles with identity and destiny in a gender‑rigid world, discovering a mystical talent called Lizard Radio while navigating Camp life, friendships, and first love.

A memoir that follows Elizabeth Lavenza, rescued from poverty and raised in Geneva, as her falling relationship with Victor Frankenstein sets him on a destructive, secretive path.