9 Wonderfully Imaginative Speculative Fiction Series

	Series	Author	First Books in the Series
1.	Persephone Alcmedi	Linda Robertson	Vicious Circle	Hallowed Circle
2.	Darger and Surplus	Michael Swanwick	Dancing with Bears	Chasing the Phoenix
3.	Ondine Quartet	Emma Raveling	Whirl	Billow
4.	Uprise Saga	Amy DuBoff	Covert Talents	Endless Advance
5.	Sonora	T.S. Hall	Sonora and the Eye of the Titans	Sonora and the Scroll of Alexandria
6.	The Song of the Shattered Sands	Bradley P. Beaulieu	Twelve Kings in Sharakhai	With Blood Upon the Sand
7.	Peacemaker	Marianne de Pierres	Peacemaker	Mythmaker
8.	Otherborn	Rachel A. Marks	Fire and Bone	Spark And Sorrow
9.	Latter-Day Olympians	Lucienne Diver	Bad Blood	Crazy in the Blood

5 Classic Works of Sci-Fi

The authors on this list stand on the shoulders of many famous writers who came before them and influenced the genre. Here are a few works that made science fiction what it is today:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Dune by Frank Herbert
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

Fun Activities For Fantasy Fans

Host a magical movie night
Enter a Magic: The Gathering tournament
Play a fantasy video game with friends
Use a Ouija board to contact the spirits
Create a cosplay of your favorite character
Have a board game night
Podcast about your favorite show, movie, or book
Host a Dungeons and Dragons campaign

10 Great Sci-Fi and Fantasty Films

Alien (1979)
The Hunger Games (2012)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
The Lord of the Rings (2001)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
Star Wars: Episode IV ((1977))
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
The 5th Wave (2016)
The Giver (2014)

The Challenge of Speculative Fiction

In Depth

From intergalactic wars between humans and aliens to mythological gods and goddesses living in extraordinary worlds, imaginative works of speculative fiction are truly compelling. We took the liberty of gathering some of the best sci-fi and fantasy series out there. In no particular order, here is our list of nine.

At the #1 spot is "Persephone Alcmedi" by Linda Robertson. Set in Cleveland, Ohio, this series features Persephone, a practicing witch who makes a living by reading tarot cards, kenneling werewolves in her basement, and writing for a syndicated newspaper. Each book is a complete story, featuring a different plot about Persephone's epic adventures with her friends as they solve murders and other mysterious occurrences.

Coming in at #2 is "Darger and Surplus" by Michael Swanwick. Full of adventures and plot twists, it follows the eponymous protagonists, a pair of con-men who travel the world to become rich and powerful. They lie about having limited super powers, pretend to deliver priceless gifts, and connive local warlords in different places, such as China and Muscovy. While cheating along the way, they stir up a revolution that eventually endangers their lives.

They lie about having limited super powers, pretend to deliver priceless gifts, and connive local warlords in different places, such as China and Muscovy.

Following at #3 is "Ondine Quartet" by Emma Raveling. All four books in this series focus on the life of Kendra Irisavie. She is introduced in the first installment, "Whirl," as an independent and outspoken water elemental who is trained to be a fighter. Bothered by her mysterious past, she goes on a quest to discover the truth about her heritage and its implications on her future. The stories revolve around the themes of magic, complicated romance, and family.

Next, at #4 is the "Uprise Saga" by Amy DuBoff and Michael Anderle. The books tell the story of Lt. Ava Landyn and her adventures with her special ops team in the Kurtherian Gambit universe. Equipped with telepathy, Ava gets inside the minds of her enemies and leads the Force de Guerre to prevent aliens from attacking her home planet. However, as she learns new things about the company she works for, Ava becomes less and less certain about where her loyalties lie.

Taking the #5 spot is "Sonora" by urban fantasy author T. S. Hall. This collection features adventurous missions on both Earth and the world of Sonora. Allora, a sixteen-year-old descendant of Zeus, is secretly sheltered in Sandy, Oregon and living the life of a normal teenager. But when a war erupts on her home planet, she is compelled to use her powers to protect herself. She sets off on perilous journeys to retrieve ancient artifacts that could eventually destroy her enemies.

But when a war erupts on her home planet, she is compelled to use her powers to protect herself.

Coming in at #6 is "The Song of the Shattered Sands" by Bradley P. Beaulieu. Filled with thrilling action and excellent world-building, the books in this series tell the story of Ceda, a blade maiden in Sharakhai. She is an excellent pit fighter in service to the ruthless kings who rule their great desert city. However, when she discovers devastating secrets about her rulers, she hatches a plan to free her people from cruelty.

Next, at #7 is "Peacemaker" by Marianne de Pierres. Virgin Jackson works as a ranger in Birrimun Park, a vast desert nature preserve in a megacity along the Eastern Australian coast. She has been monitoring and managing peace and order in the park successfully, but her bosses bring in a ranger from the U.S. named Nate Sixkiller. She doesn't like her new companion, but with a murderer on the loose, they have to work together to solve the case with the help of their disincarnates, animals that appear whenever they are in danger.

Following at #8 is "Otherborn" by Rachel A. Marks. The series starts with "Fire and Bone," a fantasy novel with elements of Celtic mythology and romance. Sage is an eighteen-year-old girl whose life suddenly becomes complicated when she discovers that she is the daughter of a goddess. Pledging her service to the deities, she now lives in a world full of spells, glam, and secrets. Everything is new to Sage, including the two men who are trying to win her heart.

Sage is an eighteen-year-old girl whose life suddenly becomes complicated when she discovers that she is the daughter of a goddess.

Finally, at #9 is "Latter-Day Olympians" by Lucienne Diver. This collection features an interesting combination of mystery, mythology, and humor. Tori Karacis is a private investigator whose family background is extraordinary. She considers them to be nothing more than circus freaks. She has been told that Olympians live among them, but refuses to believe, until one day when Apollo hires her to find a murderer. The plot follows Tori's adventures in a world where humans and gods cohabitate.