Do you consider yourself as a SciFi nerd?

Did you know that science fiction stories are quite prevalent in various regional languages of India? Did you know that in the recent years, more and more Indian authors are publishing their scifi books in India as well as abroad?

From interplanetary travel to medical advancements, from artificial intelligence to gender-based utopias, from societal oppression to technology-based discrimination, the scifi books in India cover quite a wide range of themes. Even if the worlds built by these authors seem out-of-this-world, while reading these books, you’ll be constantly reminded of the real world problems that one cannot escape even in imagination.

If you have always loved the scifi genre or just starting to explore, pick your next read from the below list of scifi books by Indian authors and the diaspora.

1. The Gollancz Book of South Asian Science Fiction Vol.1 & 2 (Edited by Tarun K. Saint and Manjula Padmanabhan)

You read that right. There are two volumes of Gollancz Book of South Asian SciFi already. Together in these two books, you’ll find a collection of more than fifty mind-bending stories in very different worlds, real and imaginary. While scifi stories already existed in the Indian subcontinent way before the West started coining the term ‘SciFi’, it was not regarded as of having literary value among the Indian intellectuals. However, to give a boost to amazing fresh voices with imagination, a power to twist reality and look into futuristic possibilities, these anthology of short stories. Both volumes include original work in English as well as translations.

Find out more books by South Asian authors over here. 

2. The Blaft Book of Anti-Caste Science Fiction (Edited by R. T. Samuel, Rakesh K. and Rashmi R.D.)

From an enthralling mix of well-known as well as emerging authors, this anthology consists of stories that reek of weird, supernatural, futuristic, and magical realistic stories on a very specific theme. Both original work in English and works in translation are part of this anthology. If you had no idea of how scifi books are full of regional voices, this anthology is a perfect point to start digging into the weird worlds visualized by these terrific authors from various corners of this diverse country.

3. Incredible Adventures of Professor Shonku by Satyajit Ray

Originally written in Bengali, there are more volumes comprising all the adventures of Professor Shonku written by the author. Not only known for going on extraordinary escapades all over the world, Professor Shonku has also recorded his adventures while travelling in space. A delightful collection for any age but especially the children, these stories are full of scientific discoveries that will tickle the readers’ minds. If you love reading bedtime stories to your children (or yourself), starting with the various collections of Shonku by Satyajit Ray would be highly recommended.

4. Sultana’s Dream by Begum Rokeya

In this iconic feminist utopian tale, the narrator wanders off with a friend from a dream city where women run the world and men are shunned inside the zenana, quirkily renamed to fit their occupation. With an idealistic vibe, this story uses science fiction quite easily to fit the narrative. If you’re a fan of reading eerie utopian stories that are anything but, Sultana’s Dream is an apt choice. Published in 1905, this story was one of its kind from the Indian subcontinent in the world of scifi books.

5. The Calcutta Chromosome: A Novel of Fevers, Delirium & Discovery by Amitav Ghosh

In the form of a medical thriller, this book is based on a few invented events inspired by the memoirs of Dr. Ronald Ross, a nobel-prize winning scientist. The story follows the character Murugan who is obsessed with finding the Calcutta Chromosome in a near future world. Along with a thrilling background in the novel, the pages of this scifi book is breathing with the mastery of Ghosh’s signature writing style. This novel also won the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1997.

Also read: Best books written by Amitava Ghosh

6. The Woman Who Thought She Was a Planet and Other Stories by Vandana Singh

Highly regarded in the world of scifi and speculative fiction, Vandana Singh’s collection of short stories are full of extraordinary and yet highly believable characters and worlds set in the context of India. The titular story is about a woman telling her husband how her body is inhabited by alien creatures and the remaining stories are equally, maybe more bizarre than you can possibly imagine.

7. Chosen Spirits by Samit Basu

In a near-future Delhi, the lives of a Reality Controller and a recluse starts spinning out of control while each of them is dealing with their own problems like dysfunctional relationships and corporate politics. In his special style, this cyberpunk scifi novel in its core is all about resistance and doing the right thing. Although majority of the readers treat scifi books as too unreal, they overlook the fact that most of these books are rooted in reality (hyperreality?). SciFi books often bring out the worst version of the worlds we live in, at the same time trying to hold a mirror to a society and one of its potential futures.

8. The Beast With Nine Billion Feet by Anil Menon

Human mind has always been capable of creating extraordinary scenarios with the help of unlimited imagination but very much inspired by real world problems. This novel is also born out of the moral issues that came as a result of the rapid growth in science and technology and how it affects social, cultural, and political landscapes in India. In this novel, two young adults named Tara and Aditya, children of a genetic scientist, are out in the world in order to look for the answers to several questions. And all of their adventures boil down to very basic human emotions and how the rapidly changing society affects everyone individually.

Also read: Most Anticipated Reads of 2025

9. Analog/Virtual and Other Simulations of Your Future by Lavanya Lakshminarayan

This SciFi book is too close to reality to even consider it as fiction. In a world where all nations have collapsed and the city of Bangalore has been rebranded as Apex City is the where this novel is set. Technology is the only key to survival here and your power is measured by productivity. Anyone who fails to comply to this new world order is marked as an Analog and sent to the parts of the city without basic life support systems. If you’re interested to know how this version of the future might look like, then this is that one scifi book you cannot ignore.

10. The Island of Lost Girls by Manjula Padmanabhan

Some SciFi books are just an astounding work of art that combines the extremities of human emotions and societal standards to give us readers something unique to marvel at. This particular story about a girl named Meiji who somehow survived a country that has completely eradicated their female population. She finds herself in an island where more such girls have been given a new life but is it possible that they are now in more danger than ever? The book deals with the protagonist and her struggles of being a woman in a world where they don’t exist anymore plus it shows the extent of brutality a world can come down to.

In the end, it’s high time we start giving importance to scifi books written by Indian authors as they’re not just fun and entertaining but remarkable works of literature beautifully wrapped in highly imaginative new worlds. Indian readers have been silently reading western scifi books for years and maybe now with so many new scifi titles based in the foundation of Indian literature, we should pick one of these titles and start a conversation around it.

Have you read other Indian SciFi books that you would want to add to this list? Do drop them in the comments section and tell us why you liked them.