The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Books for Understanding the Consequences of War
By professor of military strategy and speculative fiction author/publisher Dr. Nathan W. Toronto.
I’m a big believer in the power of speculative military fiction (military science fiction and fantasy) to redefine how we think about warfare and the military experience, especially understanding the consequences of war. This genre lets us perform thought experiments by asking questions like, If a key element of our reality were different, how would it affect the way we interact? What would it mean for war and its consequences? Just like how Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front changed public perceptions of World War I by depicting the visceral and horrific reality of war, so can science fiction and fantasy help us reflect on this most terrible human activity.
The list below offers the best science fiction and fantasy novels that encourage reflection on war, covering the gamut from tactical to strategic and from ground-pounding infantry and armor to space warfare. Readers curious about the military science fiction subgenre, but averse to gun porn, would do well to start with this list, which contains both classics and newer works from lesser-known authors.
The Forever War
Author: Joe Haldeman
ISBN: 9780312536633
When I met Joe Haldeman, I was struck by how such an unassuming, witty person could write such a gritty, visceral novel about war. Haldeman served in Vietnam, and (by his own admission) his combat experience shines through in The Forever War. Yes, this novel captures combat in unflinching detail, but I’m a professor of military strategy, so what I really care about is the intriguing interplay of time, space, and warfare. As captured so well in Haldeman’s short story version of the novel, “Time Piece,” this novel is less about fighting and dying and more about what war over relativistic distances does to society. I love this novel because it says just as much about those who stay home as it does about those who go into combat.
The Complete Hammer's Slammers
Author: David Drake
ISBN: 9781439133095
Drake served in an armor unit in Southeast Asia in the 1970s, so it’s no coincidence that Hammer’s Slammers, a collection of short stories, revolves around a tank unit. So many military science fiction stories focus on knuckle-dragging infantry, so it’s refreshing to see war from a tank turret. Drake has been accused of writing gun porn, but I find a lot of nuance in his writing, especially on combat motivation and small-unit leadership. He was one of the first military science fiction authors to write an openly gay character, and women fight right alongside men without the misogynistic or objectifying undertones that sometimes afflict the subgenre. “But Loyal to His Own” and “Caught in the Crossfire” are two of my favorite stories that appear in this collection. In his stories, Drake shows how the best way to avoid war is to understand its horrors at every level.
On Basilisk Station
Author: David Weber
ISBN: 9780743435710
Weber’s first Honor Harrington novel is masterful. He understands and employs naval tactics like few other military science fiction authors do, and his grasp of the mask of command is truly peerless. In this story, Harrington takes a crew that despises her and distrusts her when she takes command of the Fearless and transforms them into a plucky and gutsy space fighting force, even when vastly outgunned. Harrington is the prototypical naval leader, whose decision-making would be the envy of any young combat leader. That doesn’t mean that any of her wins are easy. Weber shows Harrington work harder and longer than both her peers and her subordinates to fulfill her duty to queen and country, while coming face-to-face with the complexities and inconsistencies of war. War changes Harrington forever, and few novels show the peril and challenges of military leadership better than On Basilisk Station.
Planetside
Author: Michael Mammay
ISBN: 9780062694669
Mammay, who served multiple tours in Iraq, gives us a completely different kind of military science fiction story. Planetside is a murder mystery set in a (space) combat zone, but I love this book because Mammay captures the mannerisms and culture of the modern military so exquisitely. Every detail is spot on, matching everything I’ve experienced interacting with military officers and enlisted personnel from armed forces around the world. This book is also an absolute page-turner, and it comes together at the end in a way that readers will not expect. Throughout the novel, it's clear that Carl Butler hates having to put others into harm's way. For readers that want a window into how the military really works (and not just how it fights), this story is perfect.
Refractions
Author: M V Melcer
ISBN: 9781805082781
M V Melcer’s Refractions is that rare piece of science fiction that captures the human complexity of leadership in war and conflict. This book defies many of the stereotypes of military science fiction—the main character has no military training, there are no large-unit engagements, and Melcer keeps explosions to a minimum. Rather, Melcer explores conflict at a more fundamental level, which is why it should help redefine the military science fiction subgenre. In this story, Nathalie Hart is the leader that no one expected to be in charge of an interstellar mission. She navigates crew relationships fraught by geopolitical conflict and climate crises back home and personality conflict and prejudice onboard. Melcer recognizes, like so many military leaders do in real life, that success and control at the threshold of violence depend to a critical degree on understanding who can use violence and who knows how to avoid it.
Kenai
Author: Dave Dobson
ISBN: 9798398030150
Kenai messed with my mind but captured my heart. This military science fiction novel from Dave Dobson is completely unlike anything I’ve ever read, even though it contains one of the biggest tropes in the subgenre: a retired combat veteran trying to run from an uncomfortable past by joining a private military firm only to find that the past has a way of catching up with him or her. The protagonist is a strong female character, Jess Amiko, who confronts supremely believable dilemmas, both with her enemies and her friends, making the story relatable and compelling from a human standpoint. From the very first page, the force of Dobson’s visual depictions evoke Ursula K. Le Guin, and the plot twists and weaves through space and time in a way that stretches neurons but begs to be read. The payoff at the end was so thoroughly enjoyable not only because it tied up every loose end, but because one of those loose ends was perfectly avoidable combat.
Sheepfarmer's Daughter
Author: Elizabeth Moon
ISBN: 9780671654160
We need more characters like Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter, the daughter of a sheep farmer who joins a mercenary company to avoid an unwanted marriage. Moon, who served as a Marine in Vietnam, gives us a perfect hero’s tale. Paksenarrion (“Paks” for short) doesn’t set out to garner fame and glory, but she works hard at what she does, and her moral compass is firmly attuned to a sense of justice and truth. Paks captures everything we want in a hero, and Moon’s understanding of pre-gunpowder infantry, siege, and melee tactics filters through in subtle yet powerful ways, from details like foot soreness on the march to how most sieges end with rebellion within the gates. Sheepfarmer’s Daughter literally has it all, and will reshape the reflective reader’s understanding of war.