20 Best Sci-Fi Books by Indian Authors

Blurb:

Cloning, as a subject, has always been a dear favorite of sci-fi writers, both pre- and post- relevant developments in the concerned fields. This is one such story, but a starkly different take on it. What happens when a 14th-generation clone finds herself in the 24th century? Her consciousness expands with the passing of time, and the changes manifest in the form of how the world appears to her and how she appears to the world. Amidst everything, this is a story of love, humanity, compassion, and the inherent differences that exist among us.

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An eclectic collection of stories, Ambiguity Machines: and Other Stories, has Vandana Singh merging humane themes splendidly with her scientific background. The stories are all about people trying to make sense of themselves and the world around them, in all its wonders and peculiarities. In one story, an 11th-century poet finds himself on a starship as an artificially intelligent being. In another, a student travels to Alaska to find out more about her aunt, a scientist researching whales, and her disappearance. Despite the grand canvas on which they’re sketched, the stories all stem from a place of compassion and love.

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Kavya is one of the most prolific science fiction Indian authors writing today. In this story, human life has long been restricted while their descendants, called alloys, roam around the galaxy. An epic space opera, Meru is the tale of Jayanthi, a human raised by alloys, and her pilot Vaha as they explore the newly discovered planet of Meru. Their journey is an opportunity to redefine the relationship between humans and alloys while strengthening the bond they share, but the mission is all but doomed. But hey, hope is deeply human, too, no?

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The winner of the very first Onassis Award for Original Theatrical Drama, Harvest is a satire on contemporary morality and its degradation in modern times. It’s the story of a family that agrees to exchange their organs for a life of luxury, ultimately commenting on the profoundly transactional nature of human relationships in this modern world. This new edition reverses the characters’ genders, through whom Manjula tries to examine and explore the societal taboos that exist within the cracks of our society. 

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A book much ahead of the times when it originated, Sultana’s Dream is the story of a utopia where men practice the purdah tradition while women are in charge of society. Set in the fictional Ladyland, the book takes a satirical look at all the patriarchal notions, from men having bigger brains to women being physically weaker. Revolutionary and innovative, the story is one of the earliest and finest examples of sci-fi fiction in the Indian subcontinent.

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Blurb:

As per Narlikar, his purpose for writing sci-fi is to ensure scientific concepts can be sugarcoated and spread in the form of stories. This shows here as he crafts one story after another that is not just imaginative but enthralling to read too. From black holes to the horses in Trojan War, the concepts and symbols used in this collection of short stories are diverse and fascinating. 

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Blurb:

A must-have for anyone searching for the best sci-fi novels by Indian authors, this collection has stories from some of the stalwarts of Indian sci-fi literature as well as names you might be unaware of. Hence, the book serves both as a short story collection to enjoy and a starting point to discover new science fiction Indian authors. The stories here are unique and wide-ranging, like when aliens arrive at a railway station in Uttar Pradesh or when the last remaining Parsi on Earth tries to find new worlds to escape the debt collectors. There’s much to explore and enjoy in this collection!

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Blurb:

Only lately, sci-fi in India has gotten the kind of push and recognition it has needed for a long while. Calcutta Chromosome is probably the most popular and mainstream of what we’ve seen among sci-fi books in India. And not without reason. A sci-fi thriller, this is the story of a man’s search for the “Calcutta Chromosome,” traveling across space and time to present something intriguing. In doing so, it also offers a portrait of India now and of a time gone by.

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Basu has been writing speculative fiction for as long as one’s memory stretches back, and Chosen Spirits is yet another example of his storytelling prowess. Set in the near future, the book clocks in the effects of capitalism, technology, and climate change on society, creating a dystopia that doesn’t feel too far-fetched in all its glumness. A character-centric drama made all the more stifling thanks to its Delhi setting, it’s hard not to see the natural trajectories that Basu charts from the anxieties of the present day.

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Employing an array of disciplines and theories, the book aims to show how Indian sci-fi lies in the midst of Indian and Western cultures. Despite the boundaries and differences that exist among the works of Indian sci-fi, Banerjee finds overarching themes and connections. He also examines literature through the lens of the sci-fi genre’s formal elements, contrasting the multilingual history of the subcontinent with it. By doing so, he takes a unified and comprehensive look at sci-fi in India and how it has evolved over the years.

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It’s almost impossible not to talk of Ray and his inventive stories when talking of science fiction Indian authors. The most prominent example of his sci-fi stories remains the stories of Professor Shonku, with stories rooted in both fantasy and reality. He has invented anything from an evolution drug to a computer brain, and his stories keep you reading from one page to the next. This book collects all of Ray’s short stories, and you will find plenty to explore here.

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To a large extent, Durga Prasad Khatri’s stories help fill the dearth of Hindi sci-fi literature. Suvarna Rekha is just one of the many stories he’s written in the genre, following a scientist dead set on extracting gold from seawater. But what happens when he manages to extract all that gold and become rich? That’s for you to find out in this novel.

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Many of the stories collected here, taken from different Indian languages, have been translated for the first time. The book also helps you chart the development of science fiction in an Indian context through the 19 stories it collects. Not just that, it also shows the prominence of Marathi and Bengali authors in the science fiction genre, alongside showcasing the primary theme at the heart of most sci-fi books in India: the interactions between scientific progress and societal beliefs.

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The book collects 20 of Dinesh Chandra Goswami’s short fiction here, translated into English for the first time. Each story creates an imaginary reality through scientific inventions like a smell absorber or the concept of human cloning. And as is common in Indian sci-fi traditions, all the stories are rooted in human emotions and their interplay with scientific achievements.

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In a dystopian future where nations have collapsed and few cities remain, success is the only rule and productivity the only lifestyle. Success takes you to higher ranks and higher power while the cost of failure is being deported to being an Analog, cut off from humanity. Imaginative in its scope and cautionary in its tone, Analog/Virtual does what the best of this genre is supposed to do: pause and reflect on the world of today.

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Those searching for the best sci-fi novels by Indian authors would do well to not miss out on this one. Set in Pune in 2040, the story is filled with popular science fiction elements like cyborging and genetic engineering. Raising important questions about technology and life itself through the journey of two siblings, Tara and Aditya. Intermixing the anxieties of growing up in an unpredictable world, Anil Menon creates a compelling narrative here.

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Blurb:

One of the biggest names in Tamil literature, Jayamohan’s writings speak for themselves. In this collection of stories originally written for Thinnai, a web magazine, he delves into science fiction in an Indian context, even more so a Tamil one. The stories often contain old traditions like alchemy and religious practices that further serve to root it in a local atmosphere.

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Blurb:

Beyond all that we see around us, there lie countless other skies. Fantasy meets science in these deeply humane stories. In one story, an Egyptian idol becomes animated out of nowhere. In another, nanotechnology bridges the gap between a father and son. The range and creativity in each story are incredible, keeping you enthralled throughout.

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Blurb:

A pioneer of science fiction in Kannada literature, Rajashekar Bhoosnurmath has published several stories throughout his career. This book collects many of his stories, published across different publications, in one place here. Whether it’s the subject matter or their astounding scope, these stories surprise you in varied and unexpected ways. 

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Blurb:

A social satire disguised as an encyclopedia of imaginary afflictions, The Afflictions contains a series of excerpts all tied by an overarching narrative. The prose has a slightly dated tone to it, adding to the authenticity of the story. It’s incredible how Paralkar invents these diseases that merge fiction and reality seamlessly, further aided by the accompanying illustrations.

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