Indigenous Imaginings: Native American Speculative Fiction

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, we have collected some speculative fiction with Native American protagonists. Speculative Fiction includes stories with a setting in a place other than the real world, involving supernatural, futuristic, or other imagined elements. Whether you’re interested in science fiction, fantasy, dystopian fiction, or straight up horror, we’ve got something you’ll love in the list below.

FIREKEEPER’S DAUGHTER by Angeline Boulley (DB 102762)

Daunis, who is part Ojibwe, defers attending the University of Michigan to care for her mother. When Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, she reluctantly agrees to go undercover, drawing on her knowledge of chemistry, and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source of a new drug. Strong language and some violence. Commercial audiobook. For senior high and older readers. 2021.

FUTURE HOME OF THE LIVING GOD: A NOVEL by Louise Erdrich (DB 87990)

For reasons scientists cannot figure out, evolution begins to run backwards, and women begin to give birth to primitive species of humans. Four months pregnant, Cedar Hawk Songmaker wants to tell her adoptive parents about her condition, but she feels compelled to seek out her birth mother first. Meanwhile, society undergoes drastic changes. Strong language. 2017.

INTERROGATION OF ASHALA WOLF by Ambelin Kwaymullina (DBC 19699)

They’re known as Firestarters. Boomers. Skychangers. The government calls them Illegals—children with inexplicable abilities—and detains them in menacing facilities so that society is kept out of harm way. Ashala Wolf and her Tribe of fellow Illegals have taken refuge in the Firstwood, a forest eerily conscious of its inhabitants, where they do their best to survive and where they are free to practice their abilities. But when Ashala is compelled to venture outside her territory, she is betrayed by a friend and captured by an enemy. Injured and vulnerable, with her own Sleepwalker ability blocked, Ashala is forced to succumb to a machine that will pull secrets from her mind. It only a matter of time before the machine ferrets out the location of the Tribe. Her betrayer, Justin Connor, is ever-present, saving her life when she wishes to die and watching her every move. Will the Tribe survive the interrogation of Ashala Wolf? For grades 6-9 and older. 2016.

JANE YELLOWROCK. BOOKS 1-4 by Faith Hunter (DB 84589)

First four books, written between 2009 and 2012, in a series about Jane Yellowrock, a Cherokee shapeshifter who hunts vampires. In Skinwalker, Jane is hired to find a vampire who is killing other vampires. Also includes BLOOD CROSS, MERCY BLADE, and RAVEN CURSED. Some violence, some strong language, and some descriptions of sex. 2012.

KILLER OF ENEMIES by Joseph Bruchac (DB 78176)

In a distant future, Native American girl Lozen hunts genetically modified monsters for the tyrants who are holding her mother, sister Ana, and little brother Victor hostage. With each kill Lozen’s unique powers grow. Violence and some strong language. For senior high and older readers. 2013.

MARROW THIEVES by Cherie Dimaline (DB 105657)

In a future world ravaged by global warming, people have lost the ability to dream–except the Indigenous population in North America. Their marrow holds the cure for the rest of the world, but it means death for the unwilling donors. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. For senior high and older readers. 2017.

MOON OF THE CRUSTED SNOW by Waubgeshig Rice (DB 95719)

A small Anishinaabe First Nation community loses contact with society at large. As they struggle to maintain order while supplies diminish, a refugee who’s escaped from a crumbling society appears. When more people arrive, the community must turn to tradition in hopes of survival. Violence and strong language. Commercial audiobook. 2018.

ONLY GOOD INDIANS by Stephen Graham Jones (DB 100116)

Ten years ago, four young Blackfeet men went on a prohibited elk hunt in lands reserved for the tribe’s elders. As adults, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2020.

SNAKE FALLS TO EARTH by Darcie Little Badger (DB 106018)

Nina, a Lipan Apache, lives in the real world and still believes in the old stories. Oli, a cottonmouth snake boy, lives in the Reflecting World. But a catastrophic event on Earth, and a strange sickness that befalls Oli’s best friend, drive their worlds together in ways they haven’t been in centuries. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. For senior high and older readers. 2021.

TRAIL OF LIGHTNING: THE SIXTH WORLD, BOOK 1 by Rebecca Roanhorse (DB 92041)

In the wake of climate disaster, much of the world is underwater, but the Navajo reservation, or Dinetah, still stands thanks to their magic. Maggie Hoskie is a monster hunter looking for a supernatural killer who gets help from Kai, an unconventional medicine man. Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex. 2018.

Bram Stoker Awards® Final Ballot 2021

Since 1987, the Horror Writers Association (HWA) has presented the Bram Stoker Awards® to the best works of horror and dark fiction. The finalists were announced February 28. The winners will be announced May 14, 2022. Here are the finalists for 2021 that are in the TBP collection.

For more information about the Bram Stoker Awards®: https://www.thebramstokerawards.com/front-page/4491/

Superior Achievement in a Novel

QUEEN OF CICADAS by V. Castro. (DB 105835)

FINAL GIRL SUPPORT GROUP by Grady Ghendrix. (DB 104247)

MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW by Stephen Graham Jones. (DB 104847)

CHILDREN OF CHICAGO by Cynthia Pelayo. (DB 103216)

BOOK OF ACCIDENTS by Chuck Wendig. (DB 104297)

Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel

ALL THESE BODIES by Kendare Blake. (DB 105366)

BAD WITCH BURNING by Jessica Lewis. (DB 104823)

HOUSE OF HOLLOW by Krystal Sutherland. (DB 102984)

Superior Achievement in Long Fiction

NOTHING BUT BLACKENED TEETH by Cassandra Khaw. (DB 105453)

Thirteen Classic Tales of Terror

Looking for something scary to read this Halloween? Check out this list of classic horror stories to find something to make your heart race and your spine tingle.

Title: AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS AND OTHER NOVELS
Author: LOVECRAFT, H.P. (HOWARD PHILLIPS)
DB 62005

Title: DRACULA
Author: STOKER, BRAM
DB 31689

Title: EXORCIST
Author: BLATTY, WILLIAM PETER
BR 02230; BR 11946; DB 12688

Title: FRANKENSTEIN; OR, THE MODERN PROMETHEUS
Author: SHELLEY, MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT, 1797-1851
DB 25835; LB 03683; LB 06283

Title: HELL HOUSE
Author: MATHESON, RICHARD, 1926-
BR 18208; DB 68106

Title: INVISIBLE MAN
Author: WELLS, H.G. (HERBERT GEORGE), 1866-1946
DB 09593 (BARD); DB 47064; LB 05997

Title: MONKEY’S PAW AND OTHER TALES OF MYSTERY AND THE MACABRE
Author: JACOBS, W.W. (WILLIAM WYMARK), 1863-1943
DB 46641

Title: ROSEMARY’S BABY
Author: LEVIN, IRA
BR 00521; DB 61169; DB 17695 (BARD)

Title: SHINING
Author: KING, STEPHEN, 1947-
BR 13271; DB 51373; DB 10563 (BARD)

Title: SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
Author: HARRIS, THOMAS, 1940-
BR 13149; DB 27020

Title: SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES
Author: BRADBURY, RAY, 1920-2012
BR 12583; DB 50233; DB 09245 (BARD)

Title: TALES OF HORROR AND SUSPENSE
Author: POE, EDGAR ALLAN, 1809-1849
BR 18491; DB 69542

Title: TURN OF THE SCREW
Author: JAMES, HENRY, 1843-1916
BR 06763; DB 18129; LB 00333

Staff Pick – Laura Jean– GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS by M. R. Carey, DB 80678

The recent theatrical release of the movie The Girl With All the Gifts, featuring Glenn Close, brings to life the 2014 post-apocalyptic novel, GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS by M. R. Carey (DB 80678). Nominated for multiple science fiction and horror awards, this story, set twenty years after the event known as The Breakdown, follows a group of survivors as they travel to military headquarters.

The_Girl_with_All_the_Gifts

Intricately plotted, with an atmospheric and creepy tone, this horror novel is written in a compelling manner that inextricably draws the reader into the dystopian landscape of post-apocalyptic England. The point of view shifts between characters, offering the reader a glimpse at the motivations behind their actions and a view into their inner turmoil.

NLS Annotation for GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS by M. R. Carey (DB 80678): A pandemic has turned countless people into zombies known as “hungries.” The administrators of a military camp studying these hungries must flee when a group of anarchists breach their security. They bring Melanie, a 10-year-old second-generation hungry with incredible strength and intellect, debating the status of her humanity all the while. Some violence and some strong language. Bestseller. Commercial audiobook. 2014.

If you’ve already read this book and enjoy post-apocalyptic novels featuring zombies and young protagonists, you may try PASSAGE by Justin Cronin (DB 71422) or if you’d prefer a zombie horror novel that feels more like a political thriller with science fiction elements, try FEED by Mira Grant (DB 77374).