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.
