Sentient plants, a telepathic key, obsessive-compulsive zombies and other avatars of our broken world.

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Books about other worlds are rarelyjustabout other worlds.

A zombie plague and a merchant-dominated city-state each say something about capitalism.

Robots and alien creatures make us ponder what it means to be human.

10. Medusa Uploaded, by Emily Devenport

Here are the most powerful among those stories the ten best science fiction and fantasy books of 2018.

And so, she is seeking revenge.

But theOlympiais full of secrets, including some that stretch tantalizingly beyond its walls.

9. Beneath the Sugar Sky, by Seanan McGuire

This is a far-reaching and ambitious novel, not perfect but still an amazing ride.

Instead,Severanceis simultaneously daring and restrained.

In every story, Wilson brings a powerful sense of humanity to hard sci-fi.

8. Severance, by Ling Ma

Its a complex, challenging, and incredibly ambitious novel.

Even in Tevanne, this is something strange.

Stranger still is the complex plot Sancia discovers, and the building danger that threatens all of society.

7. Guardian Angels and Other Monsters, by Daniel H. Wilson

Even when its dark, this story is a joy.

Draydens alt-future southern Africa is a study in dualities.

What follows is a story of demons, gods, family, and power that explodes epically.

6. The Poppy War, by R.F. Kuang

This is a thrilling and thrillingly weird book.

Its an extraordinary feat.

Is it limited to animals?

5. Foundryside, by Robert Jackson Bennett

How alien might an alien intelligence be?

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4. Temper, by Nicky Drayden

3. Blackfish City, by Sam J. Miller

2. Spinning Silver, by Naomi Novik

1. Semiosis by Sue Burke