SFF Book Recs Based on Your Favorite Movies 

James Cameron’s Avatar set a new benchmark in epic cinematic storytelling, relying on sophisticated CGI visuals and a compelling narrative to tell a story set on a distant planet, under the threat of corporate colonization. Space colonization and contact with alien civilizations invasions are themes that science fiction have always been concerned with, and are thoroughly explored in Sue Burke’s debut novel, Semiosis. 

Like Avatar, Semiosis also delves into far-future colonists landing on a new planet and forming alliances with the indigenous species there. 

Studio Ghibli movies are known for their distinctively evocative art style, feel-good stories that explore complex themes, and romanticizing the mundane. Many of their movies have a fantasy or magic realism component, and if you enjoy their unique brand of storytelling and soft worldbuilding, you’ll be at home in the novels of British author, Diana Wynne Jones. 

Indeed, one of her most famous books, Howl’s Moving Castle, was made into a hit film by Studio Ghibli, and another of her novels, Deep Secret features the Multiverse, wizards attending a sci-fi convention and cutesy baby animals in a thoroughly enjoyable storyline. 

If the wonders of outer space and space exploration have always held a strange fascination over you, and Interstellar (directed by Christopher Nolan) is one of the sci-fi movies you absolutely swear by, check out Joe Haldeman’s The Forever War. 

This military sci-fi novel imagines a far-future where humans are embroiled in an epic interstellar war against an alien empire. Meditative and engrossing, The Forever War speculates on the future of warfare and the various ways the human race may survive and establish dominance.

A cult classic starring David Bowie, enhanced with gorgeous practical effects and whimsy fantasy elements, watching Labyrinth and swooning over the breathtaking masquerade scene (as the Goblin King gently croons “As the World Falls Down” in the background) is often considered a rite of passage for fantasy fans. And if you’re craving more of Labyrinth's brand of magic, you must read Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones, which is directly inspired by that film as well as the Phantom of the Opera. 

Overflowing with lush, lyrical prose, Wintersong narrates the plight of Liesl, a young musician who journeys to the Underground to save her little sister, kidnapped by the Goblin King, only to be drawn towards his magnetic embrace. Enchanting, evocative and a lil bit spicy, Wintersong feels like a dark retelling of The Labyrinth while retaining its own folkloric flavor. 

The Oscar-winning animated feature Flow was a moving tale of animal solidarity in the wake of ecological collapse, and if that’s your jam, you should definitely read Watership Down by Richard Adams that follows a group of rabbits as they relocate from their former warren and slowly establish a new home, braving countless obstacles along the way. The way Adams portrays the civilization of rabbits is truly captivating—imbuing them with their own culture, proverbs and mythology—into an epic tale of swashbuckling adventure.

Companion is a smart crime thriller about a weekend countryside trip with friends and robot partners gone awry, that raises important questions about agency and autonomy in the wake of evolving artificial intelligence technology. And like the protagonist of Companion, Sierra Greer’s feminist novel, Annie Bot also features a feminized companion robot as its main character, as she navigates the perils of domestic abuse and patriarchal inequality to break free and forge her own path. An enticing, timely and thought-provoking read.  

Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland took all the whimsy and fantastical bits from Lewis Carroll’s original works and melded them into a compelling dark fantasy adventure of good and evil, fleshing out the characters in great detail. Similarly, Marissa Meyer’s standalone novel, Heartless revisits Carroll’s settings and characters and offers a compelling tragic backstory for the infamous Queen of Hearts. 

Meyer’s narrative follows Cath, a passionate baker who longs to open a confectionary shop and falls madly in love with the court jester, but unfortunately her dreams are thwarted by fate. 

Mickey-17 is definitely one of the most entertaining sci-fi blockbusters of this year, starring Robert Pattinson in the titular role, and if you’re in the mood for a similar sci-fi story that blends humor, social commentary and inventive worldbuilding, give Any Weir’s Project Hail Mary a try. 

This engrossing novel follows Ryland Grace, a lone astronaut who wakes up on a spaceship with no memory, two dead bodies of his crewmates and on a desperate mission to save the planet.