2026 Science Fiction Team Chat > Likes and Comments

A place for members of the science fiction team to collaborate.

Hi team!! I'm really glad to be on this team again.
I hope we all have a great time reading, chatting about books and trying to do the various prompts.
A happy 2026 to all of us. :)

I'm going to try to have a list of all the prompts I managed to finish here so maybe it can help others to see what can be used to a particular prompt.

Anyone else who want to give this a try too?

Science Fiction Challenges


Dystopia
1. Character vs. Society
2. Propaganda

Mecha
✔️1. Got Crew?

Defiance of the Fall 15 / Zac and his crew are on board of his starship for the majority of the book.
2. Huge Robot

Kaiju
1. Behemoth Battle
2. Giant Reptile

Cyberpunk
1. Cyberspaces
2. Digital Consciousness

Space Western
✔️ 1. Lawless Settlement

The Spellshop / Kiela flees the convulsing capital to a far away island.
2. Space Cowboy

Fantastic Fauna
1. Alien Animal
2. Fauna, not Flora

Genetic Engineering
1. Enhancements
2. Transhuman

Hard Science Fiction
1. Science is Central
✔️ 2. Scientist

Elder Race / Nyrgoth Elder is an anthropologist

Military SciFi
1. Chain of Command
2. Space Battle

Super Humans
1. Superpowered
2. Colorful Costume

Alien Romance
1. Love between species
2. Alien + Human

Science-Fantasy
1. Multi-genre
2. Best of Both Worlds

Bonjour science fiction team! 🥳

This afternoon = 
 smoky teas + 
 fresh snow + 
 (a book I otherwise would not have picked up if not for you all!)

Juliana, fun idea. I'm already have initial favourites for the new prompt categories. Delicious.

@Juliana: If you are on The Storygraph, it is awesome for tracking challenges - you can record what you read for each prompt and see what others have added. Here's the sci-fi team prompts: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading.... It looks like you can see what has been added even if you aren't logged in.

The storygraph was such a good resource for the challenge last year! Excited for another year of sci-fi :D

Kaa wrote: "@Juliana: If you are on The Storygraph, it is awesome for tracking challenges - you can record what you read for each prompt and see what others have added. Here's the sci-fi team prompts: https://..."

Hi Kaa, The Storygraph tracker is a good tool. But last year we kind of not updated it so much, specially after the middle of the year. But I already put some options there. :)

I read Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky yesterday (thanks again CJ for the recommendation last year) and it fits 4 prompts!



>> The protagonist Nyrgoth Elder is a futuristic human that is artificially enhanced and has an augmented internal parts. So he has mental abilities and physical abilities beyond what is considered normal.
He is also an anthropologist in a mission of research.
Finally the book is shelved as science fiction and fantasy.

Genetic Engineering

1. Enhancements- Read a book where a character has been artificially enhanced with mental and/or physical abilities beyond what is considered normal for their species.

2. Transhuman- Read a book with an augmented human (featuring alternative body parts and the like) on the cover.

Hard Science Fiction

2. Scientist- Read a book with a scientist on the cover or a scientist as a main character.

Science-Fantasy

1. Multi-genre- Read a book that is classified as more than one genre.

Hello Team Science Fiction! I decided to switch things up this year and am excited to be part of this team. For now, I think I may just mood read and then see if the selections fit any of the prompts or monthly challenges. My life has been kind of chaotic the last few months, so planning ahead hasn't been working out very well.

Also, I saw that there will be a sequel to Elder Race coming out in September, which will probably also fit the same prompts Juliana mentioned above, so you could read both books and get two separate prompts.

@Juliana: Oh, I see, that makes sense.

Elder Race is on my TBR for the year, nice that it fits so many prompts!

I am also a mood reader, but my first read of the year (A Mouthful of Dust, by Nghi Vo) happened to fit the Herald archetype. I'm not sure I'll be able to get the Puppet Master, though.

Kaia wrote: "Hello Team Science Fiction! I decided to switch things up this year and am excited to be part of this team. For now, I think I may just mood read and then see if the selections fit any of the promp..."

It's so fun to have you on Team Science Fiction! I often read what I want and see what fits the prompts as well. I usually find a fit. Coincidence? Who knows!

Hello everyone! I have never participated before, but I’m looking forward to it! Right now, I’m reading Project Hail Mary because the movie is coming out this year (liking it so far).

Welcome to the team, everyone and a happy reading year to all of you! I might be starting off a little slowly this month but I have some books lined up.

Right now I'm reading Nimona for the "Super Humans / Superpowered- Read a book with a main character who has some kind of superhuman power or ability" prompt (the MC is a shapeshifter). I have The Memory Police lined up next for the "Dystopia /Character vs. Society- Read a book where the prime antagonist is the government (or other civic ruling authority)" prompt and Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom for the "Genetic Engineering / Enhancements- Read a book where a character has been artificially enhanced with mental and/or physical abilities beyond what is considered normal for their species" prompt. All 3 of these books are on the SFFBC bookshelf as well.

Amelia wrote: "Hello everyone! I have never participated before, but I’m looking forward to it! Right now, I’m reading Project Hail Mary because the movie is coming out this year (liking it so far)."

Hei Amelia, welcome to the team!
I read Project Hail Mary at the end of 2024 and really liked. Hope you enjoy it.

CJ wrote: "Welcome to the team, everyone and a happy reading year to all of you! I might be starting off a little slowly this month but I have some books lined up.

Right now I'm reading Nimona

Hi CJ! Good choices for prompts.
I'm reading The Incandescent for the Bonus Quest but I'm hoping to use my audiobook of the moment Defiance of the Fall 15 for something too.

My library queues for both the SFFBC BotM this month are very long, so I won't be able to do those this month. I even put holds on both books last month as soon as it looked like we had certain winners in the polls. But I have plenty of other books for the prompts to keep me busy.

Hey everyone!
Coming back to SFFBC and Booklovers Point Game this year and looking forward to participating.

I'm currently reading Isles of the Emberdark and looking for a prompt it can fit into. Have two options so far: KAIJU Jiant Reptile (Starling is a dragon) or January Protagonist Herald (Dusk's quest begins after Sak shows him the vision of Vathi's corpse). Which one do you think fits best?

I think maybe the January Protagonist, as that one is so specific it might be hard to find another book that fits that prompt in time. You have all year to get to the Kaiju prompt.

True that. Thanks, CJ!

Juliana wrote: "I read Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky yesterday (thanks again CJ for the recommendation last year) and it fits 4 prompts!



>> Th..."
Helpful commentary, thanks Juliana! And it's not an 800-pager, YAY!

Kaia wrote: "Hello Team Science Fiction! I decided to switch things up this year and am excited to be part of this team. For now, I think I may just mood read and then see if the selections fit any of the promp..."

Sweet!

Kaa wrote: "@Juliana: Oh, I see, that makes sense.

Elder Race is on my TBR for the year, nice that it fits so many prompts!

I am also a mood reader, but my first read of the year (A Mouthful of Dust, by Nghi..."

Coppelia, the MC in Made Things by Adrian Tchaikovsky, is a puppeteer. A fun, quick, heartwarming read - if any of that appeals to you.

Amelia wrote: "Hello everyone! I have never participated before, but I’m looking forward to it! Right now, I’m reading Project Hail Mary because the movie is coming out this year (liking it so far)."

Loved the book! Good to know a movie is coming.

CJ wrote: "Welcome to the team, everyone and a happy reading year to all of you! I might be starting off a little slowly this month but I have some books lined up.

Right now I'm reading [book:Nimona|1935104..."

Good info, thanks

This is what I've read so far:

The Raven Scholar for Bonus Archetype Protagonist/Herald, gets news that incites the hero/protagonist on the path of adventure

The Afterlife Project for Hard Science Fiction, 2. Scientist as an MC

Thanks, Mai! I have already read Made Things and am not likely to re-read it this month, but I also recommend it to anyone else looking to fill the January antagonist slot.

Mai wrote: Coppelia, the MC in Made Things by Adrian Tchaikovsky, is a puppeteer. A fun, quick, heartwarming read - if any of that appeals to you."

Thanks for the tip Mai, it sound good. I'll take look to see if my library has it.

It's good to be back in the Sci Fi team. And have you seen our score? After the first week, we are in the lead! Did that ever happen last year?

For the January antagonist theme, the perfect book would be short story collection Word Puppets (Mary Robinette Kowal) as it has puppets on the cover. I loved it, though it might not be that easy to get a copy. I read it through Scribd (now Everand).

Too bad none of the English editions of How to Sell a Haunted House (Grady Hendrix) have puppets on the cover as they play central role in the plot.

I'm myself reading Pinocchio for the theme. It's one of those classics, where I only ever watched adaptations, but never read the original. Now I have a good reason to fix that oversight.

It sure is nice to lead!

Nice recommendations @Banshee, I didn't thought I could do the January antagonist theme, but my library might have Pinocchio.

Same for me as many above: Mood reader here!! I did really well last year fitting my reads into the prompts. This year I'll try for more Books of the Month than last year, so 6+.

Banshee wrote: "It's good to be back in the Sci Fi team. And have you seen our score? After the first week, we are in the lead! Did that ever happen last year?

For the January antagonist theme, the perfect book w..."

Last year we had a few weeks with higher points, but we were never in the lead!

I'll pick one of these from my library for the puppets prompt: The Puppets of Spelhorst or Pinocchio to add to my classics this year, like Banshee is doing. :)

I just finished Thrum: A haunting psychological sci-fi novella of deep space isolation, otherworldly mystery and forbidden attraction from my library. Sci Fi Horror that fits the Love Between Species prompt and only 150 pages. I loved it. *space, alien being, gore, two quick, low spice sex scenes.

Oh thanks for that, Shawnie. I was going to reread Legend & Lattes for that prompt but there's a wait for it at my library. Thrum is available through Kindle Unlimited and I haven't read it before.

I was thinking of reading Pinocchio too, because I've never read the original story and I just read Made Things a couple of weeks ago.

I found one that I can use for Puppet Master as well - Zatanna by Paul Dini. I've been in the mood for comics recently, and one of Zatanna's main antagonists in this book is a puppeteer.

Hi team Science Fiction! I have never done this before, but am excited to be reading with you this year. I plan to spend some time in the next week or so and plan out some reads. Right now I am reading Slow Gods by Claire North and loving it.

Welcome to the team, Kimberly! Last year was the first year of this challenge, so no worries about being new. Just have fun! I hope you get to find some good reads along the way. If you have any questions, just post them here.

Welcome to Team Sci Fi, Kimberly! :)

Welcome to the team Kimberly!

Just finished the book Thrum, Shawnie. Thanks for the rec! I don't read much horror stuff so getting to try a horror in a genre I read a lot (sci-fi romance) was interesting.

AJ wrote: "Just finished the book Thrum, Shawnie. Thanks for the rec! I don't read much horror stuff so getting to try a horror in a genre I read a lot (sci-fi romance) was interesting."

Excellent! A novella is a good way to try things out because if you don't like it, it'll be over soon. :)

I finally finished my first book of 2026 - The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow. I read the audiobook, and it was great - fantasy adventure with a romance and (view spoiler)[time travel (hide spoiler)].

It's a good fit for the Dystopia prompt character vs. society, and it would also be a good option for the January protagonist / herald prompt, because the main character is set on the path through a book that is delivered to him. I started reading it at the very end of December, though, so I couldn't use it for that prompt.

I have heard so many good things about The Everlasting. My library hold likely will not come in in time for me to use it for the herald prompt, unfortunately. I'm still hoping to find a book that fits it. I'm hoping to start Psychopomp and Circumstance soon and judging by the summary it ought to fit.

Mod Melanie has posted a response in the main thread about a question raised by the differences in team sizes. Please read and if you have any opinions of the proposed solution, feel free to post it here.

My personal take is this is just a game and I'm mainly doing it to motivate myself to read more. I don't particularly want to combine our score with another team's unless that's what the majority wants.

CJ wrote: "My personal take is this is just a game and I'm mainly doing it to motivate myself to read more. I don't particularly want to combine our score with another team's unless that's what the majority w..."

Popping in from the Horror Team to agree. I do not want to combine either, personally, and lose our Horror team or feel like a leech. I would much rather play as we are. :)

I also feel like we should just keep the teams as they are. Maybe the mods could encourage people who are newly joining the game to consider joining a team with fewer players? I feel like they did that last year, and it helped to even things out a little. But I also think people should choose the team that fits best for them (either for genre, prompts, or some other reason). I don't keep up with the overall total scores myself - I mostly just look at the weekly scores (and I care more about the reading and discussion in these team chats than the points anyway).

It's not like there's a monetary prize or anything. It's all for fun, and I don't think it's particularly important for the teams to equal in terms of number of players. Everyone should choose the team with most interesting prompts. So I wouldn't change anything.

Banshee wrote: "It's not like there's a monetary prize or anything. It's all for fun, and I don't think it's particularly important for the teams to equal in terms of number of players. Everyone should choose the ..."

You are right that it is for fun, but it is also framed as a combat/competition between teams, so the uneven team makeup can disincentivize participation since there's little to no chance of a smaller team truly being competitive with larger teams. Especially when it comes to unlocking tasks by accumulating a certain point tally.

That's not what we are actually seeing so far, which is great, but just offering a counterpoint to why more evenly sized teams can matter.