The Scifi Book Guide for Travel

Every time I travel to a new country for vacation, I have this over-engineered tradition. I read a sci-fi book that's based in the location I'm visiting. Here are some of my favorites:

The Wind-up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

Locale: Thailand

Synopsis: In 23rd century Bangkok with biotech run amok, a genetically engineered girl fights for survival while political intrigue develops in a world on the edge of environmental collapse.

Rating: 3.75 on Goodreads

Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut

Locale: Galapagos Islands & Ecuador

Synopsis: In an absurd future dystopia, stranded on the Galápagos Islands after a global financial disaster, a quirky crew evolves into a bizarre new species over a million years.

Rating: 3.87 on Goodreads:

The Electric State by Simon Stalenhag

Locale: California

Synopsis: In a beautifully illustrated graphic novel, a girl and her robot traverse a hauntingly beautiful, dystopian Pacifica filled with abandoned technology, in search of a new home.

4.44 on Goodreads

River of Gods by Ian McDonald

Locale: India

Synopsis: With world-building excellence, nine lives intertwine amidst political turmoil, climate chaos, and technological marvels in near-future India on the brink of war, 100 years after independence.

Rating: 3.91 on Goodreads

New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson

Locale: New York

Synopsis: Described in such compelling detail you swear it's true, diverse inhabitants navigate a future shaped by climate change and rising seas in a partially submerged New York City.

Rating: 3.59 on Goodreads

The Islands at the End of the World by Austin Aslan

Locale: Hawaii

Synopsis: A teenage girl and her father struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic Hawaii cut off from the world after a global electronics failure.

Rating: 3.67 on Goodreads

Tears in Rain by Rosa Montero

Locale: Spain

Synopsis: In a futuristic Madrid, replicant detective Bruna Husky battles a deadly conspiracy that blurs the lines between humans and androids.

Rating: 3.76 on Goodreads

American War

Locale: American South

Synopsis: As near-future America descends into a second Civil War over the use of fossil fuels, one family struggles for survival and the quest for justice in devastating conflict.

Rating: 3.80 on Goodreads

World War Z by Max Brooks

Locale: Global

Synopsis: In a tale way more compelling than the movie, this is an oral history of the global zombie apocalypse, capturing the human struggle, survival, and resilience in the face of an undead pandemic.

Rating: 4.02 on Goodreads