Margaret Atwood's Hidden Sci-Fi Gems: A Guide to the Best Lesser-Known Works of Speculative Fiction

I don't know about you, but I can never get enough of Margaret Atwood. While her more famous novels like The Handmaid's Tale and Alias Grace may have captured the mainstream audience, her lesser-known books are equally praiseworthy and subversive. If you're a speculative fiction fan like me, you have to explore the rest of Atwood's novels. Here I'll discuss some of my favorite powerful and thought-provoking stories from the mind of Atwood that are well worth exploring and deserve to be hyped up.

Each of these novels offers a unique perspective on important themes, such as posthumanism, animal studies, identity, memory, gender, power, and more. For fellow fans of the speculative fiction genre, I highly recommend diving into some (or all) of these more obscure Margaret Atwood titles. With their complex characters, thought-provoking themes, and imaginative storytelling, these Margaret Atwood novels are bound to capture your imagination and leave you pondering their messages long after you've turned the final page.

The MaddAddam trilogy:

Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood, and Maddaddam

Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood and MaddAddam are truthfully some of my all-time favorite books. After my professor assigned Oryx and Crake in a critical animal studies-themed grad class, I was positively hooked on this series. 

What sets these books apart for me (aside from my own personal obsession with animal studies and dystopian futures in general) is Atwood's skillful weaving of complex themes and ideas into a gripping narrative. One of the key themes that resonates with me is her exploration of nonhumans and posthumanism in general. Throughout this trilogy, Atwood challenges the traditional anthropocentric view of the world by highlighting the ways in which nonhuman animals and humans are inherently interconnected and interdependent, and how our treatment of animals affects the world and our own humanity.

In these novels, we see a dystopian world that has been ravaged by climate change and corporate greed. Atwood shows us the consequences of our human actions, and how our exploitation of animals for scientific experimentation and profit has led to disastrous consequences for both humans and animals alike. Genetically engineered animal products like ChickyNobs and pigoons? Ew. Yet disturbingly not so hard to imagine as reality these days... Atwood does a really great job of speculating about how far humans are willing to go when it comes to genetic modification of other living beings and raises important questions about the considerations of advanced genetic engineering.

Atwood blurs the boundaries between human and non-human, and questions what it even actually means to be human. She raises important ethical questions about genetic engineering and biotechnology, and the potential consequences of playing god with nature. These are some of my favorite themes to think about in literature for so many reasons, and Atwood just does such a fantastic job of thinking through all sorts of possibilities and potential posthuman futures.

Overall, the MaddAddam trilogy is a masterful work of speculative fiction that raises important questions about our relationship with the natural world and the consequences of our actions. That's why I think these three Atwood novels are essential reading for anyone interested in critical animal studies, posthumanism, or environmental issues.

And without more ado (and in no particular order) here are some of my other favorite Atwood works:

Bodily Harm

Bodily Harm is a gripping novel that tells the story of Rennie Wilford, a travel writer who travels to a small Caribbean island in search of a story. However, what begins as a simple assignment quickly turns into a dangerous and unsettling experience, as Rennie becomes embroiled in a political uprising and a web of personal and political intrigue.

The novel explores themes of power, politics, and sexuality, as well as the ways in which personal and political violence intersect. Atwood's writing is vivid and evocative, and she skillfully weaves together multiple narrative threads to create a complex and thought-provoking story. It's a compelling read that offers insight into the complex issues of power, politics, and sexuality that continue to shape our world today.

The Heart Goes Last

Here we have a dystopian novel about a couple who sign up for a program that offers them a stable life, only to find themselves trapped in a sinister plot. This is a darkly comic novel that explores themes of power, control, and the human desire for security. I love to think about this storyline in relation to some of Michel Foucault's works and ideas when it comes to these same themes. In a near-future dystopia, where economic collapse and social unrest have led to a new social order known as the "Positron Project," couples are given a house and job in the idyllic community of Consilience. Every other month, however, they must switch places with the inmates of the Positron prison, where they serve as guards.

Atwood's writing is witty (as always), and she uses humor to skewer our culture's obsession with safety and conformity. The novel also touches on themes of sexuality and gender, as the main characters grapple with their own desires and the power dynamics at play in their relationships.  Atwood's writing is clever and incisive, and the novel's exploration of sexuality and gender adds a layer of depth and complexity to the narrative.

Cat's Eye

In this novel, Atwood offers a nuanced and insightful exploration of memory, art, and female friendship. The story follows Elaine Risley, an artist who returns to her hometown of Toronto for a retrospective of her work. As she reflects on her past, she is forced to confront the traumas and betrayals that she experienced during her childhood and adolescence, particularly her fraught relationships with her other female friends. Maybe I'm attached to this novel because of my own mean teen girl experiences, or because I currently work in a high school and help teenage girls navigate adolescent drama everyday.

Atwood delves deep into the emotional complexities of her characters and touches on themes of gender and power, as Elaine grapples with the ways in which her identity as a woman has been shaped by societal expectations and cultural norms.

The Penelopiad

Okay - so this one is not sci-fi or speculative fiction, but it's still amazing. The Penelopiad is a retelling of the story of Odysseus from the perspective of his wife, Penelope. This is a clever work of fiction that offers a fresh take on a classic myth. I've read a lot of feminist perspectives and reimaginings of traditional mythologies lately, and this is still one of my favorites. I'm a big fan of the original source material, so I love when a favorite female author takes up her pen to rewrite all or parts of the tale.

The novel takes the form of a memoir, as Penelope reflects on her life and her role in the events of the Odyssey. Atwood uses humor to subvert the traditional narratives of Greek mythology and challenge our assumptions about gender and power. It also touches on themes of revenge, justice, and the role of storytelling in shaping our overall understanding of history and past events. Atwood's exploration of the ways in which stories are told and retold offers a unique and thought-provoking perspective on the power of narrative.

The Robber Bride

This story follows three women (Tony, Charis, and Roz) who are brought together by their mutual hatred of their former friend, Zenia. They each believe Zenia had somehow destroyed their own lives. As they recount their individual experiences with Zenia, they begin to confront their own insecurities and the ways Zenia had manipulated them.

Atwood delves deep into the psychological complexities of her characters. The novel also touches on themes of power, gender, and the ways in which our identities are shaped by our relationships with others. The is a thought-provoking look at the complexities of our identities and how they get constructed.

There you have it. Each of these books offers a unique perspective on important themes, such as posthumanism, animal studies, identity, memory, gender, power, and more. For fellow fans of the speculative fiction genre, I highly recommend diving into some (or all) of these more obscure Margaret Atwood titles. With their complex characters, thought-provoking themes, and imaginative storytelling, these stories are bound to capture your imagination and leave you pondering their messages long after you've turned the final page.

So what are you waiting for? Go read!