20 works of upbeat science fiction to brighten your day

Holy Fire (Cover image via Bantam Spectra)

20. Holy Fire

For all that science fiction presents a world with unlimited possibilities, it can start to feel like the genre is pretty constricting. Historically, it’s been full of male protagonists, all of a light skin tone and generally young. At least, if they’re not young, they are world-weary and ruggedly handsome.

But where are the female protagonists? The people of color? What about older women? Thankfully, more recent novels (along with notable precedents) have started to remedy this gap. One of the earlier examples is 1996’s Holy Fire, written by Bruce Sterling.

This cyberpunk offering follows Mia Ziemann, a medical economist. Mia is a senior, though she is at least still able to walk the streets of San Francisco. It is on one of these walks that she meets up with her old friend, Martin. The two are both fans of medical enhancements that have greatly extended their lifespans. However, even in this future, medical technology can only go so far. Martin, knowing that he will die the next day, bequeaths all of his memories to Mia (they are delightfully and collectively termed a “memory palazzo”).

All of these memories have made Mia pretty reflective. She decides to undergo a controversial treatment that will return her to a twenty-year old body. After the procedure, she spends much of the novel carpe-ing the heck out of the diem.

Critics of Holy Fire have been suspicious about this age-bending plot point. Is this yet another way of denying the experience and wisdom of our elders? Or is the novel a comment on humanity’s shallow obsession with youth and beauty? Or, could Mia’s experiences begin to transcend even these points of view?

You’ll have to read Holy Fire yourself to find out, but you’ll probably have a good time. Mia’s journey is full of life, joy, and subtle humor that will help lift your own spirits.