My partner and I are big fans of The Handmaid's Tale, so when we saw In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination available for free on audiobook through the library, we snatched it up. What we found was an unexpected tour de force on Atwood's relationship to the genre and her thoughts on the inter-generational relationships between past and current SF books.

Read by Susan Denaker and Atwood, In Other Worlds is a collection of essays, speeches, and reviews Atwood has done over the years. Part memoir, part academic discussion, Atwood parses her thoughts such topics as the definition of science fiction, the modern state of utopia/dystopia writing, different interpretations of The Island of Dr. Moreau, and books like H. Rider Haggard's She, Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, and Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels. There are also some excerpts from her fictions that she thinks embody the science fiction genre. Through it all we learn about her life and her journey writing and reading science fiction, from rural Canadian girlhood reading funny pages and books from her father's basement to award-winning author and critic.

As a writer myself, this book was a lot. This isn't a book on how to write science fiction, but its discussions of what is science fiction, its history, and its modern function, were invaluable nonetheless. I itched for a pencil to mark up a book with, because there were so many passages that resonated with me. The only problem, besides not having a physical copy, is I'd probably underline the whole book. Atwood's clever wordplay and deep thought are balanced by their accessibility. I feared my partner would grow bored of a book about writing, but she was just as invested and fascinated as me. I definitely recommend In Other Worlds to any and all sci-fi fans and writers out there. Whether you've read Atwood before or not, this book will be an excellent and invigorating treat.