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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UPR chapter.

There are far too many books in the universe, but these are too good to miss out on! You don’t have to read them all in one sitting, but we just want to let you know that they’re definitely worth your time. From LGBTQ+ representation to sexual assault, these novels are more than just ones to fill the spaces of your bookshelf. With these gems, you’ll feel yourself being transported to the strangeness and otherworldliness of science fiction and then find yourself looking behind you with anxiety will entering the world of dark fantasy. What can be better than that? They also make good gifts (wink wink).

Frank Herbert is a master at prose. His book is one of the OG sci-fi. This gritty novel mixes drugs with the future. What do you do when you need drugs to survive deep space? And fun fact: it was originally published as two separate serials in Analog magazine!

The synopsis goes a little like this:

Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family — and would bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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If sci-fi is your thing, Dune is definitely the book for you. Through the story of Paul Atreides, heir to a dukedom, Frank Herbert creates a futuristic world in the midst of an intergalactic feud that gives us all the feels with the Star Wars vibes it’s got going on. Touching on topics like politics, economy, religion, ecology, technology, and even the power of women, Herbert gives us a wide spectrum of human emotions and interactions that beg to be read. This novel won the Hugo and the Nebula award for most outstanding science fiction and is considered one of the best science fiction novels of all time. Also, a new adaptation of the book is coming to the big screen from the same director that brought us the new Blade Runner 2049, starring Ryan Gosling!

—Ileana, 22

Ready to delve into the sci-fi realm? Read this novel and let us know what you think! You can purchase this sci-fi masterpiece via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Indiebound.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Josie is a senior in the UPR-Río Piedras campus, majoring in English Literature. When she's not on campus, you can find her browsing a bookstore (as if her TBR pile isn't big enough already!). Books and writing are what drives this girl--apart from fighting to destigmatize mental illnesses and raising awareness about the importance of consent. Josie enjoys traveling, bingeing on spicy food and a lot of sweets, blasting Bieber, and adding shows or movies to her Netflix queue that she'll never get to. Josie is a junior editor for the Rio Piedras chapter in Puerto Rico. If you want to see what else Josie is up to, you can catch her on her bookstagram.
Antoinette Luna is a Performance Studies and Comparative Literature major at the UPR. Her passions include writing, reading, and anything crafty. She loves to sew, write, and make things from scratch. DIY is the name of her game. Around campus, she is known as a bubbly young woman who goes by just Luna. Her future goals include traveling, traveling, and more traveling. Outspoken transfeminist, and wannabe activist, she's out to set fires.