Hello, book lovers! Recently, people have been telling me I need to watch the British spy show Black Doves, with Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw, which hit Netflix a few months ago. While I haven’t taken this advice—but I still plan to watch it eventually!—it did get me thinking about spies and double agents in science fiction and fantasy. With political intrigue and war a part of so many sci-fi and fantasy books, there are a ton of spies to talk about. These are five that I think you’ll really enjoy. The spies in these books are all ultimately good, because the kingdom/organization/despots in the stories need to be brought down! And remember, it’s not considered tattling if you call yourself a spy!
P.S. I don’t remember the mention of the spies in these books as being a spoiler. But if you want to play a fun game, don’t read my description or the book jacket description, and then you’ll definitely be surprised by which character is a spy!
 The Unbroken (Magic of the Lost Book 1) by C. L. ClarkWhen Touraine returns to her homeland as a soldier to fight in a war, she doesn’t remember it. After all, she was kidnapped by the empire when she was very young and raised to be a killing machine. But Luca knows that her uncle needs to be removed from power, and she needs someone strong to help her lead the rebellion against him. Someone like Touraine, with inside access, whose loyalty can be pried apart as they are faced with the truth of their beginnings. |
 Angelmaker by Nick HarkawayIt’s always a good day to read a Nick Harkaway novel. This zany espionage sci-fi features Edie Banister, a kindly octogenarian who also happens to be a retired international spy. When a doomsday machine from back in Edie’s glory days is set in motion, clockmaker Joe Spork will face some of Edie’s old enemies to try and stop it. He isn’t alone, though—Edie still has a few kick-ass moves left. (If you like villains, this novel also has one of my favorite baddies: Shem-Shem Tsien.) |
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 The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry HarrisonThis is a comedic space caper series by the author of Make Room, Make Room! (which was made into Soylent Green, pun intended.) Who cons the conmen? Jim diGriz is a thief and conman who winds up getting tricked into working for the Special Corps, which is an elite law enforcement and spy agency. The good news is the agency is staffed by all former criminals. The bad news is, he has to try to behave himself now, seeing as how he’s being watched. That won’t be easy when he meets Angelina, a fellow criminal with a strict code about crimes. (Disclaimer: This book is very old, and it has been decades since I read it, so I cannot speak to its contents as being unoffensive with absolute certainty. I will have to do a re-read soon!) |
 Notes from the Burning Age by Claire NorthThis is an intense work of dystopian fiction from the author of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August. Ven is the keeper of heretical texts, the knowledge from the Burning Age held secret to keep the disasters of that time from happening again. But when Ven is threatened by the Brotherhood and forced to translate some of the works, he will have to decide if he will give his life for this new world, or work against the people who have trusted him. |
 Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. WangSciona was proud to be the first woman ever admitted to the High Magistry at the University of Magics and Industry. But she is shunned and resented by her colleagues, and instead of being given an assistant to work with, she is assigned a custodian. Thomil is also secretly working to gather intel to use against the forces that destroyed his homeland and his nation. Together with Sciona, they have the potential to bring the offenders to their knees…if they can control their magic and feelings for one another. |
Okay, star bits, now take the knowledge you have learned here today and use it for good, not evil. If you want to know more about books, I talk about books pretty much nonstop (when I’m not reading them), and you can hear me say lots of adjectives about them on the Book Riot podcast All the Books! and on Bluesky and Instagram.
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