Books mentioned in the panel “If Space Is the Final Frontier, Where Are the

Indians?” presented at WisCon 34.

MJ Hardman provided the following books:

Writers of First Nation origin:

Alexie, Sherman -- First Nation writer

Baker, Kage 1999 Sky Coyote; First Nation based -- conservation of the Chumash by immortals.
She died in January this year.

Barnes, Steve 1998 FAR BEYOND THE STARS Deep Space Nine; race in Harlem w/ Sisko as
the writer Native American author (or Black) as noted in Wiscon panel; I liked it. [see also
http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/Far_Beyond_the_Stars]

Erdrich, Louise 1999 The Birchbark House; excellent. This is one of those that is historical but
that has very much an SF 'feel'. Highly recommended.

Nagata, Linda 1995 The Bohr Maker; good read; Native American writer (as noted from
WISCON panel)

Nagata, Linda 1995 Limit of Vision; interesting tale in Vietnam w/ illegal brain implant stuff.
High tech. First Nation author

Silko, Leslie Marmon 1977 Ceremony; on the healing effects of Native American ceremonies,
adapted, for post traumatic stress, etc.; excellent, very well written. This author is one of those
that we would not have included in SF but with the expanded definition of Spec Lit it does fit; it
does have 'SF feel'.

Silko, Leslie Marmon 1999 Gardens in the Dunes interesting; intersection between Indian &
white; women better place among Indian. Excellent. Gardens is a leit motif all through. And
friendship across boundaries. And inabilities to listen or hear. Highly recommended.

Other writers with First Nations peoples included:

Blom Suzanne Allés 2000 Inca alternate history; well-done

Arnason, Eleanor Mammoths of the Great Plains PM Press 2010. It is fully a Native American
story and the only voices are Native American. It is SF and it is excellent. Recommended.

Fancher: This trilogy is said to have Native Americans included; I have not yet read because I
have not found Volume I. I met the author at Magicon and was impressed; I'm still looking:
Fancher, Jane S. 1992 UPLINK 2nd of Trilogy
Fancher, Jane S. 1992 HARMONIES OF THE 'NET 3rd of Trilogy
LeGuin, Ursula K. 1985 Always Coming Home; probably the best depiction of future
descendants of some group of Native Americans from the Pacific coast without once saying
Native Americans; a beautiful magnificently done book that will repay rereading multiple times.

Zettel, Sarah 1998 Playing God Excellent. Draws on Native American/anthropological ideas.

Watson, Ian The Martian Inca, very badly done, NOT recommended

Julia mentioned the following books:

Orson Scott Card Tales of Alvin Maker series. The books are set in an alternate history of
America. On the upside, one of the books in the series is from the POV of a Native American
person, and Native Americans play a role through the series. On the downside, it’s by Orson
Scott Card.

The Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer is probably the most popular current depiction of Native
Americans. The werewolves in the series are all Native American, and Jacob (who is Native
American) is a romantic lead. However, Meyer named here fantasy tribe of werewolves after an
actual living tribe (the Quileute) who live in the area.

Kynship by Daniel Heath Justice. Justice is a Cherokee author and Kynship is the beginning of a
fantasy trilogy rooted in Cherokee tradition.

The Carl Brandon Society recommends the following speculative fiction books by writers of
First Nations/Native American heritage for American Indian Heritage Month:

• THE WAY OF THORN AND THUNDER trilogy, Daniel Heath Justice

This trilogy speculatively re-imagines the Cherokee history of removal and relocation
and redefines European fantastical tropes using Cherokee-centered imagery and
worldviews.

• GREEN GRASS, RUNNING WATER Thomas King

One of the best books I've ever read: a funny, sad, gorgeous story that ties together a
contemporary narrative about Indians living on Canada's prairies with slightly skewed
creation myths and accounts of the historical horrors endured by First Nations people
during the continent's European colonization

• THE BALLAD OF BILLY BADASS AND THE ROSE OF TURKESTAN, William

Sanders
A wry love story that also incorporates critiques of nuclear testing and dumping on
Native lands.

• EAST OF THE SUN AND WEST OF FORT SMITH, William Sanders

A collection of short stories from Sanders' entire career. You can see some of his best
here, including the alternate history "The Undiscovered," in which a shanghaied,
 shipwrecked Shakespeare is trapped in 16th Century Appalachia and must stage his plays
among the Cherokee, and the near-future "When the World is All on Fire" when climate
change and toxic waste have caused Indian reservations to become prime property again.

• ALMANAC OF THE DEAD, Leslie Marmon Silko

Silko uses magical realism to chronicle numerous characters' journeys toward the
prophetic, violent end of white dominance in the Americas.

• TANTALIZE, Cynthia Leitich Smith

A departure from Smith's previous, realistic Indian YA stories, this YA novel jumps onto
the vampire bandwagon, this time in a vampire-themed restaurant in Texas.

• THE BONE WHISTLE, Eva Swan (Erzebet Yellowboy)

The Bone Whistle is about a woman who discovers her true heritage. She is the child of a
wanaghi, one of the creatures of Native-American folklore.

• THE NIGHT WANDERER, Drew Hayden Taylor

A gothic young adult vampire story.

• THE LESSER BLESSED, Richard Van Camp

A coming-of-age story of a native Canadian boy obsessed with Iron Maiden. Has
elements of magical realism.

• BEARHEART: THE HEIRSHIP CHRONICLES, Gerald Vizenor

Perhaps the first Native American science fiction, this is a journey through a dystopian
future United States destroyed by the collapse of the fuel supply.