9 novels for the sustainability-minded reader

This roundup has nothing to do with rebates or retrofits, but if you like reading about climate change alongside planning for it, there are nine novels here worth knowing about. Climate fiction has grown into a real corner of publishing, with its own award (The Climate Fiction Prize) alongside Booker Prize and National Book Award recognition.

The list ranges widely. "The Mountain in the Sea" by Ray Nayler follows scientists studying an intelligent octopus species while a corporation tries to exploit the discovery. "Orbital" by Samantha Harvey, winner of the 2024 Booker Prize, follows astronauts circling Earth and watching the planet's systems from above. "The Actual Star" by Monica Byrne spans a thousand years across ancient Maya civilization, present-day Belize and a climate-altered future. "All the Water in the World" by Eiren Caffall imagines a flooded New York, while "The Wall" by John Lanchester (Booker-longlisted in 2019) pictures a coastal nation walled off against rising seas and displaced refugees.

The rest lean personal: "Bewilderment" by Richard Powers, shortlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize, centers on a father and his environmentally anxious son. "A Children's Bible" by Lydia Millet, a National Book Award finalist, follows kids watching disasters unfold while adults stay indifferent. "The Light Pirate" by Lily Brooks-Dalton tracks one woman's life as Florida slowly goes underwater. And "Hum" by Helen Phillips, winner of the 2026 Climate Fiction Prize, imagines a near-future city reshaped by AI and environmental decline.