Slavery and enslavement in SF

Explorations of literal slavery, either as practiced historically on Earth, or other types of slavery.

Thoughtful, serious examinations of slavery

• Katharine Burdekin. Swastika Night (in a far-future Nazi regime, women are literally enslaved and used as breeding chattel)
• Octavia Butler. Kindred (1979) (classic; woman travels back in time to her African-American slave ancestor)
• Others of Butler's works deal with the questions of freedom and enslavement. For instance, the Xenogenesis trilogy.
• Suzy McKee Charnas. Walk to the End of the World (in a post-apocalyptic North America, women are literally enslaved; interesting treatment because of the discussion of how people become enslaved, and how slaves work together)
• C. J. Cherryh Cyteen [Artificially designed people, or "azi's," are not technically slaves; they are considered more a sort of industrial property or intellectual property. But their legal status is clearly that of property.]
• Carol Emshwiller. The Mount (2002)
• Naomi Kritzer. Freedom's Gate (2004) and sequels.
• Ursula K. Le Guin Four Ways to Forgiveness (four stories about a world in which one race enslaves another; serious & well-written exploration of slavery)
• Elizabeth A. Lynn. The Sardonyx Net (1981 novel)
• John Sayles, "The Brother from Another Planet" (1984 film)
• Walter Mosley, 47 (2005 novel)

Other SF with Slavery

(slavery used as a plot device but not necessarily examined culturally; not necessarily trashy)

• Jacqueline Carey. Kushiel's Dart (2001) [people are in bond until they earn their "mark"; more "indentured servitude", time-limited slavery]
• Jo Clayton. Irsud
• Lee Crittenden. "Anthem" in Sexcrime: An Anthology of Subversive Erotica edited by Cecilia Tan (Circlet Press: 2000) (slave clones discover sororal sapphic sex)
• Phyllis Gotlieb. Flesh and Gold
• Robert A. Heinlein, Citizen of the Galaxy
• Frances Lucas, Cathy IV (1992). (A naive young lesbian is shipwrecked on another planet, and becomes embroiled in their slave economy, when she falls in love with a slave/robot.)
• Matthews, Susan, The Jurisdiction Universe series featuring Andrej Kosciusko; the universe is full of "bond-servants", a punitive version of indentured servitude.
• Severna Park, Speaking Dreams (Firebrand, 1992) (good writing - lesbians in a universe with slaves fighting the odds to be together) and Hand of Prophecy (set in same universe as Speaking Dreams)

definitively trashy and/or exploitative

• John Norman, Gor series. (Distinctly & specifically anti-feminist fantasy in which women are sex-slaves to men.)
• see also pouty slave boys

see also

• pouty slave boys