If You Go Out In the Woods Today: 5 Great SFF Books Set in the Forest

This Hugo-winning novella is set in a future where robots had enough of humans (can you blame them?) and wandered off into the woods, never to be heard from again. Centuries later, a tea monk trying to sort out their life comes across a robot in their travels. The robot has been sent to check up on the humans, to see how they are faring, and ask the question, “What do people need?” Together, the tea monk and robot go on a journey together and try and figure out the answer. (Buddy road trip!) This is a gentle fantasy with deep thoughts. It’s a balm for the soul. A Balm for the Wild-Built, amirite? (And FYI for fans, the duology will be available in one book coming in May 2025.)

If you like silly books that make you giggle, this is the book for you! It’s a fun fantasy take on fairy tales. Except this time, Snow White is a kick-ass knight, Buttercup is a lovely witch with a gingerbread problem, Jack has the ability to make plants grow, and there’s a talking spider named Trevor (who is also lovely.) They all live in a cottage in the scary Darkwood, hiding from the evil Huntsmen, and that is where Hansel and Gretel find them after they run away from their home (where they inexplicably have two step-parents.) The Huntsmen have taken over Hansel and Gretel’s village, and together this merry band of misfits must come up with a plan to chase them away and reclaim their lives.

You can’t have a list of books set in the woods without one about witches! In Henderson’s feminist fantasy debut, a young woman from a puritanical village learns the truth about witches and her mother. Immanuelle lives in Bethel, where women are ruled over by the Father, and where her mother was castigated for her relationship with someone from another race. When Immanuelle ends up in the forbidden Darkwood, she meets the spirits of witches, who give her the journal of her dead mother. As she reads, Immanuelle’s surprise at learning her mother had known witches turns into alarm as she discovers the truths behind Bethel and the Church.

What’s the buzz? Let’s get away from silly humans for a moment and celebrate this inventive debut that is all about bees! In a hive, there’s the Queen, the male drones (for mating purposes), and then the lowly workers, who take care of everything. Flora 717 is one such worker in her hive, but she is different than the other bees. Flora 717 is extremely curious about what goes on inside—and outside—the hive. Failure to follow rules and crossing the Queen brings a lot of trouble her way, but Flora 717 is determined to bring questions about hive society and its laws to light. The Bees will teach you all kinds of things about bees you probably never knew, plus it’s just a hella-cool book.

Last but not least is this enchanting World Fantasy Award-winning novella! Tobias is bound to the woods of Greenhollow, where he lives a lonely life with his cats. Then he meets Henry, the new owner of Greenhollow Hall, and something awakens inside him. Tobias decides it is time for the magic of the woods and the old secrets of his past to come out into the light. This is a sweet, magical queer fantasy with an equally great sequel.