Books on BookTok: has climate fiction made an impact?
Many of the creators agreed that climate fiction is not a widely used term on the app, explaining that BookTok favours popularity over niche genres. “I’ve seen it used once or twice,” said John-Paul (@jpreads6; 20,100 followers). “But it isn’t something I see regularly. I think it’s because the algorithm is leaning more towards romantasy and fantasy.” Alice (@bookswithalice; 13,800 followers) agreed: “It’s not something I’ve personally seen a lot of or discussed en masse, which may be because BookTok is currently dominated by romance/romantasy/ thriller genres.” Busayo (@compulsivebookbuyers; 27,200 followers) has not “heard this term ever used before on BookTok”. She continued: “From a quick search there aren’t that many videos on it or labelled as it.”
Sanziana-Dana (@sanizreads; 3,318 followers) believes climate fiction is “definitely used on TikTok”, but it is “very much a term that has flown significantly under the radar”. She added: “I think climate fiction would be considered somewhat of a niche given how much of the BookTok space is used for more popular genres.”
Suraka (@surakajanebooks; 16,600 followers) echoed this: “I think BookTok tends to focus on character-driven narratives over niche genre classification, and climate fiction definitely feels quite niche in online book discussions.”
This is not to say, Suraka continued, that books with ecological themes are not discussed. They can “gain traction, but they’re usually discussed in terms of their story rather than under the umbrella of ‘climate fiction’”. Kobe (@frostgalaxy; 40,800 followers) agreed: “If climate change and global warming feature prominently in a book, it often is mentioned where relevant, but I never really tend to see climate fiction as its own categorisation or genre.”
Part of the term’s unpopularity, Brittany (@whatbritreads; 58,300 followers) suggests, lies within its hazy definition. “I think it’s not for a lack of reading books that can be classified as climate fiction on BookTok, I think it’s more of a lack of knowledge in identifying it. I wouldn’t say I’d be 100% confident in labelling a book as climate fiction, as it’s not a classification I use often or have seen used often.” Libbie (@bookish.daydreaming; 1,399 followers) also believes that the “trend in reading and publishing is so much more about escapism currently and people wanting to forget about the negativity in our current word. I think ecological issues get overlooked”.
Interestingly, two of the books on the Climate Fiction Prize shortlist – Kaliane Bradley’s Ministry of Time (Sceptre) and Samantha Harvey’s Orbital (Jonathan Cape) – are not discussed online in relation to climate themes, according to Brittany.
Some of the creators explained how climate themes tend to be associated strongly with dystopian fiction. Emily believes that “when dystopian books were at their peak in the 2010s”, ecological themes were more prevalent in the fiction landscape. She cited James Dashner’s The Maze Runner (Chicken House) as an example, as did Alice. In the novel, “solar flares have caused wastelands in a futuristic setting”.
However, Brittany believes that with the dystopian fiction renaissance, commented upon in a column on 30th January, ecological themes will become more overt in fiction. “I think when the state of the world is difficult, a lot of authors and writers seek solace in trying to express themselves through their literary worlds.” Suraka asserts that these themes “should be” becoming more prevalent. “Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our generation, and I think we’re seeing more books, including in literary fiction and science fiction, incorporating those environmental themes.” John-Paul noted that the independent bookshop, Roundtable Books, has a whole section dedicated to climate fiction. “I think it’s because people are becoming more honest about how the world is being mistreated,” he added.
Suraka said that Ava Reid’s Fable for the End of the World (Del Rey) “immediately comes to mind” when thinking about the representation of ecological issues in fiction. “It’s a deeply atmospheric novel that combines folklore, environmental collapse and the haunting weight of history”, she explained. “Ava explores humanity’s relationship with nature and climate catastrophe, blending ecological themes with dystopian messages in a way that feels both intimate and urgent. It’s exactly the kind of book that could spark more conversations about climate fiction on BookTok.”
Kobe also mentioned Reid’s latest novel alongside Julia Armfield’s Private Rites (HarperCollins) where “the ecological disaster doesn’t take centre stage, instead it’s just a bleak and somewhat mundane reality for the characters’ lives”.