Sometimes book trends seem to come out of nowhere, but most of the time, it's not hard to figure out why a certain type of book has started showing up on our desks over and over and over. This trend seems especially self-explanatory: chilling reads of speculative fiction wherein a woman's autonomy is threatened or altogether erased.

When a woman's body becomes political territory, no one should be surprised when it starts fighting back.

Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King

September 26 | Scribner

The first collaboration between elder and younger King is a twisty, entertaining tale that takes on big themes (systems of oppression, misogyny, gender stereotypes) while delivering horror that keeps pages turning. Across the world, women are falling asleep—their bodies cocooned in a gauzy covering—and if they are disturbed, they become violent. In the Appalachian town of Dooling, Evie seems unaffected by the sleep. Surely the men of the world will handle this situation reasonably. Surely.

The Power by Naomi Alderman

October 10 | Little, Brown

Alderman's award-winning novel was inspired by the question, Why does the patriarchy exist? For Alderman, the answer can be traced to physical differences, and so she turned this power dynamic upside down. The women in The Power develop the ability to transmit electricity through their fingertips, and suddenly the odds are more in women's favor than men's. Violent role-reversal obviously isn't the solution to the problem (so we're told), but that doesn't stop this book from being awesome.

Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich

November 14 | Harper

This was one of the most surprising books of the year, though Erdrich's first foray into dystopian fiction included many of the hallmarks that her fans expect: a social and political conscience, and characters of tremendous depth. In a disturbingly plausible Handmaid's Tale-esque America, evolution seems to have reversed. Animals have become like monsters, and the more trouble humans have reproducing, the more the American government tightens its grip on pregnant women. Be sure to check out this conversation between Erdrich and Atwood in Elle.

The Beauty by Aliya Whiteley

January 16, 2018 | Titan

Like Sleeping Beauties, the world of Whiteley's horror novella is one without women. In this post-apocalyptic land, all women have died, leaving behind the last generation of men and boys. But then strange yellow mushrooms begin to sprout from the women's graves, which grow into faceless walking fungus creatures. For a time, the irresistible "Beauties" seem ideal (no more pesky opinions!), but these relationships soon take an unexpected and horrific turn.

Red Clocks by Leni Zumas

January 16, 2018 | Little, Brown

Zumas' masterful second novel is the most timely and realistic of the bunch: In this world, in-vitro fertilization is banned, abortion is illegal and the Personhood Amendment grants rights to every embryo. There's also a law that bans single parents from adopting children. This horror-show of a world is explored through the stories of five women: a single teacher who's using her last opportunities to try to have her own child; a frustrated mother; an adopted teen who finds herself pregnant; an introverted healer who provides illegal services in the woods; and a 19th-century female polar explorer. Their stories are stunning—just like that cover.