Bakka Phoenix Books

I wanted to give it zero stars but could not select it. I used to go to Bakka books when it was on Queen Street and was overjoyed to find it again. It used to be a great store with excellent and knowledgeable staff. I thought that coming across the store today (November 20, 2021) was fortuitous. I had some money I could spend on books, for a change (no pun intended), and was excited to choose a couple of books to buy, to read, and especially for old times’ sake. I know how hard small businesses have been hit with all the shenanigans, and I try to support them whenever and however I can.

I and my husband eagerly walked in. I grudgingly used the “hand sanitizer” that damages my hands, but was appreciative of the paper towel provided where I could wipe any excess crap off. I had put on my cloth face mask but kept my nose uncovered. I have an actual mask exemption. In spite of this, no one, according to actual law has to wear one. Nevertheless, I tried to accommodate the store. A person sitting on the floor, I think it was someone working there, as they were not wearing a coat, asked me to pull my mask up. I said that I could not, as I could not breathe with it. I HAVE AN EXEMPTION. I again said “No”, and was glared at by the ”person” on the floor. I said “do you want me to leave”? The “person” on the floor didn’t say anything. I looked at the person behind the cash, and she responded “Yes”. I couldn’t believe it. I had been complying with their “rules”, but I guess my ability to use critical thinking was objectionable to those working there. I guess my medical condition was objectionable to those working there. My husband and I left, and we are not going to waste our hard-earned money on a store full of fools.

I need to reiterate the following, for this business, that although being a bookstore, apparently employs illiterate persons. (I suggest finding some literacy classes, as they can prove quite helpful in future.)

City of Toronto By-Law 541-2020 2. (a) The policy shall include the following exemptions from the requirement to wear a Mask or Face Covering: 2) persons with an underlying medical condition which inhibits their ability to wear a Mask or Face Covering; 5) persons who are reasonably accommodated by not wearing a Mask or Face Covering in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code. and, d) The policy shall not require employees or members of the public to provide proof of any exemption set out in section 2 (a).

Notwithstanding the above, refusing service to ANYONE without cause is DISCRIMINATORY. How dare this store judge me, or anyone else for not wearing a mask, for WHATEVER reason they don’t wear one. Besides...Read the BOX that your masks come in, if you can read. Ever wonder why they took the following information off the boxes...”Non-medical use only. This product is not a respirator and like all non-medical masks, they should not be solely relied on for protection against COVID-19 (Coronavirus) or other viruses or contaminants“. Now it just says “Non-medical use only”, if it says anything at all. Demonstrate any LEGITIMATE information that shows how this is acceptable. You are a BOOKSTORE, for crying out loud, not the TV. What is the genre of the books you sell? Have you actually READ them? Do you see any similarities to what you are doing?

I strongly, and vehemently recommend that this store become a casualty of the times, seeing as they are continuing the idiocy with their lack of critical thinking and discriminatory practices. Spend your money at a place that deserves it.

A great place to find a solid fantasy or science fiction book. The staff are really knowledgable and a great resource so make sure to take full advantage of them.

Wonderful store. I’ve been a customer of Bakka for the past two or three decades, and theyhave always done a terrific job of serving the sci-​fi/​fantasy reading community. Impossible to walk in here without something catching your eye, and the handwritten notes identifying staff favourites are always useful. These people have been in the business a long time and it shows. Their recommendations are always quality. Toronto is very lucky to have a bookstore like this in the city.
Also, a terrific selection of used books.

A haven par excellence for the avid fantasy and sci-​fi reader, Bakka Phoenix is a pilgrimage stop for any tour of Toronto. Any bookstore worth its salt provides key services to readers, like handwritten reviews, ordering, and excellent organization in a tidy environment. Excellent displays are important, whether wood paneled walls in a dim subterranean biblio-​cellar or a sleek and futuristic, spacious venue that looks like it should belong at Google headquarters. Bakka Phoenix checks all these boxes off and goes one step further.
For a seasoned genre reader like myself, it’s not enough just to have the latest releases from the big publishers and a selection of indie works for a 5-​star rating. Chapters and many worthy indie bookseller contenders can do that. In this age of the Amazon juggernaut where almost anyone can self-​publish via CreateSpace or Lulu, brick and mortar stores need to set themselves apart and establish customer loyalty in another way. Enter Bakka’s brilliant strategy: an immense, deep catalogue of popular and classic writers mixed with little known gems from overseas and across Canada.
Special attention paid to undiscovered gems is surefire way to keep my reading lists fresh. Recent releases get centerstage in one area. Employees know an astonishing degree about various authors, publishing movements, and authors. Make use of their expertise liberally! Name a title you fancied or an author you couldn’t stand for recommendations. I walked out with five books last time I visited and two notebook pages full of others to explore. Suggestions are particularly relevant for the niche genres within fantasy and sci-​fi. For example, if you want your sword and board storyplay dark and epic versus dystopian might spell the difference between Brandon Sanderson and Joe Abercrombie or the Malazan stable of authors. They specialize in the obscure and separating chaff from the real winners.
If you weren’t already swimming in literary happiness, they avoid the usual 25 copies of one bestseller and only the latest two books in a series. Used books help compensate for the higher publishing costs that publishers were charging until the past few years.
Friendly hours and a really expansive walk almost become overwhelming to tackle on your own. Along the way you’ll find old friends if you’re well-​read and possibly many new relations if this is your first stop in. However it’s not intimidating on the scale of, say, a Japanese bookstore when hunting for your first untranslated manga. The employees and clientele are welcoming and diverse, and Bakka Phoenix is a fresh and hip place.

* Heartfelt, honest, personal, and hand-​written recommendations for a great many books on their shelves? check!
* Quirky, oddball selections happily coexisting with more widely appealing titles? check!
* Passionate, knowledgeable staff? check!
* Clean, orderly, and easily navigated? Wow! check!
* Supports local authors? check!
Bakka Phoenix is awesome. I’ll confess that, as I’m not a collector, I buy almost exclusively used at this point; what I read I typically promptly pass on to others. Consequently, BP isn’t really aimed at me as a consumer. But having gone there a number of times over the years, and most recently with a good friend who loves the place dearly, I think I can safely rate them for my experiences.
If you’re a fan of sci fi, fantasy, alt fiction, comic art, and the like, you absolutely must check out Bakka. You won’t regret it.
My most recent trip saw my friend offer up a rather obscure request based off some somewhat conflicting series he has enjoyed… to which he promptly received a thoughtful, enthusiastic recommendation that left him grinning with excitement.
That’s when you know you’re amongst friends… even if they’re friends hoping to sell you stuff.

what a cool concept! a bookstore of SF only!
the variety of books and authors is mindbogling!
I couldn’t find what I was looking for even in the used section (which is extensive too) but that’s just because it’s very hard to find that author and he’s not being published anymore as the staff in the store told me.
Otherwise, a great place to come and add a new book of SF into your collection.

Bakka has moved again. It seems to quantum fluctuate around the downtown over the decades. It’s a Vonnegutian/​Captain Sheridan «unstuck in time» thing. It used to be at Queen and Peter (near CITY TV). It fluctuated to Yonge street. Then it fluctuated back to Queen street but further west. Now it seems to have quantum tunneled its way to Harbord, just West of Spadina.
The store seems to be in a rebuilding phase as of this writing. It’s also two floors now. Which might be a first. The top floor is new. The bottom floor (please leave your bag or low-​slung blaster holder) is the used.
But they’re back with the cheeky novella length recommendation cards that highlight some of the books. And the person manning the cash can always be counted on to be knowledgeable of real sci if and not come across as being at least as creepy as a LARPer or Furry. The guy on staff during my visit is the only other human being I’ve ever met who knew about David Windgrove’s Chung Kuo series and Patrick Tilley’s Amtrak Wars.

A store? Where you buy books? What a novel concept!
If you’re a fan of Fantasy and SF, you’ve probably heard of Bakka. It’s the oldest surviving specialty bookstore of its kind in North America, and even though it has moved fairly regularly over the past decade (it’s about to move to its fourth location, but hopefully this is for good) it’s carried that history with it.
You can find a great selection of books there, both prose and graphic novels, as well as a selection of used books and magazines. They carry both origina works as well as large selections of media tie in novels.
The staff there are acutely aware of what is published, and if you can tell them what you enjoyed they’ll be able to point you at something else that’ll be to your liking. Plus, many books have notecards explaining what they’re about and what readers will find appealing about them. m
If you have any interest in sf books, you owe it to yourself to go here.

A walk down Queen Street West is always a treat, and when you stumble across a small shop called «Bakka Phoenix», you know your day just got better. I walked into this store just because of the name «Bakka», and was pleasantly surprised to realise that this is easily the best place in Toronto for sci fi lovers.
The best part of this store is definitely the people who run it. I am sure the larger chain book stores in Toronto carry a decent collection too, and the books I picked up here weren’t rare anyways. But the entire book browsing experience was much better than any Chapters or Indigo. The pretty lady there made a lot of recommendations based on what I have recently read. Even as I paid, the cashier engaged me in some profound conversation about the Dune series.
I have seen those sweet little sticky notes with short personal reviews at other independent book stores, but the reviews here were definitely by people who have read the books, and not stuff copied off the internet. An absence of unwanted sci fi paraphernalia also makes this store different from other sci fi/​fantasy book stores.
If you love science fiction or fantasy, visit this place without thinking twice. If you are not a fan of the genre, I’d still recommend a visit, as I am sure there will be a few converts coming out.

Every time we come to Toronto, we stop by this bookstore. As avid (okay, voracious) readers, we need a serious fix on a regular basis, not just of the «oh, I’ve been meaning to buy another one of that author’s books» type, but suggestions on new books that aren’t software-​generated recommendations.
In other words, a bookstore run by people who read.
That’s why Bakka-​Phoenix is a must-​stop for readers of speculative fiction. The staff does read, and will offer their insights as needed.
If you are either looking for a specific sci fi book that is unlikely to be carried in your larger/​chain places, go here. If you remember vaguely that you liked Eric Flint and Harry Turtledove when they did that thing with the whoosits, the staff can give you additional author suggestions that fit your criteria.
I love visiting a bookstore that isn’t jammed packed with 300 copies of the four best-​selling titles, but actually carries a full range of an author. Sure, John Varley’s Titan/​Wizard/​Demon series were written 30 years ago — but does that make them less worthy than Rolling Thunder? No. In fact, if you read Rolling Thunder, Steel Beach, Mammoth, etc. then you most certainly would want the Gaia series. And most chain bookstores won’t carry the full series because, well… they’re OLD. Here at Bakka-​Phoenix, you’ll find pretty much everything Varley has written — and if you don’t, you can be confident what’s missing is on back order by a loving reader, not ignored by a marketing director.
I was eyeing a Kate Elliott, remembering the Jaran series was a pleasant read, and was encouraged to try the King’s dragon series. Why? Plot and character development, said the staff member. Because really — I’ll read a sword and sorcery book if they have those elements.
As a reader, I appreciate another reader’s opinions. Books and recommendations are well stocked here. If you’re in Toronto, visit.

As an independant bookstore, Bakka-​Phoenix is a rare breed. As a science fiction specific bookstore, it’s even rarer.
Bakka-​Phoenix takes its name from Frank Herbert’s Dune series, the store has been around since the 70s, moving locations twice over the years. It sells exclusively new science fiction and fantasy material, staying away from things like sci-​fi toys, statues or other collectibles.
The store also has some roots in the science fiction community. Once in a while, they’ll have a science fiction author (sometimes previous employees of the store) come in for a signing.
The store is small/​medium in size, like most independent bookstores. The staff are very knowledgeable about the books they sell and are always happy to suggest something if you’re not sure what you’re looking for. They actually know science fiction novels, a claim you unfortunately won’t hear at any other bookstore in Toronto.