Paul Di Filippo Reviews This Island Earth by Dale Bailey

This Island Earth: 8 Features from the Drive-In, Dale Bailey (PS Publishing 978-1786368973, hardcover, 266pp, $36.00) April 2023

When I first became lucky enough to find a publisher for my early story collections—the much-missed Four Walls Eight Windows, under John Oakes—I decided to make each volume a thematic assemblage. I had by then accumulated enough stories with prior magazine appearances to make such picking and choosing possible. The Steampunk ...Read More

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Karen Haber Reviews The Keeper, by Tananarive Due, Steven Barnes and Marco Finnegan; Spectrum Fantastic Art Quarterly: Volume Two edited by Cathy Fenner and Arnie Fenner; The Corset and The Jellyfish: A Conundrum of Drabbles by Nick Bantock

The Keeper, Tananarive Due, Steven Barnes & Marco Finnegan (Abrams Comic Art Megascope 978-1-4197-5155-4, $24.99, 150pp, hc) September 2022. Cover by Marco Finnegan.

The Keeper is a gripping tale of family love and the supernatural, guaranteed to grab anyone interested in urban horror served with a slice of poignancy and social realism. According to the afterword, it began life as a script that had a hopeful journey through Hollywood ...Read More

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Paul Di Filippo Reviews The Wolfe at the Door by Gene Wolfe

The Wolfe at the Door, Gene Wolfe (Tor 978-1250846204, hardcover, 480pp, $29.99) October 2023

Arriving just a few months after the publication of The Dead Man and Other Stories (my Locus Online review here), this mammoth compilation from Tor Books also helps to ensure—by its high-quality catholic selection (pun entirely intentional)—that Gene Wolfe’s reputation will continue to be justifiably burnished for future generations. There can be no legacy without ...Read More

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Charles Payseur Reviews Short Fiction: Three-Lobed Burning Eye, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and Strange Horizons

Three-Lobed Burning Eye 7/23 Beneath Ceaseless Skies 7/27/23, 8/10/23,  8/24/23 Strange Horizons 7/24/23, 7/31/23, 8/7/23,  8/14/23

July saw a new issue from Three-Lobed Burning Eye, with a strange new story by J.L. Jones, ‘‘The Sticky-Sweet Path’’. The dreamlike nar­rative follows T’quan, a young man who chafes at the expectations and responsibilities of his life. People depend on him, and in the face of that he tries to ...Read More

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Alexandra Pierce Reviews Medusa’s Sisters by Lauren J.A. Bear, The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older, and The Year’s Top Tales of Space and Time 3 edited by Allan Kaster

Medusa’s Sisters, Lauren J.A. Bear (Ace 978-0-59354-776-2, $28.00, 368pp, hc) August 2023.

Medusa may be one of the most familiar monsters from Greek mythology: snakes for hair, turns anyone who looks in her eyes to stone, eventually killed by Perseus because he looks only at her reflection. You can find carved images of her everywhere from the Roman baths in Bath to the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul. Recently her ...Read More

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Russell Letson Reviews Lockdown Tales II by Neal Asher

Lockdown Tales II, Neal Asher (NewCon 978-1-914953-43-9, £13.99, tp; £29.99, hc, 372 pp) July 2023. Cover by Vincent Sammy.

Lockdown Tales II is Asher’s second collection of shorter pieces written since COVID prompted the titular restrictions. Of the nine stories (pro­duced between 2020 and 2023), four are new to this volume; three are of novella length; and seven are set in the Polity future history. (Note: These categories overlap.) ...Read More

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Karen Haber Reviews Creature: Paintings, Drawings, and Reflections by Shaun Tan and Chivalry by Neil Gaiman and Colleen Doran

Creature: Paintings, Drawings, and Reflections, Shaun Tan (Levine Querido 978-1-64614-200-2, $35.00, 223pp, hc) November 2022. Cover by Shaun Tan.

Artists can make profound emotional state­ments through visual magic and show you things you’ve never seen before. Shaun Tan excels at this and has spent a career making unique emotional and artistic connections using various media. Creature, a handsome, full-color, self-curated survey of his work in picture books, comics, ...Read More

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Gary K. Wolfe Reviews Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

Starling House, Alix E. Harrow (Tor 978-1-25079-905-0, $28.99, 320pp, hc) October 2023.

Alix E. Harrow is also acutely aware of the traditions behind Starling House, as evidenced by her epigraph from Wuthering Heights and a few passages – including the opening line – that sound like they might have come from du Maurier’s Rebecca. But Harrow’s narrator, a 26-year-old dropout named Opal, has a tough, witty, hardscrabble ...Read More

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Ian Mond Reviews South by Babak Lakghomi

South, Babak Lakghomi (Rare Machines 978-1-45975-081-4, $21.99, 200pp, tp) September 2023.

In a brief introduction to South, Babak Lakghomi tells us that he began writing his debut in 2018 during the Trump Presidency and the anti-Government riots in his birth country of Iran. The book, he says, ‘‘was born out of such vital concerns of our time—the meaning of truth, environmental perils, surveillance, and censorship.’’ What’s im­pressive about ...Read More

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Jake Casella Brookins Reviews Prophet by Sin Blaché & Helen Macdonald

Prophet, Sin Blaché & Helen Macdonald (Grove Press 978-0-8021-6202-1, 480pp, hc) August 2023.

Seeing Helen Macdonald’s name show up on a speculative fiction list immediately fixated my attention. H is for Hawk is, without a doubt, the most mesmerizing combination of memoir, nature writing, and mini-T.H. White biography out there, and so I knew Prophet was not one to skip. Written together with Sin Blaché, the novel is a ...Read More

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Liz Bourke Reviews System Collapse by Martha Wells

System Collapse, Martha Wells (Tordotcom 978-125082-697-8, $21.99, 256pp, hc) November 2023. Cover by Jaime Jones.

The seventh of Martha Wells’s Murderbot long-form stories, System Collapse is a novel-length sequel to Network Effect, picking up within days of that novel’s conclusion. Murderbot fans are unlikely to be disappointed here: Wells is on form with the series’ trademark black humour, razor-sharp tension, Murderbot’s all-too-relatable interpersonal interactions, action, and high stakes. ...Read More

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Paul Di Filippo Reviews Jewel Box: Stories by E. Lily Yu

Jewel Box: Stories, E. Lily Yu (Erewhon 978-1645660484, hardcover, 336pp, $27.00) October 2023

Recently I had the good fortune to acquaint myself for the first time with a classic of fabulism: Japanese Fairy Tales, by Yei Theodora Ozaki. Witty, elegant, timeless yet timely, these stories aim straight at the human heart, mind and soul, and lodge therein like arrows variously tipped with balm and bane. And now, encountering ...Read More

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Gary K. Wolfe Reviews A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand

A Haunting on the Hill, Elizabeth Hand (Mul­holland 978-0-31652-732-3, $30.00, 336pp, hc) October 2023.

Angry architecture of one sort or another has been a fixture of Gothic fiction since Walpole and Radcliffe – long before it evolved into the haunted house story as we know it today–and it shows no sign of loosening its grip on our imagination (even Disney was at it again this summer). Only a few ...Read More

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Alvaro Zinos-Amaro Reviews The Spice Must Flow: The Story of Dune, from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies by Ryan Britt

The Spice Must Flow: The Story of Dune, from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies, Ryan Britt (Plume 978-0593472996, $18.00, 288pp, pb) September 2023.

In 13 breezy chapters, Ryan Britt traces Dune from its original conception as a non-fiction piece by Frank Herbert titled ‘‘They Stopped the Moving Sands’’ to its latest multi-installment cinematic adaptation at the hands of director De­nis Villeneuve. ‘‘What I hope lifelong fans get from ...Read More

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Ian Mond Reviews The Circumference of the World by Lavie Tidhar

The Circumference of the World, Lavie Tid­har (Tachyon Publications 978-1-61696-362-0, $17.95, 256pp, tp) September 2023. Cover by Elizabeth Story.

If you’re a fan of Lavie Tidhar’s work (and you really should be), you’ll know he has a deep and abiding fascination with the history of science fiction. Tidhar’s short stories and novels are peppered with nods, winks, and hat tips to luminaries who have shaped the field, whether it ...Read More

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Gabino Iglesias Reviews The Legend of Charlie Fish by Josh Rountree

The Legend of Charlie Fish, Josh Rountree (Tachyon Publications 978-1-61696-394-1, $16.95, 192pp, hc) July 2023. Cover by John Coulthart.

One of the best things about reading and editing anthologies is that you’re exposed to the work of many talented writers who are new to you or new to writing in general. I remember reading Josh Rountree’s work here and there and then publishing his work in an anthology. Every ...Read More

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Colleen Mondor Reviews Rook by William Ritter

Rook, William Ritter (Algonquin 978-1-64375-240-2, $17.99, hc, 368pp) August 2023.

William Ritter returns to his successful Jackaby series with Rook, a new, somewhat standalone entry that will delight fans. Focussed on Jacka­by’s sidekick, Abigail Rook, the title follows the near-catastrophic events of The Dire King, the book where everything changed for the citizens of New Fiddleham, and most especially for Abigail. Now the one who wields a ...Read More

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Charles Payseur Reviews Short Fiction: GigaNotoSaurus, Fantasy, and Lightspeed

GigaNotoSaurus 7/23 Fantasy 6/23 Lightspeed 7/23

GigaNotoSaurus dives into secondary world fantasy with July’s “Canyon Masks” by Reed Mingault, which imagines a world where gods Mark individuals with their power, and goddess sisters of luck have chosen Lyssa to be their agent in the world. A deft hand at manipulation and planning, Lyssa finds years of work on the edge of ruin when a Marked of the ...Read More

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Liz Bourke Reviews A Fire Born of Exile by Aliette de Bodard

A Fire Born of Exile, Aliette de Bodard (JAB Books 978-1-6256-7652-8, $9.99, 406pp, tp) October 2023. Cover by Ravven. (Gollancz 978-1-47322-343-1, £18.99, 432pp, hc) October 2023. Cover by Alyssa Winans.

A Fire Born of Exile is Aliette de Bodard’s second novel-length Xuya universe space opera. It’s a compelling, atmospheric tale of consequences, romance, and revenge. (I should note that I’m mentioned in the acknowledgements, which may cause you to ...Read More

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Gary K. Wolfe Reviews The Circumference of the World by Lavie Tidhar

The Circumference of the World, Lavie Tidhar (Tachyon 978-1-61696-362-0, $17.95, 256pp, tp) September 2023. Cover by Elizabeth Story.

For an author who I think can lay a reason­able claim to being one of the most innova­tive voices in modern science fiction, Lavie Tidhar never tires of displaying his affection for some of the older classics of the field. His new novel The Circumference of the World man­ages in a ...Read More

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Ian Mond Reviews Fever House by Keith Rosson

Fever House, Keith Rosson (Random House 978-0-59359-575-6, $28.00, 448pp, hc) August 2023.

I am a sucker for a great front cover. Emily Temple’s monthly showcase on Literary Hub of the best covers from the preceding four weeks has led me to purchase a book based purely on a striking image or an eye-catching arrangement, regardless of subject matter. Keith Rosson’s fifth novel, Fever House, has a cover deserving ...Read More

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Alexandra Pierce Reviews You are My Sunshine and Other Stories by Octavia Cade

You are My Sunshine and Other Stories, Octa­via Cade (Stelliform Press 978-1-77908-264-0, $19.99, 384pp, pb) September 2023. Cover by Rachel Lobbenberg.

Across the 15 stories collected in You are My Sunshine and Other Stories, Octavia Cade takes the reader through possible outcomes of climate change – what it may be like to through it, what might come out the other side. Written across the better part of a ...Read More

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Gabino Iglesias Reviews Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Silver Nitrate, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey 978-0-59335-536-7, $28.00, 336pp, hc) July 2023. Cover by Fritz Metsch.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia seems to reinvent herself with every novel. Known for jumping around and mixing literary fiction, science fiction, crime, historical fiction, and horror, Moreno-Garcia, who has won numerous awards and built a huge readership that goes with her wherever she goes, obeys the demands of every narrative instead of sticking to the ...Read More

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Alex Brown Reviews Forged by Blood by Ehigbor Okosun

Forged by Blood, Ehigbor Okosun (Harper Voyager 978-0-0631-1262-9, $32.00. 400pp, hc) August 2023.

Readers looking for a high-octane story with an equal amount of romance and fight scenes should look no further than Ehigbor Okosun’s Forged by Blood, the first in the debut author’s Tainted Blood duology. It’s the perfect summer adventure story.

Forged by Blood begins when Dèmi is a child living in desperate poverty with her ...Read More

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Charles Payseur Reviews Short Fiction: FIYAH, Diabolical Plots, and Flash Fiction Online

Fiyah 7/23 Diabolical Plots 7/23 Flash Fiction Online 7/23

The theme for the July issue of Fiyah is ‘‘Car­nival,’’ celebration, costume, and commu­nity. Things that Salmik, the main character in Nkone Chaka’s novelette ‘‘Sentience’’, initially refuses to take much part in. They are a scien­tist – a famous one – who helped to stop the spread of a deadly fungal infection responsible for untold devastation across the ...Read More

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Colleen Mondor Reviews Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz by Garth Nix

Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz, Garth Nix (Harper Voyager 978-0-06-329196-6, $30.00 hc, 304 pp) August 2023.

Published over the past 15 or so years, Garth Nix’s tales of Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz are now collected in a single volume titled after the two characters. Set in a variety of towns and kingdoms across an imagined landscape, these stories of sword and sorcery follow a knight and his powerful ...Read More

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Gabino Iglesias Reviews Mother Howl by Craig Clevenger

Mother Howl, Craig Clevenger (Datura 978-1-91552-303-7, $17.99, 300pp, pb) June 2023. Cover by Kyerin Tyler.

The Contortionist’s Handbook, published in 2002, and Dermaphoria, published in 2005, made Craig Clevenger a household name and both became huge cult hits. Then readers had to sit and wait for whatever Clevenger did next. That long wait came to an end this year with Mother Howl, and the wait was ...Read More

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Liz Bourke Reviews Cassiel’s Servant by Jacqueline Carey

Cassiel’s Servant, Jacqueline Carey (Tor 978-1-25020-833-0, $30.99, 548pp, hc) August 2023. Cover by Mélanie Delon.

Kushiel’s Dart, Jacqueline Carey’s debut novel, was first published in 2001. I read it perhaps two or three years after that, when I was 17 or so: I remember being terribly annoyed at myself when I cracked the spine on the UK trade paperback almost as strongly as I remember the impact ...Read More

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Jake Casella Brookins Reviews The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera

The Saint of Bright Doors, Vajra Chandrasekera (Tordotcom 978-1-250-84738-6, 368pp, hc) July 2023.

Books that are good to mediocre, but enter­taining or idea-filled, are easy to talk about. Books that are troubling or problematic are easy to talk about. Even badly written books, if they’re entertaining or problematic, are easy to talk about. Truly superb books – ones that are complete, that are organic, that invite themselves into your ...Read More

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Alex Brown Reviews A Song of Salvation by Alechia Dow

A Song of Salvation, Alechia Dow (Inkyard Press 978-1-33545-372-3, $18.99. 352pp, hc) July 2023.

Although technically a standalone, Alechia Dow’s new young adult space opera A Song of Salva­tion is part of the larger world shared by her two earlier YA novels The Sound of Stars and The Kindred. It helps, but you don’t need to read the other two to enjoy and understand the third. That said, ...Read More

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Ian Mond Reviews Oh God, The Sun Goes by David Connor

Oh God, The Sun Goes, David Connor (Melville House 978-1-68589-062-9, $18.99, 240pp, tp) August 2023.

With its intriguing title, striking all-black cover marred by an iridescent circle (where the title sits) and absurdist conceit, David Connor’s de­but feels like it has been marketed just for me. I love nothing more than an unabashedly weird and experimental story, and Oh God, The Sun Goes fits that bill, an adventure in ...Read More

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Charles Payseur Reviews Short Fiction: Strange Horizons, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Baffling, and Kaleidotrope

Strange Horizons 6/19/23, 7/3/23, 7/10/23, 7/17/23 Beneath Ceaseless Skies 6/29/23, 7/13/23 Baffling 7/23 Kaleidotrope 7/23

Samovar’s sibling publication, Strange Horizons, opens July with, among other, C. H. Lindsay’s poem “The Legacy of Granny Van Helsing”. The piece fleshes out a bit more of the family tree of the famous vampire hunter, revealing a rich line of people who know how to keep evil at bay through herb ...Read More

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