Exadelic, Jon Evans (Tor ‎ 978-1250877734, hardcover, 448pp, $29.99) September 2023

The neologism that constitutes the title of Jon Evans’s mind-blowing new book (it’s the name of an all-powerful corporation) is certainly meant to conjure up echoes of “psychedelic,” and that allusiveness is substantiated by the over-the-top, enjoyably gonzo story itself. This off-the-rails, generously overstuffed, continuously surprising tale is what you might have gotten if Greg Egan had written ...Read More

Lessons in Birdwatching, Honey Watson (Angry Robot 978-1915202536, trade paperback, 312pp, $17.99) August 2023

In what appears to be her flying-out-of-the-gate debut novel, Honey Watson has essentially taken the territory that C. J. Cherryh staked out so brilliantly—humans and aliens communicating and miscommunicating across exotic scrims of politesse—and imbued it with New Weird stylings and gonzo action sequences to create something truly fresh and arresting. So if you anticipate ...Read More

A Second Chance for Yesterday, R.A. Sinn (Solaris 978-1786188274, hardcover, 320pp, $24.99) August 2023

This provocative, assured, compelling debut novel proves to be the work of two collaborating authors hiding very traceably behind a publisher-disclosed pseudonym. They are Rachel Hope Cleves and Aram Sinnreich, who also happen to be siblings. While SF has boasted many intrafamilial partnerships, I cannot recall a previous brother-sister duo, and I stand in awe ...Read More

The Great Transition, Nick Fuller Googins (Atria 978-1668010754, hardcover, 352pp, $27.99) August 2023

This debut novel from Nick Fuller Googins, whose previous fictional outings have occurred in The Paris Review and other literary journals, is a cli-fi, hopepunk romp jampacked with ideas, energy, attitude, and action. Its themes are urgent and vital, and all the parts of its realtime future hang together cohesively and ingeniously. But before you can ...Read More