Release Week: 28 June 2022
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Release Week: 28 June 2022
Posted on 2022-06-28 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn
PICKS:
Thrust: A Novel By: Lidia Yuknavitch, read by Natasha Soudek, Ron Butler, Cassandra Campbell, Robbie Daymond, Darrell Dennis, Dominique Franceschi, Kathleen Gati, Graham Halstead, Austin Ku, Omar Leyva, Karen Murray, and TL Thompson for Penguin -- "The story of Laisvė, a motherless girl from the late 21st century who is learning her power as a carrier, a person who can harness the power of meaningful objects to carry her through time. Sifting through the detritus of a fallen city known as the Brook, she discovers a talisman that will mysteriously connect her with a series of characters from the past two centuries: a French sculptor; a woman of the American underworld; a dictator's daughter; an accused murderer; and a squad of laborers at work on a national monument. Through intricately braided storylines, Laisvė must dodge enforcement raids and find her way to the present day, and then, finally, to the early days of her imperfect country, to forge a connection that might save their lives--and their shared dream of freedom."
Invisible Things: A Novel By: Mat Johnson, read by Nicole Lewis for Random House -- "A sharp allegorical novel about a hidden human civilization, a crucial election, and a mysterious invisible force that must not be named, by one of our most imaginative comic novelists."
Drunk on All Your Strange New Words By: Eddie Robson, read by Amy Scanlon for Recorded Books -- "Lydia works as translator for the Logi cultural attaché to Earth. They work well together, even if the act of translating his thoughts into English makes her somewhat wobbly on her feet. She’s not the agency’s best translator, but what else is she going to do? She has no qualifications and no discernible talent in any other field. So when tragedy strikes and Lydia finds herself at the center of an intergalactic incident, her future employment prospects look dire—that is, if she can keep herself out of jail! But Lydia soon discovers that help can appear from the most unexpected source...."
The Beached Ones By: Colleen M. Story, read by Rob Shapiro for CamCat -- "Daniel and his younger brother grew up in an abusive home, but Daniel was the only one who escaped. Now an established stunt rider, he intends to go back to rescue his brother. But then one jump goes horribly wrong.... When he wakes up from a nightmare in Iowa, unscathed, with no memory of how he got there, his life falls apart. His team moves on without him. His best friend won’t answer his calls. Strangers die in front of him. Even his girlfriend is hiding something. All Daniel knows is that he must pick up his brother in San Francisco. In five days."
Elsewhere: A Novel By: Alexis Schaitkin, read by Ell Potter for Macmillan -- "Richly emotive and darkly captivating, with elements of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and the imaginative depth of Margaret Atwood, Elsewhere by Alexis Schaitkin conjures a community in which girls become wives, wives become mothers and some of them, quite simply, disappear."
Against All Gods: The Age of Bronze, Book 1 By: Miles Cameron, read by Peter Noble for Gollancz -- "A vibrant and powerful epic set against an alternate Bronze Age, this tale of gods, men and monsters, conspiracy and war, is a rich, compelling and original tale from a master of the historical and fantasy genres. The people caught up in toils of the gods are merely trying to survive. Victims of vicious whims, trapped by their circumstances or pushed beyond what the mortal frame can bear, a handful of god-touched mortals—a scribe, a warlord, a dancer and a child - are about to be brought together in a conspiracy of their own."
Driftwood Orphans By: Paul Krueger, read by Sarah Diamond for Gollancz -- "Before she was betrayed and left for dead, Tenny was many things: prodigal daughter of the Driftwood City underworld. Leader of the Thorn Orphans, the gang fighting for a better tomorrow. City shaman, able to bend her home's boroughs to her will. Partner-in-crime to Cole, the runaway rich boy with powers just like hers. But that was all before."
Why We Did It: A Travelogue from the Republican Road to Hell By: Tim Miller, read by Josh Bloomberg for Harper -- "Former Republican political operative Tim Miller answers the question no one else has fully grappled with: Why did normal people go along with the worst of Trumpism?"
TIE-IN WATCH:
Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith By: Adam Christopher, read by William DeMeritt for Random House -- "Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian return in this essential novel set between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. The Empire is dead. Nearly two decades after the Battle of Endor, the tattered remnants of Palpatine’s forces have fled to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. But for the heroes of the New Republic, danger and loss are ever-present companions, even in this newly forged era of peace. Jedi Master Luke Skywalker is haunted by visions of the dark side, foretelling an ominous secret growing somewhere in the depths of space, on a dead world called Exegol. The disturbance in the Force is undeniable . . . and Luke’s worst fears are confirmed when his old friend Lando Calrissian comes to him with reports of a new Sith menace."
Firefly: What Makes Us Mighty By: M. K. England, read by James Anderson Foster for Blackstone -- "Serenity is bound for the planet Kerry with a hold full of sealed unidentified cargo for the planet’s highest-ranking nobleman. The duke is a surprisingly genial man whose court brings all the fanciness and fun of Persephone’s high society but little of the pretension—and, most importantly, he’s got the promise of more work. Obliged to stick around while Inara is with a client—and hoping to score future employment—the crew settles in. The liquor flows freely at court, and there’s food, entertainment, and comfortable lodgings to enjoy. Everyone is thrilled but Zoë. Her gut says something is off. When the duke’s estate is attacked in the middle of the night, Mal sends Serenity to safety while he and Zoë investigate. What they find turns the whole story of Kerry upside-down. Revolution is brewing, and each of them will have to decide where to make their stand, even if it lands them on opposite sides …"
SERIES WATCH:
Locklands: The Founders Trilogy, Book 3 By: Robert Jackson Bennett, read by Tara Sands for Random House -- "The jaw-dropping conclusion to the acclaimed Founders Trilogy, from the Hugo-nominated author of Foundryside and Shorefall."
The Origin of Storms: Lotus Kingdoms, Book 3 By: Elizabeth Bear, read by Moira Quirk for Recorded Books -- "Bear returns to conclude her acclaimed epic fantasy trilogy of the Lotus Kingdoms which began with The Stone in the Skull and The Red-Stained Wings, bringing it all to brings a surprising, satisfying climax."
Sands of Dune: Novellas from the Worlds of Dune By: Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, read by Scott Brick for Macmillan -- "These stories expand on the Dune universe, telling of the lost years of Gurney Halleck as he works with smugglers on Arrakis in a deadly gambit for revenge; inside the ranks of the Sardaukar as the child of a betrayed nobleman becomes one of the Emperor’s most ruthless fighters; a young firebrand Fremen woman, a guerrilla fighter against the ruthless Harkonnens, who will one day become Shadout Mapes."
Resolute: The Lost Fleet: Outlands, Book 2 By: Jack Campbell, read by Christian Rummel for Recorded Books -- "Admiral John "Black Jack" Geary must battle dangers both within and without the Alliance in this exciting continuation of the New York Times bestselling series."
Mage of No Renown: Tales of Terralor, Book 1 By: Kel Kade, read by Nick Podehl for Podium -- "From the author of the New York Times bestselling King’s Dark Tidings series comes a prequel novel set in that world."
BACKLIST WATCH:
From the Dust Returned By: Ray Bradbury (2001), read by Keith Szarabajka for Blackstone -- "They have lived for centuries in a house of legend and mystery in upper Illinois—and they are not like other Midwesterners. Rarely encountered in daylight hours, their children are curious and wild; their old ones have survived since before the Sphinx first sank its paws deep in Egyptian sands. And some sleep in beds with lids."
The Firebrand By: Marion Zimmer Bradley (1987), read by Lisa Flanagan for Blackstone -- "Blending archaeological fact and legend, the myths of the gods, and the feats of heroes, Marion Zimmer Bradley breathes new life into the classic tale of the Trojan War. Reinventing larger-than-life figures as living people engaged in a desperate struggle that dooms both the victors and the vanquished, their fate is seen through the eyes of Kassandra—priestess, princess, and passionate woman with the spirit of a warrior."
Drink Down the Moon: The Jack of Kinrowan Series, Book 2 By: Charles de Lint (2014), read by Taylor Meskimen for Blackstone -- "In Jack the Giant-Killer, where magical creatures carry on a secret existence in the streets and parks of modern Ottawa, Jacky Rowan once slew giants. In this thrilling sequel, she is tricked and then enslaved by a master of vicious Unseelie creatures."
Flash: Archform: Beauty Series, Book 2 By: L. E. Modesitt Jr. (2004), read by BJ Harrison for Tantor -- "In the twenty-fourth century, Earth is vastly changed. Ecological and biological catastrophe have raged across the planet, but for the survivors, it is a world of plenty. Even the poorest live in abundance, and the upper class—the ascendant—command technological marvels."
INDIE WATCH:
Jury Duty: First Contact By: Peter Cawdron, read by Curt Bonnem for Podium -- "Nick isn't smart. He's not brave. He's selfish. He's an asshole, but he's about to embark on a journey that will change not only his life but the lives of everyone on the planet."
Möbius 1: The Timeless Artifact, Book 1 By: Brandon Q. Morris, read by Shawn Compton for Podium -- "It is 2056. Mathematics professor Elisabeth Gabai is fascinated by multi-dimensional forms that have no equivalent in reality. Then, her boss sends her to the site of an artifact that might have come straight from her theories—or from the technology of an advanced civilization. Twenty-eight years earlier, physicist Max Webber is hell-bent on improving Einstein’s theories of relativity. His latest concept seems flawless, except it predicts the end of humanity."
MOST MISSING:
The Clockwork Empire by Lucas J.W. Johnson (Fireside) -- "It is the height of the industrial revolution, and the Roman Empire has stood for thousands of years. Airborne fortresses and mechanically remade soldiers guard against threats outside the empire's vast borders—even as it rots from the inside. As an ambitious senator rises to power, and a mysterious agent plots the downfall of the gods, a motley crew of exiles assembles to stop the rising fascism of the state: an excommunicated Praetorian Guard, her remade muscle, a spy, a pilot, an ex-slave, and a noble boy disgraced, experimented on, and remade with a clockwork heart. But smashing an authoritarian state is no simple fistfight in a taverna. Nor can one easily repair a machine that has been rusting for so long. As oppression takes hold across the Empire, the crew must find each other, find their fire, and find the agent known only as Servius—before he leads the world to destruction."
Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances: A Dragons and Blades Story by Aliette de Bodard (JABberwocky) -- "It was supposed to be a holiday, with nothing more challenging than babysitting, navigating familial politics and arguing about the proper way to brew tea. But when dragon prince Thuan and his ruthless husband Asmodeus find a corpse in a ruined shrine and a hungry ghost who is the only witness to the crime, their holiday goes from restful to high-pressure. Someone is trying to silence the ghost and everyone involved. Asmodeus wants revenge for the murder; Thuan would like everyone, including Asmodeus, to stay alive."
The Martyr: The Covenant of Steel, Book 2 by Anthony Ryan (Orbit) -- "Times have changed for Alwyn Scribe. Once an outlaw, he’s now a spymaster and sworn protector of Lady Evadine Courlain, whose visions of a demonic apocalypse have earned her the fanatical devotion of the faithful. Yet Evadine’s growing fame has put her at odds with both Crown and Covenant. As trouble brews in the kingdom, both seek to exploit her position for their own ends."