Release Week: 20 September 2022
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Release Week: 20 September 2022
Posted on 2022-09-20 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn
PICKS:
Expect Me Tomorrow By: Christopher Priest, read by Charles Armstrong for Gollancz -- "A petty thief known as John Smith was arrested for fraudulent behaviour in 1877. He tricked women into thinking he was rich, then stole their belongings and vanished. His guilt was obvious. In 1852, Adler and Adolf Beck's father died on an expedition to a glacier, and their lives separated. One became a respected climate scientist, one a successful opera singer touring the world. Or so he claimed. But both remained in touch, if only to share the mysterious voices only they could hear. Charles Ramsey also has a twin. It is 2050, and Greg is a journalist reporting on the climate-change inspired conflicts around the world. When Charles is made redundant from his job as a profiler for the police and sent home with a new experimental chip in his head, he is urged by his brother to explore a little-known aspect of their family history. All of these people are connected. All of their lives will intersect. And the climate of their world will keep on changing."
Valley of Shadows: A Novel By: Rudy Ruiz, read by Gary Tiedemann for Blackstone -- "A visionary neo-Western blend of magical realism, mystery, and horror, Valley of Shadows sheds light on the dark past of injustice, isolation, and suffering along the US-Mexico border."
The Witch and the Tsar By: Olesya Salnikova Gilmore, read by Katia Kapustin for Penguin -- "In this stunning debut novel, the maligned and immortal witch of legend known as Baba Yaga will risk all to save her country and her people from Tsar Ivan the Terrible—and the dangerous gods who seek to drive the twisted hearts of men."
Ghost Eaters: A Novel By: Clay McLeod Chapman, read by Elisabeth Rodgers for Blackstone -- "When Erin learns that Silas discovered a drug that allowed him to see the dead, she doesn’t believe it’s real but agrees to a pill-popping “séance” to ease her guilt and pain. When she steps back into the real world, she starts to see ghosts everywhere from her Southern hometown’s bloody and brutal past. Are the effects pharmacological or something more sinister? And will Erin be able to shut the Pandora’s box of horrors she has opened?"
Daphne: A Novel By: Josh Malerman, read by Patricia Santomasso for Random House -- "Horror has a new name. A brutal, enigmatic woman stalks a high school basketball team in a reimagining of the slasher genre by the New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box."
Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization by Neil deGrasse Tyson, read by the author for Macmillan -- "Shines new light on the crucial fault lines of our time—war, politics, religion, truth, beauty, gender, and race—in a way that stimulates a deeper sense of unity for us all."
SERIES WATCH:
The Dao of Drizzt By: R. A. Salvatore, read by Victor Bevine for Harper -- "For over 30 years, Drizzt Do'Urden has been one of the most important characters in fantasy literature. Throughout his novels, Drizzt has written down his thoughts about life and love, the nature of good and evil, the joys (and frustrations) of family, and so much more. Bound together for the first time, the collected wisdom and philosophy of Drizzt will be complete with an introduction by best-selling fantasy author Evan Winter, for his biggest fans and listeners wanting to learn about this iconic figure."
Weird Tales: Issue 365, read by a full cast for Dreamscape -- "Featuring all-new tales of dark fantasy, cosmic horror, supernatural revenge, and the sorcery of terror from masters of the craft. Alma Katsu, Heather Graham, Maurice Broaddus, Fran Wilde, Priya Sharma, Yvonne Navarro, Jake Bible, Gabrielle Faust."
BACKLIST WATCH:
O Caledonia: A Novel By: Elspeth Barker (1991), read by Eilidh Beaton for Simon and Schuster -- "In the tradition of Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle, a darkly humorous modern classic of Scottish literature about a doomed adolescent growing up in the mid-19th century—featuring a new introduction by Maggie O’Farrell, award-winning author of Hamnet."
Vanara: The Legend of Baali, Sugreeva and Tara By: Anand Neelakantan (2018), read by Siddhanta Pinto for Penguin -- "Baali and Sugreeva of the Vana Nara tribe were orphan brothers who were born in abject poverty and grew up as slaves like most of their fellow tribesmen. They were often mocked as the vanaras, the monkey men. Sandwiched between the never-ending war between the Deva tribes in the north and the Asura tribes in the south, the Vana Naras seemed to have lost all hope. But Baali was determined not to die a slave. Aided by his beloved brother, Sugreeva, Baali built a country for his people."
MORE FICTION:
The Complicities By: Stacey D'Erasmo, read by Xe Sands for Algonquin -- "A haunting and emotionally affecting story about a woman trying to rebuild her life after her husband’s arrest, and what she knew—or pretended not to know—about where their family’s money came from."
Three Muses By: Martha Anne Toll, read by Marie Hoffman for OrangeSky -- "In post-WWII New York, John Curtin suffers lasting damage from having been forced to sing for the concentration camp kommandant who murdered his family. John trains to be a psychiatrist, struggling to wrest his life from his terror of music and his past. Katya Symanova climbs the arduous path to Prima Ballerina of the New York State Ballet, becoming enmeshed in an abusive relationship with her choreographer, who makes Katya a star but controls her life. When John receives a ticket to attend a ballet featuring Katya Symanova, a spell is cast."
The Book of Goose: A Novel By: Yiyun Li, read by Caroline Hewitt for Macmillan -- "A magnificent, beguiling tale winding from the postwar rural provinces to Paris, from an English boarding school, to the quiet Pennsylvania home where a woman can live without her past, The Book of Goose is a story of disturbing intimacy and obsession, of exploitation and strength of will, by the celebrated author Yiyun Li."
Dreamland: A Novel by Nicholas Sparks, read by Austin Nichols for Books on Tape -- "Colby Mills once felt destined for a musical career, until tragedy grounded his aspirations. Now the head of a small family farm in North Carolina, he spontaneously takes a gig playing at a bar in St. Pete Beach, Florida, seeking a rare break from his duties at home. But when he meets Morgan Lee, his world is turned upside-down, making him wonder if the responsibilities he has shouldered need dictate his life forever. The daughter of affluent Chicago doctors, Morgan has graduated from a prestigious college music program with the ambition to move to Nashville and become a star. Romantically and musically, she and Colby complete each other in a way that neither has ever known."
The Old Place By: Bobby Finger, read by Barrie Kreinik for Penguin -- "A bighearted and moving debut about a wry retired schoolteacher whose decade-old secret threatens to come to light and send shockwaves through her small Texas town."
Lucy by the Sea: A Novel by Elizabeth Strout, read by Kimberly Farr for Books on Tape -- "From Pulitzer Prize–winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Strout comes a poignant, pitch-perfect novel about a divorced couple stuck together during lockdown—and the love, loss, despair, and hope that animate us even as the world seems to be falling apart."
MORE SCI-FI and FANTASY:
Imaginings By: Julie E. Czerneda, read by Alex Picard for Tantor -- "If you know me only from my novels, welcome to the darker, deeper corners of my imagination."
Only Bad Options: Galactic Bonds, Book 1 By: Jennifer Estep, read by Lauren Fortgang and James Fouhey for Audible -- "Few people know the name Vesper Quill. To most folks, I’m just a lowly lab rat who designs brewmakers and other household appliances in the research-and-development lab at the powerful Kent Corp. But when I point out a design flaw and a safety hazard in the new line of Kent Corp spaceships, everyone knows who I am—and wants to eliminate me."
Full Immersion By: Gemma Amor, read by the author for Angry Robot -- "A traumatized woman with amnesia finds her own dead body and sets out to uncover the truth of her demise in a race against time, sanity, crumbling realities and the ever-present threat of the Silhouette."
The Girl in the Castle by James Patterson and Emily Raymond, read by Barrie Kreinik for Hachette -- "NOW: Hannah Doe is brought to Belman Psych, kicking and screaming, told she is suffering from hallucinations and delusions. 1347: Hannah Dory and her village are starving to death in a brutal winter. Hannah seeks out food and salvation in the baron's castle. If she is caught stealing, she will surely hang. NOW: Hannah knows the truth: she is Hannah Doe and Hannah Dory, and she must return to the past before it's too late to save her sister. Can Jordan, the Abnormal-Psych student who seems to truly care, be the one to finally help her?"
YOUNG ADULT WATCH:
Rust in the Root By: Justina Ireland, read by Jordan Cobb for Harper -- "The author of the visionary New York Times bestseller Dread Nation returns with another spellbinding historical fantasy set at the crossroads of race and power in America."
Bone Weaver By: Aden Polydoros, read by Emily Woo Zeller for Harlequin -- "From the author of The City Beautiful comes a haunting fantasy following Toma, adopted daughter of the benevolent undead, making her way across a civil-war-torn continent to save her younger sister as she discovers she might possess magical powers herself."
The Vanquishers By: Kalynn Bayron, read by Ecstasia Sanders for Bloomsbury -- "Malika “Boog” Wilson and her best friends have grown up idolizing The Vanquishers, a group of heroic vampire hunters who wiped out the last horde of the undead decades ago. Nowadays, most people don't take even the most basic vampire precautions—the days of garlic wreaths and early curfews long gone—but Boog’s parents still follow the old rules, much to her embarrassment. When a friend goes missing, Boog isn't sure what to think. Could it be the school counselor, Mr. Rupert, who definitely seems to be hiding something? Or could it be something more dangerous? Boog is determined to save her friend, but is she ready to admit vampires might not be vanquished after all?"
MOST MISSING:
The Unbalancing: A Birdverse Novel by R.B. Lemberg (Tachyon) -- " In this first full-length novel from the acclaimed Birdverse, new love blossoms between an impatient starkeeper and a reclusive poet as they try together to save their island home. Nebula, Locus, and Ignyte finalist R. B. Lemberg (The Four Profound Weaves) has crafted a gorgeous tale of the inevitable transformations of communities and their worlds. The Unbalancing is rooted in the mystical cosmology, neurodiversity, and queerness that infuses Lemberg’s lyrical prose, which has invited glowing comparisons to N. K. Jemisin, Patricia A. McKillip, and Ursula K. Le Guin."
We Won’t Be Here Tomorrow: And Other Stories by Margaret Killjoy (AK Press) -- "Spaceships, man-eating mermaids, swords, demons, ghouls, thieves, hitchhikers, and life in the margins. Margaret Killjoy’s stories have appeared for years in science fiction and fantasy magazines both major and indie. Here, we have collected the best previously published work along with brand new material. Ranging in theme and tone, these imaginative tales bring the reader on a wild and moving ride. They’ll encounter a hacker who programs drones to troll CEOs into quitting; a group of LARPers who decide to live as orcs in the burned forests of Oregon; queer, teen love in a death cult; the terraforming of a climate-changed Earth; polyamorous love on an anarchist tea farm during the apocalypse; and much more. Killjoy writes fearless, mind-expanding fiction."