Release Week: 25 April 2023
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Release Week: 25 April 2023
Posted on 2023-04-25 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn
Out of the thousand or so titles out this week I came in with a list of 25, which grew to about 30. Not too shabby at the top of the list, either!
PICKS:
Red Team Blues by Cory Doctorow, read by Wil Wheaton -- Famously not available from Audible due to their refusal to sell titles without DRM, a "grabby next-Tuesday thriller about cryptocurrency shenanigans that will awaken you to how the world really works." Get it from Downpour, Libro.fm, etc.
Small Mercies: A Novel By: Dennis Lehane, read by Robin Miles for Harper -- "In the summer of 1974 a heatwave blankets Boston and Mary Pat Fennessy is trying to stay one step ahead of the bill collectors. Mary Pat has lived her entire life in the housing projects of “Southie,” the Irish American enclave that stubbornly adheres to old tradition and stands proudly apart. One night Mary Pat’s teenage daughter Jules stays out late and doesn’t come home. That same evening, a young Black man is found dead, struck by a subway train under mysterious circumstances. The two events seem unconnected. But Mary Pat, propelled by a desperate search for her missing daughter, begins turning over stones best left untouched—asking questions that bother Marty Butler, chieftain of the Irish mob, and the men who work for him, men who don’t take kindly to any threat to their business."
The All-Consuming World By: Cassandra Khaw, read by Cindy Kay for Recorded Books -- "Maya has died and been resurrected into countless cyborg bodies through the years of a dangerous long career with the infamous Dirty Dozen, the most storied crew of criminals in the galaxy, at least before their untimely and gruesome demise. Decades later, she and her diverse team of broken, diminished outlaws must get back together to solve the mystery of their disastrous last mission and to rescue a missing and much-changed comrade … but they’re not the only ones in pursuit of the secret at the heart of the planet Dimmuborgir: The highly evolved AI of the galaxy have their own agenda and will do whatever it takes to keep humanity from ever regaining control."
The Merry Dredgers By: Jeremy C. Shipp, read by Gisela Chípe for Random House -- "Seraphina Ramon will stop at nothing to find out the truth about why her sister Eff is in a coma after a very suspicious "accident." Even if it means infiltrating the last place Seraphina knows Eff was alive: a once-abandoned amusement park now populated by a community of cultists."
Reckoning By: V, read by the author for HighBridge -- "The work of a lifetime from the Tony Award-winning, bestselling author of The Vagina Monologues—political, personal, profound, and more than forty years in the making. The newest book from V (formerly Eve Ensler), Reckoning invites you to travel the journey of a writer's and activist's life and process over forty years, representing both the core of ideas that have become global movements and the methods through which V survived abuse and self-hatred. Seamlessly moving from the internal to the external, the personal to the political, Reckoning is a moving and inspiring work of prose, poetry, dreams, letters, and essays drawn from V's lifelong journals that takes listeners from Berlin to Oklahoma to the Congo, from climate disaster, homelessness, and activism to family."
Ascension: A Novel By: Nicholas Binge, read by Peter Kenny for Penguin -- "A mind-bending speculative thriller in which the sudden appearance of a mountain in the middle of the Pacific Ocean leads a group of scientists to a series of jaw-dropping revelations that challenge the notion of what it means to be human."
Lonely Castle in the Mirror By: Mizuki Tsujimura, translated by Philip Gabriel, read by Sarah Skaer for Tantor -- "Bullied to the point of dropping out of school, Kokoro's days blur together as she hides in her bedroom, unable to face her family or friends. As she spirals into despair, her mirror begins to shine; with a touch, Kokoro is pulled from her lonely life into a resplendent, bizarre fairytale castle guarded by a strange girl in a wolf mask. Six other students have been brought to the castle, and soon this marvelous refuge becomes their playground. The castle has a hidden room that can grant a single wish, but there are rules to be followed, and breaking them will have dire consequences. As Kokoro and her new acquaintances spend more time in their new sanctuary, they begin to unlock the castle's secrets and, tentatively, each other's."
The Gifts By: Liz Hyder, read by Tuppence Middleton for Dreamscape -- "October 1840. A young woman staggers alone through a forest in the English countryside as a huge pair of impossible wings rip themselves from her shoulders. In London, rumors of a fallen angel cause a frenzy across the city, and a surgeon desperate for fame and fortune finds himself in the grips of a dangerous obsession, one that will place the women he seeks in the most terrible danger."
Untethered Sky By: Fonda Lee, read by Nikki Massoud for Recorded Books -- "Ester’s family was torn apart when a manticore killed her mother and baby brother, leaving her with nothing but her father’s painful silence and a single overwhelming need to kill the monsters that took her family. Ester’s path leads her to the king’s Royal Mews, where the giant rocs of legend are flown to hunt manticores by their brave and dedicated ruhkers. Paired with a fledgling roc named Zahra, Ester finds purpose and acclaim by devoting herself to a calling that demands absolute sacrifice and a creature that will never return her love. The terrifying partnership between woman and roc leads Ester not only on the empire’s most dangerous manticore hunt, but on a journey of perseverance and acceptance."
In the Lives of Puppets By: TJ Klune, read by Daniel Henning for Macmillan -- "In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots—fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They’re a family, hidden and safe. The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled “HAP,” he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio–a past spent hunting humans."
BACKLIST WATCH:
Fireheart Tiger By: Aliette de Bodard (2021), read by Jennifer Aquino for Tantor -- "Quiet, thoughtful princess Thanh was sent away as a hostage to the powerful faraway country of Ephteria as a child. Now she's returned to her mother's imperial court, haunted not only by memories of her first romance, but by worrying magical echoes of a fire that devastated Ephteria's royal palace. Thanh's new role as a diplomat places her once again in the path of her first love, the powerful and magnetic Eldris of Ephteria, who knows exactly what she wants: romance from Thanh and much more from Thanh's home. Eldris won't take no for an answer, on either front. But the fire that burned down one palace is tempting Thanh with the possibility of making her own dangerous decisions."
The Green Man By: Kingsley Amis (1969), read by Joe Dixon for Blackstone -- "Maurice Allington has reached middle age and is haunted by death. As he says, “I honestly can’t see why everybody who isn’t a child, everybody who’s theoretically old enough to have understood what death means, doesn’t spend all his time thinking about it. It’s a pretty arresting thought.” He also happens to own and run a country inn that is haunted."
Bride of Pendorric By: Victoria Holt (1963, 1987), read by Henrietta Meire for Tantor -- "Favel Farrington meets Roc Pendorric on the idyllic Mediterranean island of Capri, where she was raised and lives with her father. Roc sweeps her off her feet, taking her from her home by an emerald sea to the ancient family home of the Pendorrics, in Cornwall. His sister and her family await them with open arms, welcoming young Favel. She is the much anticipated Bride of Pendorric, a name that amuses and flatters her. The castle is beautiful in its way, but the atmosphere is foreboding..."
MORE SCI-FI and FANTASY:
The Basilisk Throne By: Greg Keyes, read by John Skelley for Recorded Books -- "For centuries the Drehhu have ruled every continent, brutally enslaving the human inhabitants. Now after endless wars the human empires of Ophion, Velesa, and Modjal have pushed the inhuman enemy back to their heartland and unite in a final, massive assault. The victors will rule from The Basilisk Throne."
A Guide to Demonic Ascension By: Tim Saian, read by Justin Price for Blackstone -- "Reais, a fractured abyss ruled by thousands of contesting Demon Lords no stranger to chaos, happens to be the birth place of a new chaos, a new threat. Punished for disbelief in a mortal life, a soul curses Deities for its unfair imprisonment and psychological torture. Set free by witless demons, this soul sees an opportunity for vengeance."
The Spread By: Jacqueline Druga, read by Candace Joice for Tantor -- "Aboard the Talbot Yacht, twenty party goers suddenly fall unconscious at the same time. Placed into quarantine, it is soon believed their incident was caused by a gas leak and they are released. It is much more."
SERIES WATCH:
Night Angel: Nemesis by Brent Weeks, read by Simon Vance for Orbit -- "Return to the New York Times bestselling world of the Night Angel, where master assassin Kylar embarks on a new adventure as the High King Logan Gyre calls on him to save his kingdom and the hope of peace."
A Sleight of Shadows: The Unseen World, Book 2 By: Kat Howard, read by Madeleine Maby for Simon and Schuster -- "Return to Kat Howard’s Alex Award-winning world begun in An Unkindness of Magicians, a secret society of power-hungry magicians in New York City."
Disciple: The New Apocrypha, Book 2 By: A.G. Mock, read by Jeremy Carlisle Parker for Tantor -- "A boy prophet who can raise the dead. Followers who would kill for his favor. And a sibling on the run for more than her life."
Guardian of Shadows: Nyx Fortuna Series, Book 2 By: Michelle Manus, read by Desiree Ketchum for Tantor -- "She's been to the universe's prison planet, why not check the black market off her bucket list next?"
Dark All Day: The Walking Shadows, Book 3 By: Brenden Carlson, read by Paul Heitsch for Tantor -- "In an alternate 1933, a sleuth and his robot partner are caught in the middle of a legal battle that will decide the fate of the world's machine population."
INDIE WATCH:
The World of Juno created by Daniel Eavenson, edited by Heather and William C. Tracy, read by Cynthia Kimola for Tantor -- A shared world book from small imprint Space Wizard Science Fantasy which invites contributions from readers: Journey through time and space to the intricate biosphere of Juno, where three species have been birthed by the gods. First the Kuhifadi, inheritors of sun magic, able to do great deeds with magic stored in their bodies. Second the fearsome Uchafumlaji, technological savants who live in the depths of the ground. Third the weird Ngisikaa, a species uplifted from animals through communal memories. Small decisions and single individuals will affect the tide of history. Learn of the first Ngisikaa to meet death, whether a Kuhifadi will make the sacrifice to become a mage, and if an Uchafumlaji can build a bridge to the past."
Sword & Sand: The Simorgh's Fire By: Kenneth Knight, read by Sunny Patel for Paragon Authors -- "In the sixth-century Persian Empire, the Sasanian royal court glutted itself on debauched excesses, cruelty, and tyranny. Neglect and complacency emboldened enemies within and beyond the empire, taking both mortal and monstrous forms. Child-Prince Mihran, having narrowly escaped death in one of innumerable purges in the royal court, fled to a frontier temple to live and die in sheltered obscurity. Under the care of warrior-priests, ascetic scholars, and desert nomads, Mihran escaped the attention of court conspirators long enough to grow into the embodiment of mythic heroism that the ruling class had forsaken. For those same conspirators in the royal court, a raid to intercept bandits serving as agents of their scheme would reveal that it was Mihran’s attention that they ought to have escaped. In the wake of a plot so vile that it stands to betray the concept of life itself, Mihran will fight with uncompromising severity to excise the rot within his civilization."
Rogue By: Alex Schuler with Kevin Weir, read by John Pirhalla for Level 4 Press -- "As a war journalist, Jonah Wall saw enough of humanity’s horrors to last a lifetime. He wrecked his marriage, alienated his two sons, and escaped by working on an oil rig in Alaska, as far from civilization as possible. But when he finds a spacecraft that was buried for millennia under the tundra, he is suddenly and reluctantly thrust into an unbelievable adventure. As the ship is being unveiled to the world, it mysteriously comes to life, taking Jonah, his estranged son, and a disparate group on a terrifying journey."
MOST MISSING:
Atenia by Jay Requard (Lookfar) -- "For fifteen years, queen-regent Fransica de Veard has ruled Atenia alongside the mysterious sorcerer Niklon. Her gilded citadel built on suffering, brutal knights enact her will, leaving her power unquestioned. Until Haidra sets fire to the fields outside the city. Three wraiths appear in the fiery wake, kicking off a rebellion of bloodshed and magic. Swept by the tide of battle, Haidra embarks upon a path of reckoning and redemption, one that will bring her face to face with Atenia’s sins."
Life Beyond Us: An Original Anthology of SF Stories and Science Essays edited by Julie Novakova, Lucas K. Law, and Susan Forest (Laksa Media) -- "How would first contact—on earth, in space, on another planet—transform our understandings of technology, philosophy, and what it means to be human? What kind of cognitive dissonance would society experience, if we discovered a previously unrecognized sentience on Earth?" Stories by (among others) Gregory Benford, Tobias S. Buckell, Julie E. Czerneda, Mary Robinette Kowal, Geoffrey A. Landis, Rich Larson, Premee Mohamed, Malka Older, and Peter Watts.
Make It Stop by Jim Ruland (Rare Bird Books) -- "Scores of detox and rehab centers across Southern California have adopted a controversial new conditional release policy that forces patients to stay until they pay their bills. And if they can’t pay? They don’t leave. Enter: Make It Stop, a group of highly skilled recovering addicts dedicated to rescuing those trapped in these prison hospitals by posing as patients and getting them out by any means necessary. But when Scary Gary, one of their top ops, gets killed on assignment, Melanie Marsh and her crew set out to avenge his death and unravel an unthinkable medical conspiracy that threatens to destroy the organization and cripple the city with a dangerous new drug. Melanie may be LA’s best hope but if, and only if, she can stay sober."
Sunset by the Sea: The Golden Isles Trilogy, Book 1 by Gisele Briseia -- "Rose McKenzie is no stranger to running. After the death of her father threatens to bring her back under her mother’s control permanently, Rose flees again. This time it’s to the only sanctuary she’s ever known: a tiny island called Nora. The longer she stays in Nora, the more Rose realizes the island she knew has changed. Families are leaving in droves, and strangers are taking their places, strangers that don’t seem… human. This leaves her stuck between the fight for Nora and her startling attraction towards a mysterious man as beautiful as the sea, who may or may not be involved with Nora’s alarming decline. All Rose ever wanted was to make Nora her home, but as more secrets come to light, she becomes entangled in a war as old as humanity itself. Between threats on her life, mysterious voices that call out for help in her dreams, and the man she can’t seem to get out of her mind, will she survive long enough to build the life she truly longs for?"
Legacy of Brick and Bone: Tainted Dominion, Book 2 by Krystle Matar (Imburleigh Book Company) -- "It all started with the girl from the river: mutilated, tattooed, murdered. Tashué couldn’t help but look for answers and in the process, he uncovered the ugly truths being hidden by the very law he used to believe in—the law of the Authority. Now he’s fighting for his life. Mere survival isn’t enough; he desperately wants to save his son from the Authority, and he wants revolution. At any cost."
Tsalmoth: Vlad, Book 16 by Steven Brust (Tor Books) -- "Vlad Taltos is in love. With a former assassin who may just be better than he is at the Game. Women like this don’t come along every day and no way is he passing up a sure bet."