Release Week: 16 January 2024
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Release Week: 16 January 2024
Posted on 2024-01-16 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn
PICKS:
The Tusks of Extinction By: Ray Nayler, read by Stefan Rudnicki and Gabrielle de Cuir for Spotify -- "Moscow has resurrected the mammoth, but someone must teach them how to be mammoths, or they are doomed to die out, again. The late Dr. Damira Khismatullina, the world’s foremost expert in elephant behavior, is called in to help. While she was murdered a year ago, her digitized consciousness is uploaded into the brain of a mammoth. Can she help the magnificent creatures fend off poachers long enough for their species to take hold? And will she ever discover the real reason they were brought back?"
Beautyland By: Marie-Helene Bertino, read by Andi Arndt for Dreamscape -- "At the moment when Voyager 1 is launched into space carrying its famous golden record, a baby of unusual perception is born to a single mother in Philadelphia. Adina Giorno is tiny and jaundiced, but reaches for warmth and light. As a child, she recognizes that she's different: she possesses knowledge of a faraway planet. The arrival of a fax machine enables her to contact her extraterrestrial relatives, beings who have sent her to report on the oddities of earthlings. For years, as she moves through the world and makes a life for herself among humans, she dispatches transmissions on the terrors and surprising joys of their existence. But at a precarious moment, a beloved friend urges Adina to share her messages with the world. Is there a chance she's not alone?"
The Longest Autumn: A Novel By: Amy Avery, read by Zura Johnson for Macmillan -- "For fans of Ariadne, a spellbinding debut fantasy about a human who gets trapped with the god of Autumn, who brings with him life-threatening danger and a forbidden romance."
Antarctica Station: A Thriller By: A.G. Riddle, read by Morgan Hallett for Recorded Books -- "Dr. Laura Reynolds had it all. A job she loved. The respect of her peers. Student debt she was slowly chipping away at. And one day, it all went away. She saw the wrong thing—a colleague's mistake. And to escape, he framed her. Laura's only option is to join a secretive research project in Antarctica, where she hopes to keep practicing medicine and one day get her life back. But soon after arriving, she realizes that things aren't what they seem in this advanced facility. And perhaps something strange is happening in the world outside."
Unbound By: Christy Healy, read by Gary Furlong and Alison McKenna for Blackstone -- "For fans of Hannah Whitten and Rebecca Ross, Unbound is a gender-bent reimagining of the classic tale of a monstrous beast and the beauty determined to tame it, set against the lush backdrop of Irish mythology and folklore."
This Wretched Valley By: Jenny Kiefer, read by Megan Tusing for Blackstone -- "This trip is going to be Dylan’s big break. Her geologist friend Clay has discovered an untouched cliff face in the Kentucky wilderness, and she is going to be the first person to climb it. Together with Clay, his research assistant Sylvia, and Dylan’s boyfriend Luke, Dylan is going to document her achievement on Instagram and finally cement her place as the next rising star in rock climbing. Seven months later, three bodies are discovered in the trees just off the highway. All are in various states of decay: one a stark, white skeleton; the second emptied of its organs; and the third a mutilated corpse with the tongue, eyes, ears, and fingers removed. But Dylan is still missing—and no trace of her, dead or alive, has been discovered."
The Magic All Around By: Jennifer Moorman, read by Kathleen McInerney for Harper Muse -- "The Russell women have always lived in a house that is as special as they are—a century-old Victorian with a radio that tunes itself to the listener’s mood and a pantry that rearranges to provide just the right ingredients for any baking need. Lilith Russell was the exception. She left the family home in Ivy Ridge, Georgia, and has been flitting like a hummingbird from place to place with her daughter, Mattie, in the decades since, only returning each summer to drop Mattie off with Lilith’s sister, Penelope. When Lilith dies suddenly, Mattie is left without her sole companion and the captain who steered her ship. That is, until she visits Ivy Ridge and learns Lilith charted one last course for Mattie: a series of tasks that she must complete to earn her inheritance."
NON-FICTION WATCH:
- Witchcraft: A History in Thirteen Trials by Marion Gibson, read by Rose Akroyd for Simon and Schuster -- "A fascinating, vivid global history of witch trials across Europe, Africa, and the Americas, told through thirteen distinct trials that illuminate the pattern of demonization and conspiratorial thinking that has profoundly shaped human history."
INDIE WATCH:
- Space Punks By: Anna Mocikat, read by a full cast -- "David wakes up in a high-security prison on the forsaken Martian moon Deimos with no memory of his past. A chance encounter with Aztec, a deadly purple-haired cyborg, propels him into a daring jailbreak. She brings him on board a mysterious warship manned by the most notorious and badass crew of the galaxy—the Space Punks. One hundred years ago AI waged a devastating war against its human creators. Humanity won, but barely and at a horrible price. Ever since, the solar system has been strictly controlled by the Pentad, a ruthless coalition of megacorporations. As David tries to regain his memory, he finds himself fighting battles between mechs, cyborgs, robots and super-soldiers alongside his new brothers and sisters-in-arms. But is there more to the Space Punks than meets the eye? Everyone on board seems to have their own secret agenda...
MOST MISSING:
- The Parliament by Aimee Pkwatka (Tordotcom) -- "Madigan Purdy is stuck in her home town library. When tens of thousands of owls descend on the building, rending and tearing at anyone foolish enough to step outside, Mad is tasked with keeping her students safe, and distracted, while they seek a solution to their dilemma. Perhaps they’ll find the inspiration they seek in her favorite childhood book, The Silent Queen…. With food and fresh water in low supply, the denizens of the library will have to find a way out, and soon, but the owls don’t seem to be in a hurry to leave…"
Aw thanks man. I really appreciate it!