Release Week: 10 December 2024
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Release Week: 10 December 2024
Posted on 2024-12-10 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn
PICKS:
The Book Censor's Library: A Novel By: Bothayna Al-Essa, translated by Ranya Abdelrahman and Sawad Hussain, read by Cindy Kay for Tantor -- "A perilous and fantastical satire of banned books, secret archives, and the looming eye of an all-powerful government."
The Way: A Novel By: Cary Groner, read by Byron Wagner for Spiegel and Grau -- "The world has been ravaged by a lethal virus and only the young have survived. Cities and infrastructures have been destroyed, countries no longer exist as they once did, and the natural world has taken over the landscape in surprising ways, with herds of camels roaming the desert and crocodiles glowing in the rivers, the result of some CRISPR experiment gone awry. Against this treacherous backdrop, Will, a former caretaker of a Buddhist monastery in Colorado, receives a mysterious directive: to bring a potential cure to a scientist in California—though he doesn’t know if California still exists. And so Will sets out, haunted by dreams of the woman he once loved. Danger lurks everywhere. A hitman is on his tail. And the only way he’ll make it is with the help of a clever raven, an opinionated cat, and a tough teenage girl who’s grown used to being on her own."
The Vampire of Kings Street: A Novel By: Asha Greyling, read by Soneela Nankani for Tantor -- "Miss Radhika Dhingra, a newly minted lawyer in nineteenth century New York, never expected that her first client would be a vampire accused of murder."
The Signal By: Eric Buchman, read by Paget Brewster with a full cast for Audible Originals -- "When the evidence points to two realities, which will you believe? Two astronomers have detected a strange, pulsing signal from deep space. Within hours, the US government goes into lockdown, restricting airspace and scrubbing scientific data. Was the signal an intercepted communication revealing alarming plans for an enemy’s military strike? Or has humanity at long last found proof of extraterrestrial life?"
NON-FICTION WATCH:
- Oathbreakers: The War of Brothers That Shattered an Empire and Made Medieval Europe by Matthew Gabriele, read by David M. Perry for Harper -- "The authors of The Bright Ages return with a real-life Game of Thrones—the story of the Carolingian Civil War, a bloody, protracted battle pitting brother against brother, father against son, that would end an empire, upend a continent, and redefine the future of Europe."
BACKLIST WATCH:
The Gatekeeper: Epigram Books Fiction Prize Winners By: Nuraliah Norasid (2020), read by Eugenia Low for Storyside -- "When young medusa Ria inadvertently turns an entire village to stone, she and her older sister flee to Nelroote, an underground settlement populated by other non-humans also marginalised by society. There she becomes their gatekeeper, hoping to seek redemption and love…until her friendship with a man from above threatens to dismantle the city she swore to protect."
Demon Kissed: Summoner's Mark, Book 1 By: J.D. Blackrose (2022), read by Megan Trout for Scribd -- "My name is Rebecca, but everyone calls me Becs. Years ago, a mark appeared on my inner wrist--The Kiss, they call it—and it makes me a summoner. I can summon, well, things…entities of power, including demons. Which, I did, until recently. I quit, because I summoned a demon on behalf of a client and things went south. I fixed it, but now I owe that demon a favor and I don't know when he's going to call it in, or, what he's going to ask. One thing's for sure, it won't be kosher. Now I work in a fae bar, trying to stay out of trouble, waiting for the hammer to drop."
NEW EDITION WATCH:
- The Penultimate Truth By: Philip K. Dick, read by Edoardo Ballerini for Recorded Books -- The Nick Podehl-narrated edition for Brilliance Audio still is listed as well: "In this dystopian novel from the author of The Man in the High Castle, humanity is forced to live underground while a great secret hides above them. In the future, most of humanity lives in massive underground bunkers, producing weapons for the nuclear war they’ve fled. Constantly bombarded by patriotic propaganda, the citizens of these industrial anthills believe they are waiting for the day when the war will be over and they can return aboveground."
SERIES WATCH:
The City of Marble and Blood: Chronicles of Hanuvar, Book 2 By: Howard Andrew Jones, read by Kevin T. Collins for Tantor -- "Gladiators, legionnaires, scheming sorcerers, and dark gods had battered Hanuvar but not stopped him. The great Volani general now returns to the land of his enemies."
A Monsoon Rising: The Hurricane Wars, Book 2 By: Thea Guanzon, read by Kaleo Griffith and Jeanne Syquia for Harper -- "Prepare for more enemies-to-lovers romance, magical adventures, and political schemes in this Southeast Asian-inspired world."
Savage: The He-Dog Chronicles, Book 2 By: Keith C. Blackmore, read by John Lee for Podium -- "The edge of the known world is a place of raw, vibrant beauty—but soon it will become the bloodiest of battlefields."
Huntsong: Singer of Terandria Series, Book 2 By: pirateaba, read by Andrea Parsneau for Podium -- "The undead rise, day after day, century after century, and they are delivered back to their peaceful graves by one group: the Hunters of Noelictus."
Radiant Sky: Apollo Rising, Book 2 By: Alan Smale, read by Vivienne Leheny for Recorded Books -- "In the sequel to Hot Moon, set in an alternate 1983, Apollo astronaut Vivian Carter and her crew barely survive an armed attack from mysterious assailants at the lunar South Pole."
Days of Shattered Faith: The Tyrant Philosophers, Book 3 By: Adrian Tchaikovsky, read by David Thorpe for Head of Zeus -- "Welcome to Alkhalend, Jewel of the Waters, capital of Usmai, greatest of the Successor States, inheritor to the necromantic dominion that was the Moeribandi Empire and tomorrow’s frontline in the Palleseen’s relentless march to bring Perfection and Correctness to an imperfect world."
Talos: Book 3 By: Brian D. Anderson, read by Bradford Hastings for Blackstone -- "James Talos finds himself alone once again. Immune from its effects, he must locate and destroy the source of the signal driving people mad. Though his true goal has never changed: to find his wife and child. Despite the odds, he knows they still live. And he will not stop until they are safe in his arms and free from the horrors that have plagued humanity since The Fall."
Wind and Truth: Book Five of the Stormlight Archive By: Brandon Sanderson, read by Kate Reading and Michael Kramer for Macmillan -- "The long-awaited explosive climax to the first arc of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive—the iconic epic fantasy masterpiece that has sold more than 10 million copies, from acclaimed bestselling author Brandon Sanderson."
Toll of Honor: Honor Harrington, Book 15 By: David Weber, read by Allyson Johnson
BACKLIST SERIES WATCH:
- Seduced by Moonlight: A Merry Gentry Novel, Book 3 By: Laurell K. Hamilton (2004), read by Stella Hunter for Random House -- "My aunt, the Queen of Air and Darkness, is no longer distracted by her usual sadistic hobbies. Her obsession has turned unwaveringly to me. The mission to get me pregnant and beat my cousin Prince Cel to the crown is taking longer than expected."
INDIE WATCH:
- Die. Respawn. Repeat: A LitRPG Adventure By: Silver Linings, read by Austin Rising for Recorded Books -- "Every time he dies, Ethan gains a little more power. Earth was chosen for Integration, but Ethan Hill knows from the second his Trial begins that the Integration is a lie. The beings giving Earth the 'honor' of access to their System Interface want something from Earth—he just doesn't know what. Now he's trapped on an alien planet and lost in a time loop, fighting for strength and for his own humanity. One thing's for sure: He'll die as many times as it takes to tear it all down."