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."

Posted in Release Week

Release Week: 3 December 2024

Posted on 2024-12-03 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

FEATURED PICK:

• Queen of Fury: The Queens of Fate Trilogy, Book 2 By: Natania Barron, read by Philip Battley and Lucy Rayner for Tantor -- "The gorgeous second volume in Barron's female-led Arthurian romantic fantasy trilogy. One by one the kings of Braetan kneel before King Arthur under a banner of peace. Hwyfar, eldest daughter of King Leodegraunce and famed libertine of Carelon, has returned to Avillion to find her father ruined by madness and a usurper poised to take the throne. Reluctantly she takes the mantle of Queen Regent to protect her kingdom, but she'll need an army—which King Arthur pledges to send her, providing she marries one of his knights and surrenders the crown. Arthur's forces arrive under the command of Gawain of Orkney, who Hwyfar remembers as a brute; but she comes to realize he is not the man she thought he was, and finds herself irresistibly drawn to him. But Arthur has plans for her, and has commanded Gawain to keep well away—and in Arthur's court, without the King's blessing, love is treason. Hwyfar and Gawain must navigate both a world of ancient forests and corrupt magic, and the political machinations of two courts, if they have any hope of escaping Arthur's ever-tightening grasp."

PICKS:

• The Last One: Last One, Book 1 By: Rachel Howzell Hall, read by Tamika Katon-Donegal for Recorded Books -- "Thrown into a desolate land of sickness and unnatural beasts, Kai wakes in the woods with no idea who she is or how she got there. All she knows is that if she cannot reach the Sea of Devour, even this hellscape will get worse. But when she sees the village blacksmith fight invaders with unspeakable skill, she decides to accept his offer of help. Too bad he’s as skilled at annoying her as he is at fighting. As she searches for answers, Kai only finds more questions, especially regarding the blacksmith who can ignite her body like a flame, then douse it with ice in the next breath. And no one is what—or who—they appear to be in the kingdom of Vinevridth, including the man whose secrets might be as deadly as the land itself."

• Rental House: A Novel by Weike Wang, read by Jen Zhao for Books on Tape -- "Keru and Nate are college sweethearts who marry despite their family differences: Keru’s strict, Chinese, immigrant parents demand perfection (“To use a dishwasher is to admit defeat,” says her father), while Nate’s rural, white, working-class family distrusts his intellectual ambitions and his “foreign” wife. Some years into their marriage, the couple invites their families on vacation. At a Cape Cod beach house, and later at a luxury Catskills bungalow, Keru, Nate, and their giant sheepdog navigate visits from in-laws and unexpected guests, all while wondering if they have what it takes to answer the big questions: How do you cope when your spouse and your family of origin clash? How many people (and dogs) make a family? And when the pack starts to disintegrate, what can you do to shepherd everyone back together?"

• Havoc: A Novel by Christopher Bollen, read by Maggi-Meg Reed for Harper -- "In the vein of The Bad Seed comes a twisty, atmospheric psychological suspense about a meddlesome elderly guest at a decadent luxury hotel who believes she has left her problematic past behind, until she decides to interfere in the lives of a young mother and her eight-year-old son, and finally meets her wicked match."

• Bellevue by Robin Cook, read by John Pirhalla for Books on Tape -- "A new tale of suspense-horror about a first-year resident whose life-shattering visions reveal the truth behind some of the greatest medical advances in the history of medicine."

• The Shutouts: A Novel By: Gabrielle Korn, read by Gail Shalan for Macmillan -- A standalone follow-up set in the world of Yours For the Taking: "The year is 2041, and it's a dangerous time to be a woman driving across the United States alone. Deadly storms and uncontrollable wildfires are pummeling the country while political tensions are rising. But Kelly's on the road anyway; she desperately needs to get back to her daughter, who she left seven years ago for a cause that she's no longer sure she believes in. Almost 40 years later, another mother, Ava, and her daughter Brook are on the run as well, from the climate change relief program known as The Inside Project, where they've spent the past 22 years being treated as lab rats. When they encounter a woman from Ava’s past on the side of the highway, the three continue on in a journey that will take them into the depths of what remains of humanity out in the wilderness. At the same time, way up North, weather conditions continue to worsen and a settlement departs in search of greener pastures, leaving behind only two members, drawn together by a circumstance and a mystery they are destined to unravel together. "

• Alter Ego: A Novel By: Alex Segura, read by Frankie Corzo for Macmillan -- "Alex Segura, award-winning author of Secret Identity, returns with a clever and escapist standalone sequel set in the world of comic books. In the present day, a comics legend is given the chance to revive a beloved but forgotten character. But at what price?"

• Sister Snake: A Novel By: Amanda Lee Koe, read by Zoë Chao for Harper -- "A glittering, bold, darkly funny novel about two sisters—one in New York, one in Singapore—who are bound by an ancient secret."

• Mirror Me: A Novel By: Lisa Williamson Rosenberg, read by Torian Brackett for Brilliance -- "A psychiatric patient’s desperate search for answers reveals peculiar memories and unexpected connections in a twisty and mind-bending novel of love, family, betrayal, and secrets."

• The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt By: Chelsea Iversen, read by Anna Burnett for Recorded Books -- "Harriet Hunt is completely alone. Her father disappeared months ago, leaving her to wander the halls of Sunnyside house, dwelling on a past she’d rather keep buried. She doesn’t often venture beyond her front gate, instead relishing the feel of dirt under her fingernails and soft moss beneath her feet. Consequently, she’s been deemed a little too peculiar for popular Victorian society. This solitary life suits her fine though—because outside, magic awaits. Harriet’s garden is special. It’s a wild place full of twisting ivy, vibrant plums, and a quiet power that buzzes like bees. Caring for this place—and keeping it from running rampant through the streets of her London suburb—is Harriet’s purpose. But a woman alone in the world is vulnerable. Soon, a sinister plot involving her father’s disappearance begins to take shape, with Harriet herself at its center. "

• I Think We've Been Here Before: A Novel By: Suzy Krause, read by Erin Moon for Brilliance -- "With the end of the world predicted, reality bends in an unexpectedly quirky novel about human connection and the meaning of life and death."

• At the End of the River Styx by Michelle Kulwicki, read by Dillon Sickels for Dreamscape -- "Set in the mythic underworld and modern Portland, two boys rediscover the joy of life in this tragic love story."

SERIES WATCH:

• How to Steal a Galaxy: Chaotic Orbits, Book 2 By: Beth Revis, read by Dara Rosenberg and David Bendena for Dreamscape Lore -- "Sparks fly when Ada and Rian just so happen to find themselves at the same charity gala—but there’s something rotten behind the sparkling gowns and dazzling wealth on display."

• Ludluda: The Second Chronicle of Ludwich By: Jeff Noon and Steve Beard, read by Matthew Lloyd Davies for Dreamscape Lore -- "Concluding the epic two-book series from the highly celebrated and award-winning authors Jeff Noon and Steve Beard, Ludluda—sequel to Gogmagog—takes us on a haunting and delightfully witty adventure in a fantasy world that defies genre."

• The Voyage Home: The Women of Troy Series, Book 3 By: Pat Barker, read by Kristin Atherton for Random House -- "In this third outing, she follows the young Ritsa and the unpredictable Cassandra on their perilous return journey to Mycenae."

• Rebel Blade: The Burnished City, Book 3 By: Davinia Evans, read by Kirsten Foster for Orbit -- "The satisfying conclusion to Evans's wickedly entertaining debut trilogy full of monsters, mayhem, dangerous society ladies, and a dragon who holds the fate of the most famous alchemist of all in her claws. "

• The Icarus Needle: Icarus, Book 5 By: Timothy Zahn, read by Marc Thompson for Random House -- "Ten thousand years ago, a mysterious people known as the Icari vanished from the Spiral, leaving behind a network of portals that can instantaneously transport passengers hundreds or thousands of light-years across the stars. Gregory Roarke and his Kadolian partner Selene have been tasked with seeking out these alien artifacts and bringing them under the control of the Icarus Group. But the Group’s leadership has changed, and Roarke soon finds himself at serious odds with the new director’s plans."

BACKLIST WATCH:

• Day and Night Stories By: Algernon Blackwood (1917), read by Leslie Gallagher for Spoken Realms -- "Blackwood’s writing covers many aspects of the Supernatural, including Nature Gods and Goddesses in “The Touch of Pan” and “Initiation,” psychological horror in “The Occupant of the Room” star-crossed lovers in “The Tryst” and “A Desert Episode,” and a truly wholesome story involving a young lad and his ghostly grandfather in “The Other Wing.”"

• Von Bek: The Warhound and the World's Pain and Von Bek: The City in the Autumn Stars By: Michael Moorcock, read by Nicholas Boulton, James Meunier, and Gerard Doyle for Simon and Schuster -- "Ulrich von Bek, a facet of The Eternal Champion, makes a deal with the devil in this exciting adventure story from one of the greatest authors of our time."

• A Kiss of Shadows: A Merry Gentry Novel, Book 1 (2001) and A Caress of Twilight: A Merry Gentry Novel, Book 2 (2008) by Laurell K. Hamilton, read by Stella Hunter for Random House -- "Meet Merry Gentry, paranormal P.I., and enter a thrilling, sensual world as dangerous as it is beautiful, full of earthly pleasures and dazzling magic, and ruled by the all-consuming passions of immortal beings once worshipped as gods . . . or demons."

• Poison: Tales from the Kingdoms, Book 3 and Charm: Tales from the Kingdoms, Book 4 (2013) By: Sarah Pinborough, read by Genevieve Gaunt for Gollancz -- "Imagine a land brimming with magic, a wicked queen, a charming prince, and a poisoned apple . . . And then imagine them all again . . ."

TIE-IN WATCH:

• Star Wars: The High Republic: Tempest Breaker By: Cavan Scott, read by a full cast for Random House -- "Lourna Dee is not a villain. She’s not a hero. She’s a survivor. The former Tempest Runner, wanted by both her Nihil allies and the Republic, has evaded imprisonment and death from both groups more times than she can count. But even Lourna cannot outrun the mysterious blight that devours everything wherever it appears. And Marchion Ro, the Eye of the Nihil, has announced that only he knows the secret to stopping it."

INDIE WATCH:

• The Sleuth Apparent By: Jackson Porter, read by Michael Kramer -- "In Aeromorea, a cube-shaped world, where every bloodline has a magical blessing and a curse, Detective Merlonoit Alondere yearns to sail to another surface to find the cure for his ailing lover. The price, however, is too high. Yet everything changes when a powerful political figure approaches Merl to investigate the mysterious death of Kyster Kinstone, an invincible man. If he solves the case, Merl will be given voyage to the cure. Merl instantly accepts, using his blessing of heightened senses to find clues others cannot. But he has competition; his hateful uncle, conniving brother-in-law, and twin brother are joining the investigation, and some have their own reasons for wanting Merl to fail."

MOST MISSING:

• The Ceaseless Way: An Anthology of Wanderers' Tales (Wandering Grove Press) -- "Not all who wander are lost. And some lose their way but find something better. Join fourteen wanderers on journeys through space, time, understanding, and love: A sasquatch quests for her name while a hunter stalks her; A time traveler fights for the love he didn’t know he was seeking; A pregnant mother in a repressive dystopia searches for a way to protect her baby; Immigrant werewolves hunt for a better life. The Ceaseless Way is an anthology about questing wanderers. What do they seek? Will they succeed? What will they dare to achieve, and what will they sacrifice?"

• The Ice Trials: Time Trials, Book 2 by M.A. Rothman and D.J. Butler (Baen) -- "Marty Cohen and his team embarked on a cross-continental journey across North Africa with the goal of returning to their starting point. However, after passing through a mysterious portal, they find themselves in a place and time that is completely unexpected."

Not out until the 6th, so it doesn't go in this week (release weeks are Wednesday to Tuesday)

Posted in Release Week

Release Week: 26 November 2024

Posted on 2024-11-26 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

(bit late, enjoying family time!)

PICKS:

• Darkly: A Novel by Marisha Pessl, read by Imani Jade Powers for Books On Tape -- "Arcadia “Dia” Gannon has been obsessed with Louisiana Veda, the game designer whose obsessive creations and company, Darkly, have gained a cultlike following. Dia is shocked when she’s chosen for a highly-coveted internship, along with six other teenagers from around the world. Why her? Dia has never won anything in her life. Darkly, once a game-making empire renowned for its ingenious and utterly terrifying toys and games, now lies dormant after Veda’s mysterious death. The remaining games are priced like rare works of art, with some fetching millions of dollars at auction. As Dia and her fellow interns delve into the heart of Darkly, they discover hidden symbols, buried clues, and a web of intrigue. Who are these other teens, and what secrets do they keep? Why were any of them really chosen?"

• Bright Segments: The Complete Short Fiction By: James Sallis, read by: Dan John Miller, Morgan Hallett, and Gideon Emery for Recorded Books -- "James Sallis moves with ease among genres and modes: novels, stories, poetry, criticism, musicology, biography, translation. Best known perhaps as a crime writer—author of Drive and the six Lew Griffin novels along with others—his first acclaim came in the 1960s from groundbreaking short stories in science fiction publications like Michael Moorcock’s New Worlds, for which he served for a time as editor, and Damon Knight’s Orbit anthologies."

• Daughters of Bronze: A Novel of Troy By: A. D. Rhine, read by: Saskia Maarleveld, Eva Kaminsky, Hillary Huber, and Vaneh Assadourian for Penguin -- "Lost between the timeless lines of Homer’s epic, the women of Troy finally stand to be counted. Their story is one you’ve never encountered, and it will change the fate of Troy forever."

• Blood of Hercules: Villains of Lore, Book 1 By: Jasmine Mas, read by: Meg Sylvan, Teddy Hamilton, Aiden Snow, Tristan Morris for Harlequin -- "I’m just a girl. And it turns out, I’m Hercules. I’m struggling to survive in a Titan infested world where Spartans, immortals from twelve royal families who have god-like powers and obscene wealth, rule over all. A shy-stammering foster child with nothing, I keep my head down, cover my scars, and focus on excelling in school. At least, I try to. Then it happens. My blood test reveals I’m part of the powerful elite. I’m one of them. A Spartan. Forced to attend the Spartan War Academy, I undergo the most harrowing test of all time to see if I have what it takes to be an immortal. There’s just a few problems. Achilles and Patro are my scary mentors. Kharon, the ferryman of death, and Augustus, the son of war, are my terrifying professors. Also, I’m pretty sure either someone’s stalking me everywhere I go, or my sanity’s slipping––I have a bad feeling both are true."

BACKLIST WATCH:

• The Cleaving By: Juliet E. Mckenna (2023), read by: Joanna Carpenter for Angry Robot -- "Four women, four destinies – the future of King Arthur's court…A fresh, feminist retelling of the Arthurian legends."

• Ballistic By: Travis S. Taylor (2022), read by: Rich Miller for Tantor -- "A Russian ICBM site is attacked just north of the Ukraine boarder. The nuclear warheads are missing! A Special Operations and Intelligence Community Task Force is rapidly put together to respond, but where it should deploy is unclear. A fire ravages a cosmonaut training facility in which five spacesuits disappear. And the Task Force finds a cache of detailed schematics of highly complex rocketry systems. The Task Force reaches out to Dr. Amy Sue Harrington of the Missiles and Space Intelligence Center in Huntsville, Alabama. To Dr. Harrington, it all adds up to the unthinkable: someone—someone extremely well funded—is taking aim at the International Space Station."

SERIES WATCH:

• Hell Divers: The Lost Years: X and Miles By: Nicholas Sansbury Smith, read by R.C. Bray for Blackstone -- "A brand-new novella set in the world of the Hell Divers series."

• Beauty: Tales from the Kingdoms, Book 2 By: Sarah Pinborough, read by Genevieve Gaunt for Gollancz -- "Imagine a castle lost to history, a brave prince, a beautiful princess and a curse waiting to be broken . . . And then imagine them all again . . . This is the tale of Sleeping Beauty, retold as it always should have been."

• Dark Possession: The Dark, Book 18 By: Christine Feehan, read by Jim Frangione for Recorded Books -- "Dangerously close to becoming a vampire, Manolito De La Cruz has been called back to his Carpathian homeland—and has unexpectedly caught the scent of his destined lifemate, MaryAnn Delaney."

INDIE WATCH:

• Terra Infinita: The Transcendent Green By: Mati Ocha, read by Alex Wyndham for Tantor -- "With comrades at his side, Will ventures deeper into the unknown. Tunnels that shouldn't exist stretch out beneath Kirkstall Abbey, descending into the earth until the sun is a distant memory."

Posted in Release Week

Release Week: 19 November 2024

Posted on 2024-11-19 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

FEATURED PICKS:

• The City and Its Uncertain Walls: A Novel By: Haruki Murakami, translated by Philip Gabriel, read by Brian Nishii for Random House -- "From the bestselling author of Norwegian Wood and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World comes a love story, a quest, an ode to books and to the libraries that house them, and a parable for our peculiar times."

• The Last King of California By: Jordan Harper, read by Stephen Graybill for Mulholland -- "This stirring and brutal bildungsroman tells the story of young Luke Crosswhite, who after years apart from his criminal family returns to their flock deep in the California desert. Luke’s father is serving time for a brutal murder that Luke himself witnessed; now, his uncle vies for power and rival biker gangs encroach on the family’s various criminal enterprises. A sensitive boy grown hard man, Luke navigates the vicious pressures of “home,” and the loyalties to his old friend, Cassie, who has hatched a scheme with her boyfriend Pretty Baby to escape the control of the gang."

MORE SCI-FI and FANTASY:

• The Last Hour Between Worlds By: Melissa Caruso, read by Moira Quirk for Orbit -- "Kembral Thorne has a few hours away from her newborn, and she’s determined to enjoy herself at the year-turning ball. But when guests start dropping dead, she can’t help sniffing out trouble—she’s a Hound, after all. Especially when her professional and personal nemesis, notorious burglar Rika Nonesuch, is also on the prowl. Everyone knows you shouldn’t get involved with Echo games. Let alone one involving ancient Echo lords who can turn layers of reality into a gameboard with human lives for pieces. But as the ballroom grows stranger and more otherworldly with each strike of the hour, it’s clearly too late. Kem knows the rules: One Echo down is no big deal. Stay alert for trouble. Four Echoes down, there are things with eyes in their teeth, and walls that drip blood. Four is the limit. As the party plunges through increasingly deadly realities, the rules can’t help Kem anymore. She’ll have to rely on her wits—and Rika—to unravel the most dangerous game of the century before it unleashes catastrophe on their world."

• The Serpent and the Wolf By: Rebecca Robinson, read by Jesse Vilinsky for Simon and Schuster -- "All her life, Vaasa Kozár has been sharpened into a blade. After losing her mother—her only remaining parent—to a mysterious dark magic that has since awakened within her, Vaasa is certain death looms. So is her merciless brother, who aims to eliminate Vaasa as a threat to his crown. In one last political scheme, he marries her off to Reid of Mireh, a ruthless foreign ruler, in hopes that he can use her death as a rallying cry to finally invade Reid’s nation. All Vaasa has to do is die. But she is desperate to live. Vaasa enters her new marriage with every intent to escape it, wielding the hard-won political prowess and combat abilities her late father instilled in her. But to her surprise, Reid offers her a deal: help him win the votes to rise in power, and she can walk free. In exchange, he will share his knowledge about the dark magic running through her veins—and help keep it at bay."

• The Godstone: The Godstone, Book 1 By: Violette Malan, read by Liam Price and Sarah Sampino for Tantor -- "Fenra Lowens has been a working Practitioner, using the magic of healing ever since she graduated from the White Court and left the City to live in the Outer Modes. When one of her patients, Arlyn Albainil, is summoned to the City to execute the final testament of a distant cousin, she agrees to help him. Arlyn suspects the White Court wants to access his cousin's Practitioner's vault. Arlyn can't ignore the summons: he knows the vault holds an artifact so dangerous he can't allow it to be freed."

• The Lost God: The Lost God, Book 1 By: Sheila Masterson, read by Caitlin Kelly, Will Damron, and Tim Campbell for Dreamscape -- "Two kingdoms vying for an ancient power. One witch on the verge of releasing it. But all magic requires an exchange."

• The Half King: The Half King, Book 1 By: Melissa Landers, read by Piper Goodeve for Recorded Books -- "The Great Betrayal changed everything for the Allied Realm. Long ago, the kingdom’s noble houses rose up against the goddess … and for their treachery, the firstborn of each noble family was cursed."

MORE FICTION:

• Time of the Child By: Niall Williams, read by Dermot Crowley for Bloomsbury -- "Doctor Jack Troy was born and raised in Faha, but his responsibilities for the sick and his care for the dying mean he has always been set apart from the town. His eldest daughter, Ronnie, has grown up in her father’s shadow, and remains there, having missed one chance at love – and passed up another offer of marriage from an unsuitable man. But in the Advent season of 1962, as the town readies itself for Christmas, Ronnie and Doctor Troy’s lives are turned upside down when a baby is left in their care."

• The Collaborators By: Michael Idov, read by Santino Fontana for Simon and Schuster -- "Slow Horses meets Red Sparrow in this electrifying, cutting-edge spy thriller featuring a brilliant young intelligence officer and a troubled heiress who stumble into a global conspiracy that pits Russia against the CIA."

• Variation: A Novel By: Rebecca Yarros, read by Teddy Hamilton, and Carly Robins for Brilliance -- "From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fourth Wing comes a new contemporary romance about the summer a celebrated dancer returns home and unearths years of family secrets and deep regrets with the Coast Guard rescue swimmer she never forgot."

• Short: Brightly Shining by Ingvild Rishøi, translated by Caroline Waight, read by Jesse Vilinsky for Simon and Schuster -- "Beautifully told with humor and tenderness, a Norwegian Christmas tale of sisterhood, financial hardship, and far-off dreams, acclaimed by reviewers and beloved by readers and listeners across Europe, where it has been a major bestseller."

TIE-IN WATCH:

• Red Sonja: Consumed By: Gail Simone, read by Felicia Day for Orbit -- "Red Sonja, the iconic, fiery, she-devil with a sword, is reinvented for a new generation in this action-packed epic fantasy by legendary comic book writer Gail Simone."

BACKLIST WATCH:

• Today We Choose Faces By: Roger Zelazny, read by Eric Michael Summerer for Tantor -- "Organized crime magnate Angelo Di Negri is a man out of time and place. He'd been gunned down more than a century ago. But through the wonders of cryogenic storage his body had been preserved until such a time as his "family" had need of him and he could be safely revived. That time had arrived. But Angela discovered that not everything was as it seemed and that the fate of mankind would be determined by his success or by his failure."

NON-FICTION WATCH:

• Cher: The Memoir, Part One By: Cher, read by the author and Stephanie J. Block for Harper

• From Under the Truck: A Memoir by Josh Brolin, read by the author for Harper -- "A unique and decidedly un-celebrity memoir, by turns affecting, funny, uncanny, and unforgettable. Weaving a latticework of different strands, moving back and forth through time, Brolin captures a life marked by curiosity, pain, devotion, kindness, humor."

• Growing Up Urkel by Jaleel White, read by the author for Simon and Schuster -- "An incisive and insightful memoir by one of the most beloved icons of nineties television Jaleel White, the actor who portrayed Steve Urkel on the hit sitcom Family Matters."

• A Certain Idea of America: Selected Writings By: Peggy Noonan, read by the author and Hillary Huber for Penguin -- "From Pulitzer-prize winning Wall Street Journal columnist and New York Times bestselling author Peggy Noonan, a masterclass in how to see and love America."

• Short: The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer, read by the author for Simon and Schuster -- "From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Braiding Sweetgrass, a bold and inspiring vision for how to orient our lives around gratitude, reciprocity, and community, based on the lessons of the natural world."

SERIES WATCH:

• The Mirror: The Lost Bride Trilogy, Book 2 By: Nora Roberts, read by Brittany Pressley for Macmillan -- "When Sonya MacTavish inherits the huge Victorian mansion on the coast of Maine, she has no idea that the house is haunted."

• And the Mighty Will Fall: NeoG, Book 4 By: K. B. Wagers, read by Marisha Tapera for Harper -- "With the fourth stand-alone NeoG novel, Die Hard meets A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet in this nail-biting, action-filled story that’s as much about found family as it is about survival when a peaceful transition of power in the Mars Orbital Station goes terribly wrong as rebels decide this is the moment to make their move, leaving two NeoG members stranded inside a ticking time bomb."

• Blade: Inverted Frontier, Book 4 By: Linda Nagata, read by Nicole Poole for Tantor -- "The starship Dragon, accompanied by its fleet of outriders, is faring ever deeper into that region known as the Hallowed Vasties. Here, at the shattered heart of ancient human civilization, once-living worlds were ripped apart by the dimensional intrusions of a Blade. Yet despite the apocalyptic-scale destruction, the fleet's telescopes have picked out signs of life among the ruins and the ship's company is eager to go on—but should they?"

• Where Is Anybody?: Gideon Sable, Book 5 By: Simon R. Green, read by Gideon Emery for Recorded Books -- "Gideon Sable specializes in stealing the kind of things that can’t usually be stolen. But these days the legendary master thief is officially retired from the caper game. Now, instead of pulling off elaborate heists with his crew of supernatural specialists, he runs a magical shop in the heart of London with his partner Annie Anybody. Still, he can’t resist occasionally going out in the night to steal things when Annie’s not looking. For old times’ sake—and for the joy of the con."

MOST MISSING:

• The Wolf and the Wild King by K.V. Johansen (Crossroad Press) -- "Assassin, executioner, shapeshifter, and dutiful son of the undying Queen of the land called only the Forest, Mairran is haunted by the voice of an Immortal long lost, who runs with him as a wolf in his dreams. More used to being the instrument of death than an arbiter of justice, he is dispatched by his mother to find the killer of an earl whose life was offered in an unsanctioned sacrifice to the Forest."

• The Miraculous from the Material: Understanding the Wonders of Nature by Alan Lightman (Pantheon) -- "Nature is capable of extraordinary phenomena. Standing in awe of those phenomena, we experience a feeling of connection to the cosmos. For acclaimed physicist and novelist Alan Lightman, just as remarkable is that all of what we see around us—soap bubbles, scarlet ibises, shooting stars—are made out of the same material stuff and obey the same rules and laws. This is what Lightman calls “spiritual materialism,” the belief that we can embrace spiritual experiences without letting go of our scientific worldview."

Posted in Release Week

Release Week: 12 November 2024

Posted on 2024-11-12 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

PICKS:

• We Shall Be Monsters: A Novel By: Alyssa Wees, read by Valerie Lohman and Zura Johnson for Random House -- "A girl marked for death ventures into the wooded realm of the fairies to rescue her mother in this dark, lyrical fantasy about vengeful witches, beastly fathers, and the stories mothers tell to keep their daughters safe."

• The Great Library of Tomorrow By: Rosalia Aguilar Solace, read by Frankie Corzo for Blackstone -- "Fueled by the same collaborative heart and boundless imagination that dazzle millions of devoted Tomorrowland followers and festivalgoers every year, a stunningly original epic fantasy about a band of heroes who must defeat a malevolent enemy bent on destroying the openness, love, and creativity that sustain their many realms."

• Lazarus Man: A Novel by Richard Price, read by Robb Moreira for Macmillan -- "East Harlem, 2008. In an instant, a five-story tenement collapses into a fuming hill of rubble, pancaking the cars parked in front and coating the street with a thick layer of ash. As the city's rescue services and media outlets respond, the surrounding neighborhood descends into chaos. At day's end, six bodies are recovered, but many of the other tenants are missing."

• Deadly Animals: A Novel by Marie Tierney, read by Olivia Dowd for Macmillan -- "Finding a dead body is not normal. But Ava is not a normal teenager. In this chillingly beautiful mystery, only the obsessive spirit of youth can save a desperate town from the savagery within."

• The Courting of Bristol Keats: A Novel By: Mary E. Pearson, read by Brittany Pressley for Macmillan -- "After losing both their parents, Bristol Keats and her sisters struggle to stay afloat in their small, quiet town of Bowskeep. When Bristol begins to receive letters from an “aunt” she’s never heard of who promises she can help, she reluctantly agrees to meet—and discovers that everything she thought she knew about her family is a lie. Even her father might still be alive, not killed but kidnapped by terrifying creatures to a whole other realm—the one he is from."

• The Invisible College: The Invisible College, Book 1 By: Jeff Wheeler, read by Kate Rudd for Brilliance -- "A mortal sorcerer sets out to defy the dark magic of an ancient race awakening to wage war on mortals in an epic fantasy of adventure and love."

• Servant of Earth: The Shards of Magic, Book 1 By: Sarah Hawley, read by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw for Penguin -- "In the underground Fae realm, only the strongest and most ruthless have power—but a young human woman forced into a life of servitude is about to change everything."

• The Shiver Tree By: Holly Searcy, read by Teralyn Davis for Blackstone -- "In this sweeping fantasy adventure worthy of the bards, a band of heroes must rise up to face an ancient enemy that threatens to throw their world into chaos."

• Every Drop of Blood Is Red: A Novel by Umar Turaki, read by Atta Otigba for Brilliance -- "In Jos, Nigeria, Dareng Pamson is slowly winning back the trust of his pregnant wife after his infidelity shook their marriage. When a young Muslim woman comes in out of the rain looking for work in Dareng’s auto repair shop, Dareng cautiously agrees—against his better judgment. She’s passionate and willing to learn. Besides, it’s time he started doing things differently. After being back in her hometown for only a week, Murmula Denge finds who she’s looking for: Dareng, the Christian man whose coldhearted ambition and greed shattered her family. At first, she wants only to destroy his tenuous peace by introducing chaos. Until Murmula realises that for true closure and justice, she must go to extremes. Blood for blood."

SERIES WATCH:

• Odd Spirits: The Summoner's Circle, Book 2 By: S.T. Gibson, read by Joe Hempel for Tantor -- "It takes a lot of commitment to make a marriage between a modern ceremonial magician and a chaos witch work, but when a malevolent entity takes up residence in Rhys and Moira's home, their love will be pushed to the limits."

• The Lotus Empire: The Burning Kingdoms, Book 3 By: Tasha Suri, read by Shiromi Arserio for Orbit -- "As an ancient magic returns to Ahiranya and threatens its very foundations, Empress Malini and priestess Priya will stop at nothing to save their kingdoms—even if it means they must destroy each other."

• The Relentless Legion: The Divide, Book 3 By: J. S. Dewes, read by Andrew Eiden, Anthony Rey Perez, and Nicol Zanzarella for Macmillan -- "The Sentinels have rallied under the leadership of Adequin Rake, and Cavalon Mercer has uncovered the horrifying genetic solution his grandfather is about to unleash on the unsuspecting outer colonies."

• The Navigator's Children: Last King of Osten Ard, Book 4 By: Tad Williams, read by Andrew Wincott for Penguin -- "The latest saga in the New York Times bestselling world of Osten Ard concludes in the fourth and final Last King of Osten Ard novel."

• Firefly: Aim to Misbehave: The Firefly Series, Book 9 By: Rosiee Thor, read by James Anderson Foster for Blackstone -- "It all started with the geese. The Firefly crew is eager to get paid for their latest job, but when payment arrives as a gaggle of geese instead of a purse, their stay on the planet Brome gets an indefinite extension. No matter that the geese will fetch a pretty penny once they get somewhere to sell them. Without coin, they can’t buy fuel, and without fuel, they can’t get offworld. Serenity is stuck."

• Hell's Wardens: The Wandering Inn, Book 14 By: pirateaba, read by Andrea Parsneau for Podium

• A Bloom in Winter: A Black Dagger Brotherhood Novel By: J.R. Ward, read by Jim Frangione for Simon and Schuster -- " Nothing warms a cold heart like true love, and in this newest Black Dagger Brotherhood winter book, a fighter who has never been a savior finds himself falling in love—and trying to rescue—a male who’s lost all hope."

• Overcaptain: Saga of Recluce, Book 24 By: L. E. Modesitt Jr., read by Kirby Heyborne for Recorded Books

• Arilinn: A Darkover Novel By: Deborah J. Ross and Marion Zimmer Bradley, read by Alyssa Bresnahan for Recorded Books -- "A gripping new fantasy novel set in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover universe."

INDIE WATCH:

• City of Gods and Monsters: House of Devils, Book 1 By: Kayla Edwards (2022), read by Wen Ross and Zura Johnson for Podium -- "Loren Calla has only ever been ordinary. As a human struggling to survive in a city that caters to the needs of vampires, werewolves, witches, and other supernatural creatures, she always assumed her life would remain simple, predictable, and as safe as her world would allow. Until she barely escapes abduction at the hands of Darkslayers—supernatural bounty hunters that possess the Sight, a magical tracking ability that allows them to see a person's aura—and one of her friends is taken in her place. The abductors are demanding a ransom: Loren's life in exchange for her friend's safe return. Loren will do whatever it takes to get her friend back—even if it means accepting help from Darien Cassel, the leader of the Seven Devils, the most feared Darkslaying circle in the city."

WTF WATCH:

• Toto By: A. J. Hackwith, read by André Santana for Penguin -- "The true hero of The Wizard of Oz takes center stage in this brilliant, delightfully snarky reimagining from the author of The Library of the Unwritten."

MOST MISSING:

• Breath of Oblivion: Astra Black, Book 2 by Maurice Broaddus (Tor Books) -- "Broaddus returns with Breath of Oblivion, the second book in his Astra Black trilogy, which explores the struggles of an empire. Epic in scope and intimate in voice, it follows members of the Muungano Empire—a far-reaching coalition of city-states that stretches from Earth to Titan and beyond—as it faces renewed threats to its progress."

Posted in Release Week

Release Week: 5 November 2024

Posted on 2024-11-05 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

Dungeon Crawler Carl

The new paperback/ebook is out, audiobook isn't out until next year cries THIS IS AN OUTRAGE

This one's been delayed a few times, but I'm glad to see it finally out:

• Worlds of Exile and Illusion: Three Complete Novels of the Hainish Series in One Volume—Rocannon's World; Planet of Exile; City of Illusions by Ursula K. Le Guin, read by Michael Crouch and Alyssa Bresnahan for Recorded Books -- "These three spacefaring adventures mark the beginning of grand master Ursula K. Le Guin’s remarkable career. Set in the same universe as Le Guin’s groundbreaking classics The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed, these first three books of the celebrated Hainish series follow travelers of many worlds and civilizations in the depths of space."

Now finally in unabridged audio:

• Star Wars: Lengends: The Force Unleashed: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Book 1 By: Sean Williams (2008), read by Marc Thompson for Random House -- "The overthrow of the Republic is complete. The Separatist forces have been smashed, the Jedi Council nearly decimated, and the rest of the Order all but destroyed. Now absolute power rests in the iron fist of Darth Sidious–the cunning Sith lord better known as the former Senator, now Emperor, Palpatine. But more remains to be done. Pockets of resistance in the galaxy must still be defeated and missing Jedi accounted for . . . and dealt with. These crucial tasks fall to the Emperor’s ruthless enforcer, Darth Vader. In turn, the Dark Lord has groomed a lethal apprentice entrusted with a top-secret mission: to comb the galaxy and dispatch the last of his masters’ enemies, thereby punctuating the dark side’s victory with the Jedi’s doom."

More fiction of interest to me:

• The Naturalist Society: The Naturalist Society, Book 1 By: Carrie Vaughn, read by Caitlin Davies for Brilliance -- "In the summer of 1880, the death of Beth Stanley’s husband puts her life’s work in jeopardy. The magic of Arcane Taxonomy dictates that every natural thing in the world, from weather to animals, can be labeled, and doing so grants the practitioner some of that subject’s unique power. But only men are permitted to train in this philosophy. Losing her husband means that Beth loses the name they put on her work—and any influence she might have wielded. Brandon West and Anton Torrance are campaigning for their expedition to the South Pole, a mission that some believe could make a taxonomist all-powerful by tapping into the earth’s magnetic forces. Their late friend Harry Stanley’s knowledge and connections would have been instrumental, but when they attempt to take custody of his work, they find that it was never his at all. Tied together by this secret and its implications, Beth, Bran, and Anton must find a way for Beth to use her talent for the good of the world, before she’s discovered by those who would lay claim to her rare potential—and her very freedom."

• Vortex By: Rodney Hall, read by Jack Twelvetree for Random House Australia -- "It is 1954, but not the same way the history books would have it. Events and characters swirl in a vortex of fragments and chance connections. Brisbane celebrates the young Queen Elizabeth II's arrival on her first royal tour of the commonwealth. Meanwhile the future is being shaped behind closed doors, laying the foundations for the 21st century."

• Interstellar MegaChef: Flavour Hackers, Book 1 By: Lavanya Lakshminarayan, read by Soneela Nankani for Tantor -- I really, really liked Cat Valente's "Eurovision, but it's humanity singing to survive against various alien species" and this looks in a similar vein: "Looking for your one shot to rise to the "top of the pots" in the cutthroat world of interstellar cuisine? Look no further—you might have what it takes to be an Interstellar MegaChef!"

• A Tribute of Fire: The Eye of the Goddess, Book 1 By: Sariah Wilson, read by Therese Plummer for Brilliance -- "The fate of a cursed nation depends on a princess who must outwit a mortal enemy and outlast the trials of a death-defying ritual in a thrilling adventure."

• The Swarm: A Novel By: Andy Marino, read by Candace Fitzgerald for Redhook -- "From the bizarre and audacious imagination of horror author Andy Marino comes a harrowing tale of the insect that will herald the apocalypse."

• The Teller of Small Fortunes By: Julie Leong, read by Phyllis Ho for Penguin -- "A wandering fortune teller finds an unexpected family in this warm and wonderful debut fantasy, perfect for fans of Travis Baldree and Sangu Mandanna."

• Under the Oak Tree: Volume 1 by Suji Kim, read by A. Jo for Random House -- "Most fairytales end with a wedding and a happily-ever-after—but this is no fairytale. The updated and official translation of Under the Oak Tree, the #1 webnovel on MANTA."

• Shadow Lab edited by Brendan Deneen, read by Gary Tiedemann, Tim Lounibos, Soneela Nankani, Zura Johnson, January LaVoy, Natalie Naudus, and Kevin Kenerly for Blackstone -- "A brilliant roster of speculative fiction writers pulls listeners into a diverse and genre-bending collection of stories, each as irresistible as the last."

And some series entries of note:

• Revenant-X: Red Space, Book 2 By: David Wellington, read by Laurel Laurel for Orbit -- "The terrifying second novel in a new trilogy of survival and exploration in deep space, from Arthur C. Clarke Award-nominated author David Wellington."

• Before We Forget Kindness: Before the Coffee Gets Cold, Book 5 by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, read by Kevin Shen for Harlequin -- "The mysterious café where customers arrive hoping to travel back in time welcomes four new guests: The father who could not allow his daughter to get married; A woman who couldn't give Valentine's Day chocolates to her loved one; A boy who wants to show his smile to his divorced parents; A wife holding a child with no name."

And of course, my "most missing" in audio this week (other than, of course, the new Dungeon Crawler Carl which isn't out in audio until next year):

• The Presidential Papers by John Kessel (PM Press, Outspoken Authors: Book 31) -- "Mixing satire, farce, and dystopia, the stories in John Kessel's The Presidential Papers deconstruct the character and politics of five imagined presidents, some of whom bear striking resemblance to individuals who have occupied the Oval Office over the last thirty years."

• Pioneers of the Pathway: The Pathway Ring, Book 1 by Stuart Jaffe -- "In today’s world, travelling the stars via a Pathway Ring is commonplace. But have you ever wondered how it all came to be? Journey back to a time when mankind lived on only two planets, when we knew of no other advanced species, when a brave group of engineers, miners, and other hardworking folks took a leap into the unknown. Travel with them on an amazing adventure of survival and discovery, of betrayal and love, of everything that makes us human. Follow the Monclova family through generations as they fight to bring mankind into the future we all know. This is the story of one of the greatest achievements human beings have ever created."

Posted in Release Week

Release Week: 29 October 2024

Posted on 2024-10-29 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

PICKS:

• This Will Be Fun: A Novel by E. B. Asher, read by Alexander Cendese, January LaVoy, and Hope Newhouse for Harper -- "Everyone in Mythria knows the story of how best friends Beatrice and Elowen, handsome ex-bandit Clare, and valiant leader Galwell the Great defended the realm from darkness. It’s a tale beloved by all—except the heroes. They haven’t spoken in a decade, devastated by what their quest cost them. But when they all receive an invitation to the queen of Mythria’s wedding, it’s a summons they can’t refuse . . . and a reunion for the ages—with Clare secretly not over his long-ago fling with Beatrice, Beatrice fighting the guilt she feels over how everything ended, Elowen unprepared for the return of her ex-love (the cunning Vandra), and all of them lost without Galwell. And if reuniting with former friends and lovers wasn’t perilous enough, dark forces from their past have also returned."

• The Blue Hour: A Novel by Paula Hawkins, read by Gemma Whelan for Harper -- "The propulsive and powerful new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl on the Train. Welcome to Eris: an island with only one house, one inhabitant, one way out. Unreachable from the Scottish mainland for twelve hours each day. Once home to Vanessa: A famous artist whose notoriously unfaithful husband disappeared twenty years ago. Now home to Grace: A solitary creature of the tides, content in her own isolation. But when a shocking discovery is made in an art gallery far away in London, a visitor comes calling."

• Blood over Bright Haven: A Novel by M. L. Wang, read by Moira Quirk for Random House -- "The first woman ever admitted to a prestigious order of mages unravels a secret conspiracy that could change the practice of magic forever, in this standalone dark fantasy from the author of The Sword of Kaigen."

• Pay the Piper: A Novel By: George A. Romero and Daniel Kraus, read by Sophie Amoss for Brilliance -- "In 2019, while sifting through University of Pittsburgh Library’s System’s George A. Romero Archival Collection, novelist Daniel Kraus turned up a surprise: a half-finished novel. In the years since, Kraus has worked with Romero’s estate to bring this unfinished masterwork to light. Alligator Point, Louisiana, population 141: Young Renée Pontiac has heard stories of “the Piper”—a murderous swamp entity haunting the bayou—her entire life. But now the legend feels horrifically real: children are being taken and gruesomely slain. To resist, Pontiac and the town’s desperate denizens will need to acknowledge the sins of their ancestors—the infamous slave traders, the Pirates Lafitte. If they don’t . . . it’s time to pay the piper."

• Rewitched By: Lucy Jane Wood, read by Evie Hargreaves for Penguin -- "In this spellbinding warm and cozy debut novel, a burned-out witch will need to turn to her friends and trust in herself to find the magic in her own life again."

• Nether Station by Kevin J. Anderson, read by Scott Brick for Blackstone -- "In the darkest part of the solar system lies a wormhole. Nether. Astrophysicist Cammie Skoura has joined the first research team traveling to the Nether anomaly, eager to understand the mechanics of the wormhole and to explore its possibilities as a shortcut to Alpha Centauri. But another race of ancient beings has already been here—an impossibly long time ago—leaving remnants of their vast complexes and gigantic temples built for horrific beings beyond comprehension."

BACKLIST WATCH:

• Chimera by Alice Thompson (2023), read by Jess Nesling for W.F. Howes -- "Scientist and dream investigator Artemis is travelling to the distant moon of Oneiros. Her ship, the Chimera has been sent to look for organisms that will help assuage Earth's global warming, but it becomes clear on the journey that there are other disturbing reasons for the mission. Accompanied by dryads – sophisticated AIs with synthetic bodies – nothing is quite as it seems, even desire. Are we just a template of memories and experiences, or is there something that makes us uniquely human? And what is the role of emotion in forming consciousness?"

• Lord of a Shattered Land: Chronicles of Hanuvar, Book 1 by Howard Andrew Jones (2023), read by Kevin T. Collins for Tantor -- "The Dervan Empire has at last triumphed over Volanus, putting the great city to the torch, its treasures looted, temples defiled, and fields sown with salt. What little remains of Volanus is scattered across the empire, its wealth plundered and its survivors sold into slavery. It is an absolute victory for the Dervans in every way but one. Hanuvar, last and greatest general of Volanus, still lives. He now travels the length of the Dervan Empire that conquered his homeland, driven by a singular purpose—to find what remains of his people who were carried into slavery across the empire, and free them from subjugation by any means necessary."

• Flame: Dragonmaster Trilogy, Book 1 By: Katie Cross (2018), read by the author for Tantor -- "In Anguis, magic is forbidden. Deep in a magical forest lives the sleepy village of Anguis, where dragons are the rulers and witches are the Servants. Seventeen-year-old twins Sanna and Isadora Spence must soon face the Selectis—the moment when a dragon chooses them. For Sanna, the Selectis can't happen soon enough. For Isadora, she'd rather die. When unexpected events at the Selectis turn their world around, Sanna and Isadora are each forced to make a decision. Each sister will choose the wrong path, and each sister will suffer for it. Can they come back together to save their family in time from far more nefarious foes than they'd known existed?"

• Spiderlight by Adrian Tchaikovsky (2016), read by the author for Macmillan -- "The Church of Armes of the Light has battled the forces of Darkness for as long as anyone can remember. The great prophecy has foretold that a band of misfits, led by a high priestess will defeat the Dark Lord Darvezian, armed with their wits, the blessing of the Light and an artifact stolen from the merciless Spider Queen."

• Red Planet Blues by Robert J. Sawyer (2013), read by Perry Daniels for Tantor -- "The name's Lomax-Alex Lomax. I'm the one and only private eye working the mean streets of New Klondike, the Martian frontier town that sprang up forty years ago after Simon Weingarten and Denny O'Reilly discovered fossils on the Red Planet. Back on Earth, where anything can be synthesized, the remains of alien life are the most valuable of all collectibles, so shiploads of desperate treasure hunters stampeded here in the Great Martian Fossil Rush."

• An Island Called Moreau By: Brian W. Aldiss (1981), read by Andrew Joseph Perez for Tantor -- "War is hell, and the conflict tearing the world apart may be humankind's last. Set adrift on a makeshift raft in the middle of the South Pacific, the sole survivor of a sabotaged space-shuttle flight, undersecretary of state Calvert Roberts is certain his life is coming to an end. But fate intervenes, depositing him dehydrated and half starved on the beach of an uncharted island with a giant M etched into a cliff wall. At first it appears to be paradise, but Eden has a dark side: Here, Dr. Mortimer Dart is playing God."

SERIES WATCH:

• Bindle Punk Jefe: A Novel by Desideria Mesa, read by Frankie Corzo for Harper -- "The glittering sequel to Bindle Punk Bruja in which Earth witch Rose (Luna) Lane’s secret life comes to a breaking point as outside threats lurk."

• Betwixt Two Worlds by R.A. Salvatore, read by Victor Bevine for Audible Originals -- "A sweeping adventure of the Forgotten Realms to mark the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons. When Drizzt Do’Urden first entered Icewind Dale in 1347, he found a place quite unlike anywhere he had ever known, a land of freezing winds and ferocious monsters, of dramatic vistas and unrelenting challenges. Most of all, though, he found a land populated by folk who knew all too well the price of a misstep, whether walking into a yeti den or trusting a stranger."

• The Remaining: Coyote Song by D.J. Molles, read by Christian Rummel for Audible -- "Three scientists were sent to Virginia to investigate how a human settlement has managed to coexist with primals. Those three scientists have now gone missing. And apparently it’s Lee Harden’s job to find them, get them out, and–most importantly–retrieve their research."

• The Grey Wolf: Armand Gamache, Book 19 by Louise Penny, read by Jean Brassard for Macmillan -- "Relentless phone calls interrupt the peace of a warm August morning in Three Pines. Though the tiny Québec village is impossible to find on any map, someone has managed to track down Armand Gamache, head of homicide at the Sûreté, as he sits with his wife in their back garden. Reine-Marie watches with increasing unease as her husband refuses to pick up, though he clearly knows who is on the other end. When he finally answers, his rage shatters the calm of their quiet Sunday morning."

YA WATCH:

• Don't Let the Forest In By: C.G. Drews, read by Michael Crouch for Recorded Books -- "High school senior Andrew Perrault finds refuge in the twisted fairy tales that he writes for the only person who can ground him to reality—Thomas Rye, the boy with perpetually ink-stained hands and hair like autumn leaves. And with his twin sister, Dove, inexplicably keeping him at a cold distance upon their return to Wickwood Academy, Andrew finds himself leaning on his friend even more. But something strange is going on with Thomas. His abusive parents have mysteriously vanished, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve. Thomas won’t say a word about it and shuts down whenever Andrew tries to ask him questions. Stranger still, Thomas is haunted by something, and he seems to have lost interest in his artwork—whimsically macabre sketches of the monsters from Andrew’s wicked stories."

INDIE WATCH:

• The Time Door: The Eternities Series, Book 1 By: Shannon McDermott, read by Adam Verner for Oasis -- "Reuben Jackson is the only one who still cares about Mars. In the shambles of the Great Collapse, Earth has abandoned the Mars explorers to their fate. But Reuben will make a stand for the Mars team—even against the powerfully united politicians and scientists. In too deep, he discovers hidden conspiracies and unexpected allies."

• Sycamore By: Ian Rogers, read by Andrew Tell for Spotify -- "People are dying in the town of Sycamore. A string of grisly murders have shaken the quaint Canadian suburb, and the most recent crime scene might provide the first solid lead—despite an easily fatal amount of blood, the victim is nowhere to be found. Most people would steer clear of a crime scene this gory, but to Private Investigator Felix Renn a missing persons investigation comes as a pleasant surprise. After a few run-ins with "Black Lands entities," Felix has developed an unwanted reputation as a monster hunter, and in a world where paranormal has become the norm, the opportunity to get back to simple human crime is almost refreshing. In Sycamore, though, Felix will find that darkness isn't so easy to escape."

• The Song of Immaru: Earth's Door By: PJ Dudek, read by Kent Lutt -- "The vast plains of South Dakota offer Tarin solace from both his dreams of an unknown past and the rumblings of a new global war. Yet a haunting melody plays over the stillness of the grasslands, a melody he cannot escape—one that seems hungry to force him to . . . remember. When a stranger dressed like a medieval traveler enters town, the already nervous community responds with alarm. Is this man there to cause trouble like the other newcomers—those who claim to be part of a government organization observing a new illness in the area? And how does this man know Tarin when Tarin has no recollection of him?"

MOST MISSING:

• Masquerade by Mike Fu (Tin House Books) -- "Newly single Meadow Liu is house-sitting for his friend, artist Selma Shimizu, when he stumbles upon The Masquerade, a translated novel about a masked ball in 1930s Shanghai. The author’s name is the same as Meadow’s own in Chinese, Liu Tian―a coincidence that proves to be the first of many strange happenings. Over the course of a single summer, Meadow must contend with a possibly haunted apartment, a mirror that plays tricks, a stranger speaking in riddles at the bar where he works, as well as a startling revelation about a former lover. And when Selma vanishes from her artist residency, Meadow is forced to question everything he knows as the boundaries between real and imagined begin to blur."

• Jamaica Ginger and Other Concoctions by Nalo Hopkinson (Tachyon) -- "Afro-Caribbean, Canadian, and American influences shine in truly unique stories that are gorgeously strange, inventively subversive, and vividly beautiful. In her first collection of stories since 2015, a woman and her cyborg pig eke out a living in a future waterworld; two scientists contemplate the cavernous remains of an alien life-form; a trans woman at a funeral might be haunted by more than just bad memories; and an artist creates nanotechnology that asserts Blackness where it is least welcome and most needed."

• The Off-Season: An Anthology of Coastal New Weird edited by Marissa van Uden (Dark Matter INK) -- "Contained within this anthology are strange and surreal stories of disquieting and disturbing "New Weird" horror set in landscapes and communities on the edge of the sea. These unsettling tales de-familiarize the ordinary, evoke dread in the daylight, and haunt like half-remembered dreams. They are tales of mysticism, psychedelia, outsiders, obsessions, collapsed boundaries, weird sea life, and the total abandonment of reason. Welcome to your stay on the other side. Please check your sanity at the door."

Posted in Release Week

Release Week: 22 October 2024

Posted on 2024-10-22 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

FEATURED PICK:

• Absolution: The Southern Reach, Book 4 by Jeff VanderMeer, read by Bronson Pinchot for Blackstone -- "Ten years after the publication of Annihilation, the surprise fourth volume in VanderMeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy. Structured in three parts, each recounting a new expedition, there are some long-awaited answers here, to be sure, but also more questions, and profound new surprises... a brilliant, beautiful, and ever-terrifying plunge into unique and fertile literary territory. It is the final word on one of the most provocative and popular speculative fiction series of our time."

INDIE PICK:

• Early Adopter by Drew Harrison, read by Betty BAT and James Langton -- "A collection of short stories from the edge of human progress. Eight stories hold dark mirrors to our own world—experience thought-provoking sci-fi, technologic tragedy, and pulse-pounding thrillers."

BACKLIST PICK:

• Vaporware by Richard Dansky (2013), read by Michael Costantino -- "Video game projects get shut down all the time, but when the one Ryan Colter and his team have poured their hearts into gets cut, something different happens: the game refuses to go away. Now Blue Lightning is alive, and it wants something from Ryan - something only he can give it. And everyone knows how addictive video games can be..."

MORE FICTION PICKS:

• It Will Only Hurt for a Moment: A Novel By: Delilah S. Dawson, read by Carlotta Brentan for Random House -- "In this highly atmospheric thriller from the Bram Stoker Award–nominated author of The Violence, a young woman hopes to reinvent herself at an isolated artists’ colony . . . only to be drawn into its dark, twisted past."

• Memorials By: Richard Chizmar, read by Michael Crouch, and Jonathan Todd Ross for Simon and Schuster -- "1983: Three students from a small college embark on a week-long road trip to film a documentary on roadside memorials for their American Studies class. The project starts out as a fun adventure with long stretches of empty road and nightly campfires where they begin to open up with one another. But as they venture deeper into the Appalachian backwoods, the atmosphere begins to darken. They notice more and more of the memorials feature a strange, unsettling symbol hinting at a sinister secret."

• Bloodguard: BloodGuard, Book 1 By: Cecy Robson, read by Taylor Meskimen, Lucas Webley for Recorded Books -- "Everything in the Kingdom of Arrow is a lie. Leith of Grey thought coming to this new land and volunteering to fight in the gladiator arena—vicious, bloodthirsty tournaments where only the strongest survive—would earn him enough gold to save his dying sister. He thought there was nothing left to lose. He was wrong—and they took everything. His hope. His freedom. His very humanity. All Leith has left is his battle-scarred body, fueled by rage and hardened from years of fighting for the right to live another day. Then Leith meets Maeve, an elven royal who is everything he despises. Everything he should hate. Until the alluring princess offers him the one thing he needs most: a chance to win the coveted title of Bloodguard—and his freedom. But in a kingdom built on secrets and lies, hope doesn’t come cheap."

• The Best American Short Stories 2024 edited by Lauren Groff, series editor Heidi Pitlor, read by Christina Delaine, Vikas Adam, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Korey Jackson, Raymond J. Lee, and Gilli Messer

• The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2024 edited by Hugh Howey, series editor John Joseph Adams, read by Charlie Thurston, Frankie Corzo, David Lee Huynh, Cindy Kay, Korey Jackson, and Remmie Milner

• Short: The Wood at Mindwinter by Susanna Clarke, read by the author for Bloomsbury -- "Nineteen-year-old Merowdis Scot is an unusual girl. She can talk to animals and trees—and she is only ever happy when she is walking in the woods. One snowy afternoon, out with her dogs and Apple the pig, Merowdis encounters a blackbird and a fox. As darkness falls, a strange figure enters in their midst—and the path of her life is changed forever."

SERIES WATCH:

• The Republic of Salt: The Mirror Realm Cycle, Book 2 By: Ariel Kaplan, read by Vivienne Leheny for Recorded Books -- "Return to the epic portal fantasy of the Mirror Realm Cycle, as Toba, Naftaly, and their allies defend a city under siege—while the desperate deals they’ve made begin to unravel around them."

• Slipstream: Improbable: A Historical Fantasy Mystery Series, Book 2 By: Rysa Walker, read by Emily M. Wilson -- "Miriam finds herself stranded in an alternative reality where subtle changes in the timeline have her struggling to maintain her alliances and uncertain as to exactly where she stands with Elias. To make matters worse, the New York papers are now touting another presumed victim of the Ripper — a woman Miriam remembers as very much alive — and new information suggests that this murder won't be the last."

• The Fury of the Gods: The Bloodsworn Trilogy, Book 3 By: John Gwynne, read by Colin Mace for Orbit -- "The earth-shattering final book in Gwynne's bestselling Norse-inspired epic fantasy series, packed with myth, magic and bloody vengeance."

• Demon's Bluff: Hollows, Book 18 By: Kim Harrison, read by Marguerite Gavin for Penguin -- "What’s a witch to do when the coven of moral and ethical standards demands she untwist a curse—but an essential spell component no longer exists? There’s only one choice: go back in time."

• In Too Deep: Jack Reacher, Book 29 By: Lee Child and Andrew Child, read by Scott Brick for Random House -- "Reacher had no idea where he was. No idea how he had gotten there. But someone must have brought him. And shackled him. And whoever had done those things was going to rue the day. That was for damn sure."

(in progress...)

Posted in Release Week

Release Week: 15 October 2024

Posted on 2024-10-15 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

(in progress)

PICKS:

• Polostan: Bomb Light, Book 1 By: Neal Stephenson, read by January LaVoy for Harper -- "The first installment in a monumental new series—an expansive historical epic of intrigue and international espionage, presaging the dawn of the Atomic Age."

• The Ancients: A Novel By: John Larison, read by Dani Martineck for Penguin -- "A richly imagined, sweeping novel of hope, love, and adventure set in the unforgiving world of our own descendants."

• The Mountain Crown: Crowns of Ishia, Book 1 By: Karin Lowachee, read by Julienne Irons for Tantor -- Is this really somehow Lowachee's first book (in this case, a long novella, but I will take it, thank you Solaris Books!) since 2010's Warchild? "War between the island states of Kattaka and Mazemoor has left no one unscathed. Meka's nomadic people, the Ba'Suon, were driven from their homeland by the Kattakans. Those who remained were forced to live under the Kattakan yoke, to serve their greed for gold alongside the dragons with whom the Ba'Suon share an empathic connection. A decade later and under a fragile truce, Meka returns home from her exile for an ancient, necessary rite: gathering a king dragon of the Crown Mountains to maintain balance in the wild country."

• Dogs and Monsters: Stories By: Mark Haddon, read by Christina Cole, Rachel Bavidge, Robert Bathurst, and Steve John Shepherd for Random House -- "Eight mesmerizingly imaginative, deeply-humane stories that use Greek myths and contemporary dystopian narratives to examine mortality, moral choices and the many variants of love."

• Januaries: Stories of Love, Magic & Betrayal By: Olivie Blake, read by Alexandra Palting, Daniel Henning, David Monteith, Ferdelle Capistrano, Olivie Blake, Stephanie Németh-Parker, and Steve West for Macmillan -- "A stunning collection of short fiction featuring fourteen magical ruminations on life, death, and the love—or desire for revenge—that outlasts both."

NON-FICTION WATCH:

• Sonny Boy: A Memoir by Al Pacino, read by the author for Books on Tape -- "From one of the most iconic actors in the history of film, an astonishingly revelatory account of a creative life in full."

• Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey, read by Michael Beck with a preface read by the authors -- "In Grisham’s first work of nonfiction since The Innocent Man, “the master of the legal thriller” (Associated Press) teams up with McCloskey, “the godfather of the innocence movement” (Texas Monthly), to share ten harrowing true stories of wrongful convictions."

• What I Ate in One Year: And Related Thoughts by Stanley Tucci, read by the author for Simon and Schuster -- "A deliciously unique memoir chronicling a year's worth of meals."

BACKLIST WATCH:

• Hothouse by Brian W. Aldiss (1962), read by Nick Boulton for Tantor -- "Millions of years beyond our time, our Earth has long since stopped spinning—and giant flora have taken over the sunlit half of the motionless world. Here humans are among the very few animal species that still exist, struggling to survive against enormous odds, but they have become small and weak, and their numbers have dwindled to almost nothing. When the aging leader of Gren's tribe decrees it is time for the old ones to go "Up," the younger are left to make their own way below."

• Greybeard By: Brian W. Aldiss (1964), read by Dan Calley for Tantor -- "After the "Accident," all males on Earth become sterile. Society ages and falls apart bit by bit. First, toy companies go under. Then record companies. Then cities cease to function. Now Earth's population lives in spread-out, isolated villages, with its youngest members in their fifties. When the people of Sparcot begin to make claims of gnomes and man-eating rodents lurking around their village, Greybeard and his wife set out for the coast with the hope of finding something better."

• Cryptozoic By: Brian W. Aldiss (1967), read by Elliot Fitzpatrick for Tantor -- "In the year 2093, human consciousness has expanded to the point that man can now travel to the past using a technique called "mind-traveling." Artist Edward Bush returns from a nearly three-year mind-travel to find that his government has crumbled and society is now under the leadership a new regime. Given Bush's experience, he is recruited by the regime to track down and assassinate a scientist whose ideas threaten to topple everything they've built."

• Jack of Shadows by Roger Zelazny (1971), foreword by Joe Haldeman (2016), read by Eric Jason Martin for Tantor -- "In a world half of light, half of darkness, where science and magic strive for dominance, there dwells a magical being who is friendly with neither side. Jack, of the realm of shadows, is a thief who is unjustly punished. So he embarks on a vendetta. He wanders through strange realms, encountering witches, vampires, and, finally, his worst enemy: the Lord of Bats."

MORE SCI-FI and FANTASY:

• The Nightward: Book One of the Waters of Lethe By: R.S.A. Garcia, read by Nneka Okoye for Harper -- "Garcia’s scifantasy debut novel—the first in a duology—in which Caribbean mythology meets The Witcher, introduces a world where women warrior-magicians rule, and a child princess and her bodyguard must flee an attempted coup and evade the wave of darkness sent to kill her."

• Sorcery and Small Magics By: Maiga Doocy Narrated by: Ciaran Saward for Orbit -- "The charming tale of an impulsive sorcerer and his curmudgeonly rival as they venture deep into a magical forest in search of a counterspell that can break the curse between them—only to discover that magic might not be the only thing pulling them together. "

TIE-IN WATCH:

• Star Wars: Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss By: Steven Barnes, read by William DeMeritt for Random House -- "Jedi Master Mace Windu travels to a dangerous, remote planet on a mission that challenges even his deadly prowess—all to fulfill Qui-Gon’s last request."

• Batman: Resurrection By: John Jackson Miller Narrated by: Will Damron for Random House -- "After The Joker’s death, Batman and Gotham City face a mysterious new threat in this direct sequel to Tim Burton’s iconic Batman."

• Weathering with You By: Makoto Shinkai (2019), translated by Taylor Engel, read by Brandon Engman, Ashley Boettcher for Yen Audio -- "Longing to escape his island home, a boy named Hodaka runs away during his first summer of high school to find a new life in Tokyo. As rain falls for days on end and Hodaka struggles to adjust, he meets a girl named Hina who holds a mysterious power: With a single prayer, she can part the clouds and bring back the sun. But her power comes at a price, and as the weather spirals further and further out of control, they must choose what future they truly want for themselves."

10/9 Sylvia doe by Robert Beatty

The Company of the Wolf: Tales of the Plains, Book 2 By: David Wragg Narrated by: Sara Powell for Harper

American Rapture By: CJ Leede Narrated by: Moniqua Plante for Macmillan

10/15 family by Ian rogers

House of Frank By: Kay Synclaire Narrated by: Imani Jade Powers for Podium

Meet Your Maker: An Epic Fantasy LitRPG Meet Your Maker, Volume 1 By: Seth McDuffee, Johnathan McClain Narrated by: McClain for Podium

Bull Moon Rising: Royal Artifactual Guild, Book 1 By: Ruby Dixon Narrated by: Felicity Munroe and Hiro Diaz for Penguin

Don’t Be a Stranger, by Susan Minot

Women’s Hotel, by Daniel M. Lavery

Forest of Noise, by Mosab Abu Toha

10/15 Curdle Creek A Novel By: Yvonne Battle-Felton

10/15 The Adventures of Cancer Bitch S. L. Wisenberg (Author)

10/15 Brutal Companion by Ruben Quesada (Barrow Street)

10/15 Wish I Were Here By: Melissa Wiesner Narrated by: Helen Laser

Strange Beasts By: Susan J. Morris Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller for Podium

Posted in Release Week

Release Week: 8 October 2024

Posted on 2024-10-08 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

FICTION PICKS:

• The Witches of El Paso: A Novel By: Luis Jaramillo, read by Raquel Beattie for Simon and Schuster -- "A lawyer and her elderly great-aunt use their supernatural gifts to find a lost child in this richly imagined and empowering story of motherhood, magic, and legacy."

• Our Evenings: A Novel By: Alan Hollinghurst, read by Prasanna Puwanarajah for Random House -- "Dave Win, the son of a a Burmese man he’s never met and a British dressmaker, is thirteen years old when he gets a scholarship to a top boarding school. With the doors of elite English society cracked open for him, heady new possibilities emerge, even as Dave is exposed to the envy and viciousness of his wealthy classmates. Hollinghurst’s new novel follows Dave from the 1960s on—through the possibilities that remained open for him, and others that proved to be illusory: as a working-class brown child in a decidedly white institution; a young man discovering queer culture and experiencing his first, formative love affairs; a talented but often overlooked actor, on the road with an experimental theater company; and an older Londoner whose late-in-life marriage fills his days with an unexpected sense of happiness and security."

• Dark Space by Alex Segura and Rob Hart, read by Nicol Zanzarella and Timothy Andrés Pabon for Blackstone -- "If life were fair, ace pilot Jose Carriles should have ended up a desk jockey like his former friend Corin Timony, back on the lunar colony of New Destiny. Instead, he’s the pilot of the Mosaic—a massive ship taking the Interstellar Union’s first-ever mission to outside our solar system. Timony should have been the best spy at the Bazaar, the lunar colony’s international intelligence arm. Instead, she’s been demoted to admin duties like monitoring long-range communications. She has no one to blame but herself—and maybe Carriles. But when the Mosaic experiences a series of strange malfunctions and Carriles is forced to take a wild gamble to save the ship, he begins to suspect the reasons behind the exploratory mission weren’t exactly on the up-and-up."

• Blood of the Old Kings by Sung-il Kim, translated by Anton Hur, read by Eunice Wong, Major Curda, and Suzy Jackson for Macmillan -- "In an Empire run on necromancy, dead sorcerers are the lifeblood. Their corpses are wrapped in chains and drained of magic to feed the unquenchable hunger for imperial conquest. Born with magic, Arienne has become resigned to her dark fate. But when the voice of a long-dead sorcerer begins to speak inside her head, she listens. There may be another future for her, if she’s willing to fight for it. Miles away, beneath a volcano, a seven-eyed dragon also wears the Empire’s chains. Before the imperial fist closed around their lands, it was the people’s sacred guardian. Loran, a widowed swordswoman, is the first to kneel before the dragon in decades. She comes with a desperate plea, and will leave with a sword of dragon-fang in hand and a great purpose before her. In the heart of the Imperial capital, Cain is known as a man who gets things done. When his best friend and mentor is found murdered, he will leave no stone unturned to find those responsible, even if it means starting a war."

• Swordcrossed By: Freya Marske, read by Omari Douglas for Macmillan -- "Mattinesh Jay, dutiful heir to his struggling family business, needs to hire an experienced swordsman to serve as best man for his arranged marriage. Sword-challenge at the ceremony could destroy all hope of restoring his family's wealth, something that Matti has been trying—and failing—to do for the past ten years. What he can afford, unfortunately, is part-time con artist and full-time charming menace Luca Piere. Luca, for his part, is trying to reinvent himself in a new city. All he wants to do is make some easy money and try to forget the crime he committed in his hometown. He didn't plan on being blackmailed into giving sword lessons to a chronically responsible—and inconveniently handsome—wool merchant like Matti."

NON-FICTION WATCH:

• Every Man for Himself and God Against All: A Memoir By: Werner Herzog, translated by Michael Hofmann, read by Herzog for Penguin -- "Legendary filmmaker and celebrated author Werner Herzog tells in his inimitable voice the story of his epic artistic career in a long-awaited memoir that is as inventive and daring as anything he has done before."

• Slaveroad: An Autobiography By: John Edgar Wideman, read by David Sadzin for Simon and Schuster -- "A palimpsest of physical, social, and psychological terrain, the great expanse to which he writes in this groundbreaking work that unsettles the boundaries of memoir, history, and fiction. The slaveroad begins with the Atlantic Ocean, across which enslaved Africans were carried, but the term comes to encompass the journeys and experiences of Black Americans since then and the many insidious ways that slavery separates, wounds, and persists."

BACKLIST WATCH:

• Non-Stop by Brian W. Aldiss, read by Jonathan Johns for Tantor -- "Aldiss's debut novel. Written in response to Robert Heinlein's Orphans of the Sky and published in the late 1950s, it is set in a primitive world, home to tribes of inhabitants who endure their harsh and stunted lives in a maze of corridors. Though legends exist that they're actually on a ship traveling through the universe, no one really believes it. But that conviction doesn't stop a group of people from embarking on a mission to find the rumored "Forwards" section and its control room. Through a tangled, hydroponic jungle, they'll encounter telepathic animals, giants, outcasts, and mutants in an epic race to uncover the truth-and survive."

MORE SCI-FI and FANTASY:

• Constituent Service: A Third District Story By: John Scalzi, read by Amber Benson for Audible Originals -- "The aliens are here ... and they want municipal services!"

• The Last Dragon of the East By: Katrina Kwan, read by Eric Yang and Feodor Chin for Simon and Schuster -- "At the spry young age of twenty-five, Sai has led a quiet life, keeping the family teahouse up and running—even if that means ignoring the past-due notices—and taking care of his ailing mother. But he has a not-so-secret gift that he’s parlayed into a side career: he was born with the ability to see the red threads of fate between soulmates, which lends itself nicely to matchmaking. Sai has thus far been content not to follow his own thread, the only one he’s ever seen that’s gray and fraying. But Sai’s ordinary existence is about to be turned upside-down by a pair of shining dragon scales."

• A Dark and Secret Magic By: Wallis Kinney, read by Abigail Reno for Dreamscape -- "A warm, spellbinding tale about a witch and the secrets her coven has been keeping from her, with echoes of the classic Hades and Persephone story."

• The Stone Witch of Florence By: Anna Rasche, read by Soneela Nankani for Harlequin -- "1348. As the Black Plague ravages Italy, Ginevra di Gasparo is summoned to Florence after nearly a decade of lonely exile. Ginevra has a gift—harnessing the hidden powers of gemstones, she can heal the sick. But when word spread of her unusual abilities, she was condemned as a witch and banished. Now the same men who expelled Ginevra are begging for her return. Ginevra obliges, assuming the city’s leaders are finally ready to accept her unorthodox cures amid a pandemic. But upon arrival, she is tasked with a much different mission: she must use her collection of jewels to track down a ruthless thief who is ransacking Florence’s churches for priceless relics—the city’s only hope for protection."

MOST MISSING:

• Annihilation by Michel Houellebecq, translated by Shaun Whiteside (FSG) -- "It is 2027. France is in a state of economic decline and moral decay. As the country plunges into a contentious presidential race, the government falls victim to a series of mysterious and unsettling cyberattacks in which videos of brutal decapitations and skillfully crafted deepfakes proliferate on the web."

• Deep Dream: Science Fiction Exploring the Future of Art edited by Indrapramit Das (MIT Press) -- Das' first science fiction anthology (as editor), for the Twelve Tomorrows series: "10 writers imagine how art forms (and artists) might evolve, devolve, and transform across spacetime near and far, amid the myriad threats to all things creative. Featuring marvellous new and original stories by Samit Basu, Vajra Chandrasekera, Aliette de Bodard, Ganzeer, Cassandra Khaw, Lavanya Lakshminarayan, Sloane Leong, Bruce Sterling, Wole Talabi, Lavie Tidhar, showcasing the living, organic artwork of Diana Scherer, and an intensive interview with Neil Clarke of Clarkesworld Magazine on the infection of generative AI within sff and more, by Archita Mittra."

• A Dark and Subtle Light: Machiavelli The Immortal: Book One by Mark Hodder (Solaris) -- "Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli is a diplomat, an author, a philosopher and historian. An immortal. Touched by a malevolent alien intelligence with a vampiric lust for sensation and misery, Earth stands at a crossroads as many worlds have before it. When a rival species sends a warning to Earth, Machiavelli is transformed into a protector of mankind. Travelling the ages, an unlikely hero immune to death, he must stop the corrupted, from the Borgias to Friedrich Nietzsche, before we destroy ourselves for the watcher’s pleasure."

Posted in Release Week