Rachel A. Rosen’s debut novel, Cascade, has been described as magic realism, climate fantasy and, as its publisher prefers, fantasy that feels like science fiction. Set in a terrifying but all-too believable near future and leavened with a dry wit, Cascade features a cast of fully realized characters drawn into […]
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Grist & Tory Stephens – Spotlight
About the Book Nearly a year ago, when helping to raise awareness of Grist’s Imagine 2022 Climate Fiction Contest winners, we talked with Tory Stephens, Grist’s Creative Manager of the Imagine 2200 initiative. Now we have exciting news about a new anthology, Metamorphosis, published by Milkweed Editions in 2024, curated […]
Read MoreWild Dark Shore, Charlotte McConaghy
“At once a gripping mystery, an exquisitely written ode to the natural world, and a taut, psychological thriller, Wild Dark Shore is a triumph. Charlotte McConaghy is masterful in her ability to show the intricate connections between place and the human heart, and Wild Dark Shore shows her at the […]
Read MoreGliff, Ali Smith
“An ingenious speculative novel … Smith makes the most of her protagonists’ youthful perspectives to bring a sense of wonder, inquisitiveness, and pathos to the story. The lush narrative doubles as an anthem of resistance, in this case against tyranny and the destruction of the environment. Inspired references to Charles […]
Read MoreIbis, Justin Haynes
“Justin Haynes delivers an evocative coastal world where the tide and the sky have as much power as governments and borders. Ibis moves the reader through Caribbean history and nature, driven by a compelling ensemble, some looking for truth and some hiding it. Striking in its language and imagery, this […]
Read MoreHappy Land, Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Editor’s note: I’m interested in this book because it’s based on the historical reality of a Black kingdom in Appalachia; the book seems to connect people to a beautiful land where they can independently sustain themselves. “Picture a time when a kingdom existed inside the confines of the Carolinas—a time […]
Read MoreJuice, Tim Winton
An epic novel of determination, survival, and the limits of the human spirit. This is Tim Winton as you’ve never read him before. Two fugitives, a man and a child, drive all night across a stony desert. As dawn breaks, they roll into an abandoned mine site. From the vehicle […]
Read MoreR.A. Busby – Spotlight
About the Book You Will Speak for the Dead (Stelliform Press, 2024), is a transformative body horror novella from Shirley Jackson Award winning author R.A. Busby. Paul Simard’s life is a mess. When his mother dies, and his boyfriend moves out, the only thing Paul has left is his hoarder […]
Read MoreIndie Corner – Kate Risse
Inland (12 Willows Press) is a harrowing account of separation and resilience as two families struggle to reunite after the Eastern Seaboard succumbs to catastrophic flooding. Trapped in the rapid floodwaters, Juliet and Martin search for a viable way back to Boston while their children face their own challenges for […]
Read MoreOrbital, Samantha Harvey
Samantha Harvey wins the 2024 Booker Prize with Orbital. A slender novel of epic power, Orbital deftly snapshots one day in the lives of six women and men hurtling through space—not towards the moon or the vast unknown, but around our planet…we are with them as they behold and record […]
Read MoreSpotlight – Manda Scott
About the Book The visionary new fantasy thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author Manda Scott. Any Human Power (September Publishing, 2024) As Lan lies dying, she makes a promise that binds her long into the Beyond. A decade later, her teenage granddaughter is caught up in an international storm […]
Read MoreWe Are All Ghosts in the Forest, Lorraine Wilson
When the internet collapsed, it took the world with it, leaving its digital ghosts behind—and they are hungry. Former photojournalist Katerina fled the overrun cities to the relative safety of her grandmother’s village on the edge of a forest, where she lives a solitary life of herbal medicine and beekeeping. […]
Read MoreYou Will Speak for the Dead, R.A. Busby
From Stelliform Press: Paul Simard’s life is a mess. When his mother dies, and his boyfriend moves out, the only thing Paul has left is his hoarder house cleaning business, and that’s not exactly a recipe for dating success. But after Paul gets a call to clean out the home […]
Read MoreThe Southern Reach Series, Jeff VanderMeer
New Addition Though I originally published this post in July, this title is out today, October 22, 2024. Absolution is a surprise 4th volume to the Southern Reach series. Structured in three parts, each recounting a new expedition, Absolution is a brilliant, beautiful, and ever-terrifying plunge into unique and fertile […]
Read MoreSpotlight – Thomas R. Weaver
About the Book The October world eco-fiction spotlight is on Thomas R. Weaver’s Artificial Wisdom (initially published by Chainmaker Press, 2024). The author independently published the novel but recently agreed to sell the rights to Del Rey, an imprint of Penguin Random House. The book will have a slightly revised […]
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