Cavendish (The Malan Witch) breathes new life into familiar horror tropes in this spine-tingling tale of past and present colliding. Carol is admitted to the Royal and Waverley hospital with acute appendicitis. While there, she has disturbing visions of an otherworldly presence and learns that the hospital is on the site of a former asylum. She starts to fall in and out of her present time, possessed by the spirit of a 19th-century asylum patient, Lydia Warren Carmody, and pulled by her into the past. Meanwhile, Nessa, an older cancer patient, finds herself inextricably linked to both Carol and Lydia after she reads a poem that Lydia wrote. With characteristic verve, Cavendish explores the connection between the three women, offering few moments of reprieve as the suspense builds and time threatens to collapse in on itself. The story of female resilience at the heart of this well-constructed gothic tale is sure to please fans of women-driven horror.(Jan.)

Reviewed on 01/22/2021 | Details & Permalink

Horror writers Gifune (Midnight Solitaire) and DeLuca (Lupo Mannaro) join forces in this strange, visceral novel. Joseph Stringer wakes up in the hospital with no memory of his past. He’s homeless, but finds refuge with an organization that promises relief for the destitute. Single mother Carla crashes her car after spotting something odd on the side of highway. After her recovery, she heads to a halfway house to rebuild her life, but finds horrors awaiting her. And Marco, a recently laid-off shoe salesman, agrees to an afternoon of day drinking with an acquaintance, the enigmatic Billy. It’s in this final encounter that the nebulous suspense built with the other two story lines comes to a head, as Billy reveals secrets about Marco, Carla, and Joseph—and how the three are connected. Gifune and DeLuca’s prose is taut and terrifying, perfectly blending gore and psychological horror, though for much of the novel they raise more questions than they answer. The result is a dark, challenging tale that will be best suited for seasoned horror readers. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/22/2021 | Details & Permalink

Hugo and Nebula Award–winner Wells brings her solitude-craving, media-loving killer robot protagonist another step closer to independence in the entertaining sixth entry in the Murderbot Diaries series (after Network Effect). A dead body found in Preservation Station mall propels Murderbot, a SecUnit, into a new contract as a consultant in the murder investigation. Murderbot hopes to gain the refugee status that would enable it to stay in the Preservation Alliance, but it’s an uphill battle as rogue SecUnits are feared as unhinged killers—an unfounded fear in this case, as Murderbot wants nothing more than to catch up on its favorite soap opera in peace. Vexed by the illogical humans it’s forced to work with, Murderbot patiently explains its way through the clues it uncovers, and Senior Officer Indah can’t help being impressed with Murderbot’s investigative skills and surprisingly compassionate regard for life. Murderbot’s wry observations of human behavior are as humorous as ever and the mystery is thoroughly satisfying. This is another winning series installment. Agent: Jennifer Jackson, Donald Maass Literary. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 01/22/2021 | Details & Permalink

For this fun anthology, Parrish (Hollow) brings together 14 gritty fairy tale–inspired stories set in steampunk and gaslamp fantasy worlds. “The Iron Revolution” by Christina Ruth Johnson is one of the more fantastical stories, drawing from “Sleeping Beauty,” “The Princess and the Pea,” and “Cinderella” to tell the tale of a Victorian-era exhibition of works of artifice from around the world. “Clockwork Tea,” Joseph Halden’s take on “Pinocchio,” borders on horror, as a man confesses his lies to automaton companions before violently dismantling them. Similarly dark are “Father Worm” by Adam Breckenridge, about a girl fighting to save her town, and “Ningyō” by Laura VanArendonk Baugh, about two monks who survive an airship crash. “Sappho and Erinna” by Lex T. Lindsay, an enchanting love story based on “The Twelve Dancing Princesses,” and “The Giant and the Unicorn” by Alethea Kontis, which feels the most like a children’s tale, add some welcome levity to the mix. The technological flights of fancy are always intriguing, and fairy tale lovers will enjoy deducing the inspiration for each tale. Readers will not be disappointed. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/22/2021 | Details & Permalink

Inverting the perspective of most military science fiction, Schwabauer (the Legends of Tira-Nor series) puts the soldiers behind the journalist in this topsy-turvy novel of far-future psychological operations. Raymin Dahl, son of a decorated Fleet commander, rejects his father’s career, enlisting instead as a feature writer for the official United Colonies news media. Respected by the front-line colonials, Raymin is ordered to join Capt. Ansell Sterling, a combat vet now working for military intelligence, on Sterling’s mission to negotiate a ceasefire with the Grand Alliance, humans controlled by invasive AIs and called grendels. When Sterling is killed by rebels, Raymin is forced to take over the captain’s identity and negotiate with the grendels, as well as with the colonial rebels, all while fooling Sterling’s elite Marine guards. To make matters worse, the captain’s AI may now be infected with a grendel virus. Schwabauer peels back the layers of Raymin’s relationships with his father and his erstwhile love, Ivy Weber, as Raymin battles to keep his disguise intact. Readers may occasionally grow disoriented in the race to uncover the secrets of the grendels but should enjoy the unexpected answers. Agent: Steve Laube, the Steve Laube Agency. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/22/2021 | Details & Permalink

McGuire continues the adventures of the extended Healy-Price clan of cryptozoologists in this entertaining 10th InCryptid novel (following Imaginary Numbers), injecting her unique mix of pop culture awareness, sly humor, and creepy weirdness into an urban fantasy framework. After saving the world, Sarah Zellaby—mathematician, telepath, and member of an extradimensional invasive species descended from humanoid wasps—is stranded on a mostly abandoned university campus in a bizarre parallel dimension, along with a small group of friends and family. As if that wasn’t bad enough, everyone’s lost their memories of Sarah, seeing her only as a potential threat; the campus is filled with shambling zombies possessed by a sentient mathematical equation; and the local ecosystem includes giant insects. To return home, Sarah must convince her family to trust her once more, and piece together the math that will open the way between worlds. Maybe she can even win back the heart of Artie, the love of her life, while she’s at it. The change in setting and tone works well, ramping up the science fiction and horror undertones of the premise and making for a satisfying conclusion to Sarah’s arc. While not an ideal starting place, this is a treat for series fans. Agent: Diana Fox, Fox Literary. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/22/2021 | Details & Permalink

The enthralling second epic fantasy in Martin’s Outlaw Road duology sees unlikely allies working together to end inequality in Moquoia. Following the events of Sunshield, Lark, the Sunshield Bandit, has had her world turned upside down; the former slave and current outlaw now knows that she’s actually the long-lost Moquoian princess. But after helping Prince Veran rescue Tamsin, an Ashoki court singer, from imprisonment, by staging her murder, Lark has been framed for the very crime she helped to fake, and she and Veran are forced to flee across the desert. Tamsin was jailed for spreading antislavery sentiment through the royal court and her tongue was split by her captors. Her singing days behind her, she must learn a new way to communicate if she hopes to spread her message and end slavery. The endearingly flawed characters, immersive details of Lark and Veran’s travels through treacherous terrain, and epic battles faced both on the run and in the royal court keep the pages flying. This is a pitch-perfect finale. Agent: Valerie Noble, Donaghy Literary. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/22/2021 | Details & Permalink

Set in a fantasy world reminiscent of 19th-century Ireland, this stunning gothic adventure from Slatter (Sourdough and Other Stories) shimmers with fairy tale enchantment. Miren O’Malley has lived her 18 years under the thumb of her overbearing grandmother, Aoife, the matriarch of the once powerful O’Malley dynasty, now paupers in a crumbling coastal mansion. Miren grew up with stories of her family sacrificing children to the sea-queen in return for their prosperity. But their line has been diluted—Miren’s mother married an outsider and had only one child, leaving none to be sacrificed. To revive the family wealth, Aoife plans to marry Miren off to her rich and brutal cousin. But when Miren learns that her mother was a witch and that her supposedly long-dead parents are still alive, she finally takes control of her life and sets out to find them. While navigating the greed and arrogance of man and the magic of kelpies and merfolk, Miren vows to right her family’s generations of wrongs. In lyrical prose, Slatter evokes the decay and dread that surround her strong characters. Anyone who likes gutsy heroines, beautiful language, and well-wrought worlds won’t want to miss this. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/22/2021 | Details & Permalink

Blurring the lines between sci-fi and fantasy, Hur’s sophomore novel (after The Queens of K-Town) offers a complex meditation on intergenerational trauma. While working at the Amundsen Scott South Pole Station, Korean-American physicist Elsa Park suffers sudden tinnitus and sees her imaginary friend from childhood. This sparks memories of the time Elsa’s mother gave her a now lost collection of four Korean folktales and warned her that all the women in their family are doomed to live out their plots. To understand what’s happening to her, Elsa consults Oskar Gantelius, a Swedish Korean adoptee and linguistics professor who specializes in Korean folktales and also serves as Elsa’s love interest, though their relationship is given little development. But before the pair can make sense of Elsa’s episodes, her mother dies, driving Elsa to find the folktales and figure out how to apply them to her own life. The honest look at prickly Elsa’s internalized racism is ambitious but often brutal in its unflinching execution, and the third act twist relies on an outdated take on mental illness. Despite the unconvincing romance between Oskar and Elsa, their conversations on minority life in majority white spaces are painfully accurate. This thought-provoking work will appeal to SFF fans who like their talk of particle physics side by side with fox spirits and fairy tales. Agent: Sarah Bedingfield, Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 01/22/2021 | Details & Permalink

The first English translation of this gorgeous collection from French novelist Mourey (1865–1943) contains 16 gems of the Decadent Movement, originally published in 1894. The elegant title story calls to mind the works of Edgar Allan Poe (to whom Mourey aptly alludes) in the tale of a painter at work on a portrait of an enigmatic woman who overtakes his passions and senses. Mourey’s painterly prose delves into the narrator’s gloomy mindset and ties the story to the Symbolist movement. The remainder of the collection is composed of very short fictions, most of which similarly feature male narrators wistfully describing female characters with admiration, grace, and incredible detail. The narrator of “The Seduction of Reflections” remembers two female friends of his youth, one of whom is now dead. In “The Watch,” the narrator reflects on his obsessive childhood hatred of the spring season. And in “The Bottle from Paphos,” a man visits an archaeological museum in Marseille accompanied by a young princess. Haunting, romantic, and thought-provoking, this is a gift for fans of 19th-century literature. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/22/2021 | Details & Permalink