Category Archives: Books

The Unmaking Of June Farrow – Adrienne Young (Fabienne Schwizer Guest Review)

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words guest review, where today my good friend and fellow reviewer Fabienne Schwizer is here to talk about The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young – out now from Quercus. An “atmospheric mystery” exploring themes of family, guilt, time travel and murder, this sounds great! Over to Fab to tell us more…

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Gundog by Gary Whitta – Jude Reid Guest Review

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words Guest Review, in which the excellent Jude Reid (author of, among other things, the recent Black Library novel Creed: Ashes of Cadia) takes a look at Gundog by Gary Whitta – out now from Inkshares and also available in podcast form. I hadn’t come across this before, but I’m intrigued by the idea of a novel released as both a serialised podcast and a regular book – and it sounds fantastic! I’m delighted to feature Jude on the site, and hope you enjoy this guest review as much as I did.

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Tiffany Aching’s Guide to Being A Witch – Rhianna Pratchett and Gabrielle Kent

Eight years after the publication of Terry Pratchett’s final Discworld novel, Rhianna Pratchett (daughter of Sir Terry) and Gabrielle Kent bring us Tiffany Aching’s Guide to Being A Witch, a brilliantly written and beautifully presented companion piece to not just the five Tiffany Aching novels but the Discworld series as a whole. Presented as an in-universe book written by Tiffany herself, it offers a wealth of advice and insight for anyone interested in the life of a witch, all based on Tiffany’s experience…along with some (mostly) useful comments from other notable witches (and Rob Anybody). Accompanying the text is a plethora of gorgeous illustrations from Paul Kidby, and the end result is a fabulous book that covers everything from what magic really is to the importance of not actually using it, and from witchy attire and abodes to some of the many and varied perils of being a witch.

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The Wishing Game – Meg Shaffer

The debut novel from Meg Shaffer, The Wishing Game blends adult and children’s fiction in a warm, delightful tale of hope, heartache, family and the importance of remembering what it was like to be a child. When reclusive children’s author Jack Masterson resumes writing after years away, the eccentric writer announces an unusual competition, inviting four adults to return to his home on Clock Island, where they once visited as children. The prize? The one and only copy of his latest, long-awaited book, to do with as they please. For Lucy Hart, winning the competition would mean more than just the opportunity to read the new Clock Island book – it would give her the one thing she truly wants: a chance to adopt seven year-old orphan Christopher.

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Creed: Ashes of Cadia – Jude Reid

Jude Reid’s debut novel for Black Library, Creed: Ashes of Cadia introduces readers to the character of Lord Castellan Ursula Creed, in a story about the burden of legacy and questions of Cadian identity. Pulled away from her current campaign by the returned Primarch Guilliman himself, Ursula is entrusted with a daring mission to return to what’s left of her homeworld and retrieve a weapon purportedly left behind by her father, Ursarkar E. Creed, before the Fall of Cadia. She knows it’s a propaganda exercise as much as anything, but she has her reasons for accepting it. Far from a glorious return home though, this proves to be a clumsy, chaotic mission driven – to Ursula’s mind – by all the wrong reasons, and plagued by disaster right from the off.

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SPOILER REVIEW: Kasrkin – Edoardo Albert

Edoardo Albert’s first Black Library novel tackled the sinister, almost inhuman Carcharadons, but with his second novel, Kasrkin, he returns to telling stories about regular human soldiers in wild, harsh environments (like short stories Last Flight or Green and Grey). It follows a single squad of Kasrkin – the elites of the Cadian elite – delving into a vast desert in search of a downed Valkyrie and the general it was transporting, attempting to retrieve their target before the forces of the T’au Empire find him. Led by the veteran Captain Obeysekera and accompanied by an inexperienced but politically-connected Commissar, the Kasrkin are challenged as much by the desert as by their enemies, although it’s not long before they realise that Dasht i-Kevar holds a terrible secret beneath its burning sands.

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Dark Horizon – James Swallow

His second standalone thriller (after the also-excellent Airside), Dark Horizon sees James Swallow tap into his love of aviation and tell a gripping, pacy tale from the perspective of a civilian pilot caught between shady government officials and deadly criminals. I’m going to break all my own rules with this review and include the publisher’s description here rather than writing my own summary, because I really don’t think I can write anything better than this to give you the gist of what Dark Horizon is about. So good work, Welbeck publicity team – over to you!

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Shark Heart – Emily Habeck

Now and then a book comes along with a concept and a style that genuinely stands out, and Emily Habeck’s Shark Heart (subtitled ‘A Love Story’) is one such book. It’s the story of a newlywed couple – Lewis and Wren – whose happiness is rocked when Lewis is diagnosed with a rare mutation, which will see him slowly transform into a great white shark over the course of the following year. As Lewis changes and Wren cares for him, the couple try to adapt to the realities of their new lives, holding on to one another as best they can while preparing for the inevitable, all the while learning more about themselves and each other.

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System Collapse – Martha Wells

Book seven in Martha Wells’ phenomenal The Murderbot Diaries series, System Collapse follows on closely after the events of Network Effect, with Murderbot having to deal with ever-increasing numbers of awkward humans and some especially uncomfortable emotions. With the alien remnant infection largely dealt with, the combined group of ART’s university crew and the Preservation team have turned their attention to safeguarding the remaining colonists, attempting to persuade them not to agree to any shady ‘contracts’ offered by the ruthless Barish-Estranza corporates. The problem is, Murderbot’s traumatic alien remnant experiences have resulted in a noticeable drop in performance, which isn’t ideal…especially considering Barish-Estranza have their own SecUnits and aren’t afraid to play dirty.

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Longshot – Rob Young

The fourth volume in Black Library’s multi-author Astra Militarum novel series, Longshot marks the long-form debut of Rob Young with an absolute bullseye. Set after the events of short stories Transplants and Memories of Broken Glass, it follows Sergeant Darya Nevic of the Cadian 217th as she leads her squad of snipers into battle against the t’au on the wintry manufactorum world of Attruso. When the Cadian advance is stymied by the stubborn, technologically-superior t’au, Darya finds herself in high demand for both her combat skills and the morale-boosting impact of her heroic reputation. With deadly enemy snipers on the prowl though, and facing the mistrust of some of her own for not being a ‘pureblood’ Cadian, Darya’s fight becomes more complex, not to mention dangerous, by the day.

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