Category Archives: Books

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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The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch – Melinda Taub

Pride and Prejudice meets Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrell, with added witches, in Melinda Taub’s The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch, coming in October 2023 from Jo Fletcher Books. In this re-envisioning of Jane Austen’s beloved novel, we see the events of Pride and Prejudice – and more – through the eyes of the youngest Bennet sister, whose magical abilities offer intriguing new explanations for familiar events. But as Lydia’s story unfolds, the truth of her high spirits, troublesome behaviour and relationship with the devilish Wickham proves to be unexpectedly dark, and her story filled with wild magic and terrible dangers (not all of which are her own fault).

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Signal to Noise – Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Published in 2015 by Solaris Books, with a nice new paperback edition released in 2022, Signal to Noise was Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s debut novel, an intriguing tale of music, magic and the recklessness of youth that introduced the world to her genre-swapping talents. In Mexico City in the late 80s, three school friends – Meche, Sebastian and Daniela – learn how to cast spells by listening to vinyl records, using their newfound power to get the things any teenager wants: money, attention, love, freedom. Twenty years later, Meche returns to Mexico City for the funeral of her absent father, and finds herself reliving those early years, and the inevitable pain that came as a result of her dabbling in power she didn’t understand.

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The King of the Spoil – Jonathan D. Beer

The fifth novel in Black Library’s Warhammer Crime range, Jonathan D. Beer’s The King of the Spoil is another gritty tale of everyday life on the brutal streets of Varangantua, this time exploring the socio-political implications of a power vacuum forming in perhaps the poorest sector of this gargantuan city. When Andreti Sorokin is murdered, the vast gang of which he was the undisputed king – the Har Dhrol – begins to fall apart, bringing chaos to the Spoil. As the shockwaves caused by Sorokin’s death race through the city, information broker Melita Voronova is tasked by the Valtteri cartel (for whom she begrudgingly works) with uncovering the culprit behind Sorokin’s murder. Meanwhile Haska Jovanic, a wannabe ganger on the fringes of the Har Dhrol, finds herself swept up in the upswell of anger forming on the streets of the Spoil, which can only lead to violence and pain.

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I Am AI – Ai Jiang

A story about a cyborg called Ai who moonlights as an AI writing tool, written by an author was name is also Ai – it takes a moment to wrap your head around this, but Ai Jiang’s intriguing and darkly powerful tale novelette I Am AI is definitely written by a human (not an AI) and is very, very good. In a distant but utterly believable future, the city of Emit is dominated by a single, monopolistic corporation – the creepily titled New Era – with vast numbers of citizens living in poverty. Cyborg Ai works herself into the ground trying to earn enough to pay off her crippling debts and strip away her inefficient human flesh, even while doing what she can to support her neighbours and make their lives a little better. As her battery wanes though, and work pressures mount, her choices come increasingly into question.

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The Sleepless – Victor Manibo

Victor Manibo’s debut novel The Sleepless is a sharp, thought-provoking science fiction mystery with an instantly compelling premise and some strong commentary on technology and corporate power. In a near future in which large swathes of the population have become physically incapable of sleeping, Jamie Vega is a journalist for a global media outlet, and a hyperinsomniac himself – one of the Sleepless. When he finds the body of his beloved boss and mentor in the buildup to a huge takeover bid, Jamie can’t believe that it’s a case of suicide, and puts his investigative skills to use in trying to uncover the truth. The deeper he digs, as he uncovers dangerous secrets and reopens old wounds, the more he realises that not only can he not trust many of the people around him, but he might not even be able to trust his own mind.

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Winter’s Gifts – Ben Aaronovitch

Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London crosses the Atlantic with Winter’s Gifts, the fourth novella in this hugely popular series. Not only is this the first time the series has ventured to America though, with FBI agent Kimberley Reynolds stepping into the spotlight for her own story, but it’s also the first time the series has really delved into the realm of the horror story. It’s a classic horror setup – a small town in Wisconsin, snow blanketing the ground and cutting off access, a missing man, locals hiding secrets, and a lone FBI agent trying to piece together a mystery which might involve a lost 19th century expedition, while dealing with the inimical weather and a lurking darkness (which inevitably steps out of the shadows soon enough).

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The Daughter of Doctor Moreau – Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s eighth novel, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is – as the title suggests – a retelling of H.G. Wells’ The Island of Doctor Moreau, transplanting the story to Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula in the nineteenth century and focusing on Carlota Moreau rather than her father, the doctor. Carlota lives a happy, sheltered life, beholden to an illness that only her father’s medical expertise can keep at bay, content with just the hybrids for friends – amalgams of humans and animals, brought to life by the doctor’s arts. When the son of her father’s patron arrives out of the blue though, the Moreaus’ safe life is turned upside down. Carlota begins to wonder what else life might offer beyond the walls of her quiet home, while her father sees opportunity, and the hybrids see only danger.

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The Game of 100 Candles – Marie Brennan

Following on from The Night Parade of 100 Demons, Marie Brennan’s The Game of 100 Candles – her second novel in Aconyte Books’ Legend of the Five Rings range – once again balances supernatural investigation and gentle queer romance to engaging, heart-warming effect. The months since their victory over the Night Parade at Seibo Mura have largely kept Ryōtora and Sekken apart, until the two samurai meet again at the Phoenix Clan’s Winter Court. Amid the cut and thrust of court life, as the pair struggle to find their feet together again they come under suspicion when members of the court start to mysteriously fall asleep, and are unable to be woken. Even as they search for answers to what’s afoot, they also have to come to terms with the reality of the bond between them, and learn anew what they mean to each other.

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The Malevolent Seven – Sebastien de Castell

Irreverent, foul-mouthed fun is the order of the day with Sebastien de Castell’s The Malevolent Seven, an action-packed fantasy romp in which a mismatched group of mercenary wonderists (i.e. dangerous, largely unhinged wizards) find themselves in the unlikely position of having to save their world. And not even getting paid! After their last mission goes spectacularly, messily wrong, sort-of-friends Cade Ombra and Corrigan Blight take on a new job that they hope will keep them out of trouble for a little while. Recruiting a handful of fellow war mages (and a dog…ok, a jackal) along the way, little do they know that they’re actually going to be facing up against appalling odds, bargaining with angels and demons, and generally getting caught up in the machinations of the powerful beings that battle eternally over the mortal realm.

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