Cat Acree

Our cars can parallel park themselves. Our vacuums can zoom independently around the carpet. Add a few advancements in artificial intelligence and the setting in Robopocalypse is not so different from today. That is what makes Daniel H. Wilson’s debut novel so jarring.

Robopocalypse begins at the end, several years after Zero Hour, the moment when all the robots in the world turned against humanity. The New War has been won and the robot behind it all—Archos—has been defeated. Readers meet Cormac Wallace, whose crew of guerrillas finds a solid black cube buried deep underground. Within the cube is a special file kept by Archos that includes security footage, recorded conversations and stored video, all documenting the humans Archos had considered “heroes.” As one of those heroes, Cormac takes it upon himself to write their stories. The result is a truly entertaining, gruesome and humbling novel, with each chapter memorializing the humans and robots that were most pivotal in the rise and fall of the New War. The seemingly unrelated heroes, scattered across the globe and described with an intensity that suggests that each is more important than the last, give shape to Robopocalypse as their minute rebellions come together for the singular cause of survival.

Wilson, despite his Ph.D. in robotics, allows nearly no time for jargon as the apocalyptic pacing burns through the story. The chapters feature children, an old Japanese man, soldiers in the Middle East and old-world warriors in Oklahoma, and each voice allows new humor and horror, instantly banning any chance for a moment’s rest. There’s a reason Steven Spielberg has a movie version of the novel in the works: Wilson’s debut is one of a kind.

A white woman and an African-American man are in love in 1968. But that’s not the only obstacle in The Story of Beautiful Girl: Lynnie and Homan met as patients at the abusive Pennsylvania State School for the Incurable and Feebleminded. Lynnie has a developmental disability, which makes speech nearly impossible, and Homan is deaf. But their disabilities don’t keep them from falling deeply in love—and trying to create a family.

After escaping from the state school and giving birth to a baby girl in widow Martha Zimmer’s barn, Lynnie is caught by the institution’s staff and dragged back to the corrupt school, leaving the child in the widow’s care. Homan flees, and suddenly the little family’s chance for happiness seems to vanish. But Lynnie, Homan, Martha and baby Julia—along with social worker Kate—have a permanent connection that leads them on a 40-year journey to repair what has been broken. Each chapter is told from a different character’s perspective, and we watch as the individuals find the confidence to somehow make their way back to each other.

The Story of Beautiful Girl makes a beeline for the heartstrings in capturing a seemingly impossible love story—and the secret pact that makes it so unforgettable. Rachel Simon, who gained critical acclaim for her bestselling memoir, Riding the Bus with My Sister, graces readers with an illuminating and affecting view into a unique love.

There’s a killer stalking the streets of suburban Tallahassee. She’s exacting her revenge for a 50-year-old injustice with cool, calculated steps—well, more like a shuffle. It is only a matter of time before Dr. Wilson Spriggs will die at the hands of his killer, be it via a gleeful stabbing or a poisonous pineapple upside-down cake.

The killer is Marylou Ahearn, a batty 77-year-old retired teacher from Memphis. Dr. Spriggs gave pregnant Marylou a radioactive cocktail in 1953 during a secret government study, which ultimately led to the death of her daughter. Now she takes her Welsh corgi Buster for a few walks each day to scope out Spriggs’ home and pumps herself up with self-motivations of “Today’s the day. Today’s the day. Today’s the day he’ll suffer and die.”

However, Marylou’s homicidal plans change slightly when she sees an opportunity to destroy Spriggs’ entire family. She introduces herself as Nancy Archer (the heroine from the 1958 movie Attack of the 50 Foot Woman) and pleasantly weasels herself into the family, who find her annoying but interesting enough to keep around. Mischief ensues, and it gets downright dirty. Were it not for Elizabeth Stuckey-French’s puckish voice, The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady could have been a drama. Luckily for us, it’s not.

Much of the book’s whimsy comes from the varied perspectives of the nutty cast, not only Marylou but also Spriggs’ entire family: Spriggs himself—now afflicted with Alzheimer’s—his menopausal daughter Caroline, her cheating husband Vic, two kids with Asperger’s (one a science genius, the other Elvis-obsessed) and overachieving youngest daughter Suzi. They are a modern dysfunctional family, and the bumbling interactions between them and Marylou have dark—and darkly hilarious—effects.

The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady is surprisingly chipper as the neurotic and lovable cast turns a macabre tale into a wildly compulsive read.