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Science Fiction & Fantasy

Boys, Beasts & Men

Review by Noah Fram

The stories in Sam J. Miller’s debut collection, Boys, Beasts & Men, are unified by two core sensibilities: a keen awareness of the power of narrative and a morality that is radical in its compassion.

From the tragicomic “Allosaurus Burgers,” to the visceral horrors of “Shucked” and “Things With Beards” and the contemplative “Sun in an Empty Room,” each of the stories deals with the boundaries of the expected. They tackle the impossibility of seeing inside another’s head or the sudden and thoroughly unexplained appearance of a large, extinct, carnivorous lizard. Sometimes they draw on the past, offering visions of 1930s New York City or the Cold War-era Soviet Union. Others paint dystopian portraits of humankind clinging to life on a drowned planet. And yet, for all the variety of its stories, Boys, Beasts & Men is still a cohesive whole.

In large part, this is due to Miller’s distinctive voice and how his narratives all revolve, in some way, around love. Whether that love is a parent’s effort to protect their children, the splintering love of a closeted gay man for his homophobic brother or the incautious romance between two beings (this is as specific a description as is possible to give) with nowhere else to go, it shines through every story with a relentless optimism. Even when affection manifests in anger, or even violence, Miller retains the hope that the anger will be ephemeral and the love will endure. Sometimes, as in life, that hope is insufficient—many of these stories end in shattering tragedy or chilling fear—but the hope is there, all the same.

In these memorable pieces, Miller wields his efficient, unpretentious prose to create indelible impressions of moments, characters and twists. None of these characters or settings ever feel stale; none of the plot points hang around longer than they’re welcome. Miller deliberately leaves narrative gaps, inviting readers to imagine for themselves what fills those spaces while also encouraging them to find beauty even in the most harrowing times. Through every timeline, every cinematic reference (of which there are many) and speculative monstrosity, Boys, Beasts & Men is a reminder that stories matter, especially the ones we tell ourselves.

The pieces in Sam J. Miller’s Boys, Beasts & Men are a reminder that stories matter, especially the ones we tell ourselves.
Science Fiction & FantasyFantasy

Nettle & Bone

Review by Amanda Diehl

Hugo Award winner T. Kingfisher’s Nettle & Bone is a dark, feminist fantasy that follows an unlikely heroine as she takes matters into her own hands to free her sister and other women from a cyclical system of abuse.

Princess Marra is shy and seemingly forgettable, content with being sent to a convent rather than married off for political gain. But when she learns of the death of her oldest sister, Damia, most likely at the hands of her husband, Prince Vorling, Marra worries that her other sister, Kania, will suffer the same fate. She’s destined to be Vorling’s second wife, after all.

Embarking on a quest to save what remains of her family, Marra turns to the dust-wife, a necromancer whose familiar is a demon-possessed chicken. The dust-wife tasks Marra with building a dog of bones, sewing a cloak of nettles and capturing moonlight in a jar. As Marra attempts to accomplish the impossible, she slowly assembles a team worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster montage. First, there’s Bonedog, whose creation occurs in the first chapter, an instantly gripping flash-forward to Marra midquest. Then there’s Agnes, Marra’s neurotic fairy godmother whose abilities are limited to granting good health. Rounding out the group is Fenris, a diplomatic knight who seems to have a bit of a death wish.

Fans of Kingfisher’s Saint of Steel trilogy will recognize her trademark blend of bleak world building and an affable cast of underdog characters. Marra’s evolution is an inspiration. She becomes a more confident version of herself as she works to save her sister, and then expands her mission once she realizes that if her vengeance remains focused on just Prince Vorling, it will leave many more women still in danger. But while Nettle & Bone is undeniably dark and sinister at times, Kingfisher balances the horror with well-placed levity. Any road trip is instantly made better by a demonic chicken, and who wouldn’t love a curious, energetic dog to tag along, even if he is made of bones? The more comedic characters allow readers to find comfort amid the larger, darker scope of the novel, bright spots in a world that can often feel hopeless.

Kingfisher is an inventive fantasy powerhouse, and Nettle & Bone represents the burgeoning “hopepunk” ethos at its finest, with its winsome characters and focus on their fight to make the world a better place.

Nettle & Bone is the burgeoning “hopepunk” ethos at its finest: a dark fantasy starring a demon-possessed chicken and a feminist avenger.
Science Fiction & Fantasy

Limit of Vision

Review by bookpagedev

, the fifth novel from science fiction writer Linda Nagata, is a thriller right from the start. It opens with a dead body, a mystery and a hint at the possible existence of artificial life forms.

It is the near future; in the very recent past there has been a disaster with an unspecified artificial life-form, a kind of micro-machine that can exist by itself or in symbiosis with humans. This never-explained disaster adds an edge of danger to the book and ensures the reader is sympathetic both to the characters who support, and those who oppose, further research into the artificial life-forms.

Virgil Copeland appropriately named since he will lead humanity on a journey which may be a descent into hell is a researcher working on the life-forms, known as LOVs because they live on the Limits of Vision. Implanted into humans, they function as a feedback system, giving the wearer a new focus. Initially expected only to affect the host’s thoughts, the feedback system also intensifies emotions, leading to the possibility of a dangerous emotional rush in the host.

LOVs are illegal on Earth, so Virgil must do his research by proxy on LOV colonies on a space station. Eventually Virgil and the other two members of his research team bring the life forms to Earth in a private experiment of their own.

When Virgil’s coworker is found dead in her office, the police suspect the LOVs are involved. What seems impossible is suddenly proved true as the LOVs take over the space station on which they are exiled and bring it crashing down into the ocean near Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. Some LOVs manage to survive and all hell seems about to break loose.

Nagata quickly and energetically brings the cities and rural areas of Vietnam to life, then focuses on people on the edge especially those living on ground reclaimed from the delta that will inevitably be swept clean during the next hurricane season. Her writing takes a global view, ranging from those in power to those disenfranchised by international trade. At its heart, this exciting novel questions whether we as a race know where we are going, whether we will take enough time to consider our actions, and whether the individual has any power in the face of governments and transnational corporations. Not bad for a page-turning adventure! Gavin J. Grant writes from Brooklyn, New York.

, the fifth novel from science fiction writer Linda Nagata, is a thriller right from the start. It opens with a dead body, a mystery and a hint at the possible existence of artificial life forms.

It is the near future; in…
Science Fiction & FantasyScience Fiction

A timely journey to other days

Review by bookpagedev

Bridging the gap between the future and the past, Sir Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter have teamed up to write The Light of Other Days (Tor, $24.95, 0312871996) which looks into the near future and also into the distant past. Clarke is, of course, an icon of the science fiction genre, while Baxter is a major new talent. The future they envision, taken from some of today’s darker headlines, is one in which one-time grasslands are turning into wastelands and nations are at war over water supplies.

Set against this background, news tycoon Hiram Patterson is trying to find a way to cover news hot spots instantly, without getting a news crew into position. His solution is the creation of the WormCam, a device which can provide real images of any place in the world. As the global population tries to cope with this invasion of privacy, Hiram and his sons introduce refinements to the WormCam which allow viewing through time as well as space. This results in a 12,000 Days project to record the life of Jesus.

Both Clarke and Baxter have made names for themselves by extrapolating future trends from current technology, and The Light of Other Days is full of the big ideas which are so often proposed in science fiction novels. Their future world is anything but utopic, however, and the technological advances they show clearly create a new set of problems. Patterson frequently compares his WormCam to the advent of the Internet, and it becomes apparent that the issues surrounding these two advancements have much in common. While Clarke and Baxter don’t necessarily provide perfect solutions to the questions they raise, they do open a discussion about issues of privacy, intellectual property ownership, and the manner in which people deal with the past. Another interesting view of the future can be found in Lodestar (Tor, $24.95, 0312861370), the third book in Michael Flynn’s series about preventing a major asteroid strike on the Earth.

In his earlier novels, Flynn described the schools and industries started by Mariesa van Huyten in response to her primal fear of an asteroid strike. In this novel, Flynn begins to turn his attention to the children raised in those schools who, even when working towards van Huyten’s ultimate goal, have their own motivations.

Rather than continuing the focus on space exploration, Lodestar examines the evolution of the computer and virtual reality. Leading us on a journey is Jimmy Poole, a hacker-turned-security expert whose interest in a space station is sparked by his inability to bypass its security.

Flynn has an ability to make his view of the future seem real. Throughout Lodestar, the characters use slang invented by the author, and no definition of terms is required. The society Flynn portrays is neither too similar or too outrageously different from our own, and each of Flynn’s changes can be seen a possible outgrowth of current trends.

In many ways, Lodestar stands on its own. No knowledge of the earlier works, Firestar and Rogue Star, is required to enjoy this new entry in the series, although the reader may find in Flynn’s references to the earlier books some hints about where he intends to take his story.

If the future is the realm of science fiction, fantasy is frequently set in the past. The second, and concluding, volume of Guy Gavriel Kay’s Sarantine Mosaic, Lord of Emperors, demonstrates what fantastic literature can be when well written. Considering the slight appearance of magic in Lord of Emperors, Kay’s book could almost be classified as an historical novel. However, by changing the names and places slightly, Kay indulges in story telling without worrying about the constraints of the historical record.

Kay manages to bring his city and world alive, populating Sarantium with complex characters in a rich and lively city. Kay’s world is populated by emperors and dancers, soldiers and doctors, artisans and sandal makers. All of these characters have their own hopes and dreams the only difference between the artisan and the emperor is a matter of scale. Kay’s concern is not how these people will react to a world filled with magic, but how they will respond to each other.

Steven Silver writes from Northbrook, Illinois.

Bridging the gap between the future and the past, Sir Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter have teamed up to write The Light of Other Days (Tor, $24.95, 0312871996) which looks into the near future and also into the distant past. Clarke is, of course,…

Science Fiction & FantasyScience Fiction

Review

Review by bookpagedev

A timely journey to other days Bridging the gap between the future and the past, Sir Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter have teamed up to write The Light of Other Days (Tor, $24.95, 0312871996) which looks into the near future and also into the distant past. Clarke is, of course, an icon of the science fiction genre, while Baxter is a major new talent. The future they envision, taken from some of today’s darker headlines, is one in which one-time grasslands are turning into wastelands and nations are at war over water supplies.

Set against this background, news tycoon Hiram Patterson is trying to find a way to cover news hot spots instantly, without getting a news crew into position. His solution is the creation of the WormCam, a device which can provide real images of any place in the world. As the global population tries to cope with this invasion of privacy, Hiram and his sons introduce refinements to the WormCam which allow viewing through time as well as space. This results in a 12,000 Days project to record the life of Jesus. Both Clarke and Baxter have made names for themselves by extrapolating future trends from current technology, and The Light of Other Days is full of the big ideas which are so often proposed in science fiction novels. Their future world is anything but utopic, however, and the technological advances they show clearly create a new set of problems. Patterson frequently compares his WormCam to the advent of the Internet, and it becomes apparent that the issues surrounding these two advancements have much in common. While Clarke and Baxter don’t necessarily provide perfect solutions to the questions they raise, they do open a discussion about issues of privacy, intellectual property ownership, and the manner in which people deal with the past. Another interesting view of the future can be found in Lodestar, the third book in Michael Flynn’s series about preventing a major asteroid strike on the Earth. In his earlier novels, Flynn described the schools and industries started by Mariesa van Huyten in response to her primal fear of an asteroid strike. In this novel, Flynn begins to turn his attention to the children raised in those schools who, even when working towards van Huyten’s ultimate goal, have their own motivations. Rather than continuing the focus on space exploration, Lodestar examines the evolution of the computer and virtual reality. Leading us on a journey is Jimmy Poole, a hacker-turned-security expert whose interest in a space station is sparked by his inability to bypass its security. Flynn has an ability to make his view of the future seem real. Throughout Lodestar, the characters use slang invented by the author, and no definition of terms is required. The society Flynn portrays is neither too similar or too outrageously different from our own, and each of Flynn’s changes can be seen a possible outgrowth of current trends. In many ways, Lodestar stands on its own. No knowledge of the earlier works, Firestar and Rogue Star, is required to enjoy this new entry in the series, although the reader may find in Flynn’s references to the earlier books some hints about where he intends to take his story. If the future is the realm of science fiction, fantasy is frequently set in the past. The second, and concluding, volume of Guy Gavriel Kay’s Sarantine Mosaic, Lord of Emperors (HarperCollins, $24, 0061051217), demonstrates what fantastic literature can be when well written. Considering the slight appearance of magic in Lord of Emperors, Kay’s book could almost be classified as an historical novel. However, by changing the names and places slightly, Kay indulges in story telling without worrying about the constraints of the historical record.

Kay manages to bring his city and world alive, populating Sarantium with complex characters in a rich and lively city. Kay’s world is populated by emperors and dancers, soldiers and doctors, artisans and sandal makers. All of these characters have their own hopes and dreams the only difference between the artisan and the emperor is a matter of scale. Kay’s concern is not how these people will react to a world filled with magic, but how they will respond to each other.

Steven Silver writes from Northbrook, Illinois.

A timely journey to other days Bridging the gap between the future and the past, Sir Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter have teamed up to write The Light of Other Days (Tor, $24.95, 0312871996) which looks into the near future and also into the…

Science Fiction & FantasyScience Fiction

Review

Review by bookpagedev

A timely journey to other days Bridging the gap between the future and the past, Sir Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter have teamed up to write The Light of Other Days which looks into the near future and also into the distant past. Clarke is, of course, an icon of the science fiction genre, while Baxter is a major new talent. The future they envision, taken from some of today’s darker headlines, is one in which one-time grasslands are turning into wastelands and nations are at war over water supplies.

Set against this background, news tycoon Hiram Patterson is trying to find a way to cover news hot spots instantly, without getting a news crew into position. His solution is the creation of the WormCam, a device which can provide real images of any place in the world. As the global population tries to cope with this invasion of privacy, Hiram and his sons introduce refinements to the WormCam which allow viewing through time as well as space. This results in a 12,000 Days project to record the life of Jesus. Both Clarke and Baxter have made names for themselves by extrapolating future trends from current technology, and The Light of Other Days is full of the big ideas which are so often proposed in science fiction novels. Their future world is anything but utopic, however, and the technological advances they show clearly create a new set of problems. Patterson frequently compares his WormCam to the advent of the Internet, and it becomes apparent that the issues surrounding these two advancements have much in common. While Clarke and Baxter don’t necessarily provide perfect solutions to the questions they raise, they do open a discussion about issues of privacy, intellectual property ownership, and the manner in which people deal with the past. Another interesting view of the future can be found in Lodestar (Tor, $24.95, 0312861370), the third book in Michael Flynn’s series about preventing a major asteroid strike on the Earth. In his earlier novels, Flynn described the schools and industries started by Mariesa van Huyten in response to her primal fear of an asteroid strike. In this novel, Flynn begins to turn his attention to the children raised in those schools who, even when working towards van Huyten’s ultimate goal, have their own motivations. Rather than continuing the focus on space exploration, Lodestar examines the evolution of the computer and virtual reality. Leading us on a journey is Jimmy Poole, a hacker-turned-security expert whose interest in a space station is sparked by his inability to bypass its security. Flynn has an ability to make his view of the future seem real. Throughout Lodestar, the characters use slang invented by the author, and no definition of terms is required. The society Flynn portrays is neither too similar or too outrageously different from our own, and each of Flynn’s changes can be seen a possible outgrowth of current trends. In many ways, Lodestar stands on its own. No knowledge of the earlier works, Firestar and Rogue Star, is required to enjoy this new entry in the series, although the reader may find in Flynn’s references to the earlier books some hints about where he intends to take his story. If the future is the realm of science fiction, fantasy is frequently set in the past. The second, and concluding, volume of Guy Gavriel Kay’s Sarantine Mosaic, Lord of Emperors (HarperCollins, $24, 0061051217), demonstrates what fantastic literature can be when well written. Considering the slight appearance of magic in Lord of Emperors, Kay’s book could almost be classified as an historical novel. However, by changing the names and places slightly, Kay indulges in story telling without worrying about the constraints of the historical record.

Kay manages to bring his city and world alive, populating Sarantium with complex characters in a rich and lively city. Kay’s world is populated by emperors and dancers, soldiers and doctors, artisans and sandal makers. All of these characters have their own hopes and dreams the only difference between the artisan and the emperor is a matter of scale. Kay’s concern is not how these people will react to a world filled with magic, but how they will respond to each other.

Steven Silver writes from Northbrook, Illinois.

A timely journey to other days Bridging the gap between the future and the past, Sir Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter have teamed up to write The Light of Other Days which looks into the near future and also into the distant past. Clarke…

Science Fiction & FantasyHistorical FantasyFantasy

Wild and Wicked Things

Review by Stephanie Cohen-Perez

In Francesca May’s stunning, gorgeously composed fantasy debut, Wild and Wicked Things, a dissipated coven of witches and a meek young woman become unexpected allies.

Annie Mason has led a quiet and ordinary life. When her estranged father dies shortly after the end of World War I, she reluctantly travels to Crow Island to take care of his estate. The island also happens to be the very place her former best friend, Bea, resides in a fancy house on the sea with her new husband. Crow Island is famous across the land for its faux magic parlors and fake spells and potions, but Annie soon learns that its inhabitants also practice true, darker-than-imagined magic. When she rents a summer cottage next to the infamous Cross House, where a coven throws lavish parties that feature Prohibited magic, Annie is given an opportunity to find a place—and maybe a person—that actually feels like home.

May seamlessly transports readers to the shores of Crow Island, straight into the shoes of Annie and de facto coven leader Emmeline Delacroix. Annie is whisked away by the island’s enchantment, and May’s prose echoes F. Scott Fitzgerald to capture the finery and wild parties of the era. And while Annie originally thinks she’s being bewitched by the coven’s magic or the island, she comes to realize that she is simply following her innermost desires. The supposedly cursed island gives her time and space to come to terms with grief over lost loved ones and her internalized shunning of her sapphic sexuality. Emmeline’s inexplicable and undeniable magnetism is a clever plot complication but also the perfect setup for a passionate, slow-burning queer romance that feels forged in destiny.

Under all the glamour, Wild and Wicked Things is also a nuanced exploration of intergenerational trauma and abusive relationships. Emmeline hovers over her adoptive siblings, Isobel and Nathan, even though their abusive guardian, coven founder Cilla, is long gone. Annie finds herself in a similar situation as she tries to shield Bea from a marriage gone wrong, and she and Emmeline bond over their roles as protectors and healers. But nothing is truly black and white, from the witches’ backstories and intentions, to Bea’s desires, to Annie’s past. May does not shy away from the macabre, and every twist is better and eerier than the last.

May’s thrilling fantasy takes familiar tropes, mashes them with a mortar and pestle, sprinkles them with a bit of herbs and throws them into the cauldron, creating a fresh and exciting take on witchy historical fantasy.

Wild and Wicked Things is a stunning, gorgeously composed historical fantasy with a compelling queer romance at its heart.
Science Fiction & FantasyFantasy

Three high fantasy novels aren’t afraid to ask the difficult questions

Feature by Laura Hubbard

Far from being simple tales of birthrights and inheritances restored, these books delve into heady questions about power, privilege and the consequences of political intrigue. And while each does this in a different way, they do have one thing in common: They open with a death.

The Amber Crown

Jacey Bedford’s The Amber Crown begins with the death of King Konstantyn of Zavonia, poisoned by an unknown assassin. His personal guards are immediately blamed for the death and executed by the new king. Valdas Zalecki, head of the king’s guard, was out of the palace on the night of the murder, and it is up to him to find out who killed his beloved king—and to find Queen Kristina, who’s gone missing. Mirza, a witch and healer with the power to speak with the dead, promises Konstantyn that she will avenge his death. And the last piece of The Amber Crown’s puzzle is Lind, the assassin who killed Konstantyn. Haunted by the specter of his abusive childhood, Lind finds that the murder of a king is not an easy thing to live with. As their stories collide, these three outsiders must work together to prevent Zavonia from falling further into chaos.

Despite its conventional premise, The Amber Crown still represents a divergence from traditional high fantasy. The world building echoes Eastern Europe, with Zavonia serving as a fictionalized version of Poland. This allows Bedford to pull from supernatural practices of that region of the world, such as blood rituals and dream walking. And Bedford’s focus on marginalized and supposedly “unimportant” characters, rather than knights and princes, forces readers to reckon with the consequences of political upheaval outside of a royal court.

★ The Bone Orchard

Sara A. Mueller’s debut novel also begins with the death of a monarch, this time an emperor. In The Bone Orchard, Charm is a prisoner but a well-kept one. Taken from her home when her kingdom of Inshil was conquered and colonized by the Boren Empire, the necromantic witch has been confined to Orchard House for decades. Charm is surrounded by her children, of a kind: boneghosts who are grown (and often regrown) from the fruit of the bone-producing orchard. Charm and her boneghosts—Justice, Pain, Pride, Shame and Desire—serve the powerful men of the capital city of Borenguard as entertainers, masseuses and sex workers. Charm is mistress to the emperor himself, bound by a neural implant that keeps her magic in check and keeps her loyal to him. But when Charm is called to the emperor’s deathbed, she’s given a chance at freedom. If she finds the person who killed him, she will be free of the magic that keeps her bound to the crown. 

While the mechanics of Charm’s bone orchard and the empathic power that some citizens of Borenguard wield are certainly magical, other aspects of The Bone Orchard evoke classic sci-fi tropes. Charm’s boneghosts harken all the way back to Frankenstein, and the oppressive, fascist Boren Empire is straight out of Fahrenheit 451. But despite these nods to foundational works, The Bone Orchard still feels fresh and ambitious. Charm enjoys access to power while still being marginalized herself, a contradictory position that Mueller analyzes to endlessly fascinating effect. It may be an otherworldly, genre-bending fantasy, but The Bone Orchard is still intensely human at its heart. 

In a Garden Burning Gold

In a Garden Burning Gold’s opening death is not so much a murder as it is a sacrifice. Young adult author Rory Power’s first novel for adults centers on twins Rhea and Lexos, siblings gifted with immense power and responsibility. Rhea is the Thyspira, tasked with taking—and then sacrificing—a new consort each season to keep the world lush and the provinces that owe fealty to their father, Vasilis, in line. Lexos is their father’s second, trained from near birth to assist Vasilis in his political machinations and keep stability in the land. When Rhea’s latest suitor-cum-sacrifice is revealed to be embroiled in an independence movement that threatens the stability of the family’s demesne, the twins must scramble to maintain control and protect all they hold dear. 

Set in a world patterned after ancient Greek city states, In a Garden Burning Gold dives deep into family love, political intrigue and filial duty. It’s rare to find a main character whose powers engender so much ambivalence as Rhea’s abilities do for her. She offers little in return to the families and communities from whom she has stolen a life, other than the continuance of the status quo. Power makes Rhea a compelling and often likable character, while never losing sight of the fact that, in the end, she always lives and her consort always dies. That imbalance compels readers to ask whether the sacrifice is really worth it, and whether that sort of power should sit in any one person’s—or family’s—hands. A grown-up version of Encanto mixed with a political thriller, all set against a dazzling Mediterranean backdrop, In a Garden Burning Gold is a strikingly original and thoughtful fantasy. 

Readers who are eager for feats of magic and daring adventures but don’t want to retread the same old stories from decades past will be enthralled by these three novels, each of which strays outside of the traditional high fantasy playbook to great effect.
Science Fiction & FantasyScience Fiction

John Scalzi is ready to rumble

Interview by Chris Pickens

After wrapping up the Interdependency trilogy, sci-fi author John Scalzi planned to write a weighty and serious novel. Instead, he had a monster of a good time. The Kaiju Preservation Society is an adventurous romp that follows one-time delivery driver Jamie, who lucks into the job of a lifetime working for the titular organization, studying and protecting enormous monsters who live in an alternate dimension. We talked to Scalzi about the book he calls “as much fun as I’ve ever had writing a novel.”

There’s nothing like a good monster book to shake things up. What drew you to writing a story about Kaiju?
Well, I was actually writing another novel entirely—a dark and brooding political novel set in space—and it turns out that 2020 wasn’t a great year to be writing a dark and moody political novel, for reasons that will be obvious to anyone who lived through 2020. That novel crashed and burned, and when it did, my brain went, screw it, I’m gonna write a novel with BIG DAMN MONSTERS in it. It was much better for my brain, as it turns out.

When creating the world that the Kaiju live in, what details were important to you? Were there certain inspirations you drew from?
I think the most obvious inspirations were the classic Japanese Kaiju movies, starting with the original Godzilla. From there, I worked backward: If you want to have Kaiju, how do you build a world where they could not only exist, but in fact, it makes sense that they exist? I wanted the world to have at least a sheen of plausibility. So the end result is a much warmer, much more oxygenated Earth, to start . . . and when you have those two things, a lot of other aspects of the world present themselves.

“Self-honesty is important, especially when some creature wants to eat you.”

You mention in your author’s note that The Kaiju Preservation Society is “a pop song . . . meant to be light and catchy.” Did it feel like that to you, easy and fun, while writing? Or were there elements that proved to be surprisingly challenging?
Not going to lie, writing Kaiju was as much fun as I’ve ever had writing a novel. Some of that was in contrast to the unfinished novel before it; anything would have been easier than that one, given the subject and year I attempted it in. But most of it was just giving myself permission to feel the joy of writing, and of creating something expressly to be enjoyed. I wrote it as quickly and as easily as I’ve written anything. 

There are many homages to sci-fi and monster movie tropes in this book. What preexisting audience expectations served you best?
All of the preexisting expectations served me! One of the important things about world building is that the characters are in on the joke—they’ve seen all the Godzilla movies, they’ve watched Pacific Rim and Jurassic Park, and so all the tropes are on the table for them and the book to lean into, to refute and to play with, depending on the circumstances of the plot. No one, not the characters nor the readers, has to pretend that the characters have no concept of Big Damn Monsters, and that opens up a lot of narrative opportunities. 

The dialogue in The Kaiju Preservation Society positively crackles with life. How do you approach writing dialogue?
Dialogue is one of the things I “got for free”—which is to say, something that was already in my toolbox when I got serious about writing. That’s great, but that also means it can be a crutch, something I fall back on too easily, or get sloppy with because I know I can do it more easily than other things. So, paradoxically, it’s something I have to pay attention to, so that it serves the story. 

Read our review: ‘The Kaiju Preservation Society’ by John Scalzi

Do you see yourself as a Jamie? Ready to believe, optimistic, quick with a joke? (Maybe we all wish we were like Jamie, at least a little bit.)
You’ve hit on something, which is that Jamie is meant to be someone whom the readers can see themselves in, or at least could see themselves relating to. There’s a little of me in Jamie, sure. There’s also some of me in Jaime’s friends. They each have qualities that help them work together, which becomes important in the book. 

OK, real talk: What weapon would you reach for first if you were face to face with a Kaiju?
If I’m being real, I’m going to remember what the weaponmaster in the book asks the characters, which is, basically, “Are you competent enough for that weapon?” Self-honesty is important, especially when some creature wants to eat you. In which case, I’m going for the shotgun: widespread, low level of difficulty to use. Perfect. And then, of course, I’ll run like hell. 

Did working on this book make the insanity of 2020 and 2021 any easier to bear? What did you feel like when you finished writing?
When I finished writing, honestly, I was all like, “Fuck yeah, I nailed this one.” Which absolutely made the previous year easier to bear, considering how badly I flubbed the previous novel I had been trying to write, and how awful the year had been generally. I should note I wasn’t having a crisis of confidence in my skills; I’ve written more than 30 books, I know I can do it. But I was disheartened at how that one novel was a mess, and how it all-too-closely mirrored my mental state for 2020. Kaiju got me back in my stride, and I’m grateful for that.

Headshot of John Scalzi courtesy of the author.

Why The Kaiju Preservation Society was the most fun John Scalzi has ever had as a writer.
Science Fiction & FantasyRomanceNonfictionMystery & SuspenseFiction

13 writers to watch in 2022

Feature by the editors of BookPage
Maud Newton

Maud Newton, author of Ancestor Trouble
Random House | March 29

Maud Newton made a name for herself back in 2002 as one of the very first book bloggers, drawing a large audience with her blend of cultural criticism and personal writing about her family tree. Now her first book, Ancestor Trouble, will develop those early musings into their fullest forms, using the lens of Newton’s family (including her Confederate heritage-obsessed father and a grandfather who got married 13 times) to examine the wider world of genetics, intergenerational trauma and family secrets, both buried and spilled. Her approach is sweeping, even exhaustive, but Newton is a master at taking a complex, far-reaching topic and making it magnificently intimate.

M.E. Hilliard

M.E. Hilliard, author of Shadow in the Glass
Crooked Lane | April 5

A working librarian who grew up on the Connecticut coast, M.E. Hilliard brings her professional and personal expertise to bear in the Greer Hogan mysteries, the rare cozy series that can be legitimately described as “edgy.” The standard elements are all there—a beautiful small-town setting in New England, a clever and resourceful heroine—but there’s a pleasing strain of darkness running through the proceedings. Hilliard’s debut, The Unkindness of Ravens, won rave reviews across the board, and Shadow in the Glass is bound to lure even more readers to her chilly, ceaselessly clever take on the classic cozy. 

Bonnie Garmus

Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry
Doubleday | April 5

California-born, London-based author Bonnie Garmus’ first novel, Lessons in Chemistry, made waves when it sold in a 16-publisher auction, and now Brie Larson is set to star in and executive produce the Apple TV+ series adaptation. That’s a whole lot of hype, but the great news is that Garmus’ novel delivers on its promises in depicting the ups and downs in the life of chemist and cooking show host Elizabeth Zott. Plus, Garmus seems like someone we’d like to be friends with: copywriter, creative director, open-water swimmer, rower and mother with a background in tech and science and a real knack for naming dogs. (The dog in Lessons in Chemistry is named Six-Thirty, and the author’s own is named 99.)

Kris Ripper

Kris Ripper, author of Book Boyfriend
Carina Adores | April 26

The extremely prolific Kris Ripper became one of the genre’s rising stars with The Love Study series, a charming, nuanced look at modern love that boasted an enviable and highly entertaining friend group. Ripper’s next book, Book Boyfriend, offers a charmingly meta wrinkle to the always popular subgenre of romances set in the literary world. PK is a writer who has been in love with his best friend, Art, for years. He pours all of his feelings into his work, creating a novel in which a fictionalized version of himself is the perfect partner (aka a “book boyfriend,” a romance term used to refer to characters that readers would love to date in real life). 

Shelby Van Pelt

Shelby Van Pelt, author of Remarkably Bright Creatures
Ecco | May 3

First-time novelist and Pacific Northwest native Shelby Van Pelt arrives with the year’s most anticipated animal narrator: Marcellus, an Ove-style curmudgeon that just so happens to be a highly observant giant Pacific octopus living in an aquarium. Van Pelt has combined My Octopus Teacher with a drama involving an elderly woman’s search for her missing son, resulting in a novel that aims for the book club sweet spot.

Putsata Reang

Putsata Reang, author of Ma and Me
MCD | May 17

When journalist Putsata Reang was less than a year old, she spent 23 days on a crowded boat with her mother as refugees fleeing Cambodia. Sanctuary was eventually offered in the Philippines, where Reang’s mother rushed her sick baby to a military doctor, who saved Reang’s life. This is the debt Reang owes her mother—and this is the reason Reang felt her mother’s disappointment so acutely when Reang came out as a lesbian and her mother severed the relationship. Ma and Me is an important new entry in the growing body of American refugee and immigrant literature, shining a light on the experiences of queer people whose families have survived the trauma of war. 

Kirstin Chen

Kirstin Chen, author of Counterfeit
William Morrow | June 7

Award-winning author Kirstin Chen’s first two novels, Soy Sauce for Beginners and Bury What We Cannot Take, received several “best books” nods and plenty of critical love, but her third novel, Counterfeit, is her first from a traditional publisher, which means that a whole new section of the reading public will finally get the chance to discover her. To tell the story of two Asian American women who band together in a counterfeit handbag scheme, Chen undertook a research trip to Guangdong, China, to witness the industry of luxury brand “superfakes.” It’s a juicy premise, so of course TV rights have already been sold, with Chen set to executive produce. Born and raised in Singapore, Chen currently lives in San Francisco, and she teaches creative writing at the University of San Francisco and in Ashland University’s Low-Residency MFA Program.

Kali Fajardo-Anstine

Kali Fajardo-Anstine, author of Woman of Light
One World | June 7

No doubt about it, Colorado-based author Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s star is rising. Her 2019 short story collection, Sabrina & Corina, won an American Book Award and was a finalist for the National Book Award, the PEN/Bingham Prize and the Story Prize, which means that her first novel, Woman of Light, is really exciting in a “if you know, you know” sort of way. It’s a multigenerational epic set in the American West from 1890 to 1935, following an Indigenous Chicano family throughout five generations. Fajardo-Anstine earned her MFA from the University of Wyoming and is the 2022/2023 Endowed Chair of Creative Writing at Texas State University.

Nekesa Afia

Nekesa Afia, author of Harlem Sunset
Berkley | June 28

It’s hard to write a good historical mystery. Authors must manage all the spinning plates of a good whodunit (premise, red herrings, pacing of clues, etc.), while also wrestling with the knotty questions of historical fiction. Can they evoke the feeling of an era while still making it accessible to modern readers, and successfully highlight both the fun and glamour and the inequalities and issues of the day? In her roaring ’20s historical mystery debut, Dead Dead Girls, Nekesa Afia succeeded at all of the above and introduced a complicated, perfectly crafted sleuth to boot. No surprise the book became a word-of-mouth hit. We expect that Harlem Sunset will introduce even more readers to Afia and her fashionable heroine, Louise Lovie Lloyd.

CJ Hauser

CJ Hauser, author of The Crane Wife
Doubleday | July 12

Novelist CJ Hauser (Family of Origin, The From-Aways) struck it big in 2019 with her Paris Review essay “The Crane Wife,” which has since been read by over a million people. Now her debut work of nonfiction will take the eponymous viral essay—about traveling to Texas to study whooping cranes 10 days after calling off her wedding—and enlarge its scope with 17 additional pieces that explore how to cultivate an unconventional life, from robot conventions, to weddings, to John Belushi’s grave. As a fiction writer, Hauser’s work is smart, surprising and irresistibly weird—and now, as an essayist, perhaps doubly so.

Isaac Fitzgerald

Isaac Fitzgerald, author of Dirtbag, Massachusetts
Bloomsbury | July 19

Isaac Fitzgerald has been a man about book-town for years: He’s the founding editor of Buzzfeed Books, a bestselling children’s book author, an essayist, a co-author of art books about tattoos and a frequent “Today” show guest. Dirtbag, Massachusetts marks his grand entry into one of the few book-town neighborhoods where he hasn’t yet set up shop: prose books for adults. Fitzgerald’s memoir-in-essays will chart his rough-and-tumble upbringing in Boston and rural Massachusetts and the choppy waters of his West Coast adulthood, learning to navigate the pitfalls of masculinity, body image, class and family strife. There will be tough stops along this journey—including discussions of violence, homelessness and trauma—but we suspect Fitzgerald’s signature tenderness, humor and generosity will carry readers gently the whole way.

Alexandra Rowland

Alexandra Rowland, author of A Taste of Gold and Iron
Tordotcom | August 30

Fantasy romance is absolutely huge right now, to the point that it can be hard to stand out among the flood of gorgeously crafted tales of star-crossed lovers or rival princes. But standing out has not been a problem for Alexandra Rowland. Their Conspiracy of Truths duology was funny, moving and profound in equal measure, thematically ambitious but still deeply rooted in the personal experiences of its characters. We expect even more from A Taste of Gold and Iron, a standalone fantasy romance set in a world inspired by the Ottoman Empire. This tale of a prince and his bodyguard falling in love while untangling a plot that threatens their kingdom and promises to be a feast that satisfies both emotionally and intellectually.

Maya Phillips

Maya Phillips, author of Nerd
Atria | October 11

Poet and New York Times critic at large Maya Phillips will breathe new life into the ever-popular subject of fandom in her prose debut, Nerd: Adventures in Fandom From This Universe to the Multiverse. Growing up in the 1990s, Phillips cut her teeth on narrative greats such as Star Wars, Harry Potter, “Doctor Who” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” As she teases apart how these franchises and others formed her identity, worldview and media appetites, her experiences as a Black woman and chops as a professional film and TV critic elevate each essay above the typical fandom fray. Nerd will lend weight to a sometimes-flighty sector of cultural criticism and establish Phillips as a true contender.

Newton author photo by Maximus Clarke. Garmus author photo by Serena Bolton. Van Pelt author photo by Karen Forsythe. Reang photo by Kim Oanh Nguyen. Chen photo by Sarah Deragon. Fajardo-Anstine photo by Estevan Ruiz. Afia photo by FizCo Photography. Hauser photo by Shannon Taggart. Fitzgerald photo by Maddie McGarvey. Rowland by Charles Darrel. Phillips photo by Brian Goldfarb.

From debuts to breakout books, this year promises to be a big one for these 13 authors. Keep them on your radar!
Science Fiction & FantasyFantasy

The Bladed Faith

Review by Chris Pickens

David Dalglish’s beautiful, grandiose and expansive The Bladed Faith begins at the roots of a rebellion.

Cyrus Lythan, heir to Thanet’s throne, witnessed his parents’ capture and execution when their small island nation was invaded by the Everlorn Empire. Having been held as a political prisoner ever since, Cyrus was helpless as the empire worked to eradicate his kingdom’s culture and religion. But during a skirmish with Thanet resistance fighters, Cyrus is rescued by Thorda Ahlai, a wealthy aristocrat bent on overthrowing the empire. With his two highly trained daughters and vast wealth, Thorda seeks to avenge his homeland’s destruction. Cyrus is all too happy to join the effort, but the price of reclaiming the country may be steeper than he realized. Cyrus will need to become something new: a folk hero and vigilante who exacts bloody revenge from the shadows. Will his and Thorda’s need for vengeance cost them their souls?

It’s a tale as old as time: Country is overthrown by authoritarians; heir forms resistance band to win back the country; revolution ensues. Of course, it’s never quite that easy in practice, and Dalglish grounds The Bladed Faith in reality as he charts his hero’s rocky path forward. It is extremely hard to run a rebellion. It’s also extremely hard to change one’s body and mind so completely as to become someone else, so Cyrus’ training lasts a lot more than one page. There are plenty of bumps in the road to liberation. Things go wrong for our heroes, and The Bladed Faith is all the more interesting because of it. 

The world around Cyrus and Thorda is vivid in every way, and the opening sequence depicting the fall of Thanet is particularly breathtaking. The nation’s two guardian spirits, who take physical form as a massive golden lion and a woman with shimmering wings, are cut down by goliath super soldiers from Everlorn. It’s sad, brutal and beautiful. But Dalglish takes equal care with smaller details, too, like Cyrus’ running route as he trains or the details on a character’s ax. At every turn, The Bladed Faith feels fully formed, without a single description haphazardly thrown in. Dalglish has an uncanny ability to predict his readers’ thoughts; more than once I found a character explaining answers to my own internal questions in real time.

Yes, rebellion against an evil empire is a familiar plot in fantasy. But this is a rebellion with soul, and one that promises to reach even greater heights as the series continues. Given Dalglish’s track record, don’t be surprised if he somehow manages to top the triumphant standard he sets with The Bladed Faith.

David Dalglish’s beautiful, grandiose and expansive fantasy The Bladed Faith tells a familiar story of rebellion with uncommon soul.
Science Fiction & FantasyScience Fiction

Review

Review by bookpagedev

Fred Pohl is one of the grand masters of science fiction and fantasy. His collaborations with Kornbluth in the ’50s, his editorship of the leading science fiction magazines in the ’60s, and his Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Gateway novels in the ’70s and ’80s are ample evidence of his high standing in the genre. With O Pioneer! (Tor, $21.95, 0312861648), Pohl once again demonstrates his special ability to evoke a sense of wonder. Evesham Giyt and his new wife are immigrants on the colony world of Tupelo, which is inhabited by five different alien species. Giyt achieves the dubious distinction of becoming the political mayor of the colony whereupon he discovers a treacherous plot by the humans that can only be stopped through Giyt’s sacrifice. Pohl has scored again with this novel.

Reviewed by Larry Woods.

Fred Pohl is one of the grand masters of science fiction and fantasy. His collaborations with Kornbluth in the '50s, his editorship of the leading science fiction magazines in the '60s, and his Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Gateway novels in the '70s and '80s are…

Science Fiction & FantasyScience Fiction

Review

Review by bookpagedev

If you enjoyed last year’s science fiction blockbuster, Men in Black, you should rush to buy A Hunger in the Soul by Mike Resnick. Medical researcher Dr. Michael Drake disappears in the wilderness of an alien world, and journalist Robert Markham sets out to find him. Markham embarks on the search because the galaxy needs Drake’s knowledge to combat a new plague. Much like Stanley seeking Dr. Livingstone in darkest Africa, Markham is determined to bring Drake back whether he wants to return or not. This is adventure on a galactic scale exotic, alien, and wondrous. As proven through his many previous novels, Mike Resnick can be counted on for high adventure and a satisfying conclusion.

Reviewed by Larry Woods.

If you enjoyed last year's science fiction blockbuster, Men in Black, you should rush to buy A Hunger in the Soul by Mike Resnick. Medical researcher Dr. Michael Drake disappears in the wilderness of an alien world, and journalist Robert Markham sets out to find…

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