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by Rachel Hoge

In her first novel, The Bear and the Nightingale, Katherine Arden has created a coming-of-age story rooted in folklore, set in the Russian wilderness and surrounded by the magic of winter.

In 14th-century Russia, Vasya is an unusual girl—wild and strong, perceptive and brave—who grew up captivated by her family’s frightening tales and legends. But when Vasya finds the stories to be true, and realizes she has special and coveted abilities, she must protect her family from ancient dangers long believed to be fairy tales.

Arden masterfully portrays the unbridled freedom of her young heroine, as ominous forces loom and the tension heightens between the old ways of the village and the new official religion of Orthodox Christianity. Vasya and her family live in a world of beeswax and wine, of warm ovens and deep sleep, described in gorgeous and lyrical prose. At the novel’s core lies a wonderfully woven family tapestry, with generations of sibling friendship, ancestral insight and marital love.

Arden, who has a B.A. in French and Russian literature, spent a year living and studying in Moscow, and her background in Russian culture delivers an added layer of authenticity. She includes a note concerning her transliteration process and a glossary of terms at the end, lending more context to this textured, remarkable blend of history and fantasy.

A commanding opening of an enchanting new series, The Bear and the Nightingale is a must-read for lovers of history, fairy tales and whirlwind adventures. With an unforgettable setting and an exceptional female protagonist, this literary fantasy is a spellbinding read.

RELATED CONTENT: Read a Q&A with Katherine Arden.

This article was originally published in the January 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Katherine Arden has created a coming-of-age story rooted in folklore, set in the Russian wilderness and surrounded by the magic of winter.

Fiction, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Suspense, Thriller

Science Fiction & Fantasy Mystery & Suspense Fiction Thriller Suspense Science Fiction

Pushed to the brink

Review by Barbara Clark

by Barbara Clark

In Normal, Warren Ellis’ exceptional new thriller, foresight strategist Adam Dearborn has just been admitted to a compound called Normal, located on the U.S. west coast. It’s where those who were previously hired to monitor Earth’s degrading civilization are sent when they’re so burned out they can no longer function, well, normally.

The word itself loses much of its meaning in a near-future world where surveillance is constant, and the Normal Head Research Station itself hardly seems a place of safety. One inmate describes the outside world as “a permanent condition of pervasive low-level warfare,” and explains, “We’ve all been sent mad by grief.” The patients at Normal have, they frequently say, spent too much time “gazing into the abyss.”

The compound is abuzz when there’s a bizarre murder the morning after Adam’s arrival. He noticed the strange figure of Mr. Mansfield the previous afternoon, lurking about the edges of Normal’s forest. But Mansfield is missing the next morning, gone from his room and seemingly replaced by a mound of hundreds of crawling insects.

Adam—no model of stability himself—begins a low-key quest to discover what exactly has happened, and whether there’s anyone in Normal who can be trusted. The compound’s inhabitants beguile each other with lies, hysteria or reclusive behavior, as they search for ways to cope with the loss of the normal society they remember. The search leads Adam to an area called Staging, the only place in the compound with access, through the Internet, to the outside. Staging could give access to some answers—or to something much worse.

It’s clear that things have gone badly wrong out in the wider world, where people are now constantly watched by interfering “microdrones.” Ellis excels by inference, offering a chilling picture of the emotional turmoil in a human society that’s come unhinged. More unsettling, at the end of the book, there’s a shocking description of the event that led Adam to untether from his own sanity.

This slim sci-fi mystery will puzzle, engage your senses and stick with you, maybe popping up days later when one of its passages resonates uncomfortably in the real world outside the book’s pages. Normal chills not by overt action or gory effects, but by slyly transporting readers outside their comfort zone, offering a look into a future that seems increasingly plausible after all.

Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, YA, YA Fiction

Science Fiction & Fantasy YA Fiction YA Science Fiction

An ambitious sci-fi tackles tough social issues

Review by Kimberly Giarratano

by Kimberly Giarratano

Set in distant space in a galactic empire, The Diabolic is narrated by Nemesis, a humanoid teenage girl born and bred to be a weapon. Her only job is to protect Sidonia, a senator’s daughter, which she will do at any cost. When Sidonia’s father is suspected of treason, the Emperor orders Sidonia to the capital as a hostage, but Nemesis goes in her place. Upon arrival, Nemesis quickly makes enemies, but she also forms a shaky alliance with the enigmatic Tyrus, who is playing his own dangerous political game. After a tragedy, Nemesis must put her life—and the fate of the empire—into the hands of people she doesn’t fully comprehend.

Nemesis isn’t the most compelling character here. That distinction goes to Tyrus, who has been brought up in a royal household lorded over by a ruthless grandmother akin to King Richard III. His methods of survival and his ability to strategize are impressive, leaving readers to wonder if he can really be trusted.

Like a Primanti Brothers sandwich, there’s a lot stuffed inside the covers of this book: political sabotage, intergalactic travel, planetary negotiations, chemical warfare, feminism, murder, romance and religion. This isn’t science fiction with an emphasis on science, even though a major theme of the book is how the empire manipulates religion and withholds technology in order to subjugate its people. It’s an ambitious page-turner fueled by plot twists, character deaths and high-stakes action.

Kimberly Giarratano is the author of Grunge Gods and Graveyards, a young adult paranormal mystery.

This article was originally published in the November 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Science Fiction, YA, YA Fiction

YA Fiction YA Science Fiction

Two sides of a story

Review by Jill Ratzan

by Jill Ratzan

Lyra is a replica, one of thousands of clones bred as research subjects at Haven, a top-secret medical research facility on an island off the coast of Florida. Gemma, once a sickly child but now a curious teen, longs to know about Haven and the secrets that her wealthy father might be hiding there. Both Lyra and Gemma are sure that these are the only lives they’ve ever known. And yet both have snippets of memories—a decorated cup, an unusual statue—that don’t quite fit. When an explosion destroys Haven, Lyra and another replica escape, and they soon connect with Gemma and her new friend Jake. As the four teens learn more about Haven and its terrible purpose, they find themselves chased across Florida by secret agents determined to silence them—and revisiting what they thought they knew about their own identities.

The ethics of biotechnology would be enough to make Replica a compelling read, but what truly makes it stand out is its narrative format: The book is arranged so that readers read one girl’s story and then must physically flip the book over to read the other’s. (In an author’s note, Lauren Oliver writes that each story can be read independently, or both can be read together in alternating chapters.) The two stories intersect, with mysteries in one solved by information in the other. Part adventure story, part narrative experiment and part reflection on what it means to be human, Replica forms a cohesive and satisfying whole.

Jill Ratzan matches readers with books in a small library in southeastern Pennsylvania.

This article was originally published in the October 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Fiction, Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Speculative Fiction

Science Fiction & Fantasy Fiction Speculative Fiction Science Fiction

The truest love connection?

Review by Carrie Rollwagen

by Carrie Rollwagen

Briddey has it all: a loving family, a great job and a boyfriend, Trent, who wants to get serious. She and Trent plan to take advantage of a scientific breakthrough, the EED: a medical procedure that connects the brains of two romantic partners so they sense each other’s feelings. No more dating guesswork, no more games, no more drama.

Of course, there are naysayers who think rigging the game of love is a bad idea. Briddey’s family is opposed to the procedure and overwhelms her with constant busybody texts trying to change her mind. Briddey’s weird, genius coworker warns of mysterious EED hazards that he won’t fully describe. And there’s the pesky fact that the EED only works if a couple is truly in love, so if the connection doesn’t form, you’re not soul mates.

Despite the risks, Briddey is eager to take the leap. In the whirlwind of surprises that follow, she battles not only her own demons, but also those of a few others. She becomes the target of a corporate giant, learns more about genetics than ever before, takes refuge in zombie fortresses and secret libraries, reconnects with her heritage and is surprised by her family’s love in a way she never thought possible.

Crosstalk is a fun technological fairy tale. It’s also a fable that asks us to question the nature of love and the ethics of technology. How much connectivity is too much? Are we too tangled together by social media and constant texting? Connie Willis, an award-winning science fiction writer (To Say Nothing of the Dog), addresses these questions and more with humor and wit. Crosstalk not only asks whether it’s possible to know and connect with another person completely, but also makes us reexamine whether it’s even healthy to try.

This article was originally published in the October 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Fantasy, Science Fiction & Fantasy, YA, YA Fiction

Science Fiction & Fantasy YA Fiction YA Fantasy

A world without books

Review by Norah Piehl

by Norah Piehl

Sefia has lived a lonely and haunted life, pursued for years by the mysterious forces that brutally killed her father and still seek the enigmatic object—the “book”—that has been entrusted to Sefia for safekeeping. When Sefia’s aunt Nin, the only person who knows the truth about Sefia’s family, is kidnapped, Sefia develops several goals: “Learn what the book was for. Rescue Nin from the people who killed her father. And get her revenge.”

Raised in a society where books and reading are unheard of, Sefia uses her mysterious book to teach herself to read—and by doing so, unlocks not only the power of story but also, possibly, her own marvelous abilities. Archer, a mute and damaged boy whose uncanny talents for fighting and killing may mark him as fulfilling a prophecy, aids Sefia along the way.

Traci Chee’s debut novel, set in a world full of secrets and power struggles, is a dense and rewarding opening to an exciting fantasy trilogy. “Look closer,” exhorts an inscription at the novel’s opening, and readers will feel inspired to look for hidden clues in this intricately and unconventionally structured fantasy novel.

This article was originally published in the September 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, YA, YA Fiction

Science Fiction & Fantasy YA Fiction YA Science Fiction

Fragile truth from lines in a book

Review by Justin Barisich

by Justin Barisich

BookPage Teen Top Pick, September 2016

Set in the fictional land of Canaan, The Forgetting follows one young woman’s journey to discover why all her neighbors forget who they are every 12 years—and how all their hard truths can be so easily bent.

In Canaan, if you don’t write down your memories in your book, you’re destined to forget them and lose all sense of identity. Nadia was just a toddler for her first Forgetting—when her father scratched himself out of her family’s books and abandoned them all. But Nadia knows what he did. While everyone else loses all memories after each Forgetting, Nadia secretly remembers everything, and she’s the only one who’s trying to make sense of their shared truth.

The next Forgetting is looming just weeks away, and Nadia has grown careless in her race against the clock to learn how to stop it. Gray, the glassblower’s son, catches her breaking the law as she hops the high walls of Canaan, and he demands to see the other side as well. As the two explore the world outside the walls together, their friendship morphs into a romance. But their true love may soon become fiction if they can’t solve the mysteries of Canaan before the next Forgetting.

The Forgetting is Sharon Cameron’s fourth young adult novel, and she’s grown adept at blurring the lines between fantasy, dystopian and science-fiction genres. Cameron reminds us, through Nadia’s documented memories, that we must learn to appreciate the truth as much as question it, exploring the morality tucked within the fallacy of memory.

Justin Barisich is a freelancer, satirist, poet and performer living in Atlanta. More of his writing can be found at littlewritingman.com.

This article was originally published in the September 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Science Fiction & Fantasy Fiction Fantasy

A long, strange trip

Review by Amanda Trivett

by Amanda Trivett

Drew Magary is a popular columnist for the sports blog Deadspin and correspondent for publications such as GQ. A recent study by the creators of Read It Later revealed his entertaining, brash articles as some of the most saved and shared across the web. His 2011 novel, The Postmortal, expanded his fan base by introducing him to the science fiction community. With his second novel, things get even stranger.

As a longtime fan of anything unusual and “weird,” I can easily conclude that The Hike is among the strangest books I have ever had the pleasure of reading. It begins normally enough: Our protagonist Ben checks into a hotel room for a business meeting and expects to be back in the arms of his loving family the next day. Of course, this doesn’t occur, and readers are sent along with Ben into the colorful (and sometimes horrific) imagination of Magary.

Ben starts walking a path, one that is as metaphorical as it is physical: a nightmarish fever dream of a quest that he must complete before being rewarded with a return to his former life. Styled after early video games and fantasy role-playing, the plot is generous with nods to its inspirational material. Fans of fantasy gaming will find something about which to smile knowingly on almost every page, but the book will appeal to any lover of colorful characters or an adventure stories. There are certainly deeper themes worthy of examination as well—questions of what is an “afterlife,” and just how much control humanity truly has over its own destiny.

While reading, I found myself repeatedly asking, “What the heck just happened?” before I took a moment to re-read, process and then accept that yes—this crazy thing had indeed just happened. True to its nature, the story stays unpredictable and weird right up to the climax. Magary’s book is a love letter to fans of gaming, fantasy and adventure, but above all, to open-minded readers who can relax and hang on for the ride.

Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Science Fiction & Fantasy Fiction Fantasy

Gathering intelligence from beyond the grave

Review by Gerry Paige Smith

by Gerry Paige Smith

Hidden in a warehouse, far removed from the trenches of war, Ginger Stuyvesant is holding hands with her circle and taking the final report from a soldier just returned from the front. The young private is relaying positions of the German artillery as he last saw them—just before the rounds from those guns killed him. It's 1916, and England has recruited Ginger and her fellow mediums as a formidable intelligence-gathering force, collecting postmortem reports from soldiers killed on the front lines. The Spirit Corps is England's secret weapon that is turning the tide of war in their favor.

The duty of communicating with the flood of souls reporting in before they pass beyond the veil is grim and exhausting, but Ginger finds refuge after hours with her fiancé, Capt. Benjamin Hartshorne, who is stationed near Spirit Corp operations. When Benjamin confides to Ginger that the Germans may have discovered the existence of the Spirit Corps, she fears the days are numbered for keeping their operation a secret. Her suspicions are confirmed when the murder of a soldier in camp reveals a German plot to discover the Spirit Corps' methods. When catastrophe soon follows, Ginger is propelled on a harrowing journey to the trenches of war to uncover the true nature of the enemy's mission against her and her fellow sensitives . . . and to resolve dangerously unfinished business.

Armed with three Hugo awards as well as multiple top-drawer accolades for her storytelling, Mary Robinette Kowal has knack for deftly integrating flavors of the fantastic into historical reality. This strength is highlighted as Kowal contrasts the honest perspective of departing souls, spirits unencumbered by convention, against the rigid military landscape and social hierarchies of the era. Ghost Talkers draws the reader through the shadows of death, into a world where service to your country sometimes extends beyond the grave.

Fantasy, Science Fiction & Fantasy, YA, YA Fiction

Science Fiction & Fantasy YA Fiction YA Fantasy

Down by the river

Review by Sarah Welch

by Sarah Welch

The Fobisher men have been tending the river for generations, keeping it clear of ice and weeds and hauling corpses from its depths. As soon as Wulliam turns 16, he will become the new Riverkeep. But, just a few days before his birthday, Wull’s father is pulled underwater, and when he surfaces, he’s no longer himself. Wull sets out in search of the mysterious sea-dwelling creature that may hold the key to saving his father.

Martin Stewart’s debut novel, inspired by the real-life Glasgow rivermen, is equal parts adventure, magic and a sweet tribute to growing up. New companions Mix and Tillinghast—who immediately throw Wull off course by claiming seats on his boat—add a necessary touch of comedy and camaraderie.

Stewart’s sharp prose fluctuates between laugh-out-loud funny and seriously poignant as Wull reconciles his sense of duty with his deep-seated yearning to help others. Though the narrative drags occasionally through convoluted subplots, Riverkeep is a perfect read for teens looking for a bit of adventure to end their summers.

This article was originally published in the August 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Fiction, Science Fiction, Suspense

Fiction Suspense Science Fiction

Walking between timelines

Review by Gerry Paige Smith

by Gerry Paige Smith

Physics professor Jason Dessen is content with the life he’s created for himself. Married 15 years to his first true love, he is a proud father to a teenage son and is teaching a subject he adores. But as he toasts the achievement of a fellow scientist on a night out, Jason can’t help but wonder what might have been had he focused on work instead of family. His reflections on the choices that led him to this moment blind him to the approach of an assailant, a stranger who is about to insert him into territory unknown in every sense of the word.

He later awakens in a world where Jason Dessen is a foremost authority in quantum physics, celebrated for his innovation in the exploration of alternate timelines. It’s also a world in which he never married his wife, a place where his son never existed and a reality where his life is threatened by those who want to control his work. Jason knows the odds of finding a way back to his true home, to the singular life that his personal choices generated, are dangerously small. But driven by love, Jason embarks on a terrifying journey to return to the place and the people he belongs with. And he must fight the worst of himself to get there.

Author of the trilogy that inspired the “Wayward Pines” television series, Blake Crouch is a proven master of crafting surreal “what-if” stories set against a landscape of normalcy. In Dark Matter, Crouch draws back the curtain that divides our day-to-day lives from frightening companion timelines, worlds that are just a single choice away from being our own reality.

With a finale that satisfies while leaving the reader with much to reflect on, Dark Matter is a brilliant beacon in the landscape of speculative thrillers.

This article was originally published in the August 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Debut Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Science Fiction & Fantasy Mystery & Suspense Fiction Fantasy Debut Fiction

Time-traveling, bookish thrills

Review by Lori K. Joyce

by Lori K. Joyce

In our world, librarians are a special type of hero, but the librarians in The Invisible Library dedicate their lives to saving works of fiction from alternate planes of the world.

In their quests to find the important works of fiction in different realities, Librarians spend many years training to master the Language, spoken and written magical words that are useful in telling doors to unlock or waters to rise up and flood hallways. The Language is often needed because while the Librarians feel they are preserving the books, the worlds where they take the books from believe they are stealing—a difference of opinion that leads to close calls and risky business.

The adventure begins for heroine Irene and trainee Kai when the book they need to bring back was stolen right before their arrival. In this alternate London of a vague 1890s timeframe, the world has been overtaken by a chaotic infestation. Fanciful creatures populate this dimension, and Irene and Kai need to puzzle out who the good guys are from the bad ones, all the while searching for the book that many parties are after. Vampires, dragons, the Fae and a rogue Librarian are just some of the creatures our heroes battle. Irene and Kai join forces with a detective with great powers of discernment á la Sherlock Holmes, and the biggest mystery is why the book is so valuable to so many parties.

The Invisible Library’s writing is on the wall. The premise and execution are too engaging for just one book, and this promises to be a series worth investing in for future reading. Genevieve Cogman’s debut will please bibliophiles and mystery, fantasy and adventure readers.

In our world, librarians are a special type of hero, but the librarians in The Invisible Library dedicate their lives to saving works of fiction from alternate planes of the world.

Dystopian Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Science Fiction & Fantasy Fiction Dystopian Fiction

A post-apocalyptic trilogy’s grand ending

Review by Amanda Trivett

by Amanda Trivett

Justin Cronin achieved international praise after the release of The Passage in 2010. Cronin’s capacity for detailed world-building and meticulous story architecture, not to mention his predilection for exposing some of humanity’s rawest fears, sent the novel straight up the bestseller list, and the second installment, The Twelve, followed in 2012. Now, the conclusion to this epic tale has been delivered in The City of Mirrors.

The novel opens with a studious look back on the time period immediately following The Twelve, through an artifact under study by a future populace (comprised of whom or what is unknown). Next, we enter the heart of the plot: After a significant reprieve from viral attacks, our surviving settlements assume that risk has been eliminated and over time begin branching out. Their assumption is proven gravely inaccurate via the intertwining narratives of our primary players: Peter, Michael, Alicia, Amy and, of course, Zero.

Cronin has a remarkable ability to span a millennium yet still keep his readers’ interest in the ultimate outcome at its peak. He excels at writing characters (human or viral) in such a way that you empathize in their humanity but also their monstrosity. You can’t help but be concerned with their fates, and Cronin fans will be ecstatic to find that the final entry in his trilogy leaves no loose ends. Everyone receives a worthy conclusion to their personal journey in this concluding volume.

The Passage Trilogy, as intimidating in length as it may be, is rewarding that investment with an incredible payoff. This final entry is a grandiose story deserving of an equally grand ending, and Cronin does not disappoint. Literary fiction fans, fantasy readers and horror aficionados alike will find something that speaks to them, whether it’s the beautiful language, the fascinating logistics behind post-apocalyptic survival or the mercilessness displayed by both humans and virals.

RELATED CONTENT: Read a Q&A with Justin Cronin.