JASPER FFORDE The Constant Rabbit. Reviewed by Robert Goodman
In his latest novel Jasper Fforde departs from his famous Tuesday Next series and explores themes of fear and prejudice in Britain. It is not very far into The Constant Rabbit that readers familiar with Jasper Fforde’s work will know, without doubt, they are in a...
TED CHIANG Exhalation. Reviewed by Chris Maher
These new stories from award-winning author Ted Chiang challenge what we think about artificial intelligence, free will and other big questions. Ted Chiang made quite an impact in 2002 with his debut collection, Stories of Your Life and Others. The title story won a...
LAVIE TIDHAR By Force Alone. Reviewed by Robert Goodman
Lavie Tidhar reimagines the Arthurian myths in this new novel, foregrounding the quest for power over chivalry and romance. Israeli science fiction and fantasy author Lavie Tidhar has a wide and varied bibliography. He has won and been shortlisted for numerous...
NK JEMISIN The City We Became. Reviewed by Robert Goodman
NK Jemisin’s new novel is both an urban fantasy and a love letter to New York. NK Jemisin has come off her three-for-three Hugo wins for the Broken Earth trilogy with something completely different. The City We Became firmly puts the urban into urban fantasy,...
HAFSAH FAIZAL We Hunt the Flame. Reviewed by Amelia Dudley
Hafsah Faizal draws on Arabic culture in her first novel, spinning a tale of an evil forest, a lost jewel, and a magical quest. Love is for children, said the girl. Death is for fools, said the shadow. Darkness is my destiny, said the boy. Allegiance is my...
JULIET MARILLIER The Harp of Kings. Reviewed by Amelia Dudley
The author of the Sevenwaters series returns to the magic of ancient Ireland and the mysterious Otherworld in her latest novel. The Harp of Kings is the first in the new Warrior Bards series from Juliet Marillier. It is loosely connected to her Blackthorn and...
ANDREW HUNTER MURRAY The Last Day. Reviewed by Robert Goodman
The world has literally stopped turning in Andrew Hunter Murray’s dystopian thriller. Andrew Hunter Murray’s debut novel The Last Day is one of an interesting new strain of post-apocalyptic dystopian thrillers. Unlike standard cli-fi apocalypses that project...
LILI WILKINSON After the Lights Go Out. Reviewed by Amelia Dudley
An outback mining town is the setting for the apocalypse in Lili Wilkinson’s novel. In a parallel universe, a version of me gets to have a normal life, where ‘being prepared’ means bringing a cardigan… Pru’s father is a doomsday prepper. She and her twin sisters...
MARC-UWE KLING QualityLand. Reviewed by Robert Goodman
Marc-Uwe Kling’s satirical dystopia QualityLand is set in a world uncomfortably close to our own, where algorithms rule. Welcome to QualityLand by Marc-Uwe Kling (translated from the German by Jamie Lee Searle), the newest book in the over-the-top,...
LEIGH BARDUGO Ninth House. Reviewed by Robert Goodman
This adult novel from the bestselling YA author delivers fantasy on the dark side, inspired by real places. There are so many magical-academy-style books that they could probably form their own sub-genre. The Harry Potter series is probably the most popular and...
CLAIRE G COLEMAN The Old Lie. Reviewed by Michael Jongen
The award-winning author of Terra Nullius returns with an ambitious new novel melding speculative fiction, war and history. The Old Lie is probably the most satisfying novel I will enjoy this year. The title is from Wilfred Owen’s World War I poem ‘Dulce et Decorum...
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