ANDREW NETTE and IAIN McINTYRE (eds) Dangerous Visions and New Worlds: Radical science fiction 1950 to 1985. Reviewed by Michael Jongen
Dangerous Visions and New Worlds explores how science fiction reflects the times in which it is written. In this lavishly illustrated collection of essays, Nette and McIntyre take a third loving look at the era of pulp fiction, following on from their Girl Gangs,...
NOAH HAWLEY Anthem. Reviewed by Robert Goodman
The author of Before the Fall has created a grim vision of the near future in this fast-paced new novel. Noah Hawley is angry and a little bit scared of the future, especially on behalf of his children. Those familiar with his previous book Before the Fall could not...
SARA FOSTER The Hush. Reviewed by Emma Foster (no relation)
An unsettlingly plausible near-future UK provides the backdrop for Sara Foster’s dystopian thriller, The Hush. In Sara Foster’s seventh novel, the world is emerging from years of pandemic lockdowns; the threat of food scarcity, economic turmoil and climate...
CATHERYNNE M VALENTE The Past is Red. Reviewed by Robert Goodman
Catherynne M Valente’s new novel focusses on hope and resilience while asking what future generations will make of our wasteful ways. Just when you think the post-apocalyptic narrative might have become a bit stale, along comes Catherynne M Valente to blow it...
LEIGH BARDUGO Rule of Wolves. Reviewed by Amelia Dudley
Leigh Bardugo continues to enthral with the latest in her series of novels set in the world of the magical Grisha. In this, her seventh Grishaverse novel, a sequel to King of Scars, Leigh Bardugo captures the heart and imagination anew as she expands further on the...
CLARE MOLETA Unsheltered. Reviewed by Linda Godfrey
Clare Moleta’s novel canvases big questions as a mother searches for her child in a hostile landscape. The opening scene of Clare Moleta’s debut novel describes two farmers standing in the rain. Their daughter runs towards them – she’s scared; she’s five years...
ANDRZEJ SAPKOWSKI The Tower of Fools, Book 1 of the Hussite Trilogy. Reviewed by Amelia Dudley
The bestselling author of the Witcher novels turns to history in The Tower of Fools, the first instalment of his latest epic series. Andrzej Sopkowski’s new historical fantasy trilogy is set in fifteenth-century Eastern Europe during the Hussite wars (the Hussites...
MAX BARRY The 22 Murders of Madison May. Reviewed by Amelia Dudley
The author of Lexicon returns with a new novel of multiple murders and multiple worlds. ‘I hate that you make me do this’, he said, and even as she struggled, she could see that he did indeed look regretful, like a man forced to put down a pet dog, one he’d loved that...
MARIA LEWIS The Rose Daughter. Reviewed by Amelia Dudley
Aurealis award-winner Maria Lewis has created an imaginative world that is both compelling and addictive. ‘All the best characters have scars…not just the villains.’ Set in a fantasy universe shared with her other novels, but still satisfying as a standalone read, The...
KAZUO ISHIGURO Klara and the Sun. Reviewed by Paul Anderson
Kazuo Ishiguro’s latest novel is as much about what it is to be human as it is about artificial intelligence. Klara and the Sun is Kazuo Ishiguro’s first novel since he was awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Literature. He touches on AI towards the end of his Nobel...
DAN FREY The Future is Yours. Reviewed by Robert Goodman
Dan Frey’s novel is both a critique of Silicon Valley and an exploration of what it might mean if we really could see into the future. Time travel is one of the most persistent and fun tropes in science fiction. The list of time travel books, TV shows and movies...
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