We’ve reached the finals of the fourth annual Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC4), and the three finalists chosen on my team’s side of the bracket have been joined by three more from the other side. Over the course of the summer, we’ll be reading and scoring these three books that came with such glowing recommendations… Continue reading Sci-fi Novel Review: Whiskey and Warfare by E.M. Hamill
T. Kingfisher has been popular for a while, but her popularity has grown immensely in the last two years, where her Hugo wins for Best Novella and Best Novel has made her just the fourth person ever (and second named Ursula) to win Hugos in the Novel, Novella, Novelette, and Short Story categories. She also… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Inner Space will be released on July 15, 2025. Jakub Szamalek wasn’t an author I’d heard of before this year, but I’m always looking for intriguing books from outside the US, UK, and Canada,… Continue reading Sci-fi Novel Review: Inner Space by Jakub Szamalek
This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The Bewitching will be released on July 15, 2025. Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s period retelling The Daughter of Doctor Moreau was the biggest pleasant surprise in my 2023 Hugo reading. So when I saw she was… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Aliette de Bodard is a favorite in Hugo circles, but while I’ve read three of her previously shortlisted works, she’s an author that’s never really clicked with me. When the short standalone space fantasy Navigational Entanglements hit the Hugo shortlist for Best Novella, I had the opportunity for my fourth try. And while I still… Continue reading Science Fantasy Novel Review: Navigational Entanglements by Aliette de Bodard
I’ve been reading John Wiswell’s short fiction for about four years now, and I’ve liked it enough to vote him to win the Hugo Award twice (sadly, the broader electorate did not agree with me in either case). So I was intrigued when I saw he was writing a novel featuring his typical wholesome subversion… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell
This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Shroud was released on June 3, 2025. I’ve read a lot of Adrian Tchaikovsky over the past few years, though in light of his shockingly prolific output, it’s still only a tiny fraction of… Continue reading Sci-fi Novel Review: Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky
This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. A Rebel’s History of Mars will be released on June 10, 2025. I am known to be a sucker for a good suppressed history story, and I’ve enjoyed Nadia Afifi in shorter form, so… Continue reading Sci-fi Novel Review: A Rebel’s History of Mars by Nadia Afifi
This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. A Song of Legends Lost will be released on June 3, 2025. A Song of Legends Lost is a debut epic fantasy novel from M.H. Ayinde. While I don’t read as much epic fantasy… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: A Song of Legends Lost by M.H. Ayinde
The fourth annual Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC4) has advanced to the semifinals, where my team’s two semifinalists will join four others in one of the competition’s two semifinal groups, each of which will be read by multiple judging teams in order to select a top three to advance to the finals. I closed my personal reading for the round… Continue reading Sci-fi Book Review: Bisection by Sheila Jenné
