Homebound is one of those books that means to be marketed more heavily outside genre spaces than inside them, but after a couple of friends read and enjoyed it, I decided to grab a copy and give Portia Elan’s debut a try. Homebound takes place along several different timelines, with connections that become more clear… Continue reading Sci-fi Novel Review: Homebound by Portia Elan
This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The Republic of Memory was released on May 5, 2026. Short Fiction Book Club picked up “Memories of Memories Lost” by Mahmud El Sayed a couple years back, and it remains my favorite of… Continue reading Sci-fi Novel Review: The Republic of Memory by Mahmud El Sayed
This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Sublimation will be released on June 2, 2026. Isabel J. Kim burst onto the scene with the tremendous debut short story “Homecoming Is Just Another Word for the Sublimation of the Self.” Over the… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim
Sheepfarmer’s Daughter, the first book of The Deeds of Paksenarrion series, has vaguely been on my radar for a while, particularly in the last couple years since sharing a book club with a big Paks fan. And with Knights and Paladins on this year’s Bingo board, I decided to pick up Elizabeth Moon’s debut novel… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: Sheepfarmer’s Daughter by Elizabeth Moon
This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The Merge will be released on November 11, 2025. Over the last couple years of reading, it’s become very clear to me that I enjoy stories that play with memory in unusual ways.… Continue reading Sci-fi Novel Review: The Merge by Grace Walker
The Phoenix Pencil Company seems to have gotten more hype in general fiction circles than speculative fiction ones, but author Allison King caught my eye with her interview in Clarkesworld, and given my recent fascination with stories that play with memory and family, it moved up my TBR quickly. The Phoenix Pencil Company is essentially… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King
This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. These Memories Do Not Belong to Us was released on August 12, 2025. Over the past year or so, I’ve noticed myself immensely enjoying stories that play with memory in interesting ways. So… Continue reading Sci-fi Novel Review: These Memories Do Not Belong to Us by Yiming Ma
I don’t often dip into speculative literary fiction, and my success rate is low enough that even when I saw an intriguing review of Scott Alexander Howard’s debut novel The Other Valley—and I don’t even recall where—I approached with some trepidation. But I do like time travel stories, and my library had a copy, so… Continue reading Speculative Novel Review: The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard
This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon will be released August 8, 2023. Every once in a while, an author I’ve enjoyed immensely writes a book that doesn’t really sound like my thing, and… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi
This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The Deep Sky will be released on July 18, 2023. We’ve reached the end of Sky Week, which closes with the second consecutive space thriller review. Now I’m not usually one for space thrillers,… Continue reading Sci-fi Novel Review: The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei
