Halfway Through the Year!
Hellooo!!!
A new dawn has broken! 112 blogs and reviews written, 21 interviews and quite a few books read. It’s been a very busy year on all fronts for me so thoughts soon go to summer, holidays and just perhaps you need some books? Fear not here are my selection of books well worth your time.
Horror
An excellent horror collection to grab hold of is Out There Screaming - An Anthology of New Black Horror edited by Jordan Peele where a fine collection of Black Horror writers such as Tananarive Due, NK Jemisin and more are assembled to give excellent shivering tales.
In further excellent eerie fiction we have Where The Dead Wait by Ally Wilkes with a tale of ships lost in a mysterious deadly part of the Arctic circle and darker human impulses. This cements Wilkes as a horror author to watch out for
The power of the letter is used as a basis for great horror in Dead Letters: Episodes of Epistolatory Horror Edited by Jacob Steven Mohr where writers create tales in reports, letters, texts and blogs and it works rather beautifully.
Another disquieting read for me was finally getting the chance to read Indigo by Graham Joyce where a colour that few ever see, invisibility and family secrets create something menacing
Witches, magic and ghosts all create a compelling family mystery in The Briar Book of the Dead by AG Slatter and I loved the main character who actually we meet as a woman without any magic skills in a family of many. Slatter continues to build beautiful stories and worlds to explore.
Another great author who always has a unique spin on a story awaits in What Feasts At Night by T Kingfisher where a unique set of characters go back home and find some very disturbing events that need discovery.
A spooky tale of marriage into the wrong family awaits in the period piece Those Who Dwell in Mordenhyrst Hall by Catherine Cavendish with cosmic horror awaiting.
A fascinating novella of hauntings and madness also awaits in the intriguingly named What Hides in The Cupboards by Cassondra Windwalker and yep those cupboards are scary!
I loved We Used To Live Here by Marcus Kliewer a book which gets creeprier as the world of the book itself changes before our eyes. truly memorable and troubling!
A sinister slice of modern folk horror awaits in the excellent Charlie Says by Neil Williamson which does indeed reference THAT safety ad! But also has a lot to say about modern Britain and on the nose too!
A classic feeling horror story but with an intriguing mystery awaits in The Horror by Seb Doubinsky but for some disturbing excellent folk horror I strongly recommend Lost In The Garden by Adam S Leslie and this is an author to keep an eye on,
One of the best horror anthologies this year that really creeped me out is the excellent For Tomorrow edited by Dan Coxon which uses a fictional school disaster in the 1990s to create something really special. While in collections a powerful set of weird tales await in the very interesting Hunting By The River by Daniel Carpenter. I also sing the praises of A Curious Cartography by Alison Littlewood an excellent collection of Littlewood’s powerful spooky tales.
Now not just one of the best horror novels of my reading year but also just one of the best I’ve read this year is The Reformatory by Tananarive Due a terrifying period tale of a young Black child imprisoned in a cruel and haunted prison for young young offenders. A gorgeous terrifying tale.
Thrillers
Terrorists in a hotel can seem old hat but the character led approach of Hotel Arcadia by Sunny Singh really stood out to me this year and is well worth hunting down
Another impressive tale is One of Us Knows by Alyssa Cole — Runalong The Shelves which has one chzrcetr who actually has mutliple personas within themselves. A facsinating mystery and approach that really stood out
Non-Fiction
I thoroughly as a blogger loved reading A Traveller in Time - The Critical Practice of Maureen Kincaid Speller edited by Nina Allan an excellent collection of an excellent critic’s reviews and essays on science fiction and fantasy. A fine tribute.
Women of Horror and Speculative Fiction In Their Own Words - Conversations with Authors, Editors and Publishers edited by Sebastien Doubinsky and Christina Kkona is a fascinating set of essay interviews with key women in the modern horror field about how they got into the genre, how they find it and what makes them play the parts they do in making great horror. A great informative collection.
I also highly recommend Writing The Future - Essays on Crafting Science Fiction edited by Dan Coxon and Richard V Hirst — Runalong The Shelves for a fascinating insight into SF writng and its history too
The real history of those people who sold their magical skills to help people from finding objects to love potions or murder awaits in the excellent and engrossing Cunning Folk: Life In The Era of Practical Magic by Tabitha Stanmore — Runalong The Shelves
Science Fiction
One of the most enticing and enigmatic reads this year is Three Eight One by Aliya Whiteley a tale of the future, a strange modern fantasy book and many mysteries to explore but perhaps never fully answer. A read that really changes the reader too as we go on an unforgettable journey.
I have loved the Fractal series a great set of SF thrillers with thoughts on artificial life, corporations and life off earth and this year saw a unique project of sic linked novellas all set in the same world it starts with Luna by Allen Stroud with 5 further novellas for you to get hold of
A really interesting tale of exploration and love is Star Pattern Traveller by Joyce Chng where a stranded space traveller finds herself on an advanced world of humanoid wolf-like aliens. A lovely read.
An apt reminder of the dangers of right wing autocrats awaits in The Disinformation War by SJ Groenewegen an intelligent quiet dystopia where people say enough is enough and fight back,
Subversive science fiction is always a joy for me and the unusual Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky delivers this is spades with political prisoners stranded on a truly alien world.
An excellent SF collection with inventive tales awaits in Elephants in Bloom by Cecile Cristofari
I has an amazing reading experience with Calypso by Oliver K Langmead epic verse tackled the creation of a new world and the settlement by humans. A magical read I strongly recommend!
The power of dystopia and a tribute to an SF classic awaits in The Utopia of Us: An Anthology Inspired by Yevgeny Zamyatin's We edited by Teika Marijia Smits filled with excellent stories
This year Womble entered warhammer with the very engaging Deathworlder by Victoria Hayward where mecenaries get more than they bvargain for ona deadly mission,
For something beautiful that gives the reader a unique view of the world go to the ISS with Orbital by Samantha Harvey its a beautiful piece of writing
There is a fascinating SF tale exploring education and class within the elegant The Practice, The Horizon, and The Chain by Sofia Samatar that really stood out to me this year.
For a unique spin on dystopia and also a tale that explores motherhood I was very impressed by Dry Lands by Elizabeth Anne Martins
For a very strong short fiction collection also ensure you ick up Convergence Problems by Wole Talabi filled with dazzling tales and slices of fantasy and horror to boot. I also strongly urge you to pick up Human Resources by Fiona Moore which has a vast amount of new worlds and our relationship with technology in impressive ways, There was also a fine collection of tales within the excellent To The Stars and Back - Stories in Honour of Eric Brown edited by Ian Whates honouring the passing of a lovely writer.
A hotel at the end of the world really stands out in the weird and eerie Termush by Sven Holm (translated by Sylvia Clayton — Runalong The Shelves that deserves its classic status.
And robots are played with and humanity’s obsession with work examined in the great Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky which really underlines Tchaikovsky is having a golden streak of storytelling at the moment.
Fantasy
The idea of a military hospital in a fantasy world is the crux of the fantastic House of Open Wounds by Adrian Tchaikovsky One of the best books of the year and unique, funny, satirical, intelligent and just a pleasure to read.
The Avatars of Ruin series returns with a war novel with Blood War by Tej Turner for action, surprises and some of the best teenage characters I’ve read in fantasy as they feel real!
African mythology, museum heists and godlike corporation all combine to create a unique smart story with Shigidi and The Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi with fascinating characters that I hope we meet again!
I do love my weirder side of fiction and the short tales contained within Animals at Night by Naomi Booth has beach trips, grief, strange neighbours and more to meet and explore. Rather gorgeous!
A great fantasy quartet completes with Pillar of Ash by HM Long concluding a series of tales where gods, warriors, priests battle to change the world
A sobering novella is The Invisible Girl by C L Farley which makes the reader look at the world though a main character who sees the world very differently, Also in novellas I loved the different spin on beauty and the beast Tanglewood by Knicky L Abbott set in the Caribbean and also touches upon real history. And I was bowled over the brilliant disquieting tale that is The Last To Drown by Lorraine Wilson set in Iceland on a remote beach.
This year I reread the excellent alternate historical fantasy Ash - A Secret History by Mary Gentle which is a stunning book full of surprises.
A magical forest but not a cosy one awaits in the excellent The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed reminding us that Mohamed is an author on fire at the moment.
For a unique tale the novella The Last Pantheon by Tade Thompson and Nick Wood has a fascinating spin on the idea of the superhero but this time weaved in to the history of Africa in the 20th century
A powerful dark fantasy tale of being haunted by your demons literally is Sorrowmouth by Simon Avery which stands out for being creepy and yet hopeful!
Invetive short fiction is to be found in the great Biopeculiar - Stories of An Uncertain World by Gigi Ganguly — Runalong The Shelves which weaves classic ideas in unexpected ways and creates something very new
And there is a sumptuous fantasy take of magic, magicians, gardens and politics to stick your teeth into with the excellent The Garden of Delights by Amal Singh
A deliciously wicked grimdark tale awaits you in In The Shadow of Their Dying by Michael R Fletcher and Anna Smith Spark where thieves and soldiers definitely have no honour,
Three great historical fantasies to look out for are the Song of the Huntress by Lucy Holland which delivers great characters and weaves myths in new ways. Then in Scotland gods and bargains await in The Heart of Winter by Shona Kinsella which also was a magical read. A further tale takes us to nearly 20th century China and Japan for a tale of shapeshifters and revenge in the great The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
It was great to return to a world of magic, gods and thieves with The Fire Within Them by Matthew Ward — Runalong The Shelves really building on the first book in this trilogy.
Who does not like dragons and a feast of them plus ghosts and truly unusual knight awaits in The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond
A truly inventive and surprising short fiction collection with bird detectives, curses and more awaits in Biopeculiar - Stories of An Uncertain World by Gigi Ganguly cementing Ganguly as a writer to watch.
One of the novels of the year is The Book of Love by Kelly Link where magical entities and young teens bargain and play games that do not go where you think it will. Another for me is in the very intelligent Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan that tackles themes of immigration and integration which fantasy tends to run away from.I also can confirm The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekerais truly deserving of all the praise a fascinating story of destiny, hidden worlds and truths and just goreous writing. But if I have a favourite to date its the awesome The Siege of Burning Grass by Premee Mohamed a beautiful surprising and fascinating anti-war tale with a memorable pacifist as the central character.
fear not I will have more books soon for you those shelves need filling! Have a great summer!
