Reservoir Dogs meets The Shining in this scattered horror novel from Baxter (Sallow Bend). After a bank heist goes wrong, brothers James and Paul Glenn and their two accomplices hightail it to the wilds of New South Wales and take refuge at the Eagle Hotel, which is closed for the season. When six members of the Moore family, who own the hotel, show up to open shop, the robbers quickly—and violently—take them hostage. Much to their dismay, James and Paul soon discover that their hideout is imbued with a malignant presence that is ravenous for blood and catalyzed by the carnage they have brought to it. After establishing nail-biting suspense at the story’s outset, Baxter lets much of the tension dissipate by focusing on the trussed-up Moores as they descend into dithering self-reflection and scheme for an escape plan that never jells. A subplot involving 13-year-old Reuben Moore, who can converse with the dead through his gift of “the sight,” adds interest but does little to influence the outcome. The result is a promising premise that falters in execution. Agent: Becky LeJeune, Bond Literary. (July)

Reviewed on 05/10/2024 | Details & Permalink

Bestseller Grossman (the Magicians trilogy) turns his hand to Arthurian legends, delivering a breathtaking tale that honors past iterations while producing something entirely unexpected. Young Collum escapes the lordly household where he’s been raised, liberating a suit of armor and a steed in the process, and travels to Camelot, where he hopes to serve King Arthur. He arrives too late—Arthur has already fallen at the Battle of Camlann. The few knights left at Camelot know that others will come seeking the throne but aren’t sure what to do. Grossman interweaves stories of each knight’s past with the ongoing quest to find a worthy heir to Arthur’s crown, which takes them and Collum into the Otherworld in search of a holy lance. In his historical note, Grossman acknowledges that he is among the camp of Arthurian writers “who pick and choose what they like,” producing a work “full of a lot of authentic historical detail but also a lot of anachronisms and contradictions.” Indeed, Grossman has his own take on beloved characters: Sir Bedivere is in unrequited love with Arthur, witty Sir Dinadan is trans and learned swordcraft from a fairy, and Sir Palomides is secretly a prince of Baghdad. There’s even a hint that Collum may be something more than he first appears. Grossman does a remarkable job of pulling together these disparate strands while providing enough combat and magic to keep the pages turning. Epic fantasy fans will hang on every word. (July)

Reviewed on 05/10/2024 | Details & Permalink

In Ofori’s chilling debut, the recognition of the Ghanaian Year of Return—commemorating the 400th anniversary of the first enslaved Africans reaching the colony of Virginia—heralds the mass manifestation of the ghosts of those who did not survive the journey. Ghana-born journalist Adwapa, who’s traveled home from the United States for the occasion, is on hand to observe and document this phenomenon. The spirits he dubs Coasters appear in the ocean before making landfall and ultimately possessing select living individuals, bringing with them an overwhelming sense of depression and despair. As society reacts with confusion, fear, and lockdowns, Adwapa strives to record and understand the restless ghosts, especially after a girl named Gyebiwaa possesses his mother. Ofori brings the setting to vivid life, but her narrator is more observer than protagonist, which keeps the reader somewhat at arm’s length. Still, this stark tale impressively probes the complex emotions surrounding the history of the slave trade, exploring guilt, trauma, and culpability. It’s a powerful, unflinching ghost story that feels as though it’s only scratched the surface of Ofori’s talent. Agent: Bieke van Aggelen, African Literary. (May)

Reviewed on 05/10/2024 | Details & Permalink

The thought-provoking final novel from Heinlein Medalist Flynn (1947–2023) speaks volumes through its formidable application of hard science fiction principles to softer sociology. Following 2013’s In the Lion’s Mouth, Flynn sets this meditation on human corruptibility within a hollowed-out asteroid, the Whale, on a centuries-long journey to colonize the planet Tau Ceti. Now several generations into the voyage, the Whale has suffered the “Big Burnout.” A tenth of the ship has been largely abandoned by its 40,000 other inhabitants, whose diverse ancestors were initially selected for the voyage to avoid inbreeding. But stratification of the Whale’s population has set in, with selfish actions of the privileged classes fueling rebellion in their underlings and threatening the entire enterprise. Flynn’s rapid cuts between his main characters—an upright detective, doomed young lovers, unscrupulous politicians, a resourceful NCO—provide a captivating human panorama of this city-in-a-ship, while his convincing scientific lore reveals fascinating what-ifs about space travel and colonization. Pursuing humanity’s redemption to its final interstellar frontier, Flynn delivers an impressive and original epic. (July)

Reviewed on 05/10/2024 | Details & Permalink

In this ambitious sophomore novel, Askaripour (Black Buck) casts a young woman as a sorcerer’s apprentice in a dastardly scheme to “reset” the world. In 2529, Sweetmint is the first Invisible to work for the Northwestern Hemisphere’s Chief Architect, Tenmase, an elderly eccentric who has been instrumental in upholding apartheid policies that separate the Invisibles from the visible Dominant Peoples. Fast-thinking and a decent tennis player, Sweetmint impresses Tenmase, who shares with her his half-baked plan to remake Northwestern society. After someone murders Northwestern’s religious head honcho, suspicion falls on Sweetmint’s brother, Shanu, who disappeared several years earlier, and Sweetmint sets out on a dangerous quest to find and protect him. She must first locate the parents who abandoned her and Shanu as babies and then navigate a labyrinth of arcane alliances, including the Rainbow Girls (her former classmates who paint themselves visible so they can work as prostitutes) and underground rebels who call themselves Children of Slim. Meanwhile, two Local Managers vie to become Northwestern’s next Chief Executive, Tesmane’s real identity is revealed, and violence simmers between the Invisibles and the Dominant Peoples. Askaripour crafts a plot so intricate and twisty it occasionally leaves the reader on the sidelines. At it’s best, however, this energetic, speculative deconstruction of colonialism feels like watching an expert put together a 1000-piece jigsaw. (July)

Reviewed on 05/10/2024 | Details & Permalink

Taking a page from the classic naval novels of C.S. Forrester and Alexander Kent, debut novelist Carpenter opens his Tides of Magic series by tossing a mage and a commander into a series of entertaining nautical escapades in a fantasy setting reminiscent of the French Revolution. Enid, Marquise d’Tancreville, flees the Theocratic Republic that now rules her homeland. Aiding her escape, Capt. Rue Nath of Albion offers Enid the post of mage aboard his ship, the Alarum. A successful commander responsible for the daring capture of many enemy vessels, Nath has a harder time navigating the political waters of the Admiralty. Carpenter supplies all the required elements—witty banter, swashbuckling action, dramatic speeches, wild weather—and throws in a dash of magic to spice up the briny brew. The two leads display enough vulnerability and flaws to keep readers from being too certain of their victories. Carpenter’s off to a promising start. Agent: Caitlin Blasdell, Liza Dawson Assoc. (July)

Reviewed on 05/10/2024 | Details & Permalink

Hamill (A Cosmology of Monsters) returns with a dark and enchanting account of four friends whose dabbling in the supernatural as teenagers threatens their present happiness. In the 1990s, Hal, Athena, Erin, and Peter discover the Dissonance, which enables them to transform negative emotions into great feats of magic, and form a power-hungry coven. In 2019, now adults and their coven dissolved due to some unstated disaster, the friends must reckon with the consequences of their impulsive adolescent actions. Toggling between the two timelines to tease out what happened between now and then, Hamil weaves a tale of magic, teen angst, the power of enduring friendship, life in small-town America, sexuality, and the use of religion (in this case, Christianity) as a tool of subjugation. As the friends learn more of what they are capable of, they also discover what, and who, is behind the forces of Dissonance, building to a shocking conclusion that will change them forever. Fantasy readers won’t want to put this down. Agent: Kent Wolf, Neon Literary. (July)

Reviewed on 05/03/2024 | Details & Permalink

In this overwrought debut, visual artist Pechaček crafts a medieval fantasy with shades of Alice in Wonderland and The Tombs of Atuan. Pell is an apprentice from the Black Tower, whose wimple-wearing women attend all births and deaths in a strange, four-cornered land ruled by ancient houses. When the guardian of the West Passage dies in her sleep, Pell steals a book from her room, triggering a sudden, endless Winter. As crops fail and serfs starve, she embarks on a quest to repair her misdeed. Meanwhile, young Kew, who was the guardian’s next-in-line but was never officially appointed, sets out on a parallel quest to warn the great houses that the mythical Beast is planning a return through the unguarded passage. The narrative alternates between Kew’s and Pell’s adventures, including encounters with bizarre creatures (such as an owl schoolmaster who keeps awkwardly laying eggs) and the giant, ancient ladies of the houses whose old vendettas form fault lines in the land’s jagged history. Pechacek uses broad brushstrokes to paint a world in decay. Though he provides plenty of asides explaining the complex lore, the worldbuilding gets in the way of plot and character development, leaving the protagonists feeling thin despite some quirky Canterbury naturalism. Through all the clutter, it’s hard to connect to the story. (July)

Reviewed on 05/03/2024 | Details & Permalink

Grant (Where All Is Night, and Starless) crafts an awkward frame narrative to connect an otherwise delightful collection of stories that ably straddle the line between horror and historical fantasy. That frame, following the struggles of queer Black gallery owner Marcus Evanche in 2015 Camden, England, feels oddly disjointed from the short tales, 1970s escapades narrated by white art critic and appraiser Justin Margrave. The best entries focus on female vengeance, as in “The Madness of Queen George,” in which a sculptor seeks revenge for her brother, who died of an overdose, and “The Smoke Market,” about a pottery workshop that offers curious protection to the battered women who work there. Other tales take their cue from The Wicker Man and focus on haunting folk traditions, among them “The Beasts of Kemberdale,” “Elk Boys,” and “The Children of Angles and Corners.” Throughout, Grant offers a nuanced and sympathetic portrait of British gay life from the late 1940s to the days of Thatcher. While the twist bringing together Margrave’s past and Evanche’s present falls flat, the short stories themselves are well worth reading. Grant’s fans will find plenty to enjoy. (July)

Reviewed on 05/03/2024 | Details & Permalink

YA author Brennan (In Other Lands) hooks readers from page one of her spellbinding adult debut. Rae, who has cancer, delights in having her sister Alice read from their favorite fantasy series, Time of Iron, in her hospital bed. One night, she dreams of a mysterious woman from the world of the series, who offers her a cure. All Rae has to do to be cancer-free is enter the books and pluck the Flower of Life and Death. But if she fails, she’ll die in her earthly body and wind up trapped in the story forever. Rae takes the deal and is transported into Time of Iron—in the role of villainess Rahela Domitia. Arriving in medias res, she must evade execution or risk dying in both worlds. Brennan has a lot of infectious fun with her meta conceit, and as Rae interferes with the plot she knows so well, the stakes ratchet up and the story takes some unexpected turns. Readers won’t be able to turn the pages fast enough. (July)

Reviewed on 05/03/2024 | Details & Permalink