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Swords and Spaceships

Swords and Spaceships for May 11

Happy Tuesday, shipmates! It’s Alex with your regular selection of new releases and some SFF links. I just finished reading Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse, and all I can say is WOW. I’m not huge into epic fantasy, but this had me on the edge of my seat (or walking furiously on my treadmill while reading as the case may be) and I am dying for the next book. Cannot wait. Hopefully you’ve got a book that’s just as much of an eyeball-grabber going right now. (I also just watched the movie Nobody, which was also very fun but in a very different way. Think: Bob Odenkirk wanted to make a John Wick film.) Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you on Friday!

Thing that I loved this week: An oral history of Tom Holland’s sensation ‘Lip Sync Battle’ performance

Let’s make the world a better place, together. Here’s somewhere to start: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/ and anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co


New Releases

Note: The new release lists I have access to weren’t as diverse as I would have liked this week.

Sorrowland cover

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon (May 4)

A pregnant woman escapes from a religious compound to give birth to her twins in the woods. But cults don’t let go easily, and she’s forced to fight against that community and the outside world to defend her family–a battle that begins an uncanny metamorphosis of her body that can only be understood by facing the past.

Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa

Danso is a disillusioned scholar in the city of Bassa who wants only to escape his social and political obligations as one of the elite. He gets his wish when a skin-changing warrior named Lilong shows up wounded in his barn, claiming she’s from lands that everyone knows don’t exist and quickly dragging him into a world of magic and conspiracy.

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

Jessamyn Teoh is closeted, broke, and jobless, so she’s moving back to Malaysia, a country she hasn’t seen since she was a toddler, with her parents. When she starts hearing a voice in her head, at first she assumes it’s stress… but then she finds out it’s the ghost of her grandmother, who in life was the avatar of a god called the Black Water Sister. Grandma wants Jess to help her settle an old score with a local business magnate… whether she wants to or not.

We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker

A new brain implant called a Pilot is sweeping the nation, quickly going from a curiosity to a necessity to keep up with school or work. Soon all people face a choice: get a Pilot or be left behind. The new technology divides a family, setting Sophie against her parents and her brother… and then against the powerful manufacturer of the device.

Cover of A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark

A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark

Fatma is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities in 1912 Cairo, and she’s already prevented the destruction of the universe once. Now she’s called on to investigate a mysterious murder, one committed by someone who claims to be the famous al-Jahiz, who pierced the veil between magical and mundane realms 40 years ago, now returned to judge the world for its societal sins.

Angel of the Overpass by Seanan McGuire

Rose Marshall is the restless ghost of a girl murdered on her way to prom. She’s been after her killer, Bobby Cross, ever since, trying to find a way to destroy the seemingly immortal man. Now, with the destruction of the crossroads, Bobby is finally vulnerable… but Rose still isn’t going to be able to take him down by herself.

News and Views

Science Fiction Writers of America is running a silent auction through May 17

The 10 most bizarre weapons in sci-fi movies, ranked

A giant, inflatable Death Star beach ball!

Using lasers to create the displays of science fiction

Interview with Octavia Cade

Interview with Lance Olsen

There is more Sailor Moon coming and I am unspeakably excited

New tease for Stranger Things.

Resident Alien has been renewed for a second season. I’m SUPER EXCITED about this too, since I just started watching this one and it’s so great to get to see Alan Tudyk doing so much physical comedy. (And it’s got a lot going for it other than the comedy!)

A paper that is not science fiction: Seismic crustal imagining using fin whale songs

Did our ancestors kill all the island megafauna?

What cats’ love of boxes and squares can tell us about their visual perception

On Book Riot

Horror in strange pages: 6 creepy dark fantasy books

Enter by May 13 to win a copy of Lost Immunity. This month you can win an iPad mini, a one year subscription to Owlcrate, and a year of reading.


See you, space pirates. If you’d like to know more about my secret plans to dominate the seas and skies, you can catch me over at my personal site.