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Happy Tuesday, shipmates! It’s Alex with… a surprising number of new releases for December. I seem to remember this time last year I was reviewing older indie book releases since December tends to be a bit of a dead zone for trad publishing. Maybe it’s the supply chain issues, delaying things all over the place. Whatever the reason, enjoy, and here’s some interesting links besides! Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you on Friday!
Let’s make the world a better place, together. Here’s somewhere to start: NDN Collective and Jane’s Due Process
New Releases
The Upper World by Femi Fadugba
Esso is having the worst week of his life… and then an accident lets him see beyond space and time, into the past and future. If what he saw is reality and not just a hallucination, however, he needs to change history if he wants to survive. In order to do so, he must seek out the help of Rhia, the student he’s supposed to tutor at physics, and with her unravel a fifteen-year-old mystery.
The Righteous by Renée Ahdieh
Odette faces her final death, and only the half fey Arjun Desai could possibly save her… if he’s willing to cross over into the Sylvan Vale, a world that he absolutely despises. This, he’s willing to do to save Odette; but unknown to him, Pippa Montrose is following his path between worlds on her own search for a friend… which may just help her find the love and security she’s been missing.
Cyber Mage by Saad Z. Hossain
Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2089 is a strange place where climate catastrophe has been averted by pumping a sufficient amount of nanotech into the people of this densely-populated city that it can sustain its own microclimate… if no one moves. But the people are getting restless, and all the nanotech is started to have some weird effects. This is the reason the mercenary Djibrel has to carry a machete with him at all times, because beheading someone is now the only way to make sure they’re actually dead. He’s trying to track down the Djinn, a race of magical super geniuses that have seemingly disappeared… and he’s being tracked by the Cyber Mage, a snotty, privileged teenager who also moonlights for a Russian crime syndicate.
No Beauties or Monsters by Tara Goedjen
Twentynine Palms is a military base in the Mojave Desert, and a place Rylie has been avoiding since he death of her father. There are too many memories and too many contentious relationships with both family and friends. Yet when she’s forced to return there due to her mom’s new work assignment, the place seems at least somewhat welcoming. But not everyone is happy to see her, there might be a killer on the loose, and Rylie starts having visions of monstrous creatures stalking the desert.
Absynthe by Brendan Bellcourt
Liam is a reclusive, shell-shocked veteran who has few memories of his time during the Great War… until he’s saved from a brutal attack at a Chicago speakeasy by Grace. Formerly, Liam was from a squad known as the Devil’s Henchmen, who were given experimental treatments to make them telepathic killing machines. As Liam tries to dig into his past and his newly-remembered powers, his former commander will stop at nothing to keep those secrets. And as the President of the United State, he’s got a lot more resources than Liam.
The Coldest Touch by Isabel Sterling
Elise is a Death Oracle who can experience how her loved ones will die with a single touch–she’s already proven it works by predicting and being unable to prevent her brother’s death. Claire is a vampire assigned to help Elise master her powers. It would be complicated enough already if the two girls, who are at first suspicious of each other then perhaps sliding toward romance, weren’t also sharing their town with a killer who also has paranormal powers.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
News and Views
How Afrofuturism Can Help the World Mend
Andrea Hairston and Sheree Renée Thomas will be hosting the Hugo Awards Ceremony
Ian Douglas: On Telling the Truth in Science Fiction
Interview withe Lawrence M. Schoen
The Evolution of Brandon Sanderson: How Elantris Planted the Sees for Future Cosmere Goodness
What accounts for the lasting appeal of Dune?
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Trailer!!!!
On Book Riot
Is YA Leading Diversity in Publishing?
The Worst Books to Bring on a First Date
This month, enter to win a pair of Airpods Pro and a personal reading retreat. Or, if you’re in Canada, you can enter to win a Waterproof Kobo!
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.