Author: Jenn Northington

Happy Friday, friends! This week I’m reviewing Company Town and Heart Forger, and we’re talking about the Hugo Award nominees, time travel, adaptation news, and more.

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This newsletter is sponsored by Shattered Roads, first in a brand-new series from Alice Henderson.

In a future laid waste by environmental catastrophe H124 has one job: dead body removal. She keeps her head down and does as she’s told, until one night H124’s routine leads her into the underground ruins of an ancient university. Buried within it is an alarm set up generations ago sharing a terrifying warning of an extinction-level asteroid hurtling toward Earth.

But H124’s warning is not only ignored, it’s considered treason. H124 is hunted—and sent fleeing beyond the shield of her walled metropolis. In the weather-ravaged unknown, her only hope lies with a rebellious faction of survivors. She has no other choice: the end of the world is near.

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The Hugos are coming! Or rather, the finalists have been announced. You’ll recognize a lot of the titles from the Nebula nominees. And this could be the award season that makes SF/F history! The first and second books in NK Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy won Hugo Awards for Best Novel in 2016 and 2017, respectively. If The Stone Sky wins this year’s award, it will make Jemisin the first author in history to win the Hugo Award for Best Novel three years in a row. I probably don’t have to tell you that I’m rooting for this, for so many reasons but most of all because The Stone Sky is one of the best third books in a trilogy I’ve ever read.

Neil Gaiman adapting Mervyn Peake: Gormenghast is coming to TV! I still have not read these. Adding it to the pile of SF/F books being adapted that I will get around to when I have a chance…

Let’s talk about time travel. I really enjoyed this explainer video that explores the different mechanisms in SF/F, including Time-Turners and Back to the Future.

Did you see A Wrinkle in Time? Many of BR’s contributors did, and they’ve got feelings about it. I also saw it and while I have some quibbles, I really enjoyed it overall — and if there’s any justice in this world, Storm Reid will be the next Emma Watson.

Today in tabletop gaming: I’m only familiar with Critical Role from the many gifs of it I’ve seen on Tumblr, but this post might finally push me to watch it.

Looking for good and cheap ebooks? The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula Le Guin, my personal favorite starting point for her work, is on sale for $3.99 this month. Also on sale for $2.99 is Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, which Robin Sloan memorably declared America’s great sci-fi novel on Recommended.

Today in reviews, we’ve got serial killers and necromancy, but thankfully not at the same time.

Company Town by Madeline Ashby

Company Town was my first introduction to Ashby’s work; consider me intrigued. It’s a dense, multi-layered, action-packed novel with a near-future premise that feels completely possible as well as original. I originally picked it up because it was a Locus Award finalist in 2017, and I can see why.

The book follows Hwa, one of the last people in the community living on an offshore oil rig to remain genetically unaltered. She was born with a syndrome that has disfigured her face and left her with a large birthmark and a seizure disorder, and while bio-modification might benefit her she has turned it into an asset. Her lack of engineering means that she’s basically invisible to her city’s surveillance systems, which grants her certain advantages. She works as a bodyguard to the sex-workers in the community, until a corporation purchases the rig and hires her to protect the owner’s teenaged son Joel. Not only is Joel in danger, but someone is murdering her old clients.

Company Town is both a whodunnit, an exploration of vulnerable and marginalized populations, and a science fiction story that gets stranger as it goes along. Months after reading I’m still trying to decide how I feel about the ending, and I’m not the only one; if you look up reviews, you’ll see that everyone has thoughts. It’s an ambitious novel, and one that I wish I had read with a group; maybe try to talk your book club into reading it along with you.

The Heart Forger (The Bone Witch #2) by Rin Chupeco

You might recall my gushing about The Bone Witch when it came out last year; I’ve been eagerly awaiting the next installment, and I am here to tell you that I was not disappointed.

Tea is a necromancer in a world that both needs and fears her, and The Bone Witch inhabited two timelines: Tea’s present attempts to build an undead army of demonic creatures, and the road to how she got there. The Heart Forger continues with this structure, as Tea takes her army on the road and begins to reveal her plans. While we’re still finding out exactly how things have come to this point, the alternating chapters play off each other in new and interesting ways. Heart Forger also continues the world-building of Bone Witch a bit but focuses primarily on plot, and the pacing moves along much more quickly. Those who loved Bone Witch for its lush details may miss the exposition; those who wanted more action will get it, and how.

There were a few bits of character and plot development that left me scratching my head, but overall the series continues to be inclusive, compelling, and readable. And while a few major questions are finally answered, there are miles to go before we get to the end. So now I’m left hungrily awaiting Shadowglass; join me, won’t you?

And that’s a wrap! You can find all of the books recommended in this newsletter on a handy Goodreads shelf. If you’re interested in more science fiction and fantasy talk, you can catch me and my co-host Sharifah on the SFF Yeah! podcast. For many many more book recommendations you can find me on the Get Booked podcast with the inimitable Amanda.

Your fellow booknerd,
Jenn

Happy Friday, Ents and aeronauts! Today we’ve got reviews of My Soul to Keep and The Merry Spinster, plus scary stories, elves, Ready Player One looks, and more.

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This newsletter is sponsored by Baker Publishing Group.

Vulnerable and weakened by grief after a terrible loss, Hyam has been struck by a mysterious illness that threatens to claim his life. Seeking to help Hyam and restore the realm, Queen Shona travels to Hyam’s remote hometown to find answers.

Dally has always had abilities far beyond those of a normal human—far-seeing and magic come naturally to her. Before the arrival of Shona and her army, Dally had always kept her abilities secret. But with an ancient evil bearing down on her village and the fate of the realm hanging in the balance, the orphaned servant girl steps forward to do what no one else can. Will the battle claim more than Dally is willing to give?

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Happy 50th birthday, Saga! Or more correctly, happy 50th issue. I am just one of many readers for whom Saga marked a return to reading comics, particularly in issues. And while I’m not currently caught up, this is a good reminder to pick up where I left off and continue the rollercoaster that is Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples f***ing with our emotions.

Put it in the freezer! Or, if you like horror, take it out — here are nine SF/F books to scare you. Despite being a total horror wimp, I have read most of these and can cosign their inclusion.

Let’s talk about elfpunk. Is it a thing? Abby makes a strong case, and I too can remember the desperate library searches for anything similar to War for the Oaks. And to be quite frank, I’m a fan of any list that includes that bonkers Gael Baudino cover.

Ready for Ready Player One? I myself have very mixed feelings about it (and this Vox article does a great job breaking them down), but I know lots of fans of the book. And for you, I give you this round-up of gear to get ready for the movie!

I did not know when the Gondorian New Year was before reading this post but now I definitely want to make this A Thing.

And last but not least I absolutely ADORE this post about what a wizarding school in South Florida would be like.

And now, onto the reviews. They are both dark and twisty, just like this spring’s weather. Heyo!

My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due

Trigger warning: harm to children

I have finally read my first Due! And through the grace of “this one is available from the library now,” I managed to pick the perfect one for me. My Soul to Keep is hard to classify — a little horror (it opens with a murder and goes on from there), a little science fiction, a little fantasy. Paranormal is probably the label that fits it best, but you can decide for yourself. Regardless of where you shelve it, it belongs on your bookcase.

My Soul to Keep follows Jessica, a reporter who is also a wife and a mother, and her husband David, who happens to be a millenias-old immortal. Not that she’d know! They met when she was in college and he was just her Spanish professor. She knows that he’s a devoted husband and father; almost too devoted, always wanting more of her time. She thinks her biggest problem is balancing her work ambitions with the demands of family life; little does she know! A series of murders surrounding Jessica attract the attention of other immortals, and she starts to learn the truth about her marriage. David, in the meantime, has to decide what he can and can’t tell her — and what he’s going to do next.

My Soul to Keep plays with many of the same questions as the previously reviewed Eternal Life by Dara Horn: how do you reconcile immortality with religion? What does family mean to an immortal? But Due is also examining what it looks like to be a black man who cannot die, who lives through slavery, through the rise and fall of empires. She also injects a hefty does of action and gore. This book is a page-turner and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next in the series (although you could read it as a stand-alone).

The Merry Spinster by Mallory Ortberg

Note: Ortberg has recently announced his transition to Daniel, but the book is published under Mallory. 

If you’re a fan of retold fairytales, twisted fairytales, the Brothers Grimm, Ortberg’s “Children’s Stories Made Horrific” series, Kelly Link, Karin Tidbeck, or all of the above, you need to pick up The Merry Spinster immediately. With stories that reference everything from The Bible to The Velveteen Rabbit to Donald Barthelme (with a helpful guide in the back!), Ortberg takes us to dark and twisty places that some of us might prefer not to visit, but that are so worth it.

I say they’re dark, and I mean it — I had to skim “The Rabbit”, because body horror is really and truly not my jam. But they’re also slyly funny, and very heartfelt. “Fear Not: An Incident Log” which is based on the book of Genesis had me laughing out loud. Her take on The Little Mermaid made me want to stand up and applaud, and “Good Fences Make Good Neighbors” had me tearing up. Ortberg is also exploring sexuality, gender and gender roles, love, family, abuse, gaslighting, obligation, and friendship. There’s a lot going on here, and in less than 200 pages, which means there’s a lot to love.

And that’s a wrap! You can find all of the books recommended in this newsletter on a handy Goodreads shelf. If you’re interested in more science fiction and fantasy talk, you can catch me and my co-host Sharifah on the SFF Yeah! podcast. For many many more book recommendations you can find me on the Get Booked podcast with the inimitable Amanda.

These might be the droids you’re looking for,
Jenn

Happy Friday, jumbies and Jaegers! Today I’ve got reviews of Beasts Made of Night and the Paradox series, The Kitchies shortlist, Harry Potter cakes, historical fantasy, and more.

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This newsletter is sponsored by Epic Reads.

From bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima comes a fantasy series full of dark magic and unforgettable characters.

Ash has a gift of magic—and a thirst for revenge. He’s on a quest to kill the cruel king of Arden. Jenna Bandelow was told that the magemark on her neck would make her a target. But when the king launches a search for a girl with a mark like hers, she assumes its due to her role as a saboteur. As their paths collide, Ash and Jenna are united by their hatred of the king. But the hidden truth of Jenna’s mysterious magemark could risk not only their mission, but their lives.

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Need to wear your love of genre? We made a shirt for that. I’ve already ordered mine!

Love history AND fantasy? We’ve got a list for you! And here I thought I knew them all; glad to have Bohemian Gospel to add to my stack.

In awards news: The Kitschies (which is tentacle-themed, in case you didn’t know) have announced their shortlist, and personal fav The Black Tides of Heaven has made the cut!

Not just for kids, not just for grown-ups: I’ve been reading more SF/F kids’ books, possibly because of all the buzz over A Wrinkle in Time (it’s as good an explanation as any) and Priya has an interesting take in this short story round-up.

Here’s a deep cut: A firefighter contemplates the best way to fight dragons. This is my kind of nerdery, y’all.

Eat your fandom with Harry Potter-inspired cakes! BRB I need to make some Snitch cakepops.

Find your fairytale avatar with our handy quiz (also, everyone go read The Merry Spinster). I got the Little Mermaid and I am still not sure how I feel about it.

Today in reviews, we’ve got sins made manifest and space mercenaries.

Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi

Do you love scrappy, snarky teenagers with magical powers? How about royalty and their power struggles? How about fantasies inspired by Nigerian culture? Have I got a book for you!

Our hero Taj is a disillusioned street urchin, who also happens to be the best aki (sin-eater) in the city of Kos. The upper classes hire mages to manifest their sins, which are then battled and eaten by aki like Taj, and he’s survived longer than any other in memory. When he gets called to the palace, he thinks maybe he’ll actually get a decent payday. What he actually gets is landed smackdab in the middle of a struggle for the throne, and no one is to be trusted.

While plot and action rule the day in Beasts Made of Night, it’s also a detailed, immersive reading experience. Onyebuchi gives us cuisine, adventures through the many different sections of the city, and a look at the daily lives of its citizens. Readers of Nnedi Okorafor and/or familiar with Nigeria will recognize many elements, and Onyebuchi plays with them in fun and magical ways.

Fair warning: this book ends mid-battle, on one doozy of a cliff-hanger, and the sequel Crown of Thunder isn’t out until October of 2018.

The Paradox series by Rachel Bach (Fortune’s Pawn, Honor’s Knight, Heaven’s Queen)

For all y’all also feeling snow-bound and brain-dead, I’ve got your escapist sci-fi right here. It’s a military space opera whodunit with a romance and lots of mech-armor-enhanced punching!

Deviana Morris is a mercenary, and a good one at that. She’s been climbing the ranks as quick as she can, aiming at a coveted position as body guard to the Emperor. To further her ambitions, she takes on a job on one of the most dangerous ships in the galaxy, to load herself up on experience and cred. But (SURPRISE) the crew of the Glorious Fool are not who they appear to be, and Devi has to reconsider what she knows about her world. And shoot/stab/punch/kick a lot of people while doing it!

To tell you anything about the plot of Honor’s Knight and Heaven’s Queen would be to spoil things, so I won’t. Instead I will say that those who have drawn parallels to Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, and other found-family space opera are not far off. There’s a reason this trope is so popular, and Rachel Bach clearly loves it as much as the rest of us. I lost a weekend to this series, and I wasn’t sad about it.

And that’s a wrap! You can find all of the books recommended in this newsletter on a handy Goodreads shelf. If you’re interested in more science fiction and fantasy talk, you can catch me and my co-host Sharifah on the SFF Yeah! podcast. For many many more book recommendations you can find me on the Get Booked podcast with the inimitable Amanda.

So say we all,
Jenn

Happy Friday, intrepid adventurers. This week includes reviews of Blake, or The Huts of America and The City of Brass, a primer for solarpunk, complete fantasy series, Afrofuturism, and more.

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This newsletter is sponsored by The Glass Blade, the first book in the brand new Hunters of Infinity series from Ryan Wieser.

The Hunters of Infinity, an elite brotherhood of warriors, have protected the galaxy for as far back as anyone can remember. When a fierce and enigmatic young woman named Jessop saves Hunter Kohl O’Hanlon, the brotherhood breaks tradition for the first time in their history and invites a woman into their elite training facility. But Jessop is hiding dark secrets and a mysterious past that may threaten not just the Hunters but the entire Daharian galaxy…

If you’re looking for a Sci-Fi space opera with a fierce female warrior then you can’t miss Ryan Wieser’s The Glass Blade!

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International Women’s Day has passed, but this list of women writing in speculative fiction is still a great one! I’ve read eight of the 19 and hope to get to the rest ASAP.

What is solarpunk and should you care? I started seeing references to solarpunk for a few months ago, mostly in reference to international literature, and the LARB recently did a piece on it, so it looks like it’s gaining traction. The short version is that it is art, including fiction, that imagines sustainable futures; no dystopia here. There’s a reference guide on Medium that goes back to 2008, and has lots of interesting links. I’m hoping to dive in soon; I’ll keep you posted.

More South Asian speculative fiction: This post series continues, and I’m so excited! I’ve read a handful of these writers, but can’t wait to dive into more.

Let’s talk about Afrofuturism: Tochi Onyebuchi (author of Beasts Made of Night, which I thoroughly enjoyed) discusses the history, present, and future of Afrofuturism, including Black Panther, Janelle Monae, Nnedi Okorafor, and more.

Enough with cliffhangers! Looking for a series that’s already done? Here are some YA fantasy series that you won’t have to wait for.

Do you love Zelda? You might also love these Zelda-esque books.

Unicorns, unicorns, everywhere: And they can be yours! I’ll be over here drooling over those gorgeous prints.

Today in reviews, we’ve got a pair of cliffhangers. Sorry not sorry!

Blake, or The Huts of America by Martin R. Delaney

I’ve been working my way slowly (VERY slowly) through Nisi Shawl’s Crash Course In the History of Black Science Fiction, and the first book on the list is Blake. I read it along with a group, albeit one in which everyone went at their own pace, which I highly recommend. It’s not an easy read, but it was a fascinating one.

Blake follows an escaped slave named Henry Blake through the southern United States and Cuba as he plots a massive insurrection and works to bring others into the cause. Originally published serially by Anglo-African Magazine and the Weekly Anglo-African, it was collected into book form in the 1970s. The writing style reminded me of nothing so much as The Count of Monte Cristo — it’s a very classical style, and one in which philosophical musings are given as much weight as the plot. Delaney also captures the various dialects of the time among the Southern inhabitants, which can take a bit of getting used to but is so effective at evoking the characters and settings. The planned ending is lost, which means that the book ends on an eternal cliffhanger: we’ll never know Henry’s fate, or that of his planned insurrection.

Delaney was an extraordinary person: born free, he was an African American abolitionist, the first black field officer in the US Army, and one of the first black nationalists. What makes his novel science fictional is its context: he started writing it in 1859, two years before the Civil War, and continued publishing it until 1862, well into the war. Envisioning a massive uprising of African Americans, as well as possible futures for them post-uprising, at that time in history, makes Blake a classic example of near-future fiction. For anyone looking to learn more about African American sci-fi, the history of slavery in America, and/or black literature in general, it’s an essential read. It’s also an engaging one; I was drawn in completely, and immediately went hunting for scholarship on possible endings as soon as I turned the last page.

The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1) by S.A. Chakraborty

One of these days I will get to a round-up of all the djinn/jinn/genie books that have come out in recent years; there are a bunch of great ones. This is one of the most recent, and definitely belongs on your TBR — it is a bona fide page-turner.

Our protagonists are Nahri and Ali. Nahri lives on the streets of an alternate 1700s Cairo, making her way by her wits, her thieving skills, and a touch of healing magic. She’s smart, full of moxie, and very disillusioned with life generally, but she does have a dream: to save up enough to go to Istanbul and become trained as a full doctor. Her plans are interrupted, however, when in the course of faking a healing ritual, she accidentally summons a djinn. What’s more, the djinn believes that she’s the last scion of a murdered family and part djinn herself, and spirits her (heh) away to the city of Daevabad. This is all compicated by the evil ifrits pursuing them, of course. Ali is the second son of the king of Daevabad, a devout warrior raised to be his brother’s right hand. But he loathes the way that half-blood djinn are treated in the city, and trying to do something about it lands in him a heap of trouble. When their paths collide, it might bring down the entire kingdom.

I mentioned cliffhangers above, and this book ends on a steep one. But Chakraborty does a good job of balancing the introductory world-building and the action in this first installment, giving us a compelling mix and keeping the story moving. And speaking of world-building: the book is inspired by Muslim mythology and religion, and the author herself is a Muslim convert. This interview lays out both her inspiration and the writing process, and is worth a read.

And that’s a wrap! You can find all of the books recommended in this newsletter on a handy Goodreads shelf. If you’re interested in more science fiction and fantasy talk, you can catch me and my co-host Sharifah on the SFF Yeah! podcast. For many many more book recommendations you can find me on the Get Booked podcast with the inimitable Amanda.

Wakanda Forever,
Jenn

Happy Friday, friends! Today we’ve got reviews of On A Red Station, Drifting and Year One, some complete fantasy series, the Lambda nominees, Sandman news, and more.

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This newsletter is sponsored by EpicReads.

Perfect for fans of Illuminae and The Martian, this action-packed YA novel set in the near future will take readers out of this world and on a quest to become one of six teens sent on a mission to Jupiter’s moon. When Leo, an Italian championship swimmer, and Naomi, an Iranian-American science genius from California, are drafted into the International Space Training Camp, their lives are forever altered. After erratic climate change has made Earth a dangerous place to live, the fate of the population rests on the shoulders of the final six, who will be scouting a new planet. Intense training, global scrutiny, and cutthroat opponents are only a few of the hurdles the competitors must endure.

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The Lambdas are coming! The Lambda Literary Award has announced this year’s finalists, and several personal favorites have made it to the LGBTQ Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror, including Amberlough, An Unkindness of Ghosts, and The Prey of Gods. So many congratulations are in order!

Beat the post-Black Panther doldrums: We’ve got a list of books that might scratch that same itch! I can personally cosign The Killing Moon, Zoo City, and Akata Witch.

Calling all dreamers: New Sandman comics are coming, with brand new creative teams.

Internationally fantastical: Here are 10 fantasy series with inspirations that span the globe. Regular readers of this newsletter will recognize Forest of a Thousand Lanterns and Sorcerer to the Crown, and there’s some overlap with the Black Panther list (hello again Akata Witch!).

It’s coming from inside the house: If you like to be creeped out by sentient architecture, have we got some books for you.

A new take on the Hero’s Journey: Rachel Hartman wrote a lovely essay about mythologizing your experience while writing. Author personal essays are a thing that I love, and this one is both insightful and provides some interesting context if you’ve read her books (I did love Seraphina).

From the Weird Cover Archives: It is perhaps not surprising that Philip K. Dick’s novels inspired a lot of bonkers cover art.

And now: space and the apocalypse, those classic SF/F standbys.

On A Red Station, Drifting by Aliette de Bodard

There’s a new book in the Xuya Universe: The Tea Master and the Detective, currently available in a limited, signed hardcover, ebook coming March 31. This was an excellent reminder that I’ve been meaning to talk about On A Red Station, Drifting, my first intro to the Xuya Universe, for basically as long as I’ve had this newsletter.

Set on a generations-old space station, the novella follows Station Mistress Quyen as she struggles to deal with an influx of refugees and the aging of the sentient AI that runs the ship. The Dai Viet empire is at war, and many of the station’s personnel have been called away by military service. Quyen is frazzled and cranky (and I do love a cranky protagonist), and her mood is only made worse by a high-handed relative, Linh, who shows up with other refugees. Linh is fleeing her own demons (and the law), and this novella follows Quyen and Linh as they try to find their footing in the upheaval that accompanies war.

On A Red Station, Drifting reminds us that no matter how far you are from the action, no one is left unscathed; it also gives us a window into a fascinating and vibrant, beautifully detailed new world. This was also the first book I ever read by De Bodard, and it made me a lifelong fan. Her ability to world-build is immense, and her prose is rich and vibrant with details. She also happens to be an excellent book recommender, as evidenced in her guest appearance on our Get Booked podcast.

De Bodard has a full history and chronology, with links to all the stories and novellas, on her site. Go forth and dive in!

Year One (Chronicles of The One #1) by Nora Roberts

It’s the end of the world, and a Chosen One will be born. While Nora Roberts has written paranormal romance before, this is her first foray into genre fantasy, and I enjoyed it. If you’ve read Roberts before, particularly her Circle Trilogy, you’ll recognize her style immediately. If you haven’t, you’ll find what many of her longtime readers rely on: her prose is accessible, her plotting is solid, and she loves to hop from character to character.

I’ve been describing this first installment in her new series as Stephen King’s The Stand except with magic and by Nora Roberts, and I stand (heh) by it. The world has been decimated by a magically-unleashed killer flu, and some of the survivors have discovered they possess strange new powers. Inevitably, some choose to use their powers for good — and some for evil. Starting in New York City, Year One follows a few of the survivors as they fight to find safety and protect themselves and their loved ones whilst dealing with crumbling infrastructure, evil sorcerers, and murky prophecies. This one goes on the “popcorn reads” shelf — it’s an immersive read, perfect for a snowy weekend.

And that’s a wrap! You can find all of the books recommended in this newsletter on a handy Goodreads shelf. If you’re interested in more science fiction and fantasy talk, you can catch me and my co-host Sharifah on the SFF Yeah! podcast. For many many more book recommendations you can find me on the Get Booked podcast with the inimitable Amanda.

Your fellow booknerd,
Jenn