Author: Jenn Northington

Happy Friday, vampires and Vogons! Today we’ve got some sequel news, food and drink and book pairings, more best-ofs, and some TV options for your holiday break.

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This newsletter is sponsored by Eve of the Pharaoh by R.M. Schultz.

MYSTERY, FORBIDDEN LOVE, AND GRAND ADVENTURE.

The legendary Hall of Records waits, undiscovered since ancient Egypt …

Young Gavin Caywood’s afflicted life has never involved deciphering illusions concealed in shadow and light, unearthing the dead, or exhuming sunken tombs in crocodile-infested waters.

Young Horemheb from ancient Egypt also desires to alter fate. He inspires Gavin through a lost tale that spans eons and cultures, weaving their lives together. Frightening enemies, magic, unexpected friendship, betrayal, love, and death emerge at every turn. But if either of them are to survive, they must choose between life, love, and the revealing of secrets from the ages.

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Another 2017 “best of”: over at SyfyWire, Swapna picked her top 10 SFF of 2017. I am notoriously terrible at assembling these kinds of lists but if you’ve been following along at home, you’ll know that I also loved several of her picks!

A thing I didn’t know I had feelings about: what is the right order to read The Chronicles of Narnia? Ultimately I agree with Mari, but it might just be because that’s the order that I read them in as a child.

For Ernest Cline fans: Ready Player One is getting a sequel! Surprising given how neatly tied up the first book was, but perhaps less surprising when you consider the bump the book has gotten from the forthcoming movie.

Where do heroes come from? This piece breaks down princess and chosen one tropes, and has some excellent food for thought regarding elitism and the fantasy genre.

For all my Nnedi Okorafor fans: While we wait for Night Masquerade, Danielle has some adult beverage pairing suggestions for Binti!

Eat, drink, and be merry with books: I love this list of food-based fantasy books from Unbound Worlds.

Need some escapist feels? Jessica recommends three fantasy romance series. If I wasn’t already elbow-deep in Nora Roberts’ Circle Trilogy, I’d be picking up one of these.

Excited about Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water? Angel’s got some readalike suggestions for while you’re waiting or after viewing. (Mini-review: I saw it and I am still too busy processing bits of it to give a final verdict but: wow, what a visually gorgeous piece of cinema!)

As the year winds down and we contemplate our over-stacked TBR piles, I thought you might enjoy some binge-watching options!

Marvel’s Runaways (available on Hulu)

Trigger warnings for the show: attempted rape; child and spouse abuse.

Y’all, I am having so many feelings about this TV adaptation of Runaways. I’ve got Volumes 1-5 (Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona) on my shelf, as well as Dead End Kids. (Note to self, must check out the Stevenson run sometime soon.) When they put out the first trailer, my excitement ran away with me. And now that the first seven episodes are out, I am hooked.

If you’re not familiar, the show follows a group of affluent teenagers in California who discover that their parents are actually murderous super-villains. MAJOR BUMMER. The casting is solid; while I wish they had gone with a true plus-size actress for Gert, rather than the round-faced but otherwise petite Ariela Barer, they nailed Karolina, Molly, and Alex. They might even have done too good a job with Alex; the actor playing him is so likable that I am not sure I can handle it. No spoilers here, but if you have read the books you know of what I speak.

Even if you’re not familiar with the comics, I encourage you to dive into the show. The writers have clearly considered an audience new to the characters, and are playing with the original material in interesting ways. So far I’m on board with most of the changes; they’ve added some new depth and introduced variables that I am curious to see play out. Some reviewers and comics-fans are impatient with the pacing of the plot, but I’m enjoying the character development and world-building. That said, if you require a quickly paced show, it might not be for you. Unfortunately, the show hasn’t yet corrected for some of the more problematic aspects of the comic — see this piece (SPOILERS AHOY) for details. But with lots of plot left, there’s room for growth. I’ll be over here glued to my screen with my fingers crossed — especially considering the cliffhanger at the end of Episode 7.

3% (available on Netflix)

I just recently started watching 3%, and the first two episodes alone put other sci-fi shows to shame. Inclusive casting, a compelling premise, a talented cast — this show deserves all of your eyeballs.

Set in a dystopian future where the vast majority of humanity live in destitution and poverty, each year 20-year-olds are given a chance to be tested to go to the Offshore, where everything is wealth and comfort. Only 3% of candidates succeed — and it’s not because that’s how many are worthy, regardless of what the Selection Process would have you believe. Following both the current batch of candidates and the creeptastic officials running the tests, the show is full of mind-games, conspiracies, and back-stabbing galore.

It’s eerie, violent, and disturbing in the ways of the best dystopias. The range of characters is a delight and a rarity, and the pacing allows us to see individual backstories as well as the events of the test itself. While there’s currently only one season available, it has been renewed for a second season and hopefully 2018 will be bringing us more episodes. A note: while I don’t personally recommend watching the dubbed version, both subtitles and dubbed versions are available.

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.

Happy holidays to you and yours,
Jenn

Happy Friday, changelings and chrononauts! Today we’ve got reviews of Cold Wind and Radio Silence, some adaptation news, some sf/f holiday cheer, and more.

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This newsletter is sponsored by The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo.

Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, #1 New York Times-bestselling author Leigh Bardugo has crafted a deliciously atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love. Perfect for new readers and dedicated fans, the lavishly illustrated tales in The Language of Thorns will transport you to lands both familiar and strange—to a fully realized world of dangerous magic that millions have visited through the novels of the Grishaverse.

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A present for John Scalzi fans: We’re getting a movie adaptation of Old Man’s War from Netflix. Let the fancasts begin!

Need more YA for your TBR? Alex Tor.com picked some favorite YA SFF of 2017, and they are organized by handy categories like “Court Intrigue” and “I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying.”

Calling all Gryffindors: here’s a reading list just for you.

Not a gift guide but a guide to gifting: Aisha breaks down how to be a good gift-giver, and her advice is A++.

If you’re a long-time reader, you know that Doctor Who is not one of my specialties, so I cannot comment on how correct they are, but! The folks at Syfy decided to rank all the Doctor Who Christmas specials.

Hosting a holiday party and want to add some Star Trek to it? Here’s a recipe for Romulan ale.

Courtesy of Kelly Link: What would your fantasy series be called? Mine was A Bodega of Amethyst and Dusk, which I now feel obliged to write.

Watch this immediately: John Boyega and Gwendoline Christie play “What’s In The Box” and I literally wept with laughter for 5 minutes. ACTUAL TEARS.

Last not but least: we’re giving away a stack of our 20 favorite books of the year! And said stack includes stellar SF/F titles Her Body and Other Parties, The Gauntlet, and A Conjuring of Light. Click here to enter.

Today’s reviews are books that make me want to bundle up. Best read under a blanket and with the hot beverage of your choice.

Cold Wind by Nicola Griffith

This is the first time I’ve ever reviewed a short story for this newsletter, I do believe! But this one is so perfect for the holiday season, I couldn’t pass it up.

Set in a Seattle bar on the Winter Solstice and following a narrator whose motivations twist and turn along with the plot, this is a story that calls on the spirits of the the darkest part of the year. Griffith plays cat and mouse with the reader and her characters as she melds myth and contemporary life and looks at desire in its various forms. To say much more would be to spoil the delicious unfolding of the plot, so I will just say that it is atmospherically perfect. You can purchase the story, or read it online right here.

Radio Silence (Off the Grid #1) by Alyssa Cole

Whether or not you think you like romance novels, I urge you to pick this near-future tale up. It starts off with our heroine, Arden, trudging through the snow. She and her friend John are headed to his family’s cabin near the Canadian border because the world is ending.

No electricity, no running water, no trappings of civilization — they all shut down one day and no one really knows why. Rather than wait around Rochester NY to find out, they decide to head for the hills. But the journey isn’t an easy one, nor does their arrival at the cabin mean that everything is going to work out. When John’s parents go missing, Arden must help John and his siblings figure out what to do and who to trust, all while trying to understand her own feelings for his brother Gabriel.

A zoomed-in near-future apocalypse story, Radio Silence sorts through the emotional heft of love among the ruins. Its steamy scenes balance out with the day-to-day work of living in a world that is changing shape; the family dynamics will be oh-so-familiar to anyone who has ever spent a long weekend with relatives in close quarters, then heightened by the societal upheaval. I laughed, I bit my nails, I occasionally blushed — and then I read the rest of the series as well. This story will make you thankful both for good reading material and for your central heat during the next blizzard!

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, swashbucklers and space invaders! As is only proper this time of year, we have more gift guides and Best Of lists, along with reviews of Djinn City and Into the Drowning Deep.

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This week’s newsletter is sponsored by Book Riot Insiders.

Get booky with our new release calendar, exclusive newsletter and podcasts, and amazing giveaways. Stay on top of upcoming titles with the curated New Release Index, complete with genre filters, notes from All The Books host Liberty, and a customizable Watchlist. Subscribe to Book Riot Insiders and live your best bookish life!

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Because there is always room for more Harry Potter: Here are further HP gift guide options.

The Guardian picked the best fantasy and sci-fi of 2017, and I am delighted at how inclusive their list is, as well as how many of my own favorites got mentioned!

Need something new to watch? Syfy has you covered with this list of sf/f TV and movies coming to streaming in December.

Speaking of streaming, this gift guide has present suggestions for fans of Stranger Things, Luke Cage, Black Mirror, and more. (Cosign on the Death Wish Coffee, it’s fantastic.)

For holidays NOT Christmas, Tor has this great piece celebrating the values of Kwanzaa through sf/f works by black authors. TBR: exploded.

File under geek fashion: Sharifah and I discussed Rag & Bone’s Star Wars line on a recent SFF Yeah episode. In related news, Columbia Sportswear is releasing a line of jackets inspired by Luke, Han, and Leia. Now taking bets as to how quickly they sell out.

And speaking of Star Wars, if you are also a little confused about the timeline (I can barely keep track of myself, much less a galaxy long ago and far away), io9 has put together a very thorough timeline that incorporates books, movies, video games, AND comics.

A gift for you: have some discounted ebooks! Sabriel, the first book in Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom series and a classic of fantasy, is on sale for $1.99. And if you’ve been waiting on the sequels to Wesley Chu’s The Lives of Tao, Deaths of Tao #2 and Rebirths of Tao #3 are both $2.99 this month.

Today in reviews, we’ve got fresh new takes on djinn and mermaids both.

Djinn City by Saad Z. Hossain

One of these days I will write a post about the latest crop of djinn novels/stories, because it is definitely A Thing. A thing I am enjoying thoroughly! Hossain’s contribution to the stack is a rompy adventure set in Bangladesh, with a whole host of human and supernatural (and combinations thereof) characters.

It starts off with a young boy named Indelbed, whose father has turned to full-time inebriation after the death in childbirth of Indelbed’s mother. It turns out he’s not just a drunk, but an emissary to the world of the djinn — and some of those djinn want Indelbed for their own nefarious purposes. When Indelbed goes missing, his cousin Rais finds himself drawn into this strange world and starts uncovering truths about his family he could never have guessed. How far down the rabbithole will he go, and what will happen to Indelbed?

I have two quibbles with this book. The first is that it’s a Boys’ Club of a cast, with only three named women (as compared to a ton of named supporting characters, all named, all men). My second is that it isn’t listed as the first in a series, but that ending! That can’t possibly be it, can it?! Otherwise, Djinn City is a blast from start to finish. Quirky, action-packed, and packing a solid emotional punch, it’s entertaining and well-executed. Hossain’s contribution to The Djinn Falls in Love and Other Stories was one of my favorite in that collection as well, and with this novel he’s earned his place on my own “must read” list. I look forward to whatever he does next.

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

This was my first-ever Mira Grant book, and I was not disappointed. If like me you haven’t started reading her yet, this is a great place to start. If you’re already a fan, well, you don’t need me to tell you! But I will anyway.

Into the Drowning Deep kicks off with a ship lost at sea, no survivors. They had set out to make a mockumentary about mermaids, and the only footage that made it back after all hands were lost seems to prove their existence. It’s either a really awful hoax or a really shocking discovery, and no one can agree. Seven years later, a second expedition of scientists plus a film crew sets out to uncover the truth, and things go horribly (but not unexpectedly) wrong. The expedition includes the sister of an original crew member, a big game-hunting couple, an entertainment reporter, a submarine pilot, and so many other excellent and interesting people that I could write a whole paragraph just gushing about how fascinating they were. While I came for the premise, I stayed for the cast.

“Killer science-mermaids” is a plot I was likely to find entertaining regardless, but Grant does a killer (ahem) job with the cast of characters. It can be hard to juggle multiple POV storylines, but I got just enough of my favorites to keep me going, plus chapters from supporting cast that I wasn’t expecting to lend extra depth (AHEM) to the story. She’s not afraid to kill her darlings, and if you’re leery of bloodshed you might want to steer away from this one, but I was entertained and enraptured from the first page to the last. Also, I will now NEVER go swimming or sailing anywhere near the Mariana Trench.

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, nerdfriends and geekpals. Today is our now-annual Swords and Spaceships Holiday Gift Guide. Onward to gift-giving glory!

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This newsletter is sponsored by The Speaker by Traci Chee.

In this sequel to the critically-acclaimed New York Times bestselling fantasy The Reader, Sefia and Archer are back on the run, slipping into the safety of the forest to tend to their wounds and plan their next move. Haunted by painful memories, Archer struggles to overcome the trauma of his past with the impressors, whose cruelty plagues him whenever he closes his eyes. But when Sefia and Archer happen upon a crew of impressors in the wilderness, Archer finally finds a way to combat his nightmares: by hunting impressors and freeing the boys they hold captive.

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I’ve got a round-up of non-book things, but as always let’s start with books. I picked five each of the science fiction and fantasy titles that, for my money, are the most giftable of the last year.

Five Science Fiction Books To Give

Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty: A locked-room mystery, except it’s a locked spaceship and it’s mid-space flight crewed by clones! For readers who love space opera and/or murder mysteries.

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon: A generation-ship story that examines the intersections of racism and class structures. For readers who can’t get enough NK Jemisin, Ursula Le Guin, and Octavia Butler.

Provenance by Ann Leckie: A comedic space opera that centers around an art heist, forgeries, and family power struggles. For readers who love John Scalzi, the art world, plucky heroines, intergalactic politics, pronoun fluidity, and queer/nonbinary characters.

27 Hours by Tristina Wright: The Queer Teen Space Squad adventure of your dreams. For readers who enjoy YA, planetary colonization and alien encounter stories, lots of action and explosions, and multiple-POV narratives.

The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden: A mad-cap near-future story set in South Africa, complete with enraged goddesses, awakening Artifical Intelligence, drugs, sex, and rock and roll (literally). For readers who love blends of sci-fi and fantasy, a WTF-inducing plotline, and characters you fall in love with.

Five Fantasy Books To Give

Jade City by Fonda Lee: An Asian The Godfather plus magic! Feuding families, magic gemstones, and lots of betrayal, skulduggery, and street fights. For readers who are sold on that premise, characters with questionable moral standing, and don’t mind investing a bunch of time (it’s a long burn but such a good one).

The Djinn Falls in Love and Other Stories, edited by Mahvesh Murad and Jared Shurin: 20 authors put their own spin on the djinn/genie myth. For readers who love fairytale retellings, updated mythologies, discovering new voices, and revisiting favorite authors.

The Changeling by Victor LaValle: A dark, bloody, and terrifying story of one father who loses his family, and his struggle to get it back. For readers who like some weight in their stories, don’t mind getting seriously creeped out, and appreciate social commentary alongside an A+ plot.

The Chimes by Anna Smaill: An alternate, dystopian London in which music is the organizing metaphor of life and memories are impossible to form. For readers who appreciate complex world-building, stories with many layers, and coming-of-age tales. (Technically a 2016 book but whatever!)

Tender: Stories by Sofia Samatar: A wide-ranging collection by an author who is as at home in a contemporary satire as she is in a beautifully atmospheric fable. For readers who love seeing what a master can do with short fiction.

And Now: Not Books! 

For your Star Wars gift needs, a round-up.

For your Harry Potter gift needs, the best stuffed animal options.

Bookish ornaments (not 100% SF/F but includes some EXCELLENT options).

For your comics-related gift needs, a round-up.

For your crafting plus comics needs.

Still not over this Game of Thrones cutting board.

Will never be over the Death Star waffle maker.

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, robots and rogues! Today I have for you a bunch of book to screen news, some Robin Hood reading, reviews of Autonomous and The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2017, and more.

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This newsletter is sponsored by Haven by Mary Lindsey.

Rain Ryland has never belonged anywhere. He’s used to people judging him for his rough background, his intimidating size, and now, his orphan status. He’s always been on the outside, looking in, and he’s fine with that. Until he moves to New Wurzburg and meets Friederike Burkhart.

Freddie isn’t like normal teen girls, though. And someone wants her dead for it. Freddie warns he’d better stay far away if he wants to stay alive, but Rain’s never been good at running from trouble. For the first time, Rain has something worth fighting for, worth living for. Worth dying for.

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Last call to enter our bookstore giveaway! You could win a $500 gift card to the bookstore of your choice, and it’s open worldwide. Get clicking, it closes on November 26.

Our resident medievalist is back, this time with Robin Hood retellings! So is that Robins of the Hood or Robin Hoods or….

The latest Wrinkle In Time trailer is here and it is INTENSE. We finally get a look at the Mrs. Ws’ flying form, and it’s not at all what I was expecting or had pictured, but I’ve already decided to give this adaptation lots of detail leeway in exchange for (hopefully) awesome.

Do you need more space operas in your life? Here’s a list of 10 that Unbound Worlds recommends you read before you see Star Wars: The Last Jedi; I feel like you should read Lightless, Empress of a Thousand Skies, and On A Red Station, Drifting whenever and preferably as soon as possible.

Speaking of movie franchises, Danielle has some reading recommendations for the Justice League themselves. Personally I would like to make Batman read The New Jim Crow, but these are good too.

Speaking of even more movie franchises and in case you missed it, the ‘Fantastic Beasts 2’ official cast photo has been released!

Ok one more: the folks over at Tor.com did a recast for the Lord of the Rings TV series, and BOY DO I APPROVE OF THIS. Most particularly of “Tatiana Maslany plays everyone.”

Technically today’s reviews are science fiction and science fiction AND fantasy, but I didn’t think you’d mind.

Autonomous by Annalee Newitz

This is a story about artificial intelligence, submarine pirates, and Big Pharma. It’s also about human trafficking, gender perceptions, and what choice looks like in constrained circumstances. There’s a lot going on here, and Newitz doesn’t shy away from asking provocative questions or creating ambiguous situations. Which wasn’t a surprise to me, knowing her work; Newitz is the co-founder of io9, along with Charlie Jane Anders, and when I interviewed her for our Recommended podcast ambiguity in particular was on her mind.

The story follows two main narrative threads. Jack, our submarine pirate, has made it her life’s work to create open-source drugs for people who can’t afford the patented, Big Pharmacy-controlled ones. She’s also not above selling some for recreational use as well as medicinal, to help fund her operations. When a batch of a new productivity drug she sold starts claiming victims, she has to do her best to put things to right. On her trail are Eliasz, an operative hired by the pharmaceutical company, and his robot colleague Paladin. As they work together, Paladin — whose sentience is never in question — becomes increasingly confused and increasingly engaged by his relationship with Eliasz.

Each character introduced throughout the novel is working through a major trauma or life moment, and I found my sympathies morphing and changing with each new revelation. Characters I thought I despised suddenly became not only relatable but important to me, and some I thought I completely understood became much more complicated. And then there’s the actual (and very action- and gore-packed) plot! There’s nothing straightforward about Autonomous, but there’s a lot to enjoy and a lot to ponder.

Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2017, edited by Charles Yu and John Joseph Adams

I’ve mentioned Charles Yu before in this newsletter; I’m a fan of his work, so I was excited to see that he was curating this year’s Best American SFF! Having finished it this weekend, I’m happy to say that while it’s not my favorite collection of the year — that honor goes to The Djinn Falls In Love And Other Stories — there’s a lot of great work here.

Before I dig into it, it bears mentioning that if you’ve ever uttered the words “Why does everything have to be political? I just want a good story!”, this collection is not for you. (Also, no art is apolitical.) The frustration, anger, and anxiety of the last two years in American politics are strongly present and strongly represented here, and several of the most clearly political were also my favorite stories. The authors herein tackle everything from police brutality to medical insurance, pollution and climate change to gender fluidity, the prison industrial complex to class inequality. There are also wardrobe portals, werewolves, aliens, lake monsters, and much more.

Some favorites: Leigh Bardugo’s “Head, Scales, Tongue, Tail” opens the collection with a sweet and eerie piece about summer friends and first love, plus the aforementioned lake monsters. Genevieve Valentine’s “Everyone From Themis Sends Letters Home” is impossible to describe without giving away the twist, but suffice it to say that I will be thinking about it for a long time to come — it manages to be both wistful and bitingly observant of contemporary society. Nisi Shawl’s “Vulcanization,” which follows a haunted King Leopold, is particularly satisfying if you’ve read her novel Everfair (which you should). Catherynne Valente’s “The Future is Blue” is simultaneously one of the most whimsical and the most violent stories — no small feat. N.K. Jemisin’s “The City Born Great” is, unsurprisingly, fantastic and delivers a whole new spin on urban fantasy. Werewolf fans like myself will be tickled by all the references in “I Was A Teenage Werewolf” by Dale Bailey. And the final story, “The Venus Effect” by Joseph Allen Hill, is here to burn everything down. A pointed meditation on black characters in sci-fi and on the literally life-threatening dangers of being black in America, it’s funny and a punch in the gut all at once.

Many of these authors will be familiar to you; but as with any good collection, there are newcomers like Hill that you’ll want to add to your radar.

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.

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Jenn