As a Bookshop affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami is a standalone literary science fiction novel set in a version of the not-too-distant future where the Risk Assessment Administration monitors data to evaluate the likelihood that an individual will commit a crime. It’s a chillingly plausible story that will likely make you wish to go off the grid completely, and I thought it was excellent at creating a future that seems possible based on […]

Today I have two trade paperback copies of a new science fiction novella to give away to two US residents, courtesy of Tachyon Publications! Described as “a taut, ultimately hopeful story that deftly explores identity and autonomy,” Mary G. Thompson’s newest book, One Level Down, was just released on April 1. More information on the book, author, and how to enter is below. About ONE LEVEL DOWN: Trapped in a child’s body, a resourceful woman risks death by deletion from […]

Once again, I have scoured the internet for speculative fiction books coming out this year and compiled a list of works I wanted to highlight. After looking through book descriptions, early reviews, and any available excerpts, I’ve put together a list of 17 fantasy and science fiction books coming out in 2025 that sound particularly compelling to me. (Of course, some of these are mainly here due to my having enjoyed other work by the same author!) As always, this […]

Happy (slightly belated) New Year! As usual, I took the opportunity to cover some highlights of 2024 and discuss my favorite stories from the last year. Blog Highlights in 2024 One of the biggest highlights of 2024 on this blog was the thirteenth annual Women in SF&F Month, which contained wonderful essays by speculative fiction authors discussing their thoughts, experiences, influences, and work. It featured the following guest posts (which are eligible for nonfiction/related work awards): Gabriella Buba — “Fantasy […]

With the year halfway over, I thought it would be fun to reflect on books read this year so I’m considering myself tagged and doing this survey I saw on Lady Business. If you see this here and also want to do this overview of your own 2024 reading so far, you can consider yourself tagged too! I wasn’t sure how much I’d have to discuss at first since I’ve basically read only 3 new-to-me standout books this year, but […]

This week I’m sharing about some series I love that I think deserve more readers and more discussion in bookish/SFF communities. Today I’m gushing about The Warchild Mosaic by Karin Lowachee, a science fiction series that currently contains the novels Warchild, Burndive, and Cagebird; the collection Omake: Stories from the Warchild Universe; and the novella Under the Silence. This is my favorite science fiction series, and Karin Lowachee is a master of voice, characterization, and ripping my heart out. (Yes, […]