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Summer 2024
Forthcoming SF Books
War Bodies by Neal Asher, Tor, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-05010-3.
Implanted with secret technology, Piper was raised to be a weapon against the dictatorial Old Guard. When rebellion strikes, he must decide where his loyalties lie – with the Cyberat who made him, the Polity who want him… or the planet that needs him. Though this is a Polity novel, it is a stand-alone story.
Star Wars: Mace Windu – The Glass Abyss by Steven Barnes, Del Rey, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-91940-0.
Note: Steven Barnes, yes, the acclaimed SF author… Jedi Master Mace Windu travels to a dangerous planet on a mission that challenges even his deadly prowess – all to fulfil Qui-Gon’s last request. Master Mace Windu’s feelings about Qui-Gon have always been complicated, and have not been made any simpler in death, but without Qui-Gon and his unorthodox views, Mace feels out of balance. While considering his fallen friend’s legacy, Mace is surprised to receive a final message from Qui-Gon. The message contains a last request: a plea to help the Outer Rim planet of Metagos. As a young Jedi, Qui-Gon protected the Sa’ad farming clan from the planet’s less scrupulous factions. The Sa’ad’s leader, KinShan Nightbird, has begged for the Jedi’s help in freeing Metagos from the crime lords who threaten to eradicate her people’s way of life. Intent on fulfilling Qui-Gon’s final wishes, Mace travels to Metagos and infiltrates the enemies of the Sa’ad. But as the Jedi Master investigates, Mace finds himself pushed to the boundaries of the Jedi code, challenging his beliefs and his relationship to the Force itself.
Acension by Nicholas Binge, Harper Fiction, £9.99, pbk, ISBN not provided.
When a mountain mysteriously appears in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a group of scientists are sent to investigate – and discover what is at the summit. What will they discover about themselves and their world as they rise? What, or who, will they discover at the top? Framed by the discovery of scientist and explorer’s Harry Tunmore’s unsent letters to his family and the chilling and provocative story they tell, Ascension considers the limitations of science and faith and examines both the beautiful and the unsettling sides of human nature.
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, Sceptre – Hodder & Stoughton, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-399-72634-4.
In the near future, a disaffected civil servant is offered a lucrative job in a mysterious new government ministry gathering 'expats' from across history to test the limits of time-travel. Her role is to work as a 'bridge': living with, assisting and monitoring the expat known as '1847' - Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin's doomed expedition to the Arctic, so he's a little disoriented to find himself alive and surrounded by outlandish concepts such as 'washing machine', 'Spotify' and 'the collapse of the British Empire'. With an appetite for discovery and a seven-a-day cigarette habit, he soon adjusts; and during a long, sultry summer he and his bridge move from awkwardness to genuine friendship, to something more. But as the true shape of the project that brought them together begins to emerge, Gore and the bridge are forced to confront their past choices and imagined futures. Can love triumph over the structures and histories that have shaped them? And how do you defy history when history is living in your house..? The BBC's forthcoming adaptation of this novel has attracted a claim of plagiarism by those who made the Spanish TV series El Ministerio del Tiempo [The Ministry of Time].
June
Echo of Worlds by M. R. Carey, Orbit, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-356-51805-3.
Sequel to Infinity Gate. Two mighty empires are at war - and both will lose, with thousands of planets falling to the extinction event called the Scour. At least that's what the artificial intelligence known as Rupshe believes. But somewhere in the multiverse there exists a force - the Mother Mass - that could end the war in an instant, and Rupshe has assembled a team to find it. Essien Nkanika, a soldier trying desperately to atone for past sins; the cat-woman Moon, a conscienceless killer; the digitally recorded mind of physicist Hadiz Tambuwal;Paz, an idealistic child and the renegade robot spy Dulcimer Coronal. Their mission will take them from the hellish prison world of Tsakom to the poisoned remains of a post-apocalyptic Earth, and finally bring them face to face with the Mother Mass itself. But can they persuade it toend eons of neutrality and help them? And is it too late to make a difference? Because the Pandominion's doomsday machines are about to be unleashed - and not even their builders know how to control them…
Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis, Hodderscape, £20, hrdbk, 291pp ISBN 978-1-529-39058-2.
Billed by the publisher as The Grand Budapest Hotel in space, Grace Curtis’ second novel is a hopeful story of misfits, rebels and found family, perfect, Hodder says, for fans of Becky Chambers. Set in the same universe as her first novel, Frontier, the staff of a once-grand hotel in space must contend with universe-changing secrets, Imperial spies, and how far they can go to keep their home. Click on the title link for a standalone review.
Star Wars Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade by Delilah S. Dawson, Inklore, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-804-94448-6.
As an Inquisitor, Iskat Akaris finds the freedom she has always craved: to question, to want. And with each strike of her red blade, Iskat moves closer to claiming her new destiny in the Force – whatever the cost.
Doctor Who and the Horns of Nimon by Terrance Dicks, BBC Audio, £14 / £20, Audio-book, ISBN (Digital / CD): 978-1-529-92486-2 / 978-1-529-92487-9.
In the great maze of the Power Complex dwells the dreaded Nimon, a fearsome monster with immense scientific powers. The Nimon has promised to restore the Skonnan Empire to its former glory. But first it demands sacrifice - youths and maidens from the peaceful planet Aneth. Available from: Audible, Spotify, Apple, and Amazon (in digital or CD).
Doctor Who: Kinda by Terrance Dicks, BBC Audio, £14 / £20, Audio-book, ISBN (Digital / CD): 978-1-529-93308-6 / 978-1-529-93309-3.
On the serene planet Deva Loka, an expeditionary force from Earth is dangerously out of control. It's not only the peaceful race of the Kinda who are at risk… Available from: Audible, Spotify, Apple, and Amazon (in digital or CD).
The Bezzle by Cory Doctorow, Ad Astra – Head of Zeus, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-804-54779-3.
Marty Hench is at the top of his game as a self-employed forensic accountant. He spends his downtime holidaying on Catalina Island, where bison wander the bluffs and reheated burgers cost US$25. (Wait, what?) When, during one vacation, Marty disrupts a seemingly innocuous scheme, he has no idea what he’s stumbled upon. Because he’s identified the latest target of the super-wealthy: California’s Department of Corrections, who manage the state's prison system. The tycoons have hundreds of thousands of prisoners at their mercy, and the potential of millions to make off them. But now, Marty is about to ruin their fun...
Doctor Who: The Apocalypse Collection by William Emms et al, BBC Audio, £16, Audio-book, ISBN (Digital): 978-1-529-93310-9.
In Galaxy Four by William Emms, the First Doctor, Steven and Vicki find the Drahvins and the Rills engaged in battle on a desolate planet - one that will explode in two days' time. In The Ark by Paul Erickson, the Earth is about to plunge into the Sun and humanity is heading for a new planet, but the Doctor's arrival has a terrible impact on mankind. In The Armageddon Factor by Terrance Dicks, the TARDIS lands in the middle of an atomic war. The Doctor, Romana and K9 meet the Marshal of Atrios, whose actions look set to bring about the end of everything. Length: 20 hours 20 minutes. Available from: Audible, Spotify, Apple, and Google Play (digital only).
The Stars Too Fondly by Emily Hamilton, Gollancz, £14.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-399-61377-4.
Part sci-fi, part sapphic romcom, this follows four friends who break into a storied spaceship with a mysterious past and accidentally blast off to a planet light years away, with a hologram of the ship’s previous captain as their only guide (and an improbable, impossible love interest). Emily’s novel is the perfect mix of found family, inter-dimensional travel and the galaxy-saving power of love.
Fight Me by Austin Grossman, Michael Joseph, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-241-55594-1.
A acerbic and hilarious journey into the world of superhero has-beens Dr Rick Tower is a mild-mannered English professor easing into middle age at a New England college. Even his vices are unremarkable. But it wasn't always like this. Not until they changed his name, altered his looks and told him: ‘Pretend you were never different.' Because, decades earlier after a very bad day at high school, he was committed to a secret government facility with three other kids, Cat, Jack and Stephanie, each special in their own way. Tested, tutored and trained, this extraordinary quartet were then told to save the world. It was the best thing that ever happened to them. Until it became the worst. Now, twenty years later, a mysterious disappearance means Tower must reunite with his former comrades. But while great power might come with great responsibility, there’s little of that on display from any of them.
Jumpnauts by Hao Jingfang, Ad Astra – Head of Zeus, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-786-69654-0.
2080, the world is divided, dominated by two antagonistic factions, the Pacific League
and the Atlantic Alliance. Tensions are high and the smallest disturbance in the status quo
could set the world on fire. And a signal flickering through deep space could be just that spark. Or perhaps it could be the cryptic, ultra-low frequency transmission of unknown origin that's just started broadcasting from the tomb of a long-dead Chinese emperor. As three young scientists form an alliance to decode the signals, they realise that the answers don't only lie in deep space, they also lie deep in humanity's past. What they discover will change everything: our past, present and future. If we still have one.
Lake of Souls: Leckie Anthology by Ann Leckie, Orbit, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-0-356-52346-0.
Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke award-winner Ann Leckie has her first 'collection' of shorts published – so this is not an anthology, which is a volume of stories (usually thematic) by a number of authors. Journey across the stars of the Imperial Radch universe. Listen to the words of the Old Gods that ruled The Raven Tower. Learn the secrets of the mysterious Lake of Souls.
AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future by Kai-Fu Lee & Chen Qiufan, Ebury, £12.99, pbk, ISBN 978-0-753-55902-4.
In this blend of storytelling and scientific forecasting, a pioneering AI expert and a leading writer of speculative fiction join forces to answer an imperative question: How will artificial intelligence change our world within twenty years? AI will be the defining development of the twenty-first century. Within two decades, aspects of daily human life will be unrecognisable. AI will generate unprecedented wealth, revolutionise medicine and education through human-machine symbiosis, and create brand new forms of communication and entertainment. In liberating us from routine work, however, AI will also challenge the organizing principles of our economic and social order. Meanwhile, AI will bring new risks in the form of autonomous weapons and smart technology that inherits human bias. AI is at a tipping point, and people need to wake up-both to AI's radiant pathways and its existential perils for life as we know it.
A View from the Stars by Cixin Liu, Ad Astra – Head of Zeus, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-90858-5.
This collection features a range of short works from the past three decades of New York Times bestselling author Cixin Liu's prolific career, putting his non-fiction essays and short stories side-by-side for the first time. This collection includes essays and interviews that shed light on Liu's experiences as a reader, writer, and lover of science fiction throughout his life, as well as short fiction that gives glimpses into the evolution of his imaginative voice over the years.
The Galaxy Game by Karen Lord, Gollancz, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-399-61894-6.
For years, Rafi Delarua saw his family suffer under his father’s unethical use of psionic power. Now the government has Rafi under close watch but, hating their crude attempts to analyse his brain, he escapes to Punartam, where his abilities are the norm, not the exception. But the galaxy is changing – unrest is spreading and the cartels are plotting, making the stars a more dangerous place. There may be a solution – involving interstellar travel, galactic power and the love of a beautiful game.
Doctor Who: Eleventh Doctor Novels Volume 2 by Una McCormack et al, BBC Audio, £16, Audio-book, ISBN 978-1-52-992957-7.
Arthur Darvill, Nicholas Briggs and Clare Corbett read these four original stories featuring the Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory. In The King's Dragon by Una McCormack, the inhabitants of the city-state of Geath appear to be happy and rich; yet strange creatures are stirring, and an ancient civil war looks set to be revived. In The Glamour Chase by Gary Russell, an ancient spaceship is discovered on Earth in 1936, and the Doctor finds that suddenly no-one is quite what they seem. In The Dead of Winter by James Goss, a remote clinic in 18th Century Italy sees the arrival of the enigmatic Mrs Pond, with her husband and her physician. But who are the strange, faceless figures that rise from the sea? In The Way Through the Woods by Una McCormack, Rory disappears in an ancient wood, and the Doctor and Amy discover than something ancient that dwells there is now waking up... Length: 21 hours 40 minutes. Available from: Audible, Spotify, Apple, and Google Play (digital only).
Dry Lands by Elizabeth Anne Martins, Flame Tree Press, £12.95 / Can$21.95 / US$16.95, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-787-58905-6.
After a cataclysmic flood submerges half the world underwater, Liv and her son Milo face extreme dangers in the dry lands. Liv’s determination to protect her son leads her to make drastic choices. A tale that explores resilience, parenthood, and the profound sacrifices made for loved ones.
Star Wars: The Living Force by John Jackson Miller, Del Rey, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-91944-8.
In the year before The Phantom Menace, Yoda, Mace Windu, and the entire Jedi Council confront a galaxy on the brink of change. The galaxy is changing, and along with it, the Jedi Order. More and more, the Order finds itself focused on the future of the Republic, secluded on Coruscant, where the twelve members of the Jedi Council weigh crises on a galactic scale. As Qui-Gon Jinn challenges the Council about the increasing isolation of the Order, Mace Windu suggests a bold response: all twelve Jedi Masters will embark on a goodwill mission to help the planet, and remind the people of the galaxy that the Jedi remain as stalwart and present as they have been across the ages. But the arrival of the Jedi leadership is not seen by all as a cause for celebration and the Jedi Masters must reckon with an unwelcome truth: that while no one thinks more about the future than the Jedi Council, nobody needs their help more than those living in the present.
In Universes by E. M. North, Hutchinson Heinemann, £16.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-529-15359-0.
An unearthly and beautiful debut about love and parallel universes. Raffi is a physicist who spends their days removing stars from pictures of the night sky, dreaming about parallel universes. Here in this one, they’re falling for a queer sculptor named Britt who they almost met when they were kids – if only they’d had the courage to say hello. What if Raffi had said hello? The question catapults Raffi across alternate universes, each an answer to the question of what their life might be like if things had happened just a little differently. Each universe is beautiful and dangerous for Raffi. Where apocalyptic landscapes teem with bears, mothers fracture into hordes of animals, and glistening sandcastles stand tall enough to live inside. Across them all, Raffi searches for a life and a love that feels their own.
Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini, Tor, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-035-00113-2.
First contact story. Click on the title link for a standalone review.
The Mars House by Natasha Pulley, Gollancz, £16.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-399-61854-0.
January, once a principal in London’s Royal Ballet, has become a refugee on Mars. January is now an Earthstronger – a person whose body is not adjusted to Mars’s lower gravity and so poses a danger to its natives. January’s life is dictated by this, and now xenophobic politician Aubrey Gale is running on a platform that would make it all worse. When Gale chooses January for an on-the-spot press junket interview that goes horribly awry, Gale proposes a solution – a political marriage. Click on the title link for a standalone review.
Darkome by Hannu Rajaniemi, Gollancz, £18.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-473-20332-7.
Biotech has arrived. It could pave the way to a greater future. It could also tear the human race apart. The perpetrators of a bioterror attack are on Darkome, and the biohacker community is simply too dangerous to be allowed to exist. Unfortunately, that community is the very thing David Adler needs. His daughter Inara is dying and, through Darkome, he might just be able to save her. The only problem is, the bioterrorists are still out there, and they are by no means finished.
Lake of Darkness by Adam Roberts, Gollancz, £16.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-399-61768-0.
Billed by the publisher as Event Horizon meets Brave New World in this new Science Fiction thriller from Adam Roberts. Good is a construct. Evil is a virus. The starship Sa Niro and the starship Sb Oubliette were in orbit around a black hole one afternoon... by the end of the day, the crews of both starships were dead, victims of a single killer, Captain Alpha Raine. But something inexplicable has been happening to Raine and whatever it is seems to be spreading. It becomes increasingly undeniable that there’s something inside that black hole… and it’s found a way out.
Disquiet Gods by Christopher Ruocchio, Ad Astra – Head of Zeus, £25, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-803-28760-7.
The final Sun Eater novel, following Hadrian Marlowe, 'The Sun Eater', as he completes the history of his controversial life. It has been nearly two hundred years since Hadrian Marlowe assaulted the person of the Emperor and walked away from war. The Galaxy lies in the grip of a terrible plague, and worse, the Cielcin have overrun the realms of men. Now, a messenger has come to Jadd, bearing a summons from the Sollan Emperor. HAPSIS, the Emperor’s secret first-contact intelligence organization, has located one of the dreadful Watchers, the immense, powerful beings worshipped by the Pale Cielcin. Called out of retirement, the old hero must race across the galaxy to accomplish one last, impossible task: To kill a god.
Doctor Who: The Demons Within by Gary Russell, BBC Audio, £14 / £11, Audio-book, ISBN (Digital / CD): 978-1-529-90934-0 / 978-1-529-90933-3.
The year is 1860, and a lonely house stands on a craggy rock in Ayrshire, Scotland. Inside, two men brace themselves against rushing winds, wailing voices and loud, crashing noises. Goats with fire-red eyes bleat relentlessly, and a procession of weird figures appear, apparently from all ages of man. Available from: Audible, Spotify, Apple, and Amazon (in digital or CD).
The Watchers by A. M. Shine, Aries – Head of Zeus, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-035-90380-1.
You can't see them. But they can see you. This forest isn't charted on any map. Every car breaks down at its tree line. Mina's is no different. Left stranded, she is forced into the dark woodland only to find a woman shouting, urging Mina to run to a concrete bunker. As the door slams behind her, the building is besieged by screams. Mina finds herself in a room with a wall of glass, and an electric light that activates at nightfall, when the Watchers come above ground. These creatures emerge to observe their captive humans and terrible things happen to anyone who doesn't reach the bunker in time. Afraid and trapped among strangers, Mina is desperate for answers. Who are the Watchers, and why are they keeping the humans imprisoned, keen to watch their every move?
Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky, Tor, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-01374-6.
When xeno-biologist Arton Daghdev is exiled to an alien planet, he journeys through a dangerous and hostile wilderness. Yet on his expedition, he uncovers lost alien ruins – and the mysterious builders who abandoned them. Alien Clay is a standalone adventure from master of sci-fi Adrian Tchaikovsky. The planet of Kiln is where the tyrannical Mandate keeps its prison colony, and for inmates the journey there is always a one-way trip. One such prisoner is Professor Arton Daghdev, xeno-ecologist and political dissident. Soon after arrival he discovers that Kiln has a secret. Humanity is not the first intelligent life to set foot there. In the midst a ravenous, chaotic ecosystem are the ruins of a civilization, but who were the vanished builders and where did they go? If he can survive both the harsh rule of the camp commandant and the alien horrors of the world around him, then Arton has a chance at making a discovery that might just transform not only Kiln but distant Earth as well.
Lords of Uncreation by Adrian Tchaikovsky, Tor, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-05200-8.
Rollicking space opera. The conclusion to 'The Final Architecture' trilogy. Click on the title link for a stand alone review.
Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky, Tor, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-04566-2.
Billed by the publisher as The Murderbot Diaries meets In the Lives of Puppets. To fix the world they must first break it - further. Humanity is a dying breed, utterly reliant on artificial labour and service. When a domesticated robot gets a nasty little idea downloaded into its core programming, they murder their owner. The robot discovers they can also do something else they never did before: they can run away. Fleeing the household they enter a wider world they never knew existed, where the age-old hierarchy of humans at the top is disintegrating into ruins and an entire robot ecosystem devoted to human wellbeing is having to find a new purpose. Sometimes all it takes is a nudge to overcome the limits of your programming….
The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton, Bloomsbury, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-526-63495-5.
Solve the murder to save what's left of the world. Outside the island there is nothing: the world destroyed by a fog that swept the planet, killing anyone it touched. On the island: it is idyllic. 122 villagers and 3 scientists, living in harmony. The villagers are content to fish, farm and feast, to obey their nightly curfew, to do what they’re told by the scientists. Until one of their beloved scientists is found brutally stabbed to death. And they learn the murder has triggered a lowering of the security system around the island, the only thing that was keeping the fog at bay. If the murder isn’t solved within 92 hours, the fog will smother the island. But the security system has also wiped everyone’s memories of what happened the night before, which means hat someone on the island is a murderer – and they don’t even know it…
Doctor Who: The Edge of Destruction by David Whitaker, BBC Audio, £14 / £11, Audio-book, ISBN (Digital / CD): 978-1-529-93132-7 /
978-1-529-90933-3.
Escaping from their previous adventure on Skaro, the Doctor, Susan, Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill) are inside the TARDIS when it appears to be taken over by an outside force. Available from: Audible, Spotify, Apple, and Amazon (in digital or CD).
The Night Field by Donna Glee Williams, Quercus, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-42270-2.
An ecological fable. When Pyn-Poi’s community is torn apart by the arrival of a deadly threat, she takes it upon herself to venture far beyond her homeland to find a way to stop it. Her adventure takes her far beyond the world she knows.
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Summer 2024
Forthcoming Fantasy Books
The Devil's Advisor by Brad Abdul, Flame Tree Press, £12.95 / Can$21.95 / US$16.95, pbk, ISBN 978-1-787-58845-5.
Lucy, the Devil, wants to retire. Brian, the Business Advisor, hates his job. When Brian finds himself in Lucy’s crosshairs, she makes him an offer he can’t refuse: work his business magic on Hell, and if he succeeds, become her successor as the next Devil. To claim this throne, Brian faces off against Death, God, and Lucy’s own twin children.
The Rift by Seth Adams, Flame Tree Press, £12.95 / Can$21.95 / US$16.95, pbk, ISBN 978-1-787-58878-3.
Estranged husband. Grieving father. A doorway through which the dead – or something else entirely – speak. How far would you go to see the ones you’ve lost, just one more time? Would you step through the rift? And, what if something else stepped out?
The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden, Century, £18.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-529-92003-1.
World War One, and as shells fall in Flanders, Laura, a Canadian nurse, searches for her brother Freddie who is believed to be dead in the trenches. Soon after arriving back in Belgium as a hospital volunteer, she hears whispers about ghosts moving among those still living, and a strange innkeeper whose wine gives soldiers the gift of oblivion…
Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew, Gollancz, £14.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-473-23490-1.
A twisted romance about loyalty, fate and the lengths we go to hide the darkest parts of ourselves… Wyatt Westlock inherits a farmhouse and intends to destroy it. However, she finds Peter, her childhood friend, trapped in the basement. Peter, semi-immortal, must end the Westlock line to break free from imprisonment. But with dark forces gathering, they must form an alliance to protect the magic found at the heart of the farmhouse. Forced to trust each other, their haunting past resurfaces unexpectedly, threatening to tear them apart.
Master of Souls by Rena Baron, Harper Voyager, £9.99, pbk, ISBN not provided.
The conclusion to the 'Kingdom of Souls' trilogy. Arrah has paid many prices in her
battle against the demon king, including giving up her gift of magic. While her heart is loyal to Rudjek, Arrah cannot deny that her soul is bound to Daho – through her past life as the orisha Dimma, the years they spent together, and the child the orishas destroyed. And as a ruthless Efiya regains her strength and begins to sow rebellion in the demons’ ranks, Arrah, the Demon King, and the orishas must form an uneasy alliance to restore peace to their worlds.
I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle, Gollancz, £12.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-399-62270-7.
Dragons are common in the backwater kingdom of Bellemontagne, from mouse-like vermin all the way up to castle-smashing monsters. Gaius Aurelius Constantine Heliogabalus Thrax (who would much rather be called Robert) inherited his father’s job as a dragon exterminator. It is a career he detests with all his heart, in part because he likes dragons and he feels a kinship with them, but also because he dreams of transcending his humble origins to become a prince’s valet. Needless to say, fate has something rather different in Mind…
The Dragons of Deepwood Fen by Bradley P. Beaulieu, Ad Astra – Head of Zeus, £25, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-803-28506-1.
Lorelei Aurelius is the smartest inquisitor in Ancris. When a mysterious tip leads her to a clandestine meeting between the Church and the hated Red Knives, she unearths a plot that threatens the entire empire. The trail leads to Rylan Holbrooke, a notorious thief posing as a dragon-singer. Lorelei soon discovers there’s more to Rylan than meets the eye – he has come to Ancris to solve the mystery she has just discovered. Knowing his incarceration could lead to victory for the Red Knives, Lorelei makes the fateful decision to free him. Branded as traitors, the two flee the city on dragonback to the massive forest known as the Holt, where they find that the Red Knives are planning to awaken a powerful demi-god. The unlikely allies are forced to return to Ancris, where they must rally the very people who’ve vowed to capture them.
Kavithri by Aman J. Bedi, Gollancz, £12.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-399-60986-9.
An action-packed and empowering South Asian fantasy epic. An underdog story like no other
Meet Kavithri. Outcast. Underdog. Survivor. Kavi is a Taemu. Their history has been erased. But Kavi has a dream and a plan. She will do whatever it takes to earn a place at the secretive mage academy, face the Jinn within its walls and gain the power to rise above her station and drag her people out of the darkness. And if blood is what they want, Kavi will give them blood. She will give them violence. And she will make them remember her name.
The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake, Tor, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-09532-6.
The magicians recruited to the prestigious, secretive Alexandrian Society must decide what to do with their newfound knowledge. Meanwhile, a powerful figure reveals his plans to dominate the world…
One For My Enemy by Olivie Blake, Tor, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-035-01159-9.
In the magical underworld of Manhattan, two rival witch families vie for ultimate control of the city. When a tragic event escalates the fraught conflict, old loyalties and long-held grudges will be tested, as everyone is forced to pick a side.
The Fates by Rose Blythe, Quercus, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-42812-4.
Three sisters battle against their Nyx-given powers. Can they, the rulers of Fate, escape their own destiny? You’ve heard the legends, now hear their truth… Before Gods and mortals, there were The Fates – three sisters born out of Nyx’s darkness, destined to weave the lives, and deaths, of humankind for eternity. But immortality is a heavy burden, and Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos are captivated by the gloriously human lives of the mortals below, especially those of the great warrior Atalanta and her ill-fated lover, Meleager. However, being a Goddess of Fate doesn’t make you a master of it. Will these three sisters find a way to free the couple, and themselves, from their destinies? Or will they be bound by Fate forever?
Dark Carnival by Ray Bradbury, Harper Voyager, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN not provided.
Bradbury’s first story collection is a must-read for any fan of the genre, spinning stardust and cobwebs in its wondrous wake. It contains twenty-seven stories, from science fiction’s master storyteller.
The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent, Tor, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-04096-4.
Billed by the publisher as The Hunger Games with vampires. Love is a sacrifice at the altar of power. In the wake of the bloody tournament known as the Kejari, Oraya is now a prisoner in her own kingdom and grieving the only family she ever had. She’s left with only one certainty: she cannot trust anyone, least of all Raihn, the vampire who betrayed her. The House of Night, too, is surrounded by enemies. Raihn’s own nobles are none too eager to accept a Turned king, especially one who was once a slave. And the House of Blood has dug their claws into the kingdom, threatening to tear it apart from the inside. When Raihn offers Oraya a secret alliance, taking the deal is her only chance at reclaiming her kingdom – and seeking her revenge against the lover who betrayed her. But to do so, she’ll need to harness an ancient power, intertwined with her father’s greatest secrets. With enemies closing in on all sides, Oraya finds herself forced to choose between the bloody reality of seizing power – and the devastating love that could be her downfall. Filled with romance, dark magic and bloodthirsty intrigue, The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King is the second book in the 'Crowns of Nyaxia' series, from TikTok's Carissa Broadbent.
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent, Tor, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-035-04095-7.
Billed by the publisher as The Hunger Games with vampires.
The Daughters’ War by Christopher Buehlman, Gollancz, £16.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-399-60874-9.
In the face of relentless goblin attacks, Galva, defying her family, enlists the untested Raven Knights. She and eighty women march towards the overrun city of Gallardia, accompanied by massive bird-like creatures infused with dark magic. As the goblins prove formidable foes, Galva discovers other cruel forces at play. A dark cloud looms over Gallardia, with the goddess of death asserting her presence.
Breaking Hell by Miles Cameron, Gollancz, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-473-23257-0.
Before iron helmets and steel swords was an age of bronze, when the Gods walked the Earth. In this era a scribe, a dancer, a mute insect and a child should have no chance against the might of the bickering gods and their cruel games. But the gods themselves are old, and now their fates may lie in the hands of mere mortals… The third in this series, this tale is of the revolt against the tyranny which began in Against All Gods.
The Nameless by Ramsey Campbell, Flame Tree Press, £9.95 / Can$19.95 / US$16.95, pbk, ISBN 978-1-787-58767-0.
Barbara Waugh’s daughter Angela is kidnapped and a disfigured body turns up. Grieving, Barbara focuses on her work. Years later, she receives a phone call from Angela. Barbara’s investigations reveal that a brainwashing cult was responsible for the abduction. The more she learns, the less she can trust. Will she succumb to a murderous evil?
Those Who Dwell in Mordenhyrst Hall by Catherine Cavendish, Flame Tree Press, £12.95 / Can$21.95 / US$16.95, pbk, ISBN 978-1-787-58821-9.
Evil runs deep at Mordenhyrst Hall. But it is rooted far deeper than the foundations of the ancestral home. Its inhabitants and the entire village are infested with a legacy so evil, it transcends the laws of nature. In a world where nothing is as it appears to be, Grace and Coralie must seek out and find the truth – whatever the cost.
A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall, Orbit, £18.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-356-52277-7.
A beautiful discovery outside the window of her underwater home prompts the reclusive E. to begin a correspondence with renowned scholar Henerey Clel. The letters they share are filled with passion, at first for their mutual interests, and then, inevitably, for each other. Together, they uncover a mystery from the unknown depths, destined to transform the underwater world they both equally fear and love. But by no mere coincidence, a seaquake destroys E.'s home, and she and Henerey vanish. A year later, E.'s sister Sophy, and Henerey's brother Vyerin, are left to solve the mystery of their siblings' disappearances with the letters, sketches and field notes left behind. As they uncover the wondrous love their siblings shared, Sophy and Vyerin learn the key to their disappearance - and what it could mean for life as they know it.
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty, Harper Voyager, £9.99, pbk, ISBN not provided.
From the author of The City of Brass, launches a new trilogy of magic and mayhem with this tale of pirates and sorcerers, forbidden artefacts and ancient mysteries, and one woman’s quest to seize a final chance at glory…
Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho, Tor, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-035-01566-5.
Fantasy collection of shorts. Nineteen stories.
Elusive by Genevieve Cogman, Tor, £18.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-08377-4.
In Revolutionary France, the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel faces vampires fighting for power and a devastating betrayal from one of their allies. Elusive is the thrilling, fast-paced sequel to Genevieve Cogman's Scarlet. Revolutionary France is full of blood and bite as vampires plot for power. Eleanor, once a lowly English maid, is now a member of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel, known for their daring deeds and rescuing aristocratic vampires from the guillotine. This time, Eleanor and the League are investigating the disappearance of Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, the notorious French statesman and diplomat. But they soon uncover two vampire parties feuding for power and learn Talleyrand’s disappearance is part of a bigger, more dangerous scheme that will throw France into bloody chaos.
So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole, Atom, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-0-349-12544-2.
Faron Vincent can channel the power of the gods. Five years ago, she used her divine magic to liberate her island from its enemies, the dragon-riding Langley Empire. But now, at seventeen, Faron is all powered up with no wars to fight. She's a legend to her people and a nuisance to her neighbours. When she's forced to attend an international peace summit, Faron expects that she will perform tricks like a trained pet and then go home. She doesn't expect her older sister, Elara, forming an unprecedented bond with an enemy dragon-or the gods claiming the only way to break that bond is to kill her sister.
The First Bright Thing by J. R. Dawson, Tor, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-035-01821-5.
Billed by the publisher as The Night Circus meets The Greatest Showman as three magically gifted women try to build a circus – and home – in the ruins of the First World War. But great danger lies ahead…
The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson, Harper Voyager, £9.99, pbk, ISBN not provided.
This is a new instalment of the 'Her Majesty’s Royal Coven' fantasy series. Ciara now occupies her twin sister’s body as she prepares to take on the role of High Priestess. But why are the sinister government agents of the Shadow Cabinet so invested in her coronation? Meanwhile, Theo and Holly are left to their own devices. Theo to work out how her miraculous transformation took place and Holly to discover what’s going on with her mum and dad. Elle’s Instagram-perfect world is about to come crashing down in the most terrifying way.
The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi, Harper Voyager, £9.99, pbk, ISBN not provided.
Three women seek the truth of the empire’s past in the sequel to El-Arifi’s debut The Final Strife, the continuation of a visionary fantasy trilogy inspired by Africa and Arabia. Anoor, Sylah and Hassa are divided as each woman faces a challenge like never before. All are searching for answers but what they find is far from what they wanted. The drumbeat of change thrums throughout the world. And it sings a song of war.
The Ending Fire by Saara El-Arifi, Harper Voyager, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN not provided.
For the final time, return to Saara El-Arifi’s imagined world rooted in African and Arabian mythology.
The Weavers of Alamaxa by Hadeer Elsbai, Orbit, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-0-356-52050-6.
A feminist fantasy set in an Egyptian-inspired world, billed by the publisher as for fans of The Jasmine Throne and The Once and Future Witches.
The Queen of the Dawn by S. M. Gaither, Inklore, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-804-94589-6.
The conclusion to the Shadows & Crowns series. Cassia Greythorne has survived battles with gods and monsters and the crown is in her grasp. But the power of the dark god Malaphar grows ever stronger, threatening the future of their world before her reign has even begun. Still there is hope: a way to banish him forever has been revealed. It will take Casia and her friends into a strange new realm, where they must face old enemies and race to decipher a bewildering ancient magic. But time is short. Chaos spreads throughout the empires and the bonds between allies begin to fray. With every bloody battle, the cost of saving their world becomes clearer. Dawn is coming. But will they survive to see the new day?
A Promise of Peridot: The Sacred Stones Book 2 by Kate Golden, Jo Fletcher Books, £14.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-43406-4.
The sequel to the viral hit A Dawn of Onyx, the dark romantasy that took the world by storm! Arwen Valondale is sailing for the mysterious Kingdom of Citrine after the battle of Siren’s Bay. Reeling from shocking revelations and her newfound powers, Arwen directs all of her pain and rage toward the man who betrayed her: King Kane Ravenwood. Kane’s presence is unavoidable as he travels with Arwen and her friends to seek the Blade of the Sun, a legendary weapon inextricably tied to her fate and the future of the realm. Even an uneasy truce proves difficult as Arwen fights against her unresolved feelings for Kane, who is willing to become darkness itself to protect her. As Arwen faces creatures, foes, and magic beyond her wildest imaginings, she must discover the secrets of her past to defeat the monstrous Fae King Lazarus. But finding the light within might mean the death of her and everyone she loves.
The Gilded Crown by Marianne Gordon, Harper Voyager, £9.99, pbk, ISBN not provided.
Hellevir has always been able to raise the dead. Every creature can be saved for a price for the ruler of the afterlife, taking a little more from her every time. When Princess Sullivain is assassinated, the Queen demands Hellevir bring her back. But once is not enough; Hellevir must remain by her side in case of attack. But Sullivain is no easy woman to be bound to, even as Hellevir begins to fall in love with her. With the threat
of war looming, Hellevir must trade more and more of herself to keep the princess alive.
The Voice Of The Wretched by Kester Grant, Harper Voyager, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN not provided.
Return to a dark and dangerous alternate Paris with the sequel to The Court of Miracles.
The Love Of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood, Century, £8.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-804-94911-5.
Recently deceased Delphie Bookham has just met The One in the afterlife, but is devastated when a mix-up means he is immediately sent back to Earth. Delphie is given a second chance and accepts a deal in which she can return to her previous life in London and reconnect with the mysterious stranger she’s sure is her soulmate. The challenge? She only has ten days to find him. Ten days to make him fall for her. Oh, and he has no recollection of them ever having met.
The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman, Del Rey, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-93912-5.
A gifted young knight named Collum arrives at Camelot to compete for a spot on the Round Table, only to find that he’s too late. The king is dead, leaving no heir, and only a handful of the knights of the Round Table survive. They aren’t the heroes of legend, like Lancelot or Gawain. They’re the oddballs of the Round Table, from the edges of the stories, and together this ragtag fellowship will set out to rebuild Camelot in a world that has lost its balance. But Arthur’s death has revealed Britain’s fault lines. Kingdoms are turning on each other, warlords lay siege to Camelot and it is up to Collum and his companions to reclaim Excalibur, solve the mysteries of this ruined world and make it whole again. But they’ll have to learn the truth and lay to rest the ghosts of King Arthur’s troubled family and of Britain’s dark past.
Discontinue If Death Ensues edited by Carol Gyzander & Anna Taborska, Flame Tree Press, £16.99 / Can$34.99 / US$26.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-804-17937-6.
Horror stories about women, written by women. This anthology focuses on the strength of women faced with adversity. It explores many ways in which societal structures and personal action – including mistreatment of the environment and other people, particularly women – can reach a tipping point, creating unexpected changes, empowering women around the world. Authors include Lee Murray, Cindy O’Quinn, Kyla Lee Ward, Anna Taborska and Carol Gyzander.
The Moonlight Market by Joanne Harris, Gollancz, £14.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-399-60475-8.
Billed by the publisher as Stardust meets Neverwhere in this magical story of a mystical market. Tom is a photographer and dreamer, always searching for something he knows is missing but can never quite grasp. He takes his photos… but only as he develops the negatives does he see the magical world he has brushed up against in all its beauty and danger. And deep in those negatives is the clue he needs to continue his search: a midnight, moonlit market. In the secret heart of London anything is possible.
The Return Of The Dwarves Book 1 by Markus Heitz, Quercus, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-42486-7.
When Goimron discovers a fascinatingly detailed book supposedly written by the legendary Tungdil Goldhand, he sets out on a quest to find the lost hero which lands him in the middle of ancient intrigues and brutal power struggles.
Oracle by Thomas Olde Heuvelt, Hodderscape, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-33192-9.
On a foggy morning, two children discover the impossible: the wreck of an eighteenth century ship stranded in a field. One enters the hatch and is never seen again. And she isn't the last to disappear. Soon a government agency begins to investigate. They enlist Robert Grim, a retired specialist in the occult, who soon realises…
Medea by Rosie Hewlett, Transworld, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-787-63729-0.
A dark feminist retelling that boldly reclaims the myth of the most formidable and feared witch in Ancient Greece. Medea longs for a different life. Since childhood, she has been separated from her sister, shunned by her mother, and persecuted and tormented by her brother and father. All because of a unique and dangerous gift: witchcraft. But when a dashing young hero, Jason, arrives to claim the famed Golden Fleece that her father protects, Medea sees her opportunity to escape. Her offer to help Jason overcome the trials set by her father sets in motion a journey that will test every ounce of her strength, magic and loyalty; a journey that will see her battle monsters, dethrone kings and fall in love. But when faced with the ultimate betrayal, Medea is driven to an act of desperation so brutal it rips apart the lives of everyone involved…
William Hope Hodgson Horror Stories by William Hope Hodgson, Flame Tree Press, £20 / Can$40 / US$30, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-804-17796-9.
Hodgson, in the company of Algernon Blackwood, Bram Stoker, H. P. Lovecraft, M. R. James, Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Machen, Arthur Conan Doyle and many other distinguished authors of the late Victorian era, created the foundations of the modern short story, the weird, the dark and the delightful, the supernatural, the fantastic and the imaginative.
The Mystery at Dunvegan Castle by T. L. Huchu, Tor, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-09774-0.
Ghostalker and magician-in-training Ropa Moyo is stoked to be attending an important magical convention. But her sleuthing skills will be put to the test when a magician is murdered. Suddenly, everyone is a suspect – and someone has betrayed their group.
Icelandic Folktales edited by J. K. Jackson & Rosa Porsteinsdottir, Flame Tree Press, £8.99 / Can$16.99 / US$12.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-804-17816-4.
Icelandic folktales are strong moral fables, and the close cousins of other Scandinavian origin fairy stories. They are a little darker in their tone, but share many of the same themes of innocence and trickery, triumph of good sense over pride, and the resilience of the strong heroine in the rescue of a feeble prince.
Bittershore by V. V. James, Gollancz, £14.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-399-61726-0.
The sequel to Sanctuary, a fusion of small-town murder mystery and ancient witchcraft The only thing stronger than a witch’s promise is a mother’s vengeance . . . Sarah loved and trusted no one in her close-knit coven more than her oldest friend, Abigail. Then Abigail’s son was found dead at a house party and Sarah’s daughter, Harper, was accused of murdering him. Sarah and Harper lost everything but their lives. This is a fearless portrait of the hatred and hysteria that can corrode a community consumed by bigotry.
Folk Horror edited by Paul Kane & Marie O’Regan, Flame Tree Press, £16.99 / Can$34.99 / US$26.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-804-17732-7.
Anthology. Authors include Neil Gaiman, John Connolly, Adam L. G. Nevill, Alison Littlewood and Jen Williams.
Critical Role: Bells Hells – What Doesn’t Break by Cassandra Khaw, Del Rey, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-93747-3.
For as long as she can remember, Laudna has had a friend. A mentor. A little voice whispering in her cropped ear, promising that, no matter how monstrous she becomes or how far she wanders, there will always be someone to guide her. And so, Laudna is content. But the thought of more – of life, of love, of the magic stirring in her still veins – is unrelenting in its familiarity. More is the dream of a little girl trapped behind the bloodstained walls of Whitestone, and the nightmare of the woman who now stalks the woods outside them. More, Laudna’s little voice reminds her, is dangerous. From Tal’Dorei to Marquet, the world is infested with heroes destined to rid their kingdoms of creatures like Laudna. The little voice is right, she knows. But still, she thinks of more. And when she reaches for that dream, what reaches back will change everything.
The Heart of Winter by Shona Kinsella, Flame Tree Press, £12.95 / Can$21.95 / US$16.95, pbk, ISBN 978-1-787-58830-1.
When Brigit is faced with a forced marriage to Aengus, god of Summer, she flees into the Highlands, searching for the Cailleach, Queen of Winter. Determined to make her own way, she seeks tutelage from the Queen. Caught between two gods, she’ll be tested to her limits and will form unlikely friendships until she finds her true place in the world. Shona Kinsella is a British Fantasy Award short-listed author who is the current Chair of the British Fantasy Society.
In the Lives of Puppets by T. J. Klune, Tor, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-08804-5.
This is billed by the publishers as a heart-warming, queer retelling of the Pinocchio story… And that short descriptor might, or might not, do the book justice? This is a science fantasy, and strip out the fantasy elements and there is a solid SF story set in the aftermath of a robot-apocalypse... Click on the title link for a slightly spoilery review.
The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence, Harper Voyager, £9.99, pbk, ISBN not provided.
All books, no matter their binding, will fall to dust. The stories they carry may last longer. They might outlive the paper, the library, even the language in which they were first written. This is the start of an incredible new journey from the internationally bestselling author of Prince of Thorns, in which, though the pen may be mightier than the sword, blood will be spilled and cities burned…
The Lie That Broke The World by Mark Lawrence, Harper Voyager, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN not provided.
The second volume in the bestselling, ground-breaking Library Trilogy. Evar and Livira stand side by side and yet far beyond each other’s reach. Evar is forced to flee the library, driven before an implacable foe. Livira, trapped in a ghost world, has to recover her book if she’s to return to her life. While Evar’s journey leads him outside into the vastness of a world he’s never seen, Livira’s destination lies deep inside her own writing, where she must wrestle with her stories in order to reclaim the volume in which they were written. And all the while, the library quietly weaves thread to thread, bringing the scattered elements of Livira’s old life – friends and foe alike – back together beneath new skies. Long ago, a lie was told, and with the passing years it has grown and spread, a small push leading to a chain of desperate consequences. Now, as one edifice topples into the next with ever-growing violence, it threatens to break the world. The secret war that defines the library has chosen its champions and set them on the board. The time has come when they must fight for what they believe, or lose everything.
Daughter of Calamity by Rosalie M. Lin, Tor, £18.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-01126-1.
Billed by the publisher as for fans of S. A. Chakraborty and Fonda Lee. In Jazz-Age Shanghai, Jingwen dances at the cabaret by day and runs errands for a powerful gang by night. But when a mysterious attacker steals faces from her fellow dancers, Jingwen is plunged into a world of powerful businessmen, silver-limbed gangs and vengeful gods as she tries to uncover the culprit. In Shanghai, danger wears many faces… Jingwen spends her nights as a showgirl at the Paramount, one of the most lavish clubs in Shanghai, competing ruthlessly to charm wealthy patrons. To cap off her shifts, she runs money for her grandmother, the exclusive surgeon to the most powerful gang in the city. A position her grandmother is pressuring her to inherit… When a series of cabaret dancers are targeted – the attacker stealing their Faces – Jingwen fears she could be next. And as the faces of the dancers start appearing on wealthy foreign socialites, she realizes Shanghai's glittering mirage of carefree luxury comes at a terrible price. Fighting not just for her own safety but that of the other dancers – women who have simultaneously been her bitterest rivals and only friends –Jingwen has no choice but to delve into the city's underworld. In this treacherous realm of tangled alliances and ancient grudges, silver-armed gangsters haunt every alley, foreign playboys broker deals in exclusive back rooms, and the power of gods is wielded and traded like yuan. Jingwen will have to become something far stranger and more dangerous than her grandmother ever imagined if she hopes to survive the forces waiting to sell Shanghai's bones.
The Kindness by John Ajvide Lindqvist, Quercus, £14.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-41908-5.
Click on the title link for a standalone review. A shipping container is mysteriously dumped in the Swedish port town of Norrtalje. Inside the remains of twenty-eight refugees are found. A black sludge pours and is the cause of a new, sickening dread that affects Norrtälje’ s inhabitants, causing a lack of trust, aggression, violence. It seems like an end to Kindness…
The Book of Love by Kelly Link, Ad Astra – Head of Zeus, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-804-54845-5.
Laura, Daniel and Mo disappeared without trace a year ago. They have long been presumed
dead. Which they were. But now they are not. And it is up to the resurrected teenagers to discover what happened to them. Revived by Mr Anabin – the man they knew as their high school music teacher – they are offered a chance to return to the mortal realm if they can solve the mystery of their deaths, learn how to use the magic they now possess, and identify the mysterious fourth soul that crossed back over with them.
The Silverblood Promise by James Logan, Jo Fletcher Books, £14.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-529-43281-7.
Lukan Gardova is a cardsharp, academy dropout, and the disgraced heir to an ancient noble house. However, when Lukan discovers that his estranged father has been murdered, he finds fresh purpose, vowing to unravel the mystery behind his father’s death. His search for answers leads him to Saphrona, fabled city of merchant princes, where everything has a price – but the price of truth is the deadliest of all.
The Wilding by Ian McDonald, Gollancz, £25, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-399-61147-3.
A new folk horror exploring what really lurks in the deep, dark woods. In Ireland, five kids and three teachers camp at a restored wilderness project with Ranger Lisa, a new and inexperienced hire. Mysterious events unfold at Lough Carrow, including strange animal sightings and rumours. During the sleepover, a teacher accompanies a boy back to the centre after he forgets his medication. Later, the camp is attacked, and Lisa’s group is left stranded, facing a terrifying, time-distorting wilderness with a predatory presence lurking nearby…
Arthur Machen Horror Stories by Arthur Machen, Flame Tree Press, £20 / Can$40 / US$30, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-804-17795-2.
Alongside M. R. James, H. P. Lovecraft, Algernon Blackwood and Bram Stoker, Arthur Machen wrote powerful, chilling and thought-provoking stories. His supernatural tales draw their power from the long nights and dark lanes of the Welsh countryside that raised him surrounded as he was by the remains of Roman forts and Iron Age archaeology.
Wild Cards – Pairing Up by George R. R. Martin, Harper Voyager, £9.99, pbk, ISBN not provided.
For decades, George R.R. Martin – bestselling author of A Song of Ice and Fire and creator of A Game of Thrones – has collaborated with an ensemble of science fiction and fantasy icons to create the amazing 'Wild Cards' universe. In this fantastical collection of all new stories: + A jewel thief seduces a popular actor just so she can track down a long-lost treasure. + A man discovers his purpose in life after meeting a beautiful butterfly woman. + A young hero by the name of Hero McHeroface finds solace in the arms of an astrologer hiding her own unique powers.
The Ninth Nightmare by Graham Masterton, Aries – Head of Zeus, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-035-90517-1.
TO SLEEP For eight hundred years, Albrecht’s Travelling Circus has been trapped in the realm of dreams. Its creator was thwarted in his mission to corrupt all who saw him and his carnival of oddities. TO DREAM Now, a serial killer has found a way to unleash the carnival into the real world and only the Night Warriors can stop it from happening. TO DIE They are used to confronting evil in dreams but this enemy is of the waking world, where their strength is greatly diminished. And with power unlike any they have seen before, they will soon learn that this killer is very much more than a nightmare…
Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu, Harper Voyager, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN not provided.
From the ashes of an empire, a prince will rise… Jai is nothing more than a royal hostage and lowly servant to the empire that slew his family and now rule his people. He has been manservant to the old emperor for most of his life, and only watches on from a distance as the empire grows more powerful – a new alliance is to be formed as the young prince is betrothed to Princess Erica of the Dansk Kingdom – a people from a northern, icy realm. The princess brings with her a gift: dragons. Only Dansk Royalty can soulbond with these magical beasts to draw on their power and strength. Until now. When the betrothal goes wrong, a bloody coup leads to chaos at court, and Jai uses the turmoil as an opportunity to escape. Fleeing, Jai comes into possession of a dragon egg – sparking the beginning of a bond which will change his fate – and that of the world – forever.
Dance of Shadows by Gourav Mohanty, Ad Astra – Head of Zeus, £25, hrdbk, ISBN not provided.
Second in the trilogy 'The Raag of Tra', following Sons of Darkness. In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the splitting of the Union and the resurrection of an ancient foe, the future of the realm hangs perilously in the balance. From the ancient fortress of Hastinapur to the forbidding shores of Kalinga, chaos reigns and questions blow unanswered in the wind. Did Parshuram and his apprentice fail in the task cast upon them by the Seven? Why is Karna imprisoned by Jhestal in Madagh? And why is Mati risking her life to help the Princess of Balkh uncover age-old secrets? The Magadhan Empire is a maelstrom of blood and ruin. Bitter enemies become friends, and old allies stab each other in the back…. See also next below
Sons of Darkness by Gourav Mohanty, Head of Zeus, £25, hrdbk, ISBN not provided.
Billed by the publisher as House of the Dragon meets Succession in this grimdark fantasy re-imagining of the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata. Myth blends with realpolitik in this first volume of 'The Raag of Tra' trilogy… See also previous above.
They Stalk The Night by Brian Moreland, Flame Tree Press, £12.95 / Can$21.95 / US$16.95, pbk, ISBN 978-1-787-58857-8.
In the Minnesota wilderness, the inhabitants of a remote town hold dark secrets. Retired police chief Sam Larsen knows what abomination stalks the forbidden woods atop Buckhead Hill. His worst nightmare becomes real when a pipeline company destroys a sacred barrier, unleashing an ancient enemy. Now, evil returns to feed again…
Darkness Beckons edited by Mark Morris, Flame Tree Press, £12.95 / Can$21.95 / US$16.95, pbk, ISBN 978-1-787-58729-8.
Horror anthology. A non-themed series of entirely original stories, showcasing the very best short fiction that the genre has to offer.
That Which Stands Outside by Mark Morris, Flame Tree Press, £12.95 / Can$21.95 / US$16.95, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-787-58933-9.
A moody, Nordic folklore-inspired horror novel. When Yrsa Helgerson’s mother dies, her boyfriend, Todd, accompanies her to her childhood home, an isolated Nordic island. There, the couple meet with enmity from the superstitious islanders, and as events escalate, are soon caught up in a desperate battle with terrifying forces.
Chinese Ghost Stories edited by Xueting C. Ni, Flame Tree Press, £8.99 / Can$16.99 / US$12.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-804-17798-3.
A wonderful collection of Chinese ghost stories such as 'The Painted Skin', 'The Laughing Ghost', 'The God of the City', 'The Magic Sword', 'The Dangerous Reward' and more.
One Eye Opened In That Place by Cristi Nogle, Flame Tree Press, £12.95 / Can$21.95 / US$16.95, pbk, ISBN 978-1-787-58836-3.
The author's weird and fantastical stories are collected here, each focusing on liminal spaces and the borders between places and states of mind. Within its pages you’ll travel across thresholds, and arrive at other times and places that are by turns disquieting,
terrifying, and wonderful. Make sure to bring your special glasses! Click on the title link for a standalone review.
The Last Song of Penelope by Claire North, Orbit, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-356-51611-0.
Many years ago, Odysseus sailed to war and never returned. For twenty years his wife Penelope and the women of Ithaca have guarded the isle against suitors and rival kings. But peace cannot be kept forever, and the balance of power is about to break… A beggar has arrived at the palace. Salt-crusted and ocean-battered, he is scorned by the suitors – but Penelope recognises in him something terrible: her husband, Odysseus, returned at last. Yet this Odysseus is no hero. By returning to the island in disguise, he is not merely plotting his revenge against the suitors – vengeance that will spark a civil war – but he's testing the loyalty of his queen. Has she been faithful to him all these years? And how much blood is Odysseus willing to shed to be sure? The song of Penelope is ending, and the song of Odysseus must ring through Ithaca's halls. But first, Penelope must use all her cunning to win a war for the fate of the island and keep her family alive, whatever the cost…
African Ghost Short Stories edited by Nuzo Onoh, Divine Che Neba & Chinelo Onwualu, Flame Tree Press, £20 / Can$40 / US$30, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-804-17797-6.
A deluxe edition of new writing and tales rooted in ancient culture, this volume explores the deep-seated supernatural element in African storytelling: from the spirits and ancestors of folklore to the vibrant modern ghosts of today’s horror. Stories from African voices complement poignant folktales from across the continent.
The First King by Shameez Patel Papathanasiou, Flame Tree Press, £12.95 / Can$21.95 / US$16.95, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-7875-8920-9.
King Idis has declared war by setting the Selene realm on fire. Lucas is the only one who can stop him, but can they really trust a vision of the future? While Cassia, Lochlan and Rosheen are trapped in Vineas, Lucas gathers allies and despite lacking control of his First magic, he knows that one way or another this needs to end now.
Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel, Orbit, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-0-356-52020-9.
The author of Kaikeyi returns to the world of Indian history with this chronicle of the goddess of the Ganges river.
The Dance of Shadows by Rogba Payne, Gollancz, £16.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-399-61262-3.
A High Fantasy inspired by West African spirituality, which follows a young musician drawn into a battle between gods Rumi and his family are Odu. Stricken with poverty, he resolves to liberate his family. Taking a place in the prestigious Golden Room, where earnings from his music offer a chance at freedom, he shoulders his pride and resentment in a bid to make it to the top. On what should be Rumi’s greatest night at the Golden Room, his life is turned upside down. And Rumi’s need for vengeance may be more important to him than the future of his people…
Daughter of the Merciful Deep by Leslye Penelope, Orbit, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-0-356-51811-4.
"Our home began, as all things do, with a wish. Jane Edwards hasn't spoken since she was eleven years old, when armed riders expelled her family from their home town along with every other Black resident. Now, twelve years later, she's found a haven in the all-Blacktown of Awenasa. But the construction of a dam promises to wash her home under the waters of the new lake. Jane will do anything to save the community that sheltered her. So, when a man with uncanny abilities arrives in town asking strange questions, she wonders if he's might be the key. But as the stranger hints at gods and ancestral magic, Jane is captivated by a bigger mystery. She knows this man. Only the last time she saw him, he was dead. His body laid to rest in a rushing river. Who is the stranger and what is he really doing in Awenasa? To find those answers, Jane will journey into a sunken world, a land of capricious gods and unsung myths, of salvation and dreams made real. But the floodwaters are rising. To gain the miracle she desires, Jane will have to find her voice again and finally face the trauma of the past.
The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves & China Miéville, Del Rey, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-15053-7.
A genre-bending epic of ancient powers, modern war and an outcast who cannot die.
Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid, Del Rey, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-91047-6.
The Lady knows the stories: that her eyes induce madness in men. The Lady knows she will be wed to the Scottish brute, who does not leave his warrior ways behind when he comes to the marriage bed. The Lady knows his hostile, suspicious court will be a game of survival, requiring all of her wiles and hidden witchcraft to survive. But the Lady does not know her husband has occult secrets of his own. She does not know that prophecy girds him like armour. She does not know that her magic is greater, and more dangerous, and that it will threaten the order of the world.
Blood on the Tide by Katee Robert, Del Rey, £16.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-529-90992-0.
From of author of the TikTok hit Neon Gods. As a bloodline vampire, Lizzie has never had a problem taking what she wants, and right now what she wants are the family heirlooms that were stolen from her, a ship, and a portal home. Unfortunately, even that short list is impossible to accomplish on her own – and her allies have bigger things to worry about. When they rescue a selkie, it’s the perfect solution to her problem. Lizzie needs a guide through Threshold and the selkie needs her skin back. Maeve didn’t choose to give up her skin – it was stolen from her. Now she’s in an uneasy partnership with a dangerous woman who seems more apt to kill than to share a kind word. It’s terrifying… and a bit alluring. Even though she knows it will end in heartbreak.
Hunt on Dark Waters by Katee Robert, Inklore, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-804-94745-6.
Sail the high seas with the second book in this fantasy romance from the author Katee Robert, TikTok sensation and author of Neon Gods.
When the Night Falls by Glenn Rolfe, Flame Tree Press, £12.95 / Can$21.95 / US$16.95, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-787-58809-7.
Vampires come to a small beach community in Maine to find out the truth behind the rumours of serial killer Gabriel Riley, aka the Beach Night Killer.
What If… Loki Was Worthy? by Madeleine Roux, Del Rey, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-91433-7.
Loki and Valkyrie seek redemption in the first adventure of a new multiversal series that re-imagines the origins of iconic Marvel heroes. Thor – Son of Odin, God of Thunder, wielder of the hammer Mjolnir – is dead. And Loki is responsible. It was only meant to be a joke – but Loki’s harmless prank spiralled out of control, unleashing death and destruction on New York City and the heroes sworn to protect it. Furious and heartbroken, the All-Father banishes Loki to Earth for his crime. Loki finds himself in a realm of boxed wine, instant noodles, and some sort of regional performance troupe known as the ‘Buffalo Bills’. Yet, he cannot even endure his exile in peaceful isolation. A Valkyrie barges into his trailer-home with his brother’s final words from the beyond: a plea to find a certain Dr Jane Foster and pass on Mjolnir to its rightful heir. And as Asgard looks to Loki for salvation, he must answer the question: Am I truly worthy?
Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland, Tor, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-09970-6.
Former spy for the Arashti Ministry of Intelligence must work with his pirate-captain ex and a crew of misfits to sell a very expensive secret and get away with treason on the high seas… Avra Helvaci, former field agent of the Arashti Ministry of Intelligence, has accidentally stolen the single most expensive secret in the world – and the only place to flee with a secret that big is the open sea. To find a buyer with deep enough pockets, Avra must ask for help from his on-again, off-again ex, the pirate Captain Teveri az-Haffar. They are far from happy to see him but, together, they hatch a plan: take the information to the isolated pirate republic of the Isles of Lost Souls; fence it; profit. The only things in their way? A calculating new Arashti ambassador to the Isles of Lost Souls who’s got his eyes on Avra’s every move; Brother Julian, a beautiful, mysterious new member of the crew with secrets of his own and a frankly inconvenient vow of celibacy; and the fact that they’re sailing straight into sea serpent breeding season and almost certain doom. But if they can find a way to survive and sell the secret on the black market, they’ll all be as wealthy as kings – and, more importantly, they’ll be legends.
Spell Bound by Gretchen Rue, Aria – Head of Zeus, £9.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-90428-0.
Return to Raven Creek with another witchy rom-com by Gretchen Rue, with a murder mystery twist. Since moving to Raven Creek, Phoebe Winchester has had a lot on her plate. She’s renovating the Victorian manor she inherited from her Aunt Eudora, running a tea shop (and secret magical apothecary), and learning to be a witch. But when she discovers a dead body at an estate sale, and suspicion falls on her, even Phoebe wonders if this is simply too much. Forced to take action to clear her name, Phoebe enlists Rich Lofting, handsome private detective and childhood friend, to assist with her investigation, all while sorting out her unresolved feelings for him. Is there something more sinister lurking in the shadows of this small tight-knit town? And does Phoebe really want to find out?
The Murder Road by Simone St James, Michael Joseph, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-241-67818-3.
April and Eddie have taken a wrong turn. They're on a long dark road, late at night, and they see a woman up ahead, clearly in trouble. They stop and pick her up. It's only once she's in the car that they see the blood. And then they see the headlights - far in the distance, but coming up fast. And at last, terror in her eyes, the woman speaks. 'I'm sorry, he's coming… Unexplained murders have been happening along Atticus Line for years and the cops finally have two witnesses who easily become their only suspects. As April and Eddie start to dig into the history of the town and that horrible stretch of road to clear their names, they soon learn that there is something supernatural at work, something that could not only tear the town and its dark secrets apart, but take April and Eddie down with it all.
The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson, Gollancz, £16.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-399-61347-7.
Years ago, he had comrades and a cause to believe in, now the man known as Nomad knows only a life on the run. Forced to hop between worlds whenever the Night Brigade gets close, Nomad lands on a planet and is caught in the struggle between a tyrant and rebels trying to escape being turned into mindless slaves – all under the threat of a sunrise that will melt stones. Can he escape before his mind or body pay the ultimate price?
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon, Bloomsbury, £9.9, pbk, ISBN 978-1-526-66475-4.
A lavishly re-imagined tenth anniversary edition. The year is 2059. For two centuries, the Republic of Scion has led an oppressive campaign against unnaturalness in Europe. In London, Paige Mahoney holds a high rank in the criminal underworld. The right hand of the ruthless White Binder, Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare and formidable kind of clairvoyant. Under Scion law, she commits treason simply by breathing. When Paige is arrested for murder, she meets the mysterious founders of Scion, who have designs on her uncommon abilities. If she is to survive and escape, Paige must use every skill at her disposal – and put her trust in someone who ought to be her enemy.
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer, Jo Fletcher Books, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-43628-0.
During her lonely childhood, Lucy Hart found solace in Jack Masterson’s 'Clock Island' books, and has since shared them with the young boy she’s desperate, but can’t afford, to adopt.
Then she receives a life-changing invitation to compete for the priceless lone copy of the final Clock Island book. But with wily opponents, the distractingly handsome illustrator, and Jack Masterton himself to contend with, winning won’t be easy…
The Garden of Delights by Amal Singh, Flame Tree Press, £12.95 / Can$21.95 / US$16.95, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-787-589087.
A world where petals are currency and flowers are magic. A man battling a curse of eternal old age. A girl who can be his boon. But it’s not all tulips and roses. There are also nettles and thorns. Where Delights persist, Sorrow must follow.
Lore Olympus: Volume 6 by Rachel Smythe, Del Rey, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-90992-0.
Witness what the gods do after dark in the sixth volume of a stylish and contemporary reimagining of one of the best-known stories in Greek mythology, featuring a brand-new, exclusive short story from creator Rachel Smythe. Chaos reigns in Olympus as Zeus publicly declares Persephone a traitor and issues a warrant for her arrest. But Hades defies his brother’s decree, sheltering Persephone in the Underworld – and as the pair spend more time together, they are able to speak openly about their pasts. The goddess of spring admits the truth behind the bloody secret that led to Zeus’s ire, and the king of the Underworld shares the trauma he suffered at the hands of his power-hungry father, Kronos. But as Hades and Persephone’s relationship grows stronger, others begin to fall apart. The bond between Hades and Zeus is stretched to its limit, Persephone and Artemis’s friendship hangs by a thread, and a line is being drawn in the heavens, putting everyone’s loyalties into question as all the gods are forced to choose sides. And as the cracks in the foundation of the pantheon spread, something darker and more earth-shattering might soon be released. Rachel Smythe is the creator of the Eisner-nominated Lore Olympus, published via Webtoon.
Thief Liar Lady by D. L. Soria, Inklore, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-804-94611-4.
Intrigue, magic, and wit abound in this Cinderella fairytale reimagining from D. L. Soria, billed by the publisher as perfect for fans of Heather Walter and Naomi Novik.
The Trials of Empire by Richard Swan, Orbit, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-356-51647-9.
The Trials of Empire is the third and final novel in Richard Swan's 'Empire of the Wolf' series, where action, intrigue and magic collide in unforgettable fashion.
The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields, Orbit, £18.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-356-522524.
Marigold is entering another season without any intentions of accepting a proposal. When her eccentric grandmother Althea visits and finally provides an explanation for Marigold's strange magical abilities, they return to the Lake Isle of Innisfree where she begins training as a Honey Witch - an apothecary and alchemist who uses her magical connection with the bees to create enchanted honey for her spells. While this lovely power leaves her especially adept at helping others find love, it also comes with an ancient curse that none have been able to break: no one can fall in love with the Honey Witch. When Lottie Burke, a notorious grumpy sceptic who doesn't believe in magic, accompanies her best friend to the cottage for a love spell, Marigold can't resist the challenge to prove to her that magic is real. She invites Lottie and her best friend, August Owens, to stay with her for the summer to prove her abilities, but Marigold begins to care for Lottie in a way she never expected. She longs to break the curse and escape her lonely fate, but when darker magic awakens and threatens to destroy her home, she must fight for much more than her freedom-at the risk of losing her magic and her heart.
Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne, Tor, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-030996.
They wanted to open a cosy bookshop. They discovered a world of adventure. Reyna and Kianthe dream of opening a friendly book shop together, serving the very best tea and cakes. Worn wooden floors, plants on every table, firelight drifting between the rafters – all complemented by love and good company. But Reyna is an elite bodyguard to a vengeful queen, and Kianthe is the most powerful mage in existence. Leaving their lives behind seems…impossible. Yet they flee to Tawney, a town nestled in the icy peaks of dragon country. There, they open the bookstore they'd always wanted. What follows is a tale of mishaps, mysteries, dragons, and a murderous queen throwing the realm’s biggest temper tantrum. And two women will discover what they mean to each other – and their world.
Shadowstitch by Cari Thomas, Harper Voyager, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN not provided.
Anna survived the attempt to bind her magic, but Anna and her coven aren’t free from danger yet. Haunted by her aunt’s death, living in fear of her curse, and fated to love the one man she can never have, the last thing Anna needs is a witch hunt. Now she must conceal her magic once more or risk losing everything. But when deadly hysteria strikes across the capital, and in her own school, the coven are left dangerously exposed. Delving deeper into the magical underworld of London, Anna and her twin sister Effie must find a way to work together to protect the coven. But as the witch hunt intensifies and the hysteria spirals out of control, can Effie and Anna truly trust each other?
A Queen of Thieves & Chaos by K. A. Tucker, Inklore, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-804-94501-8.
The third book in the 'Fate & Flame' series: a slow burn fantasy romance set against a backdrop of elemental magic, warring elven kingdoms and political betrayal.
The Gathering by C. J. Tudor, Michael Joseph, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-241-48626-9.
Fantastical horror. A small Alaskan town. A brutal murder. Echoes of a killing twenty-five years ago. An out-of-state detective brought in to assist the sheriff who investigated the original case. But as the snow thickens and the nights grow Longer… are they hunting a twisted psychopath or something even more terrifying?
Classic Ghost Stories edited by Lisa Tuttle, Flame Tree Press, £8.99 / Can$16.99 / US$12.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-804-17799-0.
A selection of mysterious and intriguing tales from the shadows, featuring M. R. James, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, Edith Wharton and Algernon Blackwood, with F. Marion Crawford’s 'The Doll’s Ghost' and Guy de Maupassant’s 'The Apparition'.
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid, Inklore, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-804-94501-8.
Dark fantasy. If monsters are real, so are the women who defeat them. A lyrical examination of stories told, cherished myths, and an unravelling of truths held dear. Darkly romantic and unsettlingly eerie..
The Temptation Of Magic by Megan Scott, Magpie, £14.99, hrdbk, ISBN not provided.
Billed by the publisher as Serpent and Dove meets A Discovery of Witches in this magical, forbidden romance debut. Nicole Palmer’s secret powers are invaluable. As an Empyreal, she harbours the ability to destroy dangerous creatures, an ability The Wake -a shadowy organisation that governs all supernatural creatures- will stop at no lengths to weaponise. Dormant for now, Nicole knows if her powers were to be triggered she’d suffer the
same deadly fate as her mother. To stay safe from The Wake and find a final encoded message from her mother, Nicole secures a role researching the supernatural art collection at the local Cornish manor. But when Kyan McCarter, The Wake’s most skilled Empyreal and perhaps Nicole’s greatest enemy, is stationed there to track a deadly creature, they are forced to work together to stop a painting falling into the wrong hands.
Breaks Volume 2 by Emma Vieceli and Malin Ryden, Orbit, £12.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-0-356-52228-9.
Graphic novel. Breaks is an LGBTQ+ graphic novel which, the publisher says, is perfect for fans of Heartstopper who are looking for something a little darker and more mature. With millions of views and thousands of subscribers on web-comic platforms, Breaks is 'a high school love story, but a little bit broken'.
Lord of the Feast by Tim Waggoner, Flame Tree Press, £12.95 / Can$21.95 / US$16.95, pbk, ISBN 978-1-787-58636-9.
Twenty years ago, a malevolent cult failed in their attempt to create their own god: The Lord of the Feast, forging instead a horrible, misbegotten creature, so the cultists destroyed it, trapping each piece in scattered, mystic nightstones. Now, Ethan plans to resurrect the god, and fulfil its ancient promise. Author Bram Stoker Award-winning author Tim
Waggoner writes both original and media tie-in fiction.
Dragonlance: Dragons of Fate by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman, Inklore, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-804-94693-0.
The second new Dragonlance novel, featuring fan-favourite characters from the iconic first two trilogies, Dragonlance Chronicles and Dragonlance Legends – books that brought a generation of readers into the fantasy fold.
Dragonlance: Dragons of Eternity by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman, Del Rey, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-10177-5.
When Destina Rosethorn and her companions were transported to a time 300 years before their birth – to the days of the Third Dragon War famed in song and story – the last thing they wanted to do was upset history. But upon returning to the near-past from which they departed, they discover a world completely altered. Thanks in no small part to the Graygem of Gargath that Destina carries, the war that was once won is now lost, and the forces of evil hold sway over the land.
Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig, Inklore, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-10115-7.
A small town is transformed by dark magic when strange apple trees begin bearing fruit.
How To Become the Dark Lord (and Die Trying) by Django Wexler, Orbit, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-0-356-51898-5.
Davi isn't your average zoomer. For starters, she's somehow become trapped in a fantasy world – and not one full of rainbows and unicorns, but one packed with all manner of terrifying monsters and deadly magic. Proper Lord of the Rings stuff. And, for reasons unknown, the humans of the Kingdom look to her for protection against the Dark Lord. To make matters worse, Davi's stuck in a time loop. So every time she fails to defeat the Dark Lord (which is every time) she has to start over. But Davi has a plan. What if instead of trying to defeat the Dark Lord… she becomes the Dark Lord instead?
Mister Magic by Kiersten White, Inklore, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-804-94150-8.
Horror. Who is Mister Magic? Former child stars reunite to uncover the tragedy that ended their show in this dark supernatural thriller...
All The Hollow Of The Sky by Kit Whitfield, Quercus, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-41495-0.
A cottage-core novel of rural magic and fairyfolk. Forty years ago, Jedediah’s father Corbie set off to travel and was never seen again. Now, Jedediah is more concerned with his wayward grandson and issues plaguing their community when disaster strikes, and Corbie returns – having not aged a day.
The Hemlock Queen by Hannah Whitten, Orbit, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-356-52155-8.
In the second instalment Whitten's lush, romantic epic fantasy series, a young woman who can raise the dead must navigate the dangerous world of the Sainted King's royal court.
The Hungry Dark by Jen Williams, Harper Voyager, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN not provided.
As a child, Ashley Whitelam could often see odd things nobody else could: quiet, watchful figures she called the Heedful Ones. As an adult, she’s turned her taste of the beyond into a career as a “psychic”– parting people from their money with a combination of psychology and internet research. When the Lake District is gripped by a series of grisly murders, Ashley offers her services to the police for the free publicity. But as Ashley leads the police on a fruitless search around the small town of Green Beck, she is led by her visions to something she never expected: the corpse of the latest victim. The press fly into a frenzy and the police grow suspicious: either Ashley’s psychic abilities are real, or she is guilty of murder. As Ashley teams up with a podcaster to investigate the crimes, she realises that there’s no way to distance herself from these murders: whoever or whatever it is that’s haunting the Lakes is haunting her, too.
Someone You Can Build A Nest In by John Wiswell, Jo Fletcher Books, £14.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-529-43134-6.
Beauty and the Beast meets The Shape of Water by the Nebula-award winning author of ‘Open House on Haunted Hill’. Shesheshen has made a fatal mistake for a monster: she’s fallen in love. Shesheshen is a shape-shifter, who usually resides as an amorphous lump in the swamp of a ruined manor, unless impolite monster hunters invade intent on murdering her. Through a chance encounter, she meets a different kind of human, warm-hearted Homily, who mistakes Shesheshen for a human in turn. Shesheshen is loath to deceive, but just as she’s about to confess her true identity, Homily reveals she’s hunting the shape-shifting monster that supposedly cursed her family. Shesheshen didn’t curse anyone, but to give them both a chance at happiness, she must figure out why Homily’s twisted family thinks she did. And the bigger challenge remains: surviving her toxic in-laws long enough to learn to build a life with the woman she loves.
Song of the Mysteries by Janny Wurts, Harper Voyager, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN not provided.
The long-awaited final instalment of the epic fantasy series 'The Wars of Light and Shadow', published 30 years after the first book was written.
The Lightborn by Rebecca Zahabi, Gollancz, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-473-23447-5.
The Lightborn is the conclusion to Rebecca Zahabi’s 'Tales from the Edge' trilogy
Discontent is rising. The rebellion is at the gates. Alliances are being tested. And no one can be trusted… can they? As Isha faces the prospect of meeting her mother, Hawk, leader of the incoming rebel army, Tatters has to decide if his former tormentor, Passerine, can truly have turned his back on their former captain. And behind all this, the internal power struggles for control of the Nest linger.
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Summer 2024
Forthcoming Non-Fiction SF &
Popular Science Books
The Weight of Nature: How a Changing Climate Changes our Minds, Brains and Bodies by Clayton Page Aldern, Allen Lane, £25, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-241-59737-8.
It is now inarguable that climate change threatens the future of life on Earth. But in The Weight of Nature, neuroscientist Clayton Page Aldern shows that the warming climate is not just affecting our planet – it is affecting our brains and bodies too…
Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Maths Behind Modern AI by Anil Ananthaswamy, Allen Lane, £25, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-241-58648-8.
Machine-learning systems are making life-altering decisions for us: approving mortgage loans, determining whether a tumour is cancerous, or deciding whether someone gets bail. They now influence discoveries in chemistry, biology and physics – the study of genomes, extra-solar planets, even the intricacies of quantum systems. We are living through a revolution in artificial intelligence that is not slowing down. This major shift is based on simple mathematics, some of which goes back centuries: linear algebra and calculus, the stuff of eighteenth-century mathematics. Indeed by the mid-1850s, a lot of the groundwork was all done. It took the development of computer science and the kindling of 1990s computer chips designed for video games to ignite the explosion of AI that we see all around us today. In this enlightening book, Anil Ananthaswamy explains the fundamental maths behind AI, which suggests that the basics of natural and artificial intelligence might follow the same mathematical rules. As Ananthaswamy resonantly concludes, to make the most of our most wondrous technologies we need to understand their profound limitations – the clues lie in the maths that makes AI possible.
Quantum Drama: From the Bohr-Einstein Debate to the Riddle of Entanglement by Jim Baggott & John Heilbron, Oxford University Press, £25, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-192-84610-5.
An account of the profound debate between Einstein and Bohr, its implications for the nature of physics, and the astonishing experimental discoveries it has led to today. In 1927, Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein began a debate about the interpretation and meaning of the new quantum theory. This would become one of the most famous debates in the history of science. At stake were an understanding of the purpose, and defence of the integrity, of science. What (if any) limits should we place on our expectations for what science can tell us about physical reality? Quantum Drama reveals, science owes a large debt to those who kept the discussions going against the apathy and indifference of most physicists before definitive experimental inquiries became possible. Although experiment moved the Bohr-Einstein debate to a new level and drew many into foundational research, it has by no means removed or resolved the fundamental question. There will be no Nobel Prize for an answer. That will not shut off discussion. Our Drama will continue beyond our telling of it and is unlikely to reach its final scene before science ceases or the world ends.
The Definitive Guide to Minecraft Annual (2024) by Naomi Berry, Pillar Box Red, £9.99 / Can$22.99 / US$16.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-914-53691-5.
With over 238 million copies sold, the sandbox game is officially the best selling video game of all time, allowing nearly 140 million monthly players the power to build the land of their dreams, try their mettle against the Ender Dragon, or just hang out with the iconic Steve. The world is your oyster in Minecraft, and The Definitive Guide to Minecraft is here to help all kinds of players – from surviving through your first night, to digging for diamonds, understanding the relationship between bookshelves and enchantment, and reaching the End dimension.
The Definitive Guide to Fortnite (2024) by Naomi Berry, Pillar Box Red, £9.99 / Can$22.99 / US$16.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-914-53690-8.
Fortnite has been going strong as one of the gaming industry’s most popular and successful titles since it burst onto the scene in 2017. We’re on Chapter 3 now, and trust us, this is not a "reinvention in hopes of keeping things fresh" – this is giving more of a Pokémon consistently evolving into a stronger, more powerful form. This covers core mechanics and new game-play flairs to earn you your victory crown, regardless of how far into your Battle Royale journey you are.
Fans: A Journey Into the Psychology of Belonging by Michael Bond, Picador, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-05249-7.
A journey into the world of super-fans and an exploration of the human psychology of fandom.
Ptolemy: The Book of Astronomy in Antiquity edited by Christian C. Carman, Flame Tree Press, £9.99 / Can$16.99 / US$12.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-804-17791-4.
Ptolemy’s The Almagest brought together the ideas of Greek Antiquity, that the sun and planets revolved around the Earth, the geocentric view which was used by European, Byzantine and Islamic scholars for 1400 years until Copernicus placed the sun as the focus of the solar system. This new book offers an accessible version of Ptolemy’s great work. Claudius Ptolemy (c.100–170AD) lived in Alexandria, Egypt, part of the Roman Empire. A mathematician, geographer and astrologer, his famous book on astronomy codified the ancient view of the universe.
A Crack in Everything: How black holes came in from the cold and revealed themselves masters of the universe by Marcus Chown, Head of Zeus, £25, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-804-54432-7.
A black hole is a region of space where gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light,
can escape. When this phenomenon was first proposed in 1916, it defied scientific understanding so much that Albert Einstein dismissed it as too ridiculous to be true. But scientists have since proven otherwise. In 1971, Paul Murdin and Louise Webster discovered the first black hole: Cygnus X-1. Later, in the 1990s, astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope found that not only do black holes exist, supermassive black holes lie at the heart of almost every galaxy. It would take another three decades to confirm this phenomenon. On 10 April 2019, a team of astronomers made history by producing the first image of a black hole.
Playing with Reality: How Games Shape Our World by Kelly Clancy, Allen Lane, £25, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-241-54550-8.
A sweeping intellectual history of games and their importance to human progress. We play games to learn about the world, to understand our minds and the minds of others, and to make predictions about the future. They’re also a lot of fun. But what happens when we mistake games for reality? As neuroscientist and physicist Kelly Clancy shows us, games have been deeply intertwined with the arc of history. War games shaped the outcomes of real wars in nineteenth and twentieth century Europe. Game theory warped our understanding of human behaviour and brought us to the brink of annihilation – yet still underlies basic assumptions in economics, politics and technology. We used games to teach computers how to learn for themselves, and now we are designing games that will determine the shape of society and future of democracy.
Space Oddities: The Mysterious Anomalies Challenging Our Understanding of the Universe by Harry Cliff, Picador, £18.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-09286-8.
An accessible account of the latest as yet unexplained phenomena of the universe that are new to science, space oddities that question science’s picture of the universe and could transform our understanding of the fundamental nature of reality. Something strange is going on in the cosmos. Scientists are uncovering a catalogue of weird phenomena that simply can’t be explained by our long-established theories of the universe. Particles with unbelievable energies are bursting from beneath the Antarctic ice. Unknown forces seem to be tugging on the basic building blocks of matter. Stars are flying away from us far faster than anyone can explain. After decades of fruitless searching, could we finally be catching glimpses of a profound new view of our physical world? Or are we being fooled by cruel tricks of the data? The author is a particle physicist based at the University of Cambridge and carries out research with the LHCb experiment at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider.
Charge: Why Does Gravity Rule? by Frank Close, Oxford University Press, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-198-88505-4.
As far as we know, the charges of the proton and electron are opposite and exactly equal, even though the proton is far bigger, and composed of three quarks tightly bound within it, while the electron is a fundamental particle. But why are they equal? This is one of the deepest unresolved puzzles of fundamental physics, and forms the driving force of this book. To explore the clues we have, Frank Close takes us on a journey into the quantum subatomic world of particles. He describes the strong and weak forces that operate alongside electromagnetism at these short ranges, and the colour and flavour charges that drive them, as well as the parallels between them, giving tantalizing hints of a deeper unity of all forces that is the dream of grand unification theories. Seeking an answer to why matter is neutral brings us to fundamental forces and particles, the Standard Model, the recently discovered Higgs boson, and the implications of grand unification for the stability of matter.
A Universal History of Us by Tim Coulson, Michael Joseph, £30, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-241-66230-4.
How did we come to be? A complete, uncomplicated guide to the science of life, the universe and everything How did everything start? And how did we come to exist? In this one book Oxford Prof. Tim Coulson seeks to simply explain what science tells us about the history of the universe from the Big Bang to the existence of humanity, and whether our existence was always inevitable or if we are just incredibly lucky.
The Genetic Book of the Dead by Richard Dawkins, Head of Zeus, £25, hrdbk, ISBN not provided.
How much do we really know about our past? For centuries, we have yearned to learn more about our ancestors and piece together the story of how we came to be. But language can only record so much. And fossils can be even harder to decipher. We are left groping in the dark, forced to speculate and reconstruct ways of life based on fragments of information. But what if there was a better way? In The Genetic Book of the Dead, Richard Dawkins explores the untapped potential of DNA to transform and transcend our understanding of evolution. In the future, a zoologist presented with a hitherto unknown animal will be able to read its body and its genes as detailed descriptions of the world its ancestors inhibited. This ‘book of the dead’ would uncover the remarkable ways in which animals have overcome obstacles, adapted to their environments and, again and again, developed remarkably similar ways of finding solutions to life’s problems.
The Last Action Heroes: The Triumphs, Flops, and Feuds of Hollywood's Kings of Carnage by Nick de Semlyen, Picador, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-05852-9.
The behind-the-scenes story of the larger-than-life action stars who ruled 1980s and '90s Hollywood, from Schwarzenegger and Stallone to Jackie Chan and Jean-Claude Van Damme.
AI Morality by David Edmonds, Oxford University Press, £12.99, pbk, ISBN 978-0-198-87643-4.
There is no more important issue at present than artificial intelligence. AI has begun to penetrate almost every sphere of human activity. It will disrupt our lives entirely. David Edmonds brings together a team of leading philosophers to explore some of the urgent moral concerns we should have about this revolution. The chapters are rich with examples from contemporary society and imaginative projections of the future.
Superspy Science: Science, Death and Tech in the World of James Bond by Kathryn Harkup, Bloomsbury, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 9781472982254.
In 007 chapters, the science behind James Bond’s exploits – armaments, tactics, plots and enemy tech. Ian Fleming’s novels based on the adventures of the secret service agent James Bond have thrilled readers since Casino Royale was published in 1953. And when the film of Dr No was released in 1962, Bond quickly became one of the world’s favourite secret agents. In Superspy Science, Kathryn Harkup explores the science and technology central to the plots that make up the world of Bond. Naturally, there are 007 chapters, covering the full range of Bond’s exploits, and the arms, technologies, tactics and downfalls of his various foes. Could our favourite Bond villains actually achieve world domination? Were the huge variety of weapons and technology in Bond’s arsenal ever actually developed? And would 007 actually escape all those close shaves with his life intact? Readers of this book will see James Bond and his world through new eyes.
Unseen Universe: New secrets of the cosmos revealed by the James Webb Space Telescope by Caroline Harper, Quercus, £30, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-43050-9.
An upmarket, gift-worthy book of stunning images and breakthrough scientific discoveries from NASA’s revolutionary James Webb Space Telescope.
From the towering dust cliffs of the Carina Nebula to Jupiter glowing like an iridescent disco ball in the sky, these stunning new images have captured the imagination of millions all over the world. Launched on 25th December 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope is the most powerful and complex space telescope ever built, capturing a glimpse of deep space billions of years in the past. Now, Dr Caroline Harper and contributing astrophysicists from across Europe and the USA use Webb’s photography to answer 10 of the biggest questions humankind has about the universe, including: · How are stars born? · How do galaxies form and evolve? · What are the origins of black holes? · Where do planets get their water? Are we alone in the universe? · Is the universe expanding or infinite? Caroline Harper is Head of Space Science at the UK Space Agency, a member of the European Space Agency’s Science Programme Committee.
The Harry Potter Official Afternoon Tea Cookbook by Veronica Hinke &, Jody Revenson, Quercus, £25, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-43499-6.
Indulge in an afternoon tea inspired by the Wizarding World with the favourite afternoon treats of wizards and Muggles from your favourite best-selling franchise. With more than 50 recipes, from ‘Lavender Brown’s Lavender Cake’ to ‘Professor Trelawney’s Divination Tea’ and stunning full-colour photography, as well as behind-the-scenes facts from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films, this cookbook offers step-by-step instructions on creating a bewitching afternoon feast.
Sentience: The Invention of Consciousness by Nicholas Humphrey, Oxford University Press, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-0-198-85854-6.
Conscious sensations ground our sense of self, but is it only humans who feel this way? Do other animals? Will future machines? Nicholas Humphrey tells the story of his quest to understand the evolutionary history of consciousness and explains the startling answers he has come to.
Quantum Supremacy: How Quantum Computers will Unlock the Mysteries of Science – and Address Humanity’s Biggest Challenges by Michio Kaku, Penguin, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-0-141-99945-6.
An guide to the astonishing future of quantum computing, from a physicist.
Alien Earths: Planet Hunting in the Cosmos by Lisa Kaltenegger, Allen Lane, £25, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-241-68098-8.
For thousands of years, we’ve wondered if we’re alone in the cosmos – now we have the technology to investigate. The answer should be a clear yes or no, but once you try to find life elsewhere, you realise it is not so simple. What actually is life? How do you find it over cosmic distances? How close do imagined sci-fi worlds come to reality?
The Known Unknowns: The Unsolved Mysteries of the Cosmos by Lawrence M. Krauss, Head of Zeus, £20, hrdbk, ISBN not provided.
Our understanding of cosmology has advanced immeasurably over the last five hundred years of modern science, yet many fundamental mysteries of existence persist. How did our Universe begin, if it even had a beginning? How big is it? What’s at the bottom of a black hole? How did life on Earth arise? Are we alone? Is time travel possible? These mysteries define the scientific forefront, the threshold of the unknown. To explore that threshold is to gain a deeper understanding of just how far science has progressed.
New Worlds Profiles articles originally (1952-'63) edited by John Carnell and this collection edited by David Langford, Ansible Editions, £10 (check for postage charges), trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-916-50822-4.
David Langford, editor of this book, explains in his introduction: “For a little over a decade while John Carnell was editor of New Worlds Science Fiction, there was a tradition of running author and artist profiles on the magazine’s inside front cover. These appeared from the eighteenth issue in November 1952 to the 134th in September 1963 [...and] often contain opinions and scraps of personal information not elsewhere available. Which seemed a good reason for compiling this collection.” Authors represented, often in their own words and several with multiple appearances, include Brian Aldiss, J. G. Ballard, Alfred Bester, John Brunner, Kenneth Bulmer, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Harry Harrison, Philip E. High, Damon Knight, C. M. Kornbluth, Robert Silverberg, Theodore Sturgeon, E. C. Tubb, James White and John Wyndham. Other profiles are of artists (Alan Hunter, Brian Lewis, Gerard Quinn, Sydney Jordan), editors (John Carnell himself, Groff Conklin, H. L. Gold) and even one television anthology host: Boris Karloff for Out of This World.
A Vince Clarke Treasury edited by David Langford, Ansible Editions, £15, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-916-50818-7
Click on the title link for ordering details (especially as postage is likely to change with time and be more for overseas mailings). This substantial trade paperback of A Vince Clarke Treasury was published in February 2024, expanded from the 2015 ebook with two added articles and many corrections. It features Vin¢'s fan writings from the late 1940s to mid-1990s. Vinc¢ was the first winner of TAFF, though in the event unable to make the trip to a US Worldcon which was the aim of the fund, and he promoted TAFF enthusiastically in both halves of his interrupted fannish career. This collection is similarly divided into two parts, covering the early years from 1948 to 1960 and then (after his long absence) a second voyage through science fiction fandom from 1982 to 1998. Hims Ancient and Modern, as Chuch Harris once put it. Part One is notable for its speedy progression from “serious and constructive” coverage of the 1948 British SF convention to the manic humour and mythologising of fandom that soon follows. As well as a rich seam of material for fan historians, there’s plenty of outright fun here.
The Atomic Human: Understanding Ourselves in the Age of AI by Neil D. Lawrence, Allen Lane, £25, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-241-62524-8.
A vital perspective is missing from the discussions we’re having about Artificial Intelligence: what does it mean for our identity? Our fascination with AI stems from the perceived uniqueness of human intelligence. We believe it’s what differentiates us. Fears of AI not only concern how it invades our digital lives, but also the implied threat of an intelligence that displaces us from our position at the centre of the world. Neil D. Lawrence’s book shows why these fears may be misplaced. Atomism, proposed by Democritus, suggested it was impossible to continue dividing matter into ever smaller components: eventually we reach a point where a cut cannot be made (the Greek for uncuttable is ‘atom’). In the same way, by slicing away at the facets of human intelligence that can be replaced by machines, AI uncovers what is left: an indivisible core that is the essence of humanity. By contrasting our own intelligence with the capabilities of machine intelligence through history, The Atomic Human reveals the technical origins, capabilities and limitations of AI systems, and how they should be wielded. Not just by the experts, but ordinary people. Either AI is a tool for us, or we become a tool of AI. Understanding this will enable readers to choose the future we want. Neil Lawrence is the DeepMind Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Cambridge where he leads the university-wide initiative on AI, and a Senior AI Fellow at the Alan Turing Institute.
Everything Must Go: The Stories We Tell About The End of the World by Dorian Lynskey, Picador, £25, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-09593-7.
An exploration of one of the central concerns of our times: fantasies and nightmares of the end of the world, from Mary Shelley’s The Last Man to the Manic Street Preachers’ Everything Must Go. Human beings have been imagining the end of the world from the Book of Revelation to Avengers: The Age of Ultron. Every generation imagines that its visions of the end times are new. The author investigates our fantasies of the end, across both high and popular culture, from the Reformation to the present.
This Volcanic Isle: The Violent Processes that Forged the British Landscape by Robert Muir-Wood, Oxford University Press, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-198-87162-0.
Robert Muir-Wood explores the rich geological history of the British Isles, and its resulting legacy. Along the way he introduces the personalities who shared a fascination for Britain’s tectonic history, including Charles Darwin the geologist, Tennyson the science-poet, and Benoit Mandelbrot, the pure mathematician who labelled the west coast of Britain a fractal icon. Here is the previously untold story of how earthquakes and eruptions, plumes and plate boundaries, built the British Isles.
Code-Dependent: Living in the Shadow of AI by Madhumita Murgia, Picador, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-09730-6.
A revealing exploration of the world created by computer algorithms and its impact on individuals, from the workers across the globe who feed artificial intelligence systems with data to the impact of algorithms on our own behaviour, as consumers and citizens. What does it mean to be human in a world that is rapidly changing thanks to the development of artificial intelligence, of automated decision-making that both draws on and influences our behaviour? A British poet, an UberEats courier in Pittsburgh, an Indian doctor, and a Chinese activist in exile apparently have nothing in common. Yet their lives are linked by their unexpected encounters with artificial intelligence. In the human stories she tells in Code-Dependent, Murgia shows how automated systems are reshaping our lives all over the world, from technology that marks children as future criminals to an app that is helping to give diagnoses to a remote tribal community. AI has already infiltrated our day-to-day lives, through language-generating chatbots like ChatGPT and social media. But it’s also affecting us in more insidious ways. It touches everything from our interpersonal relationships to our kids’ education, work, finances, public services, and even our human rights. By highlighting the voices of ordinary people in places far removed from the cosy enclave of Silicon Valley, Code-Dependent explores the impact of a set of powerful, flawed, and often exploitative technologies on individuals, communities, and our wider society. Murgia exposes how AI can strip away our collective and individual sense of agency, and shatter our illusion of free will. The ways in which algorithms and their effects are governed over the coming years will profoundly impact us all. Yet we cannot agree on a common path forward. We cannot decide what preferences and morals we want to encode in these entities – or what controls we may want to impose on them. And thus, we are collectively relinquishing our moral authority to machines. Murgia not only sheds light on this chilling phenomenon, but also charts a path of resistance. AI is already changing what it means to be human, in ways large and small, and Murgia reveals what could happen if we fail to reclaim our humanity.
The Primacy of Doubt: From climate change to quantum physics, how the science of uncertainty can help predict and understand our chaotic world by Tim Palmer, Oxford University Press, £12.99, pbk, ISBN 978-0-192-84360-9.
This takes us on a unique journey through the science of uncertainty, covering a breathtaking range of topics, from climate change to the foundations of quantum physics, economic modelling to conflict prediction, free will to consciousness. Click on the title link for a stanalone review.
Space: The Human Story by Tim Peake, Inklore, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-804-94626-8.
The first human history of space travel – from the Apollo missions to our journey to Mars – by Britain’s beloved astronaut. Only 628 people in human history have left Earth. In Space: The Human Story, astronaut Tim Peake traces the lives of these remarkable men and women who have forged the way, from Yuri Gagarin to Neil Armstrong, from Valentina Tereshkova to Peggy Whitson.
Mapmatics: How We Navigate the World Through Numbers by Paulina Rowinska, Picador, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-00704-2.
A exploration of how cartography shapes the world we see and how the maths of mapmaking provides the full picture. How does a delivery driver distribute hundreds of packages in a single day? Why is measuring coastlines and geographical boundaries almost impossible? Where should we look for elusive serial killers? The answers lie in the crucial connection between maps and maths. In Mapmatics, Dr Paulina Rowinska takes us on a fascinating journey to discover the mathematical foundations of cartography and cartographical influences on mathematics. From a sixteenth-century map that remains an indispensable navigation tool while emphasizing the North–South divide, and maps of voting districts that can empower or silence whole communities, to public transport maps that both guide and mislead the passengers, Rowinska reveals how maps and maths shape not only our sense of space and time but also our worldview. Through entertaining stories, fascinating real-world examples and a cast of unforgettable characters, Mapmatics helps us to appreciate the mathematical methods and ideas behind maps. And, by illuminating how our world works, it leaves us better equipped to understand and look after it.
Selfish Genes to Social Beings: A Cooperative History of Life by Jonathan Silverton, Oxford University Press, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-198-87639-7.
Amid the violence and brutality that dominates the news, it’s hard to think of ourselves as team players. But cooperation, Jonathan Silvertown argues, is a fundamental part of our makeup, and deeply woven into the whole four-billion-year history of life. Starting with human society, Silvertown digs deeper, to show how cooperation is key to the cells forming our organs, to symbiosis between organisms, to genes that band together, to the dawn of life itself. Cooperation has enabled life to thrive and become complex. Without it, life would never have begun. Click on the title link for a standalone review.
The AI Mirror: How to Reclaim Our Humanity in an Age of Machine Thinking by Shannon Vallor, Oxford University Press, £22.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-197-75906-6.
Shannon Vallor makes a wide-ranging, prophetic, and philosophical case for what AI could be, and what we can be with it. She calls us to reclaim our human potential for moral and intellectual growth, rather than losing sight of our shared humanity as we gaze dully into our AI mirrors.
Fevered Planet How Diseases Emerge When We Harm Nature by John Vidal, Bloomsbury, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-526-63229-6.
Covid-19, mpox, bird flu, SARS, HIV, AIDS, Ebola; we are living in the Age of Pandemics – one that we have created. As the climate crisis reaches a fever pitch and ecological destruction continues unabated, we are just beginning to reckon with the effects of environmental collapse on our global health. Fevered Planet exposes how the way we farm, what we eat, the places we travel to and the scientific experiments we conduct create the perfect conditions for deadly new diseases to emerge and spread faster and further than ever. Drawing on the latest scientific research and decades of reporting from more than 100 countries, former Guardian environment editor John Vidal shows us how closely human, animal and plant diseases are now intertwined with planetary destruction. He calls for an urgent transformation in our relationship with the natural world, and expertly outlines how to make that change possible.
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Summer 2024
Rest In Peace
The last season saw the science and science fiction communities sadly lose…
Tony Benoun, the US fan, has died after a long illness. He was a member of Los Angeles SF and was an avid Doctor Who fan and been part of Los Angeles Doctor Who fandom, and its local Who group the Time Meddlers of Los Angeles, and since the early 1980s, as part of the Chancellory Guard fan group. He helped found the precursor to what would become the Gallifrey One convention. His wife, Sherri, survives him who is also a member of the Gallifrey One team. He was involved in its inception in 1990 and was with them through to the present. He had been co-lead of its Special Projects division: working on (and selling) Gallifrey One's convention merchandise, T-shirts, tote bags, playing cards, stickers and more; supervising the moving and maintenance of the convention's home-grown TARDIS for many years. Indeed, he was part of a small group that created it.
Christophe Boesch, the French-Swiss biologist, has died aged 72. From his post-graduate studies onwards he specialised in chimpanzees. One of his long-term investigations was into the chimpanzees of the Tai National Park, Cote d’Ivoire. He looked at their ecology, social organisation, tool-use, hunting, cooperation, food-sharing, inter-community relationships, and cognitive capacities. One outcome of his research has helped to make great ape tourism more hygienic. He also helped create the Moyen-Bafing National Park in Guinea.
Carlos Buiza, the Spanish SF author, has died aged 83.
Tom Digby, the US fan, has died aged 84. The Los Angles area fan was short-listed for the 1971 and 1972 Hugo for Best Fan Writer. His apazines were Probably Something, Minneapa and Silicon Soapware. He was a Guest at ConFrancisco, the 1993 Worldcon that published his one-off fanzine Tom Digby Along Fantasy Way.
Professor Sir Anthony Epstein CBE, FRS, the British clinician turned pathologist, has died aged 102. He was the first person to propose that Burkitt's lymphoma was a cancer caused by a virus upon hearing a lecture given by surgeon Denis Parsons Burkitt himself in 1961 and t After two years working on Burkitt's lymphoma tumours, he discovered that they were caused by viruses. The Epstein–Barr virus was discovered in 1964. It was the first virus identified to cause cancer (Yvonne Barr was Epstein's research assistant). Its association with Africa was subsequently explained as being due to malaria infection which facilitates the cancer. Epstein garnered the Royal Society's Royal Medal in 1992. He was a Patron of Humanists UK. He lived long enough to see at least two vaccines against the virus enter clinical trials.
Peter Fagan, the Australian fan, has died aged 67. He belonged to the Nova Mob and Melbourne and Canberra SF groups.
Ramona Fradon, the US comics artist, has died aged 97. At the height of her career she worked mainly for DC but did have a stint with Marvel. She is particularly known for co-creating the superhero Metamorpho (with Bob Haney) as well as illustrating Aquaman and Brenda Starr, Reporter. With regards to the former, she was behind the character's visual re-vamp in 1959 for what came to be called the Silver Age of Comics. She was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2006. She announced her retirement from comics and illustrations on 5th January 2024, and passed in February.
Gunnar Gallmo, the Swedish fan, has died aged 77. He is also known for translating a number of SF books including those by Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, Harry Harrison, Robert Heinlein, Ursula K. Le Guin, Clifford D. Simak, E. C. Tubb among others.
Debbie Geisler , the US fan, has died aged 66. She also was an editor for NESFA Press and was a conrunner. Chairing Boskone 36 and the 2004 Worldcon.
Roger Guillemin , the French-American neuroscientist, has died aged 100. Specialising in neuroendocrinology, separately, Guillemin and Andrew Schally discovered the structures of releasing hormones thyrotropin-releasing facto (TRH) and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). The pair, along with Rosalyn Yalow, won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1977. He was also a wine connoisseur especially of Burgundies.
Peter Higgs CH, FRS, FRSE, HonFInstP, HonDSC (multiple universities), the British theoretical physicist, has died aged 94. Along with a number of other physicists, Higgs proposed in the 1960s that broken symmetry in electroweak theory could explain the origin of mass of elementary particles in general and of the W and Z bosons in particular, what came to be known as the Higgs mechanism. It predicts the existence of a new particle, the Higgs boson, the detection of which became one of the great goals of physics. This was one of the tasks addressed by Europe's Large Hadron Collider at CERN which powered up in 2009. In July 2012, the Higgs boson was detected. The discovery of which garnered François Englert (Belgium) and Peter Higgs the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2013. (Higgs was informed he had been awarded the prize by an ex-neighbour on his way home, since he did not own a mobile phone.) The new Higgs Centre for Theoretical Physics in 2012 was named after him. He was a supporter of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) up to when it extended its remit to also campaign against nuclear power at which point he resigned from CND. At home Peter Higgs did not own a television and, in common with 35% of UK households with only over 65 year old residents, his home was not connected to the internet.
Dick Jenssen, the Australian fan and artist, has died aged 88. He was one of five fans who founded the Melbourne Science Fiction Club. Australia's Ditmar SF award is named after Jenssen as one of his first names is Ditmar. It is therefore appropriate/ironic that he himself won two Ditmars (2002, 2010) for his SF art. He was also a Rotsler Award (2016) and FAAn Award (2019) winer. His artwork included that for a number of book and fanzine covers. In real life he was a meteorology professor at Melbourne University.
Laurie Johnson, the British film and TV composer, has died aged 96. His genre-related work includes the themes for The Avengers (from 1965), Jason King, The New Avengers and The Professionals. His genre-related film work includes music for Dr. Strangelove, First Men in the Moon and Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter.
Tom Jones, the British fan, has died aged 71. He edited the fanzines Proteus with Brian Stableford (1966-1967) and his own Waif (1978-1980). He became BSFA membership secretary in 1975 and was BSFA Vice-Chairman 1977-1979. At that time the Vice-Chairman actually ran the BSFA while Chairman was an honorary position occupied by Arthur C. Clarke. After Tom Jones' term the positions were renamed Chairman and President respectively.
Daniel Kahneman, the Mandatory Palestine/ Israeli born psychologist, has died aged 90. He initially specialised in cognitive psychology but later specialised in behavioural economics. His book Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011) became a best seller. One of its examples of economic psychological thinking errors was this: a bat and a ball together cost £1.10 pence, and the bat costs £1 more than the ball – how much does the ball cost? (Answer at the end of this RIP section below. He was awarded the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences shared with Vernon L. Smith. In 2013, President Barack Obama presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Michael Langford, the US fan, has died aged 69. He was a Georgia fan and regularly attended DragonCon.
Estella Bergere Leopold, the US palaeobotanist and conservationist, has died aged 97. Her work in a large part involved tracking ecological change across the Cenozoic era from the extinction of the dinosaurs onwards (66 million years ago to the present). Her work helped to connect the comparatively well-known glacial to interglacial ecological change the past two million years (the Quaternary) with deep-time geological processes. She was also a renowned biological conservationist. In 1969, she was cited as conservationist of the year by the Colorado Wildlife Federation and she garnered the International Cosmos Prize for contributions to conservation in 2010. Her activism included opposing oil-shale development in western Colorado, protesting dam building in the Grand Canyon and stopping the transport of highly radioactive materials through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound. She also served a term as the associate editor of the journal Quaternary Research from 1976–1983 and continued to work on the journal's editorial board into retirement, as well as that of Quaternary International.
Ingeborg Levin, the German physicist, has died aged 70. She is best known for her work with environmental 14C (carbon-14 isotope) to determine biosphere fluxes of carbon. She also developed methods to quantify greenhouse gas emissions using radon-222. She was among the founding members of the Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS) network. She and her colleagues demonstrated that most fossil fuel emissions occur in the Northern Hemisphere and that Southern Ocean carbon exchange plays a key role in the global carbon cycle. She was the first woman scientist to receive the European Geosciences Union’s Alfred Wegener Medal.
Brian Lumley, the British horror author, has died aged 86. A number of his stories in the 1970s followed the H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. Subsequently, he wrote the 'Necroscope' series of novels, which produced spin-off series such as the 'Vampire World' trilogy and the 'E-Branch' trilogy. He served as president of the Horror Writers Association from 1996 to 1997 and went on to receive its Lifetime Achievement Award.
Steve Miller, the US, fan author, publisher and bookdealer, has died aged 73. he was an active member of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society. A Clarion West writing workshop (1968) alumni, his first SF short was 'Shalgiel' (1976) for Flux Magazine, He was married to his surviving partner Sharon Lee. Their first joint novel, Agent of Change was the first in a series of space opera novels. He ran a small press (1995 – 2012). He and Sharon also ran the Dreams Garth, & Book Castle Inc, second-hand SF/F bookshop. He and Sharon also garnered the Steve and Sharon were honored with NESFA’s Skylark Award (2012), given for contributions to SF in the spirit of E. E. Doc Smith.
James A. Moore, the US horror and fantasy author, has died aged 58. Despite passing comparatively young, he was the author of over 50 novels that included the 'Serenity Falls' trilogy and the Seven Forges grimdark series. He also scripted comics including for Marvel with his first sale here being one set in Clive Barker's Hellraiser universe. He also wrote books based on media franchises including Alien and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He was thrice short-listed for a Stoker Award. He had been in ill health for a few years and was much loved in the US horror scene.
Jaime Lee Moyer , the US fantasy author, has died. Among her works, she was the author of the 'Delia Martin' trilogy, starting with 2013’s Delia’s Shadow and followed in the subsequent two years by A Barricade in Hell and Against a Brightening Sky. She was also a poet, and edited The Rhysling Anthology: The Best Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Poetry of 2009 (2010).
Paul Neary, the British comics writer and artist, has died aged 74. He worked for DC and Marvel as well as 2000AD.
Claus Nielsen, the Danish zoologist and marine biologist, has died aged 85. He is known for his 'trochaea' theory of evolution which he explored in his book Animal Evolution (2001) that is now in its third edition. In 2001 he was one of the first to receive the Alexander Kowalewski Medal and in 2015 the Linnaeus Medal . He was an honorary member (2006) and fellow (1984) of the Linnean Society of London (2006).
Matthew Pavletich, the New Zealand fan, has died aged 59. He was a past president of the Stella Nova Science Fiction Club. He won the Sir Julius Vogel Award (NZ principal SF award) for Services to Fandom in 2023.
Arno Allan Penzias, the German-born, US physicist and radio astronomer, has died aged 90. Originally a refugee from Nazi Germany to Britain, his family ended up in New York, USA. He specialised in microwave physics. He was the co-discover (with Robert Woodrow Wilson) of the cosmic microwave background radiation, for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1978. It was evidence of the remains from the Big Bang origin of the Universe. His collaboration with Robert Wilson continued and they went on to detect carbon monoxide in interstellar clouds, the first of several simple molecules they observed. Their work initiated the field of millimeter-wave astronomy.
Roger Perkins, the British SF fan, has sadly died. He was introduced to fandom through the 'City Illiterates', the Phil Strick run SF class at the Sandford Institute in 1971 before moving to the City of London Institute of Literature (City Lit hence the 'City Illiterates') with a number of other tutors. His first convention was Chessmancon in 1972 after which he was an Eastercon and Novacon regular. He then became part of the BECCON (Basildon Essex Centre/Crest CONvention) team that ran series of biennial SE England regional conventions (1981, '83 and '85) conventions before running the BECCON '87 Eastercon (Britain's national convention) in Birmingham (which saw the launch of SF² Concatenation as an annual print zine as one of a couple of the convention's spin-offs). Roger was BECCON's treasurer for all four conventions. He went on to be a member of the 1989 Contrivance Eastercon. In their bid to host that year's Eastercon, they held a fan vote on two sites: one on mainland Britain and one on the Jersey Channel Isles. The vote for Jersey was decisive but nonetheless caused the usual ire of fandom's vocal minority who claimed that as the Channel Isles were not part of Britain (it is a UK protectorate), they should not host the British national convention there. Nonetheless, that convention was such a success that it prompted others to put on the 1993 joint Eastercon-Eurocon in the same venue a couple of years later. Roger gafiated shortly after moving from London to Wales where he had a boat called Chrestomancy.
Alek Popov, the Bulgarian author, has died aged 58. He is known for his parody 1993 novel Planetata na kauboite [The Cowboys’ Planet].
Christopher Priest, the British SF author, has sadly died aged 80. He was known in many circles for his 'literary' SF (however you care to define that) or New Wave SF. He became a full time writer in 1968 aged just 24. His early successes included Fugue for a Darkening Island (1972) which was short-listed for a John W. Campbell Award (subsequently rebranded as the 'Astounding Award for Best New Writer') and The Inverted World (1974) which garnered him a BSFA Award for 'Best Novel' and saw him short-listed for a Hugo 'Best Novel'. His A Dream of Wessex (1977, US title The Perfect Lover) saw a group of experimenters for a British government project are brain-wired to a hypnosis machine and jointly participate in an imaginary but as-real-as-real future in a vacation island off the coast of a Sovietised Britain. In 1979 he won a BSFA award for 'Best Short Story' for 'Palely Loiterin'. In 1983 he was included in the score-strong Granta Best of Young British Novelists where he rubbed shoulders with the likes of Martin Amis, William Boyd, Kazuo Ishiguro, Ian McEwan, Salman Rushdie, Graham Swift and A. N. Wilson. The Glamour (1984) was short-listed for a BSFA Award. His The Islanders saw a return to a fictional archipelago that previously appeared in a number of his short stories. It won a BSFA Award and was also selected by our team as one of our best books of the year. His last novel was Airside. He also wrote a handful of screen adaptations under pseudonyms. His own novel The Prestige (1995) was turned into a film, the novel itself won a World Fantasy Award and was a James Tait Black Memorial Prize winner.
Tom Purdom, the US writer, has died aged 87. He was the author of several books and, especially from the 1990s scores of short stories.
Trina Robbins, the comics artist, writer and editor, has died aged 85. She was the first woman to draw a full issue of Wonder Woman, and a full run on a Wonder Woman series, after four decades of male exclusivity. She also designed the famously seΧy outfit for Vampirella but it was not then as revealing as it was to later become by other artists.
Enrique Badia Romero, the Catalan artist, has died aged 83. He is known for his Modesty Blaise strips. He also drew Judge Anderson and Durham Red for 2000 AD and Judge Dredd Megazine. (His brother Jordi was also a comics artist and the two occasionally worked together.) He was also the co-creator of the post-apocalyptic science fiction strip AXA.
Thomas D. Sadler, the US writer and fan, has died aged 76. His fanzine was The Reluctant Famulus that ran from the 1980s for three decades.
David J. Skal, the US writer and critic, has died aged 71 from a car accident. His first novel was Scavengers (1980). This was followed by followed by When We Were Good (1981) and Antibodies (1988). He was also a fan of cinematic horror, especially vampire films. His Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of “Dracula” from Novel to Stage to Screen (1990) was short-listed for both the Hugo and Stoker Awards. His The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror (1993) was short-listed for both the World Fantasy and Stoker Awards. His Something in the Blood: The Untold Story of Bram Stoker, The Man Who Wrote Dracula (2016) was short-listed for a Stoker Award. He frequently contributed film reviews to F&SF (Fantasy and Science Fiction) magazine.
Brian Stableford, the British biologist turn SF/F writer and genre academic, has died aged 75. Graduating as a biologist he went on to postgrad biological research work before moving into sociology. In 1979 he received a PhD with a doctoral thesis on 'The Sociology of Science Fiction'. ' He then spent a decade as a sociology lecturer at Reading University. He was also a prolific author starting with his first commercial sale, a short story, 'Beyond Time's Aegis' for Science Fantasy #78 (1965). His first novel was Cradle of the Sun (1969) part of his 'Dies Irae' trilogy. He wrote over 70 novels including: 'Dies Irae' trilogy (1971); 'The Hooded Swan' sequence (1974-8); the 'Daedalus Mission' sequence (1978-9); the 'Asgard' sequence (1982-'90); the 'David Lydyard (Werewolves) (1990'94); the 'Mnemosyne' (2005-2018); 'The Empire of the Necromancers' sequence (2008-'11); the 'Auguste Dupin' (2010-'13); the 'Morgan's Fork' trilogy 2018-'19); the 'Paul Furneret' trilogy (2019); and over two score other novels 1969-2012. He also wrote non-fiction SF and contributed to the two print (1979 and 1993) editions of the Science Fiction Encyclopaedia. His non-fiction included The Science in Science Fiction (1982) with David Langford and Peter Nicholls; and The Sociology of Science Fiction (1985). He was: short-listed for a 'Best Novella' Hugo Award for 'Les Fleurs du Mal' from Asimov's (Oct 1994); won a Pilgrim Award (1999); and garnered a special Science Fiction & Fantasy Translation Award (2011). He edited the fanzine Proteus with Tom Jones.
Thomas Stafford, the US astronaut, has died aged 93. He flew on two Gemini missions including one that was the first spacecraft rendez-vous in orbit. He also flew on the Apollo 10 mission and so was one of just 24 people who flew to the Moon, but alas he did not land on it. (The first Apollo mission to do so was, of course, Apollo 11.) He was also involved in the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz link-up (that, it is said, took place over Bogna Reigis). Subsequent to his space-going days, he also led an oversight group that looked into how to fix the then-flawed Hubble Space Telescope, earning him a NASA public service award. He also spent a period in charge of the Area 51 test facility.
Jon Stopa, the US fan, has died aged 88. He was a member of the University of Chicago SF Society and went on to participate in Chicago region fandom. He was one of several who founded the non-fiction SF publishing house, Advent. He and his (late) wife, Joni, were reguklar participants in conventions' fancy dress parades. The were also Fan GoHs at Chicon V. With Joni, he was a Fan GoH at ConClave VI. He also had a handful of SF short stories professionally published.
Gary Swaty, the US fan based in Arizona, has died. He was an active conrunner who worked on a number of conventions starting with Phoenix US, IguanaCon II, the 1978 Worldcon. The conventions with which he was involved included LepreCons and CopperCons, Westercons, World Horror, World Fantasy, Anizona, MythosCon and RandomCon. Most recently he sponsored filk GoHs at CoKoCon. He was the editor’s assistant for years on ConNotations. He was a GoH at LepreCon 42 (2016).
Akira Toriyama, the Japanese manga comics artist and writer, has died aged 68. He is arguably best known for his being the creator of Dragon Ball as well as Akira: Dragon Bal action figures are ubiquitous toys across South-East Asia. His passing was noted by governmental statements from both Japan and China.
Vernor Vinge, the US author and mathematician, has died aged 79. As a mathematician he taught mathematics and computer science at San Diego State University. He is known for popularising the concept of the technological singularity: the point at which technology becomes smart enough to design its own improvements without humans. He won the Hugo Award for his novels A Fire Upon the Deep (1992), A Deepness in the Sky (1999) and Rainbow's End (2006), as well as the novellas Fast Times at Fairmont High (2002) and The Cookie Monster (2004). His related novels The Peace War (1984) and Marooned in Realtime (1986) were short-listed for Hugos. He was formerly married to the SF author Joan D. Vinge.
Howard Waldrop, the US writer, has died aged 77. He was the author of a handful of novels and novellas and also over 80 short stories. His best-known single fiction is arguably 'The Ugly Chickens' which won a Nebula and a World Fantasy Award. Many of his stories contained humour and the SF Encyclopaedia says he could be 'thought of as a kind of court jester of SF'. He was an avid cinema buff and had a considerable interest in history; indeed, some of his stories were alternate histories. In 2021, he received the World Fantasy Award for 'Lifetime Achievement'. He was very popular on the US convention circuit.
Elizabeth Warren, the US fan, has died. She was one of the founding members of the Northwest Science Fiction Society (NWSFS) and Norwescon. Known as 'Dragon Lady' due to her fondness for dragon-themed artwork. She regularly helped organise the Norwescon's con suite. She also chaired Norwescon XI, Norwescon XII, and Norwescon XIV. She was also involved with the Puget Sound Star Trekkers. She leaves behind her husband, the Seattle area artist Steve (Duck) Adams.
Niklaus Wirth, the Swiss computer scientist, has died aged 89. He created several programming languages, including Pascal. In 1995, he popularized the adage now named Wirth's law. In his 1995 paper 'A Plea for Lean Software' he phrased it as "Software is getting slower more rapidly than hardware becomes faster." but attributed it to Martin Reiser. He won the Turing Award in 1984.
Johannes Zaanen, the Dutch chemist turned physicist, has died aged 66. He is perhaps best known for his contribution to the understanding of high-temperature superconductivity. He also worked on general relativity and string theory. He has a book forthcoming from Oxford University Press, On Time.
Answer to the Daniel Kahneman question: Most people answer that the ball costs 10p given that the bat and the ball together cost £1.10p and the bat costs £1 more than the ball. This is wrong! (If the ball cost 10p then the bat would cost £1.10p and the bat and ball together would cost £1.20p.) The correct answer is that the ball costs 5 pence and so if the bat costs £1 more then the bat would cost £1.05 pence making the total cost of bat and ball £1.05 pence plus 5 pence = £1.10 pence. Don't worry if you got it wrong, Daniel himself in interviews says that he himself gets the puzzles he posed in his book wrong.
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