Featuring: Leigh Bardugo, Charlotte Bond, Sergio de la Pava, Jeremy Egner, K. M. Enright, Matthew Ferrence, Siang Lu, Howard Megdal, Marissa Stapley, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Nghi Vo, Carvell Wallace
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Leigh Bardugo, THE FAMILIAR (Flatiron)
In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to improve the family’s social position.
What begins as simple amusement for the nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain’s king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England’s heretic queen — and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king’s favor.
Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the lines between magic, science, and fraud are never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition’s wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive — even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santángel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.
This novel has been hyped. As someone who very much enjoyed Bardugo’s Ninth House and Hell Bent, I’m looking forward to trying this new novel, which seems to be quite different. Looking forward to reading it as soon as possible. The Familiar is out now, published by Flatiron Books in North America, and Viking in the UK.
Also on CR: Review of Ninth House
Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram
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Charlotte Bond, THE BLOODLESS PRINCES (TorDotCom)
It seemed the afterlife was bustling.
Cursed by the previous practitioner in her new role, and following an… incident… with a supremely powerful dragon, High Mage Saralene visits the afterlife with a boon to beg of the Bloodless Princes who run the underworld.
But Saralene and her most trusted advisor/champion/companion, Sir Maddileh, will soon discover that there’s only so much research to be done by studying the old tales, though perhaps there’s enough truth in them to make a start.
Saralene will need more than just her wits to leave the underworld, alive. And Maddileh will need more than just her Fireborne Blade.
A story of love and respect that endures beyond death. And of dragons, because we all love a dragon!
Bond’s previous novella, The Fireborne Blade, is one of my favourite fantasy reads of the last few years, so I was very happy to learn that this follow-up was on the way. I’ll be reading it very soon. The Bloodless Princes is due to be published by TorDotCom in North America and in the UK, on October 29th.
Also on CR: Review of The Fireborne Blade
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Review copy received via NetGalley
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Sergio de la Pava, EVERY ARC BENDS ITS RADIAN (Simon & Schuster)
An existential detective novel about a private investigator who flees New York City for Colombia after a personal tragedy and finds himself entangled in a young woman’s strange disappearance — which may be connected to one of the world’s most ruthless criminal organizations.
Riv — poet, philosopher, private eye — arrives in Cali, Colombia, hoping to find reprieve. Running away from an unspeakable event surrounding his ex Jane, Riv accidentally connects with his cousin Mauro and family friend Carlotta, who asks him to find her daughter Angelica Alfa-Ochoa. No sooner is Riv on the trail when it becomes clear that not only are the cops not looking for Angelica, but they are actively preventing him from finding her. This could be a good thing because the police are clearly in the pocket of one Exeter Mondragon, a name best never uttered in public if one wants to stay alive. But Riv is not one to leave things incomplete. When his investigation leads him straight into the heart of Mondragon’s criminal empire, he is forced not only to face unimaginable horrors, but also to plunge into the deepest and most perplexing conundrums of the human condition.
Lightning fast on the page and steeped in the cultural history of Colombia, Every Arc Bends Its Radian is a novel only Sergio de la Pava could write. As incredibly funny as it is ridiculously smart, it poses large philosophical questions while keeping you laughing. A novel idea about the biggest idea of them all — what in God’s name are we even put on earth for, this book is a singular exploration of the human mind.
Each of Sergio de la Pava’s novels from the past few years has sounded intriguing. Somehow, though, I keep forgetting to read them… Hopefully I’ll break this tendency this year, as this one sounds very interesting (I’ve also heard plenty of good things about the author’s work). Every Arc Bends its Radian is due to be published by Simon & Schuster in North America and in the UK, on November 12th.
Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads
Review copy received via Edelweiss
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Jeremy Egner, BELIEVE (Dutton)
The definitive book on the TV show Ted Lasso, written by New York Times journalist and editor Jeremy Egner, celebrating the show’s improbable rise and cultural impact while never losing sight of the heart, friendship, and passion that have made it an enduring favorite for the ages
When Ted Lasso first aired in 2020, nobody — including those who had worked on it — knew how a show inspired by an ad, centered around soccer, filled mostly with unknown actors, and led by a wondrously mustached “nice guy” would be received. Now, eleven Emmys and one Peabody Award later, it’s safe to say that the show’s status as a pop culture phenomenon is secure. And, for the first time, New York Times television editor Jeremy Egner explores the creation, production, and potent legacy of Ted Lasso.
Drawing on dozens of interviews from key cast, creators, and more, Believe takes readers from the very first, silly NBC Premier League commercial to the pitch to Apple executives, then into the show’s writer’s room, through the brilliant international casting, and on to the unforgettable set and locations of the show itself.
Egner approaches his reporting as a journalist and as a cultural critic, but also with an affection and admiration fans will appreciate, carefully and humorously telling Ted Lasso’s story of teamwork, of hidden talent, of a group of friends looking around at the world’s increasingly nasty discourse and deciding that maybe simple decency still had the power to bring us together — a story about what happens when you dare to believe.
Like many people, I fell in love with Ted Lasso during the pandemic — a feel-good show perfect for the moment, it is funny and thoughtful, and has become one of our family’s most-frequent rewatches. When I saw Egner’s book had been announced, I pretty much immediately reached out to the publisher, hoping for a review copy. And I was extremely happy that they approved that request! I started reading this pretty much as soon as I received it (and I finished this before this post was scheduled to go live). It’s a must-read for any fan of the show — really enjoyed it. Believe is due to be published by Dutton in North America and in the UK, on November 12th.
Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter
Review copy received via Edelweiss
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K. M. Enright, MISTRESS OF LIES (Orbit)
A villainous, bloodthirsty heroine finds herself plunged into the dangerous world of power, politics and murder in the court of the vampire king in this dark romantic fantasy debut.
Fate is a cruel mistress.
The daughter of a powerful but disgraced Blood Worker, Shan LeC laire has spent her entire life perfecting her blood magic, building her network of spies, and gathering every scrap of power she could. Now, to protect her brother, she assassinates their father and takes her place at the head of the family. And that is only the start of her revenge.
Samuel Hutchinson is a bastard with a terrible gift. When he stumbles upon the first victim of a magical serial killer, he’s drawn into the world of magic and intrigue he’s worked so hard to avoid – and is pulled deeply into the ravenous and bloodthirsty court of the vampire king.
Tasked by the Eternal King to discover the identity of the killer cutting a bloody swath through the city, Samuel, Shan and mysterious Royal Blood Worker Isaac find themselves growing ever closer to each other. But Shan’s plans are treacherous, and as she lures Samuel into her complicated web of desire, treason and vengeance, he must decide if the good of their nation is worth the cost of his soul.
It’s been quite some time since I read any vampire fiction. The cover and synopsis for this novel caught my attention, and I thought I’d give it a try. Mistress of Lies is due to be published by Orbit Books in North America (August 13th) and in the UK (August 15th).
Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter
Review copy received via NetGalley
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Matthew Ferrence, I HATE IT HERE, PLEASE VOTE FOR ME (West Virginia University Press)
When a progressive college professor runs for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in a deeply conservative rural district, he loses. That’s no surprise. But the story of how Ferrence loses and, more importantly, how American political narratives refuse to recognize the existence and value of non-conservative rural Americans offers insight into the political morass of our nation.
In essays focused on showing goats at the county fair, planting native grasses in the front lawn, the political power of poetry, and getting wiped out in an election, Ferrence offers a counter-narrative to stereotypes of monolithic rural American voters and emphasizes the way stories told about rural America are a source for the bitter divide between Red America and Blue America.
The synopsis for Ferrence’s new book caught my attention — it sounds like a bit of a tongue-in-cheek look at the strange place progressives might occupy in the American South. Looking forward to reading it. I Hate it Here, Please Vote For Me is due to be published by West Virginia University Press in North America and in the UK, on August 1st.
Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Twitter
Review copy received via Edelweiss
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Siang Lu, THE WHITEWASH (University of Queensland Press)
It sounded like a good idea at the time: A Hollywood spy thriller, starring, for the first time in history, an Asian male lead. With an estimated $350 million production budget and up-and-coming Hong Kong actor JK Jr, who, let’s be honest, is not the sharpest tool in the shed, but probably the hottest, Brood Empire was basically a sure thing. Until it wasn’t.
So how did it all fall apart? There were smart guys involved. So smart, so woke. So woke it hurts. There was top-notch talent across the board and the financial backing of a heavyweight Chinese studio. And yet, Brood Empire is remembered now not as a historical landmark of Asian representation that smashed the bamboo ceiling in Hollywood, but rather as a fiasco of seismic proportions.
The Whitewash is the definitive oral history of the whole sordid mess. Unofficial. Unasked for. Only intermittently fact-checked, and featuring a fool’s gallery of actors, producers, directors, film historians and scummy click-bait journalists, to answer the question of how it all went so horribly, horribly wrong
This novel, first published in 2022, popped up as available for review the other week — I’d not even heard of it before, but the premise caught my attention (as did the fact that it seems to have racked up a number of awards). Really looking forward to reading it. The Whitewash is out now, published by University of Queensland Press in North America and in the UK.
Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram
Review copy received via Edelweiss
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Howard Megdal, RARE GEMS (Triumph Books)
An expansive and compelling chronicle tracing the rise of modern women’s basketball
Elvera “Peps” Neuman got lost in the sounds and rhythms of basketball, dribbling and shooting on a hoop affixed to her family’s barn in Eden Valley, Minnesota. In the years preceding Title IX, Neuman’s dreams of playing the game professionally meant a life away from home on barnstorming tours and even forming a team of her own, the Arkansas Gems.
Sixty years later, she got to witness what a sold-out Target Center in downtown Minneapolis looked like on the Friday night of the 2022 Women’s Final Four. Neuman’s cheers joined with a crowd of 18,268 to send a wall of sound toward the Twin Cities’ own Paige Bueckers and her Connecticut teammates. The 5’11 Bueckers may have worn her ponytail a little differently than Neuman, but Neuman certainly saw something of herself in the young superstar.
This is the story of the pioneers who shaped so much of the modern infrastructure for women’s basketball, whose histories intersect and wind their way through the state of Minnesota. It is the story of forcing open doors — to ensure teams even existed, to allow those teams to play in conditions resembling those men could take for granted, to ensure that the color of your skin or who you love would not be a barrier to building a life centered around basketball. To end the double-standard that treats every undeniable success by women as a one-off, but every setback as a referendum.
Four generations of women have played essential and diverse roles: Neuman and her friend and collaborator of a half-century, Vicky Nelson; Cheryl Reeve and her wife, Carley Knox; Lindsay Whalen, Maya Moore, Seimone Augustus, Sylvia Fowles, and WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx; right through to the future of the game in Bueckers and the stars of tomorrow.
Through meticulous research and evocative storytelling, this captivating narrative gives due recognition to the luminaries who ushered in women’s basketball’s modern era.
It’s great that the WNBA is starting to get more attention. As a big fan of the NBA, when the publisher offered this for review, I thought it was about time I learned more about the women’s league. Looking forward to reading this. (Also, Toronto is apparently getting a WNBA team, so that’s great news.) Rare Gems is out now, published by Triumph Books in North America and in the UK.
Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter
Review copy received via Edelweiss
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Marissa Stapley, THE LIGHTNING BOTTLES (Simon & Schuster)
A spellbinding story of rock ‘n’ roll and star-crossed love — about grunge-era musician Jane Pyre’s journey to find out what really happened to her husband and partner in music, who abruptly disappeared years earlier.
He was the troubled face of rock ‘n’ roll…until he suddenly disappeared without a trace.
Jane Pyre was once half of the famous rock ‘n’ roll duo, the Lightning Bottles. Years later, she’s perhaps the most hated — and least understood — woman in music. She was never as popular with fans as her bandmate (and soulmate), Elijah Hart — even if Jane was the one who wrote the songs that catapulted the Lightning Bottles to instant, dizzying fame, first in the Seattle grunge scene, then around the world.
But ever since Elijah disappeared five years earlier and the band’s meteoric rise to fame came crashing down, the public hatred of Jane has taken on new levels, and all she wants to do is retreat. What she doesn’t anticipate is the bombshell that awaits her at her new home in the German countryside: the sullen teenaged girl next door — a Lightning Bottles superfan — who claims to have proof that not only is Elijah still alive, he’s also been leaving secret messages for Jane. And they need to find them right away.
A cross-continent road trip about two misunderstood outsiders brought together by their shared love of music, The Lightning Bottles is both a love letter to the 90s and a searing portrait of the cost of fame.
I really enjoyed Stapley’s previous novel, Lucky, so when I saw that this was available for review I jumped at the chance. It’s not out for a little while, so I’ll hold off on posting the review — but I think I’ll be reading it pretty soon. (Seems like good summer reading.) The Lightning Bottles is due to be published by Simon & Schuster in North America (September 24th), and Hodder & Stoughton in the UK (October 10th).
Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram
Review copy received via Edelweiss
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Adrian Tchaikovsky, ALIEN CLAY (Orbit)
A political prisoner must unlock the secrets of a strange and dangerous planet.
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 of 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.
Sometimes, I think Tchaikovsky must be the most hard-working author writing today… It’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep up-to-date with his books — and, to be clear, this is a great problem to have. He’s one of my favourite authors, who has shown himself to be adept at working in pretty much every sub-genre within SFFH. His latest novel, sounds particularly interesting, and I’m looking forward to diving in as soon as I can. Alien Clay is due to be published by Orbit Books in North America, on September 17th; it is out now in the UK, published by Tor Books.
Also on CR: Interview with Adrian Tchaikovsky (2012); Guest Posts on “Nine Books, Six Years, One Stenwold Maker”, “The Art of Gunsmithing — Writing Guns of the Dawn“, “Looking for God in Melnibone Places: Fantasy and Religion”, and “Eye of the Spider”; Excerpt from Guns of the Dawn; Reviews of Empire of Black & Gold, Guns of the Dawn, Children of Ruin, Spiderlight, Ironclads, Made Things, One Day All This Will Be Yours, Shards of Earth, Ogres, Firewalkers, The Doors of Eden, and Walking to Alderbaran
Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Twitter
Review copy received via NetGalley
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Nghi Vo, THE CITY IN GLASS (TorDotCom)
A demon. An angel. A city.
The demon Vitrine — immortal, powerful, and capricious — loves the dazzling city of Azril. She has mothered, married, and maddened the city and its people for generations, and built it into a place of joy and desire, revelry and riot.
And then the angels come, and the city falls.
Vitrine is left with nothing but memories and a book containing the names of those she has lost — and an angel, now bound by her mad, grief-stricken curse to haunt the city he burned.
She mourns her dead and rages against the angel she longs to destroy. Made to be each other’s devastation, angel and demon are destined for eternal battle. Instead, they find themselves locked in a devouring fascination that will change them both forever.
Together, they unearth the past of the lost city and begin to shape its future. But when war threatens Azril and everything they have built, Vitrine and her angel must decide whether they will let the city fall again.
The City in Glass is both a brilliantly constructed history and an epic love story, of death and resurrection, memory and transformation, redemption and desire strong enough to reduce a world to ashes and remake it anew.
I’ve only recently started reading Vo’s books (relatively speaking), but I’ve very much enjoyed everything so far; so, when I saw this stand-alone was on the way, I popped it on my TBR list. Hope to get to it very soon. The City in Glass is due to be published by TorDotCom in North America and in the UK, on October 1st.
Also on CR: Reviews of Siren Queen and The Empress of Salt and Fortune
Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter
Review copy received via NetGalley
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Carvell Wallace, ANOTHER WORD FOR LOVE (MCD)
A transformative memoir that reimagines the conventions of love and posits a radical vision for healing.
In Another Word for Love, Carvell Wallace excavates layers of his own history, situated in the struggles and beauty of growing up Black and queer in America.
Wallace is an award-winning journalist who has built his career on writing unforgettable profiles, bringing a provocative and engaged sensitivity to his subjects. Now he turns the focus on himself, examining his own life and the circumstances that frame it — to make sense of seeking refuge from homelessness with a young single mother, living in a ghostly white Pennsylvania town, becoming a partner and parent, raising two teenagers in what feels like a collapsing world.
With courage, vulnerability, and a remarkable expansiveness of spirit — not to mention a thrilling, and unrivaled, storytelling verve — Another Word for Love makes an irresistible case for life, healing, the fullness of our humanity, and, of course, love. It could be called a theory of life itself — a theory of being that will leave you open to the wonder of the world.
I first came across Carvell Wallace’s writing with Andre Iguodala’s memoir, The Sixth Man, which Wallace co-authored. Easily one of my favourite non-fiction books (certainly my favourite NBA-related read), it introduced me to Wallace’s writing, and I’ve tried to read as much of it as I can ever since. This memoir was announced a while ago, but was affected by the pandemic (as so many others have been), and I’m very much looking forward to reading this as soon as I can. Another Word For Love is out now, published by MCD in North America and in the UK.
Also on CR: Review of The Sixth Man
Civilian Reader 