Author: Civilian Reader

Upcoming: WE WILL SEE YOU BLEED by Ron Currie (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)

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The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne was the first novel by Ron Currie that I read, and it was an excellent introduction to his work: it was a gripping mystery overlying sharp and empathetic social commentary, populated by engaging and three-dimensional characters. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to learn that the author is returning to the setting, Little Canada, in his next novel: We Will See You Bleed, due out next summer. Definitely one of my now-most-anticipated novels of 2026. Here’s the synopsis:

It’s late summer 1984, and Babs Dionne’s hometown of Waterville, Maine is on the verge of collapse. A strike at the paper mill has dragged on for a year, pitting neighbor against neighbor, leaving everyone broke and exhausted. 

As head of the union local, Babs has presided over Little Canada’s decline. She’s sworn off violence since killing a man when she was a teenager, and has stuck to this vow even as it’s become clear that only violence can save their community. When Babs’ best friend Rita returns home after five years away, she is shocked by the state of things. And as the strike comes to a head, Rita notices something else: the men may be broken, but the women are furious, ready to do whatever necessary to take back Little Canada. 

They just need Babs to be the fearless woman who emerged from the woods fifteen years ago, drenched in blood. They need Babs to face what she already knows: that the only way to fix things is to assume control. Completely. Mercilessly.

Ron Currie’s We Will See You Bleed is due to be published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons in North America, on July 7th, 2026. (No UK publisher at the time of writing, but the first book was published by Atlantic Books.)

Also on CR: Review of The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads

Upcoming: EVERYBODY LOSES by Danny Funt (Gallery)

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The explosion of sports betting is relentless. If you follow any sport at all, you will be inundated by ads (often celebrity-fronted) boosting betting apps and platforms, urging fans to make more of their fandom. The relentless tsunami of advertising around sports betting has generated a fair amount of comedy (especially from Canada’s The Beaverton — “Sportsnet apologises for interrupting gambling commercial with hockey”), but few people could argue that it hasn’t also corrupted sports in general — just consider the recent scandals especially with the NBA, for example.

Luckily, there are plenty of people investigating the world and impact of this explosion in sports betting; I’d highly recommend Michael Lewis’s podcast season on the subject. Understanding the industry and how it operates seems to be ever-more important. In January 2026, Gallery Books will publish Everybody Loses by Danny Funt, which “pulls back the curtain on the alluring yet perilous world of American sports gambling.”

Everybody Loses is the first major investigation into America’s sports gambling industry. Journalist Danny Funt has obtained wild stories and stunning admissions from the people trying to transform our nation of sports fans into a nation of sports gamblers, including:

• Former sportsbook executives who cop to misleading customers, with one admitting they’re “selling that you can win, but you can’t.”
• VIP “hosts” at the gambling companies who divulge the extravagant perks they offer their biggest losers to keep them hooked.
• Insiders who recall secret meetings where NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB executives learned how much money their leagues stood to make if they abandoned their opposition to gambling.
• Lobbyists who detail how they converted skeptical politicians into gambling industry cheerleaders.

This riveting narrative will captivate sports fans, concerned parents, and anyone intrigued by the intersection of money and morals. Everybody Loses is the crucial book for understanding why sports gambling is suddenly everywhere — and why the odds are so great that the problems it’s creating will soon spiral out of control.

Danny Funt’s Everybody Loses is due to be published by Gallery Books in North America and in the UK, on January 20th, 2026.

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, BlueSky

Excerpt: THE WONDER LANDS WAR by Peter Darbyshire (Poplar Press)

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Today we have an excerpt from The Wonder Lands War, the fourth book in Peter Darbyshire‘s The Books of Cross series — readers may recall that we have shared excerpts from the three previous novels in the series, too (see below for links). It’s is out now, published by Poplar Press. Here’s the synopsis:

I would take the whole world apart to find her.

The immortal Cross is back in a wild new adventure – a desperate hunt to find the enigmatic Alice from the Wonderland tales. Alice has helped Cross save the world countless times over since she stepped out of the pages of her book, but now she is the one that needs rescue after vanishing during an apocalyptic battle. Aided by the faerie queen Morgana and her court, Cross journeys to mystical islands populated with murderous immortals and into famous libraries with powerful librarians and magical texts until they reach the chaotic and terrifying Wonder Lands, the dangerous inspiration for the original Alice tales. But they are not the only ones looking for Alice – a rogue group of angels are also hunting her for mysterious reasons of their own. The very fate of the world may rest upon who finds Alice first.

Continue reading →

New Books (October-November)

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Featuring: Cali Adeline, Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, Michael Connelly, John French, John Grisham, Matthew Kessel, David McCloskey, Caroline Palmer, Suzanne Palmer, Sam Smith & Phil Jackson, Sophie Wan

Continue reading →

Quick Review: A HOLLYWOOD ENDING by Yaron Weitzman (Doubleday)

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The dreams and drama of the LeBron Lakers

When LeBron James signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, it looked like a match made in heaven. Here was the preeminent athlete of his generation, fresh off ending Cleveland’s 50-year title drought and in need of a new challenge to help further burnish his legacy, joining forces with one of the most iconic teams in all of sports. And here were the Lakers, in the midst of their worst stretch in franchise history and reeling from the death of the legendary owner Dr. Jerry Buss, in need of a savior. The script wrote itself.

A little over two years later, LeBron and Dr. Buss’ daughter, Jeanie, were standing shoulder to shoulder, hoisting the NBA finals trophy into the air. Having won their record-tying 17th NBA title, the Lakers had reclaimed their accustomed perch on top of the basketball world. It looked to be the birth of a new dynasty.  

But this was a new Lakers’ franchise, one beset by infighting and years removed from Kobe’s prime. And this was LeBron James, the catalyst of the “player empowerment” era, an athlete chasing things greater than Michael Jordan’s ghost. The two parties were too big to peacefully coexist under one roof. The 2020 title would represent the pinnacle of their pairing, and the beginning of a precipitous decline.

Drawing from over 250 interviews, Yaron Weitzman takes readers on a riveting, behind the scenes journey of this fraught partnership. From the Succession-like power struggle between the Buss children, to the rise of LeBron’s landscape-altering talent agency and its attempts to assert its own power within the Lakers’ walls, to the evolution of LeBron’s priorities and political voice, “A Hollywood Ending” is the definitive story of an American icon’s final years on stage, one portraying him, a fabled NBA franchise, and the world of modern professional sports in a light never seen before.

The latest book by long-time NBA journalist, and author of the excellent Tanking to the Top, is an account of “the high stakes drama” inside the Los Angeles Lakers organization as they adjust to their LeBron era. Weitzman covers everything from the initial attempts to lure the superstar to LA, to their Bubble Championship, up to last season’s blockbuster (and still incredible) trade for Luka Dončić. Engaging, often amusing, and well-written, this is a must for all NBA fans. Continue reading →

Upcoming: PLATFORM DECAY by Martha Wells (TorDotCom)

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New Murderbot incoming! Platform Decay by Martha Wells, the eighth novel in the superb Murderbot Diaries series, is due to be published by TorDotCom in May 2026! Like many people, I have been a fan of the series since the first book — All Systems Red, first published in 2017 — and have eagerly looked forward to each new book (and short story) that Wells has written. Platform Decay is no different; I’m really looking forward to this. If you haven’t had the opportunity, yet, I would also highly recommend Apple TV’s adaptation of the books.

Here’s the synopsis:

Everyone’s favorite lethal SecUnit is back in the next installment of Martha Wells’ bestselling and award-winning Murderbot Diaries series.

Having someone else support your bad decision feels kind of good.

Having volunteered to run a rescue mission, Murderbot realises that it will have to spend significant time with a bunch of humans it doesn’t know.

Including human children. Ugh.

This may well call for… eye contact!

(Emotion check: Oh, for f—)

Martha Wells’s Platform Decay is due to be published by TorDotCom in North America and in the UK, on May 5th, 2026.

Also on CR: Reviews of All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, Exit Strategy, Network Effect, and Fugitive Telemetry

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, BlueSky

Upcoming: THE FRANCHISE by Thomas Elrod (Tor)

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“The Truman Show meets Game of Thrones in this epic tale of a studio-owned Fantasy world.” While the cover is arresting (that green…), that pitch is what hooked my attention. Long-time readers of CR will know how much I enjoy reading about Hollywood and behind-the-scenes books. So, coupling this with an interest in fantasy fiction (even if it has been waning, recently), means Thomas Elrod‘s upcoming The Franchise is of considerable interest. Really looking forward to giving this a try. Here’s the synopsis:

A land filled with magic and dragons and wizards and warriors.
Thousands of people live and work within its borders — fearful of their enemies and loyal to their king.

The classic fantasy world of The Malicarn has been brought to life on the big screen in a series of epic movies, almost entirely populated by characters in total belief that their sham fantasy lives are real.

A fan-favorite actor finds himself doubting the studio’s work, but the world of The Malicarn has an almost unstoppable momentum, and bringing freedom to a population who already believe themselves to be free won’t be as easy as he thinks.

All the world’s a stage.
Meet the players.

Thomas Elrod’s The Franchise is due to be published by Tor Books in North America on May 12th, 2026.

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, BlueSky

Upcoming: CHILDREN OF STRIFE and GREEN CITY WARS by Adrian Tchaikovsky

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Adrian Tchaikovsky has to be one of the hardest-working authors in SFF. Not only that, his novels are consistently excellent and varied — he writes across seemingly all speculative genres, offering up many twists and original takes on classic and new tropes. I wanted to quickly spotlight two of his novels coming out in 2026, highlighting just a bit of this breadth of interest and imagination.

CHILDREN OF STRIFE (Tor UK / Orbit)

The far-future. After Earth fell, ark ships had hunted for a new home. They sought lost worlds terraformed in Earth’s forgotten past. A ship crewed by maverick humans, spiders and a spectacularly punchy mantis shrimp captain is about to rediscover one such world, and an ark.

Then human crewmate Alis wakes to discover that she, her captain and the ship’s intelligence are the only ones left on their ship. But what happened to those who left to explore the ark . . . and the world below?

This is the fourth novel in the Children series, which started with the Clarke Award-winning Children of Time. I’ve read the first two books in the series, and loved both. Hopefully, I’ll manage to get around to reading Children of Memory before Strife is published. Really looking forward to this. Children of Strife is due to be published by Tor Books in the UK (March 12th) and Orbit in North America (March 17th)

Also on CR: Review of Children of Ruin

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GREEN CITY WARS (Tor Books)

Down these mean streets a beast must walk…

Meet Skotch. Racoon, P.I.―Yours for a few buttons as long as the job isn’t too illegal, whatever that means.

A mouse has gone missing. Normally this wouldn’t raise any hackles, nor any alarms, but this mouse has something that everyone seems to want, though nobody appears particularly eager to say what that something is.

The fee is good―perhaps too good. Certainly not something Skotch can easily turn down.

If only Skotch can work out where the mouse is hiding, what he’s hiding, and why his secrets are upsetting a lot of animals caught up in the Green City wars.

This upcoming noir novel has a fantastic pitch: “Philip Marlowe meets Redwall.” The cover for the North American edition, featured above, is pretty great, but it’s that pitch that cemented my interest in reading this. Really looking forward to this one. Green City Wars is due to be published by Tor Books in North America (June 23rd, 2026) and in the UK (June 25th).

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, BlueSky

Quick Review: NASH FALLS by David Baldacci (Grand Central)

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A high-flying financier learns he’s working for crooks. Everything goes wrong. Eventually.

When Walter Nash is recruited by the FBI to help bring down a global crime network his life is turned completely upside down…

Walter Nash is a sensitive, intelligent and kindhearted man. He has a wife and a daughter and a very high-level position at Sybaritic Investments, where his innate skills and dogged tenacity have carried him to the top of the pyramid in his business career. Despite never going on grand adventures, and always working too many hours, he has a happy and upscale life with his family.

However, following his estranged Vietnam-veteran father’s funeral, Nash is unexpectedly approached by the FBI in the middle of the night. They have an important request: become their inside man to expose an enterprise that is laundering large sums of money through Sybaritic. At the top of this illegal operation is Victoria Steers, an international criminal mastermind that the FBI has been trying to bring down for years.

Nash has little choice but to accept the FBI’s demands and try to bring Steers and her partners to justice. But when Steers discovers that Nash is working with the FBI, she turns the tables on him in a way he never could have contemplated. And that forces Nash to take the ultimate step both to survive and to take his revenge: He must become the exact opposite of who he has always been.

And even that may not be enough.

In his latest novel, David Baldacci introduces readers to another new protagonist: Walter Nash, financier extraordinaire. With an intriguing premise, I jumped in with my usual expectations for Baldacci’s work. However, it was also nowhere near the author’s best. Continue reading →