Most Anticipated 2025

Quick Review: ANT by Chris Hine (Harper)

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An early biography of a rising star of the NBA

The first in-depth look at the Minnesota Timberwolves rising star, from his backstory to his mindset, and the relationships that fueled his drive to greatness.

From his jaw-dropping dunks to his charismatic personality, Anthony Edwards draws comparisons to the greatest shooting guards of all time like Kobe and Jordan. A portrait in the education of a budding NBA superstar, Ant chronicles Edward’s meteoric rise. The number-one pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, a two-time All-Star, Edwards has, in just a few seasons, become a household name and the face of the Minnesota Timberwolves. And he’s only twenty-three years old.

With locker room access, original interviews, and fresh reporting by Chris Hine, the Minnesota Star Tribune’s beat writer covering the Wolves, Ant delves into Edwards’ early life in Atlanta, the challenges and family tragedy he overcame, and the relentless determination that has propelled him to stardom.

Anthony Edwards, the charismatic and personable star of the Minnesota Timberwolves, made a splash in last year’s NBA playoffs, making the jump to potential-future-face-of-the-league. This year, the ‘Wolves are blazing a path through the Western Conference playoffs once again, and will appear in the conference finals against OKC. This all makes Chris Hine’s book rather timely. It’s a well-written and engaging biography of the rising superstar; but perhaps too soon? Continue reading →

Very Quick Review: MAKING HISTORY by K. J. Parker (TorDotCom)

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How to manipulate history and (maybe) get away with it

A group of scholars must do the impossible for a ruthless king. The cost of refusal, of course, is death.

History isn’t truth, it’s propaganda.

Seeking war with his neighbor, the tyrannical ruler of Aelia convenes several of his kingdom’s professors for a chat. First citizen Gyges only just invaded Aelia a few years back and, naturally, his public image can’t take the hit of another unjustified assault.

His totally sane solution? Simple, really. These scholars must construct a fake ancient city from scratch to verify Gyges’s apocryphal claims.

Now these academics must put their heads together to make history. Because if they don’t, they’ll lose their heads altogether.

In a country ruled by a usurper king, history can be a powerful tool for cementing authority and power. To do a decent job of manipulating the past, it’s important to turn to the people who know the most about it: historians. In Parker’s latest, excellent novella, a group of historians are (quietly) threatened by their new king into creating a new history that supports his authority and mandate. Continue reading →

Upcoming: THE BONE RAIDERS by Jackson Ford (Orbit)

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Late this summer, Orbit are due to publish the first book in a new, “no-holds-barred, action-packed” fantasy series from Jackson Ford: The Bone Raiders! A long-time fan of Ford’s work (who also publishes as Rob Boffard — also recommended), this sounds great. Here’s the synopsis:

A group of charmingly-named Bone Raiders harness the power of gigantic, fire-breathing lizards to defend their homeland from an invading enemy.

You don’t mess with the Rakada. The people living in the Great Grass call them the Bone Raiders, from their charming habit of displaying the bones of those they kill on their horses and armor.

But being a raider is tough these days. There’s a new High Chieftain ruling the Grass. He’s had it with the raider clans, and plans to use his sizeable military to do something about it. And then there are the araatan: fire-breathing lizards the size of elephants – one of which happens to turn up in a cute little settlement the Rakada are in the middle of raiding.

Sayana is a Rakada scout, and in the chaos of the raid-gone-wrong, she finds herself on the back of a rampaging araatan. Whoops. In a panic, she discovers she can steer it, like you would a horse. It’s frankly amazing she survives any of this. Once Sayana gets an idea into her head, it’s awful hard to dislodge. And now she has a doozy: what if the Rakada could swap their horses for araatan? Train the lizards to act as mounts? That would even the odds against the High Chieftain, no?

Really looking forward to the one. (Luckily, I already have a DRC of it, via NetGalley, so I won’t have to wait long to get to it.)

The Bone Raiders, the first in the Rakada series, is due to be published by Orbit Books in North America and in the UK, in August 12th.

Also on CR: Interview with Jackson Ford (2020); Interview with Rob Boffard (2015); Guest Posts on “What to Do if You’re Set Adrift in Space”

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, BlueSky

Upcoming: IN A DISTANT VALLEY by Shannon Bowring (Europa Editions)

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In October, Europa Editions are due to publish In a Distant Valley, the third Dalton novel by Shannon Bowring. The first two novels — The Road to Dalton and Where the Forest Meets the River — were superb, and I’ve been eagerly anticipating Bowring’s third novel ever since finishing the second. Easily one of my most-anticipated novels of the year. Here’s the synopsis:

Both a love letter and a window into the rural places that have shaped many, In a Distant Valley sets the stage for a final act to play out across a deep winter in snowy Maine.

For a while, Rose Douglas believed life had given her a break. She was enjoying a steady job at the local clinic in Dalton; her two young boys, Adam and Brandon, were doing well in school; and their little family had found an easy friendship with widower Nate Theroux and his daughter, Sophie. The possibility of something deeper even hung between her and Nate—until the day Tommy Merchant, her ex and the father of her sons, showed up without warning on her doorstep. While Rose knows all too well his erratic and abusive nature, he swears he’s clean, and ready to turn over a new leaf.

Tommy isn’t the only one who’s found his way back to the town that defined him. Lost after a disastrous stint living down south with her father, Angela Muse has returned home to Dalton. There she runs into Greg Fortin, the friend who once saved her life when they were children and finally starts to believe there may be someone who understands her in a world that offers more questions than answers.

But secrets are the lifeblood of a small town, and everyone in Dalton soon finds themselves part of a chain of events hurtling towards outcomes beyond their control, where more than one future will be decided. Brimming with compassion and heart, In a Distant Valley is the remarkable conclusion to the story readers have been following since Shannon Bowring’s debut novel, The Road to Dalton.

Shannon Bowring’s In a Distant Valley is due to be published by Europa Editions on October 7th.

Also on CR: Reviews of The Road to Dalton and Where the Forest Meets the River

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, BlueSky

Upcoming: MASTERS OF THE GAME by Sam Smith & Phil Jackson (Penguin Press)

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Later this year, Penguin Press are due to published a (surprise) new book by Sam Smith and Phil Jackson: Masters of the Game. It’s “a conversational history of the NBA in 75 players”; written by the best-selling chronicler of the Michael Jordan-era Chicago Bulls, and Jordan and Kobe’s coach, with 11 championships under his belt (as coach and player)… That’s a pretty enticing pairing and premise. Definitely one of my most-anticipated books of the year, now. Here’s the synopsis:

The legendary sportswriter and the Hall of Fame, eleven-time NBA champion coach separate the music from the noise in the stories of the greatest who ever played and their impact on the game

Sam Smith and Phil Jackson grew to know and respect each other in the late 1980s, when Smith was a Chicago Tribune sportswriter and Jackson was an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls. Forty years later, the two remain close friends. In 2021, Smith helped the NBA arrive at a list of the seventy-five greatest players of all time in celebration of its seventy-fifth anniversary. Phil Jackson was asked to participate too, but he’s not a big fan of ranking greatness. They’ve been enjoying the argument ever since.

In Masters of the Game, Smith and Jackson chop it up about the basketball life, the sport, and the genius and the shadow side of the all-time greats: Jordan, Kobe, Shaq, Magic, Bill Russell, Wilt, Jerry West, Bird, LeBron, KD, Steph Curry, Bill Walton, and more. In a conversation full of high-grade analysis and high-grade gossip, we meet the stars of long-ago eras of basketball and see the mark race left on players and the business of the game — and we get a master class on character and the alchemy of a good team. And of course, inevitably, these two old heads get into the GOAT debate.

There are so many huge characters here, and Smith and Jackson can hold their own with any of them. Their spirit — sharp, wise, irreverent, honest, respectful of the lore and legacy of the game but never pious — and the clash of their different perspectives combine to make this book a joyous ride, a short course in greatness open to all students.

Sam Smith & Phil Jackson’s Masters of the Game is due to be published by Penguin Press in North America and in the UK, on November 4th.

Quick Review: LETHAL PREY by John Sandford (G. P. Putnam’s Sons)

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Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers join forces to track down a ruthless killer who will do whatever it takes to keep the past buried…

Doris Grandfelt, an employee at an accounting firm, was brutally stabbed to death… but nobody knew exactly where the crime took place. Her body was found the next night, dumped among a dense thicket of trees along the edge of an urban park, eight miles east of St. Paul, Minnesota. Despite her twin sister Lara Grandfelt’s persistent calls to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the killer was never found.

Twenty years later, Lara has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Confronted with the possibility of her own death, she’s determined to find Doris’s killer once and for all. Finally taking matters into her own hands, she dumps the entire investigative file on every true crime site in the world and offers a $5 million reward for information leading to the killer’s arrest. Dozens of true crime bloggers show up looking for both new evidence and “clicks,” and Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers are called in to review anything that might be a new lead.

When one of the bloggers locates the murder weapon, Lucas and Virgil begin to uncover vital details about the killer’s identity. But what they don’t know is the killer lurks in plain sight, and with the true crime bloggers blasting every clue online, the killer can keep one step ahead. As the nation maneuvers the detectives closer to the truth, Lucas and Virgil will find that digging up Doris’s harrowing past might just get them buried instead.

In this, the 35th novel in Sandford’s superb Prey series, the author’s two main protagonists team up again to investigate a 20-year-old murder. It’s another fast-paced and engaging mystery, showcasing everything that has made Sandford’s series so compelling for so long. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Continue reading →

Upcoming: MAKING HISTORY by K. J. Parker (TorDotCom)

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TorDotCom recently unveiled the cover for K. J. Parker‘s next novella, Making History. If you’ve been reading CR for even a little while, you’ve probably noticed that I am a big fan of Parker’s work; and especially his novellas and short stories (many of the former have been published by TorDotCom). That it is written by Parker is enough for me to want to read it, but the synopsis only increased my interest:

History isn’t truth… it’s propaganda.

Academics can be cocky. Atop their perches of authority high above the unquestioning world they can begin to fancy themselves gods. It is rare this authority is ever tested. But a command from an idiotic, power-hungry king — that’ll do it.

Our narrator is one of a dozen professors at the University of the Kingdom of Aelia. Early one morning, he and his colleagues are rounded up for an audience with their dictator, Gyges. You see, Gyges is new to the job — he only just invaded Aelia last year — and like any good tyrant, he’s looking to expand his empire. But his public image can’t take the hit of (another) unjustified assault. No problem, he’s come up with a plan — the scholars will simply construct an ancient city from scratch that justifies his next invasion.

Now these bookworms must put their heads together to do the impossible. They must make history. Because if they don’t, they’ll lose their heads all together.

Definitely one of my top 10 most-anticipated books of 2025, K. J. Parker’s Making History is due to be published by TorDotCom on September 2nd, in North America and in the UK.

Also on CR: Reviews of The Devil You Know, The Last Witness, Downfall of the Gods, My Beautiful Life, Prosper’s Demon, Academic Exercises, The Big Score, The Long Game, and Pulling the Wings Off Angels

Follow the Author: Goodreads

Quick Review: THE WONDER BOY by Tim MacMahon (Grand Central Publishing)

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ESPN’s Tim MacMahon chronicles the career of the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic and examines the pressure of building an NBA team around a prodigy.

In 2018, the Dallas Mavericks landed the most hyped European teen prospect in basketball history—Luka Doncic, who has proven to be a generational NBA talent with a flair for sensational playmaking. But that’s only half the story. With The Wonder Boy, MacMahon takes us beyond the highlights to the madness that ensues as the Mavericks try to avoid blowing their golden opportunity.

From the internal power struggles in owner Mark Cuban’s front office during the early years of Doncic’s career, to the new regime’s effort to earn Doncic’s loyalty and put the ruthless competitor in position to win, readers will learn never-before-reported details about the saga’s biggest moments, including:

    • the blockbuster deal for Kristaps Porzingis that blew up in the Mavs’ faces
    • the divorces with coach Rick Carlisle and GM Donnie Nelson
    • Jalen Brunson’s exit after a run to the Western Conference finals
    • the new pairing with the mercurial Kyrie Irving
    • the improbable journey to the 2024 Finals

As the clock ticks on the Mavs’ quest to win it all with their irreplaceable young star, The Wonder Boy pulls back the curtain on a dilemma every NBA team would love to have.

Anyone who has watched the Mavericks play since they acquired Luka Dončić in 2018 will recognize the player’s electric talent. Blistering stat-lines define most of his NBA career so far. He is not, however, otherwise particularly well-known. Like many non-American stars, he remains quite private and not the most forthcoming when it comes to the media/press. In The Wonder Boy, Tim MacMahon attempts to explain this young phenom, and how he fits into the modern NBA. Continue reading →

Upcoming/Out Now: THE PROOF OF MY INNOCENCE by Jonathan Coe (Europa Editions / Viking)

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I’m woefully behind on Jonathan Coe‘s novels, but his latest has really caught my eye (and will probably shoot right to the top of my TBR pile). The Proof of My Innocence is a “political critique wrapped up in a murder mystery”, all told with Coe’s signature wit. The novel is out already in the UK (published by Viking), and it’s due to arrive in North America in April (published by Europa Editions). Here’s the synopsis:

Post-university life doesn’t suit Phyl. Time passes slowly living back home with her parents, working a zero-hour contract serving Japanese food to tourists at Heathrow’s Terminal 5. As for her budding plans of becoming a writer, those are going nowhere.

That is, until family friend Chris comes to stay. He’s been on the path to uncover a sinister think-tank, founded at Cambridge University in the 1980s, that’s been scheming to push the British government in a more extreme direction. One that’s finally poised to put their plans into action. But speaking truth to power can be dangerous — and power will stop at nothing to stay on top.

As Britain finds itself under the leadership of a new Prime Minister whose tenure will only last for seven weeks, Chris pursues his story to a conference being held deep in the Cotswolds, where events take a sinister turn and a murder enquiry is soon in progress. But will the solution to the mystery lie in contemporary politics, or in a literary enigma that is almost forty years old?

Darting between decades and genres, The Proof of My Innocence is a wickedly funny and razor-sharp new novel from one of Britain’s most beloved novelists, showing how the key to understanding the present can often be found in the murkiest corners of the past.

Jonathan Coe’s The Proof of My Innocence is due to be published in North America by Europa Editions (April 15th, 2025), and it’s published in the UK by Viking Books (out now).

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, BlueSky

Upcoming: ATMOSPHERE by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Ballantine Books / Hutchinson Heinemann)

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The next novel from Taylor Jenkins Reid was announced a little while ago. Atmosphere is “an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program and the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits.” Long-time readers of CR will know how much I’ve enjoyed Reid’s previous novels — Daisy Jones & the Six, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and Malibu Rising are particular favourites — so it should come as no surprise that Atmosphere is one of my most-anticipated novels of 2025. North American and UK editions have already been announced. Here’s the synopsis:

Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. That is, until she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s Space Shuttle Program. Suddenly, Joan burns to be one of the few people to go to space.

Selected from a pool of thousands of applicants in the summer of 1980, Joan begins training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilots Hank Redmond and John Griffin, who are kind and easy-going even when the stakes are highest; mission specialist Lydia Danes, who has worked too hard to play nice; warm-hearted Donna Fitzgerald, who is navigating her own secrets; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer, who can fix any engine and fly any plane.

As the new astronauts become unlikely friends and prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined. In this new light, Joan begins to question everything she thinks she knows about her place in the observable universe.

Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant.

Fast-paced, thrilling, and emotional, Atmosphere is Taylor Jenkins Reid at her best: transporting readers to iconic times and places, with complex protagonists, telling a passionate and soaring story about the transformative power of love, this time among the stars.

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Atmosphere is due to be published by Ballantine Books in North America (June) and Hutchinson Heinemann in the UK, on June 3rd, 2025.

Also on CR: Reviews of Daisy Jones & the Six and Malibu Rising

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram