Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Reviews

THE SKILL OF OUR HANDS by Steven Brust
FICTION & LITERATURE
Released: Jan. 24, 2017

"The imaginative worldbuilding and magic system overshadow the plot, and the reader may need a flowchart to track the cast, but Brust and White offer a frequently poignant take on the question of whether power conveys authority."
A group of secretive immortals are thrown into turmoil by the murder of one of their own in Brust and White's sequel to The Incrementalists (2013). Read full book review >
LATIN@ RISING by Matthew David Goodwin
FICTION & LITERATURE
Released: Jan. 18, 2017

"An uneven anthology that nevertheless contains some fascinatingly thought-provoking stories."
In an anthology of stories by Latino and Latina authors based in the United States, Goodwin presents a diverse group of voices working in the realm of speculative fiction. Read full book review >

MARTIANS ABROAD by Carrie Vaughn
FICTION & LITERATURE
Released: Jan. 17, 2017

"Reading far more like a book for young teenagers than one with a strictly adult audience, this easygoing adventure has an affable appeal."
Vaughn (Dreams of the Golden Age, 2014, etc.) offers a stand-alone that finds a Martian colonist struggling to adapt to life on Earth. Read full book review >
EMPIRE GAMES by Charles Stross
FICTION & LITERATURE
Released: Jan. 17, 2017

"An absorbing but ultimately underwhelming yarn that patiently builds on existing foundations without venturing a conclusion or even a cliffhanger."
Espionage and Cold War paranoia prevail as near-future governments in alternate timelines test one another's defenses and capabilities in this opening installment of a science-fiction trilogy and sequel to the six-volume Merchant Princes series (The Trade of Queens, 2010, etc.) Read full book review >
ROSEBLOOD by A.G. Howard
SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
Released: Jan. 10, 2017

"A rich, atmospheric story that readers will be hard-pressed to put down. (Fantasy. 13 & up)"
The Phantom of the Opera is reborn in this supernatural tale of music, passions, and love. Read full book review >

A TOASTER ON MARS by Darrell Pitt
SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
Released: Jan. 10, 2017

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Doctor Who fans are a natural audience for this story, but it may well build a broader readership once the word gets out. (Science fiction. 14 & up)"
This pseudo-science-fiction book provides laughs of all types: readers will progress from snickers to giggles to, finally, belly laughs and shouts of outrage. Read full book review >
RECLUCE TALES by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
FICTION & LITERATURE
Released: Jan. 3, 2017

"Don't expect great significance everywhere—some of the pieces are no more than vignettes—but Modesitt is excellent company, and the more familiar you are with the series, the richer these stories will seem."
A collection of 17 new and three reprinted stories plus an essay, weaving among the prolific Modesitt's impressive 18-book (and counting) fantasy Saga of Recluse (Heritage of Cyador, 2014, etc.). Read full book review >
APOCALYPSE ALL THE TIME by David Atkinson
FICTION & LITERATURE
Released: Jan. 1, 2017

"An imaginative engagement with existential questions raised by a surfeit of apocalypses."
In this absurdist novel set in a world of serial apocalypses, a man tries to make sense of his existence. Read full book review >
MINIATURES by John Scalzi
FICTION & LITERATURE
Released: Dec. 31, 2016

"Somewhat repetitive in theme, often verging on the silly, but on the whole, quite amusing."
Scalzi has said that his two writing strengths are his novels (The End of All Things, 2015, etc.) and his very short fiction; this slim offering showcases the latter. Read full book review >
The Dark Lord by Jack Heckel
FICTION & LITERATURE
Released: Dec. 27, 2016

"A diverting, heartfelt adventure that provides laughs in between earnest moments and spells."
In this fantasy, a mage tries to save the same world he'd tormented as an evil wizard—part of his university studies—with help from the heroes who'd fought him. Read full book review >
CLING by Jeff Menapace
FICTION & LITERATURE
Released: Dec. 14, 2016

"Elevates the dystopian genre with snappy writing, well-drawn characters, intriguing back story, and bracing battles."
In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, a woman with special powers and a small band of underground survivors take on a cruel warlord. Read full book review >
DAWN OF LEGAIA by A.C. Hachem
FICTION & LITERATURE
Released: Dec. 13, 2016

"An expansive tale, despite its focus on one character, that offers trendy tech and substantial back story for a planned series."
A scientist aiming to colonize a new planet faces strong—and potentially lethal—opposition from an affluent rival in Hachem's sci-fi debut. Read full book review >
Kirkus Interview
Clinton Kelly
January 9, 2017

Bestselling author and television host Clinton Kelly’s memoir I Hate Everyone Except You is a candid, deliciously snarky collection of essays about his journey from awkward kid to slightly-less-awkward adult. Clinton Kelly is probably best known for teaching women how to make their butts look smaller. But in I Hate Everyone, Except You, he reveals some heretofore-unknown secrets about himself, like that he’s a finicky connoisseur of 1980s pornography, a disillusioned critic of New Jersey’s premier water parks, and perhaps the world’s least enthused high-school commencement speaker. Whether he’s throwing his baby sister in the air to jumpstart her cheerleading career or heroically rescuing his best friend from death by mud bath, Clinton leaps life’s social hurdles with aplomb. With his signature wit, he shares his unique ability to navigate the stickiest of situations, like deciding whether it’s acceptable to eat chicken wings with a fork on live television (spoiler: it’s not). “A thoroughly light and entertaining memoir,” our critic writes. View video >