Welcome to the discussion of Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah! This month we're exploring our winner for the Survival theme.

Today's discussion covers through the end of the chapter "To Be Influenced," page 180 in the hardback edition. Please use spoiler tags for any discussion past that point. I'll start us off with some prompts, but feel free to add your own!

by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Two top women gladiators fight for their freedom within a depraved private prison system not so far-removed from America's own.

Loretta Thurwar and Hamara "Hurricane Staxxx" Stacker are the stars of Chain-Gang All-Stars, the cornerstone of CAPE, or Criminal Action Penal Entertainment, a highly-popular, highly-controversial, profit-raising program in America's increasingly dominant private prison industry. It's the return of the gladiators and prisoners are competing for the ultimate prize: their freedom.

In CAPE, prisoners travel as Links in Chain-Gangs, competing in death-matches for packed arenas with righteous protestors at the gates. Thurwar and Staxxx, both teammates and lovers, are the fan favorites. And if all goes well, Thurwar will be free in just a few matches, a fact she carries as heavily as her lethal hammer. As she prepares to leave her fellow Links, she considers how she might help preserve their humanity, in defiance of these so-called games, but CAPE's corporate owners will stop at nothing to protect their status quo and the obstacles they lay in Thurwar's path have devastating consequences.

Moving from the Links in the field to the protestors to the CAPE employees and beyond, Chain-Gang All-Stars is a kaleidoscopic, excoriating look at the American prison system's unholy alliance of systemic racism, unchecked capitalism, and mass incarceration, and a clear-eyed reckoning with what freedom in this country really means.

Bingo squares: Survival (HM), Author of Color (HM), Criminals, Reference Materials, Multi-POV (HM), Character with a Disability (possibly others once we dig in)

What's next?

• , with a Mercedes Lackey theme, is The Lark and the Wren. If you need a bardic story, come join in!

• , with an indie press theme, is The Wings Upon Her Back by Samantha Mills.

What is the FIF Book Club? You can read about it in our Reboot thread .

Welcome to the book club New Voices! In this book club we want to highlight books by debut authors and open the stage for under-represented and under-appreciated writers from all walks of life. New voices refers to the authors as well as the protagonists, and the goal is to include viewpoints away from the standard and most common. For more information and a short description of how we plan to run this club and how you can participate, please have a look at the .

This month we are reading:

by Ry Herman

Angela likes Chloe. Chloe likes Angela. It should be simple enough - there's just the small matter of Angela's aversion to sunlight. And crosses. And mirrors . . .

In 1998, Angela was a smart, gothy astronomy student ­- until her then-girlfriend accidentally turned her into a vampire. A year later, she divides her time between her post-graduate degree (working on it in a dark, basement room, and only at night) and controlling her need for human blood.

Then she meets lonely but wryly humorous slush-pile reader Chloe, who's battling demons of her own. Chloe's anxiety and depression can make it hard for her to leave the house, while memories of her ex haunt her at night.

As sparks fly and romance blooms, Angela and Chloe struggle to hide their difficulties from each other - but sometimes the only way out is to let someone else in.

Bingo squares: first in series, romantasy (HM), prologues and epilogues, character with a disability (HM), survival (HM)

Today we are discussing through to the end of chapter 27, so please use spoiler tags for anything past that point.

Schedule:

• Final discussion: Tuesday 30 July

This month we are reading The Tainted Cup for our Fantasy Mystery theme.

 by Robert Jackson Bennett

In Daretana’s most opulent mansion, a high Imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree spontaneously erupted from his body. Even in this canton at the borders of the Empire, where contagions abound and the blood of the Leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death at once terrifying and impossible.

Called in to investigate this mystery is Ana Dolabra, an investigator whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol. Din is an engraver, magically altered to possess a perfect memory. His job is to observe and report, and act as his superior’s eyes and ears--quite literally, in this case, as among Ana’s quirks are her insistence on wearing a blindfold at all times, and her refusal to step outside the walls of her home.

Din is most perplexed by Ana’s ravenous appetite for information and her mind’s frenzied leaps—not to mention her cheerful disregard for propriety and the apparent joy she takes in scandalizing her young counterpart. Yet as the case unfolds and Ana makes one startling deduction after the next, he finds it hard to deny that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.

As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the safety of the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.

Featuring an unforgettable Holmes-and-Watson style pairing, a gloriously labyrinthine plot, and a haunting and wholly original fantasy world, The Tainted Cup brilliantly reinvents the classic mystery tale.

Bingo Squares: First in a Series, Reference Materials (HM), Published in 2024, Book Club, Character with a Disability

The discussion here will cover through the **end of Chapter 19 in Part III**. Any spoilers after that should be marked. Questions will be posted as separate comments and please feel free to add your own if there is something you want to discuss. Happy reading!

Reading Schedule:

• Midway Discussion - July 15th - Through the end of Chapter 19 in Part III. That's today!

• Final Discussion - July 29th

In July we'll be reading The Warded Gunslinger

Space Western / Space Opera (cross genre tropes)

Bingo Squares:

* First in Series (Hard Mode)

* Under the Surface (Hard Mode)

* Self-Published or Indie Published (Hard Mode)

* Space Opera

* Set in a Small Town

Length: 27 000 words / 140 pages (Short novel / Novella)

SCHEDULE:

Q&A - 14.07.2024

Midway discussion - 19.07.2024

Final Discussion - 26.07.2024

Q&A

What brought you to ? What do you appreciate about it? 

The magic of Reddit. I frequented a lot of writer's forums, mostly private ones, but I wanted some place where I could just hang out in the background and listen to people talk about my favorite genre. And since I was already on Reddit, I searched for fantasy, and voila! here I am. And while I'm not the most active of posters, I do relax on on an almost daily basis.

Who are your favorite current writers and who are your greatest influencers? 

Sanderson, of course, and Martha Wells, Louis McMaster Bujold, but right now I've fallen into LitRPG, and my absolutely top series right now is Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. It's a completely absurd fantasy dungeon crawl wrapped in a sci-fi Running Man-style deathmatch with intergalactic politics, tons of gore, enough cursing to call in the exorcist, and a sense of humor that's perfect for me.

As for influencers, I'd say the old guard of SF, with Vance, Zelazny, LeGuin, Bujold, Hambly (Barbara), Asprin, Heinlein etc.

Can you lead us through your creative process? What works and doesn’t work for you? How long do you need to finish a book?

I'm a complete pantser - comes from my time as a daily news journalist, which was "interview people, rush back to the office, fill two pages of a broadsheet from memory." I start every story with a spark of an idea, and a first sentence. Then I write a second sentence, then a third. I never know what the next sentence will be, I just give in to my subconscious and transcribe what it tells me to write.

I also write clean. That means that I don't write very fast - my absolute top speed, ever, when I was tracking such things, was still less than 2k/hour (some people, especially ones that use dictation, can write five or ten thousand words per hour.) But I also fix every problem while I write, reading over what I've written, and improving it, filling plot holes, doing continuity checks etc. So by the time I reach the end, I've got a complete novel, with no need to edit.

I do run it through a couple of spell checkers, and a proof reader or three, but I don't do any structural changes, ever.

Although, to be fair, I do throw out a lot of words. When I write myself into a corner, I backtrack a few chapters, throw them out, and start writing from the point where everything feels right. Sometimes I can salvage some or most of the thrown-out work. Sometimes, it's just lost. But I learn every time I do it, and my amount of usable-to-lost is constantly climbing.

But, yes, it is painful to get mired in the muddy middle of a novel, or, worse, the ending, and having to throw the whole thing out (it's happened, but not often.)

The time it takes me to write varies a lot between books. My absolute record speed is just shy of three weeks, from first word to finished novel. My absolute worst speed, for a novel that I did finish, is over two years. Yes, those were some very frustrating and painful years. 

The interesting part is that readers don't seem to see much difference between the slow and the fast written stories. If anything, I've gotten more praise for my speedily written tales than for my slow ones.

How would you describe the plot of The Warded Gunslinger if you had to do so in just one or two sentences? 

A Fistful of Dollars in space, with magic.

What subgenres does it fit? 

Probably Space Opera, with a liberal dash of Space Western and some Space Fantasy. Or maybe it's the other way around. But it's got a rogue gunslinger, a gangster boss, a small mining outpost, and a dragon.

How did you come up with the title and how does it tie in with the plot of the book?

It's the main character - The Warded Gunslinger. There might be a better title out there, but my muse haven't been able to deliver it to me.

What inspired you to write this story? Was there one “lightbulb moment� when the concept for this book popped into your head or did it develop over time? 

As all my books, it started with the Bucket, almost crashing on a darkened moon. From there, Jake's story moved on, surprising me in several places - my subconscious is a great ally and a fun partner to work with!

If you had to describe the story in 3 adjectives, which would you choose? 

Oh, wow, I truly suck at these kinds of things - writing the blurbs for my stories is a horrible ordeal. But OK; I'll say: fast-paced, snarky, fun.

Would you say that The Warded Gunslinger follows tropes or kicks them? 

Follows the tropes, all the way! It's a classic B-Western set in space, in the vein of Firefly, Sergio Leone, and even A New Hope.

Who are the key players in this story? Could you introduce us to The Warded Gunslinger protagonists/antagonists? 

Jake/The Warded Gunslinger is your typical rogue fighter, snarky, lonesome, very, very competent (I'd almost classify him as competence porn, but he's got enough of a stubborn streak to do dumb things.)

Hao, Jake's mechanic/sidekick is basically Chewbacca, with less hair and more talk. And she takes absolutely no shit from anybody.

Tomlin, the local aide, is your typical teen who's taken on too much responsibility, becoming the sheriff in his own mind.

As for the bad guys, you've got the Boss, the Killer, and the Brute. They've got names and back stories, but they're basically there to kill people and die gloriously (or vaingloriously, as the case might be.)

Have you written The Warded Gunslinger with a particular audience in mind?

Yep, me. I have no idea how to position it - I write stories that I like, and that's what keeps me working even when times get tough.

Alright, we need the details on the cover. Who's the artist/designer, and can you give us a little insight into the process for coming up with it? 

I'm going to get a lot of shit for this one, but the artist is Dall-E 3, with a lot of editing by me.

At first, I bought a custom cover, bought a hundred-pack of stock images for it, too, and the cover was... so-so. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't very good, either.

Then, as I was playing around with Midjourney for conceptualising, I realised that I could create a better cover. I can't draw, but I've been photo editing for over twenty years, first in Photoshop but lately in Affinity Photo and Designer. Using that, I could put together a better image than my cover editor did.

Now, if I could afford a really good cover illustrator and/or designer, I'd totally go with that. But for now, I can't.

What was your proofreading/editing process? 

In simple steps: me as I write, me as I re-read and edit, Microsoft Word, ProWritingAid (sometimes), betas, proofreaders.

What are you most excited for readers to discover in this book? 

Fun. I don't have a message, I don't advance a political view, I just want to share the fun with people who enjoy snarky action heroes and lots of BOOOM! CRASH! KA-POW!

Can you, please, offer us a taste of your book, via one completely out-of-context sentence?

Sure, and I'll cheat giving you two:

My encyclopedia agreed, calling Jackson Depot a booming settlement boasting exceptional hospitality. Judging by the lack of heat signatures on the scanners, or anyone visible, I’d say the entry had been written by a marketing specialist.

Hey everyone I’m just starting to get into fantasy books and looking for a book club or book friends to chat about them with! So far I’ve read all the first law books, good omens just started shadow of the gods and some others. Have plenty on my TBR but I just find having someone either who has read or is reading along with you makes the process really enjoyable. If anyone can point me in the right direction that would be lovely. Don’t mind book clubs for standalones or series just anything fantasy and of course if you want to reach out I’m all ears :)

What is the HEA Bookclub? Short summary: Happily Ever After (HEA) is a fantasy romance focused bookclub reading books that combine both of these genres.

This month we are reading

“What’s your name?�

“Serene.�

“Serena?� Elliot asked.

“Serene,� said Serene. “My full name is Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle.�

Elliot’s mouth fell open. “That is badass.�

The Borderlands aren’t like anywhere else. Don’t try to smuggle a phone or any other piece of technology over the wall that marks the Border—unless you enjoy a fireworks display in your backpack. (Ballpoint pens are okay.) There are elves, harpies, and—best of all as far as Elliot is concerned—mermaids.

Elliot? Who’s Elliot? Elliot is thirteen years old. He’s smart and just a tiny bit obnoxious. Sometimes more than a tiny bit. When his class goes on a field trip and he can see a wall that no one else can see, he is given the chance to go to school in the Borderlands.

It turns out that on the other side of the wall, classes involve a lot more weaponry and fitness training and fewer mermaids than he expected. On the other hand, there’s Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle, an elven warrior who is more beautiful than anyone Elliot has ever seen, and then there’s her human friend Luke: sunny, blond, and annoyingly likeable. There are lots of interesting books. There’s even the chance Elliot might be able to change the world.

Bingo squares: bookclub, romantasy

As usual I will get us started with questions in the comments below, please add your own if you have any. This midway discussion will cover the first half of the book, please use spoiler tags for everything that goes beyond this point. Have fun discussing :)

Schedule

• Thursday, July 25 - Final discussion

The votes are in! Two of the books tied, so I did a final push for more votes this morning. More votes came in and the top two tied AGAIN. I waited it out, and we finally have our winner! Our FiF Book Club read for Self or Indie Published in September is:

A loyal warrior in a crisis of faith must fight to regain her place and begin her life again while questioning the events of her past. This gripping science-fantasy novel from a Nebula and Locus Award-winning debut author is a complex, action-packed exploration of the costs of zealous faith, brutal war, and unquestioning loyalty.
Five gods lie mysteriously sleeping above the city of Radezhda. Five gods who once bestowed great technologies and wisdom, each inspiring the devotion of their own sect. When the gods turned away from humanity, their followers built towers to the heavens to find out why. But when no answer was given, the collective grief of the sects turned to desperation, and eventually to war.
Zenya was a teenager when she ran away from home to join the mechanically-modified warrior sect. She was determined to earn mechanized wings and protect the people and city she loved. Under the strict tutelage of a mercurial, charismatic leader, Zenya became Winged Zemolai.
But after twenty-six years of service, Zemolai is disillusioned with her role as an enforcer in an increasingly fascist state. After one tragic act of mercy, she is cast out, and loses everything she worked for. As Zemolai fights for her life, she begins to understand the true nature of her sect, her leader, and the gods themselves.

Bingo categories: Indie Publisher (HM), Published 2024 (HM), Eldritch Creatures (HM), Prologues and Epilogues, Judge a Book by its Cover, Criminals, Reference Materials, Dreams (HM)

The midway discussion will be Wednesday, September 11. If anyone has read the book before and has a good pausing point by chapter or page number, let us know (but generally it will be around the midway point of the book)! The final discussion will be Wednesday, September 25.

Upcoming FiF Reads:

July FiF read -

August FiF read -

What is the FIF Bookclub? You can read about it in .

Welcome to the September FiF Book Club voting thread for Self-Published or Independent Press!

The .

Voting

There are four options to choose from:

A loyal warrior in a crisis of faith must fight to regain her place and begin her life again while questioning the events of her past. This gripping science-fantasy novel from a Nebula and Locus Award-winning debut author is a complex, action-packed exploration of the costs of zealous faith, brutal war, and unquestioning loyalty.
Five gods lie mysteriously sleeping above the city of Radezhda. Five gods who once bestowed great technologies and wisdom, each inspiring the devotion of their own sect. When the gods turned away from humanity, their followers built towers to the heavens to find out why. But when no answer was given, the collective grief of the sects turned to desperation, and eventually to war.
Zenya was a teenager when she ran away from home to join the mechanically-modified warrior sect. She was determined to earn mechanized wings and protect the people and city she loved. Under the strict tutelage of a mercurial, charismatic leader, Zenya became Winged Zemolai.
But after twenty-six years of service, Zemolai is disillusioned with her role as an enforcer in an increasingly fascist state. After one tragic act of mercy, she is cast out, and loses everything she worked for. As Zemolai fights for her life, she begins to understand the true nature of her sect, her leader, and the gods themselves.

Bingo categories: Indie Publisher (HM), Published 2024 (HM), Eldritch Creatures (HM), Prologues and Epilogues, Judge a Book by its Cover, Criminals, Reference materials, Dreams (HM)

WOMB CITY imagines a dark and deadly future Botswana, rich with culture and true folklore, which begs the question: how far must one go to destroy the structures of inequality upon which a society was founded? How far must a mother go to save the life of her child?
Nelah seems to have it all: wealth, fame, a husband, and a child on the way. But in a body her husband controls via microchip and the tailspin of a loveless marriage, her hopes and dreams come to a devastating halt. A drug-fueled night of celebration ends in a hit-and-run. To dodge a sentencing in a society that favors men, Nelah and her side-piece, Janith Koshal, finish the victim off and bury the body.
But the secret claws its way into Nelah's life from the grave. As her victim's vengeful ghost begins exacting a bloody revenge on everyone Nelah holds dear, she'll have to unravel her society's terrible secrets to stop those in power, and become a monster unlike any other to quench the ghost's violent thirst.

Bingo categories: Self/Indie published, Dreams, Criminals, Published in 2024 (HM), Character with a Disability (HM), Author of Color (HM)

A tale of what happens when we can no longer ignore what has been lost in this world.

Grievers is the story of a city so plagued by grief that it can no longer function. Dune’s mother is patient zero of a mysterious illness that stops people in their tracks—in mid-sentence, mid-action, mid-life—casting them into a nonresponsive state from which no one recovers. Dune must navigate poverty and the loss of her mother as Detroit’s hospitals, morgues, and graveyards begin to overflow. As the quarantined city slowly empties of life, she investigates what caused the plague, and what might end it. In anguish, she follows in the footsteps of her late researcher father, who has a physical model of Detroit’s history and losses set up in their basement. She dusts the model off and begins tracking the sick and dying, discovering patterns, finding comrades in curiosity, conspiracies for the fertile ground of the city, and the unexpected magic that emerges when the debt of grief is cleared.

Bingo categories: Self/Indie published, Author of Color, Survival

An atmospheric, feminist retelling of the early life of famed villainess Morgan le Fay, set against the colourful chivalric backdrop of Arthurian legend.

When King Uther Pendragon murders her father and tricks her mother into marriage, Morgan refuses to be crushed. Trapped amid the machinations of men in a world of isolated castles and gossiping courts, she discovers secret powers. Vengeful and brilliant, it's not long before Morgan becomes a worthy adversary to Merlin, influential sorcerer to the king. But fighting for her freedom, she risks losing everything – her reputation, her loved ones and her life.

Bingo Categories: First in a series; Self/Indie Published; Survival; Judge a book by its cover

Voting will stay open until July 8, at which point I'll post the winner in the sub and announce the discussion dates.

What is the FIF Bookclub? You can read about it in .

The votes are in! Our FIF bookclub read for Mercedes Lackey Theme in Agusut is: The Lark and the Wren by Mercedes Lackey!

• (Bardic Voices #1) by Mercedes Lackey

Ghost and bard...

With the proper schooling young Rune would be one of the greatest bards her world has ever seen. Even if only she knows it. Unfortunately, the daughter of a tavern wench at the Hungry Bear, no matter how talented, doesn't get much in the way of formal training. What she does get is frustrated.

One night, to back up a brag she probably wouldn't have made if she weren't so mad, she went up to play her fiddle for the Ghost of Skull Hill. Everyone knows that no one who has ever gone up Skull Hill at night has come down again. Not alive, anyway.

But when the ghost appears Rune strikes a bargain: if the ghost tires of her playing before morning her life is his; if he is still listening when the sun glints over yonder hill she will have earned both life and a sack of silver. Let the music begin...

Bingo: First in a Series HM, Entitled Animals, Criminals, Bards HM, Romantasy, Small Town

The midway discussion will be Wednesday, August 14, 2024. If anyone has read the book before and has a good pausing point by chapter or page number, let us know (but generally it will be around the midway point of the book)! The final discussion will be Wednesday, August 28, 2024.

As a reminder, in July we'll be reading .

What is the FIF Bookclub? You can read about it in our Reboot thread .

The  has ended for Fantasy Mystery and our winner is:

 by Robert Jackson Bennett

In Daretana’s most opulent mansion, a high Imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree spontaneously erupted from his body. Even in this canton at the borders of the Empire, where contagions abound and the blood of the Leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death at once terrifying and impossible.

Called in to investigate this mystery is Ana Dolabra, an investigator whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol. Din is an engraver, magically altered to possess a perfect memory. His job is to observe and report, and act as his superior’s eyes and ears--quite literally, in this case, as among Ana’s quirks are her insistence on wearing a blindfold at all times, and her refusal to step outside the walls of her home.

Din is most perplexed by Ana’s ravenous appetite for information and her mind’s frenzied leaps—not to mention her cheerful disregard for propriety and the apparent joy she takes in scandalizing her young counterpart. Yet as the case unfolds and Ana makes one startling deduction after the next, he finds it hard to deny that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.

As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the safety of the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.

Featuring an unforgettable Holmes-and-Watson style pairing, a gloriously labyrinthine plot, and a haunting and wholly original fantasy world, The Tainted Cup brilliantly reinvents the classic mystery tale.

Bingo Squares: First in a Series, Reference Materials (HM), Published in 2024, Book Club

Reading Schedule:

• Midway Discussion - July 15th - Through the end of Chapter 19 in Part III.

• Final Discussion - July 29th

Welcome to the September FiF Book Club nomination thread! For this month, we'll be looking for independent or small press nominations.

Nominations

* Make sure FIF has not read a book by the author previously. You can check . You may choose an author that was read by a different book club, however.

* Leave one book suggestion per top comment. Please include title, author, and a short summary or description. (You can nominate more than 1 if you like, just put them in separate comments.)

* Please include bingo squares if possible.

This one may require a bit more looking around to come up with nominations. I'd recommend checking out these resources:

*

*

* (links to SPFBO 9 finalists)

I will leave this thread open until Thursday to give everyone some time to look for ideas, and compile top results into a google poll to be posted on Friday. Have fun!

P.S. We'll be doing a "judge a book by its cover" theme for November, so keep that in mind while you're scouring for new excellent reads.

July FIF read: by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

August FIF read:

What is the FIF Bookclub? You can read about it in .

Welcome to the book club New Voices! In this book club we want to highlight books by debut authors and open the stage for under-represented and under-appreciated writers from all walks of life. New voices refers to the authors as well as the protagonists, and the goal is to include viewpoints away from the standard and most common. For more information and a short description of how we plan to run this club and how you can participate, please have a look at the .

This month we are reading:

by Ry Herman

Angela likes Chloe. Chloe likes Angela. It should be simple enough - there's just the small matter of Angela's aversion to sunlight. And crosses. And mirrors . . .

In 1998, Angela was a smart, gothy astronomy student ­- until her then-girlfriend accidentally turned her into a vampire. A year later, she divides her time between her post-graduate degree (working on it in a dark, basement room, and only at night) and controlling her need for human blood.

Then she meets lonely but wryly humorous slush-pile reader Chloe, who's battling demons of her own. Chloe's anxiety and depression can make it hard for her to leave the house, while memories of her ex haunt her at night.

As sparks fly and romance blooms, Angela and Chloe struggle to hide their difficulties from each other - but sometimes the only way out is to let someone else in.

Bingo squares: first in series, romantasy (HM), prologues and epilogues

Schedule:

• Midway discussion: Tuesday 16 July (through to the end of Chapter 27)

• Final discussion: Tuesday 30 July

Are you looking forward to this book? Let us know in the comments.

 is a book club that focuses on books published by authors active on .

Voting

I've picked two books. There was no dilemma. Only two authors applied :P Hope it's Holidays.

Results

Without further ado, here's the reading order for the next two months:

July

The Warded Gunslinger

Space Western / Space Opera (cross genre tropes)

Bingo Squares:

* First in Series (Hard Mode)

* Under the Surface (Hard Mode)

* Self-Published or Indie Published (Hard Mode)

* Space Opera

* Set in a Small Town

Length: 27 000 words / 140 pages (Short novel / Novella)AUGUST

Foul Days

Goodreads link: 

Genre: Slavic/Balkan-inspired secondary world fantasy

Bingo squares:

• First in a Series

• Criminals (hard mode)

• Prologues and Epilogues

• Published in 2024 (hard mode)

• Eldritch Creatures

• Reference Materials

Length: 368 pages

In June, we'll be reading Thralls of a Tyrant God by Mars G. Everson

Subgenre: Grimdark

Bingo squares: alliterative title, first in series, multipov, judge a book by its cover, self published, prologues and epilogues.

Goodreads link: 

Length: 328 pages

SCHEDULE

June 05 - Q&A

June 14 -Midway discussion

June 28 - Final Discussion

QUESTIONS BELOW

Hey so I’ve really wanted to read something but often read a chapter or two and then just get bored. I wanted to read a book with someone and maybe discuss it online chapter by chapter. So if anyone’s up for it you can msg me privately. Please be respectful. Thankyou :)

What is the HEA Bookclub? Short summary: Happily Ever After (HEA) is a fantasy romance focused bookclub reading books that combine both of these genres.

In July we'll be reading a coming of age story, that we hope you'll enjoy:

“What’s your name?�

“Serene.�

“Serena?� Elliot asked.

“Serene,� said Serene. “My full name is Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle.�

Elliot’s mouth fell open. “That is badass.�

The Borderlands aren’t like anywhere else. Don’t try to smuggle a phone or any other piece of technology over the wall that marks the Border—unless you enjoy a fireworks display in your backpack. (Ballpoint pens are okay.) There are elves, harpies, and—best of all as far as Elliot is concerned—mermaids.

Elliot? Who’s Elliot? Elliot is thirteen years old. He’s smart and just a tiny bit obnoxious. Sometimes more than a tiny bit. When his class goes on a field trip and he can see a wall that no one else can see, he is given the chance to go to school in the Borderlands.

It turns out that on the other side of the wall, classes involve a lot more weaponry and fitness training and fewer mermaids than he expected. On the other hand, there’s Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle, an elven warrior who is more beautiful than anyone Elliot has ever seen, and then there’s her human friend Luke: sunny, blond, and annoyingly likeable. There are lots of interesting books. There’s even the chance Elliot might be able to change the world.

Bingo squares: bookclub, romantasy

Do you plan to join us? Have you already read the book and want to recommend it to others? Are there any additional Bingo squares we missed? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Schedule

• Thursday, July 11 - Midway discussion

• Thursday, July 25 - Final discussion

Welcome to the final discussion of Dionysus in Wisconsin by E.H. Lupton, our winner for the Mythology / Paranormal / Dark Magic theme! We will discuss everything!

by E.H. Lupton

A graduate student and an archivist work together to fight a god.

Fall, 1969. Ulysses Lenkov should be working on his dissertation. Instead, he's developing an unlucrative sideline in helping ghosts and hapless magic users. But when his clients start leaving town suddenly—or turning up dead—he starts to worry there's something afoot that’s worse than an unavenged death or incipient insanity. His investigation begins with the last word on everyone's lips before they vanish: the mysterious Dionysus.

Sam Sterling is an archivist who recently moved back to Madison to be closer to the family he's not too sure he likes. But his peaceful days of teaching library students, creating finding aids, and community theater come to an end when the magnetic, mistrustful Ulysses turns up with a warning. There's a god coming, and it looks like it's coming for Sam.

Soon the two are helping each other through demon attacks, discovering the unsavory history of Sam's family, and falling in love as they race to find a solution. But as the year draws to a close, they'll face a deadly showdown as they try to save Sam—and the city itself.

Bingo: First in a Series, Self-Pub (HM), Dark Academia (HM), Small Town (HM) - arguable

I'll add some comments below to get us started but feel free to add your own.

As a reminder, in August we'll be reading (yes, it says September in the title, but it's for August).

What is the BB Bookclub? You can read about it in our introduction thread .

It's time to vote in the . The poll is open until June 29, 2024 11:59PM PDT. If you are not a member of our , you will need to join. You can connect with more members and check out what they are reading!

Also, be sure to check out this year's .

This month's theme is Fantasy Mysteries!

by Jasper Fforde

Great Britain circa 1985: time travel is routine, cloning is a reality (dodos are the resurrected pet of choice), and literature is taken very, very seriously. Baconians are trying to convince the world that Francis Bacon really wrote Shakespeare, there are riots between the Surrealists and Impressionists, and thousands of men are named John Milton, an homage to the real Milton and a very confusing situation for the police. Amidst all this, Acheron Hades, Third Most Wanted Man In the World, steals the original manuscript of Martin Chuzzlewit and kills a minor character, who then disappears from every volume of the novel ever printed! But that's just a prelude . . .

Hades' real target is the beloved Jane Eyre, and it's not long before he plucks her from the pages of Bronte's novel. Enter Thursday Next. She's the Special Operative's renowned literary detective, and she drives a Porsche. With the help of her uncle Mycroft's Prose Portal, Thursday enters the novel to rescue Jane Eyre from this heinous act of literary homicide. It's tricky business, all these interlopers running about Thornfield, and deceptions run rampant as their paths cross with Jane, Rochester, and Miss Fairfax. Can Thursday save Jane Eyre and Bronte's masterpiece? And what of the Crimean War? Will it ever end? And what about those annoying black holes that pop up now and again, sucking things into time-space voids . . .

Bingo Squares: ????????

by Morgan Stang

Mysteries abound in Spindle Manor.

For Huntress Isabeau Agarwal, the countryside inn is the last stop in a deadly hunt. Armed with gaslamp and guns, she tracks an insidious beast that wears the skin of its victims, mimicking them perfectly. Ten guests reside within Spindle Manor tonight, and the creature could be any one of them. Confined by a torrential thunderstorm and running out of time, Isabeau has until morning to discover the liar, or none of them—including her—will make it out alive.

But her inhuman quarry isn't the only threat residing in Spindle Manor.

Gunshots.

A slammed door.

A dead body.

Someone has been killed, and a hunt turns into a murder investigation. Now with two mysteries at her feet and more piling up, Isabeau must navigate a night filled with lies and deception. In a world of seances and specters, mesmers and monsters, the unexpected is hiding around every corner, and every move may be her last.

Bingo Squares: Self Pub/Indie

by Grace Curtis

This cozy debut science fiction novel tells a story of misfits, rebels, found family—and a mystery that spans the stars.

Welcome to the Grand Abeona Hotel: home of the finest food, the sweetest service, and the very best views the galaxy has to offer. All year round it moves from planet to planet, system to system, pampering guests across the furthest reaches of the milky way. The last word in sub-orbital luxury—and an absolute magnet for intrigue. Intrigues such as: Why are there love poems in the lobby inbox? How many Imperial spies are currently on board? What is the true purpose of the Problem Solver's conference? And perhaps most pertinently—who is driving the ship?

Each guest has a secret, every member of staff a universe unto themselves. At the center of these interweaving lives and interlocking mysteries stands Carl, one time stowaway, longtime manager, devoted caretaker to the hotel. It's the love of his life and the only place he's ever called home. But as forces beyond Carl's comprehension converge on the Abeona, he has to face one final question: when is it time to let go?

Bingo Squares: Published in 2024

by Sara A. Mueller

Charm is a witch, and she is alone. The last of a line of conquered necromantic workers, now confined within the yard of regrown bone trees at Orchard House, and the secrets of their marrow.

Charm is a prisoner, and a survivor. Charm tends the trees and their clattering fruit for the sake of her children, painstakingly grown and regrown with its fruit: Shame, Justice, Desire, Pride, and Pain.

Charm is a whore, and a madam. The wealthy and powerful of Borenguard come to her house to buy time with the girls who aren't real.

Except on Tuesdays, which is when the Emperor himself lays claim to his mistress, Charm herself.

But now—Charm is also the only person who can keep an empire together, as the Emperor summons her to his deathbed, and charges her with choosing which of his awful, faithless sons will carry on the empire—by discovering which one is responsible for his own murder.

If she does this last thing, she will finally have what has been denied her since the fall of Inshil—her freedom. But she will also be betraying the ghosts past and present that live on within her heart.

Charm must choose. Her dead Emperor’s will or the whispers of her own ghosts. Justice for the empire or her own revenge.

Bingo Squares: ????

by Robert Jackson Bennett

In Daretana’s most opulent mansion, a high Imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree spontaneously erupted from his body. Even in this canton at the borders of the Empire, where contagions abound and the blood of the Leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death at once terrifying and impossible.

Called in to investigate this mystery is Ana Dolabra, an investigator whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol. Din is an engraver, magically altered to possess a perfect memory. His job is to observe and report, and act as his superior’s eyes and ears--quite literally, in this case, as among Ana’s quirks are her insistence on wearing a blindfold at all times, and her refusal to step outside the walls of her home.

Din is most perplexed by Ana’s ravenous appetite for information and her mind’s frenzied leaps—not to mention her cheerful disregard for propriety and the apparent joy she takes in scandalizing her young counterpart. Yet as the case unfolds and Ana makes one startling deduction after the next, he finds it hard to deny that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.

As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the safety of the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.

Featuring an unforgettable Holmes-and-Watson style pairing, a gloriously labyrinthine plot, and a haunting and wholly original fantasy world, The Tainted Cup brilliantly reinvents the classic mystery tale.

Bingo Squares: Published in 2024

After the poll is complete, we will ask for a volunteer to lead discussions for the winning book or you can volunteer now for a specific one. Head on over to .

Welcome to the final discussion of A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid, our winner for the Mental Illness theme! We will discuss everything up to the end of the book.

Mental Illness Rep: Effy has PTSD, psychosis, hallucinations, and delusions.

Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales. Haunted by visions of the Fairy King since childhood, she’s had no choice. Her tattered copy of Angharad—Emrys Myrddin’s epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, then destroys him—is the only thing keeping her afloat. So when Myrddin’s family announces a contest to redesign the late author’s estate, Effy feels certain it’s her destiny.

But musty, decrepit Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task, and its residents are far from welcoming. Including Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar determined to expose Myrddin as a fraud. As the two rivals piece together clues about Myrddin’s legacy, dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspire against them—and the truth may bring them both to ruin.

Part historical fantasy, part rivals-to-lovers romance, part Gothic mystery, and all haunting, dreamlike atmosphere, Ava Reid's powerful YA debut will lure in readers who loved The Atlas Six, House of Salt and Sorrows, or Girl, Serpent, Thorn.

Bingo: Dark Academia (HM), Character with a Disability (HM), Book Club

I'll add some comments below to get us started but feel free to add your own.

As a reminder, in July we'll be reading Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah.

What is the FIF Bookclub? You can read about it in our Reboot thread .

Short Fiction Book Club is still on hiatus while our leadership runs the Hugo Readalong, which as soon as tomorrow features a discussion of Hugo finalists for Best Short Story! But we're back on the last Wednesday of every month for our monthly discussion thread.

For those who aren't familiar, this is a place to share thoughts on the short fiction you've been reading this month, whether you've been scouring magazines for new releases, hopping into book club discussions, picking up anthologies, or just reading a random story here and there as it catches your attention. The "First Line Frenzy" part of the title refers to our habit of sharing stories with eye-catching opening lines or premises--even if we haven't read them yet--to keep them in mind for potential future reading. Because our TBRs aren't long enough already, right?

And I'll probably repeat this every month, but if you're curious where we find all this reading material? , along with subscription information. Some of them have paywalls. Others are free to read but give subscribers access to different formats or sneak peeks. Others are free, full stop. This list isn't complete (there are so many magazines that it's hard for any list to be complete, but I don't see the South Asian SFF magazine Tasavvur or the Christian-themed Mysterion), but it's an excellent start.

Welcome to the book club New Voices! In this book club we want to highlight books by debut authors and open the stage for under-represented and under-appreciated writers from all walks of life. New voices refers to the authors as well as the protagonists, and the goal is to include viewpoints away from the standard and most common. For more information and a short description of how we plan to run this club and how you can participate, please have a look at the .

This month we are reading

WINNER OF THE 2019 READERVIEWS AWARD FOR FANTASY!

WINNER OF THE 2019 IPPY AWARD FOR FANTASY!

“Life is transformation. You change or you die.�

Ashamed of his past and overwhelmed by his future, Ronoah Genoveffa Elizzi-denna Pilanovani feels too small for his own name. After a graceless exit from his homeland in the Acharrioni desert, his anxiety has sabotaged every attempt at redemption. Asides from a fiery devotion to his godling, the one piece of home he brought with him, he has nothing.

That is, until he meets Reilin. Beguiling, bewildering Reilin, who whisks Ronoah up into a cross-continental pilgrimage to the most sacred place on the planet. The people they encounter on the way—children of the sea, a priestess and her band of storytellers, the lonely ghosts of monsters—are grim and whimsical in equal measure. Each has their part to play in rewriting Ronoah’s personal narrative.

One part fantasy travelogue, one part emotional underworld journey, The Heretic’s Guide to Homecoming is a sumptuous, slow-burning story about stories and the way they shape our lives.

Bingo squares: bookclub

I will add questions in the comments below, please feel free to add your own! And please be aware that there will be spoilers for the book, since this is the final discussion.

Voting for next month is already up, make sure to head over to the to choose your favorite, if you haven't done so already.

Welcome to the August FIF Bookclub voting thread for Mercedes Lackey's works!

I have curated a voting slate with the help of various parties (including other ML fans) so that we can finally have a book by Misty read in one of the book clubs! If you're a die hard fan, welcome! If you've never read any Lackey ever before either, you are also welcome!

A lot of people only know Misty due to her Valdemar fame. While that is a prolific series with to its name, it's not all she has written in her almost 40 years of writing. She's written everything from one of the first ever urban fantasy PI's (Diana Tregarde) to classic dragon training fantasy (Joust), as well as many fantasy fairy tale romance retellings (Elemental Masters and 500 Kingdoms) all the way to superhero sci-fi (Metaworld Chronicles). There's bound to be something in her collection for everyone.

Since it's not always clear for newcomers to know where to start, I've selected 5 works here for us to read one from:

Voting

• (Heirs of Alexandria #1) by Mercedes Lackey, Eric Flint, Dave Freer

It is the year 1537. The great winged Lion stares over a Venice where magic thrives. The rich Venetian Republic is a bastion of independence and tolerance. Perhaps for that reason, it is also corrupt, and rotten with intrigue.

But for the young brothers Marco and Benito Valdosta, vagabond and thief, Venice is simply--home. They have no idea that they stand at the center of the city's coming struggle for its very life. They know nothing of the powerful forces moving in the background. They have barely heard of Chernobog, demon-lord of the North, who is shifting his pawns to attack Venice in order to cut into the underbelly of the Holy Roman Empire. All Marco and Benito know is that they're hungry and in dangerous company: Katerina the smuggler, Caesare the sell-sword, Montagnard assassins, church inquisitors, militant Knights of the Holy Trinity, Dottore Marina the Strega mage... and Maria. Maria might be an honest canaler, but she had the hottest temper a boy could find.

Yet among the dark waters of the canals lurk far worse dangers than a hot-tempered girl. Chernobog has set a monster loose to wreak havoc on the city. Magic, murder and evil are all at work to pull Venice down. Fanatical monks seek to root out true witchcraft with fire and sword. Steel-clad Teutonic knights, wealth traders, church dignitaries and great Princes fight and plot for control of the jewel of the Mediterranean.

And somehow all of these, from thieves to mages to princes, must gather around Marco and his brother Benito, under the shadow of the great winged lion of Venice.

Bingo: First in a Series HM, Criminals HM, Entitled Animals

• (Bardic Voices #1) by Mercedes Lackey

Ghost and bard...

With the proper schooling young Rune would be one of the greatest bards her world has ever seen. Even if only she knows it. Unfortunately, the daughter of a tavern wench at the Hungry Bear, no matter how talented, doesn't get much in the way of formal training. What she does get is frustrated.

One night, to back up a brag she probably wouldn't have made if she weren't so mad, she went up to play her fiddle for the Ghost of Skull Hill. Everyone knows that no one who has ever gone up Skull Hill at night has come down again. Not alive, anyway.

But when the ghost appears Rune strikes a bargain: if the ghost tires of her playing before morning her life is his; if he is still listening when the sun glints over yonder hill she will have earned both life and a sack of silver. Let the music begin...

Bingo: First in a Series HM, Entitled Animals, Criminals HM, Bards HM, Romantasy, Small Town

• (SERRAted Edge #1) by Mercedes Lackey, Larry Dixon

Seeking to make their fortunes in human society, the elves of the underworld involve themselves in stock car racing, child pornography, and worse, and three runaway kids find themselves in a heap of trouble. Reissue.

Note: There was only a short GR description, and I just finished reading this one, so I will expand a little bit: this is the first of Misty's many UF stories, all set in the same SERRAted Edge alternate world. This one starts out the story of the hot-rod-racing elves and gaining a foothold on our planet again (in South Carolina). It's a lot of action and brings back some of the traditional elven elements fantasy hasn't seen in a while.

Bingo: First in a Series HM, Under the Surface, Criminals, Multi POV HM, Pub in 1990s HM, Orcs / Trolls / Goblins, Survival HM

• (Valdemar (Publication order) #9) by Mercedes Lackey

Granddaughter of the sorceress Kethry, daughter of a noble house, Kerowyn had been forced to run the family keep since her mother’s untimely death. Yet now at last her brother was preparing to wed, and when his bride became the lady of the keep, Kerowyn could return to her true enjoyments—training horses and hunting.

But all Kerowyn’s hopes and plans were shattered when her ancestral home was attacked, her father slain, her brother wounded, and his fiancée kidnapped. Drive by desperation and the knowledge that a sorcerer had led the attack, Kerowyn sought her grandmother Kethry’s aid, a journey which would prove but the first step on the road to the fulfillment of her destiny. For facing her family’s foes would transform Kerowyn into an outsider in her own land, a warrior bound to the spell blade Need, and a mercenary forced to choose between loyalty to her comrades in arms and the Herald of Valdemar, whom she had rescued and who in his turn had helped to awaken her to the true meaning of love and to her own unique powers of magic.

Note: this is one of the two standalone works in the world of Valdemar, and a great introduction to the world if you don't want a big commitment. This also happens to be my favorite Valdemar book, but who's counting. The story follows Kero's life from a teen then to an adult and later to a grizzled war veteran. She also appears in future books.

Bingo: Dreams, 1990's HM, Survival HM

• by Mercedes Lackey

The bestselling author of the Valdemar novels pens a classic tale about King Arthur's legendary queen.

Gwenhwyfar moves in a world where gods walk among their pagan worshipers, where nebulous visions warn of future perils, and where there are two paths for a woman: the path of the Blessing or the rarer path of the Warrior. Gwenhwyfar chooses the latter, giving up the power that she is born into. Yet the daughter of a King is never truly free to follow her own calling. Acting as the son her father never had, when called upon to serve another purpose by the Ladies of the Well, she bows to circumstances to become Arthur's Queen only to find herself facing temptation and treachery, intrigue and betrayal, but also love and redemption.

Note: This is the only one on this list I have yet to read, so vote for it if you don't know which to vote for!

Bingo: I am honestly not sure.

Voting will stay open until Friday June 28, 2024, at which point I'll post the winner in the sub and announce the discussion dates.

Note: next month in July we'll be reading

What is the FIF Bookclub? You can read about it in our Reboot thread .

We're here discussing Yan Ge's Strange Beasts of China! We'll be discussing the entire book so there will be spoilers ahead. I will be posting discussion questions below which you are free to respond to. You can also post your own questions or separate thoughts if you have something to mention that I didn't cover. Have fun!

by Yan Ge

From one of the most exciting voices in contemporary Chinese literature, an uncanny and playful novel that blurs the line between human and beast …

In the fictional Chinese city of Yong’an, an amateur cryptozoologist is commissioned to uncover the stories of its fabled beasts. These creatures live alongside humans in near-inconspicuousness—save their greenish skin, serrated earlobes, and strange birthmarks.

Aided by her elusive former professor and his enigmatic assistant, our narrator sets off to document each beast, and is slowly drawn deeper into a mystery that threatens her very sense of self.

Part detective story, part metaphysical enquiry, Strange Beasts of China engages existential questions of identity, humanity, love and morality with whimsy and stylistic verve.

Bingo squares: Dreams (HM), Author of Color, Prologues and Epilogues, Indie Published (HM), Book Club (this one!)

Welcome to the book club New Voices! In this book club we want to highlight books by debut authors and open the stage for under-represented and under-appreciated writers from all walks of life. New voices refers to the authors as well as the protagonists, and the goal is to include viewpoints away from the standard and most common. For more information and a short description of how we plan to run this club and how you can participate, please have a look at the .

We've got "published in the 1990s" as a bingo square, but what about books set in the 1990s? Get ready to pull out your butterfly clips and jelly bracelets and debate whether or not books set in the 90s can be counted as historical fiction, as you prepare to vote for one of our choices.

by Edgar Cantero

1990. The teen detectives once known as the Blyton Summer Detective Club (of Blyton Hills, a small mining town in the Zoinx River Valley in Oregon) are all grown up and haven't seen each other since their fateful, final case in 1977. Andy, the tomboy, is twenty-five and on the run, wanted in at least two states. Kerri, one-time kid genius and budding biologist, is bartending in New York, working on a serious drinking problem. At least she's got Tim, an excitable Weimaraner descended from the original canine member of the team. Nate, the horror nerd, has spent the last thirteen years in and out of mental health institutions, and currently resides in an asylum in Arkham, Massachusetts. The only friend he still sees is Peter, the handsome jock turned movie star. The problem is, Peter's been dead for years.

The time has come to uncover the source of their nightmares and return to where it all began in 1977. This time, it better not be a man in a mask. The real monsters are waiting.

Bingo squares: eldritch creatures, character with a disability, small town?

by Ry Herman

Angela likes Chloe. Chloe likes Angela. It should be simple enough - there's just the small matter of Angela's aversion to sunlight. And crosses. And mirrors . . .

In 1998, Angela was a smart, gothy astronomy student ­- until her then-girlfriend accidentally turned her into a vampire. A year later, she divides her time between her post-graduate degree (working on it in a dark, basement room, and only at night) and controlling her need for human blood.

Then she meets lonely but wryly humorous slush-pile reader Chloe, who's battling demons of her own. Chloe's anxiety and depression can make it hard for her to leave the house, while memories of her ex haunt her at night.

As sparks fly and romance blooms, Angela and Chloe struggle to hide their difficulties from each other - but sometimes the only way out is to let someone else in.

Bingo squares: romantasy (HM), character with a disability, first in a series

by T.J. Klune

In the spring of 1995, Nate Cartwright has lost everything: his parents are dead, his older brother wants nothing to do with him, and he's been fired from his job as a journalist in Washington DC. With nothing left to loose, he returns to his family's summer cabin outside the small mountain town of Roseland, Oregon to try and find some sense of direction.

The cabin should be empty.

It's not.

Inside is a man named Alex. And with him is an extraordinary little girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader.

Artemis, who isn't exactly as she appears.

Soon it becomes clear that Nate must make a choice: let himself drown in the memories of his past, or fight for a future he never thought possible.

Because the girl is special. And forces are descending upon them who want nothing more than to control her.

Bingo squares: small town, survival?

by Andrea Lawlor

It’s 1993 and Paul Polydoris tends bar at the only gay club in a university town thrumming with politics and partying. He studies queer theory, has a dyke best friend, makes zines, and is a flâneur with a rich dating life. But Paul’s also got a secret: he’s a shapeshifter. Oscillating wildly from Riot Grrrl to leather cub, Women’s Studies major to trade, Paul transforms his body at will in a series of adventures that take him from Iowa City to Boystown to Provincetown and finally to San Francisco—a journey through the deep queer archives of struggle and pleasure.

Bingo squares: small press

by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Montserrat has always been overlooked. She’s a talented sound editor, but she’s left out of the boys’ club running the film industry in ’90s Mexico City. And she’s all but invisible to her best friend, Tristán, a charming if faded soap opera star, though she’s been in love with him since childhood.

Then Tristán discovers his new neighbor is the cult horror director Abel Urueta, and the legendary auteur claims he can change their lives—even if his tale of a Nazi occultist imbuing magic into highly volatile silver nitrate stock sounds like sheer fantasy. The magic film was never finished, which is why, Urueta swears, his career vanished overnight. He is cursed.

Now the director wants Montserrat and Tristán to help him shoot the missing scene and lift the curse . . . but Montserrat soon notices a dark presence following her, and Tristán begins seeing the ghost of his ex-girlfriend.As they work together to unravel the mystery of the film and the obscure occultist who once roamed their city, Montserrat and Tristán may find that sorcerers and magic are not only the stuff of movies.

Bingo squares: POC author

Timeline:

• Voting closes: Sunday 30 June

• Winner announced: Monday 1 July

• Midway discussion: Tuesday 16 July

• Final discussion: Tuesday 30 July

The theme for July is Fantasy Mysteries!

The theme for May is Fantasy Mysteries. We will mix Bingo themes in with other themes throughout the year for book club. Please nominate books that fit the theme, as long as it is speculative fiction and by an eligible author, feel free to nominate. Really someone mentioned fantasy locked room mysteries and I couldn't get the idea out of my head, but that seemed too limiting. I am still intrigued so if you have any ideas please make sure to add those.

Nominations will run until tomorrow and then we will start the poll on the 22nd.

NOMINATION RULES

• Make sure the book is by an eligible author. (recently updated with the new Top Fantasy List info). We do not repeat any authors that we've read in the past year or accept nominations of books by any of the 20 most popular authors from our biennial Top Novels list.

• Include any Bingo squares you know your nomination will qualify for. Some of these may be difficult to know until you have read them (Multiverse, etc.), but any Bingo squares will be helpful. Here is the for reference.

• Nominate one book per top comment. You can nominate more than 1 if you like, just put each nomination in a separate comment. The top 4-6 nominations will move forward to the voting stage.

• No self-promotion allowed. If outside vote stacking or promotion is discovered, a book will be disqualified automatically.

Final voting will be conducted via . We will include a link to the poll as part of our "Vote for the Goodreads Book of the Month!" post after the nomination process is complete. Winners of polls are revealed a day or two after the Final Discussion of the current book selection.

Have fun with nominating! This is not meant to be homework assignments, but a fun exchange of thoughts and ideas as we read the book together. Also feel free to check out our or for a full and updating list of all past selections of all book clubs!