May 15, 2018
“And Then There Were (N-One)” (2017) Written By: Sarah Pinsker Read at Uncanny here Genre: Science Fiction Publisher: Uncanny Magazine Why I Chose It: Because Speculative Chic is covering the 2017 Nebula Awards, and because Sarah Pinsker writes great stories, if her track record (check her bio on her site or at the end of the story link) is any…
April 26, 2018
Amberlough (2017) Written by: Lara Elena Donnelly Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal Genre: Fantasy Length: 11h, 26m (Audiobook) Series: The Amberlough Dossier Publisher: Macmillan Audio Why I Chose It: When I first heard about Amberlough, I was intrigued by its unique, cross-genre premise (the fact that one of my favorite authors narrated the audiobook was a bonus!). When it was nominated…
April 4, 2018
Spoonbenders (2017) Written by: Daryl Gregory Genre: Fantasy Pages: 416 (Hardcover) Publisher: Knopf Why I Chose It: Somehow I have this idea that I love Daryl Gregory’s writing, but I’m not sure what that is based on. Looking at his bibliography makes me realize I’ve only read one of his many previous books: Harrison Squared. He’s been on my radar…
April 3, 2018
Congratulations to Carrie Vaughn, who won the Philip K. Dick Award for Bannerless! (Which was our second ever book club selection!) We love awards here at Speculative Chic. We’ve been planning our reviews for the Nebula Awards almost as soon as they were announced! The awards will be presented on May 20th. While we won’t be covering all of the…
March 29, 2018
It seems like it’s always award season somewhere, and right now the Speculative Chic crew is reading the nominees for the Philip K. Dick Award! After the Flare (2017) Written by: Deji Bryce Olukotun Genre: Science Fiction Pages: 275 (kindle) Publisher: The Unnamed Press Why I chose it: I picked this particular book from the list of nominees because I…
March 28, 2018
Revenger (2017) Written by: Alastair Reynolds Genre: Science Fiction Pages: 432 Publisher: Orbit Why I Chose It: Christopher Walken needs more cowbell, I need more Alastair Reynolds. The premise: The galaxy has seen great empires rise and fall. Planets have shattered and been remade. Amongst the ruins of alien civilisations, building our own from the rubble, humanity still thrives. And…
March 22, 2018
The Book of Etta (2017) Written by: Meg Elison Genre: Post-apocalyptic fiction Pages: 305 (Paperback) Series: The Road to Nowhere Book #2 Publisher: 47North Why I Chose It: The Book of Etta is one of the nominees for the 2018 Philip K. Dick Award, which Speculative Chic is covering. I did not want to read this book at first, because…
March 22, 2018
All Systems Red (2017) Written by: Martha Wells Genre: Science Fiction Pages: 144 (ebook) Publisher: Tor.com Why I Chose It: All Systems Red had been nominated for the 2017 Philip K. Dick Award, and here at Speculative Chic, we’re reading the nominees! I chose All Systems Red based on the positive reviews and feedback I had been seeing online. The premise: In a…
March 2, 2018
Award season is upon us once again! By now, we here at Speculative Chic have come to the conclusion that when major awards are happening within the genre, we want to be informed. We have previously covered the Hugos, the Nebulas, and of course, the Philip K. Dick Award. Not familiar with this one? From the award’s website: The Philip…
February 9, 2018
The Wrong Stars (2017) Written by: Tim Pratt Genre: Science Fiction Pages: 400 (Kindle) Series: Axiom Book One Publisher: Angry Robot Why I Chose It: Tim Pratt is one of those writers whose books I pick up at random, though I always pay attention when he releases a new one. His books entertain me, but they’re not always must reads.…