January 18, 2019
Kushiel’s Dart (2001) Written by: Jacqueline Cary Genre: Fantasy Pages: 912 (Paperback) Series: Phèdre’s Trilogy Book #1 Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates Why I Chose It: I first heard about Jacqueline Carey through Speculative Chic and since I enjoyed George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) series, I figured that I would enjoy another medieval-based fantasy…
April 26, 2018
Autonomous (2017) Written by: Annalee Newitz Genre: Science Fiction Pages: (301) Hardback Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates Why I Chose It: Speculative Chic is covering the 2017 Nebula Awards and Autonomous is nominated in the novel category. I was also drawn to the intriguing cover, which features a severed robot arm with a chain around the wrist. Premise: When anything can…
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…
February 1, 2018
The Girl in the Tower (2018) Written by: Katherine Arden Genre: Fiction Pages: 346 (Hardcover) Series: Winternight Trilogy Book #2 Publisher: Del Rey Why I Chose It: I picked the first book in the Winternight trilogy, The Bear and the Nightingale, as my favorite speculative book of 2017, so of course I had to read the second book. I was…
January 10, 2018
A few weeks ago I reviewed Mira Grant’s Rolling in the Deep. It’s a sharp little novella that gave us a peek into a world that not only thinks that mermaids might exist, but sets out to prove it. The results are disastrous (and it’s not a spoiler to tell you that; the back cover copy says so very plainly).…
September 21, 2017
The Bear and the Nightingale (2017) Written by: Katherine Arden Genre: Fiction Pages: 312 (Hardback) Series: Winternight Trilogy Book #1 Publisher: Del Rey Why I Chose It: The title and cover of The Bear and the Nightingale did not immediately grab my attention. I probably wouldn’t have picked it up if I wasn’t browsing outside my comfort zone for books…
August 31, 2017
Sleeping Giants (2016) Written by: Sylvain Neuvel Genre: Science Fiction Pages: 336 (Hardback) Series: Themis Files #1 Publisher: Del Rey Why I Chose It: When I first read the premise of this book, it sounded like something I would not like. I was halfway to “No, thank you,” when I read “giant metal hand.” Then I read several reviews from…
August 24, 2017
Six Wakes (2017) Written by: Mur Lafferty Genre: Science Fiction Pages: 400 (Trade paperback) Publisher: Orbit Why I Chose It: So one of my favorite genre mash-ups is SF/Mystery, and Six Wakes definitely falls into that sweet spot. It’s a science fiction locked-room mystery that also made me think of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, just… in space.…