Posted on

OUT NOW: We Are All Ghosts in the Forest by Lorraine Wilson

We’re wishing the happiest of book birthdays to We Are All Ghosts in the Forest by Lorraine Wilson!

A beautifully melancholic literary sci-fi for fans of Emily St. John Mandel and Zoe Gilbert, We Are All Ghosts in the Forest unravels in a world set in the aftermath of the internet’s collapse—a world haunted by its ghosts and a rampant digital disease, where a woman and the wordless boy with her name in his pocket search for the truth, and a possible cure.

When the internet collapsed, it took the world with it, leaving its digital ghosts behind – and they are hungry. Former photojournalist Katerina fled the overrun cities to the relative safety of her grandmother’s village on the edge of a forest, where she lives a solitary life of herbal medicine and beekeeping.

When a wordless boy finds her in the marketplace with nothing but her name in his pocket, her curiosity won’t allow her to turn him away. But haunting his arrival are rumours of harvest failure and a rampant digital disease stirring up the ghosts, and the mood in the village starts to sour.

Accused of witchcraft, Katerina and Stefan escape into the forest, searching for his missing father and the truth behind the disease. If there is a cure, Katerina alone might find it, but first she must find the courage to trust others – because the ghosts that follow her aren’t just digital.

“Haunting and atmospheric, with a really excellent ghost cat.” —Naomi Kritzer, Hugo Award-winning author of “The Year Without Sunshine”

“Eerie and original.” SFX

“A poignant and lyrical portrayal of intimate frailties and quiet strength.” —Nicholas Binge, author of Ascension

Posted on

OUT NOW: Interstellar MegaChef by Lavanya Lakshminarayan

We’re wishing Interstellar MegaChef by Lavanya Lakshminarayan a very happy book birthday!

This sophomore novel from the Arthur C. Clarke Award-nominated author of The Ten Percent Thief explores colonialism, classism, and the future of food in a sci-fi tale following one woman’s determination to win the greatest cooking competition in the galaxy. It’s out now in North America, but don’t worry UK fans – it’ll be on bookshelves near you this Thursday!

Looking for your one shot to rise to the “top of the pots” in the cutthroat world of interstellar cuisine? Look no further—you might have what it takes to be an Interstellar MegaChef!

Stepping off a long-haul star freighter from Earth, Saras Kaveri has one bag of clothes, her little flying robot Kili… and an invitation to compete in the galaxy’s most watched, most prestigious cooking show. Interstellar MegaChef is the showcase of the planet Primus’s austere, carefully synthesised cuisine. Until now, no-one from Earth—where they’re so incredibly primitive they still cook with fire—has ever graced its flowmetal cookstations before, or smiled awkwardly for its buzzing drone-cams.

Corporate prodigy Serenity Ko, inventor of the smash-hit sim SoundSpace, has just got messily drunk at a floating bar, narrowly escaped an angry mob and been put on two weeks’ mandatory leave to rest and get her work-life balance back. Perfect time to start a new project! And she’s got just the idea: a sim for food. Now she just needs someone to teach her how to cook.

A chance meeting in the back of a flying cab has Saras and Serenity Ko working together on a new technology that could change the future of food—and both their lives—forever…

“A lot of fun.” New Scientist

“An engaging story that dives into themes about the appreciation of food, colonization, and xenophobia and features two morally gray queer women attempting to find their footing with each other.” Library Journal, starred review

“Absolutely bursting with flavor and thrumming with possibility – this is science fiction at its best.” —Tashan Mehta, author of Mad Sisters of Esi

Posted on

OUT NOW: Sinophagia ed. by Xueting C. Ni

We’re delighted to be wishing Sinophagia: A Celebration of Chinese Horror edited and translated by Xueting C. Ni a very happy book birthday!

Sister to Ni’s British Fantasy Award-winning Sinopticon: A Celebration of Chinese Science Fiction, Sinophagia brings 14 short stories from contemporary Chinese horror writers to English-speaking audiences for the very first time. Whether your tastes lie in the supernatural or the much closer to home, this groundbreaking anthology has a horror story for every reader. Not one to miss as the spookiest time of the year approaches!

An anthology of unsettling tales from contemporary China, translated into English for the very first time.

Fourteen dazzling horror stories delve deep into the psyche of modern China in this new anthology curated by acclaimed writer and essayist Xueting C. Ni, editor and translator of the British Fantasy Award-winning Sinopticon.

From the menacing vision of a red umbrella, to the ominous atmosphere of the Laughing Mountain; from the waking dream of virtual working to the sinister games of the locked room… this is a fascinating insight into the spine-chilling voices working within China today – a long way from the traditional expectations of hopping vampires and hanging ghosts.

This ground-breaking collection features both well-known names and bold upcoming writers, including: Hong Niangzi, Fan Zhou, Chu Xidao, She Cong Ge, Chuan Ge, Goodnight, Xiaoqing, Zhou Dedong, Nanpai Sanshu, Yimei Tangguo, Chi Hui, Zhou Haohui, Su Min, Cai Jun, and Gu Shi.

“A pleasure and a torment.” —Locus

Posted on

OUT NOW: Gorse by Sam K. Horton

We’re wishing Gorse by Sam K. Horton a very happy book birthday!

The Bear and the Nightingale meets Poldark in this dark historical fantasy debut, where folklore battles faith on the Cornish moor as changeling Nancy Bligh tries to keep the balance between the mortal world and the world of the fey.

Cornwall, 1786.

For years, the villagers of Mirecoombe have turned to their Keeper, the old and battle-scarred Lord Pelagius Hunt, mediator between the worlds of men and fey, for help. But this is a time of change. Belief in the old ways, in the piskies and spriggans, has dimmed, kindled instead in the Reverend Cleaver’s fiery pulpit. His church stands proud above the mire; God’s name is whispered, hushed, loved. And now, death stalks Mirecoombe on the moor. There are corpses in the heather. There is blood in the gorse.

Nancy Bligh is determined to do what Pel will not: maintain the balance between the fey and the human world, be the Keeper that he refuses to be. Blessed with natural sight, friend to spriggans, piskies and human locals of Mirecoombe, Nancy has power that Pel never had and never lets her use. But as Mirecoombe falls into darkness, perhaps her time has come.

A poignant and lyrical examination of faith, love and grief, Gorse asks what do we choose to believe, and how does that shape who we are?

“Every word is wonderful and full of wonder… Highly recommended.” The Historical Novels Review

“Recommended on every level.” —The Folklore Podcast

“A mire of enchantment you’ll gladly sink into.” —Kit Whitfield, author of In the Heart of Hidden Things

Posted on

OUT NOW: Snowblooded by Emma Sterner-Radley

Happy book birthday to Snowblooded by Emma Sterner-Radley!

The Princess Bride meets Six of Crows in this queer Scandinavian fantasy romp, where a pair of rival assassins must team up to kill the mysterious leader of their city’s illegal magic trade.

Valour and Petrichor are esteemed members of the Order of Axsten, an assassin’s guild tasked with keeping order in the rough city of Vinterstock. Plucked from the streets as children and raised to compete for their guild’s approval, Valour uses her brawn to survive, while Petrichor strives to be a gentleman assassin. When they’re given their biggest job yet—to kill Brandquist, the mysterious leader of the city’s illegal magic trade—it’s a recipe for disaster. If they can quell their rivalry long enough, the reward will be enough to settle their debts with the Order and start new lives.

If this job wasn’t dangerous enough, Valour is saddled with protecting the aristocrat, Ingrid Rytterdahl. Valour finds her dangerously attractive, but Petrichor can’t wait to be rid of them both. He begrudgingly accepts Ingrid’s knowledge and connections as they navigate the city’s criminal underbelly in pursuit of Brandquist.

As secrets bubble to the surface, the duo must outwit the thugs on their tail, keep Ingrid alive, and—hardest of all—work together without murdering each other.

“Swashbuckling adventure, sweeping romance, and wit as sharp as an assassin’s knife come together to create a quintessentially delightful read.” —S.T. Gibson, author of A Dowry of Blood

“Oceans Eleven meets queer nordic assassins in this thrillride fantasy debut. Valour and Petrichor are a fatally flawed (and flawlessly fatal) duo who must overcome their distaste and distrust of each other in order to outwit a target who will otherwise destroy both of them.” —Sunyi Dean, author of The Book Eaters

“Bursting with twisty intrigue, fascinating worldbuilding and two leads whose tongues are as sharp as their knives, Snowblooded is a banter-filled fantasy delight.” —Frances White, Sunday Times bestselling author of Voyage of the Damned

Posted on

OUT NOW: Redsight by Meredith Mooring

We’re wishing Redsight by Meredith Mooring a very happy book birthday!

A blind priestess must learn to take control of the power she never knew she had in this own voices science fantasy debut for fans of Dune and Sisters of the Vast Black.

Heresy is power. Chaos is divine.

Korinna has simple priorities: stay on the Navitas, stay out of trouble, and stay alive. She may be a Redseer, a blind priestess with the power to manipulate space-time, but she is the weakest in her Order. Useless and outcast. Or so she has been raised to believe.

As she takes her place as a navigator on an Imperium ship, Korinna’s full destiny is revealed to her: blood brimming with magic, she is meant to become a weapon of the Imperium, and pawn for the Order that raised her. But when the ship is attacked by the notorious pirate Aster Haran, Korinna’s world is ripped apart.

Aster has a vendetta against the Imperium, and an all-consuming, dark power that drives her to destroy everything in her path. She understands the world in a way Korinna has never imagined, and Korinna is drawn to her against her better judgment.

With the Imperium and the justice-seeking warrior Sahar hot on her heels, Korinna must choose her side, seize her power and fulfil her destiny–or risk imperiling the future of the galaxy, and destroying the fabric of space-time itself.

“Redsight combines the vastness of Dune and Childhood’s End with a visceral, reality-warping journey of self-discovery to create a beautiful, bloody testament to the possibilities of compassion and love.” Ryka Aoki, author of Light From Uncommon Stars

“Redsight is a stellar debut, born from a collision between epic space opera and bewitching cosmic horror. Meredith Mooring weaves echoes of classic sci-fi into a breathtakingly original tapestry — an intoxicating blend of the visceral and the romantic, the monstrous and the mythical.” —Ren Hutchings, author of Under Fortunate Stars

“A brutal, vivid, emotional gut punch of a book. With stakes both deeply personal and universe-altering, Redsight is a cutting examination of the complexities of duty, faith, and moral obligation, helmed by a trio of compellingly flawed characters wielding immense cosmic power. This fresh, high-concept SFF is perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth and Sisters of the Vast Black.” J. S. Dewes, author of The Last Watch

Posted on

OUT NOW: The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

We’re wishing The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas a very happy book birthday!

The house has ideas of its own in this luscious Gothic horror debut set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence, where newlywed Beatriz’s attempts to start a new life are thwarted by the evil that lurks in her husband’s home. For fans of Rebecca and Mexican Gothic, The Hacienda is the perfect read for the spooky season—and beyond!

Hacienda San Isidro was meant to be Beatriz’s haven, her salvation from an oppressive life with her uncle and his vicious wife. When Don Rodolfo Solórzano proposed, Beatriz dreamed only of the security his estate in the countryside would provide, ignoring the rumors surrounding his first wife’s demise and his sinister allegiances. She will have her own home again, no matter the price.

But the house has ideas of its own. Visions and voices claw at Beatriz, stealing her sleep, and the weight of invisible eyes follows her every move. Deep in her bones, Beatriz knows—something is wrong with San Isidro.

Desperate for help, she turns to the young priest, Padre Andrés. Handsome and sympathetic, he seems like Beatriz’s only hope. But as their passions rise and the walls close in around Beatriz, the weight of secrets everyone is carrying may lead them all to their doom.

“A haunted history, a gory gothic, a forbidden romance. This book kept me up at night, and it was worth every second of lost sleep.” —Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of Starling House

“A hypnotic, sinister tale that is equal parts terrifying and luxurious. Cañas’s debut is a nightmare lined with velvet.” —Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Tale of the Flower Bride

“Lush, sinister, and darkly romantic. The Hacienda is a haunting and brilliant debut.” —Alexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching

Posted on

OUT NOW: Sign Here by Claudia Lux

We’re wishing Sign Here by Claudia Lux a very happy book birthday!

For fans of The Good Place and We Sold Our Souls, this speculative thriller follows a man determined to get out of Hell—and the family he must destroy to do it.

Peyote Trip has a pretty good gig in the deals department on the fifth floor of Hell. Sure, none of the pens work and the coffee machine has been out of order for a century, but Pey has a plan—and all he needs is one last member of the Harrison family to sell their soul.

When the Harrisons retreat to the family lake house for the summer, with their daughter Mickey’s precocious new friend in tow, the opportunity Pey has waited a millennium for might finally be in his grasp. And with the help of his charismatic coworker Calamity, he sets a plan in motion.

But things aren’t always as they seem, on Earth or in Hell. And as old secrets and new dangers scrape away at the Harrisons’ shiny surface, revealing the darkness beneath, everyone must face the consequences of their choices.

“Twisted, witty, terrifying and ultimately completely heartbreaking. Frankly… Hell would be proud.”—Phoebe Waller-Bridge

“A clever premise executed with flair, Sign Here is an electrifying page-turner that balances the thrilling and grim with an astute exploration of morality, family ties, and the burden of secrets. A striking debut.”—Rachel Harrison, author of The Return

“The most dark, twisted fun I’ve had with a book for ages.”—C.J. Tudor, bestselling author of The Burning Girls

Posted on

OUT NOW: The Death I Gave Him by Em X. Liu

We’re wishing The Death I Gave Him by Em X. Liu a very happy book birthday!

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is reimagined as a queer locked-room thriller in this debut novel from a dazzling new voice in SFF. Hayden Lichfield’s father is dead and over the course of 24 hours, in a lab on lockdown, he must discover the truth…

Hayden Lichfield’s life is ripped apart when he finds his father murdered in their lab, and the camera logs erased. The killer can only have been after one thing: the Sisyphus Formula the two of them developed together, which might one day reverse death itself.

Hoping to lure the killer into the open, Hayden steals the research. In the process, he uncovers a recording his father made in the days before his death, and a dying wish: Avenge me …

With the lab on lockdown, Hayden is trapped with four other people—his uncle Charles, lab technician Gabriel Rasmussen, research intern Felicia Xia and their head of security, Felicia’s father Paul—one of whom must be the killer. His only sure ally is the lab’s resident artificial intelligence, Horatio, who has been his dear friend and companion since its creation. With his world collapsing, Hayden must navigate the building’s secrets, uncover his father’s lies, and push the boundaries of sanity in the pursuit of revenge.

“Oh, the tension! It will murder you.”—Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Became the Sun

“The Death I Gave Him is the locked-room murder mystery queer Hamlet retelling of my dreams.”—Cassandra Khaw, author of The Salt Grows Heavy

“Liu’s prose cuts like a scalpel.”—Grace D. Li, author of Portrait of a Thief

Posted on

OUT NOW: The House of Saints by Derek Künsken

The House of Saints by Derek Künsken, the sequel to the critically-acclaimed The House of Styx, is out now!

The Venus Ascendant duology concludes in this stunning sci-fi family saga from the world of The Quantum Magician, where George-Étienne and his children fight to become one of the most powerful families the known galaxy has ever seen.

George-Étienne and his children have formed The House of Styx, after finding a mysterious artefact on the surface of Venus herself. But with the discovery comes great risk, not only from a planet that kills with its very touch but also from the banks and powers of old Earth, who will stop at nothing to claim this new technology for themselves.

From humble origins, The House of Styx is determined to become one of the most powerful families in the known galaxy or die trying.

“Künsken’s skillful narrative weaves together tension, wonder, and emotional depth… [his] visionary storytelling ensures that readers will be captivated until the very end.”—SciFiNow