In preparation for the Netflix show, Thea is re-immersing herself in Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse and rereading the Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows books! Today, she tackles the book that started it all: Shadow and Bone. Title: Shadow…
Finding excellent short SFF can often feel like hunting for buried treasure. Sometimes it takes a guide to help fill in the map, connecting readers with fantastic fiction and showing where X Marks The Story–a monthly column from Charles…
You may have heard of Leigh Bardugo–the internationally best-selling author of delightful, action-packed, high-stakes fantasy novels set in an interconnected universe. To date, the prolific Bardugo has published three full-length series (one trilogy and two duologies) as well a…
“On The Smugglers’ Radar” is a feature for books that have caught our eye: books we have heard of via other readers, directly from publishers, and/or from our regular incursions from various corners of the interwebs. Because we want…
The last witchdoctor of the Tribal Lands grapples with the history she has been told her entire life, and the truth in this brilliant follow-up novel to Kingdom of Souls. Title: Reaper of SoulsAuthor: Rena BarronGenre: Fantasy, YAPublisher: Harper…
Hello, fellow readers, book nerds, and friends! We are proud to announce that… Thea wrote a cookbook! Not just any cookbook (though, who doesn’t love a good cookbook?)–this one is a fantasy cookbook, inspired by so many of the…
Finding excellent short SFF can often feel like hunting for buried treasure. Sometimes it takes a guide to help fill in the map, connecting readers with fantastic fiction and showing where X Marks The Story–a monthly column from Charles…
Finding excellent short SFF can often feel like hunting for buried treasure. Sometimes it takes a guide to help fill in the map, connecting readers with fantastic fiction and showing where X Marks The Story–a monthly column from Charles…
The daughter of two powerful magic-users in a long legacy of witchdoctors strugglers with her lack of power–especially when the fate of the world is at stake. Title: Kingdom of SoulsAuthor: Rena BarronGenre: Fantasy, YAPublisher: Harper TeenPublication Date: September…
In 1950s Mexico, a headstrong socialite embarks on an adventure to save her cousin from a questionable marriage, a potentially haunted gothic mansion, and some twisted family secrets. (And also a lot of mushrooms.) Title: Mexican GothicAuthor: Silvia Moreno-GarciaGenre:…
Naomi Novik is back with a brand new series, and dear readers, I am hooked. Title: A Deadly EducationAuthor: Naomi NovikGenre: FantasyPublisher: Del ReyPublication Date: September 29, 2020Hardcover: 336 pages Lesson One of the Scholomance: Learning has never been this…
In 2010, Kate Elliott’s first spiritwalker book, Cold Magic–an alternate, post-fall-of-Rome historical-European, proto-steampunk fantasy with fairies and magic–was published. Suffice it to say, dear readers, that we loved it (and also loved subsequent books Cold Fire and Cold Steel…
Non-Binary Authors To Read is a regular column from A.C. Wise highlighting non-binary authors of speculative fiction and recommending a starting place for their work. Welcome to the December 2020 edition of Non-Binary Authors to Read. It’s been quite the…
Women To Read is a regular column from A.C. Wise highlighting female authors of speculative fiction and recommending a starting place for their work. Welcome to another edition of Women to Read! If you’re new to the series, with…
Chat With an Author Guest Author Miscellaneous
A New Book by Zen Cho? Hell yes! Announcing: Black Water Sister – due out May 2021
Hello everybody and we have Most Excellent news to share! Zen Cho – author of SORCERER TO THE CROWN, THE TRUE QUEEN and more recently, THE ORDER OF THE PURE MOON REFLECTED IN WATER – has a new book…
Veronica Roth is back with an adult(ish) SFF offering, taking the Chosen One trope to the next level. Title: Chosen Ones Author: Veronica Roth Genre: Speculative Fiction/Science Fiction Publisher: John Joseph Adams / Houghton Mifflin HarcourtPublication Date: April 2020Hardcover: 432…
You thought you were prepared for this book. You were, and I can’t stress this enough, not. You loved Gideon the Ninth. In fact, you may have uttered words like “best book of 2019”, “genius” and “most fun I…
Hello everybody! We have Sarah Kuhn back to the blog today to talk about the fourth HEROINE novel, the inspirations and influences behind it and what it means to go back to the start and write again from the…
We are speechless. After multiple nominations and losses, starting back in 2014–we were like, the Leo Dicaprios of the Hugo Awards–THE BOOK SMUGGLERS WON A HUGO AWARD FOR BEST FANZINE LAST NIGHT! WHAT AN ACHIEVEMENT! WHAT A DELIGHT! (Yes,…
Hello, friends! We are pleased to announce that The Book Smugglers are finalists for the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Fanzine! Every year, the Hugo Awards are administered and voted on by members of the World Science Fiction Convention…
Katherine Addison, the author of award-winning The Goblin Emperor, has a new fantasy novel out, a dark Fantasy that is mash-up of Jack the Ripper and the detectives of Baker Street. We have a guest post from the author today,…
The Best of British Fantasy 2019 contains two dozen tales of the weird and wonderful: featuring pensive houses, angry gods, ghosts, monsters, living statues, were-creatures, sorcerers, swordsmen, spells, skeletons, and, of course, the end of the world. Stories by Lavie…
Non-Binary Authors To Read is a regular column from A.C. Wise highlighting non-binary authors of speculative fiction and recommending a starting place for their work. Welcome to another edition of Non-Binary Authors to Read! While we’re all stuck inside, we…
10 Rated Books Book Reviews Social Distancing Reads
Social Distancing Reads #5: The Last Emperox by John Scalzi
Hello everybody – hope you are all keeping safe. I am lucky enough to be exclusively working from home and as I do so, I am trying to create a mental health routine of comfort reading, writing, going for…
Hello everybody – hope you are all keeping safe. I am lucky enough to be exclusively working from home and as I do so, I am trying to create a mental health routine of comfort reading, writing, going for…