Speculative Fiction That Asks Big Questions
By Marisha Pessl Random House, ASIN: B004J4WL2I Kindle, 37654KB, 771 pages, ©2013 Journalist Scott McGrath is obsessed with Stanislas Cordova, a reclusive filmmaker whose frightening night films are eventually banned, driving his fans to host underground showings of new films and—in some cases—copycat crimes. But McGrath goes too far when he states on live television…
On the night of my tenth-year high school reunion (many years ago), I was crossing a dark street with some classmates on our way to a local bar where we could catch up on each other’s lives. We glanced both ways and, seeing no immediate traffic, stepped out into the street at a leisurely pace….
{NOTE: I wrote this in mid-March, but never posted it. Even now, months later, I’m surrounded by people who refuse to wear masks or socially distance themselves. One man came into my office at work and, seeing me wearing a mask, made a disgusted face and said, shaking his head, “Really? A mask?” Some things…
By Rob Ziegler Night Shade Books, ASIN: B01A68YNM6 Hardcover, 341 pages. © 2011 In a world with runaway environmental change and collapsed governments, the remaining humans in the United States have two things in common: hunger, and thirst. Satori, an intelligent, living city rooted in the ruins of Old Denver, is the sole source of…
By Richard Powers W.W. Norton & Company, ISBN: 978-0393356687 Paperback, 512 pages. © 2018 Overstory is a sweeping, heartfelt epic of nine human characters from vastly different backgrounds being drawn together by their love of—and connection to—nature, specifically trees. There’s really no other adequate way to summarize the plot of this book. It’s simply too…
Book 2 of the Earthsinger Chronicles By L. Penelope St. Martin’s Griffin, ASIN: B07PBMJ2YX Paperback, 489 pages. © October 1, 2019 In Lagrimar, where the True Father rules and Earthsingers are required to pay tribute with their gifts, the Mantle is about to fall. Plans for the takeover of Elsira are already underway, and no…
Book 1 of the Earthsinger Chronicles By L. Penelope St. Martin’s Griffin, ASIN: B07SMWXJQN Paperback, 523 pages. © July 16, 2019 Elsira and Lagrimar lie close together, yet worlds apart. Separated by the Mantle, a magical veil that prevents travel between the two lands, Elsirans and Lagrimari haven’t mingled for generations. But now the True…
Even if you’ve been living under a rock, if you’re smart you’re probably practicing social distancing wherever possible right now, washing your hands a lot, and tracking the news on a regular basis. Maybe you are home because your child’s school is shut down, or your employer’s had to close their doors due to the…
By Jeff Vandermeer FSG Originals, ISBN: 978-0374261177 Hardback, 608 pages. © 2014 Area X, a region of the Forgotten Coast cut off from the rest of the world by an environmental anomaly, has swallowed all vestiges of human habitation in its verdant overgrowth. No one knows what caused it, or why eleven expeditions sent by…
We’re well into 2020 now, and the writing scene is as frenetic as ever. Congratulations to my writing pals from Twitter and Facebook who have had debut novels come out in the last year, or who’ve been picked up for publication sometime in the coming months! All that hard work eventually pays off, doesn’t it?…