The Most Missing Audiobooks of 2024

The Most Missing Audiobooks of 2024

Posted on 2025-01-13 at 12:00 by Sam

Another year has come and gone, bringing so many books and audiobooks that already, of course, one can’t get to them all in a lifetime, let alone 12 months. Still, some of the titles I most anticipated — or was most surprised by! — last year did not come out in audio editions, and as I used to do years ago, I’m going to survey some of these for you, and hopefully some audio publishers (Podium? Tantor? Scribd?) will take notice.

First, yes, let’s get it out of the way that the new Dungeon Crawler Carl book is not out in audio until February. OK? OK. Yes, that’s by far the most missing audiobook of 2024. Second, a disclaimer that the links are affiliate links which may result in a few nickels and dimes for me. Lastly, I do call out my picks for the “most missing” audiobooks nearly every week in my reddit r/audiobooks release week roundups, so if you want an even larger list, you are welcome to comb through those. As you may know, I tend to get wordy, and these lists tend to get long, but, really, I’ve tried to filter these down as much as I can. (Despite the evidence to the contrary coming right up.) Here we go…

FICTION: The Top 20

Crypt of the Moon Spider by Nathan Ballingrud (Tor Nightfire) — “Years ago, in a cave beneath the dense forests and streams on the surface of the moon, a gargantuan spider once lived. Its silk granted its first worshippers immense faculties of power and awe. It’s now 1923 and Veronica Brinkley is touching down on the moon for her intake at the Barrowfield Home for Treatment of the Melancholy. A renowned facility, Dr. Barrington Cull’s invasive and highly successful treatments have been lauded by many. And they’re so simple! All it takes is a little spider silk in the amygdala, maybe a strand or two in the prefrontal cortex, and perhaps an inch in the hippocampus for near evisceration of those troublesome thoughts and ideas. But patients aren’t the only ones with trouble on their minds, and although the spider’s been dead for years, its denizens are not. Someone or something is up to no good, and Veronica just might be the cause.”

The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain by Sofia Samatar (Tordotcom) — A Philip K. Dick Award finalist: “The boy was raised as one of the Chained, condemned to toil in the bowels of a mining ship out among the stars. His whole world changes—literally—when he is yanked “upstairs” and informed he has been given an opportunity to be educated at the ship’s university alongside the elite. Overwhelmed and alone, the boy forms a bond with the woman he comes to know as “the professor,” a weary idealist and descendent of the Chained who has spent her career striving for validation from her more senior colleagues, only to fall short at every turn. Together, the boy and the woman will embark on a transformative journey to grasp the design of the chains that fetter them both—and are the key to breaking free.”

When You Leave I Disappear by David Niall Wilson (Shortwave Media) — “A literary horror novella in which a bestselling author’s imposter syndrome draws her into a darker and darker world from which she may never escape.”

The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed (Tordotcom) — “At the northern edge of a land ruled by a merciless foreign tyrant lies a wild, forbidden forest ruled by powerful magic. Veris Thorn—the only one to ever enter the forest and survive—is forced to go back inside to retrieve the tyrant’s missing children. Inside await traps and trickery, ancient monsters, and hauntings of the past. One day is all Veris is afforded. One misstep will cost everything.”

The Parliament by Aimee Pokwatka (Tordotcom) — “Madigan Purdy is stuck in her home town library. When tens of thousands of owls descend on the building, rending and tearing at anyone foolish enough to step outside, Mad is tasked with keeping her students safe, and distracted, while they seek a solution to their dilemma. Perhaps they’ll find the inspiration they seek in her favorite childhood book, The Silent Queen…. With food and fresh water in low supply, the denizens of the library will have to find a way out, and soon, but the owls don’t seem to be in a hurry to leave…”

Time’s Agent by Brenda Peynado (Tordotcom) — A Philip K. Dick Award finalist: “Archeologist Raquel and her wife, Marlena, once dreamed the pocket worlds held the key to solving the universe’s mysteries. But forty years later, pocket worlds are now controlled by corporations squeezing every penny out of all colonizable space and time, Raquel herself is in disgrace, and Marlena lives in her own pocket universe (that Raquel wears around her neck) and refuses to speak to her. Standing in the ruins of her dream and her failed ideals, Raquel seizes one last chance to redeem herself and confront what it means to save something—or someone—from time.”

Where Dark Things Grow: A Novel by Andrew K. Clark (Cowboy Jamboree Press) — “Fifteen-year-old Leo is watching the world crumble. His father is missing and his mother is slipping into madness as she cares for Leo, his sick sister Goldfish, and two useless brothers. Relatives are no help and the church folk have turned their backs in the midst of the Great Depression. When he discovers an enchanted wulver from ancient folklore that will do his bidding, he decides to settle old scores. Revenge is sweet, but Leo soon learns he can’t control what he’s unleashed. It takes his spitfire best friend Lilyfax to help Leo overcome his anger and try to escape the wulver’s evil. As they search for his father, Leo, Lilyfax, and friends are pursued by dark forces and pulled into a rescue effort to find and save trafficked girls rumored to have been taken by the mysterious Blue Man.”

City of Dancing Gargoyles by Tara Campbell (Sante Fe Writers Project) — Another Philip K. Dick Award finalist: “In the parched, post-apocalyptic Western U.S. of the 22nd Century, wolves float, bonfires sing, and devils gather to pray. Water and safety are elusive in this chaotic world of alchemical transformations, where history books bleed, dragons kiss, and gun-toting trees keep their own kind of peace. Among this menagerie of strange beasts, two sentient stone gargoyles, known only as “ E” and “ M,” flee the rubble of their Southwestern church in search of water. Along the way, they meet climate refugees Dolores Baker and her mother Rose, who’ ve escaped the ravaged West Coast in search of a safer home. This quartet forms an uneasy alliance when they hear of a new hope: a mysterious city of dancing gargoyles. Or is it something more sinister?”

Triangulum by Subodhana Wijeyeratne (Rosarium) — A Philip K. Dick Award finalist: “The distant future. Humanity is ruled by the godlike Dawn and her Triangulan allies. Her Golden Swarm keeps the garden world of Prithvi safe. Her nephew’s Red Fleet secures the rest of the Nine Worlds. In the depths of the system, her regents—the Charioteer of Daitya, and the Huntress of Himenduh—bolster her authority with their own fleets, their own armies, and their own power. So it has been for three thousand years. But, of course, nothing lasts forever.”

Mechanize My Hands To War by Erin K. Wagner (DAW Books) — “September, 2060: Adrian Hall, acting director of the ATF, is holding a press conference. Yes, Eli Whitaker, anti-android demagogue, remains at large, and yes, he is recruiting children into his militia — Adrian is careful not to use the word army. She is careful all the way through the conference, right up until someone asks her about her personal connection to Whitaker; about Trey Caudill, his foster son. July, 2058: Farmers Shay and Ernst, struggling after they discover their GMO crop seeds have failed, hire android employees: Sarah as hospice, and AG-15 to work the now-toxic fields. Under one roof, four lives intertwine in ways no one expects. July, 2060: Special Agent Trey Caudill is leading a raid on Eli Whitaker’s farm when an android, call sign Ora, shoots and kills a child. March, 2061: Ora sits in a room. He has been there for seven months, resisting diagnostic tests. He is drawing on the walls, scratching his artificial skin, tracing something over and over and over again with a tired metallic finger. There is nothing wrong with his circuitry, so why does Ora feel so broken?”

We Are All Ghosts in the Forest by Lorraine Wilson (Solaris) — “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.”

The Wings Upon Her Back by Samantha Mills (Tachyon) — “In this gripping debut novel from acclaimed Nebula, Sturgeon, and Locus Award-winning author Samantha Mills, a disgraced soldier fights to make sense of her world and the gods who abandoned it.”

The Wolf and the Wild King by K.V. Johansen (Crossroad Press) — “Assassin, executioner, shapeshifter, and dutiful son of the undying Queen of the land called only the Forest, Mairran is haunted by the voice of an Immortal long lost, who runs with him as a wolf in his dreams. More used to being the instrument of death than an arbiter of justice, he is dispatched by his mother to find the killer of an earl whose life was offered in an unsanctioned sacrifice to the Forest.”

The Default World by Naomi Kanakia (Amethyst Editions) — “A trans woman sets out to exploit a group of wealthy roommates, only to fall under the spell of their glamorous, hedonistic lifestyle in tech-bubble San Franci

You Can’t Save What Isn’t There by Paul Michael Anderson (Cemetery Dance) — “When Cal Matheson’s daughter was killed by a drunk driver, he felt he’d lost everything that mattered. However, as he slowly begins to rebuild his life with a new home and a new job, he’s given an inexplicable and supernatural opportunity—but is it to exact revenge on those he holds responsible for his loss in the most ghastly ways imaginable…or to fulfill his potential as an artist and human? And what is the cost of making the wrong choice?”

A Voice Calling by Christopher Barzak (Psychopomp) — “Button House has stood for centuries, digging its roots and its rot deeper and deeper, consuming all who approach: twin brothers, a child bride, an innocent baby, four young factory workers. And then came Rose Billings, who had an affinity with the house like no other. Rose, who could hear the house and the pleas of its many ghosts. Rose, who would attempt to solve the mysteries of Button House, or die trying.”

Void Corporation by Blake Butler (Archway Editions) — “Following up the 2023 publication of Blake Butler’s smash hit memoir Molly, Archway Editions is proud to bring you Void Corporation, the revised and definitive paperback of his masterful 2020 novel Alice Knott, now with a new foreword from the author. The perfect introduction to Butler’s hypnotic and wildly inventive fictional world for his many new fans.”

Annihilation by Michel Houellebecq, translated by Shaun Whiteside (FSG) — “It is 2027. France is in a state of economic decline and moral decay. As the country plunges into a contentious presidential race, the government falls victim to a series of mysterious and unsettling cyberattacks in which videos of brutal decapitations and skillfully crafted deepfakes proliferate on the web.”

My Lesbian Novel by Renee Gladman (Dorothy) — “The latest in writer and visual artist Renee Gladman’s ever-expanding body of imaginative investigation is a sui generis novel of queerness and art-making, philosophy and sex.”

Dear Dickhead by Virginie Despentes, translated by Frank Wynne (FSG) — “The French novel taking the world by storm: an ultracontemporary Dangerous Liaisons about sex, feminism, and addiction.” (Note: actually coming to audio on January 21.)

ANTHOLOGIES

The Ceaseless Way: An Anthology of Wanderers’ Tales (Wandering Grove Press) — “Not all who wander are lost. And some lose their way but find something better. Join fourteen wanderers on journeys through space, time, understanding, and love: A sasquatch quests for her name while a hunter stalks her; A time traveler fights for the love he didn’t know he was seeking; A pregnant mother in a repressive dystopia searches for a way to protect her baby; Immigrant werewolves hunt for a better life. The Ceaseless Way is an anthology about questing wanderers. What do they seek? Will they succeed? What will they dare to achieve, and what will they sacrifice?”

Heartwood: A Mythago Wood Anthology edited by Dan Coxon (PS Publishing) — “Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Robert Holdstock’s seminal fantasy novel Mythago Wood (winner of the World Fantasy Award and British Fantasy Award), Heartwood for the first time opens Holdstock’s world to other writers. From new tales of Ryhope and Oak Lodge to strange encounters with mythagos further afield, this groundbreaking anthology revisits the old pathways and cuts new tracks through the undergrowth, drawing ever closer to the mysteries of Lavondyss—the Old Forbidden Place at the heart of the wood.”

Reports from the Deep End: Stories inspired by J. G. Ballard edited by Maxim Jabukowski and Rick McGrath (Titan Books) — “A fascinating and unsettling anthology of 32 science fiction short stories in tribute to the prophetic dystopias of New Wave sci-fi pioneer, and literary titan of the twentieth century, J. G. Ballard—featuring Will Self, Iain Sinclair, Christopher Fowler, Chris Beckett, and a new Jerry Cornelius story from Michael Moorcock.”

The Utopia of Us: An anthology inspired by Yevgeny Zamyatin’s We edited by Teika Marija Smits (Luna Press) — “The year 2024 marks the centenary of the first publication of the hugely significant novel We by the Russian author Yevgeny Zamyatin. The direct inspiration for George Orwell’s 1984, We also influenced many other novels, such as Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Dispossessed and Kurt Vonnegut’s Player Piano. We ushered in a new genre - the future dystopia - and in doing so gave birth to the many dystopian novels and films which have found their way into our popular culture. Inspired by Zamyatin’s ground-breaking novel, The Utopia of Us features stories by some of the most imaginative of today’s writers of speculative fiction, including Aliya Whiteley, R.T. Ester, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Anne Charnock, Tim Major, Anna Orridge, Douglas Thompson, Nadya Mercik, Liam Hogan, Fiona Mossman, Ian Whates, Michael Teasdale, Ana Sun, Rayn Epremian, and Sofia Samatar. A timely and necessary celebration of We, The Utopia of Us offers the reader stories of hope and despair, wonder and brutality. Most of all, The Utopia of Us reminds us of our humanity.”

Deep Dream: Science Fiction Exploring the Future of Art edited by Indrapramit Das (MIT Press) — Das’ first science fiction anthology (as editor), for the Twelve Tomorrows series: “10 writers imagine how art forms (and artists) might evolve, devolve, and transform across spacetime near and far, amid the myriad threats to all things creative. Featuring marvellous new and original stories by Samit Basu, Vajra Chandrasekera, Aliette de Bodard, Ganzeer, Cassandra Khaw, Lavanya Lakshminarayan, Sloane Leong, Bruce Sterling, Wole Talabi, Lavie Tidhar, showcasing the living, organic artwork of Diana Scherer, and an intensive interview with Neil Clarke of Clarkesworld Magazine on the infection of generative AI within sff and more, by Archita Mittra.”

The Mad Butterfly’s Ball edited by Preston Grassmann and Chris Kelso (PS Publishing) — “An essential compendium of stories dedicated to the lurking horror and profound wonder of those that live, largely unseen, in the world around us—the enigmatic insect! Featuring original and new works by Clive Barker, Jeffrey Thomas, Kaaron Warren, Paul Di Filippo, Eugen Bacon, and many more, alongside classics of the subgenre.”

The Off-Season: An Anthology of Coastal New Weird edited by Marissa van Uden (Dark Matter INK) — “Contained within this anthology are strange and surreal stories of disquieting and disturbing “New Weird” horror set in landscapes and communities on the edge of the sea. These unsettling tales de-familiarize the ordinary, evoke dread in the daylight, and haunt like half-remembered dreams. They are tales of mysticism, psychedelia, outsiders, obsessions, collapsed boundaries, weird sea life, and the total abandonment of reason. Welcome to your stay on the other side. Please check your sanity at the door.”

Terrific Tomorrows edited by James and Cheryl Maxey (Word Balloon Books) — A family-friendly collection of optimistic stories: “A hippopotamus is loose in the mainframe. Beyond the cornfields, best friends race their rocket packs through the night. Far from Earth, a manta ray swims past a window. Beneath a vast tree, a librarian scratches the head of a dodo. On Mars, a family settles down to watch the fireworks of a captured comet burning through the sky. Meanwhile, in a basement, a man shapes the destiny of humanity… by changing his socks. The future will be wonderful… and weird!”

COLLECTIONS

The Presidential Papers by John Kessel (PM Press, Outspoken Authors: Book 31) — “Mixing satire, farce, and dystopia, the stories in John Kessel’s The Presidential Papers deconstruct the character and politics of five imagined presidents, some of whom bear striking resemblance to individuals who have occupied the Oval Office over the last thirty years.”

Jamaica Ginger and Other Concoctions by Nalo Hopkinson (Tachyon) — “Afro-Caribbean, Canadian, and American influences shine in truly unique stories that are gorgeously strange, inventively subversive, and vividly beautiful. In her first collection of stories since 2015, a woman and her cyborg pig eke out a living in a future waterworld; two scientists contemplate the cavernous remains of an alien life-form; a trans woman at a funeral might be haunted by more than just bad memories; and an artist creates nanotechnology that asserts Blackness where it is least welcome and most needed.”

The Skinless Man Counts to Five: And Other Tales of the Macabre by Paul Jessup (Underland Press) — “There are ghosts and butterflies, serial killers and dying stars, mermaids and monsters. You will find death cults, sewer elves, the apocalypse of youthful fervor, card games that require blood sacrifices, and self-immolation as an expression of devotion. Paul Jessup’s fiction eviscerates, shatters, and slurps the marrow from the bones of the world.”

What Was Left Standing: A Story Collection by Mike Jasper (UnWrecked Press) — “Whether it’s the return of a prodigal son to the family farm (“The Chicken Project”), the young high school teacher conscripted into refereeing a basketball game with his new school’s rivals from the nearby reservation (“Home Court Advantage”), or the impossible feats of a team of mixed-race baseball players long before the days of Jackie Robinson (“The Champ Escapes”), Jasper takes you on a guided tour of the human condition. This includes the dark sides as well as the bright.”

Blister: And Other Stories by Brian Biswas (Obie Books) — “These stories paint a portrait of a magical realist world that is both chaotic and corrupt. In “Blister” a young widow remains faithful to her wedding vows even after her husband’s deception is revealed. The husband in “Others” is haunted by a picture from the sixteenth century that has seemingly come to life and threatens to destroy his marriage. The soldier in “A Soldier’s Lament” refuses to order the execution of an enemy combatant with whom he has fallen in love. The teenage girl in “Skipping Stones” is troubled by her father’s second marriage, resulting in an existential crisis.”

SERIES BOOKS

Dead Hand by Valerie Nieman (Avig Press) — “In this sequel to To the Bones, Lourana and Darrick have taken down Eamon Kavanagh, patriarch of the dreaded coal barons of Redbird, WV, but it seems that the family isn’t done yet. The college-age son Rory has unexpectedly inherited not only the family’s empire but the family itself: generations of Kavanagh men whose spirits persist and who have now taken up residence in Rory’s mind and body.”

Prophet’s Death by Robert Creekmore (Cinnabar Moth) — “Death-cult leader Joseph Proffit has met his end! Along with him perishes the secret method for manufacturing indigo, the substance that imbued him with godlike abilities. To the dismay of Naomi’s family, she succumbed to the injuries Joseph dealt her during their final battle atop the abandoned Coast Guard station, Frying Pan Tower, thirty miles off the North Carolina coast. Both of their bodies were lost at sea when the one-hundred-foot-tall structure crumbled during Tropical Storm Gabriel. Naomi’s beloved companions escaped aboard her dive boat, along with Joseph’s final victim, who is on the verge of death. In the aftermath, Naomi’s family has no choice but to rebuild their lives in hiding, fearing reprisal from the handful of remaining Apostle loyalists.”

Dragonsgate: Angels by James Maxey — “The thrilling conclusion to the Dragonsgate trilogy. In this saga, dragons and humans are at war in the ruins of post-apocalyptic America. In the ruins of Oak Ridge Tennessee, a malfunctioning machine hidden in a government laboratory has ripped a hole in reality, and now dinosaurs are appearing in the surrounding wilderness. When a band of adventurers led by the famed dragon-slayer, Bitterwood, sets out to destroy the malfunctioning machine, some of them are swept away to a parallel earth where humans have never evolved. On this world, magic is real due the presence of a cosmic dragon named Emeralla. Unfortunately, cosmic dragons are the favorite meal of an even larger cosmic dragon, the planet devouring Waste-Wyrm. Now, Bitterwood must battle devils, spirits, and angels across a series of parallel worlds if he hopes to save his own reality from the interstellar predator.”

The Wayward Mage Bounty: The Shadow Blades Chronicles, Book 3 by Patrick Dugan (Distracted Dragon Press) — “After semi-successfully tracking down their missing person, one Elladon Kane, far across the land in the realm of the Elves, the Saria and the Shadow Blades are given yet another quest. But the reward for this one won’t be coin—it will be the very survival of Southern Holm. Saria was right about Brar Opalback. The sorceress’s interest in artifacts, according to Kane, will result in a dragon scourge that will put all previous monster invasions to shame if she’s not stopped. That is, if Kane can be trusted.”

Breath of Oblivion: Astra Black, Book 2 by Maurice Broaddus (Tor Books) — “Broaddus returns with Breath of Oblivion, the second book in his Astra Black trilogy, which explores the struggles of an empire. Epic in scope and intimate in voice, it follows members of the Muungano Empire—a far-reaching coalition of city-states that stretches from Earth to Titan and beyond—as it faces renewed threats to its progress.”

The Death Bringer: The Tharassas Cycle Book, 4 by J. Scott Coatsworth (Walter Dragon Publishing) — “War is coming. Aik has become the Progenitor, and the Seed Mother has released him to transform the world for her alien brood. Silya and Raven, Aik’s former friends, are the only ones who can save him and the world. But what if the cure is worse than the invasion?”

The Princess Scout by Henry Vogel (Rampant Loon) — Alas, this series has started coming to audio in the dreaded “Virtual Voice” format, but this one hasn’t, leaving me hope that Vogel and Rampant Loon will get back to actual human narrations. “Separated from their classmates during a drill, Scout Cadets Anne Villas and Christine Montide find themselves stranded on a previously uncharted world. By pure chance they’ve discovered a lost human colony that wants to stay lost, and the rulers of this planet will use all the power they have to keep it a secret.”

The Mountain Mystic: A Mountaineer Mystery, Book 2 by Russell W. Johnson (Shotgun Honey Books) — “Since succeeding her dearly departed husband, Bill, to become Jasper County’s first female sheriff, Mary Beth Cain has closed more cases than any three of her male predecessors combined. But nobody bats a thousand in the cop game. Nobody. And, ovaries aside, Mary Beth knows she’s no different. There’d been a handful of unsolveds during her tenure, victims and families denied their justice, and each and every one of them gnaws at her soul. She thinks about them late at night as she sips her whiskey, counting regrets like sheep.”

1635: The Weaver’s Code by Eric Flint and Jody Lynn Nye (Baen) — “A young gentlewoman, Margaret de Beauchamp, finds her fate twisted into the lives of the up-timers when she meets the Americans imprisoned in the Tower of London.”

Just Another Tuesday: The Adventures of Basil & Moebius, Book 7 by Erik Scott de Bie, Richard Lee Byers, Chris A Jackson, Ryan Schifrin, and Timothy Zahn (Red Circle Productions) — “Spellbinding supernatural artifacts? Check. The ghost of a legendary dragon? Check. An invisible inter-dimensional carnivorous monster? Check. Sentient A.I. bent on world dominatoin? Check. And that’s just for starters. For anyone else, it would be the hair raising thrill-ride of a lifetime. For Basil & Moebius, it’s… just another Tuesday.”

POETRY

Brutal Companion by Ruben Quesada (Barrow Street) — “A haunting and visceral collection of poems that explores themes of identity, sexuality, loss, and personal transformation.”

NON-FICTION

The Ballad of Roy Benavidez: The Life and Times of America’s Most Famous Hispanic War Hero by William Sturkey (Basic Books) — “The dramatic life of Vietnam War hero Roy Benavidez, revealing how Hispanic Americans have long shaped US history.”

Jane Austen and the Price of Happiness by Inger Sigrun Bredkjær Brodey (John Hopkins University Press) — “How did Jane Austen become a cultural icon for fairy-tale endings when her own books end in ways that are rushed, ironic, and reluctant to satisfy readers’ thirst for romance?”

We Tried to Tell Y’All: Black Twitter and the Rise of Digital Counternarratives by Meredith D. Clark (Oxford Studies in Digital Politics) — “Through interviews, news analysis, and personal observation, Clark presents the first book about how Black Twitter users carved out a vital space for fast-paced, incisive commentary on Black life in America not found in the mainstream press.”

The Miraculous from the Material: Understanding the Wonders of Nature by Alan Lightman (Pantheon) — “Nature is capable of extraordinary phenomena. Standing in awe of those phenomena, we experience a feeling of connection to the cosmos. For acclaimed physicist and novelist Alan Lightman, just as remarkable is that all of what we see around us—soap bubbles, scarlet ibises, shooting stars—are made out of the same material stuff and obey the same rules and laws. This is what Lightman calls “spiritual materialism,” the belief that we can embrace spiritual experiences without letting go of our scientific worldview.”

Women of Horror and Speculative Fiction in Their Own Words edited by Sébastien Doubinsky and Christina Kkona (Bloomsbury) — “This collection of interviews elicits truly honest and thought-provoking responses that focus on the biographical dimension in speculative fiction, questions of intersectionality, genre (re)definitions and the politicization of fiction. It gives voice to women of different races, nations, classes and sexual orientations who write and edit speculative fiction – such as Ellen Datlow, Kathe Koja, Angela Mi Young Hur, Eugen Bacon, and Cat Rambo. The interviews clarify how the junction of genre and gender is a key element to understanding this literary field, while simultaneously contextualizing and theorizing the interview itself, as a literary genre and a research tool.”

Elements of War: Theory of Knowledge, and War by Gray Rinehart (Stormwatch) — “War involves myriad violent actions against often intractable foes, across varied and difficult environments, in pursuit of broad strategic aims, making it perhaps the most complex and consequential of all human activities. This volume presents nontraditional and even innovative ways of thinking about war and its constituent elements, and suggests that we may comprehend war better if we study it through the lens of theory of knowledge.”

Thirteen Dooms: How Humanity Ends by James Maxey (Word Balloon Books) — “Humans have had a good run on this planet, but nothing lasts forever. One day, the sun will rise on a world without us. A comet could wipe us out. An unstoppable virus might now be awakening in thawing tundra. The power sources that make civilization possible have perhaps already damaged our atmosphere beyond repair. Hidden bunkers and prowling submarines house nuclear missiles that can, in a single moment, engulf our world in flames. Is there hope? Well… maybe. Humans have a good track record of holding back the apocalypse. We’ve cured diseases, turned deserts into croplands, and mostly tamed our warlike natures. But for every danger that falls, new ones arise. This book looks at the progress we’ve made so far and considers our odds.”

Haunted Northern Virginia by Alex Matsuo (The History Press) — “Discover ghostly history from Arlington to Occoquan, Leesburg to Lorton.”

MORE FICTION

Cannibal Jack by Patricia Lee Macomber (Crossroad Press) — “Barbara Connolly thought she was giving her daughters a better life when she left her abusive ex-husband and moved back to her home town. But Rapture, Pennsylvania, just wasn’t the same anymore. There have been two murders right on her street, in the same house her brother disappeared in over twenty years before. Bodies are turning up everywhere, all missing flesh and with the same ragged teeth marks on the bones. Teenage girls are disappearing. And something—or someone—is crawling around inside Barbara’s walls.”

Living in Cemeteries by Corey Farrenkopf (JournalStone) — “Dave Gallagher mows the lawns and digs the graves at cemeteries in his hometown on Cape Cod. He also keeps the peace between the ghosts inhabiting those cemeteries. In the world of Living in Cemeteries, wrongdoing is atoned for by a person’s descendants. Spirits decapitate relatives of serial killers and lay pox blankets over men responsible for the Trail of Tears. The only way Dave can learn of his pre-ordained death is by traveling the New England countryside, visiting haunted cemeteries, asking familial ghosts what fate has in store.”

Hurled Headlong Flaming: Or, The Bishop’s Tale by Matt Holder (Spiral Tower Press) — “A dark fantasy novella that follows a priest on a perilous quest to a hellish underworld to retrieve an ancient manuscript he believes can help prevent the apocalypse.”

A Dark and Subtle Light: Machiavelli The Immortal: Book One by Mark Hodder (Solaris) — “Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli is a diplomat, an author, a philosopher and historian. An immortal. Touched by a malevolent alien intelligence with a vampiric lust for sensation and misery, Earth stands at a crossroads as many worlds have before it. When a rival species sends a warning to Earth, Machiavelli is transformed into a protector of mankind. Travelling the ages, an unlikely hero immune to death, he must stop the corrupted, from the Borgias to Friedrich Nietzsche, before we destroy ourselves for the watcher’s pleasure.”

Masquerade by Mike Fu (Tin House Books) — “Newly single Meadow Liu is house-sitting for his friend, artist Selma Shimizu, when he stumbles upon The Masquerade, a translated novel about a masked ball in 1930s Shanghai. The author’s name is the same as Meadow’s own in Chinese, Liu Tian―a coincidence that proves to be the first of many strange happenings. Over the course of a single summer, Meadow must contend with a possibly haunted apartment, a mirror that plays tricks, a stranger speaking in riddles at the bar where he works, as well as a startling revelation about a former lover. And when Selma vanishes from her artist residency, Meadow is forced to question everything he knows as the boundaries between real and imagined begin to blur.”

Secret Dead Men by Duane Swierczynski (Titan Books) — “A smart-talking supernatural noir, full of twists and turns, delivered at a whipalong pace about a dead investigative-journalist-turned-soul-collector on the trail of his nemesis – and murderer.”

The Shadow Girls by Lucienne Diver (Falstaff Books) — “Three women, bound by fate and circumstance, all trying to survive in a man’s world. They are the women of the Jucari, and they are at their breaking points. Each will rise up, determined to reshape the face of power and end the Blood War which has been raging for years. Each will make her stand for freedom, for respect, for ultimate, bloody power.”

Pioneers of the Pathway: The Pathway Ring, Book 1 by Stuart Jaffe — “In today’s world, travelling the stars via a Pathway Ring is commonplace. But have you ever wondered how it all came to be? Journey back to a time when mankind lived on only two planets, when we knew of no other advanced species, when a brave group of engineers, miners, and other hardworking folks took a leap into the unknown. Travel with them on an amazing adventure of survival and discovery, of betrayal and love, of everything that makes us human. Follow the Monclova family through generations as they fight to bring mankind into the future we all know. This is the story of one of the greatest achievements human beings have ever created.”

The Seven: Unforgiven by John G. Hartness (Falstaff Books) — “They were heroes. They were legends. They were retired. Leshru, Nipural, Torgan, Walfert, Eltara, Xethe, and Prynne. They were The Seven, the most legendary mercenary band to ever tread the roads of Watalin. They fought monsters, defeated bandits, and made a lot of money. Then they got old. So they quit, and split up to live out their days in peace and quiet. Because that always works out well… Until one day a young man walked into Leshru’s bar with a coin he shouldn’t have and a story Leshru never wanted to hear. Eltara, one of his old crew and dearest friends, was dead. Murdered by a turncoat from the old days. And the boy? Her son.”

Shadows of the Night: Songs of the Ascendant, Book 1 by Darin Kennedy (64Square) — “Ethan Harkreader – College dropout turned stage tech extraordinaire. Rosemary Delacroix – Trained from birth to protect the world from darkness. Persephone Snow – The number one pop star in the world, and she knows it. As the shadows rise, this trio from three vastly different worlds find themselves caught in the crossfire of a conflict that stretches back millennia and their lives on a collision course with love, war, heartbreak, and destiny.”

Stone Cold Witch: Nexus Witch, Book 1 by Patrick Dugan (Distracted Dragon Press) — “What does a young, only partially trained witch do when all Hell breaks loose on Earth? Jess Flood’s about to find out. When Jess discovers one of her coven sisters dead in the Harris Teeter parking lot, she is thrown into a maelstrom of life and death magick, and she’s way over her head. Now, Jess must stop a demon lord from destroying humanity, find a traitor in the coven, and still make it to her day job. Jess races against the clock to learn enough magick to stop the demon, but when you don’t know who to trust everyone is a possible enemy.”

The Book Lovers by Steve Aylett (Snowbooks) — “The kidnap of a rebellious heiress leads Inspector Nightjar into a steampunk underworld of brain love, greed and revolution. Can the Raven Method uncover the big Truth? What powers Thousand Tower City? Why are books telling unfamiliar stories? How cosy is anarchy?”

Physical Magic: The Shifting Lands, Book 1 by William C. Tracy (Space Wizard Science Fantasy) — A “Martial Arts Progression Fantasy” from the author of the excellent mushroom space science fiction series The Biomass Conflux: “Silluka was born with only one arm and could never practice the exacting motions to summon the favor of the gods. Caught stealing, she is forced to test her powers or be branded an outcast. She fails, and loses citizenship to her village. In a fit of desperation, Silluka tries to steal a badge of citizenship from a mysterious elder, but instead, Elder Quilqi shows Silluka a different path to gain the powers of the gods, aided by an octopus-like technological wizard who worships their own eldritch divinities. Time is short for training however, because a new island is speeding toward the coastal town, throwing deadly hurricanes and tidal waves before it and threatening all who live there.”

Moon Soul: A Cozy Science Fantasy Novella by Nathanial Luscombe (Dragon Bone Publishing) — “August has never been good with change and isn’t sure who she is beyond her job of reading memories in the sand. When she comes to the conclusion that she has to quit her job, she’s left with an overwhelming sense of emptiness. What follows is the quiet chaos of a girl regaining control over her life on a small desert moon. Deciding to take a job in the hanging gardens of the Spire, August discovers more to life as she meets new friends, forms a different connection with her home, and faces an unexpected visitor from her past.”

Man of Peace: Seeds of Darkness Trilogy, Book 1 by Chris A. Jackson (Jaxbooks) — “Raised in the caves of his father’s people–the brutal and warlike Oni–a half-breed boy knows only a world of darkness and pain. Life here offers one cruel lesson: fight or die. But he dreams of a world of light and beauty, the world of his human mother, an Oni slave. His only solace, she implores him not to give in to the hate and evil of the Oni, to reject their Dark God, Grund. “Be at peace,” she advises, and from this, he gleans both hope and a name.”

The Jaguar Mask by Michael J. DeLuca (Stelliform Press) — “Felipe K’icab doesn’t know who he is. He only knows he was born different than his human family, and he can’t relax unless he’s blasting reggaeton in his cab weaving through the streets of Guatemala City. The jaguar mask and his other human faces keep him safe - until El Bufo, a corrupt ex-cop, commandeers his cab and drags Felipe into a murder conspiracy investigation, trying to expose the foreign-backed regime’s ecocidal and genocidal past.”

Murder in Mennefer by Al Sirois (Fitzroy Books) — “After thirteen-year-old Imhotep’ s architect father, Kaneferw, is inexplicably killed on a construction site, Imhotep learns that his father’ s business profits have gone missing. Forced to work in a grisly abattoir to make ends meet, Imhotep discovers that Ahmose, his father’ s apprentice, is mysteriously connected not only to the missing funds but also to a grandiose plot orchestrated by the terrorist Sons of Atum to overthrow the king. When a family friend, in whom he has confided, is suddenly poisoned, Imhotep knows that time is running out— both to seek justice for his murdered father and to save the royal family from a bloody coup. Threatened at every turn, Imhotep must use all of his wiles to outwit his enemies, protect his family, and save the realm.”

Imposter’s Gambit: Delta Desperadoes, Book 1 by Tony Peak (Aethon Books) — “William Burton, wanted bounty hunter, has killed Marshal Steelgrave, who tried arresting him. Desperate to escape, William impersonates Steelgrave on the backwater where they fought: Pavo Dos, a desert planet filled with bandits, cultists, and the oligarchs who pit them against each other. But as ‘Steelgrave’ plays lawman while seeking passage offworld, acting the part proves more than he bargained for.”

A Dark and Cozy Night by DeAnna Knippling (Wonderland Press) — “Liz Hicks is a mystery writer whose husband, Jack, died a year ago during a motorcycle accident on a rainy, winding mountain road. One of the first things she did after the funeral was investigate his death. She already had a working knowledge of how to kill people: poisons, sniper rifles, drug overdoses, locked rooms, improvised weapons, and, most importantly, how to get away with it. Flashy deaths, interesting methods, exotic motivations. Jack’s death, on the other hand, hadn’t been the least bit suspicious. Just an ordinary accident. But still. She has to know.”

To Turn the Tide by SM Stirling (Baen) — “Everyone could see it coming. But one man could do something about it. Oh, he couldn’t avert the nuclear holocaust, but a scientist in Austria, ruthlessly using billions of research dollars for his own purposes, set himself up an out: he created a time machine, and filled a warehouse with low-tech survival gear. Too bad he didn’t get to use it himself. Instead, a team of American grad students, led by their professor, is sent back to the late Roman Empire. Even though they are experts in this time and place, they are about to realize that books and actual experience are very different things. If they can survive, they hope to remake the world into a better place. But that’s a big “if.""

Freelancers of Neptune by Jacob Holo (Baen) — “All he wanted was a simple job to make ends meet. What he got was a mysterious cat girl, a shot at a hoard of treasure, and a whole lot of trouble.”

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