Happy Tuesday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and I’ve got some new releases for you, and the first installment in a little series looking at books in a self-published science fiction competition. Where did this weekend go, anyway? How is it already Tuesday? And the rest of my week is about to disappear, too, since WorldCon starts tomorrow. September’s going to get one heck of a start… Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you on Friday!
Let’s make the world a better place, together. Here’s somewhere to start: NDN Collective and Jane’s Due Process.
Bookish Goods
Metal bookmark with a cute glass cat face by LoveSharedCollection
This seller’s shop has a neat collection of whimsical and cute metal bookmarks with glass beads and other decorations. I loved this one in particular because of the cat face. Also, the shop says they make donations to a bunch of charities that help out animals and people! $12
New Releases
The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez
A despotic emperor and the Three Terrors, his monstrous sons, have ruled with an iron fist from the Moon Throne for centuries, oppressing the people beneath them with power they have stolen from a god locked under the palace. But with the aid of a guilt-ridden guard and an outcast, the god escapes the palace — and her own children, the previously mentioned Terrors. If she and her companions can complete a five-day pilgrimage, they may be able to end throw down the Moon Throne for good.
Moon Dark Smile by Tessa Gratton
Raliel Dark-Smile is the daughter of the Emperor — and her best friend is a demon named Moon who lives in the palace. Moon is bound to the Emperor and his consorts, and when Raliel comes of age, she will in turn be bound to Moon, never to leave the palace again. But Raliel wishes more than anything to travel the empire, and Moon longs to break free to these arcane bonds. And when it is time to Raliel to take her first and last journey, her coming of age, she hatches a plan to take Moon with her, hidden — into danger neither of them could imagine.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
For this and the next two newsletters, I’m going to pick a couple cool-looking books from this year’s entries in the Self-Published Science Fiction Competition. Am I judging books by their covers? A bit, perhaps. But these are some darn good covers.
Lightblade by Zamil Akhtar
Jyosh is a slave, one whose body has long since been broken so he can no longer convert sunshine into magical power for him to wield. But in his dreams, he meets a woman who teaches him to wield the lightblade. And in his waking life, he learns of a lightblade master at the head of an armada of sky ships, spreading destruction ever closer to the land that has treated him so cruelly.
Star Marque Rising by Shami Stovall
Clevon Demarco thinks he’s hot stuff: a genetically modified human who is faster, stronger, more skilled than the average scumbag gun runner. Then he’s arrested by Endellion Voight, captain of the notorious Star Marque, and she gives him a single choice: go to prison or join her ship as a mercenary. Because Captain Voight has one shot to claw her way into planetary governance, and she will need this ever clever scumbag on her side to do it.
See you, space pirates. If you’d like to know more about my secret plans to dominate the seas and skies, you can catch me over at my personal site.