Happy Tuesday, shipmates! It’s Alex, with your new releases and the third and final installment of books from the self-published science fiction competition. I’m still at WorldCon, dodging deep dish pizzas and looking for the best place to get some Chicago mix popcorn. Sorry I don’t have Hugo Award winners for you today, but I’m actually having to write this to you on Sunday, before the ceremony took place. We’ll chat about it on Friday though, I promise! 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
Frank Herbet-inspired Suncatcher by 16BitsofGlass
The Dune imagery on this hand-made stained glass is obvious. I love the way the sand dunes look. And there are a lot of other science fiction/fantasy inspired pieces in this shop. Beautiful, and richly colorful! $183
New Releases
The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas
Once every ten years, Sol’s power must be replenished to keep the Obsidian gods at bay. The ten most worthy semidióses are selected to compete in the Sunbearer Trials. The winner carries the light to all the temples of Reino del Sol… and the loser is sacrificed to refuel the Sun Stones that protect the world. Teo, a Jade semidiós and trans son of the goddess of birds, is mostly worried about his best friend Niya, who will definitely be selected. But when Teo is also put into the trials, against opponents he’s not nearly as strong or as well-trained as, he finds he needs to worry first for himself.
Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah
Every day, sixteen-year-old Koral and her older brother Emrik must capture monstrous maristags in the black sea around their island so their family won’t starve. But the maristags aren’t to eat — they’re to sell to the Landers, the elite family Koral and her relatives are indentured to, to be used in the Glory Race. But when Koral loses the last maristag of the year, the only solution she can find to saving her family from financial ruin and death is to cheat her way into the Glory Race. The race was already dangerous enough, but Koral’s competitors have no intention of letting a low-caste girl win.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Here’s the third and final installment of books I’ve plucked from the Self-Published Science Fiction Competition. Hope you’ve enjoyed this mini-series — I had a lot of fun looking through all these books!
The Other by Marilyn Peake
People across the world are seeing UFOs and alien creatures; where these sightings are reported, a new virus spreads, one that causes extreme hallucinations. Many believe the virus is from these aliens themselves. Dr. Cora Frost is certain this is mass hysteria… until she sees something in Roswell, New Mexico, that shakes her entire worldview.
The Elitist Supremacy by Niranjan K
Alexander Selwood is a man of many secrets — and the fact that he’s the first immortal is actually the least of them. More importantly, he’s on the run from Cesar Thaxter, the man who has ruled the galaxy for centuries. All Alexander wants is to remain unnoticed… but then the Resistance against Thaxter decides to use his company as a safe haven, and he’ll soon have no choice but to take sides.
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.