Category: Swords and Spaceships

Fantastic Filipine SFF

Post author By Alex Acks
Post date May 2, 2024

Sponsored by

Happy Friday, shipmates! It’s Alex with your very last April new releases (we get the May ones starting next week), and more Filipine SFF. I’m super excited because tomorrow, I get to go to the refurbished Casa Bonita (yes, really, the one that was in the South Park episode), and I am ready for a blast from the past…but with actual edible food. Though, I suppose if I go mysteriously missing next week, you’ll know what happened to me…Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you on Tuesday!

Looking for a thoughtful Mother’s Day gift? Go beyond the tried and true flowers and chocolate and give the gift of reading with Tailored Book Recommendations! Our bibliologists are standing by to help your mom find her next favorite read, delivered right to her inbox or doorstep. And with gifts starting at just $18, there’s something for any budget! Head to mytbr.co/gift to send the gift of reading to the book nerd in your life!

Let’s make the world a better place, together. Here are two places to start: Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, which provides medical and humanitarian relief to children in the Middle East regardless of nationality, religion, or political affiliation; and Ernesto’s Sanctuary, a cat sanctuary and animal rescue in Syria that is near and dear to my heart.

Bookish Goods

a book sculpture with the illustrations in a book cut out and rearranged

Inspirational Journey of Creativity Book Sculpture by CreativeRascal

I don’t even know what to say about this “book sculpture” other than that it’s cool as absolute heck. I love that it’s 3D, I love that it uses the original illustrations, and I love that it’s so colorful. SO COOL. $124

Note: at the time of writing this newsletter, the book sculpture is available, but in case it’s not, there are other book sculptures available by the same seller.

New Releases

In Universes by Emet North

Raffi is a physicist searching for dark matter, who understands only how little they know about their own research. They become fixated both on parallel universe theory and Britt, a queer sculptor who fascinates them. They wish they could mean as much to Britt as Britt means to them…and they know somewhere, there is a universe where this is the truth; if only they could find it.

Off With Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta

Wonderland is a dark forest where monstrous Saints lurk — and where the witches and lovers Caro Rabbit and Iccadora Alice Sickle were exiled five years ago for a crime they didn’t commit. Four years ago, they turned on each other for a chance at freedom; Caro made it out and Iccadora didn’t. Now, Caro is a Saint-harvester for the Red Queen, and Icca is a hunter who will stop at nothing to exact vengeance on Caro, the queen, and the throne itself.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

I found so much excellent Filipine SFF on Tuesday that I wanted to name a couple more books — short story collections this time.

Cover of Virtual Center and Other Science Fiction Stories by Raissa Claire R. Falgui

Virtual Centre and Other Science Fiction Stories by Raissa Claire R. Falgui

This collection contains stories of the future and science, married with stories of Filipine supernatural lore and legend.

Wonderlust: Stories by Nikki Alfar

This short story collection features 14 tales that range genres — and geographical locations.

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.

Swords and Spaceships

Filipino Science Fiction & Fantasy to Enjoy

Post author By Alex Acks
Post date April 29, 2024

Sponsored by

Happy Tuesday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and I’m coming at you with new releases and a couple of recommendations for Filipino SFF to check out. The weather here was gorgeous this weekend; I actually got to do some yard work, though I was regretfully listening to an ’80s station instead of an audiobook. Getting the light and fresh air was a delight, however, after a long winter. I hope you had a wonderful weekend too! Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you on Friday!

Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations is here to help with handpicked recommendations. Tell the Bibliologists at Tailored Book Recommendations about what you love and what you don’t. You can get your recommendations via email or receive hardcovers or paperbacks in the mail. And with quarterly or annual plans available, TBR has something for every budget. Plans start at just $18! Subscribe today.

Bookish Goods

One of two sheets of stickers of mythological creatures from the philippines

Creatures of Philippine Mythology Sticker Sheets by JmePaintsShop

Since we got a bit of a Filipino theme going this week, I found these really neat sticker sheets (there’s a second sheet, not pictured) of really lovely drawings of mythological creatures. $10

New Releases

The Vanishing Station by Ana Ellickson

Ruby Santos is 18, Filipino American, and has had her dreams dashed and her life completely unmoored by the death of her mother. While she and her father struggle to pay off the medical debt, she discovers he’s been acting as a secret delivery person for a magical underworld—and he’s behind on his jobs thanks to depression and alcoholism. She takes up his work and discovers that portals to other worlds are far more dangerous than she could have imagined, especially when they’re being controlled by criminals.

Oracle by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

One winter morning, Luca and Emma find the wreck of an 18th-century sailing ship incongruously sitting in the middle of a flower field. Emma disappears into it, never to be seen again—and she is only the first of those the ship takes. When the government enlists Robert Grim, a retired occult specialist, to investigate, he finds this strange shipwreck may be the harbinger of the apocalypse.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

With Ana Ellickson’s book coming out, I wanted to recommend a couple more Filipino SFF novels.

Tablay by Katrina F. Olan

A century from now, Manila is a technological fortress, home to mecha pirates fighting to keep the Philippines free from hostile machine beings called aswang. It’s up to mech pilot Anya Valerio and her partner to stop the creation of a mega weapon that will end their nation’s fight for survival.

Cover of The Wolf of Oren-Yar by K.S. Villoso

The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K. S. Villoso

The night before she was crowned, Queen Talyien murdered a man and exiled her king. She tried to heal the fractures of her kingdom by marrying the son of a rival clan…but then he disappeared and left conditions even worse. Years later, he contacts her to ask for a meeting outside of her lands, saying he wishes to reconcile. But once she’s stranded in this strange place, an assassination attempt shows her how foolish that hope was. She’ll have to rely on herself to make it out alive.

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.

Swords and Spaceships

Dragons, Underwater Mysteries, Fae Wars, and More New SFF

Post author By Alex Acks
Post date April 25, 2024

Sponsored by

Happy Friday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and I’ve got your second round of new releases — a double round, actually, since I’ve also got some recent sequels you might want to check out. A recent highlight of my week: I went to a local Polish restaurant and had so many pierogi, including sweet pierogi stuffed with cheese and drowning in whipped cream and brown sugar sauce. Bury me now, I’ve died happy. May there be delicious pierogi in your future as well. Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you on Tuesday!

Bookish Goods

Small Wavy Pillar Candle by CascadeAttar

I was thinking about Scott Reintgen’s A Door in the Dark (the sequel just came out) and saw this candle, which made me think of that book and its “waxways.” $8

New Releases

Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu

Jai is an orphan and a hostage, imprisoned in the Sabine Court ever since his father led the Steppefolk in an unsuccessful rebellion. But when the emperor’s son is betrothed to a princess from the neighboring kingdom, she brings dragons with her — and the secret to mastering their power. When a conspiracy throws the court into chaos, Jai escapes with the princess’s handmaiden and one of the hatchlings and embarks on a quest for vengeance.

A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall

The reclusive E. begins a correspondence to a renowned scholar named Henerey Clel after making a discovery outside her underwater home. In their letters, they document their discoveries and their growing love…until E.’s home is destroyed by a seaquake and both she and Henerey vanish.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

I’m always on the lookout for second (and third, etc.) books in a series, since they rarely get the love they deserve. Here are two new releases that continue series!

Saint-Seducing Gold by Brittany N. Williams

Sequel to That Self-Same Metal

Joan must find a way to reforge the shattered Pact between humans and Fae if she wants to stop a coming war. But it’s not even as simple as that — she has a murderous spymaster causing trouble across London, the Fae queen Titania holding her godfather prisoner, and two loves she needs to balance with the entire world.

A Whisper in the Walls by Scott Reintgen

Sequel to A Door in the Dark

Ren Monroe survived her time in the wilderness, and it’s allowed her to infiltrate the great houses, thanks to her relationship with Theo Brood. But Theo’s father exiles his son and works to isolate her, willing to do anything to break the bond they’ve come to share. Ren isn’t the only enemy those houses have, and she finds unexpected allies that she must decide how she will lose on House Brood without hurting Theo.

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.

Swords and Spaceships

Gothic Fantasy Romance, New and Old

Post author By Alex Acks
Post date April 22, 2024

Sponsored by

Happy Tuesday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and I’ve got new releases and a couple gothic fantasy romance recommendations. It’s been a weekend of absolutely wacky weather in Colorado, with lots of slushy snow providing good excuses to snuggle with my cat and read. What an excellent April, is all I can say. Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you on Friday!

Bookish Goods

Gothic Lacy Corner Bookmark by ADKDPublications

Gothic romances deserve wonderfully gothic bookmarks. This one comes in spiderweb or bat lace patterns. $5

New Releases

Ocean’s Godori by Elaine U. Cho

Ocean has always felt like a misfit who isn’t quite Korean enough, and that was even before a mission went awry and turned her into persona non grata with Korea’s space agency. But when her best friend is framed for a murder, she and her crew — all of them as much misfits as she is — try to help him…and quickly find themselves in the middle of an ideological conflict accompanied by very real bullets.

The Sky Was Ours by Joe Fassler

At 24 years old, Jane has nothing to look forward to except a miserable job, crushing debt, and a world hurtling toward climate disaster. Feeling she has nothing to lose, she abandons her entire life and goes on the road. There, she meets a charismatic recluse named Barry, who is obsessively trying to build working wings for humans, certain that this invention would revolutionize society and bring about a utopia.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

I love a good gothic romance, and most of them tend to default to fantasy anyway, what with the ghosts and all. Here’s a new gothic fantasy romance and an older one that both sound utterly delightful to me.

Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin

Xue is a talented young musician who was orphaned at an early age; the only life she’s known is being indentured at the House of Flowing Water, the premiere entertainment house in the kingdom. She has little hope for her future as an artist until she’s called to privately perform for Duke Meng, who soon takes her away to his estate, his kind awkwardness becoming increasingly suspect. Xue soon learns the duke is no ordinary man: he is the Duke of Dreams, and he needs her to unlock long-forgotten memories to save the Six Celestial Realms from destruction.

Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft

Wren’s reckless use of her magic has brought about her dismissal from the Queen’s Guard, which in turn has separated her from the girl she loves. So when a reclusive lord with a crumbling estate asks her to come cure his servant, she takes the rather suspect job in the hopes it will be a path to redemption. Instead, she discovers the person she’s supposed to heal is the infamous Reaper of Vesria, her kingdom’s greatest enemy — and the estate is filled with secrets that may well end them both if they don’t join forces.

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.

Swords and Spaceships

Sci-Fi Thrillers To Get Your Heart Racing

Post author By Alex Acks
Post date April 18, 2024

Sponsored by

Happy Friday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and I’ve got new releases and a couple of sci-fi thrillers for you to check out today. I hope everyone has had a good week — and hopefully one with slightly less weird and temperamental weather than we’ve had in Colorado. (April, amirite.) May you have a good weekend in store, one that is relaxing and full of books! Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you on Tuesday!

Bookish Goods

Shelf-sitting Ghost With Tea Cup by CreateFantasyCrafts

This little ghost figure caught my fancy because of the video game Dredge, I’ll be honest. But this ghost wants just a nice cuppa, rather than a raw fish in exchange for cursed knowledge. Probably a better deal when you come down to it. $8

New Releases

Immortal Pleasures by V. Castro

Centuries ago, Malinalli was known as La Malinche, a Nahua woman cursed as a traitor because she worked as a translator for Cortés. With the death of her people’s empire, she was reborn an immortal vampire and made herself into their avenger, with a mission to retrieve their stolen artifacts. Her mission cannot replace her human desires for pleasure and love, though she may finally have found a way to satisfy those in the form of two very different men.

The Three Lives of St. Ciarán by Inés Gregori Labarta

Is Saint Ciarán an un-alive girl brought to Spain and made into the savior of Madrid? What about a nun who is behind a bombing in Neo-Dublin in an attempt to start a people anew? Perhaps a boy drowning in the Loughmichnois and trusted with the secrets of civilization? Or perhaps all these lives are true.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

I’m super excited to finally be starting Micaiah Johnson’s new book, so today I am recommending that — and another sci-fi thriller for good measure!

Those Beyond the Wall by Micaiah Johnson

Scales is a skilled mechanic and fighter, an enforcer for the Emperor of Ashtown, and the only person he trusts. The tenuous peace she has sweated to keep is wholly destroyed when a woman is horribly murdered in front of her…except there seems to be no murderer. Any hope it was a strange accident of fate is quickly ended when more bodies begin to show up, both in Ashtown and in the wealthy, walled-off Wiley City. Scales is tasked with finding and ending the threat by any means necessary, though she will have help from Ashtown and the city both — but the answers they find and the secrets they dredge up will be more anyone can handle.

Recursion by Blake Crouch

What first appears to be a disease — a disturbing epidemic sweeping across the world and leaving madness and memory loss in its wake — is something far worse: the fabric of time itself has torn. A New York City cop and a neuroscientist team up to try to stop the event that will break reality before the world disintegrates into chaotic loops.

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.

Swords and Spaceships

The Wrath of Nature’s Revenge

Post author By Alex Acks
Post date April 15, 2024

Sponsored by

Happy Tuesday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and I’ve got new releases and some short stories for you. I had a great weekend, and I hope you did, too. It was my nibling’s birthday, and I rode my bike while I listened to a good book and got a bit of natural vitamin D in my system. I’m back to getting lots and lots of audiobooks from the library, and I’m enjoying the heck out of it. Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you on Friday!

Bookish Goods

Half a set of bookends that show a pirate ship grabbed by a giant tentacle

Pirate Ship vs. Tentacle Bookends by KnobCreekMetalArts

You know I love a clever set of bookends. The other half of this set is enormous tentacles coming up from the sea, going through your books to grab the hapless pirate ship. Perfect. $70

New Releases

The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain by Sofia Samatar

The Chained are condemned to ceaselessly toil in the lower decks of a mining ship that drifts between stars. One day, a boy is brought to the upper decks and informed he will be educated in the ship’s university. He comes under the tutelage of “the professor,” the descendant of other Chained who were elevated, who struggles still to be validated by her peers. Together, they may find a way to truly free themselves.

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X. Chang

Ruyang is a survivor in a world conquered by invaders who one day simply descended from the heavens and swept aside her people and their magic with their overwhelming technology. Ruyang was also born blessed by death, which gives her the power to kill at will at the cost of her own life force. When her gift is discovered by an enemy prince, he offers her a horrific bargain: become his personal assassin, and he will protect her family from further brutalization by his people.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

We’ve got some new short stories on the radar!

Cover of To Root Somewhere Beautiful edited by Lauren T. Davila

To Root Somewhere Beautiful: An Anthology of Reclamation edited by Lauren T. Davila

Twenty-two diverse authors imagine what the wrath of Nature would be like, when she’s lost patience with humanity’s strife and destruction — and how humanity could change, adapt, and redeem itself.

Weird Black Girls: Stories by Elwin Cotman

This collection from Elwin Cotman promises stories that hybridize the literary, the fantastic, and the unnerving, all while focusing on the anxieties inherent in living while Black.

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.

Swords and Spaceships

SOMEONE YOU CAN BUILD A NEST IN

Post author By Alex Acks
Post date April 11, 2024

Sponsored by

Happy Friday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and it’s time for two more new releases and two more short fiction collections! I’m pleased to say my week has been much less exciting than my weekend (the modern convenience of electricity!), but the reading has continued apace. I hope you have a relaxing weekend waiting for you, and many good books to read! Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you on Tuesday!

Bookish Goods

Wallfacer T-shirt by Rografika

This is the first time I’ve seen a T-shirt designed for the Wallfacer project (it’s a Three-Body Problem reference) and I think it’s pretty cool! Comes in several different colors. $27

New Releases

The Jinn Daughter by Rania Hanna

The jinn Nadine has an outwardly simple job: every morning, she collects the pomegranate seeds that have fallen during the night, eats them one by one, and tells the story of each soul represented by each seed, thus allowing the soul to fully pass into death. When one morning, no seeds have fallen, Nadine seeks answers from death herself, Kamuna. But what Kamuna wants is for Nadine’s daughter, Layala, to replace her as death — and this is an ask no mother would be willing to grant.

Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell

Shesheshen is a shapeshifter who normally resides at the bottom of a ruined manor as an amorphous lump of flesh. But when hunters come for her, she’s chased off a cliff and badly injured. A human named Homily, mistaking her for another human, nurses her back to health…and Shesheshen falls in love. She’s contemplating laying her eggs in Homily until she realizes that things work rather differently for humans. And more to the point, Homily reveals that she’s here hunting for a shapeshifting monster that she believes cursed her family, which Shesheshen definitely did not do. Shesheshen must untangle this difficulty while figuring out how to be with this woman who is undoubtedly the love of her life in a way they can both live with.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

Short Fiction Week part two is a go! Here are two more recently published short fiction collections, from authors you will no doubt recognize.

Lake of Souls: The Collected Short Fiction by Ann Leckie

This complete collection of Ann Leckie’s short fiction brings us more from the universe of the Imperial Radch and news of the Old Gods of the Raven Tower…and also a brand new novelette, from which the collection takes its title.

A View from the Stars by Cixin Liu

This collection covers 30 years of Cixin Liu’s work, both short fiction and nonfiction such as essays and interviews.

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.

Swords and Spaceships

A Smorgasbord of Short Speculative Fiction

Post author By Alex Acks
Post date April 8, 2024

Sponsored by

Happy Tuesday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and I’m coming at you with new releases and some short fiction collections — it’s a short fiction kind of week. Over the weekend, my home state had a massive wind storm, which led to our power company cutting off our power for almost 24 hours out of fire concerns. The good news? We all got a lot of reading done, at least. I hope your weekend was less spicy than that! Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you on Friday!

Bookish Goods

Danger: Black Hole Gate Sign by FlyingPigPrintery

I’m still looking for a sign to hang over the basement steps in my house, and this one has catapulted to the front of the line. $10

New Releases

The Monstrous Misses Mai by Van Hoang

In 1950s Los Angeles, aspiring fashion designer and first-generation child of Vietnamese immigrants Cordelia Mai Lin seems to be one of the few people the city isn’t offering opportunity after opportunity to. She meets kindred spirits Tessa, Audrey, and Silly after renting a cheap apartment, and they struggle in vain to achieve their goals — until their landlord’s mysterious friend offers them a chance to fulfill all their dreams. It just takes a little magic…and a small sacrifice.

A Better World by Sarah Langan

Plymouth Valley seems like a rarified haven of a town, and all it requires is employment by the company that owns it. The Farmer-Bowens family jumps at the chance to move in, even though it requires Linda to leave her own medical career in favor of her husband’s probationary employment. But there’s trouble just under the surface of suburban paradise, where the residents adhere to something called the Hollow, a strange set of customs and beliefs. And they’re scared of something, even if no one will say what…

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

I have declared it short story week — because why do I need a reason to shout about short stories? — so here’s your first installment.

Never Have I Ever by Isabel Yap

Isabel Yap’s debut collection combines her wonderful prose with urban legends, magic, and the stories immigrants tell.

Cover of The Proper Thing and Other Stories

The Proper Thing and Other Stories by Seanan McGuire

Seanan McGuire’s short fiction (like her long fiction) is always eclectic, and her latest collection is no exception. Also, how can you not love this cover?

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.

Swords and Spaceships

THE BLACK GIRL SURVIVES IN THIS ONE

Post author By Alex Acks
Post date April 4, 2024

Sponsored by

Happy Friday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and I’ve got new releases, and a focus this week on horror short fiction that centers Black women and girls. I know we’re not a horror newsletter as such, but I feel like there’s enough crossover to read some dang good short stories about badass final girls. Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you on Tuesday!

Bookish Goods

Picture of socks printed with library-style due dates in different colors

Library Due Date Card Socks by ThisWear

I imagine a lot of us love a delightful pair of socks, and these are quite cute. I’ll admit it’s been a minute since I checked out a physical book from the library (I regularly use the ebook libraries, though!), but this made me want to go do just that… $15

New Releases

Cover of Awakening the Dark Thorne by Jessica Ann Disciacca

Awakening the Dark Throne by Jessica Ann Disciacca

Genevieve Autumn’s entire existence is forbidden; she’s the child of a human and one of the immortal elves who rule the world. She keeps herself safe by hiding among the humans, but when her sister is seized by the dark elves, she offers herself to the light elves in exchange for her sister’s freedom, while still struggling to hide her true identity to preserve her own life. But she is not without power — the ability to see the future has awakened in her, and it will lead her to her destiny if she’s brave enough to confront it.

Cover of The Book Censor's Library by Bothayna Al-Essa

The Book Censor’s Library by Bothayna Al-Essa, translated by Sawad Hussain and Ranya Abdelrahman

By day, the book censor combs through manuscripts in his office, ferreting out hints of queerness, religious allusions that counter the state religion, and the intimation that there was life and existence before the Revolution. By night, surrounded by novels he’s pilfered from his novels, he’s haunted by the characters of literary classics, which slowly lead him into a mirror world of undercover booksellers, outlaw librarians, and resistance fighters.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

With one new horror anthology filled with excellent Black authors coming out, I just had to recommend both it and another excellent Black horror anthology.

the black girl survives this one book cover

The Black Girl Survives in This One: Horror Stories edited by Desiree S. Evans and Saraciea J. Fennell

This anthology contains 15 new short stories where Black girls are front, center, and final.

Cover of Black Magic Women edited by Sumiko Saulson

Black Magic Women: Terrifying Tales by Scary Sisters edited by Sumiko Saulson

This anthology of 17 scary stories puts Black women and femmes in the starring role of Afrocentric and multicultural horror.

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.

Swords and Spaceships

Hat Tip to the Trans Cyborgs Out There

Post author By Alex Acks
Post date April 1, 2024

Sponsored by

Happy Tuesday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and I’ve got new releases for you and a bit of trans pride! We missed the Trans Day of Visibility by a couple of days…or did we? Because when you’re in my house, every day is Trans Day of Visibility, my loves. Be glorious today and every day! Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you on Friday!

Bookish Goods

Trans Cyborg Sticker by BoyPilotGoods

I saw a lot of hilarious T-shirts while looking for trans pride stuff (“Guess who failed their gender assignment” is one I’m still giggling about), but this sticker wins from the sci-fi angle. Hat tip and much love to all my trans cyborgs out there! $4

New Releases

Play of Shadows by Sebastien de Castell

Damelas used an archaic law to flee a judicial duel with the Vixen, one that allowed him to take the stage as an actor and use that role as a shield. But then, one night, a ghostly voice in his head forces a confession from him instead of the lines he’s practiced: the city’s greatest hero might, in fact, be a murderer and a traitor. With that ugliness in the open, Damelas has no choice but to try to unearth the full truth of the matter, not helped by the fact that most everyone around him wants him dead.

Darker by Four by June CL Tan

Rui has magic, but only one goal for it: to avenge the death of her mother. Yiran has no magic, and feels like a hollow shell, shunned by his family because of this lack that is not his fault. When an accident transfers Rui’s magic to Yiran, he feels he’s finally been given the life he should have had, while she’s left defenseless. but Rui may hold the key to the missing death god, and she can leverage that knowledge to get what she wants…she thinks.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

This year’s trans dar of visibility didn’t fall on a newsletter day, so I want to spotlight a couple of books by my fellow trans authors!

The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia

Firuz-e Jafari is a refugee in the Democratic City-State of Qilwa, escaping from the slaughter of traditional blood magic practitioners like themself. Firuz takes work as a healer in a free clinic, and all seems well…until a mysterious illness shows up, one that leaves bruises on its victims. When accusations of blood magic begin to surface, Firuz must solve the origin of the disease to save themself and their fellow refugees.

cover of unwieldy creatures of addie tsai

Unwieldy Creatures by Addie Tsai

In this retelling of Frankenstein, Plum, an intern at an embryology lab, runs away from home to be with her girlfriend, only to be deserted. She ends up in the employ of Dr. Frank, a brilliant scientist who will happily compromise all she claims to hold dear in her pursuit of procreation without the need for sperm or egg. Their success, a carefully crafted creation, is quickly abandoned at birth due to complications that come at the hands of a twisted revenge.

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.