August is traditionally a quiet month in publishing, and this one is no different. But there are still science-fiction gems to look forward to, including a fascist empire, courtesy of Richard Swan, and some scary Korean sea monsters from Kim Bo-young. I can also recommend M. John Harrison鈥檚 The End of Everything, published earlier this year but just longlisted for the Booker prize. It鈥檚 rare for sci-fi to make this prestigious literary longlist so that is a tribute to Harrison鈥檚 writing 鈥� as our sci-fi columnist Emily H. Wilson highlighted last month. And do join us at the New 女生小视频 Book Club, where we鈥檙e reading Peter Heller鈥檚 post-apocalyptic novel The Dog Stars, set after a superflu has wiped out most of humanity (and written well before covid-19). A Ridley Scott-directed film adaptation of it is about to be released, so we鈥檙e ahead of the crowd.
by Richard Swan
I hear good things about this one from Emily H. Wilson, who has a review forthcoming. It鈥檚 set in a fascist and galaxy-spanning empire, where Katherine Fuller鈥檚 husband has died, leaving her an immensely wealthy woman. Katherine is given the chance to buy a world, and create a better society 鈥� but will the empire let her make a democracy? It鈥檚 pitched by its publisher as Nineteen Eighty-Four meets The Man in the High Castle, which is enough to hook me.
by Kim Bo-young, translated by Sophie Bowman
I鈥檓 also really excited about this one, in which bodyguard Mu-young is heading to an isolated Korean seaside village with her niece when she learns that a huge earthquake has hit the region. She travels there regardless, but the earthquake unleashes an ancient plague, which turns those who catch it into 鈥渇ishy monsters鈥�. The village is locked down 鈥� and Mu-young is trapped. Perfect beach reading, perhaps?
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by Tim Pratt
This space opera with a 鈥渢ouch of romance鈥� follows graduate student Glenn and his girlfriend Vivy, a spy who has been tasked with stopping a rogue comet but finds herself also trying to find a stolen jewel that can destroy universes.
by C.A. Fletcher
I always love a post-apocalyptic story in which a few hardy souls are struggling to survive. As previously noted, we鈥檙e reading Peter Heller鈥檚 The Dog Stars in the New 女生小视频 Book Club this month, and it鈥檚 a prime example of the genre. In Fletcher鈥檚 intriguing-sounding take, humans have stopped being able to have children (shades of P. D. James鈥檚 The Children of Men, perhaps?), and Mouse and Cat are our indomitable duo living in an almost-empty world, 200 years on.
by Andrea Hairston
I rather like this title 鈥� and the story sounds fun, too. It鈥檚 a murder mystery set in the multiverse, in which Oona (a St Berdoodle, which I鈥檓 assuming is a type of dog) and her owner Zsuzsu are investigating the death of a local celebrity. Oona, it turns out, can travel between dimensions, and she knows the identity of the killer. We are also promised 鈥渃onundrums鈥� and 鈥渁lien tricksters鈥� from the publisher.
by Nicole Brooks
A 鈥渙nce-in-a-lifetime flood鈥� hits Raven鈥檚 family home, and she finds herself trapped on the roof with her children, her dog and her stepmother, struggling to survive. The novel is set over 6 hours and sounds very nail-biting 鈥� more thriller-y than sci-fi perhaps, but it鈥檚 an exploration of the power of a changing nature, so I鈥檓 keen to read it.
by W.H. Chizmar
Described as a post-apocalyptic horror survival novel by its publisher, and therefore ticking all my favourite boxes, this follows the fallout when a government project to transport matter across the universe brings back something alive 鈥� and dangerous. When this 鈥渟omething鈥� is being transported (in a lorry 鈥� come on, people!), its lorry overturns and 鈥渦nleashes an otherworldly horror upon an unsuspecting New England countryside鈥�. Three years on, a man is trying to stay alive on the US鈥檚 now-deadly East Coast.
by Jodi Taylor
This is the latest Smallhope and Pennyroyal time-travelling adventure, and sees Lady Amelia Smallhope attempting to relax after she nearly died in the last book. However, she and Pennyroyal are targeted by someone with knowledge of the latter鈥檚 鈥渕urky past鈥�, and further adventures ensue.
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