Here's another stack of books to check out this May
14 new SF/F books to check out for the rest of the month
We're finally hitting some summer-like weather here in Vermont. The leaves are coming out and the temperatures are warming up. I've been spending some time on the sidelines of the kiddo's lacrosse practices, which has been giving me plenty of time to read. I'm currently working my way through Homegrown: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right-Wing Extremism by Jeffrey Toobin, which is engrossing, but grim. I'm going to need something lighter to pick up next, I think. Fortunately, there are plenty of options to choose from.
In case you missed it, here's the first book list for the month of May. You can also find other recommendations via the Book List tag.
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Here are 14 more SF/F books to check out for the rest of the month:
In Our Stars by Jack Campbell (May 21st)
Jack Campbell kicks off a new series, The Doomed Earth with In Our Stars, in which a genetically-engineered officer, Lieutenant Selene Genji, is trying to navigate her way in the United Fleet despite some pretty intense prejudices, all while society on Earth is imploding. When Earth is destroyed, the force of the blast pushes her decades into the past, giving her a chance to save humanity from the future from which she's arrived.
Publishers Weekly says "Campbell juggles a lot here, with military cover-ups, alien first encounters, and ruminations on what it means to be human studding the sprawling plot...This series is off to a good start."
Fight Me! by Austin Grossman (May 23rd)
I distinctly remember when I came across Austin Grossman's debut novel Soon I Will Be Invincible. I was working at Walden Books and came across a review in The Wall Street Journal. It had a captivating cover and promised to be a slightly different take on superheroes, and I really fell head over heels for it, and I've read (and loved) just about everything Grossman's written ever since. (Run, don't walk to buy You and Crooked.)
I've been waiting for a while for a new book from him, and it's finally time: Fight Me! follows a group of four kids who had special powers and who were tasked by a secret government program with saving the world. They did it, and then had to figure out what to do after. Rick Tower was one member of the quartet and a tragedy forced him and his companions into hiding. Tower became a mild-mannered English professor in New England, and two decades later, he has to reunite with his former companions after a mysterious disappearance threatens to upend everything.
Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham (May 14th)
I was captivated by Adam Higginbotham's history of the Chernobyl disaster when I picked it up a couple of years ago. I found it to be a well-researched and engaging portrait of the incident, and I dropped everything and grabbed this one from my local bookstore when I saw it yesterday.
The Challenger disaster was possibly one of the biggest setbacks to human spaceflight in history, as people from around the world watched as the space shuttle exploded just over a minute after launching. In this book, Higginbotham follows the mission in the years before and after the accident in order to understand how it happened.
Writing in The New York Times, Rachel Slade says "In Higginbotham’s deft hands, the human element — sometimes heroic, sometimes cloaked in doublespeak and bluster — shines through the many technical aspects of this story, a constant reminder that every decision was made by people weighing risks versus expediency, their minds distorted by power, money, politics and yes-men."
Road to Ruin by Hana Lee (May 14th)
A courier named Jin-Lu has a dangerous job amidst the wastelands: she travels between domed cities on a magic-powered motorcycle, contending with dangerous monsters, raiders, and weather to deliver her goods. On her latest mission, she's delivering a series of love letters from Prince Kadrin to Princess Yi-Nereen, who's trying to escape from her abusive family and an arranged marriage. Jin harbors her own infatuation with both of them, and when asked, she agrees to help her escape across the wastelands, pursued by her family and a bounty hunter.
Publishers Weekly gave the book a starred review, saying "The twisty plot, complex emotional entanglements, and perilous landscapes keep the pages flying."
Escape Velocity by Victor Manibo (May 21st)
Space Habitat Altaire is a destination for the rich and famous in low Earth orbit, and it's the chosen location for members of the Rochford Institute to hold their reunions. During their 25th reunion, finance magnate Ava is trying to figure out the truth behind her brother's murder during their senior year, and while their former classmates are working out their own issues, they find that there are some other agendas at play, possibly causing other, bigger problems for everyone.
Publishers Weekly awarded the book a starred review, noting that "the whodunit plot is enhanced by careful and plausible worldbuilding that digs into the intricacies of an era when the UN’s Mars Settlement Agency is mere months away from accepting applications for civilian settlers. As in the best mysteries, Manibo never allows his plot twists to come at the expense of character development."
NecroTek by Jonathan Maberry (May 28th)
Jonathan Maberry plays with Lovecraft in his latest. The crew of a station discover that they're not where they should be: an experiment has gone wrong and they're no longer orbiting Jupiter. Worse, they're surrounded by armies of ancient Shoggoths that now know about Earth and are headed their way. It's up to the crew to head down to an alien world called Shadderal, where they might be able to protect humanity from an incoming invasion. There's a catch: the advanced starship that might prove to be their salvation can only be piloted by the dead.
Publishers Weekly says "While the dialogue and plot beats are often predictable, fans of dramatic action sequences and charged emotional scenes will enjoy the short military vignettes, and Lovecraft devotees will find the lore intriguing."
Lost Ark Dreaming by Suyi Davies Okungbowa (May 21st)
In a near future West Africa, people live in cities of partially-submerged towers that had once been the home to the wealthy. The towers have become stratified, with the rich living at the top and the poor in the lower levels. Three residents come together, an analyst named Yekini, a mechanic named Tuoyo, and a bureaucrat named Ngozi, after an invasion from beings known as The Children, the descendants of people left for dead in the ocean and now awakened by supernatural powers.
Library Journal gave the book a starred review, saying "The novel’s multiple points of view, along with interspersed news articles leading to the present, showcase the themes of class and disparity through tense action."
Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel (May 21st)
Vaishnavi Patel reimagines the story of the river goddess Ganga, who serves as a caretaker to the various demigods who exist along her riverbanks. When they displease a sage, Ganga is bumped down to mortal status thanks to a curse, and will remain such until she finds her way out from under it.
After marrying King Shantanu to become his queen, she works to find her way back to freedom, only to discover that the curse is lifted, she has to leave her infant son, Devavrata, behind. In the years that follow the two intersect over and over again as they follow a path that's been foretold for both of them.
Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper (May 7th)
One of the books that gets held up as a hidden gem of the SF/F world is H. Beam Piper's Little Fuzzy, a fun story about a prospector on a distant planet who comes into contact with the planet's native lifeforms and discovers that they're actually sentient – something that will void the planetary mining company's charter. Wordfire Press is reissuing the book with a foreword from John Scalzi, who wrote his own take on the story, Fuzzy Nation.
When Among Crows by Veronica Roth (May 14th)
Dymitr comes from a family that sacrifices their souls to become monster hunters. He's been tasked to track down the witch Baba Jaga, and in order to complete that mission, he has to team up with some monsters that he's been sworn to kill. Ala is a demon that eats fear and who has nothing to lose, waiting for a curse to bring her to death's door. But Dymitr might be able to cure her and she reluctantly agrees to help him. The two will have to find a way to work together, despite their misgivings and hidden motives.
Writing for the AP, Donna Edwards says "Gruesome yet cavalier, “When Among Crows” has action, romance, family drama, fantasy, and a healthy helping of mythology. Best devoured in one or two sittings, the story is tight, the lore inviting and the characters fun."
Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons edited by Premeet Sidhu, Marcus Carter, and José P. Zagal (May 14th)
2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons, and MIT Press has released a new book that looks over that long history. It's loaded with chapters from a variety of scholars that aims to understand how and why the game has become so popular, how it's been used by a wide range of groups and players, and where it might be headed in the next fifty years.
The History of Middle-Earth Box Set #2 by Christopher Tolkien and J. R. R. Tolkien (May 14th)
Harper Collins has been steadily re-releasing the History of Middle-earth series in boxed sets. The first set arrived back in February and contained The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and Book of Lost Tales Parts One and Two. This set features The Lays of Beleriand, The Shaping of Middle-earth, and The Lost Road. The next two boxed sets are slated to be released later this summer and fall.
How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler (May 21st)
For years, Davi has fought to try and protect humanity from an all-powerful Dark Lord, rallying armies and fighters over and over again for a final stand. She's been stuck in a time loop, and each time, she faces defeat. She's finally done, and has decided that it's time to switch sides to win for once.
Publishers Weekly gave the book a starred review, saying "Wexler balances the snarky asides with the angst of Davi’s repeating existence and evolving awareness that her actions have consequences. Under the flippancy, a truly touching grimdark story lurks, complete with hilarious footnotes."
Heavenbreaker by Sara Wolf (May 21st)
In the distant future, a woman named Synali von Hauteclare lives on a station orbiting a distant planet. She's the illegitimate daughter of the head of House Hauteclare and a commoner, and when her mother is assassinated, she's bent on exacting revenge against the house that cast her out.
Kirkus Reviews gave the book a starred review, saying "While the SF elements (including intricate worldbuilding and mind-blowing revelations regarding the aliens that humankind defeated in that distant war) are brilliantly done, it’s the insightful characterization and emotional vulnerability of Synali that power this story."
As always, let me know what catches your eye and what's on your TBR!