After the head of a nebulous research group mysteriously dies with his greatest secret left untold, he entrusts Tom Carrott to finish his work, launching this young protagonist on a quest that would make Indiana Jones proud. As Tom’s vision of his future spins out of control, he follows the footsteps of a dead man to Africa, spurred on by the artifacts hinting at immortality that ended up on his doorstep. A handful […]
Author T.S. Beier paints a grim and brutal American landscape in What Branches Grow, depicting a dystopian world where books are sacred, humans are a commodity, and trust is perhaps the most elusive resource.
Three decades after a war devastated the natural world and reduced civilization to scrabbling ruins, a mysterious woman on an impossible quest manages to keep hope alive. When Delia arrives at the walls of Churchill, she makes it clear that she’s only passing through, and looking for a safe place to sleep until she can continue on her journey north. Gennero, the right-hand enforcer of […]
A touching and beautifully illustrated homage to fathers and sons everywhere, Dad Can Be Anything by Ray Colon is a feel-good read with a clever use of rhyme. Celebrating the creative, supportive, and essential relationship between a father figure and a growing boy, the language of this short book is simple, but heartwarming, while the poetic rhythm is fun and amusing. The playful words and universal message are perfectly mirrored by the rich and surprisingly detailed illustrations, making Dad Can Be Anything a stand out on a child’s bookshelf.
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Readers are returned to Neverland in Ellie Everlasting, an original new novel from author Isabel Scheck. Introducing a fresh heroine to this classic story, and bending the edges of J.M. Barrie’s original world, this is a well-penned and whimsical dive into a reimagined fairy tale.
When Ellie is brutally murdered in her mint-green dress by her girlfriend’s brother, she discovers that the “other side” is none other than Neverland, and she awakes to find herself face to face with Peter Pan himself, along with Tinkerbell twinkling in her ear.
While Ellie comes to terms with her own death – […]
Detective Hiroshi returns for another tantalizing dive into the underbelly of Japanese culture and crime in Tokyo Traffic by Michael Pronko. From the seedy dungeons of pornography rings to the beating heart of Tokyo’s moneyed class, this detective thriller is raw and gripping, told by a confident, complex, and creative author.
The gruff sleuth at the center of these mysteries is pursuing a new case- a brutal murder tied to the insidious porn and human trafficking rings of Tokyo. It is clear from the start that this is a triggering topic for Hiroshi, something that brings out a primal rage, […]
Author Anthony Robinson sets Earth and Mars on their final collision course in Zero Solar, the concluding chapter of his thrilling near-future series. Bringing all the characters together for a collision of cosmic proportions, this installment finally answers the questions that have been brewing for two books, but also presents some new mysteries and twists along the way.
Mark Bowen remains in the belly of the beast, playing both sides against the middle and trying to stop the most destructive war in human history. It is becoming harder to remain in Prince Dothan’s good graces, particularly when Bowen knows […]
With the world on the delicate edge of disaster, a young boy must face the truth about his past, the sins of the present, and the possibility of a revolutionary future in Golden Dreg Boy: The Slums by D.K. Dailey. This first book sets the stage for a longer series in which the remains of civilization have sequestered in the cities that have been transformed into starkly divided kingdoms of the rich and the poor.
The protagonist, Kade, brings an original narrative voice as a “Golden” firmly set in his ways, accepting of the brutally unequal world order out of […]
The line between the realms of dreaming and reality gets blurry in Parasomnia, a mysterious and romantic ride by author JC Bratton. A sleepless grief drives one woman to paranormal heights in search of new connection, and the author’s creative mind lays the groundwork for a strong plot. The character development smacks of authenticity, but there is a tendency toward inorganic dialogue. While an editorial hand could help polish the rougher patches, the combination of self-exploration and mystical romance makes this a quick and intriguing read.
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