Blue Giant by Jordan Prosser
Release Date: Early Aug

Stefen Says: I was lucky enough to be able to read and review this one for Bookseller + Publisher magazine, and while I think it’s an excellent read the blurb also does a bit of a bait and switch. Certainly there is a science fiction premise but it’s not really a science fiction novel so much as critique of contemporary cultures response to the idea of space exploration, millennial malaise and the societal impact of capricious billionaires. It’s a fun read with a lot of insight but for full disclosure it’s about the psychological journey of someone wanting to go to Mars rather than actually going there.

From the Publisher: Abby always believed she was destined for great things. But her dream career as an industry-disrupting fashion designer went up in smoke, and her aspirations to become a world-renowned yogi and/or save the endangered tigers proved equally fruitless. She’s in her early thirties, suffering the unbearable burdens of adulthood and anonymity, when she wakes up after a drunken bender with an all-new, all-consuming purpose in life: to be the first person on Mars.
Perfect timing – Danish tech entrepreneur Tor Skovgaard is currently recruiting for a one-way mission to colonise the red planet. Abby knows this is it: her last-ditch bid for fame and glory. And if she can’t be humanity’s saviour … she’ll settle for being its martyr.
Blue Giant is an unruly eulogy for millennial optimism – a deranged love letter to a generation torn between helplessness and selfishness.

Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor
Release Date: Early Aug

Stefen Says: Shape changers in speculative fiction and movies are generally used as plot devices able to impersonate anybody, but generally only briefly and for a purpose before going back to their ‘default’ setting. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything that explores how that kind of ability would affect your sense of self. Or whether the constant changing might cause a crisis of identity and lead to a whole new concept of individuality that is fluid. And it’s not just physical forms what about gender? What is the shape changer experiencing when they shift from one to another? That’s part of the concept of this book, and it’s used to explore 1990s counterculture and sexual identity and politics by offering a protagonist who can experience different and contradictory aspects of it. This is one of those books that is really using a science fiction element to talk about the human experience and politics but it’s an interesting read if you like that sort of thing and reminds me of Virginia Woolf’s book Orlando.

From the Publisher: It’s 1993 and Paul Polydoris tends bar at the only gay club in a university town thrumming with politics and partying. He studies queer theory, has a lesbian best friend, makes zines, and is a flâneur with a rich dating life. But Paul’s also got a secret: he’s a shapeshifter. Oscillating wildly from Riot Grrrl to leather cub, Women’s Studies major to trade, Paul transforms his body at will in a series of adventures that take him from Iowa City to Boystown to Provincetown and finally to San Francisco – a journey through the deep queer archives of struggle and pleasure.
Andrea Lawlor’s debut novel offers a speculative history of early ’90s identity politics during the heyday of ACT UP and Queer Nation. Paul Takes the Form of A Mortal Girl is a riotous, razor-sharp bildungsroman whose hero/ine wends his way through a world gutted by loss, pulsing with music, and opening into an array of intimacy and connections.

Old Bertie by Vincenzo Perrella & Dan Osborn
Release Date: Mid Aug

Stefen Says: There are a lot of young-adult dystopian stories, since it’s a theme that can be explored through multiple other genre elements and always provides a great background for adventure. In fact there’s usually at least half a dozen series at any given time in the young-adult section that would be called dystopian. None of them however are quite like this one. To begin with it has a distinctly Australian voice, and most importantly the dystopian society is a secluded island blocked off from the rest of the world by the presence of a giant squid called Old Bertie. It’s the reason for all the island’s rules and the quiet fear and desperation of the inhabitants. At its core it does all the things a good dystopian novel should and explores disinformation and pushing back against authority through a young protagonist who begins to understand the value of themselves and their own ambitions. And honestly a merciless giant squid isn’t necessarily the worst symbolism for societal expectations. A great local read that’s technically for a younger audience but honestly would be fun for anybody.

From the Publisher: George Jones is fed up and hungry for change. She’s stuck on an island with a bunch of judgmental jerks who all live in fearful deference to Old Bertie, a Giant Squid. Old Bertie devoured George’s mother, leaving her father an emotional mess and George a social reject.
But George’s world changes when a mysterious stranger washes ashore. Fernandez is the first person to ever enter Old Bertie’s watery domain and live to tell the tale. If Fernandez was spared by the Great Beast, could her mum still be out there? And is George willing to break her dad’s heart in her quest to know the truth?
This story will appeal to readers looking for a satisfying blend of heart and humour, with a speculative, fantastical twist.

Rottenheart by Kat Dunn
Release Date: Early Aug

Stefen Says: Kat Dunn‘s previous book, Hungerstone, was a wonderful modern reimagining of Sheridan Le Fanu’s vampire classic Carmilla, and like everybody else who read it I was very keen to see what she would do next. I was anticipating another reworked classic, but I wasn’t expecting Hamlet. Nevertheless, here we are and it’s remarkable. The main protagonists of the story have been gender flipped and the setting moved to a grand house in rural England in the late 19th century. Not entirely gender flipped because our Ophelia analogue is still a woman resulting in a Sapphic romance subplot. The story of Hamlet is full of ghosts and death and secrets and lies and the time and setting of this version allows it to truly embrace the gothic potential of all those elements. A very interesting new addition to our horror section.

From the Publisher: From the author of Hungerstone, an unmissable gothic, sapphic, gender-swapped reimagining of Hamlet.
Revenge me. For I am murdered . . .
Odette and Cecilia are young women, living between their grand homes in Hampstead and the imposing, ancient Herne House in Suffolk. Though Odette’s artist mother Lydia keeps a tight grasp on her, she and her beloved Cecilia are mostly left free to roam, to learn and to love.
But when Lydia inexplicably sickens and dies, a dark veil falls. As the funeral rites are performed, Odette’s aunt, the cold and implacable Claudine, increasingly takes charge of the household, while her father retreats to his study. Odette, lost in grief, disappears into the shadows.
But as Claudine is announced as Odette’s new stepmother, a sinister presence in the house makes itself known. To her horror, Odette realises that despite her death, Lydia never really left. And now she wants revenge . . .
Inspired by Hamlet, the ultimate revenge tragedy, Rottenheart is the stunning new Sapphic gothic horror novel from Kat Dunn, the lauded author of Hungerstone and Bitterthorn. Set in the 1890s, this a story of love and grief, mothers and daughters, death and madness.

The Dungeon Book by Gareth Hanrahan
Release Date: Mid Aug

Stefen Says: There’s a lot of fantasy at the moment that relies heavily on tropes from role playing or computer games and it’s a mixed bag. Some of it reads like poorly related play sessions while other examples use the different tropes to explore fantasy and interesting ways. In any event it’s quite popular. What I wasn’t expecting was one of my favourite grimdark fantasy writers to do one of his own. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I read this, but Hanrahan does have a knack for writing light fantasy as well as grimdark, and while this is very much a setting inspired by Dungeons & Dragons iconography it’s not an isekai style novel with a person from the real world trapped in it. Instead, its just the various denizens of this world trying to survive a series of events that are in keeping with the traditions of a Dungeons & Dragons style universe. There are many nods to familiar monsters and spells, but that’s really just bonus content for people who recognise it because the story stands perfectly well on its own even if you have no background in the game. As far as the fantasy story goes, it’s a classic hero’s journey adventure with a light-hearted tone though not going so far as to be called a humorous novel. It’s a standalone and I thought it was a lot of fun, particularly the second person voice of our disembodied skull narrator, Cornelius.       
Note: This is an Alliance release.

From the Publisher: Enter a world of dungeons and dragons, magic and manticores, goblins and gargoyles in this captivating standalone fantasy from the author of The Gutter Prayer.
Bait doesn’t remember a time before the dungeon. Before the dragon stole her from her cot. She doesn’t know what her name was before she was handed over to the monstrous denizens of the dungeon beneath the sorcerer’s tower. Luckily for Bait, they decided not to eat her. And so, she grew up in the dark – the goblins her adopted family, a vengeful minotaur her protector, a sentient skull her tutor and a faithful blob of corridor slime her main source of nutrition.
But the labyrinthine dungeon, with its haunted halls, buried temples and forgotten magics, draws treasure hunters like moths to a flame. And as the outside world starts to intrude, Bait will learn what it means to be monstrous, and she will have to decide where she truly belongs.

MAYA: Seed Takes Root by Anand Gandhi & Zain Memon
Release Date: Late Aug

Stefen Says: This book is the first in a trilogy designed to introduce readers to the world of the MAYA project, a transmedia collaboration by filmmaker Anand Gandhi and game designer Zain Memon, which is slated to include novels, graphic novels, tabletop games and cinematic productions. It’s a strange mix of science fiction and fantasy elements that draws on but is not restricted to South Asian folklore and mythology. It’s an unusual read that unfolds its world building progressively and does some very complex things with narrative structure and timelines. It’s a lot of fun but quite a lot to absorb and I would probably compare it to something like Seth Dickinson’s Exordia or Jen Lyons’ Chorus of Dragons series. Currently the only copies we have are hardcover.

From the Publisher: Combining elements from science-fiction, fantasy, and philosophy, MAYA is a new mythology for the 21st century – not of gods and monsters, but of us.
The Divya Trials have been announced. Billions will compete. One will ascend to godhood.
On the planet Neh, the living forest called Maya is the planet’s neural network. Each citizen tethers daily to Maya, entering shared dreamscapes for work, play, and learning. The immortal Divyas harvest the data. Every thought and memory; predicting futures and bending reality itself. Everyone is connected. Everyone is tracked. Everyone is controlled.
Everyone except Yachay. An ordinary nineteen-year-old manushya raised in isolation by his ailing grandfather, Daddu, Yachay has never tethered to Maya—making him invisible to the gods of data. Daddu urges him to enter the upcoming Divya Trials, a once-in-a-lifetime competition where billions compete for immortality and omnipotence. Yachay wants no part of it—until his grandfather’s death uncovers an ancient resistance and a lifetime of secret training.
Seed Takes Root, the first novel in the expansive MAYA universe, fuses science fiction, fantasy, and philosophy into an epic of thrilling adventure and urgent allegory. Drawing on South Asian mythology, hard science, and sharp social commentary, it asks the questions that define our time: Who controls our stories? Who profits from our data? And in an age of perfect prediction; is freedom still possible?

A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett
Release Date: Mid Aug

Stefen Says: This book returns to Robert Jackson Bennett‘s unique fantasy setting for another murder mystery. This time we’re in the heart of the Empire and learn a lot more about how it functions politically and economically, particularly in terms of produce, but I’ll leave the weirdness of that for the book to explain to you. We also get a few more bits of information about the strange alchemy that underpins the empire and interesting new insights into its history, which has some disturbing implications for our understanding of Ana. It’s a terrific new addition to the series but you absolutely should read the previous books, The Tainted Cup and A Drop of Corruption first.
Note: This is an Alliance release.

From the Publisher: The heir to one of the Empire’s most powerful families sits in jail, accused of murder. His hands are covered in his victim’s blood, and he can neither deny his guilt nor explain his actions.
If the great detective Ana Dolabra – along with her assistant Dinios Kol – cannot save him, the farming canton of Sapirdad will explode into war, plunging the Empire into famine and chaos.
But this murder is only the latest in a subtle web of death, woven by a mastermind with an ancient weapon at his disposal.
Ana and Din have faced terrible crimes before. But as they pursue their adversary through wild ranges, sprawling ranches, and reeking slaughterhouses, even they are not prepared for the horrifying secret behind their opponent’s powers . . .

Fabulous Bodies by Chuck Tingle
Release Date: Mid Aug

Stefen Says:Chuck Tingle’s contemporary horror novels are always precisely on point with their cultural observation while at the same time being exceedingly weird in their execution. In Chuck‘s satirical sights this time are modern cults of personality, obsession with beauty and physical perfection, and the culturally parasitic phenomenon of influencers and internet celebrities. His tools include an undead rock star, a bunch of cancer patients, a modern day grave robber, a truly stunning amount of violence and a final twist straight out of 1950s monster movies. Great fun, extremely gruesome and gloriously deranged in the in the way only Chuck can do it.

From the Publisher: Fashion influencer by day and grave robber by night, Poppy Stringer is on call when Eddie Michaels―a flamboyant, piano-slamming rockstar and queer icon―unexpectedly dies. All Poppy has to do is retrieve Eddie’s body from the medical examiner’s office, but what starts as a routine delivery quickly goes off course when Eddie wakes up. Now, Poppy must fight for her life in a blood-soaked night of carnage and fabulous entertainment all across Palm Springs.

A Short Stay in Hell by Stephen L Peck
Release Date: Late June

Stefen Says: This strange little horror novella was independently published in 2012 and instantly caused a stir. Since then, it’s appeared on almost every list of horror stories you must read on the Internet. I can’t speak to why it took so long for it to appear from a major publisher but I’m very pleased that vintage books have decided to produce a version and that they very rightly parachuted it straight into their vintage classics collection. Despite being just 100 pages long this introspective and existential story will take you a long time to digest.

From the Publisher: An existential, life-changing novella of one man’s journey to escape a Hell like no other – an endless, labyrinthian library, for fans of I Who Have Never Known Men, Piranesi and Katabasis.
Soren Johansson has always believed he’ll be reunited with his loved ones after death in an eternal hereafter. Then, he dies.
An ordinary family man, geologist, and Mormon, Soren wakes to find himself cast by a God he has never heard of into a Hell whose dimensions he can barely grasp – a vast library he can only escape from by finding the book that contains the story of his life. As his attempt to leave begins, he comes face to face with the absurdity of existence.
A haunting existential novella, Steven L. Peck’s modern classic explores a subversive vision of eternity, taking the reader on a journey through the afterlife of a world where everything everyone believed in turns out to be wrong.