Book Reviews
The Shelf
The Nose and Other Stories – Nikolai Gogol
The Nose and Other Stories is a testament to a writer at play and an artist who lets his imagination wander. Through Susanne Fusso’s translation, the absurdity that runs through Gogol’s short stories shines through.
When We Were Vikings – Andrew David MacDonald
The fierce love and loyalty Zelda has for her family and friends will leave readers feeling inspired to set out on their own daring quests and become the heroes of their own legends.
Those Who Knew – Idra Novey
As usual, Idra Novey's prose is sharp and striking. However, while Those Who Knew starts with the promise of a taut political thriller, the narrative quickly goes slack.
The Warehouse – Rob Hart
Though many have described Rob Hart’s latest corporate thriller as satire, it is anything but. The Warehouse depicts a future that's not only plausible, but one that has already taken root—whether or not we’d like to admit it.
The Remnants – Robert Hill
Hill's latest novel The Remnants is set in a town full of residents with "oddities" due to the shrinking gene pool.
Monster Portraits – Sofia Samatar and Del Samatar
This hybrid short story collection is based on Sofia and Del Samatar's memories of growing up as Somali-American children during the 1980s. Each piece holds incredible depth, a deep sense of wonder, and emotional weight. And with each read there is always more to unpack.
Here and Now and Then – Mike Chen
Mike Chen has given us a genre-bending blockbuster of a novel. Kin Steward is a Temporal Corruption Bureau (TCB) secret agent who gets stuck in 1996 after a time travel mission goes awry.
Black Leopard, Read Wolf – Marlon James
Though similarities can be drawn to Game of Thrones, to describe the first installment of James’s Dark Star Trilogy as an African Game of Thrones doesn’t do it justice.
She Would Be King – Wayétu Moore
With the all-powerful, all-knowing spirit of the wind as her narrator, Moore uses magical realism to reframe the history and founding of Liberia in She Would Be King.