In a magical fortress on the edge of the world, a runaway slave mage hides from his past until the arrival of a gifted refugee threatens his close-guarded secrets. But who is this girl with the tattooed face, and what does she mean to the rebels surging across the country?
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Charlie Hall never met a lock she couldn’t pick, a book she couldn’t steal, or a bad decision she wouldn’t make. She’s trying to distance herself from her past, but going straight isn’t easy. Now everyone wants to lay hands on a secret that will grant them control of the shadow world – and who better to steal it than Charlie?
Lina fled London to work for a European conservation corps, but her fragile peace shatters when her ex is arrested for assassinating a Minister. While Lina tries to extract her family from London, the Minister’s family also flee to the mountain reserve she works on. Everyone has deadly secrets – but will they kill to preserve them?
As both Hell and paradise realms cast acquisitive glances towards the Library, Claire and Brevity desperately seek to persuade the other Librarians of their peril. But can they find a way to free the stories from the threat of the afterlives forever – and what will be the cost?
Welcome back to Bite-size Reads, my 2022 challenge to read (some of) the amazing anthologies on my shelves. Today I’m looking at the final batch of stories from Sinopticon, a curated collection of Chinese SF translated and presented by Xueting Ni.
Generations past, the robots of Panga achieved sentience and were unhappy with their lot. When humanity gave them their freedom, they disappeared into the wilderness. Now, they are ready to make contact again – and a restless young tea monk will be asked the biggest question: what makes humanity happy?
Welcome back to Bite-size Reads, my 2022 challenge to read (some of) the amazing anthologies on my shelves. Today I’m looking at my second batch of stories from Sinopticon, a curated collection of Chinese SF translated and presented by Xueting Ni.
As the Siberian tundra melts, a deadly virus is released from the ice and devastates the world. How High We Go In The Dark is a series of personal stories from a parallel now exploring themes of connection, grief and hope as humanity grapples with a rapidly-changing context.
Welcome to Bite-size Reads, my 2022 challenge to read (some of) the amazing anthologies on my shelves. I’ll be chiming in every couple of weeks with thoughts on the stories I’ve recently enjoyed – starting today with tales from Sinopticon, a curated collection of Chinese SF translated and presented by Xueting Ni.
Touraine returns home to Qazāl intent on being the first colonial to achieve rank within the Balladairan army. Luca comes to Qazāl to prove her fitness for the Balladairan throne by defusing rising unrest against colonial rule. But the Qazāli have good reason to rebel. Touraine and Luca are determined to bring peace, but can they bear the cost?
The day was due to be stressful enough when the only order of business was impressing a restaurant critic. One exploding space station later, winning a Nikkelin Orb will have to wait – assuming Captain Niko Larson and her crew can survive a petulant bioship, a vengeful pirate king and a side of imperial politics…
The world has changed, nation states swept away after global religious wars. Now a conspiracy threatens the utopian order that rose from the ashes – and the only person trusted to investigate is a murderer who already guards entirely too many of the world’s greatest secrets…
Last month saw the release of Perhaps the Stars, the final volume of Ada Palmer’s highly-respected Terra Ignota series. I’ve been meaning to read these books for years, but somehow they kept sliding down Mount TBR. Then Mayri the BookForager suggested we buddy read Too Like The Lightning – and friends, I’m so glad I didn’t tackle this on my own.
The Dirty Dozen were the best, but half of them are dead and the other half hate each other. 40 years after disaster sent them their separate ways, an existential threat and a glimmer of redemption could get the survivors back together – unless their ancient grudges destroy them first.
When Jess returns to Malaysia with her parents, she thinks she needs to figure out a job and how to finally tell them she’s in love with another girl. Instead, she’s hearing a voice in her head that wants her to confront a Forbes list business tycoon. Life is about to get even more complicated…