The Plague Trilogy: A Lovely Way to Burn (2014) Death is a Welcome Guest (2015) No Dominion (2017) by Louise Welsh Published by John Murray Reviewed by Iain Maloney Contains unavoidable mild spoilers. To begin by making a crass generalisation and simplifying wildly, there are two kinds of science fiction: that which is
Killtopia Volume 1 Written by Dave Cook, Art by Craig Paton, Letters by Robin Jones, Flats by Ludwig Olimba BHP Comics, 2018 48 pages Review by Callum McSorley In an unnamed Japanese mega city of the future, Sector K – “Killtopia” to you, sports-fans – has been home to wild mechs since the disaster which
Thin Air – Richard Morgan, Gollancz 544 pages Reviewed by Joe Gordon Welcome to Mars, soak. For the first time in several years, and the first time since the well-received Netflix adaptation of his debut Altered Carbon, Richard Morgan returns to science fiction and, I am glad to report, delivers everything a Morgan fan could
Apocalypse Nyx Kameron Hurley Tachyon 283 pages Review by Callum McSorley Welcome to the Wild East! The border towns of Nasheen, near the front of a never-ending war with neighbouring Chenja, are lawless places home to smugglers, organ harvesters, and murderers. Nyx, a former soldier and elite government assassin turned renegade bounty hunter, is
Sealed by Naomi Booth Paperback: 150 pages Publisher: Dead Ink Review by Teika Marija Smits For some reason, Dead Ink, Sealed’s publisher, billed Naomi Booth’s debut novel an ‘eco horror’ on social media. Put firmly in the literary fiction camp it most likely evaded the eyes of readers who would’ve been keen to
The Freeze-Frame Revolution by Peter Watts 192 pages Tachyon Publications Reviewed by Lucy Powell How do you outwit a mind that is your own? How do you dupe someone who sees with your eyes, and hears through your ears? How do you outlast someone who never sleeps? These are the questions posed by Peter
Improbable Botany Gary Dalkin (ed) Wayward London 605 pages Reviewed by Katy Lennon Improbable Botany, edited by Shoreline’s own Gary Dalkin and published by Wayward London, shows immediately it is not taking its botanical theme lightly. It is integral to the collection; opening with an introduction showcasing the tangible effects Wayward have continually had on
The Church of Latter-Day Eugenics by Chris Kelso & Tom Bradley Journalstone 102 pages Reviewed by Steve Ironside Centuries away, the minstrel steels himself for his audience with the King. Based on what he is going to say, will he survive it? Meanwhile, amongst The Church of Latter-Day Eugenics’ streets of London, Fulton, a
Learning How to Drown – Cat Hellisen New Con Press 185 pages Review by Samantha Dolan Learning How to Drown is an arresting title. On the front cover, Hellisen is described as one of the most accomplished writers of African SFF’ by Geoff Ryman and that might provide an insight for some but it
Fifty-One Chris Barnham Filles Vertes Publishing 320 pages Review: Georgina Merry From the near future to the blitz, Barnham’s time travel escapade is a smooth blend of romance, espionage, and intrigue. If you want hard sci-fi, this isn’t the book to choose. However, if you love mystery, conspiracies, and vintage settings, look no further.