Paste Magazine: The blending of speculative fiction with romance is an old concept. One could argue that its roots lie in Gothic fiction, where innocent maidens ran through the darkened corridors of crumbling castles, and the monsters within were thinly veiled metaphors for rampant desire. What are fairy tales if not a blending of the fantastical and romantic? The modern and sturdier blending of the two could be found in ’90s fantasy classics like Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels saga, a high-fantasy series about a prophesized ruler who will wield unstoppable power over a matriarchal socie ..read more

Congratulations to the following DMLA authors for being named a 2024 Lammy Awards finalist! LGBTQ+ Speculative Fiction The Archive Undying // Emma Mieko Candon (Tordotcom Publishing) The Saint of Bright Doors // Vajra Chandrasekera (Tordotcom Publishing ..read more

The Libby Book Awards announced their first annual winners across 17 categories. Winners were chosen by a panel of 1700 librarians worldwide! Congratulations to DMLA author, Martha Wells, for winning in the Science Fiction category! System Collapse by Martha Wells ..read more

Publishers Weekly: Following the news that her father cheated on her mother, white-cued 17-year-old Olivia Owens and her mom must give up their lavish lifestyle; they’re both kicked out of their Rhode Island estate and Olivia loses her inheritance. When her father decides to marry for a third time and Olivia’s boyfriend cheats on her, she resolves to exact revenge. She refuses to let her father get away with his past lying and cheating, especially as her mother’s medical bills mount. With the help of a former high school teacher, Olivia assembles a motley crew of classmates à la The Itali ..read more

The finalists for the 2024 Hugo Awards have been announced! Congratulations to the following DMLA authors! BEST NOVEL The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera (Tordotcom) Witch King by Martha Wells (Tordotcom) BEST NOVELETTE “Ivy, Angelica, Bay” by C.L. Polk (Tor.com 8 December 2023) Further congratulations to Premee Mohamed and Mur Lafferty for work on Escape Pod, and to Mia Tsai for work on GigaNotoSaurus! All received acknowledgements under BEST SEMIPROZINE. System Collapse by Martha Wells received enough votes to qualify for BEST NOVEL on the final ballot, but she declined ..read more

Shelf Awareness: The gritty, luminous Sheine Lende, a prequel to Darcie Little Badger’s acclaimed first novel, Elatsoe, features stouthearted Shane (grandmother to Elatsoe’s Ellie) who uses the family’s ability to raise ghosts to find three people, one of whom is her own mother. Little Badger’s beguiling novel includes stories within stories that enrich the main narrative, telling tales whose monumental purposes are “to be shared and remembered.” She entices readers by creating a world where monsters and “powerful magics” exist alongside actual history. Rovina Cai once again gracefully illustr ..read more

The Bulletin: Inspired by a viewing of the 1996 film The First Wives Club, Ezra and his two best friends decide to get revenge on their terrible ex-boyfriends. Among the ensuing hijinks, Ezra anonymously uploads a TikTok video setting fire to his closeted ex’s letterman jacket, which quickly goes viral at their school. Further videos of school administrators enforcing their Watch What You Say initiative, which targets queer students and the expression of their identities, also go viral, and the trio begins to realize they can use all this attention to get their voices heard, carve ou ..read more

Dutch rights to New York Times bestselling author Martha Wells’ ALL SYSTEMS RED, ARTIFICIAL CONDITION, ROGUE PROTOCOL, and EXIT STRATEGY, the first four books in The Murderbot Diaries series, to De Fontein, by Vere Bank at Sebes & Bisseling in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson. French audio rights to LJ Andrews’s THE EVER KING, to Noa Rosen at Theleme, at auction, by Sarah Dray at Anna Jarota Agency, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier. Italian rights to Kate Heartfield’s THE TAPESTRY OF TIME, to Marco Rana at Edizioni E/O, by Stefania Fietta at Donzelli Fie ..read more

Esquire: The latest work from the astonishingly prolific Mohamed (who has three books out this year alone) is a visceral yet intimate story about violence, nationalism, and war. Injured, captured, and tortured by his own side in an endless conflict, the famous pacifist Alefret is sent on a mission to infiltrate an enemy city. With him is Qhudur, a fanatic who will do anything for victory. Mohamed’s bio-technical setting is vivid and unusual—trained medical wasps, floating cities, and lightspiders dot these pages—but the heart of her story is Alefret’s moral struggle. Would killing Qhudur, an a ..read more

Mystery and Suspense Magazine: Kim Harrison is best known as one of the mainstays of the modern urban fantasy scene. Three Kinds of Lucky is only going to cement that reputation further, as she gets this new series started with a bang! There’s no shortage of books in the urban fantasy genre, and it’s such a delight to come across really original worlds, especially when they’re accompanied by a nice twisty plot and characters you really want to spend time with. There’s no shortage of surprises, which kept me glued to the page and reading much too late into the night as I waited to fin ..read more