Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth (Tor.com, $25.99) is science fiction, fantasy, a locked creepy castle mystery, an aesthetic, and a dozen Halloween costume ideas, all in one. This mashup might seem too wild to be good, but Muir perhaps possesses her own brand of magic, an ability to disregard any and all genre conventions and combine all these elements into something truly incredible. Gideon the Ninth is about a solar system of political intrigue, necromancers, secret knowledge, and martial arts. It is intricately wrought, with a full mythology behind it. It comes with wonderful characters and complex relationships, including the central one between Gideon and Harrow that will bring you both tears and joy. The dialogue is a giddy mix of modern-day language, stupid jokes, sarcasm, dark humor, and sharp comebacks. This is the perfect gift for that friend who thinks Halloween should be a year-round holiday. Or perhaps, if your soul is cynical, morbid, and queer, this is the perfect book for you.
Imagine you can travel back in time by accessing your past memories? That’s the premise of the new novel from one of the most fun and inventive sci-fi writer around. Recursion is an inception-like tale of a scientist that discovers this technology, and a detective working to help her stop it from falling into the wrong hands, because traveling into memories creates new time lines for all those who have come into contact with their past selves. This book is fast-paced, thrilling, fun and a mind-warp!
Barrie’s life is seemingly normal: a dog, a farm, supportive nearby family. But she has a secret. A decade’s old, magical secret seems to be well in control until a baby washes up on the nearby shore, government men show up looking for anything out of the ordinary, and her estranged husband returns as if no time has passed at all. The aftermath of the Second World War has everyone on edge but the series of stranger and stranger events threaten to derail the life that Barrie has created for herself in what was once a sleepy town.
