Exploring the intricacies of the historic empire of Vijayanagara, Vishwanath creates an immersive story filled with vibrant details of daily life, from a message system that stretches across the Empire to traveling theater troupes complete with made-up boys in the role of a monkey army as they perform the Ramayana. Front and center, though, is the drama of succession. Alternating chapters show the perspective of the treacherous priest Prabhakara Swami as he and Aadarshini engage in a deadly game of cat and mouse for control of the estate. Much of the plot depends on near-misses and mistaken identities, which at times stretch credulity–Aadarshini initially seeks Prabhakara Swami for aid, only to pass him unrecognized on the road; Azam Khan delays his journey by a single day and arrives to find his village in ashes. While sometimes over the top, the story generates a compelling tension that will keep readers hooked.
Aadarshini is a captivating protagonist whose growing strength and ruthlessness is tempered by her love for her son and for the bodyguard Azam Khan. Torn between love and duty, the doomed romance brings a tenderness to an otherwise brutal sequence of events. Emotional, tense, and richly detailed, this dramatic thriller presents a microcosm of larger historical events.
Takeaway: Fans of historical political dramas full of powerful women will love Aadarshini's arc as she grows into her fierceness.
Great for fans of: Philippa Gregory’s White Queen, Indu Sundaresan’s The Twentieth Wife.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-
Animal lovers will be charmed by Pepito’s underdog charisma — “Pepito The Squirrel, was crawling towards him / Determined to catch up, while dragging his hind limb” — and cheer him along as he perseveres through physical exams for broken bones and bouts of exhausting rehab. The bond between man and squirrel is evident, as Pepito ventures away just long enough to try out new activities before bounding back “to rest in his arms, where it all began.” Erebia documents Pepito’s convalescence without wasting time on pity, stressing the squirrel’s hard-wired zip and innate need to safely interact in nature, while devoting plenty of space to Pepito’s performances (“He loved taking photos; he was quite a ham”) for his social media followers.
The rhyming text is stilted and at times feels forced — “Once, he got lost, it took hours to find him / The man gave some thought, and looked on a whim.” Still, the end result is a playful narrative that eschews formality for fun, and there’s ingenuity in rhyming squirrel with deferral. Not to be underestimated or taken lightly, Pepito has overcome Herculean odds and adapted to serious challenges. Erebia has literally stumbled onto a story worth celebrating, and Pepito’s vivacity is guaranteed to make readers of all ages swoon.
Takeaway: Animal lovers will cheer this squirrel’s recovery, captured in photos and light verse.
Great for fans of: Diane Trull and Meredith Wargo’s DAWGS: A True Story of Lost Animals and the Kids Who Rescued Them, James Herriot’s All Things Wise and Wonderful.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A
Erebia’s playful pictures steal the show in his lighthearted adventure, and animal lovers will devour the escapades of Pepito and friends. Fun facts like “A group of squirrels, is called a scurry” and the star’s affinity for rolling in peat moss and loam will charm younger fans and provide teaching moments. The eccentricities of Erebia’s rhythmic text sometimes distracts from the merriment (“Pepito would climb walls, right up he’d go / He’d leave behind, the ground below”), but the message comes through, inviting readers into a squirrel’s daily life. Pepito’s single-mindedness during pre-winter acorn burying is amusingly paired with his distinctive stunts—“It really was funny, he’d poke and he’d dig / And, when he was done, he’d dance an old jig."
Though geared for younger audiences, this squirrelly promenade has staying power and will hit the spot for anyone who enjoys carefree animal play and is amused by (or tolerant of) doggerel. From their discriminating palates (“he also went nuts, For almonds, peanuts, pecans, and walnuts”) to their penchant for wrestling, Pepito and his entourage entertain. Erebia’s affinity for nature highlights the special attachment between humans and animals, and his affectionate carousing with Pepito is aptly memorialized in the abundant action shots that are the hallmark of Erebia’s True Tail Tale nonfiction series.
Takeaway: A spirited adventure of squirrel horseplay, complete with educational tidbits and enjoyable photos.
Great for fans of: Nick Newman and Karin Mitchell’s The Rhino Crash, Beverly Keil’s Diary of a Dumpster Pup, Belinda Recio’s Inside Animal Hearts and Minds.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A+
Editing: B
Marketing copy: B
Witherspoon (the real one, not the one in the book) creates a sense of authenticity through skillful recreations of media sources. For example, the narrative starts with the story of the book itself as it might appear in Publishers Weekly before moving on to news reports, podcasts, and blog posts about the leak--and then the reactions on Twitter. The autobiography at OOF’s heart chronicles years of abuse and neglect the First lady suffered at the hands of her husband, but in the ensuing chaos kicked off by the revelations, the main victim is Whiterspoon, who the novel’s The New Yorker calls a “foreign policy analyst, turned novelist, turned meme punching bag.” OOF showcases a variety of voices, tones, and approaches to mass-media storytelling. Sometimes sad and sometimes hilarious, the wildly entertaining result illuminates the dark side to fame, circa 2021.
Eventually, as the story edges toward the dystopian, it all gets to be too much for the fictional Witherspoon, who declares “I must take responsibility for my destiny. This circus must end. Words are not enough. Update forthcoming. :)” In the fiction, this engaging book about our online lives is not available in the United States. Fortunately, that doesn’t apply to the real world. This readily purchasable novel will appeal to anyone fascinated by the impact of social media and mediated perception.
Takeaway: This highly mediated satire cleverly apes an “Online Outrage Fiesta.”
Great for fans of: Gary Shteyngart’s Super Sad True Love Story, Hank Green’s An Absolutely Remarkable Thing.
Production grades
Cover: B-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Despite being marketed for young adults, only the first story, “Who’s At the Door” seems fully crafted for a teen audience. Clearly influenced by RL Stine and Christopher Pike, authors that Bratton cites as favorites, this suspenseful tale of a teenager, a doorbell, and the supernatural is the collection’s most fully developed, offering engaging twists on a perennial ghost story. The Silicon Valley-set “Parasomnia” takes on the tension between science and the paranormal, with an edge of romance, but its fleeting attempts to explain scientific concepts key to the narrative (“hypnopompic hallucinations”) confuse rather than clarify. “Dollhouse” actually has three stories within it, tales so short that there’s not much room for a sense of unease or terror to develop.
Bratton favors dialogue-driven storytelling, often even revealing the narrator’s inner thoughts this way, an approach not ideally suited to horror, as the emphasis on what people are saying over what they’re seeing, feeling, and doing doesn’t offer much opportunity for dread or terror to mount. Still, readers may appreciate Bratton’s quick doses of horror if they’re looking for paranormal mystery or a quick adrenaline rush. Able to be enjoyed in one sitting, Things That Go Bump In the Night will spook teen and adult readers, whether they’re afraid of their alarm system, nightmares, or that old doll in the attic.
Takeaway: These quick doses of horror have enough jolt to engage teen readers.
Great for fans of: Stephanie Perkins’ There’s Someone Inside Your House, Katie Alender’s Bad Girls Don’t Die.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
This is a lean, fast-paced, urgent tale with quick-moving prose. Rebecca Burgess’s illustrations are electric, complementing the high-speed storyline and finding a visual depiction of the sensations that accompany a heightened sensory experience. Sometimes, particularly in the sandbox scene, these images can become frightening–these portrayals of sensory overload may be scary for younger children. Most pages offer a lot of action, with some images achieving a balance between interesting and overwhelming, and others edging toward cluttered. For the most part, though, the illustrations are eye-catching, fresh, and emotionally engaging as they suggest the child’s experience. Squiggles, triangles, motion lines — she lives with a sensory cavalcade.
For a children’s book, Parker’s ideas are remarkably mature. None of the concepts are inappropriate for young audiences, but the lessons and values are as much for kids as for their parents. The sympathetic representation of the mother — who understands, encourages, and helps her daughter even through the most difficult of her urges — is a good reminder to parents who are raising neurodiverse children of the virtues of patience, calm, and sensitivity. Some of the story’s impact may be lost on toddler-age fans, but parents will find the message invaluable.
Takeaway: This fast-paced picture book is perfect for those looking to learn more about the daily experience of sensory differences.
Great for fans of: Jenn Bailey’s A Friend for Henry, Alicia Ortego’s Kindness is my Superpower.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A-
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
The Earls layer the story with a clear sense of tension and unease, peppered with moments of humor, while offering a detailed glimpse of behind-the-scenes work in hospitals and morgues. Readers might be divided on the trajectory of the narrative: Marcia, admittedly a talented neuroscientist, happens rather coincidentally upon a life-altering natural medicine from an African tribe to resurrect the presciently nicknamed Frank. The convenience of this might raise eyebrows, but the ensuing suspense and intrigue make up for it.
The most potentially divisive choice is also the novel’s most interesting: Marcia’s affair with the reanimated man. Still, her character seems rather one-note: Her coldness and callousness suggest she could develop into a memorable antihero, but her sexual dreams about Frank (wherein a strong orgasm wakes her from her slumber) and her overstated longings (“Although Zach had been gone for only a few days, Marcia’s loins were aching for some manly attention”) blunt the nuance. Her actions are not tempered with many persuasive moments of empathy—for instance, Marcia’s decision to not sleep with Frank in her marital bed comes too late to have much impact. Frank, meanwhile, is given more lifelike treatment, an inquisitive character capably fleshed out.
Takeaway: This tense novel of resurrection walks a fine line between science fiction and romance.
Great for fans of: Jesse Petersen’s Living with the Dead series, Joan Frances Turner’s Dust.
Production grades
Cover: C
Design and typography: B
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B-
Marketing copy: B
King holds nothing back as he plummets into these men’s lives, giving readers the pieces to construct crisp images of their upbringings. Wright grew up in the segregated South, and King’s examples of torment and humiliation by bigoted white characters (who repeatedly use the “n” word and take pleasure in assaulting Black characters) paints a visceral depiction of racism. The plot also tackles child abuse in both the past of both men, while dropping ominous hints that Glass’s peculiarities and troubled mind will lead him down an evil path. Influential supporting characters—such as Wright’s best friend, Carl, and Glass’s love interest, Grant—bring intrigue and complexity into the lives of the leads, adding depth and feeling to the plot.
The present timeline, focused on Wright’s investigation in 2010, finds these lives intersecting. Unlike in most novels of cops and killers, some readers may feel the background chapters offer more drama and tension than the case the detective is working. Although the book’s present boasts engrossing scenes that will capture the attention of procedural fans, some border on repetitive. Still, this overall is a powerful exploration of two men and their inner demons, with one serving the law and the other viciously breaking it. Readers looking for a nosedive into what makes men monsters versus heroes will enjoy this unsettling thriller.
Takeaway: This dynamic crime thriller plunges into the environmental and psychological forces that create villains and heroes.
Great for fans of: Nadine Matheson The Jigsaw Man, Thomas Mullen’s Darktown.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A
Aligwekwe shines in her development of characters, each offering an avenue to reflect on the ways social class unfairly dictates daily lives and relationships. Ona’s ultimate goal is to find “love and happiness,” but she’s not sure if that love will be with Albert–the handsome crown prince of Ide, a town involved in border clashes with Ntebe–or Okem, her childhood best friend and household servant. Will she find happiness with her one true love despite their differing social statuses, or become a Queen and bring peace to Ide and Ntebe? “I don’t know how people will feel about me marrying someone of a lower status than me,” Ona says. “They will castigate me and wonder why I gave up comfort.”
Although branded as fantasy, the majority of the narrative takes place in the real world rather than Luenah, a choice that might disappoint readers desiring the fantastic. Despite this, Aligwekwe deftly weaves commentary on colonialism, imperialism, and capitalism into an appealing and suspenseful story of love and whimsy. She presents many nuggets of wisdom as Ona seeks her life’s purpose, while emphasizing that “Two things must occur for love to be manifested. The first is to believe you’re worthy of love. The second is to love yourself.”
Takeaway: Young adults and older readers will be enchanted by this fantasy’s magic, romance, and life lessons.
Great for fans of: Helen Oyeyemi’s Gingerbread, Nandi Taylor’s Given.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A-
As the tour (and the tales) go on, Vladdy finds his American assumptions about Israeli life challenged by exposure to the reality, especially as he faces a surprising confrontation involving his own family. The question What about the Palestinians? comes to haunt him, and the book builds toward a complex ending that laces the joy of the pilgrims’ faith and camaraderie with geopolitical tragedy.
No satiric novel about the Middle East could please all readers, of course, but Reed’s approach is smart and sensitive, even as he gleefully satirizes the relationship between American evangelicals and Israeli hardliners. His prose is sharp, even cutting at times, but there’s nothing parodic about many of his pilgrims’ stories, which take faith seriously. Even Vladdy, at first a caricature, emerges as a figure of pathos; it’s moving to see the scales fall from his eyes.
Takeaway: Inspired by the Canterbury Tales, this satire finds American Christians facing the reality of the Holy Land.
Great for fans of: Randy Boyagoda’s Original Prin, Terry Lindvall’s God Mocks.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Together, Drossman and Ruddy address physicians and patients, with Drossman explaining his findings over a lifetime of treating and researching DGBI. With rousing passion rare in medical literature, Gut Feelings urges physicians to adopt George Engel’s biopsychosocial model of treating patients—to create the conditions in which patients and physicians can “engage collaboratively on the care that will improve the clinical outcome.” The book itself is evidence of what doctors and patients can achieve when they collaborate: Drossman treated Ruddy and her DGBI.
In moving testimonial, Ruddy recounts how other doctors proved dismissive of her symptoms–“Women can get hysterical and exaggerate pain, especially at certain times of the month,” she recalls a physician telling her. Drossman, though, listened to her and understood that there’s more to gastrointestinal health than what colonoscopies can reveal, as he spells out in persuasive detail in the book’s first half. While it offers sound advice for patients, Gut Feelings will most resonate with medical practitioners eager to optimize communication between doctors and patients, especially in cases of chronic illness or pain that’s not traditionally been well diagnosed and treated.
Takeaway: This innovative medical text guides patients and doctors toward greater understanding of disorders of gut-brain interaction—and greater communication.
Great for fans of: Emeran Mayer’s The Mind-Gut Connection, Peter Tate and Francesca Frame’s The Doctor's Communication Handbook.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
In light, flowing prose, Pratt evokes the inquisitiveness and innocence of young people of two cultures meeting and sharing their knowledge– until distrust and discrimination on both sides intervenes. The Bokaaj fear human encroachment, and tensions rise when one of them fires a gun at construction workers. Determined to help the starving Bokaaj relocate to safer grounds, Andrea seeks the wisdom of their Siljeea, the shaman women whose magic protects the forest enclave.
Never talking down to her readers, Pratt reveals the language and customs of a fully realized culture struggling to live on the fringes of American neighborhoods. Pratt explores how some people take action to right wrongs and help those in need while others just accept the sacrifices of “progress.” Readers of all ages will enjoy the uplifting story of a brave teenage girl making friends and coming into her own identity and purpose.
Takeaway: A suburban coming-of-age fantasy for all ages that explores an imaginative culture and environmental responsibility.
Great for fans of: Mary Norton’s The Borrowers, Lynne Reid Banks’s The Indian in the Cupboard.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Assuming perspectives like that of a favorite coffee cup and a salad, Oshri's free-style poems urge an understanding (“You know why people don’t focus on eating? / It is fear of intimacy”) of being present with all that we consume and cherish. Oshri beckons readers to pay close attention to objects they encounter everyday in "Life, Beside Us," and suggests taking a walk nude while covering the head on a chilly day to let the exposed senses take charge of the body, a recommendation many readers (especially in populous areas) may find extreme. Oshri's intent in such passages is not to shock or establish ideological supremacy. Instead, he’s presenting ideas and approaches to living, with insightful and at times challenging examples.
Oshri’s writing is clean and immediately clear throughout. The arrangement of prose passages in brief, broken paragraphs ensures a measured pacing that emphasizes the ideas, achieving stylistic and theoretical continuity with the interspersed poems. Straightforward and creative, this imaginative collection is an able,novel, and provocative introduction to the many principles of animism.
Takeaway: Readers interested in exploring the spiritual belief of animism will find illumination in this unique poetry collection.
Great for fans of: Dennis Schmitz’s Animism, Emma Restall Orr’s The Wakeful World.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B+
Uniting these disparate readings, besides their brevity and import, is Carney’s illuminating commentary. A lively history in their own right, his remarks set the stage for each selection, examining the circumstances that led to the penning of each text and then how each text in turn shaped the world. He considers issues of provenance, language, and textual accuracy, approaching each subject with welcome humility: “Scripture scholars will have had ample occasion in the preceding discussion to note where I have simplified, perhaps to a perilous degree, the details of the how the Bible came into Jacobean English,” he notes at the end of one engaging essay. Scriptural scholars might find nits to pick, but casual readers interested in the history will appreciate Carney’s spirited précis.
Carney’s generalist approach proves inviting as this miscellany finds him celebrating the achievements of Bach (introducing the composer's dedications to two works, including the Brandenburg Concertos) and, not many pages later, contemplating F.T. Marinetti’s Manifesto of Futurism. (“We have no comparable statement for our time,” Carney observes, adding, “And that may be a blessing.”) These short, surprising selections—each introduced with wit and warmth—accrete into a feast for readers of history and lovers of original documents.
Takeaway: This lively miscellany guides readers through many of the most significant (and shortest) documents in history.
Great for fans of: Lapham's Quarterly, Richard Panchyk’s The Keys to American History: Understanding Our Most Important Historic Documents.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Although the story’s often technical, with passages detailing how the implanted chips work with the brain, the programming involved, and their interfacing with other technologies, Hawkes hits the right balance of explaining just enough to be clear while eschewing jargon that might put off those without tech backgrounds. When the government, through an insider at Vitasync, adds an assassination code to a software update that is so sloppy it accidentally kills many people, Hawkes quickly and clearly reveals what the characters investigating the code are finding while simultaneously ramping up the story’s suspense.
The plot’s sturdy if not surprising, but Hawkes’s inventions like the “lifelog”–a cloud-based record of everyone’s life that people often rely on more than their own memories–resonate. It’s Hawkes’s characters who set this thriller apart, offering a welcome change of pace for the genre. Highly intelligent, exceptionally strong women protagonists are pivotal to the storyline– lawyers, VP’s, engineering geniuses, and multi-dimensional leaders. Even characters who function as antagonists are fiercely intelligent and well-crafted. Hawkes fleshes out his cast with many layers, a strategy that will keep readers invested in getting to know them as Cole strives to reveal the truth.
Takeaway: Fans of tech-savvy science fiction will be drawn into the web of those fighting to save society from technology that has spiraled out of control.
Great for fans of: Neal Shusterman’s Scythe, Douglas E. Richards’s Mind’s Eye.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Bruechle’s novel is about striving in a cruel system rather than fighting it. Even after learning about the atrocities committed in the name of maintaining control over the populace, Biz schemes, betrays, lies, and manipulates himself farther up the Bastion chain of command, leaving his former friends to their fates. Biz’s involvement with a revolutionary faction seeking to remake society offers some suspense, but he’s not compellingly conflicted about his choices and difficult to sympathize with by design. With few interests other than his own advancement, the pace at times stalls, as the pages detail the natural disaster that spawned the present regime and the gases that control human behavior and potential.
Life in this cruel dictatorship is depicted with clear prose, and the story will appeal to readers interested in what humanity can become at its worth. Bruechle takes pains to make it hard to invest much hope in any one character or “side.” Western culture is castigated, while the dystopian society’s nebulous enemies “to the East” seem resigned and uncaring in the face of hostile occupation. Readers interested in the dystopian side of dystopian fiction rather than heroics may enjoy this grim story, more Brave New World than The Hunger Games, but those looking for hope will find little here.
Takeaway: This dystopian exploration of compliance and betrayal will appeal to readers fascinated by how far humanity can sink.
Great for fans of: Seth Dickinson’s The Traitor Baru Cormorant, Yevgeny Zamyatin’s We.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
