Contemporary fiction, fantasy and horror – general reviews
Blood Over Bright Haven by ML Wang (Del Rey, £18.99)
This powerful and captivating novel by a self-published former author (The Sword of Kaigen) is similar to Ursula K Le Guin’s original works: it has a fascinating system of magic and explores social issues and of behavior that affects the real world. After years of hard work, Sciona achieves her goal, becoming the first woman to be accepted as a senior at the University of Magics and Industry, but is rejected and mocked by her male colleagues . Instead of a qualified lab assistant, you have to adapt to Tommy the housekeeper, a refugee from the barren lands beyond the city walls. But as the two outsiders learn to work together, they discover a dark secret at the heart of the magic that powers the town, and must make a dangerous, life-changing decision. For me, the best fantasy book of the year.
Jackal by Erin E Adams (Dead Ink, £10.99)
In this dramatic novel from a Haitian-American writer, Liz reluctantly returns to her hometown for her best friend’s wedding. During the party, the young daughter of the couple disappears in the forest. While searching for her, Liz remembers a horrific event that left her terrified of the area: Keisha, a Black student at her school, disappeared, her broken body later found the heart is missing. His death was considered an accident, injuries caused by postmortem animals. But many other Black girls have met the same fate, before and after Keisha’s death; Deep-rooted racism has allowed the beast to get away with horrific crimes for decades. Liz confronts evil in a fun, addictive story that adds elements of the supernatural to real human horrors.
The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis (Gollancz, £18.99)
Francie has come to New Mexico to be her first college maid of honor, secretly hoping she can talk him out of marrying a UFO nut. But on the way he is abducted by a twisted pile of tents, and is forced to drive it around: his attempt to escape is futile, and the others are taken in with them. Fear quickly turns to sympathy for the alien’s lost little plight, as the captives struggle to communicate with it and find what it needs. From conspiracy theories, UFO sightings and old westerns, this easy-to-follow first-person tour has a lot to enjoy.
Curdle Creek by Yvonne Battle-Felton (Dialogue, £20)
Like the author’s first book, Remembered, this story of slavery carries the weight of the long-term impact of slavery in America, here as the story of the origins of the isolated black town of Curdle Creek. A century has passed since the town was founded in 1865 as a refuge for ex-slaves, and to the narrator, Osira, it feels like a prison. The elderly ruling matriarchs cling to their power, control the numbers – “one in, one out” – and insist that only by obeying every law, and performing annual rituals and year of Moving On, Warding Off and the Widows’ Race, society can be kept safe. From the beginning, there are some similarities to Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery, but readers who think they know where this is going will be in for a surprise, as Osira’s story has many surprises.
Incubations with Ramsey Campbell (Flame Tree, £20)
The latest from the modern British horror scene imagines that fear is a contagious disease, infected by nightmares and spread through contact, a concept that is very important in our world. other facts, and is handled with ordinary skill. Celebrating his 60th year as a published author, this special edition includes an afterword and a new short story. Parallel volumes are devoted to the short stories of HP Lovecraft (The Invocations) and MR James (The Damnations) – early influences on Campbell, and a great addition to any horror lover’s library.
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