‘Unmothers’ Sings Thanks to Subtlety

Most characters within The Unmothers grapple with some kind of emotional fracturing; what’s more interesting is seeing how each responds. The nice thing is that the creeping thing in the fog finds all flavors of grief delicious.

‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ a Compendium of Lore

Lore has a distinct style, and that same writing is present on every page of Cabinet of Curiosities, so much so that, without reading the audiobook, I still had Mahnke’s voice and delivery in my head, along with a light soundtrack from an imaginary Chad Lawson. 

‘Nest’ a Cozy Exploration of Monstrosity

It’s hard to pick a favorite element in this “cozy horror.” Is it the blood and gore? The love story? The neurodivergent or asexual rep? The family trauma? Somehow, it manages to be all of the above.

‘Chronicles’ An Intimate Look at One ‘Backyard’

It’s lovely and intimate to read such inner thoughts of another person. It’s intimate, too, to see Tan’s drawings improve over the years and the birds within them grow increasingly lifelike.

‘Red’ a Well-Crafted and Creepy Western

McBride’s utilization of all the elements of Weird Western really shines. From supernatural creatures to sinister humans to wild animals to the unfeeling wilds of nature, the threats are everywhere, and each is given due attention, all woven together to keep any single element from having all the fun—or bearing too much weight to make a satisfying story.

‘West’ Ponders History Through Poem and Essay

West isn’t, and cannot be, an all-encompassing history of a time and place, but it is a fascinating and weighty addition to a more comprehensive view of the region that millions of us call home.

‘Heat’ Brings Only a Little Hope to Climate Crisis

Heat is certainly not a roadmap, but neither is it an indictment (at least, not for the average reader). Rather, it’s food for thought about changes that will not only affect all of us in some way.

‘Believers’ a Timely Take on Tragedy

As The Great Believers shows, the familiar nature of tragedy doesn’t make it any less painful to experience. But as it also shows, the struggle to find joy and move forward even within such tragedy is a thing of beauty, too.