Three new novels offer readers a diverse range of genres, from science fiction to ghost stories and archaeological adventures. Each book brings a unique voice and compelling narrative that is sure to captivate audiences.
Radiant Star by Ann Leckie (Orbit £22, 368pp)
Ann Leckie stands out as a distinctive voice in contemporary science fiction. Her primary focus, remarkably, is on etiquette—how interstellar civilizations with diverse faiths, shapes, genders, and pronouns navigate the delicate art of interacting with one another. While this may sound dry, it is anything but. Leckie acts as a witty guide, leading readers through a complex maze of events affecting the Ooioiaans, a people grappling with interfaith issues and facing takeover by the fair yet ruthless Imperial Radch. Sainthood, onions, inheritances, unlikely friendships, and arrogant high-handed behavior all converge to create an utterly compelling and deeply moving story, told with calm precision and jewel-like clarity.
Waiting on a Friend by Natalie Adler (Riverrun £16.99, 288pp)
It is challenging to adequately describe this beautiful and intimate novel about love, friendship, death, and ghosts. Set in New York City during the early 1980s, AIDS is devastating the gay community, making death almost commonplace—but not for Renata, who sees ghosts. This is not a gothic or sixth-sense tale; the ghosts are in her apartment, at clubs, on the street, and some are her friends. The novel explores how she copes with this unsettling ability with realism and sensitivity. A brutal subplot reminiscent of Ghostbusters is brilliantly woven into the authentic grit and hustle of New York at that time. This is a stunning debut.
Heaven's Graveyard by Grace Curtis (Hodderscape £22, 368pp)
Buried secrets, buried gods, buried truths—Heaven's Graveyard is an emotional, slow-burn, quest-driven adventure of love, loss, and ultimately acceptance. Coda Canalluny, known as Cod, is an archaeologist working as an archivist for the civic museum. Her true calling, however, is to prove the existence of an ancient myth and her hero, the rebellious Aleya Ana-Unai. Complicating matters are university politics, the threat of war, Cod's neurodivergence, and her ex-girlfriend Sparrow, who is willful, spoiled, and super-rich. A telegram from her old mentor kickstarts the plot, leading to a murder, a race for relics, untold divine power, and a time of reckoning for Cod.
