Original world-building (a decadent city in a tree stump in the middle of a poisonous river), a host of venomous bugs, operas in which losing a stage duel means you really do die in Act III, bespoke perfumes that are armour, seduction, and propaganda combined, and a plot twist that made me want to start the book again just to figure out how they did it. I listened to this as an audiobook and have to include a shout-out to narrator Max Meyers for his masterful handling of a tricky assignment. And yes, I did buy the hardcover edition just so I can figure out how they did it.
He was sent to kill a pest. Instead, he found a monster.
One of BookPage's Most Anticipated SFF & Horror of Fall 2025
Enter the decadent, deadly city of Tiliard, a metropolis carved into the stump of an ancient tree. In its canopy, the pampered elite warp minds with toxic perfume; in its roots, gangs of exterminators hunt a colossal worm with an appetite for beauty.
In this complex, chaotic city, Guy Moulène has a simple goal: keep his sister out of debt. For her sake, he'll take on any job, no matter how vile.
This collection of short fiction (several award-winning) features swoon-worthy lyrical prose, sharp takes on fairy and folk tales, plus reflections on language, dispossession, and belonging. Also birds figure prominently, which I always enjoy. Another library read that I liked so much I bought the book.
Full of glimpses into gleaming worlds and fairy tales with teeth, Seasons of Glass and Iron: Stories is a collection of acclaimed and awarded work from Amal El-Mohtar.
With confidence and style, El-Mohtar guides us through exquisitely told and sharply observed tales about life as it is, was, and could be. Like miscellany from other worlds, these stories are told in letters, diary entries, reference materials, folktales, and lyrical prose.
Full of Nebula, Locus, World Fantasy, and Hugo Award-winning and nominated stories, Seasons of Glass and Iron: Stories includes 'Seasons of Glass and Iron', 'The Green Book', 'Madeleine', 'The Lonely…
I came to Tom Cox through his very entertaining presence on Bluesky, where his epic threads of ‘animals I have met’ are memorable both for the photos and the clever alt text. This novel has beautiful evocations of the Dorset coast, records you wish existed, people you wish you knew, connections that creep up on you, and the perfect amount of fantasy, all told in funny, irreverent and compelling prose. I read it from our library and then immediately bought it and another Cox title.
'One of our very best authors ... Very funny, very moving novel' The New World
'Charming portrait of friendship and loneliness' Daily Mail
'Deeply comforting' Guardian
'Funny, inventive and beautifully heart-breaking' Irish Times
Have you ever been curious about how people live when nobody is watching? Have you wondered whether there's more going on than meets the eye?
Eric and Carl live in Dorset in a small white cottage under the shadow of a big cliff. Eric sells old records and antiques. Carl cooks, cleans and crochets. Nearing seventy, Eric is a lifelong accumulator of…
Twenty years ago, Simon Donovan, an antiquities scholar, wronged Sidonie Moreau, his former research assistant—and she has not forgotten. Threatening to expose him, she demands he come to her remote mansion in the mountainous north to repay his debt. But she wasn't expecting his son, Matthew, a struggling painter, to take his place. Matthew is intrigued by the mysterious Sidonie, but when she reveals what she wants, he is horrified: his blood, willingly given. No harm will come to him if he refuses, and his days leave him free to paint as he pleases, but each night she must ask and he must answer. Trapped by the vast wilderness all around them, Matthew has no choice but to submit to her terms. Although he vows to never surrender to Sidonie, Matthew cannot ignore her smile, her charm, or the sorrow in her eyes. Grappling with secrets within his heart, tempted by desire and despair, he knows one night he just might say yes . . .
