Author: Daniel Haeusser

Daniel Haeusser (He/Him) is an Associate Professor of Biology who teaches microbiology and biochemistry. He researches bacterial cell shape & division, and phage (bacterial viruses) that alter either in their host during infection. His constant reading spans many genres, but SF, Fantasy, Horror, mystery, and world literature remain closest to his heart. His regular book reviews can be found at Reading 1000 Lives, and he also contributes reviews to Strange Horizons, Fantasy Book Critic, Speculative Fiction in Translation, and World Literature Today. You can connect with him on Goodreads or Bluesky.

Book Review: DIAVOLA by Jennifer Thorne

Cover of Diavola, by Jennifer Thorne. Features a woman with a distorted, misty face, blonde hair, and an off-the-shoulder red dress, reading a book. Tagline: "Welcome to Villa Taccola. She's been waiting for you."

Diavola is interesting as a gothic horror through the inclusion of modern-day family vacation chaos and emotion. But it also follows a unique path from the setup and haunting and predictable responses to an original take on consequences and after-effects.

Interview: Waubgeshig Rice (MOON OF THE TURNING LEAVES)

Cover of Moon of the Turning Leaves, by Waubgeshig Rice. Features a forest at sunrise or sunset.

“Putting the events of Moon of the Turning Leaves about a decade into the future beyond Moon of the Crusted Snow was an exciting prospect to be a little more speculative and move the spotlight onto the younger generation who grew up in this new era after the collapse.”

Book Review: THE HAUNTING OF VELKWOOD by Gwendolyn Kiste

Cover of The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste. Features a person standing abovfe a lake that reflects two people, at sunset or sunrise.

The Haunting of Velkwood is an interesting take on the haunted house trope, one that blurs the lines between who are the living and who are the ghosts and expands the supernatural milieu from a building or property to an entire community block.

Book Review: TWICE LIVED by Joma West

Cover of Twice Lived by Joma West, featuring half a yellow flower flecked with red, joined to half a red flower. Cover design by Fort; Photo © Getty

“… (T)he story of Twice Lived rests on readers’ empathic connection with its major characters and the bittersweet nature of life: the haphazard fortunes it throws upon us, or the random situations it thrusts us into, often without control, powerless.”

Book Review: CONVERGENCE PROBLEMS by Wole Talabi

Cover of Convergence Problems by Wole Talabi. Dominant colors scheme is purple and golden brown, with black and white accents; abstract man in spacesuit and woman with African-patterned clothing and a circuitry-inlaid collar.

“… (E)ven the most widely read out there will find something new here, and something of significance.”

Book Review: THE TUSKS OF EXTINCTION by Ray Nayler

Cover of The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler, featuring the skull and huge, curving tusks of an elephant, mammoth or mastodon.

It touches on big issues, features biological speculation that is near and dear to me, but it does all this without skimping on character-driven aspects and precise language that evokes empathy and reflection.