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Book Review: The Last Smile in Sunder City, by Luke Arnold

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I don’t remember where I saw a recommendation for The Last Smile in Sunder City (2020) by Luke Arnold, but it came up in my library queue after being on hold for a number of weeks. Thanks, unknown benefactor! The worldbuilding here is complex yet convincing, the protagonist has an interesting journey, and the plot kept me interested with twists, turns, and revelations. From the publisher’s summary: In a world that’s lost its magic, a former soldier turned PI solves cases for the fantasy creatures whose lives he ruined in an imaginative debut fantasy by Black Sails actor Luke Arnold.

Cover of Shroud, by Adrian Tchaikovsky, featuring a glowing escape shuttle caught in a dark tangle of metallic-looking threads.
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Book Review: Shroud, by Adrian Tchaikovsky

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Somehow, I’ve never reviewed an Adrian Tchaikovsky novel for Skiffy and Fanty, although I love most of his work, including Alien Clay, Elder Race, the Children of Time series, and reaching back to Empire in Black and Gold. I had a very busy 2025, so I missed Shroud when it was published. However, as I finally buckle down to my Hugo reading, it’s time to explore this fascinating science fiction story. Unsurprisingly, I love the worldbuilding, both the corporate dystopia of the humans and the puzzling Shrouded aliens, and I love the human narrator; moreover, this is a very interesting exploration of intelligence, communication, and society. This is a great novel of first contact.

Cover of Kill All Wizards by Jedediah Berry, featuring a man with a huge sword in one hand and a relatively tiny teacup in another, with shaggy black hair and an eyepatch, wearing a ripped three-piece suit, with several wizard hats (purple with gold stars) on the ground beside him.
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Book Review: Kill All Wizards, by Jedediah Berry

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I really enjoyed Kill All Wizards, by Jedediah Berry, even though it’s not quite the sword-and-sorcery/comedy/fantasy of manners that I was expecting. Yes, there are epic confrontations between a barbarian and several magic-users, and there are many comical moments, and occasional discussions of manners; however, Berry also plays a lot with framing, story structure, and style. His variations on some recognizable S&S tropes are very fresh and fun. I also adored Berry’s 2024 novel, The Naming Song, which I reviewed here. Kill All Wizards is very different, though, in tone, subject, and plot. For me, it worked as a great little break after some really challenging works. From the publisher’s description: The barbarian traveled far to consult the wizards of the empire. Instead of lending their aid, they ensorcelled him, exploited his strength, and stole his sword. They should not have done that.Now the barbarian plans to kill every wizard who wronged him, even if that means blending in with their vile society: dressing in finery, taking tea in exclusive clubs, and reserving the best box at the theater.

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Movie Discussion: VOIDANCE (2026; dir. Marianna Dean)

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DIRECTED BY: Marianna DeanCAST: James Cosmo (Game of Thrones, Braveheart), Zoe Cunningham (Breaking Infinity), Neil Bishop (Beautiful Disaster), Mim Shaikh (Queenie), Billy Price (Hollyoaks), Chris Charles (Hollyoaks).WRITTEN BY: Simon X. FrederickPRODUCED BY: Tom Taplin, Marianna Dean. Zoe Cunningham Try. Fail. Repeat. In order to become an ATIC agent, Alana Toro faces her final assessment. Inside a simulated space station bar, she must prevent a terrorist attack before it happens. Each failed attempt allows her to restart the scenario, but with limited chances to get it right. As Alana navigates a cast of guarded and unpredictable patrons, gaining trust proves as difficult as identifying the threat itself. With each attempt, new details emerge and assumptions shift, forcing her to rethink who she can rely on. As the pressure builds, Alana is pushed towards an unorthodox solution, one that may challenge everything ATIC expects of her. You can watch the trailer here.

Cover of Angel Down, by Daniel Kraus, featuring clouds of smoke and red smears that could signify fire or blood.
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Book Review: Angel Down, by Daniel Kraus

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Daniel Kraus is a prominent SFFH writer whom I hadn’t heard about until I found out that Skiffy and Fanty’s Daniel Haeusser had scored an interview with him for the show, coming live on Friday, June 12, at 8 p.m. Eastern, at https://twitch.tv/alphabetstreams. Shaun Duke and I are talking with Kraus mostly about his upcoming science fiction novel, The Sixth Nik. However, at about the same time, I saw that his 2025 novel, Angel Down, had won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and that became available to me first, so here are my immediate thoughts on it.

Cover of Obstetrix, by Naomi Kritzer, featuring a hypodermic needle against a pink background.
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Book Review: Obstetrix, by Naomi Kritzer

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Naomi Kritzer has been publishing speculative fiction since 2003 and has won about 10 major awards since 2014. In 2024 I strongly recommended her book Liberty’s Daughter. Her latest work, Obstetrix, has been published today, and while it’s too close to today’s world to really call it science fiction, I can say that it’s a tense, exciting, and heartfelt thriller, with a strong and empathetic female protagonist, with a plot setup drawn from some ugly realities of modern society that seem to be getting worse. Technically a novella, although it’s being published as a short book, it’s a great fast read, and it illustrates some very important themes. From the publisher’s summary: Doctor Liz has just been acquitted for performing the last abortion in North Dakota when she’s kidnapped.They’re not just any kidnappers, but a fundamentalist cult, deep in the rural west, without respect for law or decency, and in desperate need of an OB/GYN.Guarded, isolated, without access to the outside world, Liz … is very aware of what happened to the last obstetrician they kidnapped.She must escape, and bring help to the girls trapped at the compound, if it’s the last thing she does.

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