THROUGH PAIN AND HEALING TO INSPIRATION: Nnedi Okorafor’s gem of a memoir of how a medical crisis helped spur her to a writing career. A MINUS

BROKEN PLACES & OUTER SPACES
Simon & Schuster
2019

THE CHAOS OF NIGERIAN POLITICS in the late twentieth century shapes a man’s life, friendships, and family relationships. Vivid and evocative. B PLUS

PRINCE OF MONKEYS
Counterpoint
2019

CRISP SPACE THRILLER pits a battle-worn salvager and her AI drone against an alien race with extraordinary powers. Lots of action, memorable characters. B PLUS

RULES OF REDEMPTION (THE FIREBIRD CHRONICLES BOOK 1)
T.A. White
2019

LOST IN THE 1970s: a humorous, rueful memoir of a Massachusetts girlhood of drug use and petty crime. Sharply evocative of its time. B PLUS

BODY LEAPING BACKWARD
Mariner Books
2019

BRILLIANT, WITTY THRILLER takes some satirical swipes at Silicon Valley amid a tight and twisty plot. A MINUS

THE MAN WHO WOULDN'T DIE
William Morrow Paperbacks
2019

A TRULY SELF-AWARE AI changes the world in ways its creator hadn’t anticipated. Thoughtful SF explores the deeper issues. SOLID B

FIRST OF THEIR KIND (THE CHRONICLES OF THEREN BOOK 1)
Two Doctors Media Collaborative LLC
2019

AN ECCENTRIC POLISH RECLUSE finds her remote village suddenly awash in murder. Wonderful whodunit with unforgettable characters. A MINUS

DRIVE YOUR PLOW OVER THE BONES OF THE DEAD
Riverhead Books
2019

POETIC, SURREALIST FEVER-DREAMS and the beautifully intrusive repetitions of the villanelle shape this series of brief novels about nothing and everything. SOLID B

THE NOCILLA TRILOGY
Farrar
2019

AN AIMLESS ENGLISHMAN MEETS A MERMAID, and both of their lives change suddenly. Fantasy with equal parts romance and thriller—and with a sweet heart. B PLUS

TAINTED WATER
Dan Farrell
2019

LOUISA MAY ALCOTT’S CIVIL WAR service as a nurse explored in a deeply researched, thoughtful new look at the iconic writer. B PLUS

LOUISA ON THE FRONT LINES
Seal Press
2019