A MOSTLY-HUMAN SPACEFARER and her mostly-machine companion travel between worlds in a flash, supporting and annoying each other in equal measure. Experimental SF inspired by Cortázar is a twist on genre conventions. SOLID B for me, but somebody’s A.

TRAFIK
Coffee House Press
2021

SLEEK PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER spares nobody in its sharp-eyed look at the writing life, the angst of aging Boomers, and the myths we make about ourselves and our families. Not to mention a tense, twisty plot! B PLUS

DREAM GIRL
William Morrow
2021

LOVE, YEARNING, GRIEF, and joy are the cornerstones of this raw, brilliant memoir by a writer and musician whose extraordinary mother died far too young. Beautifully complex insights on split identity (Korean and American), and food and memory. A MINUS

CRYING IN H MART
Knopf
2021

A JOURNALIST SEEKS REVENGE: on a self-aggrandizing streamer who hurt his godchild, on an increasingly corrupt and commercialized profession, on a modern world where he feels out of place. Sharp, compelling Washington thriller. B PLUS

FALSE LIGHT
Greenleaf Book Group Press
2021

A SPECTACULAR MAGICAL ADVENTURE set in an alternate steampunk universe where ancient magic has made Egypt the world’s superpower. Loaded with action and brilliant worldbuilding. A MINUS

A MASTER OF DJINN (DEAD DJINN UNIVERSE #1)
Tordotcom
2021

RE-ENVISIONING THE CLASSIC WESTERN with a powerful tale of frontier revenge—the difference here is that the steel-eyed sharpshooter exacting brutal justice is a Chinese outlaw with some help from the supernatural. Epic, vivid, cinematic. A MINUS

THE THOUSAND CRIMES OF MING TSU
Little
2021

IN A REGIMENTED FUTURE CONTROLLED by AIs, monocorporations, and a draconian surveillance state, one person tries to choose freedom. Fascinating worldbuilding, timely parable. SOLID B

TERMS OF SERVICE: SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE
Bad Rooster Press
2021

DAZZLING, UNSETTLING NOVEL about two women, brought together by chance, who share deep bonds of grief and guilt. All the creepiness of the best Simenon, but with a feminist edge. A MINUS

CONSENT
Knopf
2021

COMING TO TERMS WITH a brutal childhood, a tension between two ethnic and religious identities, and the pull of two homelands, a writer rediscovers old loves at the beginning of a new one. Heartfelt portrayal of a particularly masculine crisis. B PLUS

MONKEY BOY
Grove Press
2021

A DESTROYED EARTH, A MARS haven for the privileged few, and a universal surveillance culture fighting against a ragtag resistance. In the midst of this, a classic noir mystery starring a tough, wiseass cop. Great worldbuilding, great fun. B PLUS

SCORCHED EARTH (THE HALO TRILOGY BOOK 2)
Pumpjack Press
2021