THE DAZZLING ENIGMA OF HEREDITY, and the many ways we try to grasp at it, from family stories to genealogy to genetic research. Maud Newton’s clear, engaging prose moves seamlessly between her own family tree and the broader questions. A MINUS

ANCESTOR TROUBLE
Random House
2022

HERDING CATS—IN SPACE! Or rather, the cat-like sapient beings of Planet Dave, oddly resistant to the best rescue efforts of the starship Teapot. Fun, jokey interstellar adventure in the Hitchhiker’s Guide tradition. SOLID B

JUDGEMENT DAVE: SCI-FI THAT PUTS THE CAT IN CATASTROPHE
White Hart Fiction
2022

MEMOIR AND TRUE CRIME interweave in this story of a writer turned private investigator pursuing the truth in a high-profile sexual assault case. Thoughtful, sensitive writing; not an easy read, but a rewarding one. B PLUS

TELL ME EVERYTHING
Flatiron Books
2022

FRESH, WITTY SCIENCE FICTION adventure from John Scalzi has wild monsters, fantastical world-building, and wonderfully drawn characters. Enjoy the ride (but keep your hands safely inside the carriage). B PLUS

THE KAIJU PRESERVATION SOCIETY
Tor Books
2022

SLEEK TIME-TRAVEL THRILLER mixes its classic science-fiction themes with glossy luxury adventure à la Michael Crichton. Add to that a wealth of knowledge about Ancient Rome, and you get a completely captivating read. B PLUS

A COIN FOR THE FERRYMAN
Imbrifex Books
2022

CHANCE ENCOUNTERS CHANGE LIVES in this spectacular novel. Bold combination of the psychological thriller and the comedy of manners offers exquisite satire of the big-money art world as well as fascinating characters. A MINUS

MOUTH TO MOUTH
Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
2022

DEATHS AND A LONG FRIENDSHIP don’t usually mix well, but somehow Luna and Owen stayed close—until Owen’s wife is murdered. Magnificently twisty thriller with unforgettable characters. A MINUS

THE ACCOMPLICE
Ballantine Books
2022

A ROGUE CYBERCOP’S TRAIN is robbed, and that’s just the beginning of his troubles in the far-future Wild West of a resettled Earth. Action-packed science fiction thriller with a classic Western feel. SOLID B

THE SERAPH ENGINE (OLD CHROME BOOK 1)
Lucas Ross Publishing
2022

THE SCIENCE OF HEARTBREAK AND LONELINESS, deftly braided with the personal experiences of the writer, a journalist who interviews researchers and professionals while making her own path through a wrenching divorce. Revelatory and touching. B PLUS

HEARTBREAK
W. W. Norton & Company
2022

A NOVEL ABOUT LANGUAGE about a novelist writing about language, but also about parallel universes and love and family and climate change and Erik Satie and the nature of being. Lovely Norwegian experimental fiction is an oddly comforting read. B PLUS

PRESENT TENSE MACHINE
Farrar
2022