Reactor: “The book began to feel not as if it stared at death, but like it had found a way to show how the tendrils of each life reach out and find their way into so many other lives. It was, in the least hokey way possible, life-affirming. And also just brilliantly put together.”
Publishers Weekly: Fans of sapphic romance and gory cannibalistic horror will find unexpected common ground in this masterful medievalesque fantasy from Starling (Last to Leave the Room). Aymar Castle is under siege, leaving the people trapped inside mad with hunger and desperate for any source of salvation. Loyal knight Ser Voyne attempts to maintain order while the king’s alchemist Phosyne urgently searches for a way to create food and serving girl Treila tries to keep her head down while secretly simmering with rage at Ser Voyne. When the castle is unexpectedly visited by the Constant Lady and her attending saints, the feast they bring appears to be exactly the miracle the starving people prayed for. But the truth is much darker, and Ser Voyne and Phosyne soon find themselves fighting to prevent a bloodthirsty bacchanalia that would consume them all, while Treila contemplates fleeing. Starling expertly balances the plot’s contrasting aims, offering gruesome horror and sweeping fantasy worldbuilding in equal measure. The dextrously delineated human hierarchy in the castle and the creepy saints’ bee-based faith system undergird the increasingly shocking events of the plot. The pace is fast, the twists are unexpected, and the complex queer characters—each of whom narrate in wonderfully distinct voices—are easy to root for. This is a feast. (May)
The nominations for the 2024 Nebula Awards were announced, and we’re thrilled to see the following DMLA authors on the list! Congratulations all around!
Best Novel
Best Novella
Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction
Best Game Writing
Sharon Lee, novelist, is the 2025 winner of the Robert A. Heinlein Award. The award is bestowed for outstanding published works in science fiction and technical writings that inspire the human exploration of space. This award is in recognition of Ms. Lee’s body of work of over 38 novels and short stories. A majority of her space themed work is in the Liaden Universe, written with her late husband Steve Miller, and features merchant families trading across the galaxy. The next Liaden Universe novel, Diviner’s Bow, is forthcoming from Baen Books in April 2025.
The award will be formally presented during opening ceremonies on Friday, May 23, 2025 at 8:00 PM for Balticon 59, the 59th Maryland Regional Science Fiction Convention. Balticon will take place at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore Maryland. Ms. Lee will participate in the Balticon program across Memorial Day Weekend.
Balticon and the Robert A. Heinlein Award are both managed and sponsored by The Baltimore Science Fiction Society, Inc. BSFS thanks The Heinlein Society and the family of Dr. Yoji Kondo for providing funding for this award.
The Robert A. Heinlein Award is a sterling silver medallion bearing the image of Robert A. Heinlein, as depicted by artist Arlin Robins. The medallion is matched with a red-white-blue lanyard. In addition, the winner receives two lapel pins for use when a large medallion is impractical, and a plaque describing the award for home or office wall display.
The Robert A. Heinlein Award selection committee consists of science fiction writers and was founded by Dr. Yoji Kondo, a long-time friend of Robert and Virginia Heinlein. Members of the original committee were approved by Virginia Heinlein.
Virginia Heinlein authorized multiple awards in memory of her husband. Other awards include the Heinlein Prize, which is fully funded by Virginia Heinlein’s estate, and a National Space Society award for volunteer projects.
Congratulations to Martha Wells as MURDERBOT has been picked up and made into new sci-fi series! It will make its global debut on Apple TV+ on May 16, 2025! For fans of Wells’s work, don’t forget to tune-in to experience this world through a new lens!
Starring Emmy Award winner Alexander Skarsgård (“Succession,” “Big Little Lies”), who also serves as executive producer, the 10-episode sci-fi series drops the first two episodes on Friday, May 16, 2025 followed by new episodes every Friday through July 11.
Library Journal: Thompson’s new novel of suburban scandals and secrets (following Such a Lovely Family) is set in a peaceful subdivision outside of Washington, DC. All appears normal for Aimee, Gwen, and Lisa, three neighborhood wives who share weekly dinners, exchange parenting advice, help each other out with their kids while their husbands tag along, and even go on family vacations together. One night after a group dinner in their neighborhood, Aimee overhears an argument between Gwen and her husband, Anton, from the next yard over. The following morning, the neighbors receive the news that Anton is dead—murdered. The subsequent police investigation creates waves among the group. Secrets begin to surface, and everyone’s perfect facades begin to crumble, creating doubt in all of the relationships. Some of the neighborhood’s residents are not who they say they are; many of them are harboring jealousy, judgment, and deceit.
VERDICT Thompson flawlessly creates engaging plot twists and imperfect, realistic characters that readers will love to hate. This is a must-buy for public libraries and perfect for fans of Adele Parks and Lisa Unger.
Shelf Awareness: An unassuming hero must move forward after trauma and seek reparations for a historic crime in this emotionally deep, friendship-affirming fantasy mystery. The Tomb of Dragons is the third in Katherine Addison’s the Cemeteries of Amalo series, set in the universe of her breakout novel The Goblin Emperor.
Othala Thara Celehar’s victory over a dangerous evil in the previous book, The Grief of Stones, came at the price of his power to speak to the dead and therefore his standing as Witness for the Dead. Now he must decide who he is without that title. He continues to follow the calling of his god, “even though I wasn’t sure I had one anymore,” as well as advising his mentee, Othalo Tomasaran, who finds herself suddenly thrust into the role of Witness for the Dead. His Archprelate charges him with investigating a large municipal cemetery that has stopped accepting the dead. Celehar finds a sea of disorganized paperwork and orphaned bones at the cemetery office, as well as a supervising prelate overwhelmed by the Sisyphean task of sorting it all out. He will also learn once and for all whether his calling is finished with him when a group of miners forces him to confront a long-dead, vengeful dragon spirit trapped within a mountain. Celehar will have to face down some of the nation’s most powerful players to see justice served.
Addison (The Witness for the Dead) continues to flesh out her world, adding new political and economic details along with her own take on dragons. Celehar finds plenty of mystery and intrigue, or it finds him, even without his power. The core of the story reckons with the complexity of healing, whether from a widespread social injustice or a personal crisis. Celehar’s previous adventure has left him shaken and unsure of his future, but he won’t endure his struggles alone. He is supported by familiar friends, including opera director Iäna Pel-Thenhior, and new ones such as Hanu Olgarezh, an honorable guard captain with eyes of “pale orange fire.” Fans will be happy to see cameos from the Goblin Emperor, among others. While the finale offers some closure, Addison leaves plenty of room to return to Celehar and his continuing escapades. Readers who are up to date on Celehar’s earlier ventures will derive the most enjoyment from this installment. Readers new to Addison’s world should consider enjoying her highly recommended backlist. —Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads
Shelf Talker: Katherine Addison’s fantasy mystery series continues with an emotionally complex story of healing and reparation.
Bridget Morrissey, Emily Wibberley, and Austin Siegemund-Broka writing as E.B. Asher’s THIS WILL BE INTERESTING, a stand-alone set in the same world as THIS WILL BE FUN, in which a resurrected hero, a disgraced assassin, a honeymooning king and queen, a criminal, and a writer are thrown together on an unlikely journey overseas where they have only one rule: don’t fall in love with your quest mates, to Priyanka Krishnan at Avon, in a good deal, for publication in spring 2026, by Taylor Haggerty at Root Literary for Morrissey, and by Katie Shea Boutillier at Donald Maass Literary Agency for Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka (world). Film/TV: Olivia Fanaro and Maialie Fitzpatrick at UTA
Audio rights to David Jones’ MISS UNIVERSE, to Kim Budnick at Tantor Media, by Katie Shea Boutillier for Jennie Goloboy (World English).
Audio rights to J.S. Fields’s FOXFIRE IN THE SNOW, to Kim Budnick at Tantor Media, by Katie Shea Boutillier (world English).
Audio rights to Katherine Addison’s THE ORB OF CAIRADO, a novella set in the world of THE GOBLIN EMPEROR featuring an unlikely hero in historian Ulcetha Zhorvena, to Kim Budnick at Tantor Media, by Katie Shea Boutillier on behalf of Cameron McClure (world English).
Chinese (complex) rights to Nebula and World Fantasy Award winner Premee Mohamed’s NO ONE WILL COME BACK FOR US, to Apex, by Gray Tan at Grayhawk Agency in association with Michael Curry.
Czech rights to Robert McCammon’s SWAN SONG and BOY’S LIFE, to OneHotBooks (CZECH REPUBLIC), by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Cameron McClure.
Hebrew rights to New York Times bestselling author Martha Wells’ ALL SYSTEMS RED and ARTIFICIAL CONDITION, the first two installments in the Murderbot Diaries series, to Opus Publishing House, by Beverley Levit at The Israeli Association Of Book Publishers Ltd in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.
German rights to Miranda Lyn’s TILL DEATH and NEVERMORE, to Vajosh, by Sarah Knofius at Thomas Schlueck Agency, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.
Polish rights to Nnedi Okorafor’s BINTI: THE COMPLETE TRILOGY, to Vesper, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Donald Maass.
Polish audio rights to New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher’s CHANGES, COLD DAYS, GHOST STORY, and SKIN GAME, all novels in the Dresden Files series, to Storytel, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava i Prevodi in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.
Ukrainian rights to Melissa K. Roehrich’s The Legacy series, to Family Leisure Club, in a four-book deal, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.
Ukrainian rights to Robert McCammon’s MISTER SLAUGHTER, THE PROVIDENCE RIDER and THE LISTENER, to Zhorzh, in a four-book deal, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Cameron McClure.