Donald Maass Literary Agency

Publishers Weekly: Lee (Hexarchate Stories) sets an arresting tale of loyalty, identity, and the power of art in a skillfully rendered fantasy world inspired by the Japanese occupation of Korea. The Empire of Razan conquered Hwaguk six years earlier, transforming it into Administrative Territory Fourteen. When Gyen Jebi, a nonbinary struggling artist, registers for a Razanei name to enhance their job prospects, their sister, Bongsunga, calls Jebi a traitor to their Hwagugin heritage and cuts off the financial support she had been providing. Jebi is left in no position to turn down a job offer from the Razan government’s defense sector, especially not when the recruiter threatens to arrest Bongsunga for her revolutionary ties should Jebi refuse. Jebi’s task is to destroy classic Hwagugin artworks, reducing them to a powder with magical properties that can be used as a pigment to paint codes onto automatons of war and program their behaviors. When Jebi secretly teaches the mechanical dragon they’re working on to speak, Jebi learns the devastating truth behind a recent massacre. But will Jebi be able to save their people and regain their sister’s trust? Readers need not be history buffs to appreciate Lee’s rich worldbuilding, but those with knowledge of Korean history will find the nuance and detail especially rewarding. Lee’s masterful storytelling is sure to wow.

Booklist: Everyone’s favorite Murderbot is now working as a security consultant for Preservation Station. While accompanying several members of Dr. Mensah’s family on a research outing, they’re attacked by a ship that looks a lot like their old friend, the transport ship ART. Murderbot and Amena, Mensah’s daughter, are kidnapped and taken aboard, where they uncover a plot that leads back to a strange planet, corporate machinations, and a possible alien contagion. The Murderbot novellas were perfectly paced to fit a ton of action into a short form. Network Effect is just as action-packed, but the pace is now calibrated to fill a full novel, which gives it more breathing room and opportunities to explore the characters and the setting in greater depth. Relationships between all the characters are richer and more nuanced. Wells reveals more about Dr. Mensah’s family and some surprises about ART and establishes more details about how the Corporations function, the contrasts between the Corporate Rim and Preservation Station, the politics at play, and some of the history of pre-Corporate planetary colonization attempts. It’s a welcome expansion of this universe and lays the groundwork for more stories to come in a series that continues to grow and impress.

Publishers Weekly: The enjoyable 15th installment to Harrison’s the Hollows series picks up shortly after the events of 2014’s The Witch with No Name as witch-born demon Rachel Mariana Morgan again confronts supernatural threats to her beloved Cincinnati. An unknown and terrifying creature is stalking both Rachel and her former enemy, elven Trent Kalamack, in their dreams, while in the waking world, Hodin, a mysterious new demon in town, offers Rachel an opportunity to fine-tune her magical abilities. Afraid to sleep, Rachel places her trust in Hodin to help her find a way to defeat a nightmarish foe she can’t even touch. Harrison makes a skillful return to her urban fantasy world, recapturing her signature blend of magical mayhem and soap operatics, though the dwindling presence of Rachel’s vampire partner, Ivy, suggests a shift in focus as the series evolves. Narrative momentum is disrupted by several lengthy scenes of Rachel exploring her magic with Hodin through elaborately described rituals and slogging metaphysical discussion, but the expansion of magic’s possibilities in this universe could spell good things to come. Despite a detailed introductory preface, new readers will likely be lost in the sea of returning faces, but existing fans will be pleased by this promising continuation of the series.