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The Speculative Shelf

@speculativeshelf

Concise book reviews of fresh and forthcoming speculative fiction titles. Fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and anything in between!

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28.11.2024
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Latest posts by The Speculative Shelf @speculativeshelf

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Review: Few and Far Between by Jan Carson 🌊 β€œA brilliant alternate history and a cracking read...between the dry humor, the family drama, and the unique island setting, Carson hits all the right notes.” πŸ“š speculativeshelf.com/2026/03/03/r...
@scribnerbooks.bsky.social @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social

03.03.2026 19:37 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1
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Review: Hunger: A Novel (May 2026) by Choi Jin-Young (t. Soje) πŸ‡°πŸ‡· "A moving, melancholic love story – tender and full of heart, with just a dash of cannibalism." πŸ§‘β€πŸ³ speculativeshelf.com/2026/02/22/r... via @europaeditions.bsky.social

22.02.2026 18:53 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review: The Republic of Memory by Mahmud El Sayed (May 2026) 🌌 β€œA fantastic conceit, executed beautifully…an expansive, living tapestry of cultures…a terrific start to the series.” πŸͺ speculativeshelf.com/2026/02/21/r... via
@sagapressbooks.bsky.social @mahmudelsayed.bsky.social

21.02.2026 18:33 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review: Earthly Playing Field (May 2026) by Radhika Singh 🌱 "Engrossing and vibrant...an impressive, timely, and gripping debut." πŸ’œ speculativeshelf.com/2026/02/13/review-earthly-playing-field/ via @commonnotions.bsky.social

13.02.2026 19:09 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review: Ode to the Half-Broken (April 2026) by Suzanne Palmer πŸ€– "...the heart and humanity at its core make it a refreshing and winsome read." πŸ›œ speculativeshelf.com/2026/02/09/review-ode-to-the-half-broken/ via
@dawbooks.bsky.social

09.02.2026 18:46 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review: Rabbit Test and Other Stories (April 2026) by @samtasticbooks.com πŸ‡ "A diverse array of stories, each engaging and lively, brimming with heart and an urgent sense of purpose." πŸͺ„ speculativeshelf.com/2026/01/21/r... via
@tachyonpub.bsky.social

30.01.2026 14:10 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Top 10 Books of 2025 featuring @thelincoln.bsky.social, @rjbennett.bsky.social, @jonathanreeder.bsky.social, @ginnytkmr.bsky.social, and more! speculativeshelf.com/2025/12/02/top-10-books-of-2025/

09.12.2025 18:20 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1
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Review: The Antidote (2025) by Karen Russell πŸŒͺ️ "Russell's dust-choked world is perfectly rendered with beautiful prose and well-researched detail..." πŸ€ speculativeshelf.com/2025/12/01/r...

01.12.2025 21:19 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review: Slow Gods (November 18, 2025) by Claire North
🌌 "Imaginative and fresh... a high-stakes drama filled with expansive ideas and a singular protagonist." πŸš€ speculativeshelf.com/2025/11/18/r... via @orbitbooks.bsky.social

18.11.2025 15:13 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review: The Emergency (November 2025) by George Packer via @fsgbooks.bsky.social
🐷 "A compelling and creative spin on dystopian fiction...a prescient fable." πŸ§‘β€βš•οΈ speculativeshelf.com/2025/10/17/r...

17.10.2025 20:35 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review: Cape Fever (December 2025) by Nadia Davids via @simonbooks.bsky.social
πŸ–ΌοΈ "Engaging prose and a mysterious, claustrophobic setting create tremendous suspense in this excellent historical thriller." 🏚️ speculativeshelf.com/2025/10/07/r...

08.10.2025 13:11 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review: Sunset at Zero Point (December 2025) by
Simon StΓ₯lenhag via @sagapressbooks.bsky.social
☣️ "A cohesive, cinematic story anchored by a compelling sci-fi hook and a tender romance..." πŸ‡ΈπŸ‡ͺ speculativeshelf.com/2025/10/07/r...

07.10.2025 23:54 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review: Lightbreakers (November 2025) by @ajagabel.bsky.social
🌡 "Emotionally resonant and deeply felt ... I greatly enjoyed my time with Lightbreakers and found Gabel's prose quite lovely." πŸ§‚ speculativeshelf.com/2025/09/26/r... @riverheadbooks.bsky.social

27.09.2025 00:45 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Interview: An Oral History of Atlantis author Ed Park joins
@speculativeshelf.bsky.social to discuss his short story collection (out today from @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social) β€” on story order, interconnections, and the ever-floundering Buffalo Sabres β€” speculativeshelf.com/2025/07/29/i...

29.07.2025 15:21 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review: The Lucky Ride (October 7, 2025) by Yasushi Kitigawa (t. Takami Nieda) πŸš– "I was utterly charmed by this heartwarming tale. What a lovely book." πŸš• speculativeshelf.com/2025/06/07/review-the-lucky-ride/ via @harperonebooks.bsky.social

07.06.2025 21:34 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review: Sympathy Tower Tokyo (September 2, 2025) by Rie Qudan (t. Jesse Kirkwood) πŸ—Ό "Surreal and conceptually fascinating, but ultimately left me cold" πŸ™οΈ speculativeshelf.com/2025/05/31/r...

31.05.2025 12:51 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review: Lucky Day (August 12, 2025) by
@chucktingle.bsky.social
🎰 "Tingle’s twisted imagination shines brightest in the breathless sequences of gore and surreal terror...'twas a bloody good time!" πŸ•³οΈ speculativeshelf.com/2025/05/17/r...

17.05.2025 20:59 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review: Chilco (July 2025) by Daniela Catrileo via @fsgbooks.bsky.social πŸ₯€ "Catrileo’s writing is tender and quite lovely – more a breeze than a gale force wind. Subtle yet deeply moving." πŸ‡¨πŸ‡± speculativeshelf.com/2025/03/31/r...

01.04.2025 01:44 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review: Dengue Boy (2025) by Michel Nieva (t. Rahul Bery)
🦟 "This gross, engrossing, and absurd phantasmagoria is a feast for the senses." πŸ‡¦πŸ‡· speculativeshelf.com/2025/03/18/r...

19.03.2025 02:49 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review: An Oral History of Atlantis (July 2025) by Ed Park πŸ“€ "No two stories are alike, yet each delivers Park’s acerbic wit, sharp sense of irony, and keen eye for riffing on the mundanities of everyday life.” 🏝️ speculativeshelf.com/2025/03/10/review-an-oral-history-of-atlantis/

11.03.2025 02:15 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review: Weepers (June 2025) by Peter Mendelsund from
@fsgbooks.bsky.social
πŸ₯Ή "A melancholy and surreal neo-Western about a band of professional mourners who offer their tear-laden eyes to a desiccated world." 😭 speculativeshelf.com/2025/02/25/r...

25.02.2025 16:29 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review: Written on the Dark (May 2025) by Guy Gavriel Kay (@guygavrielkay.bsky.social) πŸŒ‘ "...an engaging and satisfying story that longtime fans of GGK and newcomers alike will certainly enjoy." πŸ’˜ speculativeshelf.com/2025/02/13/r... @acebookspub.bsky.social

14.02.2025 13:31 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review: The Book of Records (May 2025) by Madeleine Thien 🌊 "Thien deftly explores the power of stories and their telling, the transient nature of time and memory, and the permanence of love and connection." 🌊 speculativeshelf.com/2025/01/29/review-the-book-of-records/

29.01.2025 22:03 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review: Strange and Perfect Account from the Permafrost (May 2025) by Donald Niedekker (t. Jonathan Reeder) πŸ—ΊοΈ "Such an odd and fascinating premise gives way to a richly imagined, beautifully translated, and appropriately wry tale." βš“οΈ speculativeshelf.com/2025/01/21/r... @sandorfpassage.bsky.social

21.01.2025 20:42 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review: Portalmania: Stories (May 13, 2025) by Debbie Urbanski πŸšͺ "Urbanski’s prose shines as a compulsively readable beacon, propelling us from one uncanny world to the next." πŸͺŸ speculativeshelf.com/2025/01/10/r... @debbieurbanski.bsky.social @simonbooks.bsky.social

10.01.2025 21:25 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review: The Country Under Heaven (May 2025) by Frederic S. Durbin 🀠 "Evoking the majesty and grandeur of the Old West, Durbin spins a stirring yarn about the aftershocks of battle and the struggle to overcome what haunts us." 🐎 speculativeshelf.com/2024/12/29/review-the-country-under-heaven/

30.12.2024 13:57 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review: Exit Zero: Stories (April 22, 2025) by Marie-Helene Bertino πŸ¦„ "Bertino tackles heavy themes like grief, estrangement, divorce, and disconnection with the winning charm and dry wit that made her 2024 novel Beautyland such a standout." β˜”οΈ speculativeshelf.com/2024/12/19/r...

20.12.2024 14:38 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review: Vanishing World (April 15, 2025) by Sayaka Murata (t. Ginny Tapley Takemori) πŸ‘Ά "An off-kilter and unsettling page-turner..."πŸ«ƒ speculativeshelf.com/2024/12/17/r...

17.12.2024 21:58 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Review: A Drop of Corruption (April 1, 2025) by @robertjbennett.bsky.social "Unshackled by the need for extensive world-building, Bennett has room in this sequel to craft a more complex and satisfying mystery, centered around his winning duo of lead characters." speculativeshelf.com/2024/12/12/r...

12.12.2024 15:35 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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1️⃣ OURS by Phillip B. Williams 🏘️

"An absolute masterclass in storytelling. Ours is a tour de force and one of the best novels I’ve read in ages...each and every page is infused with magic, wonder, and heart." πŸ•°οΈ

speculativeshelf.com/2024/03/12/r... @vikingbooks.bsky.social

28.11.2024 18:28 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0