Preview: My Most Anticipated Books

Yes, the picture rather spoils the surprise, but I had to put something there and it certainly wasn't going to be me pulling my best "eager" face. Read on to find out more about the books I'm impatiently waiting to get my hands on!

The Human Son, by Adrian J. Walker (30th April 2020, Solaris)

It’s probably no surprise to regular readers that this is one of my most anticipated releases, seeing as I reviewed it on here not too long ago and raved about it. The Human Son sees Walker on fine form, serving up the emotional and amusing account of Ima. Ima is tasked with raising a single human being as an experiment to see if they should be reintroduced to the Earth now that her people have brought it back from the brink of disaster. Her hilariously dispassionate take on the little mundanities and massive inconveniences of raising children hooks you, the social commentary stays with you. Highly recommended, and it’s out today!

Devolution, by Max Brooks (12th May 2020, Del Rey)

Yes, the author of the phenomenally popular World War Z and The Zombie Survival Handbook is back. This time he’s not focusing on battling the undead though, instead bringing Bigfoot to life. Once again, Brooks blurs the boundaries between reality and fiction, with a massacre in the wake of the eruption of Mount Rainier told through the journal entries of a witness, presumably fingering John Lithgow’s former co-star as the guilty party behind it all. I loved World War Z and The Zombie Survival Handbook, really taking the advice within them to heart, and my repeated suggestion to keep airtight barrels of rice in our loft just in case DOESN’T SEEM SO SILLY NOW, DOES IT DAD? How useful this will be for fending off Bigfoot remains to be seen, but I can’t wait either way. This one comes out around my birthday too, so I will be treating its launch like it’s a little present just for me.

Red Noise, by John P. Murphy (9th June 2020, Angry Robot)

Described by the publisher as “Cowboy Bebop meets A Fistful of Dollars.” Well, that’s basically all I needed to hear, I am sold. An asteroid miner looking to sell her cargo gets stuck in the middle of all kinds of trouble between rival gangs and crooked cops, and, if that cover is anything to go by, goes full on hack n’ slash. Author John P. Murphy says on his blog “I read Transmetropolitan and First Blood, watched Cowboy Bebop. I formed some opinions, is what I’m trying to say.” This is very much my kind of book from the sounds of it, with characters who curse like it’s going out of fashion (it isn’t - keep cussing everyone) as the cherry on top. Excellent.

Mordew, by Alex Pheby (6th August 2020, Galley Beggar Press)

Oh, Microsoft Word, I best teach you not to highlight the word “Mordew” as an error, because I am going to be typing it a lot pretty damn soon. The first in a planned trilogy, Mordew looks to be right up the alley of anyone who likes their fantasy grim and dark - a camp I most assuredly fall into. I mean, the publisher’s description opens with “God is dead, his corpse hidden in the catacombs beneath Mordew.” Fairy tale it ain’t. You can read an extract from Mordew here and will no doubt start to understand just why I’m looking forward to this one so much.

The Trials of Koli (15th September 2020, Orbit)

Why, Mr. Carey, with these post-apocalyptic gems you’re really spoiling us! Yes, the second book in the Rampart trilogy is, somewhat incredibly, out in September. The Book of Koli was one of my most anticipated books of this year, and I was not disappointed. Dealing largely with the social climate of a small community in a post-apocalyptic UK, as seen through the eyes of Koli, and written in his unique narrative voice (an English language that has broken free of some of its rules), the first book established the world that Koli lives in. A world where nature has turned on us, completely and utterly, with those few surviving pieces of technology horded and bestowing status upon their wielders. The Trials of Koli will follow him as he ventures further afield. You can read my review of the first book on here to whet your appetite.

Well there we have it! That’s a brief overview of just some of the titles I’m looking forward to over the next few months. What’s everyone else waiting for? Let me know in the comments, I can always do with a bigger TBR! Don’t forget, you can sign up for my new newsletter (that was a deliberately clunky way to describe it so it caught your attention, I’m wily like that) to keep up to date with everything that goes on here, as well as some extra bits. Bye for now!

Currently listening: Out of Exile, Audioslave