History’s Demons: Mariana Enriquez’s Our Share of Night

It opens with a departure. From the opening pages of her novel Our Share of Night, Mariana Enriquez brings the reader into the visceral lives of her characters, zeroing in initially on a man named Juan who’s pondering the heat outside and taking preventative steps for “the headache he wasn’t feeling yet.” He wakes his young son Gaspar and they set out on a long journey—one that Juan is convinced that they must make. That journey begins in Buenos Aires. The year is 1981.

Depending on your knowledge of Argentine history, that combination of time and place might set off a few alarms.

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Natalie Haynes’ Stone Blind Fills in Mythological Silences

Natalie Haynes is a comedian, writer, and broadcaster, and along with Professor Dame Mary Beard, is probably at the moment the UK’s most well-known female classicist. Stone Blind is her third novel to draw directly from the well of classical mythology, after A Thousand Ships and Jocasta’s Children, and in Stone Blind Haynes turns her gaze on Medusa, the mortal Gorgon, daughter of Phorcys and Ceto.

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“Anyone else wanna throw more weird shit at me?”— Star Trek: Picard’s “Seventeen Seconds”

A big part of the appeal of the TNG reunion that we have been promised in season three of Picard is answering the question, “What’ve they been doing for the last two decades?” The first two seasons answered that question for the title character, and various episodes of Lower Decks and this show have done likewise for Riker and Troi.

This week, we get answers for both Crusher and Worf, and that, at least, is a mixed bag. It’s the best episode of the season so far, though, because everything is starting to come together in a manner that has some delightful surprises, not just for TNG fans, but fans of DS9 as well…

[Bring the whiskey…]

You Don’t Have to Finish Every Book You Start

We’ve all been there. Perhaps you were drawn in by a beautiful cover, hooked by the summary on the back of a paperback, or intrigued by the way a book was being discussed on Twitter. You read a great review; your favorite author was raving about a book; your group chat wouldn’t shut up about a twist. So you started the book. And you knew, whether immediately or 50 pages in, that it wasn’t for you.

[Please. Please just put down the book.]

Rhythm of War Reread: Chapter One Hundred Eleven

Oh my storms, my Cosmere Chickens, this is a heck of a ride. This is a very long chapter and we’ve got a lot to cover here, from new Radiant Oaths being sworn, revelations about Heralds and spren and highly Invested swords, and bad guys getting their just rewards. (Hmm, that almost rhymed!) Let’s jump right in, shall we?

[“I bring word from the Sibling!”]

Series: Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson

Revealing Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi

A mythic tale of disgruntled gods, revenge, and a heist across two worlds…

We’re thrilled to share the cover and preview an excerpt from Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon, the debut fantasy novel from award-winning Nigerian author Wole Talabi. Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon publishes August 8, 2023 from DAW Books.

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Celebrity Deathmatch, Awkward Psychic Version: Hilary Mantel’s Beyond Black (Part 4)

Welcome back to Reading the Weird, in which we get girl cooties all over weird fiction, cosmic horror, and Lovecraftiana—from its historical roots through its most recent branches.

This week, we continue Hilary Mantel’s Beyond Black with Chapter 5. The novel was first published in 2005. Spoilers ahead! Content warning for racism, and physical scars from child abuse.

[“…how can I believe it, when it’s against the laws of nature?”]

Series: Reading the Weird

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