Ian Mond
@mondyboy74.bsky.social
I write reviews for Locus Magazine. I had a podcast called Writer and the Critic which I co-hosted with Kirstyn McDermott. The episodes are out there. I love the Carlton Football club. What more do you need to know!?
Pinned
Ian Mond
@mondyboy74.bsky.social
· Nov 8
Redirecting...
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I’m pinning this to encourage small presses to send their work to Locus for review (speculative work, of course). It’s the small presses that produce the most interesting and ground breaking work.
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I am not the audience for this novel, but I also question who is. (Maybe people with thicker skin than mine).
Books Read: Metallic Realms by Lincoln Michel
Not for me, but I love the cover
open.substack.com
November 19, 2025 at 7:05 AM
I am not the audience for this novel, but I also question who is. (Maybe people with thicker skin than mine).
Reposted by Ian Mond
Check out @mondyboy74.bsky.social’s review of SPREAD ME by Sarah Gailey: “Gailey’s novel is ultimately about acceptance and love. An unconventional love, yes, but love nonetheless.”
Spread Me by Sarah Gailey: Review by Ian Mond
Spread Me, Sarah Gailey (Nightfire 978-1-25038-733-2, $34.99, 208pp, hc) September 2025. Sarah Gailey’s fifth novel, Spread Me, is their take on John Campbell, Jr.’s classic novella ‘‘Who Goes Ther…
locusmag.com
November 16, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Check out @mondyboy74.bsky.social’s review of SPREAD ME by Sarah Gailey: “Gailey’s novel is ultimately about acceptance and love. An unconventional love, yes, but love nonetheless.”
I read and read and read to encounter books like this.
Books Read: All The Devils Are Here by David Seabrook
A book so good that Backlisted have discussed it twice.
open.substack.com
November 16, 2025 at 7:41 AM
I read and read and read to encounter books like this.
Reposted by Ian Mond
Check out @mondyboy74.bsky.social’s review of A REBEL’S HISTORY OF MARS by @Nadoodles: “Afifi finds space for moments of beauty… and, importantly, the possibility of hope, that the truth might one day prevail.”
A Rebel’s History of Mars by Nadia Afifi: Review by Ian Mond
A Rebel’s History of Mars, Nadia Afifi (Flame Tree 978-1-78758-945-2, £20.00, 304pp, hc) July 2025. As we’ve seen since 2016 – with Brexit, the rise of Trump, and Russia’s war in Ukraine – the weap…
locusmag.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Check out @mondyboy74.bsky.social’s review of A REBEL’S HISTORY OF MARS by @Nadoodles: “Afifi finds space for moments of beauty… and, importantly, the possibility of hope, that the truth might one day prevail.”
My thoughts on a novel that’s likely feature on the Hugo shortlist come next year.
Books Read: A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett
I liked it more than the first.
open.substack.com
November 1, 2025 at 6:33 AM
My thoughts on a novel that’s likely feature on the Hugo shortlist come next year.
Behm sticks to the bit in this jaw dropping, grimy, skeevy novel.
Books Read: Eye of the Beholder by Marc Behm
Bonkers.
ianmond.substack.com
October 29, 2025 at 8:51 AM
Behm sticks to the bit in this jaw dropping, grimy, skeevy novel.
A Hugo Award winning novel gets the Mond treatment.
Books Read: The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
It’s fun. A perfectly cromulent choice for a Hugo Award
ianmond.substack.com
October 26, 2025 at 8:07 AM
A Hugo Award winning novel gets the Mond treatment.
I’m not mucking around this year! Gormenghast and Earthsea.
Books Read: A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
Look Ori, I read it! Now stop bugging me about it!!!
open.substack.com
October 22, 2025 at 7:57 AM
I’m not mucking around this year! Gormenghast and Earthsea.
Gonna be close to one of my best books of the year. Lots of subversive, tawdry, knowing fun.
Check out @mondyboy74.bsky.social’s review of KALIVAS! OR ANOTHER TEMPEST by Nick Mamatas: “His work reminds us, however fleeting, that the world is still capable of creativity and magic.”
Kalivas! Or, Another Tempest by Nick Mamatas: Review by Ian Mond
Kalivas! Or, Another Tempest, Nick Mamatas (CLASH 978-1-96098-879-9, $17.95, 230pp, tp) September 2025. Any year – no matter how miserable – that sees the release of a novel by Nick Mamatas is wort…
locusmag.com
October 13, 2025 at 9:08 AM
Gonna be close to one of my best books of the year. Lots of subversive, tawdry, knowing fun.
I enjoyed this, but I don’t want my science fiction now to be like this.
Books Read: Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov
It’s fun. Silly. But fun.
open.substack.com
October 8, 2025 at 8:36 AM
I enjoyed this, but I don’t want my science fiction now to be like this.
The final book of the Gormenghast trilogy has a bad rap. But it’s brilliant. a different sort of brilliant.
Books Read: Titus Alone by Mervyn Peake
Bye bye Titus. I’ll miss you.
open.substack.com
October 4, 2025 at 8:18 AM
The final book of the Gormenghast trilogy has a bad rap. But it’s brilliant. a different sort of brilliant.
There’s a world where this wins all the awards next year. I’d like to be in that world.
Books Read: A Granite Silence by Nina Allan
This is the best book of the year. Hopefully, it gets the love it deserves (but I’m not holding my breath).
open.substack.com
September 30, 2025 at 9:40 AM
There’s a world where this wins all the awards next year. I’d like to be in that world.
Mark Z. Danielewski’s Tom’s Crossing is 1234 pages long and clocks in at just over 550,000 words. I am reviewing it for Locus. (I said I would). I’m sure it will be a breeze.*
September 30, 2025 at 8:36 AM
Mark Z. Danielewski’s Tom’s Crossing is 1234 pages long and clocks in at just over 550,000 words. I am reviewing it for Locus. (I said I would). I’m sure it will be a breeze.*
I LOVED this book.
“DWELLING may not be the antidote to all the horror and violence we’re witnessing daily, but it made me happy and that’s not nothing.” @mondyboy74.bsky.social reviews new work from Emily Hunt Kivel
Dwelling by Emily Hunt Kivel: Review by Ian Mond
I can pinpoint the exact moment I fell in love with Emily Kivel Hunt’s debut novel, Dwelling. It was the scene with the boot. I was already falling hard for the book, but the boot? That was the cli…
locusmag.com
September 30, 2025 at 1:03 AM
I LOVED this book.
I didn’t love this collection, but it hasn’t deterred me from reading Park’s novels (which I have on the shelves).
Books Read: An Oral History of Atlantis by Ed Park
Another book where I was more enthused with the cover than the contents.
open.substack.com
September 28, 2025 at 7:57 AM
I didn’t love this collection, but it hasn’t deterred me from reading Park’s novels (which I have on the shelves).
@file770.bsky.social—Audition is speculative.
Booker Prize 2025 Shortlist
The six novels on the Booker Prize 2025 shortlist were revealed September 23. It appears from the descriptions that none of this year’s selections are of genre interest. The Booker Prize cel…
file770.com
September 25, 2025 at 8:40 AM
@file770.bsky.social—Audition is speculative.
Fungus and body horror: a delectably nauseating mixture. If you like that sort of thing (which I do).
“Strip away the gore, and THE GIRL IN THE CREEK is this nuanced… story about how little society cares about the environment or other people, particularly if their skin is a different colour.” @mondyboy74.bsky.social reviews @wnwagner.bsky.social
Girl in the Creek by Wendy N. Wagner: Review by Ian Mond
Girl in the Creek, Wendy N. Wagner (Tor Nightfire 978-1-25090-864-3, $27.99, 272pp, hc) July 2025. With her third novel, Girl in the Creek, Wendy N. Wagner wastes no time invoking the title. On the…
locusmag.com
September 25, 2025 at 6:22 AM
Fungus and body horror: a delectably nauseating mixture. If you like that sort of thing (which I do).
Reposted by Ian Mond
“Strip away the gore, and THE GIRL IN THE CREEK is this nuanced… story about how little society cares about the environment or other people, particularly if their skin is a different colour.” @mondyboy74.bsky.social reviews @wnwagner.bsky.social
Girl in the Creek by Wendy N. Wagner: Review by Ian Mond
Girl in the Creek, Wendy N. Wagner (Tor Nightfire 978-1-25090-864-3, $27.99, 272pp, hc) July 2025. With her third novel, Girl in the Creek, Wendy N. Wagner wastes no time invoking the title. On the…
locusmag.com
September 25, 2025 at 1:00 AM
“Strip away the gore, and THE GIRL IN THE CREEK is this nuanced… story about how little society cares about the environment or other people, particularly if their skin is a different colour.” @mondyboy74.bsky.social reviews @wnwagner.bsky.social
One of the best examples of the TV or film being far better than the source material.
Books Read: London Rules by Mick Herron
Just in time for the series premiere!
open.substack.com
September 24, 2025 at 8:43 AM
One of the best examples of the TV or film being far better than the source material.
You can’t like ‘em all (even if the cover is awesome).
Books Read: Pan by Michael Clune
Didn’t think much of the novel, but that’s one of the best covers of the year.
open.substack.com
September 21, 2025 at 10:02 AM
You can’t like ‘em all (even if the cover is awesome).
Reading Carrington is my new happy place.
Books Read: The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington
There’s surreal and then there’s this masterpiece.
open.substack.com
September 16, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Reading Carrington is my new happy place.
This is a very sexy book. Also a heap of fun. Especially the sorry about the bear.
See @mondyboy74.bsky.social reviews ENJOY YOUR STAY AT THE SHAMROCK MOTEL by Andrew Kaufman:“A collection like this, filled with lots and lots of strange, unconventional sex, but also infused with laughter, magic and joy, deserves your immediate attention"
Enjoy Your Stay at the Shamrock Motel by Andrew Kaufman: Review by Ian Mond
I have this tendency – one I’m sure I share with many of you – where I’ll hear great things about a novel or collection, purchase it, and promptly forget said book exists. Years later, I’ll happen …
wp.me
September 14, 2025 at 7:24 AM
This is a very sexy book. Also a heap of fun. Especially the sorry about the bear.
I really enjoyed this—more than Some Desperate Glory—and I’m expecting it to get a Hugo, World Fantasy and BFA nod next year. As pointed out to me, though, conversation around the novel dried up shortly after publication.
Books Read: The Incandescent by Emily Tesh
Tesh follows up her Hugo winner with a better novel.
open.substack.com
September 9, 2025 at 9:35 AM
I really enjoyed this—more than Some Desperate Glory—and I’m expecting it to get a Hugo, World Fantasy and BFA nod next year. As pointed out to me, though, conversation around the novel dried up shortly after publication.
This is very true. Locus does provide some wriggle room where I can review a novel published in September for the November issue. But once you hit Fall season with so many books coming out at once, it’s impossible to review them all if you need to stick to pub dates.
Worst thing to happen to book crit was getting mercilessly synced to pub dates. writer gets 97% of the coverage they're ever getting by the end of week 2, & if the book is widely reviewed (positive or not) in prestige places some of your would-be audience burns out on takes & skips the book itself.
September 9, 2025 at 12:25 AM
This is very true. Locus does provide some wriggle room where I can review a novel published in September for the November issue. But once you hit Fall season with so many books coming out at once, it’s impossible to review them all if you need to stick to pub dates.
Hopefully this will review will help the novella find an audience. open.substack.com/pub/ianmond/...
Books Read: All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Just eight years behind the zeitgeist.
open.substack.com
September 6, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Hopefully this will review will help the novella find an audience. open.substack.com/pub/ianmond/...