The Speculative Shelf
@speculativeshelf.bsky.social
Concise book reviews of fresh and forthcoming speculative fiction titles. Fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and anything in between!
Review: The Emergency (November 2025) by George Packer via @fsgbooks.bsky.social
🐷 "A compelling and creative spin on dystopian fiction...a prescient fable." 🧑⚕️ speculativeshelf.com/2025/10/17/r...
🐷 "A compelling and creative spin on dystopian fiction...a prescient fable." 🧑⚕️ speculativeshelf.com/2025/10/17/r...
October 17, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Review: The Emergency (November 2025) by George Packer via @fsgbooks.bsky.social
🐷 "A compelling and creative spin on dystopian fiction...a prescient fable." 🧑⚕️ speculativeshelf.com/2025/10/17/r...
🐷 "A compelling and creative spin on dystopian fiction...a prescient fable." 🧑⚕️ speculativeshelf.com/2025/10/17/r...
Review: Cape Fever (December 2025) by Nadia Davids via @simonbooks.bsky.social
🖼️ "Engaging prose and a mysterious, claustrophobic setting create tremendous suspense in this excellent historical thriller." 🏚️ speculativeshelf.com/2025/10/07/r...
🖼️ "Engaging prose and a mysterious, claustrophobic setting create tremendous suspense in this excellent historical thriller." 🏚️ speculativeshelf.com/2025/10/07/r...
October 8, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Review: Cape Fever (December 2025) by Nadia Davids via @simonbooks.bsky.social
🖼️ "Engaging prose and a mysterious, claustrophobic setting create tremendous suspense in this excellent historical thriller." 🏚️ speculativeshelf.com/2025/10/07/r...
🖼️ "Engaging prose and a mysterious, claustrophobic setting create tremendous suspense in this excellent historical thriller." 🏚️ speculativeshelf.com/2025/10/07/r...
Review: Sunset at Zero Point (December 2025) by
Simon Stålenhag via @sagapressbooks.bsky.social
☣️ "A cohesive, cinematic story anchored by a compelling sci-fi hook and a tender romance..." 🇸🇪 speculativeshelf.com/2025/10/07/r...
Simon Stålenhag via @sagapressbooks.bsky.social
☣️ "A cohesive, cinematic story anchored by a compelling sci-fi hook and a tender romance..." 🇸🇪 speculativeshelf.com/2025/10/07/r...
October 7, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Review: Sunset at Zero Point (December 2025) by
Simon Stålenhag via @sagapressbooks.bsky.social
☣️ "A cohesive, cinematic story anchored by a compelling sci-fi hook and a tender romance..." 🇸🇪 speculativeshelf.com/2025/10/07/r...
Simon Stålenhag via @sagapressbooks.bsky.social
☣️ "A cohesive, cinematic story anchored by a compelling sci-fi hook and a tender romance..." 🇸🇪 speculativeshelf.com/2025/10/07/r...
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." 🧂 speculativeshelf.com/2025/09/26/r... @riverheadbooks.bsky.social
🌵 "Emotionally resonant and deeply felt ... I greatly enjoyed my time with Lightbreakers and found Gabel's prose quite lovely." 🧂 speculativeshelf.com/2025/09/26/r... @riverheadbooks.bsky.social
September 27, 2025 at 12:45 AM
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." 🧂 speculativeshelf.com/2025/09/26/r... @riverheadbooks.bsky.social
🌵 "Emotionally resonant and deeply felt ... I greatly enjoyed my time with Lightbreakers and found Gabel's prose quite lovely." 🧂 speculativeshelf.com/2025/09/26/r... @riverheadbooks.bsky.social
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) — on story order, interconnections, and the ever-floundering Buffalo Sabres — speculativeshelf.com/2025/07/29/i...
@speculativeshelf.bsky.social to discuss his short story collection (out today from @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social) — on story order, interconnections, and the ever-floundering Buffalo Sabres — speculativeshelf.com/2025/07/29/i...
July 29, 2025 at 3:21 PM
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) — on story order, interconnections, and the ever-floundering Buffalo Sabres — speculativeshelf.com/2025/07/29/i...
@speculativeshelf.bsky.social to discuss his short story collection (out today from @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social) — on story order, interconnections, and the ever-floundering Buffalo Sabres — speculativeshelf.com/2025/07/29/i...
Review: The Lucky Ride (October 7, 2025) by Yasushi Kitigawa (t. Takami Nieda) 🚖 "I was utterly charmed by this heartwarming tale. What a lovely book." 🚕 speculativeshelf.com/2025/06/07/review-the-lucky-ride/ via @harperonebooks.bsky.social
June 7, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Review: The Lucky Ride (October 7, 2025) by Yasushi Kitigawa (t. Takami Nieda) 🚖 "I was utterly charmed by this heartwarming tale. What a lovely book." 🚕 speculativeshelf.com/2025/06/07/review-the-lucky-ride/ via @harperonebooks.bsky.social
Review: Sympathy Tower Tokyo (September 2, 2025) by Rie Qudan (t. Jesse Kirkwood) 🗼 "Surreal and conceptually fascinating, but ultimately left me cold" 🏙️ speculativeshelf.com/2025/05/31/r...
May 31, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Review: Sympathy Tower Tokyo (September 2, 2025) by Rie Qudan (t. Jesse Kirkwood) 🗼 "Surreal and conceptually fascinating, but ultimately left me cold" 🏙️ speculativeshelf.com/2025/05/31/r...
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!" 🕳️ speculativeshelf.com/2025/05/17/r...
@chucktingle.bsky.social
🎰 "Tingle’s twisted imagination shines brightest in the breathless sequences of gore and surreal terror...'twas a bloody good time!" 🕳️ speculativeshelf.com/2025/05/17/r...
May 17, 2025 at 8:59 PM
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!" 🕳️ speculativeshelf.com/2025/05/17/r...
@chucktingle.bsky.social
🎰 "Tingle’s twisted imagination shines brightest in the breathless sequences of gore and surreal terror...'twas a bloody good time!" 🕳️ speculativeshelf.com/2025/05/17/r...
Review: Chilco (July 2025) by Daniela Catrileo via @fsgbooks.bsky.social 🥀 "Catrileo’s writing is tender and quite lovely – more a breeze than a gale force wind. Subtle yet deeply moving." 🇨🇱 speculativeshelf.com/2025/03/31/r...
April 1, 2025 at 1:44 AM
Review: Chilco (July 2025) by Daniela Catrileo via @fsgbooks.bsky.social 🥀 "Catrileo’s writing is tender and quite lovely – more a breeze than a gale force wind. Subtle yet deeply moving." 🇨🇱 speculativeshelf.com/2025/03/31/r...
Review: Dengue Boy (2025) by Michel Nieva (t. Rahul Bery)
🦟 "This gross, engrossing, and absurd phantasmagoria is a feast for the senses." 🇦🇷 speculativeshelf.com/2025/03/18/r...
🦟 "This gross, engrossing, and absurd phantasmagoria is a feast for the senses." 🇦🇷 speculativeshelf.com/2025/03/18/r...
March 19, 2025 at 2:49 AM
Review: Dengue Boy (2025) by Michel Nieva (t. Rahul Bery)
🦟 "This gross, engrossing, and absurd phantasmagoria is a feast for the senses." 🇦🇷 speculativeshelf.com/2025/03/18/r...
🦟 "This gross, engrossing, and absurd phantasmagoria is a feast for the senses." 🇦🇷 speculativeshelf.com/2025/03/18/r...
Review: An Oral History of Atlantis (July 2025) by Ed Park 📀 "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/
March 11, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Review: An Oral History of Atlantis (July 2025) by Ed Park 📀 "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/
Review: Weepers (June 2025) by Peter Mendelsund from
@fsgbooks.bsky.social
🥹 "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...
@fsgbooks.bsky.social
🥹 "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...
February 25, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Review: Weepers (June 2025) by Peter Mendelsund from
@fsgbooks.bsky.social
🥹 "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...
@fsgbooks.bsky.social
🥹 "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...
Review: Written on the Dark (May 2025) by Guy Gavriel Kay (@guygavrielkay.bsky.social) 🌑 "...an engaging and satisfying story that longtime fans of GGK and newcomers alike will certainly enjoy." 💘 speculativeshelf.com/2025/02/13/r... @acebookspub.bsky.social
February 14, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Review: Written on the Dark (May 2025) by Guy Gavriel Kay (@guygavrielkay.bsky.social) 🌑 "...an engaging and satisfying story that longtime fans of GGK and newcomers alike will certainly enjoy." 💘 speculativeshelf.com/2025/02/13/r... @acebookspub.bsky.social
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/
January 29, 2025 at 10:03 PM
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/
Review: Strange and Perfect Account from the Permafrost (May 2025) by Donald Niedekker (t. Jonathan Reeder) 🗺️ "Such an odd and fascinating premise gives way to a richly imagined, beautifully translated, and appropriately wry tale." ⚓️ speculativeshelf.com/2025/01/21/r... @sandorfpassage.bsky.social
January 21, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Review: Strange and Perfect Account from the Permafrost (May 2025) by Donald Niedekker (t. Jonathan Reeder) 🗺️ "Such an odd and fascinating premise gives way to a richly imagined, beautifully translated, and appropriately wry tale." ⚓️ speculativeshelf.com/2025/01/21/r... @sandorfpassage.bsky.social
Review: Portalmania: Stories (May 13, 2025) by Debbie Urbanski 🚪 "Urbanski’s prose shines as a compulsively readable beacon, propelling us from one uncanny world to the next." 🪟 speculativeshelf.com/2025/01/10/r... @debbieurbanski.bsky.social @simonbooks.bsky.social
January 10, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Review: Portalmania: Stories (May 13, 2025) by Debbie Urbanski 🚪 "Urbanski’s prose shines as a compulsively readable beacon, propelling us from one uncanny world to the next." 🪟 speculativeshelf.com/2025/01/10/r... @debbieurbanski.bsky.social @simonbooks.bsky.social
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/
December 30, 2024 at 1:57 PM
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/
Review: Exit Zero: Stories (April 22, 2025) by Marie-Helene Bertino 🦄 "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." ☔️ speculativeshelf.com/2024/12/19/r...
December 20, 2024 at 2:38 PM
Review: Exit Zero: Stories (April 22, 2025) by Marie-Helene Bertino 🦄 "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." ☔️ speculativeshelf.com/2024/12/19/r...
Review: Vanishing World (April 15, 2025) by Sayaka Murata (t. Ginny Tapley Takemori) 👶 "An off-kilter and unsettling page-turner..."🫃 speculativeshelf.com/2024/12/17/r...
December 17, 2024 at 9:58 PM
Review: Vanishing World (April 15, 2025) by Sayaka Murata (t. Ginny Tapley Takemori) 👶 "An off-kilter and unsettling page-turner..."🫃 speculativeshelf.com/2024/12/17/r...
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...
December 12, 2024 at 3:36 PM
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...
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." 🕰️
speculativeshelf.com/2024/03/12/r... @vikingbooks.bsky.social
"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." 🕰️
speculativeshelf.com/2024/03/12/r... @vikingbooks.bsky.social
November 28, 2024 at 6:28 PM
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." 🕰️
speculativeshelf.com/2024/03/12/r... @vikingbooks.bsky.social
"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." 🕰️
speculativeshelf.com/2024/03/12/r... @vikingbooks.bsky.social
2️⃣ BEAUTYLAND by Marie-Helene Bertino 👽
"Bertino skillfully dissects the alien nature of growing up and the complexities of human existence with dry wit, deadpan observational comedy, and incisive insights into life’s little absurdities." 📠
speculativeshelf.com/2024/02/01/r... @fsgbooks.bsky.social
"Bertino skillfully dissects the alien nature of growing up and the complexities of human existence with dry wit, deadpan observational comedy, and incisive insights into life’s little absurdities." 📠
speculativeshelf.com/2024/02/01/r... @fsgbooks.bsky.social
November 28, 2024 at 6:28 PM
2️⃣ BEAUTYLAND by Marie-Helene Bertino 👽
"Bertino skillfully dissects the alien nature of growing up and the complexities of human existence with dry wit, deadpan observational comedy, and incisive insights into life’s little absurdities." 📠
speculativeshelf.com/2024/02/01/r... @fsgbooks.bsky.social
"Bertino skillfully dissects the alien nature of growing up and the complexities of human existence with dry wit, deadpan observational comedy, and incisive insights into life’s little absurdities." 📠
speculativeshelf.com/2024/02/01/r... @fsgbooks.bsky.social
3️⃣ THE OTHER VALLEY by Scott Alexander Howard
"A quiet gem of a novel...Howard takes a unique premise and executes it beautifully – never relying too heavily on his fantastical plot device to convey young Odile’s heartfelt story." ⏪🌄⏩
speculativeshelf.com/2023/08/17/r... @atriabooks.bsky.social
"A quiet gem of a novel...Howard takes a unique premise and executes it beautifully – never relying too heavily on his fantastical plot device to convey young Odile’s heartfelt story." ⏪🌄⏩
speculativeshelf.com/2023/08/17/r... @atriabooks.bsky.social
November 28, 2024 at 6:28 PM
3️⃣ THE OTHER VALLEY by Scott Alexander Howard
"A quiet gem of a novel...Howard takes a unique premise and executes it beautifully – never relying too heavily on his fantastical plot device to convey young Odile’s heartfelt story." ⏪🌄⏩
speculativeshelf.com/2023/08/17/r... @atriabooks.bsky.social
"A quiet gem of a novel...Howard takes a unique premise and executes it beautifully – never relying too heavily on his fantastical plot device to convey young Odile’s heartfelt story." ⏪🌄⏩
speculativeshelf.com/2023/08/17/r... @atriabooks.bsky.social
4️⃣ RAKESFALL by @vajra.me
"Surreal, lyrical, beautiful, haunting – featuring a heady mélange of narrative forms and storytelling styles – Rakesfall is an evocative epic poem of a novel."
speculativeshelf.com/2024/01/26/r... @tordotcom.bsky.social
"Surreal, lyrical, beautiful, haunting – featuring a heady mélange of narrative forms and storytelling styles – Rakesfall is an evocative epic poem of a novel."
speculativeshelf.com/2024/01/26/r... @tordotcom.bsky.social
November 28, 2024 at 6:28 PM
4️⃣ RAKESFALL by @vajra.me
"Surreal, lyrical, beautiful, haunting – featuring a heady mélange of narrative forms and storytelling styles – Rakesfall is an evocative epic poem of a novel."
speculativeshelf.com/2024/01/26/r... @tordotcom.bsky.social
"Surreal, lyrical, beautiful, haunting – featuring a heady mélange of narrative forms and storytelling styles – Rakesfall is an evocative epic poem of a novel."
speculativeshelf.com/2024/01/26/r... @tordotcom.bsky.social
5️⃣ CALYPSO by @oliverklangmead.bsky.social 🪐
"A dazzling feat of form and function.
The care in the structuring is evident.
The story itself is compelling and well told." 🌱
speculativeshelf.com/2024/02/29/r... @titanbooks.bsky.social
"A dazzling feat of form and function.
The care in the structuring is evident.
The story itself is compelling and well told." 🌱
speculativeshelf.com/2024/02/29/r... @titanbooks.bsky.social
November 28, 2024 at 6:28 PM
5️⃣ CALYPSO by @oliverklangmead.bsky.social 🪐
"A dazzling feat of form and function.
The care in the structuring is evident.
The story itself is compelling and well told." 🌱
speculativeshelf.com/2024/02/29/r... @titanbooks.bsky.social
"A dazzling feat of form and function.
The care in the structuring is evident.
The story itself is compelling and well told." 🌱
speculativeshelf.com/2024/02/29/r... @titanbooks.bsky.social