American War by Omar El Akkad Also by this author: American War
Published by Knopf Publishing Group on April 4, 2017
Pages: 333
Sarat Chestnut, born in Louisiana, is only six when the Second American Civil War breaks out in 2074. But even she knows that oil is outlawed, that Louisiana is half underwater, that unmanned drones fill the sky. And when her father is killed and her family is forced into Camp Patience for displaced persons, she quickly begins to be shaped by her particular time and place until, finally, through the influence of a mysterious functionary, she is turned into a deadly instrument of war. Telling her story is her nephew, Benjamin Chestnut, born during war – part of the Miraculous Generation – now an old man confronting the dark secret of his past, his family’s role in the conflict and, in particular, that of his aunt, a woman who saved his life while destroying untold others.
The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood Also by this author: The Heart Goes Last, Hag-Seed
Published by Bloomsbury on September 24, 2015
Pages: 308
Stan and Charmaine are a married couple trying to stay afloat in the midst of economic and social collapse. Living in their car, surviving on tips from Charmaine's job at a dive bar, they're increasingly vulnerable to roving gangs, and in a rather desperate state. So when they see an advertisement for the Positron Project in the town of Consilience – a 'social experiment' offering stable jobs and a home of their own – they sign up immediately. All they have to do in return for this suburban paradise is give up their freedom every second month, swapping their home for a prison cell.
At first, all is well. But slowly, unknown to the other, Stan and Charmaine develop a passionate obsession with their counterparts, the couple that occupy their home when they are in prison. Soon the pressures of conformity, mistrust, guilt and sexual desire take over, and Positron looks less like a prayer answered and more like a chilling prophecy fulfilled.
A sinister, wickedly funny novel about a near-future in which the lawful are locked up and the lawless roam free, The Heart Goes Last is Margaret Atwood at her heart-stopping best
The White Road by Sarah Lotz Also by this author: The Three, Day Four
Published by Mulholland Books on May 30, 2017
Pages: 272
A cutting-edge thriller about one man's quest to discover horror lurking at the top of the world.
Desperate to attract subscribers to his fledgling website, 'Journey to the Dark Side', ex-adrenalin junkie and slacker Simon Newman hires someone to guide him through the notorious Cwm Pot caves, so that he can film the journey and put it on the internet. With a tragic history, Cwm Pot has been off-limits for decades, and unfortunately for Simon, the guide he's hired is as unpredictable and dangerous as the watery caverns that lurk beneath the earth. After a brutal struggle for survival, Simon barely escapes with his life, but predictably, the gruesome footage he managed to collect down in the earth's bowels goes viral. Ignoring the warning signs of mental trauma, and eager to capitalize on his new internet fame, Simon latches onto another escapade that has that magic click-bait mix of danger and death - a trip to Everest. But up above 8000 feet, in the infamous Death Zone, he'll need more than his dubious morals and wits to guide him, especially when he uncovers the truth behind a decade-old tragedy - a truth that means he might not be coming back alive. A truth that will change him - and anyone who views the footage he captures - forever.
The Girl With All the Gifts (The Girl With All the Gifts, #1) by M.R. Carey Also by this author: The Girl With All the Gifts, Fellside
Published by Orbit on June 19, 2014
Pages: 461
Melanie is a very special girl. Dr. Caldwell calls her "our little genius."
Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite, but they don't laugh.
Melanie loves school. She loves learning about spelling and sums and the world outside the classroom and the children's cells. She tells her favorite teacher all the things she'll do when she grows up. Melanie doesn't know why this makes Miss Justineau look sad.
The Girl with All the Gifts is a sensational thriller, perfect for fans of Stephen King, Justin Cronin, and Neil Gaiman.
Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes Also by this author: Broken Monsters, The Shining Girls
Published by Mulholland Books on September 16, 2014
Pages: 442
Detective Gabriella Versado has seen a lot of bodies, but this one is unique even by Detroit's standards: half boy, half deer, somehow fused together. As stranger and more disturbing bodies are discovered, how can the city hold on to a reality that is already tearing at its seams? If you're Detective Versado's geeky teenage daughter, Layla, you commence a dangerous flirtation with a potential predator online. If you're desperate freelance journalist Jonno, you do whatever it takes to get the exclusive on a horrific story. If you're Thomas Keen, known on the street as TK, you'll do what you can to keep your homeless family safe--and find the monster who is possessed by the dream of violently remaking the world.
If Lauren Beukes's internationally bestselling The Shining Girls was a time-jumping thrill ride through the past, her Broken Monsters is a genre-redefining thriller about broken cities, broken dreams, and broken people trying to put themselves back together again.
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch Also by this author: Dark Matter
Published by Crown on July 26, 2016
Pages: 342
“Are you happy with your life?”
Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.
Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.
Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.”
In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.
Is it this world or the other that’s the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could’ve imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.
From the author of the bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy, Dark Matter is a brilliantly plotted tale that is at once sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human—a relentlessly surprising science-fiction thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we’ll go to claim the lives we dream of.
Saga, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples Also by this author: Saga, Vol. 1, Saga, Vol. 2
Published by Image Comics on October 23, 2012
Pages: 176
When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe.
From bestselling writer Brian K. Vaughan, Saga is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the worlds. Fantasy and science fiction are wed like never before in this sexy, subversive drama for adults.
Collecting: Saga 1-6
NOS4R2 by Joe Hill Also by this author: Welcome to Lovecraft, Heart-Shaped Box
Published by Orion on October 31, 2013
Pages: 692
Summer. Massachusetts.
An old Silver Wraith with a frightening history. A story about one serial killer and his lingering, unfinished business.
Anyone could be next.
We're going to Christmasland...
NOS4A2 is an old-fashioned horror novel in the best sense. Claustrophobic, gripping and terrifying, this is a story that will have you on the edge of the seat while you read, and leaving the lights on while you sleep. With the horrific tale of Charles Manx and his Silver Wraith, Joe Hill has established himself as the premiere horror and supernatural thriller writer of his generation.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1) by Becky Chambers Also by this author: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, A Closed and Common Orbit
Published by Hodder & Stoughton on August 13, 2015
Pages: 404
Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space—and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe—in this light-hearted debut space opera from a rising sci-fi star.
Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.
Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.
The Suicide Motor Club by Christopher Buehlman Also by this author: Between Two Fires, The Lesser Dead
Published by Berkley on June 7, 2016
Pages: 360
“Rising horror star”* Christopher Buehlman, author of The Lesser Dead, returns with a chilling and thrilling tale of dark evil lurking on the lonely, open road...
Bram Stoker, quoting the ballad “Lenore,” said, “The dead travel fast.”
Those words have never rung more true...
Remember that car that passed you near midnight on Route 66, doing 105 with its lights off? You wondered where it was going so quickly on that dark, dusty stretch of road, motor roaring, the driver glancing out the window as he blew by. Did his greedy eyes shine silver like a coyote’s? Did he make you feel like prey? You can’t remember now. You just saw the founder of the Suicide Motor Club. Be grateful his brake lights never flashed. Be grateful his car was already full. They roam America, littering the highways with smashed cars and bled-out bodies, a gruesome reflection of the unsettled sixties. But to anyone unlucky enough to meet them in the lonely hours of the night, they’re just a blurry memory. That is—to all but one... Two years ago, they left a witness in the mangled wreck of her family car, her husband dead, her son taken. She remembers their awful faces, despite their tricks and glamours. And she’s coming for them—her thirst for vengeance even more powerful than their hunger for blood. On the deserted highways of America, the hunters are about to become the hunted...
Oh I haven’t read any there
I’ve seen a number of lists today where I haven’t read any of the books listed as well 🙂
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday – Favorite Non-Fantasy Books
I thought The Girl with All the Gifts was a wonderful story. Nice list here in general.
Lydia recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Ghost Stories
It really was a great read. And I loved that I knew absolutely nothing about it other than the title which I think made it even better
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday – Favorite Non-Fantasy Books
Love those Becky Chambers books so much <3
They are so wonderful!
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday – Favorite Non-Fantasy Books
Such a great list! I loved Long Way to a Small Angry Planet and The Girl With All the Gifts, too. 🙂
Thanks, those are definitely both wonderful reads!
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday – Favorite Non-Fantasy Books
I enjoyed reading The Girl With All the Gifts too.
Here’s a link to my TTT post for this week:
http://captivatedreader.blogspot.com/2019/06/top-ten-tuesday-books-from-my-favorite.html
Long Way is so good! Can’t wait to read book three.
Caitlin G. recently posted…Top Five Tuesday: Favorite Debuts
So many intriguing books that I want to try. American War and The Heart Goes Last both look super interesting. And I loved Dark Matter.
Greg recently posted…Thor by Walter Simonson Vol. 3
When I see this many books I love on someone’s list, it makes me feel like I should read all the rest too! 🙂 I loved Dark Matter and The Girl With All the Gifts, and NOS4A2 and Saga too! Great list.
Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: A Selection of Favorite Fantasy Books and Series
Lots of good horror on here 😀
I never got round to Broken Monsters, but I really enjoyed The Shining Girls – I should look out more Lauren Beukes…
I’ve read and loved a few off your list which makes me realise I really should read The Suicide Motor Club and NOS4R2 – as soon as I can.
Lynn 😀