Book Reviews

Paul Tremblay's new novel is, on the surface, a story about a book about a reality show about a real-life event, but reviewer Jason Heller says it becomes an "unsettling conversation about the truth."

For author Anthony Horowitz, the book is a return to the "true" James Bond. This means an unpublished scene from Ian Fleming himself — and a long-delayed reunion with a franchise favorite.

Equal parts thriller and alarm call, Paolo Bacigalupi's new novel depicts a future America ravaged by drought. Reviewer Jason Heller says Bacigalupi keeps the plot taut and the dialogue slashing.

There are different kinds of fat people in literature — funny or comforting, sometimes despicable. But Sarai Walker's Dietland gives us a new fat protagonist — complex, compelling and dangerous.

Mat Johnson's funny, humane new novel follows a biracial man coming to terms with his identity — and the daughter he never knew about. Michael Schaub calls it a "beautiful, triumphant miracle."

Heather Dixon's novel is a rough roller-coaster of magic and conspiracy, centered on a boy battling a deadly plague. Reviewer Tasha Robinson says it seems more like a movie treatment than a book.

Neal Stephenson's new epic starts big and gets bigger. Critic Jason Sheehan says that while the book can bog down in details, if the world really were ending, you'd want Stephenson by your side.

Kirsty Logan's debut novel follows a traveling circus floating through a drowned world where "damplings" aspire to live on the rare patches of land, and hints of magic provide a fairytale feel.