The world is a little scary right now. (As a New Yorker who lives in Queens, I feel this fear acutely at this particular point in time.) If you are a reader of apocalyptic and dystopian fiction, or a…
Apocalypse
Today we bring bring back our feature, “What She Said…” in which we both review books that the other has previously read and reviewed. This feature arose because of a very serious dilemma we faced at Casa de Smugglers:…
Title:The Book of M Author: Peng Shepherd Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Post-Apocalypse/Dystopia Publisher: William Morrow / Harper Voyager Publication date: June 8 2018 Paperback: 485 pages Set in a dangerous near future world, The Book of M tells the captivating…
Old School Wednesdays: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Old School Wednesdays is a regular Book Smuggler feature. We came up with the idea towards the end of 2012, when both Ana and Thea were feeling exhausted from the never-ending inundation of New and Shiny (and often over-hyped)…
We are over at Kirkus early this week for our regular column! It’s Thea’s turn today, with a review of debut fantasy novel Markswoman by Rati Mehrotra. The first book in a brand new duology, set in a far…
Title: The Boy on the Bridge Author: M.R. Carey Genre: Horror, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction Publisher: Orbit Publication date: May 2017 Hardcover: 392 pages Once upon a time, in a land blighted by terror, there was a very clever…
Title: The Bone Snatcher Author: Charlotte Salter Genre: Middle Grade, Horror, Dark Fantasy, Apocalypse Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers Publication Date: February 2017 Hardcover: 352 Pages Murder, madness, and sea monsters combine in this thrilling and atmospheric middle…
Title: Death’s End Author: Cixin Liu Genre: Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction Publisher: Tor Publication Date: September 20, 2016 Hardcover: 604 Pages With The Three-Body Problem, English-speaking readers got their first chance to experience the multiple-award-winning and bestselling Remembrance of…
Apocalypse NOW, get thee to a shelter (or a generation ship, if you can): the sophomore novel by Corinne Duyvis is as bit as good as I was expecting. Title: On the Edge of Gone Written by Corinne Duyvis…
An A.I. on a powertrip defines the rules of rulership in the future…and it’s pretty badass. Title: The Scorpion Rules Author: Erin Bow Genre: Speculative Fiction, Dystopia, Post-Apocalypse Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books Publication Date: September 2015 Hardcover: 384…
The Bridegroom by Amelia Mangan Published 10/27/2015 | 7,079 Words The Bridegroom is an atmospheric story of first contact and identity, and it is the first annual Halloween Tale published by Book Smugglers Publishing. When Valentine was born, no…
Joint Review: The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin
In which a N.K. Jemisin novel is awesome. Again. Title: The Fifth Season Author: N.K. Jemisin Genre: Fantasy Publisher: Orbit Publication Date: August 4 2015 Hardcover: 449 Pages This is the way the world ends. Again. Three terrible things…
Joel Ross makes a triumphant middle grade debut with The Fog Diver – a swashbuckling, science fiction-fantasy that conjures comparisons to Kenneth Oppel’s Airborn and Jenn Reese’s Above World. In other words: READ THIS BOOK NOW. Title: The Fog…
Sweet Tooth Friday: “Endangered Species” (Vol. 4) by Jeff Lemire
“Everywhere you go, pain and misery seem to follow. Well, I’m done following along with it. I won’t be a part of your violence anymore. And I won’t let the children be infected by it either.” Title: Sweet Tooth:…
Old School Wednesdays Dark Tower Reread: The Gunslinger by Stephen King
Old School Wednesdays presents Thea’s epic reread of The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. May we be well-met, fellow traveler. Old School Wednesdays is a weekly Book Smugglers feature. We came up with the idea towards the end…
“What if they aren’t the solution at all, but the problem? What if they caused it? What if he caused it?” Title: Sweet Tooth: Animal Armies Written by Jeff Lemire Genre: Apocalypse, Dystopia, Comics, Graphic Novel, Science Fiction, Speculative…
It’s Friday, which means we are over at Kirkus for our regular weekly column! Thea takes over this week with a review of a highly anticipated book, dystopian YA speculative fiction novel City of Savages by Lee Kelly. A…
It’s Friday, which means we are over at Kirkus for our regular weekly column! This week, Thea is over at Kirkus talking about a novella follow-up to This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers (one of her Top…
“When they come and get you… you don’t never come back.” Title: Sweet Tooth: In Captivity Written by Jeff Lemire Genre: Apocalypse, Dystopia, Comics, Graphic Novel, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction Publisher: Vertigo Publication Date: December 2010 Paperback: 144 pages…
Over at Kirkus, Thea talks about what to read when you’re tired of The Walking Dead. It’s Friday, which means we are over at Kirkus! Today it’s Thea’s turn, and she takes a dark, post-apocalyptic turn with a graphic…
The Feats of Strength are an integral part of our annual Smugglivus Tradition. In previous years, the Feats of Strength were a challenge in which we dared each other to read a book that we knew was so far…
It’s Friday, which means we are over at Kirkus! This week, Thea takes over with a review of the last book she read in 2014: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. A pre- and post-apocalyptic fable about a…
Joint Review: The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
Title: The Three-Body Problem Author: Cixin Liu (translated by Ken Liu) Genre: Science Fiction Publisher: Tor Publication Date: November 11 2014 Hardcover: 400 Pages With the scope of Dune and the commercial action of Independence Day, Three-Body Problem is…
Title: In A Handful of Dust Author: Mindy McGinnis Genre: Post-Apocalypse, Dystopia, Speculative Fiction, Young Adult Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books Publication Date: September 2014 Hardcover: 384 pages The only thing bigger than the world is fear. Lucy’s life by…
Title: The Three Author: Sarah Lotz Genre: Horror Publisher: Little, Brown (US) / Hodder and Stoughton (UK) Publication Date: May 2014 Hardcover: 467 Pages (UK) Four simultaneous plane crashes. Three child survivors. A religious fanatic who insists the three…