Mark Schiffer

Nauseating to read because 2020, but mind-blowing and gripping. Took so many wild turns, and in terms of style felt like it could have been written yesterday.

Cw: sexual assault

Narratively simple, psychologically complex story of found family. Super lived-in setting, really builds up some great momentum throughout.

Solid gory fun with some great turns along the way. Doesn't overstay its welcome too.

Powerful as hell coming of age story touching on religion, mental illness, and addiction. Many soaring passages. Definitely gonna seek out Homegoing.

Man

This book gave me palpitations, and that's the point.

Account of the events on a space station during a critical moment in future human history. Cherryh's style throws some people off, and there were a few moments during this that I was lost. Totally worth it though, I love Pell and Downbelow and these people so much and can't wait to read more about their history.

Creepy, claustrophobic story of doppelgangers of doppelgangers trapped on a semi-organic ship full of unknowable entities. I'm sure this is thought of as “minor Cherryh,” and I get it, but for this small work to be as unsettlingly effective as it is speaks to her strengths.

Gorgeous, fable-like tale.

Sprightly, supremely enjoyable space operetta. So excited to read the rest of the series.

A former Union soldier becomes an attendant at earth's rest stop on an intergalactic highway system. Gorgeous prose, maybe one of the most purely human and warm science fiction novels I've read. I can easily imagine rereading this one within the year.

Confession: Past a certain point in this collection every story seemed to be about pandemics so I couldn't finish it. However, the title novella alone made this a five-star read.

Super fast, super fun. Buckets of blood. Clown(s) in a cornfield.

The inspiration for my favorite movie, and as a result hard for me to objectively assess. Still, I absolutely adored it.

Easily the best US release of Ito's work. A must-read for horror and comic fans alike.

Fun meta-horror, read it in an afternoon.

Sometimes pleasantly poky, sometimes powerful essay collection written during over the past few months. I love small books.

Trauma, gay sex, and a haunted house. Perfection, so ready to read everything by the author.

Ripping yarn about a small town with a secret. Rhett & Link are shockingly solid horror authors it turns out. Looking forward to more fiction from them.

The first half is immaculately crafted creeping terror, and the back half is a gloriously blood soaked and propulsive sprint. Give us a movie!

One sad family. Too many evil dolls. Neglectful 80s parenting at its finest!

Cw: assault; abuse

Easily the best new horror novel I've read this year. Although it seems to have the trappings of gothic, there are elements of ghost stories, cosmic horror, and body horror. Impossible to put down, main character I loved spending 300 pages with, the kind of thriller one could devour in one or two sittings.

A bit convoluted, and some regressive gender politics, but still such a pleasurable read. It's clear that David has a lot of affection for the characters, and it was great to spend so much time with Troi and the Betazoids.

Gold standard weird fiction with some of the most effective storytelling I've seen in horror comics.

Mid-singularity sci-fi a la The End of Evangelion that went to WILD places and was (for me) unputdownable. Readers of This is How You End the Time War will love this one. A new classic of queer speculative fiction.