Exordia by Seth Dickinson. SF novel that opens with a Kurdish refugee meeting an invisible alien in Central Park. It's a chaotic mix of first contact, mil-SF and political SF, marrying entirely handwaving tech with some fairly detailed maths. Likely more fun to write than it was to read

The Hungry Gods @aptshadow.bsky.social SF novella set on a depleted, poisoned earth, telling a parable about the risks of concentrating too much power in the hands of hubristic tech moguls. It's an enjoyable read with a satisfying ending and some rather spectacular set pieces. Recommended

Awakened by Laura Elliott. Self-consciously gothic SF in which a neural chip causes insomnia and mass psychosis, and a socially maladjusted scientist seeks a cure. It's an excellent premise with well applied tropes, but this is by far the most introspective zombie apocalypse I've ever read

Heaven's River by Dennis E. Taylor. Fourth novel in the Bobiverse series. Bob society begins to fracture, and a megastructure is discovered populated by intelligent but primitive otterlike beings. Interesting in parts, but slower and much less fun than the first 3 instalments

The Artifact by Peter Cawdron. Another standalone novel from Cawdron’s fun, thoughtful First Contact series. An alien object is found in a remote part of Libya and must be extracted. The SF elements are interesting but the action/adventure thriller plot is rather generic, if well researched

Furious Heaven by Kate Elliott. Gender swapped, Sinocentric Alexander the Great space opera that concludes the 2 part series. The world-building, intrigue and characterisation are uniformly excellent, but the military manoeuvres lack the dazzle the narrative requires

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins. @hgfanboy.bsky.social Hunger Games prequel recounting Katniss's mentor Haymitch's pyrrhic victory. Fans of the series will have much to enjoy here, with a narrative structure based around the games closely echoing the original trilogy

The Secret by Lee and Andrew Child. Another co-written Reacher outing, this time involving a case Reacher investigated while still enlisted. The standard is higher than the other co-written thrillers but is still not a patch on Child’s earlier, far superior works

All These Worlds (Bobiverse book 3) @dennisetaylor.bsky.social The 3rd instalment in this light-hearted space opera continues to deliver a mix of nerdy wish fulfilment, clever thought experiments and big concept SF. It will be interesting to see where this entertaining series goes next

Future’s Edge by Gareth L Powell. Interstellar SF adventure in which an exoarchaeologist turned bartender rockets round the galaxy in a spaceship crewed by misfits in a heroic attempt to save humanity. Enjoyable in places, but it all felt rather familiar

Levon's Trade by Chuck Dixon. Pulp noir man versus mob thriller recently released as a Jason Statham vehicle. Laconic prose and uncomplicated violence ensure the crisp plot runs like clockwork in this solid slice of genre action that achieves everything it sets out to do

Shroud @aptshadow.bsky.social A ship from a corpocratic,end state capitalism dystopia finds a peculiar biosphere with no visible light,juxtaposing the darkness on both sides.Tchaikovsky is at his best writing the 'other',conveying alien qualia in an accessible way,& does so superbly here. V.good

Usurpation @sueburke.bsky.social Conclusion to the excellent Semiosis trilogy examining first contact with a plant-based intelligence. The writing and themes are brilliantly delivered, managing an optimistic tone without ignoring the darker sides of humanity and nature. Highly recommended

Simulacrum @pcawdron.bsky.social Another standalone novel from Cawdron’s fun, thoughtful First Contact series. This one looks at Large Language Models and the pros and cons of AI achieving sentience, with human interest provided by some tech-thrillerish escapades and a mission to an asteroid

The Galleons’ Grave – Henry Gresham and the Spanish Armada by Martin Stephen. Swashbuckling historical fiction harking back to Tudor times. It’s atmospheric, well-researched and intricately plotted, but sadly let down somewhat by florid prose and an unfeasibly perfect protagonist

Mal Goes to War @edashtonwriting.bsky.social Standalone SF in which a highly capable but socially maladroit AI is forced to exit cyberspace and navigate a grim US civil war as one of a mismatched group of physical participants. Cleverly written,witty and with a very human heart, this is great fun

Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories @qntm.org Anthology of SF shorts that take thought experiments in physics,AI and exobiology to their logical,often disconcerting conclusions.Well written, brilliant in many places and sometimes very grim- Driver was particularly disturbing.Recommended

Just Out of Jupiter’s Reach @nnedi.bsky.social SF novella with an interesting premise - intelligent,symbiotic spaceships select their pilots from the global population.The sense of wonder stems as much from the implied social harmony at home as it does from exploring space. Gentle & enjoyable

Old Soul by Susan Barker. Literary horror offering a novel, contemporary take on the vampire myth. The sense of place is excellent as the narrative traces the antagonist's path through history, and writing from multiple viewpoints allows scope for a range of style and tone. Very good

Service Model @aptshadow.bsky.social Amusing road trip through a post-human world,examining free will and consciousness through a series of farcical episodes of AI literalism.An entertaining novel that is thoughtful and silly in equal measure:fans of Red Dwarf will find themselves in Silicon Heaven

Lake of Darkness by Adam Roberts. A scientific expedition believes they have discovered a malevolent entity inside a black hole. Sadly, thoughtful philosophy and an interesting critique of frivolous utopianism are not enough to rescue an unsatisfactory plot

The Bees @lalinepaull.bsky.social Fascinating, idiosyncratic fantasy told from the perspective of a worker bee. Accurate biology provides an earthy sexuality, and the narrative examines themes of totalitarianism, rebellion, feminism & religious coercion