The best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror – review roundup
The Guardian's regular science fiction, fantasy and horror column rounds up five recently published books, offering brief critical assessments of each. The selection spans literary speculative fiction, ghost stories, horror and time-travel thrillers, with several debut novels featured alongside work from established authors.
The books covered are Isabel J Kim's *Sublimation* (Picador, £18.99), a debut using the idea of duplicate "instances" to reimagine the immigrant experience; Andrés Barba's *Last Day of a Prior Life* (Scribe, £10.99), a subtle ghost story translated from Spanish by Lisa Dillman; Paul Tremblay's *Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep* (Bloomsbury, £18.99), a dark tale of a brain implant that reanimates the dead; Ruth Newton's debut *The Carrier* (Bantam, £18.99), a thriller about women paid to absorb others' painful emotions; and Ellery Lloyd's *Time to Burn* (Macmillan, £16.99), a twist-filled thriller about commercial time travel for the super-rich. Each review notes the book's central premise and the reviewer's largely positive verdict.
In short
- Guardian rounds up five recent sci-fi, fantasy and horror books.
- Titles include debuts by Isabel J Kim and Ruth Newton.
- Themes span immigration, ghosts, reanimation and time travel.
Explained simply
The Guardian runs a regular column devoted to reviewing recent publications in science fiction, fantasy and horror. The column helps readers discover new releases worth reading in these genres.
Each instalment features a selection of books with brief critical assessments. The reviews typically cover different subgenres within speculative fiction and include a mix of debut authors and established writers.
With so many new books published each year in these genres, expert review columns offer practical guidance on which titles merit readers' time and money.