Format: Special Edition

Mixing together politically motivated corporate strategizing, samurai code of conduct, rigid society resource management, all set on a frozen and desolate planet, The Last Contract of Isako is a complex and mature story. One of the most anticipated SFF titles of the year as well as Fonda Lee’s scifi debut, this book is incredibly ambitious, featuring themes, character writing, progression, and an ending that is understated and restrained. This is not a book for those looking for heavy samurai action, futuristic cyberpunk visuals, or flashy space opera elements. But for readers that appreciate slow-burn investigative political thrillers and thoughtful reflections on aging and one’s mortality, The Last Contract of Isako does not disappoint. In many ways beyond the age of its protagonist Isako, The Last Contract of Isako is the kind of mature book conceptualized and written by an established author confident and settled to take bigger and unexpected narrative swings. Although it is described as scifi space opera with a battle-worn samurai on a last mission where she may face death at every turn, this almost feels like an attempt by the publisher to market the book and make it appear far more mainstream than it really is, hence…

Set point, forty‑love to Austin Hardy’s intrusive thoughts. The Open Era by Edward Schmit is a wonderfully written queer lit novel that doubles as a sports romance book. Covering difficult topics such as mental health and anxiety, grief and familial loss, and finding one’s confidence beneath stadium spotlights and public judgment, Schmit serves and delivers an ace of a debut novel (I know these puns are bad, just let me roll with it). Humorous, relatable, and romantic when it wants to be, this book is incredibly wholesome and warm in all the right ways. A sports romance with actual sports content and a book of queer joy without feeling contrived or sanitized, The Open Era is a brilliantly written novel that I picked up and wouldn’t put down until I finished it. “Anxiety wrecks me almost daily. It makes me question everything. It makes me believe things that aren’t true. It makes me spiral. It knocks me out. Falling in love does all those things too. At this point it’s all the same.” Sporting one of the most beautiful and striking covers of the year, The Open Era was one of my most anticipated queer titles. While I don’t consider…

Mid-life aging, mercenary glory, and good old-fashioned cross-country adventures have never been as fun and easy to enjoy as Nicholas Eames’s Kings of the Wyld. DnD-style fantasy at its finest, this book nicely balances fast-paced action and humor with unexpectedly strong themes of family and brotherhood. Chaotic and intentionally silly when it wants to be, framed by serviceable worldbuilding and epic fantasy elements, this book is incredibly entertaining provided one isn’t opposed to fantasy “bro” style humor and tone. As far as book synopses go, Kings of the Wyld’s summary is spot on, what you see is what you get. Described as a story about the once mean, dirty, feared, and famous group/band, the members of Saga have since gone their separate ways, aged and dulled by time. The book’s story is roughly divided into two main narratives: the first consisting of Clay and his ex-bandmate Gabriel tracking down the other Saga members to convince them to join what appears to be a suicide mission to save Gabe’s daughter Rose, and their journey across the dangerous stretch of the continent called the Heartwyld to reach her. The overall story is relatively simple despite being set within a high fantasy world…

In anticipation of his new book Dearly Departed, I thought it would be an appropriate time to finally read Chip Pon’s debut novel You & I, Rewritten. Originally self‑published as an indie title, this book was subsequently picked up and given a limited hardcover print run by Rainbow Crate as their indie title for their Jan 2025 book box. Following newly hired publishing editor Will Cowen, this book follows his professional and personal journey with his boss Graham Austin as work and romance blend together. This book feels like a safe and wholesome hug to the queer booktok romance community that Chip is a part of, though its indie roots and debut novel nature are quite apparent compared to his more recent trade‑published titles.  I’m fully aware I’m reviewing Chip Pons’s books out of order, in addition to reading an indie self‑published book after a trade‑published one, which puts You & I, Rewritten on an uneven playing field. This book wasn’t on my radar when it was first published, but I had read and generally enjoyed Chip’s 2025 release Winging It With You, which was entertaining and had some unexpectedly great character writing, but left me wanting more given it…

A Scifi epic about identity, loyalty, and trust across time, space, and alien race, Some Desperate Glory is an ambitious book that covers an impressive amount of narrative material within its sub four‑hundred‑and‑fifty pages. A solid novel on its own, it’s even more impressive being Emily Tesh’s full length debut novel on top of winning a Hugo award and earning a Locus award nomination. At first glance, it appears to be a simple space‑opera story, but it quickly becomes much more, incorporating dystopian concepts, reality‑distorting twists, and excellent queer representation and feminist themes. Yet for how refreshingly modern its story is, this book’s character writing is what leaves a lasting impact. While I was hesitant about the book until the halfway point, I’m thrilled to say it absolutely lives up to its accolades and hype. Some Desperate Glory is one of those books that is difficult to review without spoilers, as its major twists are integral to the reading experience. Without mentioning its heavier content, the book risks sounding generic and far less interesting than it truly is. The story follows Kyr, the top cadet‑in‑training of her female cohort on Gaea Station, until she receives a shocking assignment that undermines…