A sapphic space saga for fans of DUNE, REDSIGHT is an ambitious but flawed sci-fi debut
Maniacal space nuns, interstellar pirates, sapphic romances and a blind protagonist... Meredith Mooring's Redsight has a lot going for it.
Books
Whether it's paperback, hardback or audio, we’ve got it covered when it comes to all the best new writers, authors and book releases.
SMOKE AND ASHES: Amitav Ghosh’s definitive account of the opium trade
You will struggle to find a more comprehensive and accessible introduction to the history of the opium trade than Amitav Ghosh’s Smoke And Ashes.
GHOST PAINS: Jessi Jezewska Stevens’ disorientating short story collection
Jessi Jezewska Stevens’ stories in Ghost Pains are subtle, literary and dizzying, picking you up and then setting you down somewhere slightly different.
BLESSINGS: a profound exploration of identity and acceptance
An intense coming-of-age story, novel Blessings is a thought-provoking debut from Chukwuebuka Ibeh.
REVOLUTIONARY ACTS: Jason Okundaye’s poignant tribute to Black gay Britain
Revolutionary Acts rightly deserves its recognition, weaving together an intergenerational journey through a part of British history rarely afforded attention.
Pembrokeshire myths & legends are unevenly recounted in new folktale collection
Pembrokeshire and Gwynedd Myths & Legends has an attention-grabbing opening but that standard is not quite met throughout.
Comedian & author SHEENA PATEL on redefining narratives, one fragment at a time
Sheena Patel’s debut novel I’m A Fan took the literary world by storm. Ahead of her appearance at Laugharne, we speak to her about the novel, being creative, and job of writing authentically.
MRS GULLIVER, Shakespeare reimagined: Valerie Martin’s sensual tale of love & redemption
Shakespeare’s timeless tale of doomed young lovers is transported from 14th-century Italy to the steaming tropics of 1950’s Verona Island in Valerie Martin’s Mrs Gulliver.
PULP’s most important album gets an in-house dissection from 33 1/3: THIS IS HARDCORE
Arguably Pulp's magnum opus, This Is Hardcore gets literary insight from the band's PR agent Jane Savidge, as part of Bloomsbury's 33 1/3 series.
Undead and unforgettable: Anne de Marcken’s haunting tale of loss and memory, IT LASTS FOREVER AND THEN IT’S OVER
It Lasts Forever And Then It’s Over – a strange, haunting novel by Anne de Marcken, whose acerbic voice breathes new life into the fictional possibilities of the undead.
Mystery and intrigue unfold in Vanessa Walters’ debut novel: THE LAGOS WIFE
Set in the Nigerian capital city of the title, The Lagos Wife is an atmospheric, elegant debut novel by Vanessa Walters.
CRYPT: Alice Roberts reveals what death rituals tell us about Tudor life
In latest book Crypt, Alice Roberts looks closely at how burials in Tudor times could educate us about how people lived in that era.
Revisiting punk’s iconic era: Mark Perry’s SNIFFIN’ GLUE chronicles the birth of rebellion
The reason punk anthology Sniffin’ Glue has endured is that it successfully made the things it was writing about sound really exciting.
THE STORY COLLECTOR: Iris Costello weaves a century-spanning thriller
Described by its author Iris Costello as “a love letter to forgotten voices", The Story Collector is a century-swapping, time-hopping historical thriller.
Bora Chung’s YOUR UTOPIA is as addictive & insightful as BLACK MIRROR
Bora Chung's book Your Utopia could strike a reader as borderline depressing at times, but the collection offers an insightful and fully engaging reading experience.
ASSIMILATION author SOPHIE BUCHAILLARD on the making of “deeply personal” novel on migration
Novelist Sophie Buchaillard ruminates on the process of writing her latest novel, Assimilation – part fact, part fiction, entirely focused on issues of identity, migration and belonging.
OURS by Phillip B. Williams: a mythic & imaginative tale of freedom from slavery
A spellbinding, spiritual story, Ours by Philip B. Williams is a remarkable achievement for a debut author.
New poetry for February: radium jaws, the tightrope of love, Welsh poets branching out
A leap into the unknown for February's best new poetry roundup by Mab Jones with reviews of new books by Lavinia Greenlaw, Safia Elhillo, Lynna Hjelmgaard and more.
QUINT: Robert Lautner’s untold tale behind the JAWS legend
Robert Lautner’s Quint fleshes out the backstory of the Jaws seaman who despised sharks – with good cause.
MONGREL: Hanako Footman’s debut novel connects 3 Japanese women through grief & lonliness
A raw exploration of emotional turmoil forms the basis of Hanako Footman’s debut novel Mongrel.
Lorraine Kelly’s THE ISLAND SWIMMER dives into the cold-water swimming community
Lorraine Kelly certainly has a way with words – and with her debut novel The Island Swimmer, she has now added the title of author to her bow.
IN THE LONG RUN: author Jonathan White explores the power of the future
An insightful read, In The Long Run explores the place of futurological thinking in various political events and ideologies throughout history.
THE FETISHIST: a dark novel of raw power from the late Katherine Min
The Fetishist is a dark novel, at its core dealing with the fetishisation of Asian women by white men, but also hugely readable.
THE BOOK OF ALL LOVES: boundary-defying post-apocalyptic fiction
The conventions of post-apocalyptic fiction are dispensed with in The Book Of All Loves, a fascinating hybrid novel written by the great Agustín Fernández Mallo.