Strange Weather is a collection of 4 short novels, each telling a unique story. They are all independent of one another, and could be read in any order. I may not rate this one quite as high as most of the works I’ve read by Hill, but I suspect most of that comes from my preference for longer works. The stories are quick and varied covering funny to horrifying to creepy and the main character in each are varied. One aspect of these that some readers will love, but some may not is the endings can ;eave the reader just on the edge of “what happens next”. You can probably guess, for good or for bad, how the cards will fall, but Hill will leave you right on the precipice, giving the reader something to think about and let their own imagination fill in the details. This is something I have always enjoyed, I feel like endings like this make a book last a bit longer for me because I find myself thinking about the ending more than if every last detail had been provided. That said, I know not all readers love this type of ending as much as…
Here’s a rundown of the books we think you should look out for in coming in the week. See any that you are really looking forward to? Find any you had not heard of yet? Know of books we missed? We know we don’t have everything and would love to hear what you feel we may have overlooked. FANTASY URBAN FANTASY SCIENCE FICTION HORROR FANTASY URBAN FANTASY SCIENCE FICTION HORROR FANTASY URBAN FANTASY SCIENCE FICTION HORROR After Atlas Newman, Emma 11/8/2016 Roc Alien Morning Wilber, Rick 11/8/2016 Tor Books At the Sign of Triumph Weber, David 11/8/2016 Tor Books Belle Chasse Johnson, Suzanne 11/8/2016 Tor Books Tales from the Darkside: Scripts by Joe Hill Hill, Joe 11/8/2016 IDW Publishing The Iron Beast Remic, Andy 11/8/2016 Tor.com The Mountain of Kept Memory Neumeier, Rachel 11/8/2016 Saga Press The Shadow of What Was Lost Islington, James 11/8/2016 Orbit
Here’s a rundown of the books we think you should look out for in coming in the week. See any that you are really looking forward to? Find any you had not heard of yet? Know of books we missed? We know we don’t have everything and would love to hear what you feel we may have overlooked. FANTASY SCIENCE FICTION HORROR FANTASY SCIENCE FICTION HORROR FANTASY SCIENCE FICTION HORROR The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Ten Jonathan Strahan 5/16/2016 Solaris The Tower of Swallows Andrzej Sapkowski 5/17/2016 Orbit Company Town Ashby, Madeline 5/17/2016 Tor Books Freeze/Thaw Chris Bucholz 5/17/2016 Apex My Best Friend’s Exorcism Grady Hendrix 5/17/2016 Quirk The Summon Stone Ian Irvine 5/17/2016 Orbit The Fireman Joe Hill 5/17/2016 William Morrow Roses and Rot Kat Howard 5/17/2016 Saga The God Wave Patrick Hemstreet 5/17/2016 Harper Voyager Runtime S.B. Divya 5/17/2016 Tor.com Stranger of the Tempest Tom Lloyd 5/19/2016 Gollancz
Fun fact, Hill mentioned in the foreward/introduction that the title of his book came from Bradbury’s original title of Fahrenheit 451. The Fireman felt very different from Hill’s other books. There is not the magical call of Christmasland, though there was a nod to it in the book as well as a slew of references to other genre books, particularly Harry Potter. There was not a ghost haunting a rock star or magical keys that unlock abilities, or horns that appear overnight. This book felt less fantastical and more thriller, but you’ll find absolutely no complaints here because it is an extremely thrilling read that I found almost impossible to put down. The premise is that there is a new, incredibly dangerous plague called Draco Incendia Trychophyton (aka Dragonscale). Dragonscale is quite frightening because it can cause its victims to burst into flames, incinerating anything and anyone near by. Dragonscale is absolutely fascinating. I have to admit, it sounded like it would take a stronger suspension of disbelief until I read the book. Hill presents the Dragonscale in such a way that if feels clinically/scientifically possible. There are many traits he assigns to it, and when broken down makes it sound more plausible. Granted it is still fiction,…
With temperatures falling and leaves dropping, it’s time to brace our selves for winter. And honestly? What better way to beat the cold than with a good book? So, we have selected a set of books that make us think of winter, letting us experience the bitter cold while we are safely curled up under a blanket with a warm drink.