Pile by the Bed reviews Babel by RF Kuang a historical fantasy that takes on notions of Empire and colonialism through a unique linguisitc magic system.

Pile by the Bed reviews Okay Then That’s Great by Susannah Wise, a comedic, sometimes surreal ghost story dealing with grief and the vicissitudes of modern life.

Pile by the Bed reviews and recommends Neom by Lavie Tidhar a return to the world of his breakthrough science fiction novel Central Station.

Pile by the Bed reviews Celestial by MD Lachlan and finds it a confusing collection of alternate history, mythology and science fiction.

Pile by the Bed reviews The Last Hero by Linden A Lewis and finds it a page-turning and philosophical finale to their First Sister space opera trilogy

Pile by the Bed reviews A Brief Affair, the fifteenth novel by twice Miles Franklin award winning Australian autho Alex Miller that asks deep questions about personal change and growth.

Pile by the Bed reviews Clarke by Holly Throsby, set in a regional Australian city which looks at the impact of a long running police investigation on the lives of two characters processing their own grief.

Pile by the Bed reviews Willowman by Inga Simpson – a love letter to Australian cricket and its traditions.

Pile by the Bed reviews Day’s End the fourth book in Garry Disher’s Australian crime fiction series set in rural South Australia and featuring policeman Paul ‘Hirsch’ Hirschhausen

Pile by the Bed reviews A Quiet Teacher by Adam Oyebanji a crime thriller with a spy story angle.

Pile by the Bed reviews The Trees by Percival Everett, a genre-mash satrire that explores the very real and painful history of lynchings in the United States that was shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize.

Pile by the Bed reviews The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler a science fiction debut dealing with a form of terrestrial first contact and issues fo artificial intelligence. Recommended

Pile by the Bed reviews We Spread by Iain Reid, a surreal and disorienting narrative from the perspective of an ageing protagonist put in a strange old age home.

Pile by the Bed reviews The World We Make, the second book in NK Jemisin’s Great Cities duology.

Pile by the Bed reviews The Passenger, the first book from Cormac McCarthy for sixteen years full of beautiful and thoughtful passages but slightly less than the sum of its various exquisite parts.

Pile by the Bed reviews Blitz by Daniel O’Malley, a stand-alone third book in his Checquy Files series which started with 2012’s The Rook

Pile by the Bed reviews This All Come Back Now, an anthology of 22 short speculative fiction stories by Australian First Nations authors edited by Mykaela Saunders

Pile by the Bed reviews Pslams for the End of the World by Cole Haddon a dizzying, multifaceted science fiction debut that explores what it means to be human.

Pile by the Bed reviews Lost on Time by AG Riddle a fast paced time travel thriller with dinosaurs.

Pile by the Bed reviews The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean a resonant modern fanatasy in conversation with the tropes of classic fantasy and fairy tales.