Pile by the Bed reviews Voices of the Dead, the fourth book in Ambrose Parry’s Raven and Fisher historical crime series set around the medical fraternity in 19th century Edinburgh.

Pile by the Bed reviews Hopeland by Ian McDonald a clifi novel that is also about the power of human connection.

Pile by the Bed reviews Reproduction the first novel by Canadian poet Ian Williams which explores human relationships and the intersect between biological and found families.

Pile by the Bed reviews an evocative Australian debut set in Southern Tasmania – The Octopus and I by Erin Hortle.

Pile by the Bed reviews String City by Graham Edwards

Angela Chadwick’s debut novel XX starts with a day-after-tomorrow (or possibly even day-after-today) premise: a group of scientists in the UK has found a way to create viable embryos from two female donors. Following successful animal trials, ovum-to-ovum (or ‘o-o’) fertilisation is now going to be offered to humans in a limited trial. Because of the way this technique works, the children of any such process will always have two X genes (one from each parent) and hence can only be female. This sets the scene for a book that is both speculative but also intensely topical, exploring gender, politics, science and the media through what becomes an intensely personal journey. Juliet, the narrator and protagonist, is in a long-term relationship with Rosie. After many years of talking about it she has tamped down her doubts and agreed that they should have a baby. Before they can decide on a sperm donor, the o-o trial is announced and the pair apply, excited to be part of this breakthrough and assuming that the achievement will be celebrated: We’re here to make babies without men. This is Dolly the sheep territory – a whole new frontier – and Rosie and I are…