Pile by the Bed reviews To Be Taught if Fortunate, the new novella by humanist science fiction author Becky Chambers

Pile by the Bed reviews The Warehouse by Rob Hart – a new dystopian thriller that takes on Amazon and the American dream.

Pile by the Bed reviews Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman, a timely historical crime novel that explores Baltimore in the 1960s.

Pile by the Bed reviews and recommends Jade War by Fonda Lee, second book in the Green Bone trilogy.

Pile by the Bed reviews Velocity Weapon by Megan E O’Keefe, the start of an enjoyable, page-turning space opera series.

Pile by the Bed reviews Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff using pulp horror and science fiction tropes to explore racism in America in the 1950s.

Pile by the Bed reviews Hexarchate Stories by Yoon Ha Lee – short stories and extras expanding on his Machineries of Empire universe.

Pile by the Bed reviews Recursion the new mind-bending science fiction thriller by Blake Crouch

Pile by the Bed reviews Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey – a post Harry Potter magic academy / noir crime fiction mash up.

Pile by the Bed reviews the second collection of science fiction stories by Ted Chiang.

Pile by the Bed reviews The Farm by Joanne Ramos, a day-after-tomorrow look a the gap between rich and poor.

Pile by the Bed reviews Outside Looking In by TC Boyle – an exploration of the 60s and the followers of Timothy Leary.

Pile by the Bed reviews Tiamat’s Wrath by JAmes SA Corey (The Expanse #8) – another top entry in a great space opera series

Pile by the Bed reviews A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine – a strong modern space opera debut.

Pile by the Bed reviews Out of the Dark by Gregg Hurwitz, the fourth Orphan X thriller.

Pile by the Bed reviews The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie, a book that reinvents the ground rules of the fantasy genre.

Alex White opens the second volume of his Salvagers trilogy, A Bad Deal for the Whole Galaxy with an action scene. The crew of the Capricious, not content with their galaxy saving adventures in A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe, are tracking down the people behind that plot. But it is a tangled plot that runs deep into the galaxy’s elite and they need to do it one bad guy at a time. When the book opens they are following the money, trying to apprehend a man who might be able to start leading them to the ultimate mastermind. That opening scene is a statement of intent: well constructed action, peppered with a bit of banter and a battle involving different magical powers. And it works. There is very little table setting or revisiting the past in this book. White assumes that readers are across the basics, including the fact that most characters have some magical ability. Once again, the focus is on two point of view characters – former grand prix racer and mechanic Nilah and former salvager and crewmember of the Capricious Boots Elsworth. But every member of the crew gets an opportunity to shine…

Pile by the Bed reviews the Golden State by Ben H Winters – a dystopia with noir crime undertones.

Pile by the Bed reviews Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver

Pile by the Bed reviews Red Moon by Kim Stanley Robinson