Welcome to Future Fiction, my reimagining of the Waiting on Wednesday meme! There are so many amazing new books coming out, that I can no longer pick just one. My goal with Future Fiction is to share at least three new books each week, a combination of recent cover reveals and books that I’ve recently added to my TBR pile. I’m still going to be linking up with Wishful Endings/Can’t Wait Wednesday, and I also want to give a shout out to Jill at Breaking the Spine for starting the original Waiting on Wednesday meme. I hope you’ll find some new books to add to your TBR piles, and as always, I look forward to hearing what YOU’RE looking forward to:-D
It’s the last Future Fiction of the year! Take a look at some upcoming 2021 releases:
A diverse team of broken, diminished former criminals get back together to solve the mystery of their last, disastrous mission and to rescue a missing and much-changed comrade… but they’re not the only ones in pursuit of the secret at the heart of the planet Dimmuborgir. The highly-evolved AI of the universe have their own agenda and will do whatever it takes to keep humans from ever controlling the universe again. This band of dangerous women, half-clone and half-machine, must battle their own traumas and a universe of sapient ageships who want them dead, in order to settle their affairs once and for all.
Cassandra Khaw’s debut novel is a page-turning exploration of humans and machines that is perfect for readers of Ann Leckie, Ursula Le Guin, and Kameron Hurley.
The All-Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw. Releases in June 2021 from Erewhon. Khaw is known for her novellas, and now she’s written a novel! I’ve only read a few of her short stories, so I’m curious to read a longer work of hers.
A thrilling work of psychological suspense with the startling twists of Gone Girl and the haunting emotional power of Room, Mirrorland is the story of twin sisters, the man they both love, and the dark childhood they can’t leave behind.
Cat lives in Los Angeles, about as far away as she can get from her estranged twin sister El and No. 36 Westeryk Road, the imposing gothic house in Edinburgh where they grew up. As girls, they invented Mirrorland, a dark, imaginary place under the pantry stairs full of pirates, witches, and clowns. These days Cat rarely thinks about their childhood home, or the fact that El now lives there with her husband Ross.
But when El mysteriously disappears after going out on her sailboat, Cat is forced to return to the grand old house, which has scarcely changed in twenty years. No. 36 Westeryk Road is still full of shadowy, hidden corners, and at every turn Cat finds herself stumbling on long-held secrets and terrifying ghosts from the past. Because someone—El?—has left Cat clues all over the house: a treasure hunt that leads right back to Mirrorland, where she knows the truth lies crouched and waiting…
A twisty, dark, and brilliantly crafted thriller about love and betrayal, redemption and revenge, Mirrorland is a propulsive, page-turning debut about the power of imagination and the price of freedom.
Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone. Releases in April 2021 from Scribner. One of my goals next year is to read more mystery/thrillers, and this sounds like a good one!
Like everyone else she knows, Mallory is an orphan of the corporate war. As a child, she lost her parents, her home, and her entire building in an airstrike. As an adult, she lives in a cramped hotel room with eight other people, all of them working multiple jobs to try to afford water and make ends meet. And the job she’s best at is streaming a popular VR war game. The best part of the game isn’t killing enemy combatants, though—it’s catching in-game glimpses of SpecOps operatives, celebrity supersoldiers grown and owned by Stellaxis, the corporation that runs the America she lives in.
Until a chance encounter with a SpecOps operative in the game leads Mal to a horrifying discovery: the real-life operatives weren’t created by Stellaxis. They were kids, just like her, who lost everything in the war, and were stolen and augmented and tortured into becoming supersoldiers. The world worships them, but the world believes a lie.
The company controls every part of their lives, and defying them puts everything at risk—her water ration, her livelihood, her connectivity, her friends, her life—but she can’t just sit on the knowledge. She has to do something—even if doing something will bring the wrath of the most powerful company in the world down upon her.
Firebreak by Nicole Kornher-Stace. Releases in May 2021 from Gallery/Saga Press. This sounds like it has a lot of promise. I love the VR game angle, and there are already a handful of very positive reviews on Goodreads. Kornher-Stace is the author of Archivist Wasp, a book I’ve been eyeing for quite some time!
Khaw’s book sounds awesome! Thanks for putting it on my radar! I also discovered she has a novella coming, called “Nothing But Blackened Teeth”, that sounds promising as well.
Roberta R. recently posted…2020 Wrap-Up: In Which I Outdo Myself
Good to know, thanks for the info!
Your description of Firebreak gives of some interesting Hunger Games vibes and I can’t wait to hear your comments on this one!
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…MY TOP TEN FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2020
There are some Hunger Games vibes, I have high hopes for Firebreak:-)
Currently reading Mirrorland at the moment. Loving it just added the others to my crippling TBR
Oh cool! I just got approved for Mirrorland on NetGalley so I’m looking forward to it.
A fascinating selection of books, Tammy:)). That cover for The All-Consuming World is just awesome… I particularly like the sound of Firebreak – thank you for sharing:)).
I fear 2021 is going to crush us with so many awesome books:-)
“A diverse team of broken, diminished former criminals…” Do I need to know more? No. Mirrorland sounds like a great read as well. I don’t read a lot of thrillers but wanna read more next year too. And am super intrigued by Firebreak after reading the synopsis. GAH!
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Can’t-Wait Wednseday: Like A Love Song by Gabriela Martins
I always have fun with thrillers and I hope I find some good ones next year:-)
Ohhhhh Archivist Wasp! I thought that name looked familiar. I haven’t read that one either but need to! 🙂
I always hear people talking about Archivist Wasp! And I think there is a sequel too.
The name Cassandra Khaw seemed familiar so I checked my stack of ebooks (can you really have a “stack” of ebooks?) and found I have one of her novellas titled “Rupert Wong, Cannibal Chef”. I guess I need to give that a read! 🙂
todd recently posted…My Favorite Books and Films from 2020
I’m not even sure I’ve read one of her novellas, but I have read some short stories and really enjoyed them.
Archivist Wasp was sooo good. I am looking forward to her new one. NetGalley needs to approve me request!
x The Captain
Good luck with your request, Captain!
A band of dangerous women, with comparisons to Le Guin and Hurley? Oh, that’s one to watch!
High praise, right?
I’ve actually read one of Khaw’s novellas and enjoyed it and the cover of her book has me super curious. I also really like the sounds of Mirrorland and will probably check it out but have to admit I see the two dreaded words – GONE GIRL. I hated that book!
Ha ha, I liked Gone Girl so I may like it more than you, but who knows?
I’m so excited for The All-Consuming World – can’t wait to see what Cass Khaw does long-form!
Me too! It really sounds good:-)
Ooh nice. that second one especially…
Greg recently posted…Can’t Wait Wednesday #64
I agree! I need a good twisty mystery…
Ooh, all of these have great covers! And now I want to scan the QR code on that last one. LOL. Great picks! My post for this week is in the link below.
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature) recently posted…Lisa’s Looking Forward To #90 – January 5th, 2021
Oh good idea! I wonder if it works:-)
Thanks for introducing me to Khaw!
I hope you get the chance to read her book:-)
Firebreak looks really cool! Or, maybe hot is the right adjective to use? LOL Either way, looking forward to checking that one out. 🙂
Ha ha yes, it does sound really good!
Firebreak might be the only one I have on my list – definitely want to read it because of the VR angle!
It sounds good, and I really want to try the author:-)
The first two covers are especially eye catching!
Laura Thomas recently posted…Books From The Back Log #57 ~ How To Be A Mermaid or Mermaids And Mayhem
They are nice covers, right?
Mirrorland looks interesting!! 🙂
It’s got good reviews, too!
I would like to read Mirrorland, in fact I think I requested a copy but I think it’s one of those requests that has been lost in time.
Lynn 😀
I swear to god Tammy your Future Fiction posts are responsible for half of my current TBR haha. These all sound AMAZING and I’ve added them all to my list.