April 2025 archive

Icehenge by Kim Stanley Robinson

Icehenge by Kim Stanley Robinson

By the year 2248, when Icehenge begins, humanity has long-established settlements on Mars though terraforming is far from complete. Spaceships ply the middle planets, and asteroid mining has been an industry long enough for people to have grown up in it. One of the key differences that has made long-term projects such as terraforming viable …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/20/icehenge-by-kim-stanley-robinson/

When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi

When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi

This book totally should not work. (I think Mary Robinette Kowal may have been the first to make this observation in public.) Scalzi takes an absurd premise — the moon suddenly, completely, and for no discernible reason turns into cheese — and then plays it straight for the rest of the novel. The impossible, the …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/19/when-the-moon-hits-your-eye-by-john-scalzi/

Tectiv Vol 1: Noirtopia by Richard Ashley Hamilton & Marco Matrone

with Dave Sharpe on letters. What a clever post-apocalyptic spin on the noir genre! Bingo Finder is a scavenger in the utopian farm village of Ellay, venturing into the ruins of urban neighborhoods to find anything that might be worth bartering. On one trip with her best friend Fenn, she finds what, to her, is …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/18/tectiv-vol-1-noirtopia-by-richard-ashley-hamilton-marco-matrone/

Captains Wanted by Andres Schabelman

What an odd and interesting metaphysical novel! Told primarily in the second person, this tale of magical realism flits between fantasy, science fiction and the everyday as it explores what it means to truly be in charge of your own life. The “you” addressed in this novel is the frustrated, fake-it-till-you-make-it everyperson (tho tends to …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/17/captains-wanted-by-andres-schabelman/

Hyo the Hellmaker by Mina Ikemoto Ghosh

a swirling figure holds up a hammer and nail on the cover of Hyo the Hellmaker by Mina Ikemoto Ghosh

Hyo the Hellmaker, by Mina Ikemoto Ghosh came out this week, from Scholastic! It’s got intricate world building, noir vibes, and atmospheric illustrations by the author for any manga-loving teen of your acquaintance. Hyo is a “hellmaker,” which means she is able to make bespoke curses for your enemies. Once you commission her, she can …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/16/hyo-the-hellmaker-by-mina-ikemoto-ghosh/

An Interview With Kyle Casey Chu, author of The Queen Bees Of Tybee County

In conjunction with the publication of the first book in Kyle Casey Chu’s debut middle-grade duology, The Queen Bees Of Tybee County, we have a fabulous interview to share with you, dear readers! Also known as the drag queen Panda Dulce, Ms Chu was unwittingly thrust into the global spotlight in 2022 when far-right extremists …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/15/an-interview-with-kyle-casey-chu-author-of-the-queen-bees-of-tybee-county/

All The Noise At Once by DeAndra Davis

Even if one of the supporting cast wasn’t named after an Arsenal Football Club legend, I would still rate this sensitive, witty and heartbreakingly realistic exploration of the effect of police brutality on a Black autistic teenager very highly. All Aiden Wright has ever wanted to do is play football on the same team with …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/14/all-the-noise-at-once-by-deandra-davis/

Tantalizing Tales — April 2025 — Part Two

Hello, readers! Sorry everything’s been a bit chaotic this week. The funeral of my co-parent’s mom was yesterday and we’ve been doing a lot of family-wrangling, which has eaten up more of my time than anticipated. But at least there are books to escape to and relax in, including some of my most anticipated for …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/11/tantalizing-tales-april-2025-part-two/

Casey’s Cases, Vol 1: The Mysterious New Girl by Kay Healy

Oh my goodness, what a smart and funny way to start an advancing reader’s graphic novel series! It’s Casey’s eleventh birthday, and she’s thrilled to be able to open two of her presents before school, saving the rest for her birthday party later on. She’s especially thrilled to discover that she’s been gifted a magnifying …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/09/caseys-cases-vol-1-the-mysterious-new-girl-by-kay-healy/

Space Piracy by Marc Feldman & Hugh Taylor

subtitled: Preparing For A Criminal Crisis In Orbit. And this subtitle is very important, as while the authors acknowledge that piracy in space is not a serious problem yet, it certainly has the potential to be so in the not too distant future. With humanity’s increasing exploration of space beyond our atmosphere, it’s almost inevitable …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/08/space-piracy-by-marc-feldman-hugh-taylor/