Hey!
This week I have my favorite books of the year so far, the first book giveaway for U.S. readers, and a ton of reviews, including a lot for older titles. Yes. I love this trend! Let’s dig into those back lists, my friends! Can we recreate the midlist author career from the power of our reviews? Never say it’s impossible!
A-Side
Favorite Books of 2025 (So Far)
2025 is the first year that while I am doing a lot of rereads (and will be doing more) I’ve boosted my numbers on new-to-me titles. I’m stoked! Here are my faves through the end of June 2025.
8. When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi
I'm very surprised to be putting this here. I love Scalzi's space opera (even if I did have to DNF the last book in the Collapsing Empire series) and his last two books have felt like they were screenplays trapped in a novel format, begging at top volume to be set free. I was dubious about this (cheese?) but it turns out it's literally just a book to make billionaires a punching bag and a meditation on family, friends, and faith in the face of the annihilation...by cheese. It’s Dairy Armageddon. Did I cry a little at the end? I'll never tell.
7. The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain by Sofia Samatar
This was my first Samatar (I know), and I didn't know what to expect going in from such a short piece that was sold to me as "revolution percolates on a generation ship". Samatar is interested in systems and how people participate in them depending on if they were brought in from another or are native to it...and that’s just one reading. There are threads upon threads to pull from this piece, which is a marvel, because it really isn't that long.
6. The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
I finally dived into the Singing Hills Cycle, years after everyone else. It was my first book on my 2020 Redux Challenge. It's a sly and incisive story about women, their friendships, and revenge, told via a fun framing with our main character, Cleric Chih and their companion, Almost Brilliant. Again, I’m amazed at Vo's skill with packing so much into such a slim story. This one rewards a reread.
5. North Continent Ribbon by Ursula Whitcher
It's hard to describe this novella, which is a series of connected short fiction about the same planet, Nakharat. Each story follows a different character at a different time across the planet. There's a thread about the use of algorithms, but it's not the debate we're having today with generative AI. It's a deeply human story, exploring the flaws of people in ways I'm still unpacking. There's also union organizing in a story that made me think a lot about prison abilition and restorative justice. I read this via the library and keep mulling over it, which is a sign the story isn't done with me. I'll be getting my own copy soon for a reread.
4. The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
This book, like The Empress of Salt and Fortune, was part of my 2020 Redux Challenge and I knew my pal Jenny had loved it and regularly sung its praises, so I prioritized it. It definitely skirts the line between science fiction and literary fiction in tone. It's less focused on the how of the multiverse travel and more on the consequences for Cara, our protagonist, and the people around her. This is also a book thinking about class and systems, much like the Samatar above. The characterization is subtle, almost haunting, in the way Cara yearns for, and fights for, a better life. The final act was the quietest, but most vicious ending I've read in awhile.
3. Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo
Yes, a second Singing Hills Cycle book! This volume was a little longer which I was happy to see. My favorite character is back; I love Almost Brilliant so much, especially her friendship with Chih. This book is about memory, but also about different types of grief around endings and how we cope with each one. I love getting to learn more about the Singing Hills after so many books, especially the neixin and some of their lore. This entry cemented my love for the series. I will follow Nghi Vo anywhere.
2. The Witch Roads by Kate Elliott
Between the deadly fungal fog and its sneaky spore, an abrupt change of fortune for the main character Elen and her nephew, and arrogant royals with a snotty prince that's about to come down with a acute case of "being possessed", there's a lot happening on the surface of this story. I didn't even mention the road trip or the magic snake. As I read this book, though, what stuck out to me was the quiet friendship being explored, the peaks of a deep world history, the story of how Elen became to be who and what she is (class! again!), and the struggle about whether betraying the trust of someone you love is worth it for perceived safety.
1. The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson
When I wrote about this book a few weeks ago, I said, "The Raven Scholar is like if The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie and a bunch of bananas had a baby and that baby was really into jumping out of dark corridors at you screaming, 'SURPRISE!' Sometimes with a knife?" That description still describes the vibes of this book to a T. The main story: there are trials to decide the next monarch every 24 years, and when a contender is murdered, our protagonist, Neema, is tasked with solving the crime while also taking over for the axed contender. Oh, and she’s a suspect. I loved every twist, the perspective shifts, the romance, and how I could never predict what was going to happen. Epic fantasy on steroids; give me the sequel immediately. 10000/10
Reviews/Discussions
If you have recommendations for reviewers/critics doing standalone work (either in writing or video), I’d love to learn about them! Drop a note to intergalacticmixtape @ gmail or reply to this email.
The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Anne Mai Yee Jansen @ Book Riot)
The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Galen Strickland @ Templeton Gate)
Black Powder War by Naomi Novik (Caitlin @ Realms of my Mind)
A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay (Niko'sBookReviews)
Clarkesworld in April (A.C. Wise @ Locus)
Disgraced Return of the Kap's Needle by Renan Bernardo (Elias @ Bar Cart Bookshelf)
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (Narrated Podcast)
Excession by Iain M. Banks (A Meal of Thorns Podcast)
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman (Dina @ SFF Book Reviews)
Girl in the Creek by Wendy N. Wagner (Rob Bedford @ SFF World)
If Wishes Were Retail by Auston Habershaw (Gary K. Wolfe @ Locus)
The Incandescent by Emily Tesh (Abigail Nussbaum @ Strange Horizons)
The Incandescent by Emily Tesh (Camestros Felapton)
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (Tar Vol on)
Ironheart (Ann Michelle Harris @ Nerds of a Feather)
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (Andrew Liptak @ Transfer Orbit)
Jurassic World: Rebirth (Tansy Gardam @ Strange Horizons)
K-Pop Demon Hunters (Camestros Felapton)
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K Le Guin (Womble @ Runalong the Shelves)
The Magicians by Lev Grossman (Niko'sBookReviews)
Metal from Heaven by August Clarke (cozyinthenook)
Murderbot (Camestros Felapton)
The Nightshade God by Hannah Whitten (Lacy Baugher Milas @ Paste)
Patapon 1 + 2 Replay (Eddie De Santiago @ But Why Tho?)
Pseudopod in June (Womble @ Runalong the Shelves)
The Raven Tower by Antonia Hodgson (AllieReads)
Superman (D.J. Rogers @ Black Nerd Problems)
Superman (Daniel Haeusser @ Skiffy and Fanty)
Superman (Camestros Felapton)
Superman (Arturo Serrano @ Nerds of a Feather)
Superman (Abigail Nussbaum @ Asking the Wrong Questions)
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (Samantha @ ladybug.books)
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (Bonnie McDaniel @ Red Headed Femme)
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (Bailey/greekchoir)
The Unbroken by C.L. Clark (Jamie Rose @ The Lesbrary)
Uncertain Sons and Other Stories by Thomas Ha (Tar Vol on)
The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam by Megan Bannen (Nils Shukla @ The Fantasy Hive)
Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata (Ian Mond @ Locus)
What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher (Tar Vol on)
The Witch Roads by Kate Elliott (Bill Capossere @ FanLit)
B-Side
The 2025 Prometheus Awards were announced. Time is running out to cast your votes for the 2025 Hugo Awards. The deadline is July 23! That’s next week. Tarvolon has a discussion/ranking of the Hugo Best Novel finalists. I have officially bowed out of Hugo reading, so hat’s off to the people who read the entire Best Novel ballot.
My pal Jenny is now a NYT Book Person, officially! Her romantasy starter pack has something for everyone. Don’t miss the supplemental recs under each book. Addison Rizer at Book Riot shared six post-apocalyptic reads, a few with explicit SFF themes. Christina Orlando has a robust list of SFF titles to look forward to the rest of the year over at Reactor. There’s certainly something there for everyone. There’s also a big list of anticipated SFF over at LitHub. My favorite parts of these lists is seeing what titles crop up over and over and which are unique to the list. Over at Book Riot, Kelly Jensen dug into several lists to see what titles were recurring.
The Nerd Daily has an interview with Seth Haddon, author of Volatile Memory as well as an interview with Sara Omer, author of The Gryphon King. Sara Omer was also over at JamReads for an interview. Over at Locus, there’s an interview excerpt with Fran Wilde, author of the upcoming A Philosophy of Thieves. The Fantasy Hive has an interview with Sarah Beth Durst, author of the recently released The Enchanted Greenhouse. Kate Elliott was over at Skiffy and Fanty for an interview. Lee Mandelo has an interview over at Electric Literature. Malka Older, author of The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti, was on the If This Goes On (Don't Panic) podcast. Strange Horizons has a podcast interview with Mary Robinette Kowal (there is a transcript, too). Julie Czerneda is over at Skiffy and Fanty with a guest post about authors who are adept at genre switching. Chuck Tingle has an interview in School Library Journal, but what I appreciated even as an autistic person was his discussion of the interview on code switching.
Makana Yamamoto revealed the cover to the standalone sequel of Hammajang Luck, The Obake Code. The art is by Janelle Barone. Over at Reactor, there’s an excerpt from Mistress of Bones by Maria Z. Medina and The Magician of Tiger Castle by Louis Sachar. At Transfer Orbit, there’s a compilation of news about the upcoming special editions of Fonda Lee’s The Green Bone Saga. Adrian Tchaikovsky's The Final Architecture series is getting a prequel comic, Salvation's Child, written by Tchaikovsky, with art by Mike Collins, colors by Pippa Bowland, letters by Simon Bowland, cover art by Steve Stone, and edits by Paul Cornell. Alex Brown shared their must read speculative short fiction for June and Vanessa Fogg shared a long list of short fiction recs for April through June. Over on Netgalley, The Burning Queen by Aparna Verma, sequel to The Phoenix King, is available for reviewers to request. Very exciting for me personally is that coffeeandink is doing a Cherryh reread. I have collected so many of Cherryh’s books! It will be nice to have someone with experience in Deep SFF Lore writing about her work actively. And I’ll definitely talk about it again, but Kristen from Fantasy Cafe will be doing another virtual book rec sessions with the Ashland Public Library in August.
Alex Brown wraps up their Murderbot recap with a dive into the last episode, “The Perimeter”. Cheryl Eddy called the Murderbot finale “Note-Perfect” in their episode recap. Over at Collider, there’s a post-finale interview with Alexander Skarsgård that’s excellent. Disha wrote an excellent essay about Murderbot over at Countercurrents. And I’m sure everyone who reads this newsletter read the new novelette that dropped last week about ART and its crew, right? Finally, there are several new trailers/teasers for Tron: Ares, Stranger Things Season 5, Mortal Kombat II, and Wednesday Season 2. And Arcane Season 2 is getting a physical release! (I love physical media.)
Art recs: Grasp by geneva. Nature hike by Mike Maihack. seafoam by Rii Abrego. They smell fear and an opportunity by DrFelici. summer moments and winter moments by Johanna Forster. A speedy little clipper ship from the rust belt by spacegooose. Happy Caturday by John Ramsey. He Looks Like He Runs a Bird Mafia by Athanaca. Mushies! by Jessica Elena.
Giveaway
It’s the first Intergalactic Mixtape book giveaway! I have an extra copy of The Witch Roads by Kate Elliott due to a pre-order snafu that I want to send to someone in the U.S. I’m sorry, non-Americans, shipping is WILD right now. My next giveaway will be international.
To enter, fill out this form. Folks who enter with the email they’re subscribed to the newsletter with will get a second entry. Yay!
Outro
How are we all feeling post-Murderbot? I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do with my Thursday nights now. I guess finish the second season of Severance.
That’s it for this week! Thanks for reading. :)