Hey!

This week there’s lots of great writing about reviews, then actual reviews of books, and a heap of awards commentary as we’re going to be in Peak Awards Season for quite some time. Also, my birthday is this weekend so someone’s about to make some Expensive Book Decisions with no shame. :D

A-Side

N.K. Jemisin’s Grand Master Speech
One reason I miss blogs is because so many great SFF authors had incredible blogs. Jemisin’s blog was one of my favorites because (big shocker) she’s a great writer. It was very exciting when it was announced that Jemisin would get the Grand Master award. I like the idea of giving it to authors who have created immense works and change in the genre even while they’re still writing, because that gives other people (fans and their colleagues!) more time with them as masters. Jemisin talks about her perspective on it, too, and as usual she’s scathing in her truths and optimistic in her vision for genre’s future. The live speech is here, and it’s not too different from the text version and has all the fun asides, like Jemisin starting small fires. Whatever version you get, don’t miss it.

Canons and cannonades
Paul Kincaid responded to a Critical Friends episode (the one I discussed last week) with a thoughtful essay about how a life of reading changes how we think, talk, and discuss books. I’m still too early in my reading life to know whether this will be true for me, but I’ve heard whispers about this from other reviewers I know. There’s a sense of feeling like the spark has gone out of reading because they can predict how books will go. I think a lot about how early 20th century SFF writers had a vast technological future full of hope and possibility at their fingertips, whereas the writers now are living in, as N.K. Jemisin said in her Grand Master speech above, the Torment Nexus. Maybe if we survive our current moment, the mid-21st century will be an SF renaissance, full of stories teeming with surprises.

Reviewers on Reviewing: Spoilers
I have a backlog of things I want to read, and this first entry in the new series from Ancillary Review of Books was at the top of my list. Everyone’s tolerance for spoilers is different; mine is dependent on genre and whether the spoiler in question will change my emotional reaction too much, which is something only I can predict. Therefore, I don’t make it anyone else’s responsibility. Jenny cites The Queen of Attolia, and this is a great example of a spoiler that would have led to me not even bothering to pick up the book. That would have been a huge loss, because I would have then missed a great series and my favorite book in the series, Thick as Thieves. On the other hand, I spoiled myself for Sinners because it’s horror, and that didn’t change the emotional impact for me. If it’s horror I love a good spoiler, please, and also could you tell me where the jump scares are and who dies? Thanks! There are a ton of chewy ideas in here for the different ways we talk about media. …also, maybe I should reread The Queen’s Thief series?

Reviews/Discussions

And Side by Side They Wander by Molly Tanzer (Eddie Clark @ Nerds of a Feather)
The Book of Spores edited by Adrian M. Gibson, Ed Crocker, Frasier Armitage, & Eleni Argyró (Esmay Rosalyne @ Grimdark Magazine)
The Dead Man’s Empire by W.P. Wiles (Abigail Nussbaum @ Locus)
Deep Black by Miles Cameron (Alexandra Pierce @ Locus)
Department of the Vanishing by Johanna Bell (Ian Mond @ Locus)
Figures Crossing the Field Towards the Group by Rebecca Gransden (Roseanna Pendlebury @ Ancillary Review of Books)
The Final Chronicle of Yeneh by Jo Miles (Paul Weimer @ Nerds of a Feather)
Oathbound by Tracy Deonn (Cheryl Morgan @ Salon Futura)
Obstetrix by Naomi Kritzer (Trish Matson @ Skiffy and Fanty)
Obstetrix by Naomi Kritzer (An Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog)
Obstetrix by Naomi Kritzer (Becky’s Book Blog)
Ode to the Half-Broken by Suzanne Palmer (Marlene Harris @ Reading Reality)
Ode to the Half-Broken by Suzanne Palmer (Will Swardstrom @ FanFiAddict)
Otherworldly by Dwain Worrell (Jacqueline Nyathi @ Harare Review of Books)
Platform Decay by Martha Wells (On Wednesdays We Read Podcast)
Portalmania by Debbie Urbanski (Ela Przybyło @ Ancillary Review of Books)
Radiant Star by Ann Leckie (Tar Vol on)
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (Liz Bourke @ a garden from the libraries)
To Ride a Rising Storm by Moniquill Blackgoose (Maya C. James @ Locus)
The Towers of the Sunset by L.E. Modesitt, Jr (Joe Sherry @ Nerds of a Feather)
What We Are Seeking by Cameron Reed (Niall Harrison @ Locus)
Witch King by Martha Wells (Sia @ Every Book a Doorway)
The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin (Womble @ Runalong the Shelves)
The Worlds of Clifford Simak by Clifford D. Simak (Joachim Boaz @ Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations)
Zoi by Jane Mondrup (A. Bristow-Smith @ Strange Horizons)

B-Side

Sia at Every Book a Doorway celebrated the blog’s 7th year with a Pride-themed rec list. The Locus reviewers chose their summer book picks. At Reactor, Sam Reader has a rec list of horror and fantasy novels set at sea. Katherine Arden, author of The Unicorn Hunters, recced five books about mythical creatures. Charlie Jane Anders, author of Lessons in Magic and Disaster, wrote about her recent favorite reads. Bailey shared a rec list for stories similar to House of Leaves. Bogi Takács is looking for queer SFF and horror anthologies dropping in 2026. K.A. Doore is collecting titles for the 2026 Queer SFF Book list, so authors can toss their books in, but it’s also a great place to find recs.

A ton of awards announced winners and short lists are out. The Nebula Awards were given, with several surprises for those of us who follow awards. You can watch the ceremony on Youtube. I didn’t expect The Buffalo Hunter Hunter to win, but not only did it win the Nebula, it also won the Stoker Award for horror on the same night. I collected reviews of The Buffalo Hunter Hunter and the novella winner, The River Has Roots, in Issue #56. The Ignyte Award finalists are out and it’s a stacked list this year. Several other more specific finalist lists are out, too: the Sunburst Award, for fantastical literature from Canadians; and the Sturgeon finalists, for best science fiction short story. If you want a big recap, Andrew Liptak over at Transfer Orbit collected multiple shortlists and updates about ongoing awards.

One of the reasons I enjoy awards commentary so much is that it’s a little bit like being in a massive, opt-in book club. Niall Harrison weighed in on the Clarke finalists, Nicholas Whyte ranked the Hugo finalists for Best Novelette, and Dina reviewed and ranked the Hugo finalists for Best Novella. ‪Renan Bernardo, who was a Nebula finalist for Disgraced Return of the Kap's Needle (which I need to read), talked about the awards and science fiction worldwide. Angela had some thoughts about the Nebula winners. In Hugo commentary, Camestros Felapton discussed the length of the Hugo categories. I come down on the side of liking six finalists even when it does make for more reading, but I am a greedy person when it comes to awards. He also reviewed The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow, and then followed it up with another essay that included spoilers. I agree that clearly the most important part of the plot was Hen, Una Everlasting’s horse, who was my favorite character. Someone take a break from writing a breathless essays about Owen and Una’s love and instead write breathless essays about Hen, who deserves Justice. Dina (again because she’s fast) reviewed Two Serpents Rise by Max Gladstone and The End of All Things by John Scalzi, both Best Series finalists. Kathryn Adams discussed three of the Novelette finalists.

Wow! Signal for June 2026 from Jake Casella Brookins at Ancillary Review of Books is available (this is the dream rec list to be on, IMHO). On Episode #535 of Sword & Laser, they wrapped their discussion of Slow Gods by Claire North. The Kickstarter for khōréō is live; there’s lots of cool rewards in their tiers. There’s a new, worker-owned horror magazine, Darker Times. Clarkesworld will be running a subscription drive through October.

Martha Wells was over at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books for a spoiler-filled discussion about Platform Decay (there’s a transcript). John Scalzi was in conversation with Brandon Sanderson. Lightspeed has a short Author Spotlight for Kristine Kathryn Rusch and a longer one for Ada Hoffmann. Andrew Liptak reshared an interview with Ken MacLeod about Iain M. Banks. Isabel J. Kim was on the Turn the Page podcast. C.L. Clark has a cover reveal for Fortune’s Wake.

For even more SFF link goodies, check out Wombling Along!

Art recs: Multifloral Kitty by key-lime pie; Do flightless birds dream of wings? by Athanaca; Special Delivery by Mike Maihack; Reading Ravens by Joanna Barnum

Outro

I linked to the first piece in the Reviewers on Reviewing, but I also sneaked ahead and read the final (for now) installment, which I reserve the right to rec again later. One of the things I try to do in IGMX is connect ongoing conversations where possible. It’s not always possible because of the way the microblogging and short form video discussions work. Discovery remains hard, and yet I persist! If you’re out there doing discussions, I want to hear about it (you can also email intergalacticmixtape@gmail.com)! I’m slow, but that’s okay! There’s no such thing as art or criticism that expires. 😤

On that theme, if you’ve read this far down and have a favorite book newsletter or blog, I also want to hear about that, too! Y’all have great taste and that’s why my bank account hurts and I own two books by Hiron Ennes even though I’m a big wimp. — Renay

Recent Reading:

(Last) Livesuit by James S.A. Corey
(Now) Sweep of Stars by Maurice Broaddus & Ode to the Half-Broken by Suzanne Palmer (I have a morning book and an evening book! It’s normal!)
(Next) Bromantasy by Máire Roche (yes, I did buy it, with no shame, because I needed to know)