The novel is short and lean, building a full world without ever losing the story’s momentum. Richard Newman’s "Graveyard of the Gods" is an atmospheric modern version of a classic noir, with a protagonist drawn into investigating a... Read More

Vergara not only depicts Detroit’s past and present but also considers the city’s future. Photographer Camilo Jose Vergara has made his name capturing images of the decline of America’s cities. Perhaps no city has declined more... Read More

"Totem" is a solid work of science fiction and a creative take on the dystopian novel. In "Totem", Darin Bradley builds a future in which a city’s residents deal with the danger of ever-present radiation and the knowledge that their... Read More

Impellizzeri does well with the small details that make her characters feel like real people. In "Secrets of Worry Dolls", Amy Impellizzeri winningly weaves together the stories of a mother and daughter, using large-scale tragedies to... Read More

"When Mountain Lions Are Neighbors" focuses on a serious problem by presenting meaningful solutions. At a time when books about conservation often and understandably focus on challenges and failures, Beth Pratt-Bergstrom’s "When... Read More

Rogosa explains how the various kinds of wheat that once flourished across Europe were gradually homogenized. While wheat continues to serve as an important part of the Western diet, today’s wheat itself is radically different from... Read More

He expertly ties individual stories into larger themes of Jordanian identity, without losing focus on his narratives. The late Tayseer al-Sboul was considered one of Jordan’s most respected writers, a poet and author with a knack for... Read More

"Jamestown, Alaska" is fast-paced and effective, blending the absurd and the cruelly twisted aspects of the committee’s plan. In Frank Turner Hollon’s "Jamestown, Alaska", a novelist receives a cryptic invitation to become the... Read More