In Clay McLeod Chapman’s savage new novel, digital wellness gurus and a far-right news channel serve as linchpins for the apocalypse
Chapman's book is about as far from subtle as it's possible to get.
Hildur Knútsdóttir’s psychological horror story The Night Guest uses spare language and elision to heighten the feeling of creeping dread
Knútsdóttir places the reader in close proximity to Iðunn's psyche via an unreliable first-person narration.
Working blue: In her sophomore novel, Brittany Newell probes the limits of desire and loneliness
Newell unfolds a tale that is, in places, almost unbearably sad in its portrayal of contemporary anomie.
Stranger things: Edwin Frank surveys the landscape of the 20th century novel and finds at its heart a restless uncertainty about its own condition
The author for the most part eschews theory, opting instead to read the works through a lens of discursive and biographical criticism.
In author and bookseller Jenny Kiefer’s debut novel, four hikers discover horror in the Kentucky wilderness
For those looking for a solid throwback to the great pulp horror novels of the ’80s, this one is a good bet.
Bad vibes: In her first book, music journalist Liz Pelly provides a caustic critique of the ways Spotify is degrading music
Pelly's book is a sobering look at the real and measurable harms the service is having on the global music ecosystem.
Rise of the machines: Nnedi Okorafor’s metafictional postapocalypse is surpassingly depressing
Okorafor does not miss a single opportunity to critique the contemporary media establishment.
Fifteen worthy reads from a tough year
Even in a year fraught with anxiety and discord, writers connected with readers to provide succour, solace, entertainment, and provocation.
The dogs of war: Christopher Bollen’s latest novel is a deliriously vicious, ferociously entertaining read
Bollen has concocted a scenario that deftly upends traditional power structures.
Gail Crowther’s latest volume examines the underappreciated legacy of Dorothy Parker’s time in Hollywood
One thing Crowther does accentuate is Parker's versatility.