New York Times Book Review: Latest SF/F Review Column

My latest column for the NYTBR is online and in the print edition on Sunday, their summer reading issue.

This time I covered the following:

Zoo City by Lauren Beukes – "Beukes's energetic noir phantasmagoria, the winner of this year's Arthur C. Clarke Award, crackles with original ideas."

Mechanique by Genevieve Valentine- "Valentine's novel has the stylized quality of books by Angela Carter like The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman, and it displays similar pyrotechnics."

Sleight of Hand by Peter S. Beagle- "Ever since his classic first novel, A Fine and Private Place, Beagle has displayed a talent not just for writing fantasy but for documenting the frailties and bittersweet qualities of human relationships."

Among Others by Jo Walton- "It's a brave act to write a novel that is in ­essence all aftermath, but Walton succeeds admirably. Her novel is a wonder and a joy."

I don't just review books I like for this column, but in this case I recommend all four titles. I'll be writing on the Amazon book blog about the column and these authors next week.

New York Times Book Review: Latest SF/F Review Column originally appeared on Ecstatic Days on June 3, 2011.