Best SFF books of 2020
Well, it’s been a hell of a year. Pretty much everything has been a little bit rubbish except for 2020’s book releases–so it’s time for Grimdark Magazine’s best SFF books of 2020. We have a...
REVIEW: The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton
The Devil and the Dark Water is a mystery thriller novel set in 1634. The majority of the story is set on a merchant ship called the Saardam as it travels from Batavia to...
REVIEW: Not Saying Goodbye by Boris Akunin
Not Saying Goodbye is the last of the Erast Fandorin books by Boris Akunin. It must operate thus both as a farewell and a fitting capstone for a long running series (the first book,...
REVIEW: We Men of Ash and Shadow by HL Tinsley
We’ve all heard the phrase, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” and I’d have to say this is good advice. The best artwork in the world won’t make a story engage the reader....
REVIEW: Bloodlines by Chris Wraight
Bloodlines, by Chris Wraight, is the first full-length novel of Warhammer Crime line put out by Black Library. It therefore has a certain set of expectations attached to it: can it make the mean...
REVIEW: Black City by Boris Akunin
Boris Akunin’s Black City is a 2012 Russian thriller, translated by Andrew Bromfield in 2018 for Wiedenfeld & Nicholson. It sits towards the end of the Erast Fandorin series; these are, variously, detective stories,...
REVIEW: The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock
The Devil All the Time is a harrowing southern gothic-like novel that borders on straight-up horror. Written in 2011 by Donald Ray Pollock, this novel came to my attention due to the impending Netflix...
REVIEW: Blacksad by Juan Díaz Canales & Juanjo Guarnido
Blacksad by Juan Diaz Canales might be one of the most perfect noir graphic novels I have ever read. It is a blend of noir and the 1940s and 1950s aesthetic with the “Sam...
REVIEW: Of Mice and Minestrone by Joe R. Lansdale
Thank you to the fine folks at Tachyon Publications for providing a review copy of Joe Landsdale’s Of Mice and Minestrone. I have read several Joe R. Lansdale stories over the years, but it’s...