Latest news with #TKingfisher
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
R. F. Kuang returns in our picks for the best Sci-Fi and Fantasy out now: Katabasis by R. F. Kuang, Hemlock and Silver by T. Kingfisher, The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey
Katabasis by R. F. Kuang (HarperVoyager £22, 560pp) For anyone who has fallen foul of academics, likes their comeuppances laced with diabolic spice and relishes the unrolling of a daring concept, read on! Alice Law is struggling to complete her PhD in Analytic Magick because her brilliant but brutish tutor has exploded after she messed up a spell-casting. What's the solution? Retrieve him from the underworld, of course. Accompanied by a genius colleague, she must navigate Hell's complex geometry, avoiding traps, Faustian pacts and monsters. Is Dante's the last word on Infernos? Katabasis is staking a strong claim. Hemlock and Silver by T. Kingfisher (Tor £22, 368pp) Generous, warm-hearted Anja is a healer with a passion for poisons – to help her cure, not kill. So when the king of her country asks her to find out what's ailing his beautiful daughter Snow, she can't refuse him, even if it means entering the tricksy world of courtly intrigue. Straightforward jolliness is an underrated literary quality, but one that Kingfisher offers in abundance. There's a wonderful contrast between the natural world Anja embodies and the cold, silvered world of intrigue and mystery she must explore. Not so much a retelling of Snow White as a full-on deconstruction, with a bit of Lewis Carroll thrown in for good measure. The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey (Orbit £10.99, 432pp) Life is calm on the planet Anjiin. Scientists bicker over grants, the way scientists do, and just as you settle down to that sort of book, boom! Enter the Carryx, insectoid intergalactic empire-builders. After decimating the population they round up the cream of Anjiin's intellectuals, setting them to work solving Carryx-problems. Splendidly, the scientists start bitching again. Dazzlingly epic, techie and humane, this is space opera at its best.
South China Morning Post
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
If you enjoyed The Last of Us, you'll love these 8 survival books
If the gruesome setting of HBO video-game adaptation The Last of Us left you reeling for more stories of survival, found family and the haunting beauty of decay, you are in the right place. Whether you are drawn to tales of fungal terror, dystopian futures or post-apocalyptic perseverance, this list includes books that capture the emotional depth, eerie atmosphere and heartbreaking stakes that made the series unforgettable. 1. What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher A gripping and atmospheric reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. Arriving at the remote Usher estate, retired soldier Alex Easton discovers their childhood friend Madeline wasting away and the land itself much degraded. Alex has to uncover the sinister truth behind the House of Usher before it consumes them all as fungal horrors spread and anarchy descends. The cover of Daryl Kulak's book. Photo: Lulu Press 2. The Bulgarian Bartender by Daryl Kulak A darkly thrilling tale of friendship and betrayal in the heart of Eastern Europe.
