Erin Larson: Book Reviews & Essays

The Spear Cuts Through Water By Simon Jimenez I received an ARC of The Spear Cuts Through Water from Del Rey in exchange for an honest review. Simon Jimenez establishes himself as an essential voice in epic fantasy with his sophomore novel (after The Vanished Birds). The Spear Cuts Through Water takes place in a … [Read More]

Babel By R.F. Kuang I received an ARC of Babel from Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review. Kuang’s follow-up to The Poppy War trilogy, Babel, is both like and unlike the series that catapulted her to fame: it chews on similar themes, and its characters occasionally evoke Rin and her companions, but its … [Read More]

The Book Eaters By Sunyi Dean I received an ARC of The Book Eaters from Macmillan-Tor/Forge in exchange for an honest review. The title of this book is not figurative or metaphorical: The Book Eaters is about a line of people in the UK who literally eat books, absorbing their contents and retaining their qualities. … [Read More]

A Half-Built Garden By Ruthanna Emrys I received an ARC of A Half-Built Garden from Macmillan-Tor/Forge in exchange for an honest review. Get this premise: in the 2080s, humanity has gotten itself somewhat back on track in regard to climate change and has begun to build a better world. Then aliens show up, and, believing … [Read More]

Upgrade By Blake Crouch I received an ARC of Upgrade from Ballantine Books in exchange for an honest review. Having previously read only his Wayward Pines trilogy, I’m something of a latecomer to Blake Crouch’s new wave of post-Dark Matter popularity, but hey, better late than never. I’m here! Hi! Crouch’s latest speculative thriller, Upgrade, … [Read More]

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow By Gabrielle Zevin I received an ARC of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow from Knopf Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. There’s a scene in the Mike Mills’ film 20th Century Women in which the characters are having a conversation about The Raincoats. One character claims they’re not … [Read More]

NSFW By Isabel Kaplan I received an ARC of NSFW from Henry Holt & Company in exchange for an honest review. NSFW follows an unnamed protagonist, a Harvard graduate whose mother, a famous feminist attorney, helps her get a low-level position at a TV network in LA. You can probably guess where this is going. … [Read More]

The Martyr By Anthony Ryan I received an ARC of The Martyr from Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review. The second entry in Anthony Ryan’s Covenant of Steel series—some of the best low fantasy currently on the market—picks up where the first left off, with Alwyn Scribe in the service of Lady Evadine … [Read More]

Elsewhere By Alexis Schaitkin I received an ARC of Elsewhere from Celadon Books in exchange for an honest review. Like Piranesi (the best book of 2020), Elsewhere is a novel that resists reviewing: it’s nigh-perfect, borderline unclassifiable, and much of its magic depends on you not knowing where its rushing river will take you—what rapids … [Read More]