The 50 best science fiction and fantasy books of the past decade : NPR

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readers.</b> </div> <div id="wrapper"> <header class="contentheader contentheader--one"><div class="branding branding--seamus"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/series/1242295180/books-you-love"><picture><source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/04/02/books-4_sq-3f2dde44c1d36be6b813e19ecfdef6a9867fbb70.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=webp" class="branding__image-promo" type="image/webp" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/04/02/books-4_sq-3f2dde44c1d36be6b813e19ecfdef6a9867fbb70.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="webp" /><source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/04/02/books-4_sq-3f2dde44c1d36be6b813e19ecfdef6a9867fbb70.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=jpeg" class="branding__image-promo" type="image/jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/04/02/books-4_sq-3f2dde44c1d36be6b813e19ecfdef6a9867fbb70.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="jpeg" /><img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/04/02/books-4_sq-3f2dde44c1d36be6b813e19ecfdef6a9867fbb70.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=jpeg" class="branding__image-promo" alt="An illustration of a neatly piled stack of books" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/04/02/books-4_sq-3f2dde44c1d36be6b813e19ecfdef6a9867fbb70.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="jpeg" /></picture><div class="branding__inner"> <b class='branding__lead-in branding__lead-in--series'>Special Series</b> <h2 class="branding__title">Books You Love</h2> </div>  </a> </div>  </header> <section id="main-section"><article class="story"><a id="mainContent"></a><div class="slug-wrap"> <h4 class="slug-tag"> Review </h4> <h3 class="slug"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/series/1242295180/books-you-love"></a> </h3> </div> <div class="storytitle"> <h1>We asked, you answered: Your 50 favorite sci-fi and fantasy books of the past decade</h1> <input type="hidden" id="title1027159166" value="We asked, you answered: Your 50 favorite sci-fi and fantasy books of the past decade" /> <input type="hidden" id="shortTitle1027159166" value="We asked, you answered: Your 50 favorite sci-fi and fantasy books of the past decade" /> <input type="hidden" id="modelFullUrl1027159166" value="https://www.npr.org/2021/08/18/1027159166/best-books-science-fiction-fantasy-past-decade" /> </div>  <div id="story-meta" class="story-meta has-byline"> <div class="story-meta__one"> <div class="story-meta__one-inner"> <div class="dateblock"> <time datetime="2021-08-18T05:00:00-04:00"> <span class="date">August 18, 2021</span><span class="time">5:00 AM ET</span> </time> </div> </div>  </div>  <div class="story-meta__two"> <div id="storybyline" class="storybyline-wrap linkLocation"> <div class="bucketwrap byline"> <div class="byline-container--block"> <div class="byline byline--block byline--has-link" aria-label="Byline"> <div class="byline__photo"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/2100882/petra-mayer" rel="author"> <picture><source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/05/28/npr_petra_mayer_001_sq-fc4e8a0332f92a5dd96a850d151f099beddf490e.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=webp" class="img" type="image/webp" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/05/28/npr_petra_mayer_001_sq-fc4e8a0332f92a5dd96a850d151f099beddf490e.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="webp" /><source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/05/28/npr_petra_mayer_001_sq-fc4e8a0332f92a5dd96a850d151f099beddf490e.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=jpeg" class="img" type="image/jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/05/28/npr_petra_mayer_001_sq-fc4e8a0332f92a5dd96a850d151f099beddf490e.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="jpeg" /><img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/05/28/npr_petra_mayer_001_sq-fc4e8a0332f92a5dd96a850d151f099beddf490e.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=jpeg" class="img" alt="Petra Mayer at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., May 21, 2019. (photo by Allison Shelley)" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/05/28/npr_petra_mayer_001_sq-fc4e8a0332f92a5dd96a850d151f099beddf490e.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="jpeg" /></picture> </a> </div> <p class="byline__name byline__name--block"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/2100882/petra-mayer" rel="author"> Petra Mayer </a> </p> </div> </div> </div>  </div> </div>  </div>  <div id="storytext" class="storytext storylocation linkLocation"> <div id="res1028694959" class="bucketwrap image large"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 2000; --source-height: 1125; " > <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/dl_nprfantasy_final_wide-9753affd478ef775938d90473de4ea68b4a221c3.jpg?s=1100&c=85&f=webp" class="img" type="image/webp" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/dl_nprfantasy_final_wide-9753affd478ef775938d90473de4ea68b4a221c3.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/dl_nprfantasy_final_wide-9753affd478ef775938d90473de4ea68b4a221c3.jpg?s=1100&c=85&f=jpeg" class="img" type="image/jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/dl_nprfantasy_final_wide-9753affd478ef775938d90473de4ea68b4a221c3.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/dl_nprfantasy_final_wide-9753affd478ef775938d90473de4ea68b4a221c3.jpg?s=1100&c=85&f=jpeg" class="img" alt="Deborah Lee for NPR" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/dl_nprfantasy_final_wide-9753affd478ef775938d90473de4ea68b4a221c3.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="jpeg" /> </picture> <div class="enlarge-options"> <a class="enlargelink" href="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/dl_nprfantasy_final_wide-9753affd478ef775938d90473de4ea68b4a221c3.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg">Enlarge this image</a> </div> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Deborah Lee for NPR </span> </div> <div class="enlarge_measure"> <div class="img_wrap"> <picture> <source data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/dl_nprfantasy_final_wide-9753affd478ef775938d90473de4ea68b4a221c3.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=webp" type="image/webp"> <source data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/dl_nprfantasy_final_wide-9753affd478ef775938d90473de4ea68b4a221c3.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg" type="image/jpeg"> <img data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/dl_nprfantasy_final_wide-9753affd478ef775938d90473de4ea68b4a221c3.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg" alt="Deborah Lee for NPR" /> </picture> </div> </div> <div class="enlarge_html"> <div class="image_data"> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Deborah Lee for NPR </span> </div> </div> </div> <p>The question at the heart of science fiction and fantasy is "what if?" What if gods were real, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2014/09/09/343144419/god-is-dead-in-this-city-of-stairs-several-gods-in-fact">but you could kill them</a>? What if humans finally made it out among the stars — only to discover we're the <a href="https://apps.npr.org/best-books-2018/#/book/record-of-a-spaceborn-few">shabby newcomers in a grand galactic alliance</a>? What if an asteroid destroyed the East Coast in 1952 and jump-started the space race years early?</p> <div id="res1027183409" class="bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col "> <div class="bucket img"> <a class="imagewrap" id="featuredStackSquareImage1007404027" href="https://www.npr.org/2021/06/22/1007404027/summer-reader-poll-2021-meet-our-expert-judges" data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"recirculation","action":"story_recirculation_click","clickType":"inset box","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2021\/06\/22\/1007404027\/summer-reader-poll-2021-meet-our-expert-judges"}' ><picture><source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/06/21/quadrupletych_sq-7f02cd62f340f653ca3110963f64c3951b5b9a36.jpg?s=100&c=15&f=jpeg" data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/06/21/quadrupletych_sq-7f02cd62f340f653ca3110963f64c3951b5b9a36.jpg?s=100&c=100&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/06/21/quadrupletych_sq-7f02cd62f340f653ca3110963f64c3951b5b9a36.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="webp" class="img lazyOnLoad" type="image/webp" /><source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/06/21/quadrupletych_sq-7f02cd62f340f653ca3110963f64c3951b5b9a36.jpg?s=100&c=15&f=jpeg" data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/06/21/quadrupletych_sq-7f02cd62f340f653ca3110963f64c3951b5b9a36.jpg?s=100&c=100&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/06/21/quadrupletych_sq-7f02cd62f340f653ca3110963f64c3951b5b9a36.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="jpeg" class="img lazyOnLoad" type="image/jpeg" /><img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/06/21/quadrupletych_sq-7f02cd62f340f653ca3110963f64c3951b5b9a36.jpg?s=100&c=15&f=jpeg" data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/06/21/quadrupletych_sq-7f02cd62f340f653ca3110963f64c3951b5b9a36.jpg?s=100&c=100&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/06/21/quadrupletych_sq-7f02cd62f340f653ca3110963f64c3951b5b9a36.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="jpeg" class="img lazyOnLoad" alt="Summer Reader Poll 2021: Meet Our Expert Judges" loading="lazy" /></picture></a> <div class="bucketblock"> <h3 class="slug"><a href="https://www.npr.org/series/1006228413/npr-books-summer-poll-2021-a-decade-of-great-sf-f">NPR Books Summer Poll 2021: A Decade Of Great Sci-Fi And Fantasy </a></h3> <h3><a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/06/22/1007404027/summer-reader-poll-2021-meet-our-expert-judges" data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"recirculation","action":"story_recirculation_click","clickType":"inset box","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2021\/06\/22\/1007404027\/summer-reader-poll-2021-meet-our-expert-judges"}' >Summer Reader Poll 2021: Meet our expert judges</a></h3> </div>  </div>  </div>  <div id="res1027237126" class="bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col "> <div class="bucket img"> <a class="imagewrap" id="featuredStackSquareImage632779706" href="https://www.npr.org/2018/08/16/632779706/click-if-you-dare-100-favorite-horror-stories" data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"recirculation","action":"story_recirculation_click","clickType":"inset box","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2018\/08\/16\/632779706\/click-if-you-dare-100-favorite-horror-stories"}' ><picture><source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2018/08/09/hsieh_angela_npr_horrorreaderspoll2_3000w_sq-4295fad72db86930fcbc2b0d042d19f63b87e44f.jpg?s=100&c=15&f=jpeg" data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2018/08/09/hsieh_angela_npr_horrorreaderspoll2_3000w_sq-4295fad72db86930fcbc2b0d042d19f63b87e44f.jpg?s=100&c=100&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2018/08/09/hsieh_angela_npr_horrorreaderspoll2_3000w_sq-4295fad72db86930fcbc2b0d042d19f63b87e44f.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="webp" class="img lazyOnLoad" type="image/webp" /><source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2018/08/09/hsieh_angela_npr_horrorreaderspoll2_3000w_sq-4295fad72db86930fcbc2b0d042d19f63b87e44f.jpg?s=100&c=15&f=jpeg" data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2018/08/09/hsieh_angela_npr_horrorreaderspoll2_3000w_sq-4295fad72db86930fcbc2b0d042d19f63b87e44f.jpg?s=100&c=100&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2018/08/09/hsieh_angela_npr_horrorreaderspoll2_3000w_sq-4295fad72db86930fcbc2b0d042d19f63b87e44f.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="jpeg" class="img lazyOnLoad" type="image/jpeg" /><img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2018/08/09/hsieh_angela_npr_horrorreaderspoll2_3000w_sq-4295fad72db86930fcbc2b0d042d19f63b87e44f.jpg?s=100&c=15&f=jpeg" data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2018/08/09/hsieh_angela_npr_horrorreaderspoll2_3000w_sq-4295fad72db86930fcbc2b0d042d19f63b87e44f.jpg?s=100&c=100&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2018/08/09/hsieh_angela_npr_horrorreaderspoll2_3000w_sq-4295fad72db86930fcbc2b0d042d19f63b87e44f.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="jpeg" class="img lazyOnLoad" alt="Click If You Dare: 100 Favorite Horror Stories" loading="lazy" /></picture></a> <div class="bucketblock"> <h3 class="slug"><a href="https://www.npr.org/series/1242295180/books-you-love">Summer Reader Poll 2018: Horror </a></h3> <h3><a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/08/16/632779706/click-if-you-dare-100-favorite-horror-stories" data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"recirculation","action":"story_recirculation_click","clickType":"inset box","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2018\/08\/16\/632779706\/click-if-you-dare-100-favorite-horror-stories"}' >Click if you dare: 100 favorite horror stories</a></h3> </div>  </div>  </div>  <div id="res1027237049" class="bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col "> <div class="bucket img"> <a class="imagewrap" id="featuredStackSquareImage752044550" href="https://www.npr.org/2019/08/20/752044550/we-did-it-for-the-lols-100-favorite-funny-books" data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"recirculation","action":"story_recirculation_click","clickType":"inset box","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2019\/08\/20\/752044550\/we-did-it-for-the-lols-100-favorite-funny-books"}' ><picture><source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/08/17/hsieh_angela_books_readerpoll2019_2_sq-8a5071f23a95ddc3008f853b016c14ec5193acd8.jpg?s=100&c=15&f=jpeg" data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/08/17/hsieh_angela_books_readerpoll2019_2_sq-8a5071f23a95ddc3008f853b016c14ec5193acd8.jpg?s=100&c=100&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/08/17/hsieh_angela_books_readerpoll2019_2_sq-8a5071f23a95ddc3008f853b016c14ec5193acd8.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="webp" class="img lazyOnLoad" type="image/webp" /><source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/08/17/hsieh_angela_books_readerpoll2019_2_sq-8a5071f23a95ddc3008f853b016c14ec5193acd8.jpg?s=100&c=15&f=jpeg" data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/08/17/hsieh_angela_books_readerpoll2019_2_sq-8a5071f23a95ddc3008f853b016c14ec5193acd8.jpg?s=100&c=100&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/08/17/hsieh_angela_books_readerpoll2019_2_sq-8a5071f23a95ddc3008f853b016c14ec5193acd8.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="jpeg" class="img lazyOnLoad" type="image/jpeg" /><img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/08/17/hsieh_angela_books_readerpoll2019_2_sq-8a5071f23a95ddc3008f853b016c14ec5193acd8.jpg?s=100&c=15&f=jpeg" data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/08/17/hsieh_angela_books_readerpoll2019_2_sq-8a5071f23a95ddc3008f853b016c14ec5193acd8.jpg?s=100&c=100&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/08/17/hsieh_angela_books_readerpoll2019_2_sq-8a5071f23a95ddc3008f853b016c14ec5193acd8.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="jpeg" class="img lazyOnLoad" alt="We Did It For The LOLs: 100 Favorite Funny Books" loading="lazy" /></picture></a> <div class="bucketblock"> <h3 class="slug"><a href="https://www.npr.org/series/729710522/summer-reader-poll-2019-funny-books">Summer Reader Poll 2019: Funny Books </a></h3> <h3><a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/08/20/752044550/we-did-it-for-the-lols-100-favorite-funny-books" data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"recirculation","action":"story_recirculation_click","clickType":"inset box","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2019\/08\/20\/752044550\/we-did-it-for-the-lols-100-favorite-funny-books"}' >We did it for the LOLs: 100 favorite funny books</a></h3> </div>  </div>  </div>  <p><a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/06/22/1007341304/summer-sff-poll">This year's summer reader poll</a> was also shaped by a series of "what ifs" — most importantly, what if, instead of looking at the entire history of the field the way we did in <a href="https://www.npr.org/2011/08/11/139085843/your-picks-top-100-science-fiction-fantasy-books">our 2011 poll</a>, we focused only on what has happened in the decade since? These past 10 years have brought seismic change to science fiction and fantasy (sometimes literally, in the case of N.K. Jemisin's <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/12/26/680201486/at-the-end-of-the-year-n-k-jemisin-ponders-the-end-of-the-world">Broken Earth</a> series), and we wanted to celebrate the world-shaking rush of new voices, new perspectives, new styles and new stories. And though we limited ourselves to 50 books this time around, the result is a list that's truly stellar — as poll judge Tochi Onyebuchi put it, "Alive."</p> <aside id="ad-backstage-wrap" class="ad-wrap backstage" aria-label="advertisement"> <div class="ad-header "><span>Sponsor Message</span></div> <div id="ad-backstage-Arts___Life_Books_Book_Reviews" class="ad-config ad-backstage has-refresh-enabled" data-ad-config='{"network":"\/6735\/","site":{"desktop":"n6735.NPR","mobile":"n6735.NPRMOBILE"},"zone":"Arts___Life_Books_Book_Reviews","targets":{"testserver":"false","isPodcastEpisode":"false","storyId":"1027159166","agg":["1242295180","153985993","1006228413","191676894","434975886"]},"location":"backstage","deferred":false,"isBetweenContent":true,"overflowCount":null,"hasRefreshEnabled":true,"isOutstreamVideoEnabled":true}'></div> <div class="ad-footer "></div> </aside> <p>As always, a pretty extensive decision-making process went into the list, involving our fabulous <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/06/22/1007404027/summer-reader-poll-2021-meet-our-expert-judges">panel of expert judges</a> — but we know you eager readers want to get right to the books. So if you're inclined, follow these links to find out <a href="#how">how we built the list</a> (and what, sadly, <a href="#no">didn't make it this year</a>). Otherwise, scroll on for the list!</p> <p>We've broken it up into categories to help you find the reading experience you're looking for, and you can click on these links to go directly to each category:</p> <p><a href="#worlds"><strong>Worlds To Get Lost In</strong></a><strong> · </strong><a href="#words"><strong>Words To Get Lost In</strong></a><strong> · </strong><a href="#journey"><strong>Will Take You On A Journey</strong></a><strong> · </strong><a href="#head"><strong>Will Mess With Your Head</strong></a><strong> · </strong><a href="#heart"><strong>Will Mess With Your Heart</strong></a><strong> · </strong><a href="#feelgood"><strong>Will Make You Feel Good</strong></a></p> <div class="hr"><hr /></div> <div class="bucketwrap list large" id="res1027196281" aria-label="list"> <div class="list-header"> <h3 class="list-header__title">Worlds To Get Lost In</h3> <p class="list__caption">Are you (like me) a world-building fanatic? These authors have built worlds so real you can almost smell them.</p> </div> <div class="list__items"> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027197105"> <h3 class="card__title">The Imperial Radch Trilogy</h3> <div id="res1027199062" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1664; --source-height: 2560; " > <a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/ann-leckie/the-imperial-radch-boxed-trilogy/9780316513319/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91dqqtm4u5l_custom-9f6030c3059a9039afc26de5b76f44ab4f052d0c.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91dqqtm4u5l_custom-9f6030c3059a9039afc26de5b76f44ab4f052d0c.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91dqqtm4u5l_custom-9f6030c3059a9039afc26de5b76f44ab4f052d0c.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91dqqtm4u5l_custom-9f6030c3059a9039afc26de5b76f44ab4f052d0c.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91dqqtm4u5l_custom-9f6030c3059a9039afc26de5b76f44ab4f052d0c.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91dqqtm4u5l_custom-9f6030c3059a9039afc26de5b76f44ab4f052d0c.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91dqqtm4u5l_custom-9f6030c3059a9039afc26de5b76f44ab4f052d0c.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91dqqtm4u5l_custom-9f6030c3059a9039afc26de5b76f44ab4f052d0c.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91dqqtm4u5l_custom-9f6030c3059a9039afc26de5b76f44ab4f052d0c.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91dqqtm4u5l_custom-9f6030c3059a9039afc26de5b76f44ab4f052d0c.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91dqqtm4u5l_custom-9f6030c3059a9039afc26de5b76f44ab4f052d0c.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91dqqtm4u5l_custom-9f6030c3059a9039afc26de5b76f44ab4f052d0c.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91dqqtm4u5l_custom-9f6030c3059a9039afc26de5b76f44ab4f052d0c.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91dqqtm4u5l_custom-9f6030c3059a9039afc26de5b76f44ab4f052d0c.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Orbit Books </span> </div> </div> <p><p>Breq is a human now — but once she was a starship. Once she was an AI with a vast and ancient metal body and troops of ancillaries, barely animate bodies that all carried her consciousness. Poll judge Ann Leckie has created a massive yet intricate interstellar empire where twisty galactic intrigues and multiple clashing cultures form a brilliant backdrop for the story of a starship learning to be a human being. Your humble editor got a copy of <em>Ancillary Justice</em> when it came out and promptly forced her entire family to read it.</p></p> <div id="res1027199680" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch Book 1)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Ann Leckie</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch Book 1)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Ann Leckie</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/031624662X?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/031624662X?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780316246620?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316246620?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027204479"> <h3 class="card__title">The Dead Djinn Universe (series)</h3> <div id="res1027206038" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1608; --source-height: 2475; " > <a href="https://publishing.tor.com/amasterofdjinn-dbtmp1230658/9781250267689/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81ur7lx3dil_custom-c9abdd1777db837f9769c34a031114102c6aa892.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81ur7lx3dil_custom-c9abdd1777db837f9769c34a031114102c6aa892.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81ur7lx3dil_custom-c9abdd1777db837f9769c34a031114102c6aa892.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81ur7lx3dil_custom-c9abdd1777db837f9769c34a031114102c6aa892.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81ur7lx3dil_custom-c9abdd1777db837f9769c34a031114102c6aa892.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81ur7lx3dil_custom-c9abdd1777db837f9769c34a031114102c6aa892.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81ur7lx3dil_custom-c9abdd1777db837f9769c34a031114102c6aa892.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81ur7lx3dil_custom-c9abdd1777db837f9769c34a031114102c6aa892.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81ur7lx3dil_custom-c9abdd1777db837f9769c34a031114102c6aa892.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81ur7lx3dil_custom-c9abdd1777db837f9769c34a031114102c6aa892.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81ur7lx3dil_custom-c9abdd1777db837f9769c34a031114102c6aa892.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81ur7lx3dil_custom-c9abdd1777db837f9769c34a031114102c6aa892.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81ur7lx3dil_custom-c9abdd1777db837f9769c34a031114102c6aa892.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81ur7lx3dil_custom-c9abdd1777db837f9769c34a031114102c6aa892.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="A Master of Djinn, by P. DjÃ©lÃ¬ Clarke" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Tordotcom </span> </div> </div> <p><p>What a wonderful world P. Djélì Clarke has created here — an Arab world never colonized, where magic-powered trams glide through a cosmopolitan Cairo and where djinns make mischief among humans. Clarke's novella <em><a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/10/21/924604118/history-and-hatred-drive-the-horror-in-ring-shout">Ring Shout</a></em> also showed up on our semifinalists list, and it was hard to decide between them, but ultimately our judges felt the Dead Djinn Universe offered more to explore. But you should still read <em>Ring Shout</em>, a wild ride of a read where gun-toting demon-hunters go up against Ku Klux Klan members who are actual, pointy-headed white demons. Go on, go get a copy! We'll wait.</p></p> <div id="res1027206288" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">A Master of Djinn (Dead Djinn Universe Book 1)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">P. Djélì Clarke</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>A Master of Djinn (Dead Djinn Universe Book 1)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>P. Djélì Clarke</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1250267684?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250267684?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9781250267689?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250267689?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027199878"> <h3 class="card__title">The Age of Madness Trilogy</h3> <div id="res1027201288" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1651; --source-height: 2560; " > <a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/joe-abercrombie/a-little-hatred/9780316341868/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91suvuu3atl_custom-0dc612aa0a4004a917fa6d718c50016fef7049ef.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91suvuu3atl_custom-0dc612aa0a4004a917fa6d718c50016fef7049ef.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91suvuu3atl_custom-0dc612aa0a4004a917fa6d718c50016fef7049ef.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91suvuu3atl_custom-0dc612aa0a4004a917fa6d718c50016fef7049ef.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91suvuu3atl_custom-0dc612aa0a4004a917fa6d718c50016fef7049ef.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91suvuu3atl_custom-0dc612aa0a4004a917fa6d718c50016fef7049ef.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91suvuu3atl_custom-0dc612aa0a4004a917fa6d718c50016fef7049ef.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91suvuu3atl_custom-0dc612aa0a4004a917fa6d718c50016fef7049ef.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91suvuu3atl_custom-0dc612aa0a4004a917fa6d718c50016fef7049ef.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91suvuu3atl_custom-0dc612aa0a4004a917fa6d718c50016fef7049ef.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91suvuu3atl_custom-0dc612aa0a4004a917fa6d718c50016fef7049ef.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91suvuu3atl_custom-0dc612aa0a4004a917fa6d718c50016fef7049ef.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91suvuu3atl_custom-0dc612aa0a4004a917fa6d718c50016fef7049ef.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91suvuu3atl_custom-0dc612aa0a4004a917fa6d718c50016fef7049ef.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="A Little Hatred, by Joe Abercrombie" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Orbit </span> </div> </div> <p><p>One of my pet peeves with fantasy novels is they sometimes don't allow for the progression of time and technology — but in Joe Abercrombie's Age of Madness series, the follow-up to his debut First Law trilogy, industrialization has come to the world of The Union, and it's brought no good in its wake. More than that — machines may be rising, but magic will not give way, and all over the world, those at the bottom of the heap are beginning to get really, really angry. This series works as a standalone — but you should also read the excellent First Law series (even though it's old enough to fall outside the scope of this list).</p></p> <div id="res1027201860" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">A Little Hatred (Age of Madness Book 1)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Joe Abercrombie</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>A Little Hatred (Age of Madness Book 1)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Joe Abercrombie</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/031618716X?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/031618716X?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780316187169?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316187169?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027222424"> <h3 class="card__title">The Green Bone Saga</h3> <div id="res1027222858" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1704; --source-height: 2560; " > <a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/fonda-lee/jade-city/9780316440899/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91rabfn4fnl_custom-c8a2bf8c9c46009f381206c55ba82ce8244e09ee.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91rabfn4fnl_custom-c8a2bf8c9c46009f381206c55ba82ce8244e09ee.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91rabfn4fnl_custom-c8a2bf8c9c46009f381206c55ba82ce8244e09ee.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91rabfn4fnl_custom-c8a2bf8c9c46009f381206c55ba82ce8244e09ee.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91rabfn4fnl_custom-c8a2bf8c9c46009f381206c55ba82ce8244e09ee.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91rabfn4fnl_custom-c8a2bf8c9c46009f381206c55ba82ce8244e09ee.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91rabfn4fnl_custom-c8a2bf8c9c46009f381206c55ba82ce8244e09ee.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91rabfn4fnl_custom-c8a2bf8c9c46009f381206c55ba82ce8244e09ee.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91rabfn4fnl_custom-c8a2bf8c9c46009f381206c55ba82ce8244e09ee.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91rabfn4fnl_custom-c8a2bf8c9c46009f381206c55ba82ce8244e09ee.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91rabfn4fnl_custom-c8a2bf8c9c46009f381206c55ba82ce8244e09ee.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91rabfn4fnl_custom-c8a2bf8c9c46009f381206c55ba82ce8244e09ee.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91rabfn4fnl_custom-c8a2bf8c9c46009f381206c55ba82ce8244e09ee.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91rabfn4fnl_custom-c8a2bf8c9c46009f381206c55ba82ce8244e09ee.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="Jade City, by Fonda Lee" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Orbit </span> </div> </div> <p><p>This sprawling saga of family, honor, blood and magical jade will suck you in from the very first page. Poll judge Fonda Lee's story works on every conceivable level, from minute but meaningful character beats to solid, elegantly conveyed world-building to political intrigue to big, overarching themes of clan, loyalty and identity. Plus, wow, the jade-powered martial arts sequences are as fine as anything the Shaw Brothers ever put on screen. "Reviewing books is my actual job," says fellow judge Amal El-Mohtar, "but I still have to fight my husband for the advance copies of Fonda's books, and we're both THIS CLOSE to learning actual martial arts to assist us in our dueling for dibs."</p></p> <div id="res1027222974" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">Jade City (Green Bone Saga Book 1)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Fonda Lee</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>Jade City (Green Bone Saga Book 1)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Fonda Lee</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0316440884?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316440884?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780316440882?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316440882?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027201862"> <h3 class="card__title">The Expanse (series)</h3> <div id="res1027203069" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1661; --source-height: 2560; " > <a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/james-s-a-corey/leviathan-wakes/9780316134675/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91npjuxxkzl_custom-efbf10fc6ff4ab6ace8079abdccad29f4548c035.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91npjuxxkzl_custom-efbf10fc6ff4ab6ace8079abdccad29f4548c035.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91npjuxxkzl_custom-efbf10fc6ff4ab6ace8079abdccad29f4548c035.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91npjuxxkzl_custom-efbf10fc6ff4ab6ace8079abdccad29f4548c035.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91npjuxxkzl_custom-efbf10fc6ff4ab6ace8079abdccad29f4548c035.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91npjuxxkzl_custom-efbf10fc6ff4ab6ace8079abdccad29f4548c035.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91npjuxxkzl_custom-efbf10fc6ff4ab6ace8079abdccad29f4548c035.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91npjuxxkzl_custom-efbf10fc6ff4ab6ace8079abdccad29f4548c035.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91npjuxxkzl_custom-efbf10fc6ff4ab6ace8079abdccad29f4548c035.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91npjuxxkzl_custom-efbf10fc6ff4ab6ace8079abdccad29f4548c035.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91npjuxxkzl_custom-efbf10fc6ff4ab6ace8079abdccad29f4548c035.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91npjuxxkzl_custom-efbf10fc6ff4ab6ace8079abdccad29f4548c035.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91npjuxxkzl_custom-efbf10fc6ff4ab6ace8079abdccad29f4548c035.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91npjuxxkzl_custom-efbf10fc6ff4ab6ace8079abdccad29f4548c035.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="Leviathan Wakes, by James S.A. Corey" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Orbit </span> </div> </div> <p><p>Yes, sure, you've seen <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2017/03/28/521748974/the-expanse-how-great-science-fiction-preps-us-for-the-future">the TV show</a> (you HAVE, right? Right?) about the ragtag crew of spacers caught up in a three-way power struggle between Earth, Mars and the society that's developed on far-off asteroid belts. But there's much, much more to explore in the books — other planets, other characters, storylines and concepts that didn't make it to the screen. Often, when a book gets adapted for film or TV, there's a clear argument about which version is better. With <em>The Expanse</em>, we can confidently say you should watch <em>and</em> read. The only downside? Book-<a href="http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2017/03/20/shohreh-aghdashloo-the-expanse">Avasarala</a> doesn't show up until a few volumes in.</p></p> <div id="res1027203509" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse Book 1)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">James S.A. Corey</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse Book 1)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>James S.A. Corey</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0316129089?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316129089?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780316129084?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316129084?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027203732"> <h3 class="card__title">The Daevabad Trilogy</h3> <div id="res1027204010" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 333; --source-height: 500; " > <a href="https://www.harpervoyagerbooks.com/book/9780062678126/the-city-of-brass-2/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51c3-n2jbvl_custom-e5a5319c328ce36cd4fb93d0e7885d06185c744c.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51c3-n2jbvl_custom-e5a5319c328ce36cd4fb93d0e7885d06185c744c.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51c3-n2jbvl_custom-e5a5319c328ce36cd4fb93d0e7885d06185c744c.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51c3-n2jbvl_custom-e5a5319c328ce36cd4fb93d0e7885d06185c744c.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51c3-n2jbvl_custom-e5a5319c328ce36cd4fb93d0e7885d06185c744c.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51c3-n2jbvl_custom-e5a5319c328ce36cd4fb93d0e7885d06185c744c.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51c3-n2jbvl_custom-e5a5319c328ce36cd4fb93d0e7885d06185c744c.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51c3-n2jbvl_custom-e5a5319c328ce36cd4fb93d0e7885d06185c744c.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51c3-n2jbvl_custom-e5a5319c328ce36cd4fb93d0e7885d06185c744c.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51c3-n2jbvl_custom-e5a5319c328ce36cd4fb93d0e7885d06185c744c.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51c3-n2jbvl_custom-e5a5319c328ce36cd4fb93d0e7885d06185c744c.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51c3-n2jbvl_custom-e5a5319c328ce36cd4fb93d0e7885d06185c744c.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51c3-n2jbvl_custom-e5a5319c328ce36cd4fb93d0e7885d06185c744c.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51c3-n2jbvl_custom-e5a5319c328ce36cd4fb93d0e7885d06185c744c.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="The City of Brass, S.A. Chakraborty" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Harper Voyager </span> </div> </div> <p><p>Nahri is a con woman (with a mysteriously real healing talent) scraping a living in the alleys of 18th century Cairo — until she accidentally summons some true magic and discovers her fate is bound to a legendary city named Daevabad, far from human civilization, home of djinns and bloody intrigues. Author S.A. Chakraborty converted to Islam as a teenager and after college began writing what she describes as "historical fanfiction" about medieval Islam; then characters appeared, inspired by people she met at her mosque. "A sly heroine capable of saving herself, a dashing hero who'd break for the noon prayer," <a href="https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/sa-chakrabortys-the-city-of-brass-started-out-as-history-fan-fiction">she told an interviewer</a>. "I wanted to write a story for us, about us, with the grandeur and magic of a summer blockbuster."</p></p> <div id="res1027204425" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">The City of Brass (Daevabad Book 1)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">S.A. Chakraborty</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>The City of Brass (Daevabad Book 1)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>S.A. Chakraborty</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0062678116?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062678116?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780062678119?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062678119?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027223005"> <h3 class="card__title">Teixcalaan (series)</h3> <div id="res1027224242" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1650; --source-height: 2550; " > <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250186430"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81v45yuwqul_custom-c1ca8b698f6bd5cf11bc7460ae8b175f5bbc9406.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81v45yuwqul_custom-c1ca8b698f6bd5cf11bc7460ae8b175f5bbc9406.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81v45yuwqul_custom-c1ca8b698f6bd5cf11bc7460ae8b175f5bbc9406.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81v45yuwqul_custom-c1ca8b698f6bd5cf11bc7460ae8b175f5bbc9406.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81v45yuwqul_custom-c1ca8b698f6bd5cf11bc7460ae8b175f5bbc9406.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81v45yuwqul_custom-c1ca8b698f6bd5cf11bc7460ae8b175f5bbc9406.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81v45yuwqul_custom-c1ca8b698f6bd5cf11bc7460ae8b175f5bbc9406.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81v45yuwqul_custom-c1ca8b698f6bd5cf11bc7460ae8b175f5bbc9406.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81v45yuwqul_custom-c1ca8b698f6bd5cf11bc7460ae8b175f5bbc9406.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81v45yuwqul_custom-c1ca8b698f6bd5cf11bc7460ae8b175f5bbc9406.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81v45yuwqul_custom-c1ca8b698f6bd5cf11bc7460ae8b175f5bbc9406.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81v45yuwqul_custom-c1ca8b698f6bd5cf11bc7460ae8b175f5bbc9406.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81v45yuwqul_custom-c1ca8b698f6bd5cf11bc7460ae8b175f5bbc9406.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81v45yuwqul_custom-c1ca8b698f6bd5cf11bc7460ae8b175f5bbc9406.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Tor Books </span> </div> </div> <p><p>The Aztecs meet the Byzantines in outer space in this intricately imagined story of diplomatic intrigue and fashionable poetic forms. Mahit Dzmare is an ambassador from a small space station clinging desperately to its independence in the face of the massive <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/04/07/710356506/questions-for-arkady-martine-author-of-a-memory-called-empire">Teixcalaanli empire</a>. But when she arrives in its glittering capital, her predecessor's dead, and she soon discovers she's been sabotaged herself. Luckily, it turns out she's incredibly good at her job, even without her guiding neural implant. "I'm a sucker for elegant worldbuilding that portrays all the finer nuances of society and culture in addition to the grandness of empire and the complexity of politics," says judge Fonda Lee. "Arkady Martine delivers all that in droves."</p></p> <div id="res1027224372" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan Book 1)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Arkady Martine</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan Book 1)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Arkady Martine</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1250186439?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250186439?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9781250186430?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250186430?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027226351"> <h3 class="card__title">The Thessaly Trilogy</h3> <div id="res1027227416" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1400; --source-height: 2115; " > <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250811837"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71gm8ya-yal_custom-ae6d273c95efca075cb29aaa3cb0799ba290bfbd.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71gm8ya-yal_custom-ae6d273c95efca075cb29aaa3cb0799ba290bfbd.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71gm8ya-yal_custom-ae6d273c95efca075cb29aaa3cb0799ba290bfbd.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71gm8ya-yal_custom-ae6d273c95efca075cb29aaa3cb0799ba290bfbd.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71gm8ya-yal_custom-ae6d273c95efca075cb29aaa3cb0799ba290bfbd.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71gm8ya-yal_custom-ae6d273c95efca075cb29aaa3cb0799ba290bfbd.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71gm8ya-yal_custom-ae6d273c95efca075cb29aaa3cb0799ba290bfbd.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71gm8ya-yal_custom-ae6d273c95efca075cb29aaa3cb0799ba290bfbd.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71gm8ya-yal_custom-ae6d273c95efca075cb29aaa3cb0799ba290bfbd.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71gm8ya-yal_custom-ae6d273c95efca075cb29aaa3cb0799ba290bfbd.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71gm8ya-yal_custom-ae6d273c95efca075cb29aaa3cb0799ba290bfbd.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71gm8ya-yal_custom-ae6d273c95efca075cb29aaa3cb0799ba290bfbd.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71gm8ya-yal_custom-ae6d273c95efca075cb29aaa3cb0799ba290bfbd.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71gm8ya-yal_custom-ae6d273c95efca075cb29aaa3cb0799ba290bfbd.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="The Just City, by Jo Walton" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Tor Books </span> </div> </div> <p><p>Apollo, spurned by Daphne, is trying to understand free will and consent by living as a mortal. Athena is trying to create a utopia by plucking men and women from all across history and dropping them on an island to live according to Plato's Republic. Will it all go according to plan? Not likely. "Brilliant, compelling, and frankly unputdownable," <a href="https://www.npr.org/2015/01/15/376093453/the-consolations-and-controversies-of-philosophy-in-the-just-city">wrote poll judge Amal El-Mohtar</a>, "this will do what your Intro to Philosophy courses probably couldn't: make you want to read <em>The Republic</em>."</p></p> <div id="res1027227630" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">The Just City (Thessaly Volume 1)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Jo Walton</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>The Just City (Thessaly Volume 1)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Jo Walton</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0765332663?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0765332663?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780765332660?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780765332660?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027227638"> <h3 class="card__title">Shades of Magic Trilogy</h3> <div id="res1027228510" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 667; --source-height: 1000; " > <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780765376466"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/9780765376466_custom-17c40976cb9d55c1e38a5a488f6b49fd70666663.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/9780765376466_custom-17c40976cb9d55c1e38a5a488f6b49fd70666663.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/9780765376466_custom-17c40976cb9d55c1e38a5a488f6b49fd70666663.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/9780765376466_custom-17c40976cb9d55c1e38a5a488f6b49fd70666663.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/9780765376466_custom-17c40976cb9d55c1e38a5a488f6b49fd70666663.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/9780765376466_custom-17c40976cb9d55c1e38a5a488f6b49fd70666663.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/9780765376466_custom-17c40976cb9d55c1e38a5a488f6b49fd70666663.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/9780765376466_custom-17c40976cb9d55c1e38a5a488f6b49fd70666663.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/9780765376466_custom-17c40976cb9d55c1e38a5a488f6b49fd70666663.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/9780765376466_custom-17c40976cb9d55c1e38a5a488f6b49fd70666663.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/9780765376466_custom-17c40976cb9d55c1e38a5a488f6b49fd70666663.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/9780765376466_custom-17c40976cb9d55c1e38a5a488f6b49fd70666663.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/9780765376466_custom-17c40976cb9d55c1e38a5a488f6b49fd70666663.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/9780765376466_custom-17c40976cb9d55c1e38a5a488f6b49fd70666663.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="A Darker Shade of Magic, by V.E. Schwab" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Tor Books </span> </div> </div> <p><p>V.E. Schwab has created a world with <a href="https://www.npr.org/2015/02/25/387252679/darker-shade-paints-a-fantasy-world-rich-in-depth-and-color">four Londons lying atop one another</a>: our own dull Grey, warm magic-suffused Red, tyrannical White, and dead, terrifying Black. Once, movement among them was easy, but now only a few have the ability — including our hero, Kell. So naturally, he's a smuggler, and the action kicks off when Grey London thief Lila steals a dangerous artifact from him, a stone that could upset the balance among the Londons. Rich world building, complex characters and really scary bad guys make Schwab's London a city — or cities — well worth spending time in.</p></p> <div id="res1027229080" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic Book 1)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">V.E. Schwab</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic Book 1)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>V.E. Schwab</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0765376466?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0765376466?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780765376466?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780765376466?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027231145"> <h3 class="card__title">The Divine Cities Trilogy</h3> <div id="res1027231948" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1557; --source-height: 2400; " > <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/228171/city-of-stairs-by-robert-jackson-bennett/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91alzfrzzrl_custom-920e44dc03f25b53c1f529ef6fe5405a8774f78b.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91alzfrzzrl_custom-920e44dc03f25b53c1f529ef6fe5405a8774f78b.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91alzfrzzrl_custom-920e44dc03f25b53c1f529ef6fe5405a8774f78b.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91alzfrzzrl_custom-920e44dc03f25b53c1f529ef6fe5405a8774f78b.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91alzfrzzrl_custom-920e44dc03f25b53c1f529ef6fe5405a8774f78b.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91alzfrzzrl_custom-920e44dc03f25b53c1f529ef6fe5405a8774f78b.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91alzfrzzrl_custom-920e44dc03f25b53c1f529ef6fe5405a8774f78b.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91alzfrzzrl_custom-920e44dc03f25b53c1f529ef6fe5405a8774f78b.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91alzfrzzrl_custom-920e44dc03f25b53c1f529ef6fe5405a8774f78b.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91alzfrzzrl_custom-920e44dc03f25b53c1f529ef6fe5405a8774f78b.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91alzfrzzrl_custom-920e44dc03f25b53c1f529ef6fe5405a8774f78b.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91alzfrzzrl_custom-920e44dc03f25b53c1f529ef6fe5405a8774f78b.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91alzfrzzrl_custom-920e44dc03f25b53c1f529ef6fe5405a8774f78b.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91alzfrzzrl_custom-920e44dc03f25b53c1f529ef6fe5405a8774f78b.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="City of Stairs, by Robert Jackson Bennett" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Crown Books </span> </div> </div> <p><p>On the Continent, you must not, you cannot, talk about the gods — the gods are dead. Or are they? Robert Jackson Bennett's Divine Cities trilogy builds a fully, gloriously realized world where gods are the source of power, miracles and oppression, and gods can also be killed. But what happens next, when the gods are gone and the work of running the world is left to regular human men and women? What happens in that unsettled moment when divinity gives way to technology? This series spans a long timeline; the heroes of the first volume are old by the end. "And as ancient powers clash among gleaming, modern skyscrapers, those who have survived from the first page to these last have a heaviness about them," <a href="https://www.npr.org/2017/05/07/526913232/an-old-soldier-is-back-in-action-in-city-of-miracles">writes reviewer Jason Sheehan</a>, "a sense that they have seen remarkable things, done deeds both heroic and terrible, and that they can see a far and final horizon in the distance, quickly approaching."</p></p> <div id="res1027232041" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">City of Stairs (The Divine Cities Book 1)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Robert Jackson Bennett</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>City of Stairs (The Divine Cities Book 1)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Robert Jackson Bennett</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/080413717X?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/080413717X?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780804137171?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780804137171?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027232364"> <h3 class="card__title">The Wormwood Trilogy</h3> <div id="res1027232978" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1698; --source-height: 2560; " > <a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/tade-thompson/rosewater/9780316449038/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81cc29dafvs_custom-b005ec940c89159a4bd9e0e0cd346562ed79bdbe.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81cc29dafvs_custom-b005ec940c89159a4bd9e0e0cd346562ed79bdbe.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81cc29dafvs_custom-b005ec940c89159a4bd9e0e0cd346562ed79bdbe.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81cc29dafvs_custom-b005ec940c89159a4bd9e0e0cd346562ed79bdbe.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81cc29dafvs_custom-b005ec940c89159a4bd9e0e0cd346562ed79bdbe.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81cc29dafvs_custom-b005ec940c89159a4bd9e0e0cd346562ed79bdbe.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81cc29dafvs_custom-b005ec940c89159a4bd9e0e0cd346562ed79bdbe.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81cc29dafvs_custom-b005ec940c89159a4bd9e0e0cd346562ed79bdbe.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81cc29dafvs_custom-b005ec940c89159a4bd9e0e0cd346562ed79bdbe.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81cc29dafvs_custom-b005ec940c89159a4bd9e0e0cd346562ed79bdbe.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81cc29dafvs_custom-b005ec940c89159a4bd9e0e0cd346562ed79bdbe.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81cc29dafvs_custom-b005ec940c89159a4bd9e0e0cd346562ed79bdbe.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81cc29dafvs_custom-b005ec940c89159a4bd9e0e0cd346562ed79bdbe.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81cc29dafvs_custom-b005ec940c89159a4bd9e0e0cd346562ed79bdbe.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="Rosewater, by Tade Thompson" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Orbit </span> </div> </div> <p><p>Part of a recent wave of work celebrating and centering Nigerian culture, this trilogy is set in a future where a fungal alien invader has swallowed big global cities, America has shut itself away and gone dark, and a new city, Rosewater, has grown up around a mysterious alien dome in rural Nigeria. It's a wild mashup of alien invasion, cyberpunk, Afro-futurism and even a touch of zombie horror. "I started reading <em>Rosewater</em> on vacation and quickly set it down until I got home, because Tade Thompson's work is no light beach read," says judge Fonda Lee. "His writing demands your full attention — and amply rewards it."</p></p> <div id="res1027233214" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">Rosewater (Wormwood Book 1)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Tade Thompson</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>Rosewater (Wormwood Book 1)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Tade Thompson</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0316449059?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316449059?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780316449052?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316449052?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1029088397"> <h3 class="card__title">Black Sun (series)</h3> <div id="res1029088901" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1400; --source-height: 2093; " > <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Black-Sun/Rebecca-Roanhorse/Between-Earth-and-Sky/9781534437685"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/71xj2v8ayis_custom-be3b598df5d2adbf24d4075f561bad6e78eec235.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/71xj2v8ayis_custom-be3b598df5d2adbf24d4075f561bad6e78eec235.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/71xj2v8ayis_custom-be3b598df5d2adbf24d4075f561bad6e78eec235.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/71xj2v8ayis_custom-be3b598df5d2adbf24d4075f561bad6e78eec235.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/71xj2v8ayis_custom-be3b598df5d2adbf24d4075f561bad6e78eec235.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/71xj2v8ayis_custom-be3b598df5d2adbf24d4075f561bad6e78eec235.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/71xj2v8ayis_custom-be3b598df5d2adbf24d4075f561bad6e78eec235.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/71xj2v8ayis_custom-be3b598df5d2adbf24d4075f561bad6e78eec235.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/71xj2v8ayis_custom-be3b598df5d2adbf24d4075f561bad6e78eec235.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/71xj2v8ayis_custom-be3b598df5d2adbf24d4075f561bad6e78eec235.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/71xj2v8ayis_custom-be3b598df5d2adbf24d4075f561bad6e78eec235.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/71xj2v8ayis_custom-be3b598df5d2adbf24d4075f561bad6e78eec235.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/71xj2v8ayis_custom-be3b598df5d2adbf24d4075f561bad6e78eec235.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/71xj2v8ayis_custom-be3b598df5d2adbf24d4075f561bad6e78eec235.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="Black Sun, by Rebecca Roanhorse" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Gallery/Saga Press </span> </div> </div> <p><p>Author Rebecca Roanhorse was tired of reading epic fantasy with quasi-European settings, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/10/17/924734316/i-longed-to-see-something-different-so-i-wrote-it-questions-for-rebecca-roanhors">so she decided to write her own</a>. The result is <em>Black Sun</em>, set in a world influenced by pre-Columbian mythology and rich with storms, intrigue, giant bugs, mysterious sea people, ritual, myth and some very scary crows. (They hold grudges, did you know?) This is only Book 1 of a forthcoming series, but we felt it was so strong it deserved to be here, no matter where Roanhorse goes next.</p></p> <div id="res1029089128" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky, Book 1)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Rebecca Roanhorse</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky, Book 1)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Rebecca Roanhorse</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1534437681?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1534437681?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9781534437685?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781534437685?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> </div> </div>  <div class="hr"><hr /></div> <div class="bucketwrap list large" id="res1027238792" aria-label="list"> <div class="list-header"> <h3 class="list-header__title">Words To Get Lost In</h3> <p class="list__caption">If you're one of those people who thought genre fiction writing was workmanlike and uninspiring, these books will change your mind.</p> </div> <div class="list__items"> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027239591"> <h3 class="card__title">Piranesi</h3> <div id="res1027239948" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1688; --source-height: 2550; " > <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/piranesi-9781635575637"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81h-7env6hl_custom-e383c83e32d27792582bfcf9c79b902eee8e8080.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81h-7env6hl_custom-e383c83e32d27792582bfcf9c79b902eee8e8080.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81h-7env6hl_custom-e383c83e32d27792582bfcf9c79b902eee8e8080.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81h-7env6hl_custom-e383c83e32d27792582bfcf9c79b902eee8e8080.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81h-7env6hl_custom-e383c83e32d27792582bfcf9c79b902eee8e8080.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81h-7env6hl_custom-e383c83e32d27792582bfcf9c79b902eee8e8080.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81h-7env6hl_custom-e383c83e32d27792582bfcf9c79b902eee8e8080.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81h-7env6hl_custom-e383c83e32d27792582bfcf9c79b902eee8e8080.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81h-7env6hl_custom-e383c83e32d27792582bfcf9c79b902eee8e8080.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81h-7env6hl_custom-e383c83e32d27792582bfcf9c79b902eee8e8080.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81h-7env6hl_custom-e383c83e32d27792582bfcf9c79b902eee8e8080.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81h-7env6hl_custom-e383c83e32d27792582bfcf9c79b902eee8e8080.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81h-7env6hl_custom-e383c83e32d27792582bfcf9c79b902eee8e8080.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/81h-7env6hl_custom-e383c83e32d27792582bfcf9c79b902eee8e8080.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Bloomsbury </span> </div> </div> <p><p>Susanna Clarke at last returns to our shelves with this mind-bendingly glorious story — that's a bit hard to describe without spoiling. So we'll say it's about a mysterious man and the House that he dearly loves, a marvelous place full of changing light and surging tides, statues and corridors and crossings, birds and old bones and passing days and one persistent visitor who brings strangely familiar gifts. <strong></strong>Clarke "limns a magic far more intrinsic than the kind commanded through spells," <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/09/20/914369450/susanna-clarke-divines-magic-in-long-awaited-novel-piranesi">wrote reviewer Vikki Valentine</a>, "a magic that is seemingly part of the fabric of the universe and as powerful as a cosmic engine — yet fragile nonetheless."</p></p> <div id="res1027240086" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">Piranesi</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Susanna Clarke</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>Piranesi</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Susanna Clarke</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/163557563X?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/163557563X?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9781635575637?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781635575637?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027240123"> <h3 class="card__title">Circe</h3> <div id="res1027240487" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 907; --source-height: 1360; " > <a href="https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/madeline-miller/circe/9780316556330/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71fnp7f9p2l_custom-348653202ae90cdccb09817f78b394133cd6f6e4.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71fnp7f9p2l_custom-348653202ae90cdccb09817f78b394133cd6f6e4.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71fnp7f9p2l_custom-348653202ae90cdccb09817f78b394133cd6f6e4.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71fnp7f9p2l_custom-348653202ae90cdccb09817f78b394133cd6f6e4.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71fnp7f9p2l_custom-348653202ae90cdccb09817f78b394133cd6f6e4.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71fnp7f9p2l_custom-348653202ae90cdccb09817f78b394133cd6f6e4.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71fnp7f9p2l_custom-348653202ae90cdccb09817f78b394133cd6f6e4.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71fnp7f9p2l_custom-348653202ae90cdccb09817f78b394133cd6f6e4.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71fnp7f9p2l_custom-348653202ae90cdccb09817f78b394133cd6f6e4.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71fnp7f9p2l_custom-348653202ae90cdccb09817f78b394133cd6f6e4.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71fnp7f9p2l_custom-348653202ae90cdccb09817f78b394133cd6f6e4.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71fnp7f9p2l_custom-348653202ae90cdccb09817f78b394133cd6f6e4.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71fnp7f9p2l_custom-348653202ae90cdccb09817f78b394133cd6f6e4.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71fnp7f9p2l_custom-348653202ae90cdccb09817f78b394133cd6f6e4.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="Circe, by Madeline Miller" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Little, Brown and Company </span> </div> </div> <p><p>Imagine Circe, the fearsome witch of the Odyssey, as an awkward teenager, growing up lonely among scornful gods and falling for what we modern folks would call a f***boy, before coming into her own, using her exile on the island of Aiaia to hone her powers and build an independent life. Circe only shows up briefly in the Odyssey, but Madeline Miller gives her a lush, complex life in these pages. She has worked as a classics teacher, and <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/04/11/599831473/circe-gives-the-witch-of-the-odyssey-a-new-life">as our reviewer Annalisa Quinn noted</a>, Miller "extracts worlds of meaning from Homer's short phrases."</p></p> <div id="res1027240558" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">Circe</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Madeline Miller</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>Circe</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Madeline Miller</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0316556327?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316556327?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780316556323?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316556323?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027240559"> <h3 class="card__title">Mexican Gothic</h3> <div id="res1027241149" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 654; --source-height: 1000; " > <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/577068/mexican-gothic-by-silvia-moreno-garcia/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/714g8xmjrpl_custom-9b4a281ea5242cfd90be43f95f737ec5d6bbee0e.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/714g8xmjrpl_custom-9b4a281ea5242cfd90be43f95f737ec5d6bbee0e.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/714g8xmjrpl_custom-9b4a281ea5242cfd90be43f95f737ec5d6bbee0e.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/714g8xmjrpl_custom-9b4a281ea5242cfd90be43f95f737ec5d6bbee0e.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/714g8xmjrpl_custom-9b4a281ea5242cfd90be43f95f737ec5d6bbee0e.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/714g8xmjrpl_custom-9b4a281ea5242cfd90be43f95f737ec5d6bbee0e.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/714g8xmjrpl_custom-9b4a281ea5242cfd90be43f95f737ec5d6bbee0e.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/714g8xmjrpl_custom-9b4a281ea5242cfd90be43f95f737ec5d6bbee0e.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/714g8xmjrpl_custom-9b4a281ea5242cfd90be43f95f737ec5d6bbee0e.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/714g8xmjrpl_custom-9b4a281ea5242cfd90be43f95f737ec5d6bbee0e.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/714g8xmjrpl_custom-9b4a281ea5242cfd90be43f95f737ec5d6bbee0e.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/714g8xmjrpl_custom-9b4a281ea5242cfd90be43f95f737ec5d6bbee0e.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/714g8xmjrpl_custom-9b4a281ea5242cfd90be43f95f737ec5d6bbee0e.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/714g8xmjrpl_custom-9b4a281ea5242cfd90be43f95f737ec5d6bbee0e.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Del Rey </span> </div> </div> <p><p>A sharp young socialite in 1950s Mexico City travels to a creepy rural mansion to check on her cousin, who has fallen ill after marrying into a mysterious family of English landowners. What could possibly go wrong? Silvia Moreno-Garcia "makes you uneasy about invisible things by writing around them," <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/07/02/886008274/pitch-perfect-mexican-gothic-ratchets-up-the-dread">said reviewer Jessica P. Wick.</a> "Even when you think you know what lurks, the power to unsettle isn't diminished." Not to be too spoilery — but after reading this stylishly chilling novel, you'll never look at mushrooms the same way again.</p></p> <div id="res1027241328" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">Mexican Gothic</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Silvia Moreno-Garcia</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>Mexican Gothic</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Silvia Moreno-Garcia</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0525620788?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0525620788?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780525620785?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780525620785?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027241403"> <h3 class="card__title">The Paper Menagerie And Other Stories</h3> <div id="res1027242320" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 880; --source-height: 1360; " > <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Paper-Menagerie-and-Other-Stories/Ken-Liu/9781481424363"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/61zx66uolil_custom-2ded979ed7ff3462ba3b12029960e603129cc37b.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/61zx66uolil_custom-2ded979ed7ff3462ba3b12029960e603129cc37b.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/61zx66uolil_custom-2ded979ed7ff3462ba3b12029960e603129cc37b.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/61zx66uolil_custom-2ded979ed7ff3462ba3b12029960e603129cc37b.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/61zx66uolil_custom-2ded979ed7ff3462ba3b12029960e603129cc37b.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/61zx66uolil_custom-2ded979ed7ff3462ba3b12029960e603129cc37b.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/61zx66uolil_custom-2ded979ed7ff3462ba3b12029960e603129cc37b.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/61zx66uolil_custom-2ded979ed7ff3462ba3b12029960e603129cc37b.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/61zx66uolil_custom-2ded979ed7ff3462ba3b12029960e603129cc37b.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/61zx66uolil_custom-2ded979ed7ff3462ba3b12029960e603129cc37b.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/61zx66uolil_custom-2ded979ed7ff3462ba3b12029960e603129cc37b.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/61zx66uolil_custom-2ded979ed7ff3462ba3b12029960e603129cc37b.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/61zx66uolil_custom-2ded979ed7ff3462ba3b12029960e603129cc37b.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/61zx66uolil_custom-2ded979ed7ff3462ba3b12029960e603129cc37b.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="The Paper Menagerie, by Ken Liu" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Gallery/Saga Press </span> </div> </div> <p><p>"I taught Liu's 'The Man Who Ended History' in a graduate seminar one semester," says judge Tochi Onyebuchi, "and one of the toughest tasks I've ever faced in adulthood was crafting a lesson plan that went beyond me just going 'wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf' for the whole two hours. Some story collections are like those albums where the artist or record label just threw a bunch of songs together and said 'here,' and some collections arrive as a complete, cohesive, emotionally catholic whole. <em>The Paper Menagerie</em> is that."</p></p> <div id="res1027242534" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">The Paper Menagerie And Other Stories</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Ken Liu</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>The Paper Menagerie And Other Stories</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Ken Liu</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/148142436X?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/148142436X?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9781481424363?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781481424363?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027242580"> <h3 class="card__title">Spinning Silver</h3> <div id="res1027242809" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1684; --source-height: 2560; " > <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/554775/spinning-silver-by-naomi-novik/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/a1q86cjvzxl_custom-228c3067a6a99711e96f27cda6d217d76ff5d750.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/a1q86cjvzxl_custom-228c3067a6a99711e96f27cda6d217d76ff5d750.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/a1q86cjvzxl_custom-228c3067a6a99711e96f27cda6d217d76ff5d750.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/a1q86cjvzxl_custom-228c3067a6a99711e96f27cda6d217d76ff5d750.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/a1q86cjvzxl_custom-228c3067a6a99711e96f27cda6d217d76ff5d750.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/a1q86cjvzxl_custom-228c3067a6a99711e96f27cda6d217d76ff5d750.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/a1q86cjvzxl_custom-228c3067a6a99711e96f27cda6d217d76ff5d750.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/a1q86cjvzxl_custom-228c3067a6a99711e96f27cda6d217d76ff5d750.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/a1q86cjvzxl_custom-228c3067a6a99711e96f27cda6d217d76ff5d750.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/a1q86cjvzxl_custom-228c3067a6a99711e96f27cda6d217d76ff5d750.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/a1q86cjvzxl_custom-228c3067a6a99711e96f27cda6d217d76ff5d750.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/a1q86cjvzxl_custom-228c3067a6a99711e96f27cda6d217d76ff5d750.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/a1q86cjvzxl_custom-228c3067a6a99711e96f27cda6d217d76ff5d750.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/a1q86cjvzxl_custom-228c3067a6a99711e96f27cda6d217d76ff5d750.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="Spinning Silver, by Naomi Novik" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Del Rey </span> </div> </div> <p><p>Judges had a hard time deciding between <em>Spinning Silver</em> and <em><a href="https://www.npr.org/2015/05/24/407712289/friendship-magic-and-danger-blossom-in-uprooted">Uprooted</a></em>, Novik's previous fairy tale retelling. Ultimately, we decided that this reclamation of "Rumpelstiltskin" has a chewier, more interesting project, with much to say about money, labor, debt and friendship, explored in unflinching yet tender ways. Judge Amal El-Mohtar reviewed <em>Spinning Silver</em> for NPR when it came out in 2018. "There are so many mathemagicians in this book, be they moneylenders turning silver into gold or knitters working to a pattern," <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/07/17/628882889/silver-spins-gold-from-the-moldiest-of-old-straw">she wrote at the time</a>. "It's gold and silver all the way down."</p></p> <div id="res1027242869" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">Spinning Silver</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Naomi Novik</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>Spinning Silver</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Naomi Novik</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0399180990?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0399180990?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780399180996?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780399180996?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027242882"> <h3 class="card__title">Exhalation: Stories</h3> <div id="res1027243182" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1556; --source-height: 2400; " > <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/538034/exhalation-by-ted-chiang/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71aethrqrrl_custom-76c1cc04ea246531e72fc33100725ee1a7799a9b.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71aethrqrrl_custom-76c1cc04ea246531e72fc33100725ee1a7799a9b.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71aethrqrrl_custom-76c1cc04ea246531e72fc33100725ee1a7799a9b.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71aethrqrrl_custom-76c1cc04ea246531e72fc33100725ee1a7799a9b.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71aethrqrrl_custom-76c1cc04ea246531e72fc33100725ee1a7799a9b.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71aethrqrrl_custom-76c1cc04ea246531e72fc33100725ee1a7799a9b.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71aethrqrrl_custom-76c1cc04ea246531e72fc33100725ee1a7799a9b.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71aethrqrrl_custom-76c1cc04ea246531e72fc33100725ee1a7799a9b.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71aethrqrrl_custom-76c1cc04ea246531e72fc33100725ee1a7799a9b.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71aethrqrrl_custom-76c1cc04ea246531e72fc33100725ee1a7799a9b.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71aethrqrrl_custom-76c1cc04ea246531e72fc33100725ee1a7799a9b.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71aethrqrrl_custom-76c1cc04ea246531e72fc33100725ee1a7799a9b.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71aethrqrrl_custom-76c1cc04ea246531e72fc33100725ee1a7799a9b.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71aethrqrrl_custom-76c1cc04ea246531e72fc33100725ee1a7799a9b.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="Exhalation: Stories, by Ted Chiang" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Vintage </span> </div> </div> <p><p>"I often get the same feeling reading a Ted Chiang story as I did listening to a Prince song while he was still with us," says judge Tochi Onyebuchi. "What a glorious privilege it is that we get to share a universe with this genius!" This poll can be a discovery tool for editors and judges as much as audience, so hearing that, your humble editor went straight to the library and downloaded a copy of this collection.</p></p> <div id="res1027243618" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">Exhalation: Stories</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Ted Chiang</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>Exhalation: Stories</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Ted Chiang</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1101972084?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1101972084?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9781101972083?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781101972083?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027243649"> <h3 class="card__title">Olondria (series)</h3> <div id="res1027245136" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 308; --source-height: 500; " > <a href="https://smallbeerpress.com/books/2013/04/30/a-stranger-in-olondria/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51twzhi-mjl_custom-d5c56abfcae878397e747fe3c1e7ff5ff155bfce.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51twzhi-mjl_custom-d5c56abfcae878397e747fe3c1e7ff5ff155bfce.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51twzhi-mjl_custom-d5c56abfcae878397e747fe3c1e7ff5ff155bfce.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51twzhi-mjl_custom-d5c56abfcae878397e747fe3c1e7ff5ff155bfce.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51twzhi-mjl_custom-d5c56abfcae878397e747fe3c1e7ff5ff155bfce.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51twzhi-mjl_custom-d5c56abfcae878397e747fe3c1e7ff5ff155bfce.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51twzhi-mjl_custom-d5c56abfcae878397e747fe3c1e7ff5ff155bfce.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51twzhi-mjl_custom-d5c56abfcae878397e747fe3c1e7ff5ff155bfce.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51twzhi-mjl_custom-d5c56abfcae878397e747fe3c1e7ff5ff155bfce.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51twzhi-mjl_custom-d5c56abfcae878397e747fe3c1e7ff5ff155bfce.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51twzhi-mjl_custom-d5c56abfcae878397e747fe3c1e7ff5ff155bfce.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51twzhi-mjl_custom-d5c56abfcae878397e747fe3c1e7ff5ff155bfce.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51twzhi-mjl_custom-d5c56abfcae878397e747fe3c1e7ff5ff155bfce.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/51twzhi-mjl_custom-d5c56abfcae878397e747fe3c1e7ff5ff155bfce.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="A Stranger in Olondria, by Sofia Samatar" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Small Beer Press </span> </div> </div> <p><p>In Olondria, you can smell the ocean wind coming off the page, soldiers ride birds, angels haunt humans, and written dreams are terribly dangerous. "Have you ever seen something so beautiful that you'd be content to just sit and watch the light around it change for a whole day because every passing moment reveals even more unbearable loveliness and transforms you in ways you can't articulate?" asks judge Amal El-Mohtar. "You will if you read these books."</p></p> <div id="res1027245287" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">A Stranger In Olondria (Olondria Book 1)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Sofia Samatar</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>A Stranger In Olondria (Olondria Book 1)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Sofia Samatar</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1931520763?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1931520763?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9781931520768?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781931520768?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027245290"> <h3 class="card__title">Her Body And Other Parties: Stories</h3> <div id="res1027245873" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1706; --source-height: 2560; " > <a href="https://graywolfpress.org/books/her-body-and-other-parties"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91zoragmdrl_custom-b1304c950953e2727edda92e0c67e7e579c421a0.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91zoragmdrl_custom-b1304c950953e2727edda92e0c67e7e579c421a0.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91zoragmdrl_custom-b1304c950953e2727edda92e0c67e7e579c421a0.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91zoragmdrl_custom-b1304c950953e2727edda92e0c67e7e579c421a0.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91zoragmdrl_custom-b1304c950953e2727edda92e0c67e7e579c421a0.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91zoragmdrl_custom-b1304c950953e2727edda92e0c67e7e579c421a0.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91zoragmdrl_custom-b1304c950953e2727edda92e0c67e7e579c421a0.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91zoragmdrl_custom-b1304c950953e2727edda92e0c67e7e579c421a0.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91zoragmdrl_custom-b1304c950953e2727edda92e0c67e7e579c421a0.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91zoragmdrl_custom-b1304c950953e2727edda92e0c67e7e579c421a0.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91zoragmdrl_custom-b1304c950953e2727edda92e0c67e7e579c421a0.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91zoragmdrl_custom-b1304c950953e2727edda92e0c67e7e579c421a0.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91zoragmdrl_custom-b1304c950953e2727edda92e0c67e7e579c421a0.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/91zoragmdrl_custom-b1304c950953e2727edda92e0c67e7e579c421a0.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="Her Body and Other Parties, by Carmen Maria Machado" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Graywolf Press </span> </div> </div> <p><p>These eight stories dance across the borders of fairy tale, horror, erotica and urban legend, spinning the familiar, lived experiences of women into something rich and strange. As the title suggests, Machado focuses on the unruly female body and all of its pleasures and risks (there's one story that's just increasingly bizarre rewrites of <em>Law & Order: SVU</em> episodes). At one point, a character implies that kind of writing is "tiresome and regressive," too much about stereotypical crazy lesbians and madwomen in the attic. But <a href="https://www.npr.org/2017/10/08/553978325/-her-body-and-other-parties-be-your-own-madwoman">as our critic Annalisa Quinn wrote</a>, "Machado seems to answer: The world makes madwomen, and the least you can do is make sure the attic is your own."</p></p> <div id="res1027246068" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">Her Body And Other Parties</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Carmen Maria Machado</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>Her Body And Other Parties</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Carmen Maria Machado</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/155597788X?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/155597788X?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9781555977887?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781555977887?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027246075"> <h3 class="card__title">The Buried Giant</h3> <div id="res1027246760" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1000; --source-height: 1559; " > <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/85613/the-buried-giant-by-kazuo-ishiguro/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71g4apxvpdl_custom-dbcc317dc0bb98e7b584c732ec366fa85445cbd9.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71g4apxvpdl_custom-dbcc317dc0bb98e7b584c732ec366fa85445cbd9.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71g4apxvpdl_custom-dbcc317dc0bb98e7b584c732ec366fa85445cbd9.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71g4apxvpdl_custom-dbcc317dc0bb98e7b584c732ec366fa85445cbd9.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71g4apxvpdl_custom-dbcc317dc0bb98e7b584c732ec366fa85445cbd9.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71g4apxvpdl_custom-dbcc317dc0bb98e7b584c732ec366fa85445cbd9.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71g4apxvpdl_custom-dbcc317dc0bb98e7b584c732ec366fa85445cbd9.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71g4apxvpdl_custom-dbcc317dc0bb98e7b584c732ec366fa85445cbd9.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71g4apxvpdl_custom-dbcc317dc0bb98e7b584c732ec366fa85445cbd9.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71g4apxvpdl_custom-dbcc317dc0bb98e7b584c732ec366fa85445cbd9.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71g4apxvpdl_custom-dbcc317dc0bb98e7b584c732ec366fa85445cbd9.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71g4apxvpdl_custom-dbcc317dc0bb98e7b584c732ec366fa85445cbd9.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71g4apxvpdl_custom-dbcc317dc0bb98e7b584c732ec366fa85445cbd9.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/12/71g4apxvpdl_custom-dbcc317dc0bb98e7b584c732ec366fa85445cbd9.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="The Buried Giant, by Kazuo Ishiguro" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Vintage International </span> </div> </div> <p><p>Axl and Beatrice are an elderly couple, living in a fictional Britain just after Arthur's time, where everyone suffers from what they call "mist," a kind of amnesia that hits long-term memories. They believe, they vaguely remember that they once had a son, so they set out to find him — encountering an elderly Sir Gawain along the way, and long-forgotten connections to Arthur's court and the dark deeds the mist is hiding. Poll judge Ann Leckie loves Arthurian legends. What she does not love are authors who don't do them justice — but with <em>The Buried Giant</em>, she says, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2015/02/28/389530345/the-persistence-and-impermanence-of-memory-in-the-buried-giant">Kazuo Ishiguro</a> gets it solidly right.</p></p> <div id="res1027246572" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">The Buried Giant</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Kazuo Ishiguro</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>The Buried Giant</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Kazuo Ishiguro</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0307455793?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0307455793?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780307455796?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780307455796?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1028649025"> <h3 class="card__title">Radiance</h3> <div id="res1028656600" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1650; --source-height: 2475; " > <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780765335302"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/17/71esha-4kml_custom-6368f38e6e1de4b0af082006b3a837c939049315.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/17/71esha-4kml_custom-6368f38e6e1de4b0af082006b3a837c939049315.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/17/71esha-4kml_custom-6368f38e6e1de4b0af082006b3a837c939049315.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/17/71esha-4kml_custom-6368f38e6e1de4b0af082006b3a837c939049315.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/17/71esha-4kml_custom-6368f38e6e1de4b0af082006b3a837c939049315.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/17/71esha-4kml_custom-6368f38e6e1de4b0af082006b3a837c939049315.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/17/71esha-4kml_custom-6368f38e6e1de4b0af082006b3a837c939049315.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/17/71esha-4kml_custom-6368f38e6e1de4b0af082006b3a837c939049315.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/17/71esha-4kml_custom-6368f38e6e1de4b0af082006b3a837c939049315.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/17/71esha-4kml_custom-6368f38e6e1de4b0af082006b3a837c939049315.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/17/71esha-4kml_custom-6368f38e6e1de4b0af082006b3a837c939049315.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/17/71esha-4kml_custom-6368f38e6e1de4b0af082006b3a837c939049315.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/17/71esha-4kml_custom-6368f38e6e1de4b0af082006b3a837c939049315.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/17/71esha-4kml_custom-6368f38e6e1de4b0af082006b3a837c939049315.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="Radiance, by Catherynne M. Valente" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Tor Books </span> </div> </div> <p><p>Do you love space opera? Alternate history? Silent film? (OK, are you me?) Then you should pick up Catherynne M. Valente's <em>Radiance</em>, which mashes up all three in a gloriously surreal saga about spacefaring filmmakers in an alternate version of 1986, in which you might be able to go to Jupiter, but Thomas Edison's death grip on his patents means talkies are still a novelty. Yes, <em>Space Opera</em> did get more votes, but our judges genuinely felt that <em>Radiance</em> was the stronger book. Reviewing it in 2015, <a href="http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/book-reviews-december-2015/">judge Amal El-Mohtar wrote</a>, "<em>Radiance</em> is the sort of novel about which you have to speak for hours or hardly speak at all: either stop at 'it's magnificent' or roll on to talk about form, voice, ambition, originality, innovation for more thousands of words than are available to me here before even touching on the plot."</p></p> <div id="res1028656824" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">Radiance: A Novel</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Catherynne M. Valente</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>Radiance: A Novel</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Catherynne M. Valente</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0765335301?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0765335301?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780765335302?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780765335302?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> </div> </div>  <div class="hr"><hr /></div> <div class="bucketwrap list large" id="res1027249145" aria-label="list"> <div class="list-header"> <h3 class="list-header__title">Will Take You On A Journey</h3> <p class="list__caption">Sure, all books are some kind of journey, but these reads really go the distance.</p> </div> <div class="list__items"> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027621723"> <h3 class="card__title">The Changeling</h3> <div id="res1027623637" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1555; --source-height: 2400; " > <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/234343/the-changeling-by-victor-lavalle/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/a1gcfunpo3l_custom-592ee7b0c0efd75adf3c023a2341177726df90d6.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/a1gcfunpo3l_custom-592ee7b0c0efd75adf3c023a2341177726df90d6.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/a1gcfunpo3l_custom-592ee7b0c0efd75adf3c023a2341177726df90d6.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/a1gcfunpo3l_custom-592ee7b0c0efd75adf3c023a2341177726df90d6.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/a1gcfunpo3l_custom-592ee7b0c0efd75adf3c023a2341177726df90d6.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/a1gcfunpo3l_custom-592ee7b0c0efd75adf3c023a2341177726df90d6.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/a1gcfunpo3l_custom-592ee7b0c0efd75adf3c023a2341177726df90d6.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/a1gcfunpo3l_custom-592ee7b0c0efd75adf3c023a2341177726df90d6.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/a1gcfunpo3l_custom-592ee7b0c0efd75adf3c023a2341177726df90d6.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/a1gcfunpo3l_custom-592ee7b0c0efd75adf3c023a2341177726df90d6.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/a1gcfunpo3l_custom-592ee7b0c0efd75adf3c023a2341177726df90d6.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/a1gcfunpo3l_custom-592ee7b0c0efd75adf3c023a2341177726df90d6.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/a1gcfunpo3l_custom-592ee7b0c0efd75adf3c023a2341177726df90d6.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/a1gcfunpo3l_custom-592ee7b0c0efd75adf3c023a2341177726df90d6.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="The Changeling, by Victor LaValle" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> One World </span> </div> </div> <p><p>It's easy(ish) to summarize <em>The Changeling</em>: Rare book dealer Apollo Kagwa has a baby son with his wife, Emma, but she's been acting strange — and when she vanishes after doing something unspeakable, he sets out to find her. But his journey loops through a New York you've never seen before: mysterious islands and haunted forests, strange characters and shifting rhythms. <em>The Changeling</em> is a modern urban fairy tale with one toe over the line into horror, and wherever it goes, it will draw you along with it.</p></p> <div id="res1027622654" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">The Changeling</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Victor LaValle</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>The Changeling</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Victor LaValle</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0812985877?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0812985877?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780812985870?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780812985870?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027623867"> <h3 class="card__title">Wayfarers (series)</h3> <div id="res1027625010" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1600; --source-height: 2405; " > <a href="https://www.harpervoyagerbooks.com/book/9780062444134/the-long-way-to-a-small-angry-planet-2/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/816wmls1bzl_custom-1514e72fa84aaaaaf7bf10cc6917c6ce3efde9a7.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/816wmls1bzl_custom-1514e72fa84aaaaaf7bf10cc6917c6ce3efde9a7.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/816wmls1bzl_custom-1514e72fa84aaaaaf7bf10cc6917c6ce3efde9a7.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/816wmls1bzl_custom-1514e72fa84aaaaaf7bf10cc6917c6ce3efde9a7.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/816wmls1bzl_custom-1514e72fa84aaaaaf7bf10cc6917c6ce3efde9a7.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/816wmls1bzl_custom-1514e72fa84aaaaaf7bf10cc6917c6ce3efde9a7.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/816wmls1bzl_custom-1514e72fa84aaaaaf7bf10cc6917c6ce3efde9a7.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/816wmls1bzl_custom-1514e72fa84aaaaaf7bf10cc6917c6ce3efde9a7.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/816wmls1bzl_custom-1514e72fa84aaaaaf7bf10cc6917c6ce3efde9a7.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/816wmls1bzl_custom-1514e72fa84aaaaaf7bf10cc6917c6ce3efde9a7.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/816wmls1bzl_custom-1514e72fa84aaaaaf7bf10cc6917c6ce3efde9a7.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/816wmls1bzl_custom-1514e72fa84aaaaaf7bf10cc6917c6ce3efde9a7.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/816wmls1bzl_custom-1514e72fa84aaaaaf7bf10cc6917c6ce3efde9a7.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/816wmls1bzl_custom-1514e72fa84aaaaaf7bf10cc6917c6ce3efde9a7.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="Wayfarers (series), by Becky Chambers" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Harper Voyager </span> </div> </div> <p><p>Becky Chambers writes aliens like no one else — in fact, humans are the backward newcomers in her generous, peaceful galactic vision. The Wayfarers books are only loosely linked: They all take place in the same universe, but apart from that you'll meet a new set of characters, a new culture and a new world (or an old world transformed). Cranky space pacifists, questing AIs, fugitives, gravediggers and fluffy, multi-limbed aliens who love pudding — the only flaw in this series is you'll wish you could spend more time with all of them.</p></p> <div id="res1027625041" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">Wayfarers (series)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Becky Chambers</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>Wayfarers (series)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Becky Chambers</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0062444131?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062444131?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780062444134?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062444134?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027623870"> <h3 class="card__title">Binti (series)</h3> <div id="res1027625975" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1400; --source-height: 2240; " > <a href="https://publishing.tor.com/binti-nnediokorafor/9781250203427/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81iichfn4ll_custom-67dcdd8287aa7b370093ce28521899dac837236b.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81iichfn4ll_custom-67dcdd8287aa7b370093ce28521899dac837236b.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81iichfn4ll_custom-67dcdd8287aa7b370093ce28521899dac837236b.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81iichfn4ll_custom-67dcdd8287aa7b370093ce28521899dac837236b.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81iichfn4ll_custom-67dcdd8287aa7b370093ce28521899dac837236b.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81iichfn4ll_custom-67dcdd8287aa7b370093ce28521899dac837236b.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81iichfn4ll_custom-67dcdd8287aa7b370093ce28521899dac837236b.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81iichfn4ll_custom-67dcdd8287aa7b370093ce28521899dac837236b.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81iichfn4ll_custom-67dcdd8287aa7b370093ce28521899dac837236b.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81iichfn4ll_custom-67dcdd8287aa7b370093ce28521899dac837236b.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81iichfn4ll_custom-67dcdd8287aa7b370093ce28521899dac837236b.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81iichfn4ll_custom-67dcdd8287aa7b370093ce28521899dac837236b.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81iichfn4ll_custom-67dcdd8287aa7b370093ce28521899dac837236b.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81iichfn4ll_custom-67dcdd8287aa7b370093ce28521899dac837236b.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="Binti (series), by Nnedi Okorafor" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Tordotcom </span> </div> </div> <p><p>Binti is the first of her people, the Himba, to be offered a place at the legendary Oomza University, finest institution of learning in the galaxy — and as if leaving Earth to live among the stars weren't enough, Binti finds herself caught between warring human and alien factions. Over and over again throughout these novellas, Binti makes peace, bridges cultures, brings home with her even as she leaves and returns, changed by her experiences. Our judges agreed that the first two <em>Binti</em> stories are the strongest — but even if the third stumbles, as judge and critic Amal El-Mohtar wrote, "Perhaps the point is just having a Black girl with tentacles for hair possessing the power and freedom to float among Saturn's rings."</p></p> <div id="res1027626120" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">Binti (series)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Nnedi Okorafor</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>Binti (series)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Nnedi Okorafor</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0765385252?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0765385252?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780765385253?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780765385253?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027626185"> <h3 class="card__title">Lady Astronaut (series)</h3> <div id="res1027626902" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 905; --source-height: 1360; " > <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/series/ladyastronaut/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/711gd93ifkl_custom-80dd66e555a05cf605f043ca0095760a75d41be4.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/711gd93ifkl_custom-80dd66e555a05cf605f043ca0095760a75d41be4.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/711gd93ifkl_custom-80dd66e555a05cf605f043ca0095760a75d41be4.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/711gd93ifkl_custom-80dd66e555a05cf605f043ca0095760a75d41be4.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/711gd93ifkl_custom-80dd66e555a05cf605f043ca0095760a75d41be4.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/711gd93ifkl_custom-80dd66e555a05cf605f043ca0095760a75d41be4.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/711gd93ifkl_custom-80dd66e555a05cf605f043ca0095760a75d41be4.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/711gd93ifkl_custom-80dd66e555a05cf605f043ca0095760a75d41be4.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/711gd93ifkl_custom-80dd66e555a05cf605f043ca0095760a75d41be4.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/711gd93ifkl_custom-80dd66e555a05cf605f043ca0095760a75d41be4.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/711gd93ifkl_custom-80dd66e555a05cf605f043ca0095760a75d41be4.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/711gd93ifkl_custom-80dd66e555a05cf605f043ca0095760a75d41be4.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/711gd93ifkl_custom-80dd66e555a05cf605f043ca0095760a75d41be4.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/711gd93ifkl_custom-80dd66e555a05cf605f043ca0095760a75d41be4.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="Lady Astronaut (series), by Mary Robinette Kowal" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Tor Books </span> </div> </div> <p><p>What would America's space program have looked like if, say, a gigantic asteroid had wiped out the East Coast in 1952 — and started a countdown to destruction for the rest of the world? We'd have had to get into space much sooner. And all the female pilots who served in World War II and were unceremoniously dumped back at home might have had another chance to fly. Mary Robinette Kowal's Hugo Award-winning series plays that out with Elma York, a former WASP pilot and future Lady Astronaut whose skill and determination help all of humanity escape the bonds of Earth. Adds judge Amal El-Mohtar: "Audiobook readers are in for a special treat here in that Kowal narrates the books herself, and if you've never had the pleasure of attending one of her readings, you get to experience her wonderful performance with bonus production values. It's especially cool given that the seed for the series was an audio-first short story."</p></p> <div id="res1027627019" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">Lady Astronaut (series)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Mary Robinette Kowal</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>Lady Astronaut (series)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Mary Robinette Kowal</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0765378388?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0765378388?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780765378385?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780765378385?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027627038"> <h3 class="card__title">Children of Time (duology)</h3> <div id="res1027628243" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 333; --source-height: 500; " > <a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/adrian-tchaikovsky/children-of-time/9781447273301"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/51gljgvc1il_custom-392d7bbbbc8c41360454499937c60a8ec5813b26.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/51gljgvc1il_custom-392d7bbbbc8c41360454499937c60a8ec5813b26.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/51gljgvc1il_custom-392d7bbbbc8c41360454499937c60a8ec5813b26.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/51gljgvc1il_custom-392d7bbbbc8c41360454499937c60a8ec5813b26.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/51gljgvc1il_custom-392d7bbbbc8c41360454499937c60a8ec5813b26.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/51gljgvc1il_custom-392d7bbbbc8c41360454499937c60a8ec5813b26.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/51gljgvc1il_custom-392d7bbbbc8c41360454499937c60a8ec5813b26.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/51gljgvc1il_custom-392d7bbbbc8c41360454499937c60a8ec5813b26.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/51gljgvc1il_custom-392d7bbbbc8c41360454499937c60a8ec5813b26.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/51gljgvc1il_custom-392d7bbbbc8c41360454499937c60a8ec5813b26.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/51gljgvc1il_custom-392d7bbbbc8c41360454499937c60a8ec5813b26.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/51gljgvc1il_custom-392d7bbbbc8c41360454499937c60a8ec5813b26.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/51gljgvc1il_custom-392d7bbbbc8c41360454499937c60a8ec5813b26.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/51gljgvc1il_custom-392d7bbbbc8c41360454499937c60a8ec5813b26.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="Children of Time (duology), by Adrian Tchaikovsky" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Tor Books </span> </div> </div> <p><p>Far in the future, the dregs of humanity escape a ruined Earth and find what they think is a new hope deep in space — a planet that past spacefarers terraformed and left for them. But the evolutionary virus that was supposed to jump-start a cargo of monkeys, creating ready-made workers, instead latched on to ... something else, and in the intervening years, something terrible has arisen there. Poll judge Ann Leckie says she can't stand spiders (BIG SAME), but even so, she was adamant that the Children of Time books deserve their spot here.</p></p> <div id="res1027628356" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">Children of Time (duology)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Adrian Tchaikovsky</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>Children of Time (duology)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Adrian Tchaikovsky</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0316452505?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316452505?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780316452502?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316452502?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027628361"> <h3 class="card__title">Wayward Children (series)</h3> <div id="res1027628945" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 999; --source-height: 1519; " > <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/series/waywardchildren/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81uu6bj0uyl_custom-a21a5cc2b66cae053e8b9eb628407115cfa04002.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81uu6bj0uyl_custom-a21a5cc2b66cae053e8b9eb628407115cfa04002.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81uu6bj0uyl_custom-a21a5cc2b66cae053e8b9eb628407115cfa04002.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81uu6bj0uyl_custom-a21a5cc2b66cae053e8b9eb628407115cfa04002.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81uu6bj0uyl_custom-a21a5cc2b66cae053e8b9eb628407115cfa04002.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81uu6bj0uyl_custom-a21a5cc2b66cae053e8b9eb628407115cfa04002.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81uu6bj0uyl_custom-a21a5cc2b66cae053e8b9eb628407115cfa04002.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81uu6bj0uyl_custom-a21a5cc2b66cae053e8b9eb628407115cfa04002.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81uu6bj0uyl_custom-a21a5cc2b66cae053e8b9eb628407115cfa04002.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81uu6bj0uyl_custom-a21a5cc2b66cae053e8b9eb628407115cfa04002.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81uu6bj0uyl_custom-a21a5cc2b66cae053e8b9eb628407115cfa04002.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81uu6bj0uyl_custom-a21a5cc2b66cae053e8b9eb628407115cfa04002.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81uu6bj0uyl_custom-a21a5cc2b66cae053e8b9eb628407115cfa04002.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81uu6bj0uyl_custom-a21a5cc2b66cae053e8b9eb628407115cfa04002.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="Wayward Children (series), by Seanan McGuire" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Tordotcom </span> </div> </div> <p><p>Everyone loves a good portal fantasy. Who hasn't looked in the back of the closet hoping, faintly, to see snow and a street lamp? In the Wayward Children series, Seanan McGuire reminds us that portals go both ways: What happens to those children who get booted back through the door into the real world, starry-eyed and scarred? Well, a lot of them end up at Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children. The prolific McGuire turned up on our semifinalists list A Lot. We had a hard time deciding between this and her killer stand-alone <em>Middlegame</em>, but the Wayward Children won the day with their shimmering mix of fairy tale, fantasy and emotional heft — not to mention body positivity and solid queer and trans representation. (As with a lot of the also-rans, though, you should <em>really</em> read <em>Middlegame</em> too.)</p></p> <div id="res1027629158" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">Wayward Children (series)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Seanan McGuire</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>Wayward Children (series)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Seanan McGuire</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0765385503?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0765385503?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780765385505?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780765385505?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027629235"> <h3 class="card__title">The Space Between Worlds</h3> <div id="res1027629449" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1648; --source-height: 2475; " > <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/610612/the-space-between-worlds-by-micaiah-johnson/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/911oodlg8-l_custom-ae6813a22c57d493a1d4399e3bc8d1a41a73b5f0.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/911oodlg8-l_custom-ae6813a22c57d493a1d4399e3bc8d1a41a73b5f0.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/911oodlg8-l_custom-ae6813a22c57d493a1d4399e3bc8d1a41a73b5f0.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/911oodlg8-l_custom-ae6813a22c57d493a1d4399e3bc8d1a41a73b5f0.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/911oodlg8-l_custom-ae6813a22c57d493a1d4399e3bc8d1a41a73b5f0.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/911oodlg8-l_custom-ae6813a22c57d493a1d4399e3bc8d1a41a73b5f0.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/911oodlg8-l_custom-ae6813a22c57d493a1d4399e3bc8d1a41a73b5f0.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/911oodlg8-l_custom-ae6813a22c57d493a1d4399e3bc8d1a41a73b5f0.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/911oodlg8-l_custom-ae6813a22c57d493a1d4399e3bc8d1a41a73b5f0.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/911oodlg8-l_custom-ae6813a22c57d493a1d4399e3bc8d1a41a73b5f0.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/911oodlg8-l_custom-ae6813a22c57d493a1d4399e3bc8d1a41a73b5f0.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/911oodlg8-l_custom-ae6813a22c57d493a1d4399e3bc8d1a41a73b5f0.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/911oodlg8-l_custom-ae6813a22c57d493a1d4399e3bc8d1a41a73b5f0.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/911oodlg8-l_custom-ae6813a22c57d493a1d4399e3bc8d1a41a73b5f0.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="The Space Between Worlds, by Micaiah Johnson" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Del Rey </span> </div> </div> <p><p>There are 382 parallel worlds in Micaiah Johnson's debut novel, and humanity can finally travel between them — but there's a deadly catch. You can visit only a world where the parallel version of you is already dead. And that makes Cara — whose marginal wastelands existence means only a few versions of her are left — valuable to the high and mighty of her own Earth. "They needed trash people," Cara says, to gather information from other worlds. But her existence, already precarious, is threatened when a powerful scientist figures out how to grab that information remotely. "At a time when I was really struggling with the cognitive demands of reading anything for work or pleasure, this book flooded me with oxygen and lit me on fire," says judge Amal El-Mohtar. "I can't say for certain that it enabled me to read again, but in its wake, I could."</p></p> <div id="res1027629733" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">The Space Between Worlds</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Micaiah Johnson</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>The Space Between Worlds</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Micaiah Johnson</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0593156919?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0593156919?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780593156919?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780593156919?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> </div> </div>  <div class="hr"><hr /></div> <div class="bucketwrap list large" id="res1027249392" aria-label="list"> <div class="list-header"> <h3 class="list-header__title">Will Mess With Your Head</h3> <p class="list__caption">Do you love twisty tales, loopy logic, unsolved mysteries and cosmic weirdness? Scroll on!</p> </div> <div class="list__items"> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027615006"> <h3 class="card__title">Black Leopard, Red Wolf</h3> <div id="res1027616045" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1704; --source-height: 2560; " > <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/561305/black-leopard-red-wolf-by-marlon-james/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91f1-i-0r5l_custom-f4fb3034f7460776947f72a2a6c81de8ac3c991e.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91f1-i-0r5l_custom-f4fb3034f7460776947f72a2a6c81de8ac3c991e.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91f1-i-0r5l_custom-f4fb3034f7460776947f72a2a6c81de8ac3c991e.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91f1-i-0r5l_custom-f4fb3034f7460776947f72a2a6c81de8ac3c991e.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91f1-i-0r5l_custom-f4fb3034f7460776947f72a2a6c81de8ac3c991e.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91f1-i-0r5l_custom-f4fb3034f7460776947f72a2a6c81de8ac3c991e.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91f1-i-0r5l_custom-f4fb3034f7460776947f72a2a6c81de8ac3c991e.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91f1-i-0r5l_custom-f4fb3034f7460776947f72a2a6c81de8ac3c991e.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91f1-i-0r5l_custom-f4fb3034f7460776947f72a2a6c81de8ac3c991e.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91f1-i-0r5l_custom-f4fb3034f7460776947f72a2a6c81de8ac3c991e.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91f1-i-0r5l_custom-f4fb3034f7460776947f72a2a6c81de8ac3c991e.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91f1-i-0r5l_custom-f4fb3034f7460776947f72a2a6c81de8ac3c991e.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91f1-i-0r5l_custom-f4fb3034f7460776947f72a2a6c81de8ac3c991e.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91f1-i-0r5l_custom-f4fb3034f7460776947f72a2a6c81de8ac3c991e.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="Black Leopard, Red Wolf, by Marlon James" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Riverhead Books </span> </div> </div> <p><p>Poll judge Amal El-Mohtar once described <em>Black Leopard, Red Wolf</em> as "<a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/02/08/692415906/black-leopard-red-wolf-is-a-beast-of-a-book">like being slowly eaten by a bear</a>." Fellow judge Tochi Onyebuchi chimes in: "<em>Black Leopard, Red Wolf</em> is a Slipknot album of a book. In all the best ways." Set in a dazzling, dangerous fantasy Africa, it is — at least on the surface — about a man named Tracker, in prison when we meet him and telling his life story to an inquisitor. Beyond that, it's fairly indescribable, full of roof-crawling demons, dust-cloud assassins, blood and (fair warning) sexual violence. A gnarly book, a difficult book, sometimes actively hostile to the reader — yet necessary, and stunning.</p></p> <div id="res1027616085" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">Black Leopard, Red Wolf</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Marlon James</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>Black Leopard, Red Wolf</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Marlon James</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0735220182?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0735220182?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780735220188?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780735220188?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027616195"> <h3 class="card__title">Southern Reach (series)</h3> <div id="res1027618462" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 667; --source-height: 1000; " > <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/series/thesouthernreachtrilogy/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/9780374104115_custom-3e913f023d68ba1e8cf68f0410ad28c9f9bbc0e5.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/9780374104115_custom-3e913f023d68ba1e8cf68f0410ad28c9f9bbc0e5.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/9780374104115_custom-3e913f023d68ba1e8cf68f0410ad28c9f9bbc0e5.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/9780374104115_custom-3e913f023d68ba1e8cf68f0410ad28c9f9bbc0e5.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/9780374104115_custom-3e913f023d68ba1e8cf68f0410ad28c9f9bbc0e5.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/9780374104115_custom-3e913f023d68ba1e8cf68f0410ad28c9f9bbc0e5.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/9780374104115_custom-3e913f023d68ba1e8cf68f0410ad28c9f9bbc0e5.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/9780374104115_custom-3e913f023d68ba1e8cf68f0410ad28c9f9bbc0e5.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/9780374104115_custom-3e913f023d68ba1e8cf68f0410ad28c9f9bbc0e5.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/9780374104115_custom-3e913f023d68ba1e8cf68f0410ad28c9f9bbc0e5.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/9780374104115_custom-3e913f023d68ba1e8cf68f0410ad28c9f9bbc0e5.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/9780374104115_custom-3e913f023d68ba1e8cf68f0410ad28c9f9bbc0e5.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/9780374104115_custom-3e913f023d68ba1e8cf68f0410ad28c9f9bbc0e5.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/9780374104115_custom-3e913f023d68ba1e8cf68f0410ad28c9f9bbc0e5.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="Southern Reach (series), Jeff VanderMeer" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> FSG Originals </span> </div> </div> <p><p>The<em> Southern Reach</em> books are, at least on the surface, a simple tale of a world gone wrong, of a mysterious "Area X" and the expeditions that have suffered and died trying to map it — and the strange government agency that keeps sending them in. But there's a lot seething under that surface: monsters, hauntings, a slowly building sense of wrong and terror that will twist your brain around sideways. "If the guys who wrote Lost had brought H.P. Lovecraft into the room as a script doctor in the first season," <a href="https://www.npr.org/2014/09/02/343177566/accepting-the-strange-brilliance-of-acceptance">our critic Jason Sheehan wrote</a>, "the <em>Southern Reach</em> trilogy is what they would've come up with."</p></p> <div id="res1027618798" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">Southern Reach (series)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Jeff VanderMeer</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>Southern Reach (series)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Jeff VanderMeer</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0374104093?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0374104093?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780374104092?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780374104092?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027605851"> <h3 class="card__title">The Echo Wife</h3> <div id="res1029091285" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1875; --source-height: 2850; " > <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250174666"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/echowife_custom-1a920167bed1594f75a77ea4bf09785327b5c496.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/echowife_custom-1a920167bed1594f75a77ea4bf09785327b5c496.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/echowife_custom-1a920167bed1594f75a77ea4bf09785327b5c496.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/echowife_custom-1a920167bed1594f75a77ea4bf09785327b5c496.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/echowife_custom-1a920167bed1594f75a77ea4bf09785327b5c496.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/echowife_custom-1a920167bed1594f75a77ea4bf09785327b5c496.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/echowife_custom-1a920167bed1594f75a77ea4bf09785327b5c496.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/echowife_custom-1a920167bed1594f75a77ea4bf09785327b5c496.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/echowife_custom-1a920167bed1594f75a77ea4bf09785327b5c496.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/echowife_custom-1a920167bed1594f75a77ea4bf09785327b5c496.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/echowife_custom-1a920167bed1594f75a77ea4bf09785327b5c496.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/echowife_custom-1a920167bed1594f75a77ea4bf09785327b5c496.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/echowife_custom-1a920167bed1594f75a77ea4bf09785327b5c496.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/18/echowife_custom-1a920167bed1594f75a77ea4bf09785327b5c496.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="The Echo Wife, by Sarah Gailey" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Tor Books </span> </div> </div> <p><p>Part sci-fi cautionary tale, part murder mystery, <em>The Echo Wife</em> <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/02/17/968491790/the-echo-wife-layers-sci-fi-and-murder-mystery-for-a-twisty-treat">is a twisty treat</a>. At its center are a famed genetic researcher and her duplicitous husband, who uses her breakthrough technology to clone himself a sweeter, more compliant version of his wife before ending up dead. "As expertly constructed as a Patek Philippe watch," says poll judge Tochi Onyebuchi. "Seamlessly blends domestic thriller and science fiction," adds fellow judge Fonda Lee. "This book is going to haunt my thoughts for a long time."</p></p> <div id="res1027608600" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">The Echo Wife</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Sarah Gailey</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>The Echo Wife</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Sarah Gailey</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/152935451X?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/152935451X?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9781529354515?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781529354515?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027608603"> <h3 class="card__title">The Locked Tomb (series)</h3> <div id="res1027609920" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 905; --source-height: 1360; " > <a href="https://publishing.tor.com/gideontheninth-dbtmp1127517/9781250313171/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61d4tgmd4fl_custom-45f711682c0017ae0e27f797f7469d95d4fc7861.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61d4tgmd4fl_custom-45f711682c0017ae0e27f797f7469d95d4fc7861.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61d4tgmd4fl_custom-45f711682c0017ae0e27f797f7469d95d4fc7861.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61d4tgmd4fl_custom-45f711682c0017ae0e27f797f7469d95d4fc7861.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61d4tgmd4fl_custom-45f711682c0017ae0e27f797f7469d95d4fc7861.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61d4tgmd4fl_custom-45f711682c0017ae0e27f797f7469d95d4fc7861.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61d4tgmd4fl_custom-45f711682c0017ae0e27f797f7469d95d4fc7861.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61d4tgmd4fl_custom-45f711682c0017ae0e27f797f7469d95d4fc7861.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61d4tgmd4fl_custom-45f711682c0017ae0e27f797f7469d95d4fc7861.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61d4tgmd4fl_custom-45f711682c0017ae0e27f797f7469d95d4fc7861.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61d4tgmd4fl_custom-45f711682c0017ae0e27f797f7469d95d4fc7861.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61d4tgmd4fl_custom-45f711682c0017ae0e27f797f7469d95d4fc7861.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61d4tgmd4fl_custom-45f711682c0017ae0e27f797f7469d95d4fc7861.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61d4tgmd4fl_custom-45f711682c0017ae0e27f797f7469d95d4fc7861.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="The Locked Tomb (series), by Tamsyn Muir" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Tordotcom </span> </div> </div> <p><p>This series is often described as "lesbian necromancers in space," but trust us, it's so <em>much more</em> than that. Wildly inventive, gruesome, emotional, twisty and funny as hell, the Locked Tomb books are like nothing you've ever read before. And we defy you to read them and not give serious consideration to corpse paint and mirror shades as a workable fashion statement. There are only two books out now, of a planned four-book series, but <em>Gideon the Ninth</em> alone is enough to earn Tamsyn Muir a place on this list: "Too funny to be horror, too gooey to be science fiction, has too many spaceships and autodoors to be fantasy, and has far more bloody dismemberings than your average parlor romance," <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/09/09/755170550/smart-snarky-gideon-the-ninth-swears-her-way-through-the-stars">says critic Jason Sheehan.</a> "It is altogether its own thing."</p></p> <div id="res1027610116" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">The Locked Tomb (series)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Tamsyn Muir</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>The Locked Tomb (series)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Tamsyn Muir</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/125031318X?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/125031318X?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9781250313188?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250313188?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027610429"> <h3 class="card__title">Remembrance of Earth's Past (series)</h3> <div id="res1027612823" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1694; --source-height: 2554; " > <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780765382030"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/919xm42jqll_custom-aba47ff8d8d331c221e41653ece4d3cd128618e3.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/919xm42jqll_custom-aba47ff8d8d331c221e41653ece4d3cd128618e3.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/919xm42jqll_custom-aba47ff8d8d331c221e41653ece4d3cd128618e3.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/919xm42jqll_custom-aba47ff8d8d331c221e41653ece4d3cd128618e3.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/919xm42jqll_custom-aba47ff8d8d331c221e41653ece4d3cd128618e3.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/919xm42jqll_custom-aba47ff8d8d331c221e41653ece4d3cd128618e3.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/919xm42jqll_custom-aba47ff8d8d331c221e41653ece4d3cd128618e3.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/919xm42jqll_custom-aba47ff8d8d331c221e41653ece4d3cd128618e3.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/919xm42jqll_custom-aba47ff8d8d331c221e41653ece4d3cd128618e3.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/919xm42jqll_custom-aba47ff8d8d331c221e41653ece4d3cd128618e3.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/919xm42jqll_custom-aba47ff8d8d331c221e41653ece4d3cd128618e3.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/919xm42jqll_custom-aba47ff8d8d331c221e41653ece4d3cd128618e3.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/919xm42jqll_custom-aba47ff8d8d331c221e41653ece4d3cd128618e3.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/919xm42jqll_custom-aba47ff8d8d331c221e41653ece4d3cd128618e3.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="Remembrance of Earth's Past (series), Liu Cixin" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Tor Books </span> </div> </div> <p><p>Liu Cixin became the first author from Asia to win a Hugo Award for Best Novel, for <a href="https://www.npr.org/2014/11/13/363123510/three-body-problem-asks-a-classic-sci-fi-question-in-chinese"><em>The</em> <em>Three-Body Problem</em></a>, the first volume in this series about one of the oldest questions in science fiction: What will happen when we meet aliens? Liu is writing the hardest of hard sci-fi here, full of brain-twisting passages about quantum mechanics and artificial intelligence (if you didn't actually know what the three-body problem was, you will now), grafted onto the backbone of a high-stakes political thriller. Poll judge Tochi Onyebuchi says, "These books divided me by zero. And, yes, that is a compliment."</p></p> <div id="res1027613777" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">Remembrance of Earth's Past (series)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Liu Cixin</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>Remembrance of Earth's Past (series)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Liu Cixin</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0765382032?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0765382032?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780765382030?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780765382030?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027619263"> <h3 class="card__title">Machineries of Empire (series)</h3> <div id="res1027621246" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1400; --source-height: 2143; " > <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Ninefox-Gambit/Yoon-Ha-Lee/The-Machineries-of-Empire/9781781084496"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81ay-cmrzel_custom-6423ccd05d3c25f7e2275167d433de19d6b58a30.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81ay-cmrzel_custom-6423ccd05d3c25f7e2275167d433de19d6b58a30.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81ay-cmrzel_custom-6423ccd05d3c25f7e2275167d433de19d6b58a30.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81ay-cmrzel_custom-6423ccd05d3c25f7e2275167d433de19d6b58a30.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81ay-cmrzel_custom-6423ccd05d3c25f7e2275167d433de19d6b58a30.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81ay-cmrzel_custom-6423ccd05d3c25f7e2275167d433de19d6b58a30.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81ay-cmrzel_custom-6423ccd05d3c25f7e2275167d433de19d6b58a30.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81ay-cmrzel_custom-6423ccd05d3c25f7e2275167d433de19d6b58a30.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81ay-cmrzel_custom-6423ccd05d3c25f7e2275167d433de19d6b58a30.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81ay-cmrzel_custom-6423ccd05d3c25f7e2275167d433de19d6b58a30.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81ay-cmrzel_custom-6423ccd05d3c25f7e2275167d433de19d6b58a30.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81ay-cmrzel_custom-6423ccd05d3c25f7e2275167d433de19d6b58a30.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81ay-cmrzel_custom-6423ccd05d3c25f7e2275167d433de19d6b58a30.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81ay-cmrzel_custom-6423ccd05d3c25f7e2275167d433de19d6b58a30.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="Machineries of Empire (series), by Yoon Ha Lee" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Solaris </span> </div> </div> <p><p>In the Hexarchate, numbers are power: This interstellar empire draws its strength from rigidly enforced adherence to the imperial calendar, a system of numbers that can alter reality. But now, a "calendrical rot" is eating away at that structure, and it's up to a mathematically talented young soldier — and the ghost of an infamous traitor — to try to repair the rot while a war blazes across the stars around them. "<em>Ninefox Gambit</em> is a book with math in its heart, but also one which understands that even numbers can lie," <a href="https://www.npr.org/2016/06/25/482023715/beautifully-alien-ninefox-gambit-mixes-math-and-magic">our critic Jason Sheehan wrote</a>. "That it's what you see in the numbers that matters most."</p></p> <div id="res1027621679" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">Machineries of Empire (series)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Yoon Ha Lee</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>Machineries of Empire (series)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Yoon Ha Lee</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1781084483?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1781084483?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9781781084489?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781781084489?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> </div> </div>  <div class="hr"><hr /></div> <div class="bucketwrap list large" id="res1027249800" aria-label="list"> <div class="list-header"> <h3 class="list-header__title">Will Mess With Your Heart</h3> <p class="list__caption">Books that'll make you cry, make you think — and sometimes make you want to hide under the bed.</p> </div> <div class="list__items"> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1028086721"> <h3 class="card__title">The Broken Earth (series)</h3> <div id="res1028087758" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1389; --source-height: 2112; " > <a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/n-k-jemisin/the-fifth-season/9780316229296/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81w7-aqdfgl_custom-58e86ec81bc09307f0e4d7cd0eb9240147d229e8.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81w7-aqdfgl_custom-58e86ec81bc09307f0e4d7cd0eb9240147d229e8.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81w7-aqdfgl_custom-58e86ec81bc09307f0e4d7cd0eb9240147d229e8.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81w7-aqdfgl_custom-58e86ec81bc09307f0e4d7cd0eb9240147d229e8.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81w7-aqdfgl_custom-58e86ec81bc09307f0e4d7cd0eb9240147d229e8.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81w7-aqdfgl_custom-58e86ec81bc09307f0e4d7cd0eb9240147d229e8.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81w7-aqdfgl_custom-58e86ec81bc09307f0e4d7cd0eb9240147d229e8.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81w7-aqdfgl_custom-58e86ec81bc09307f0e4d7cd0eb9240147d229e8.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81w7-aqdfgl_custom-58e86ec81bc09307f0e4d7cd0eb9240147d229e8.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81w7-aqdfgl_custom-58e86ec81bc09307f0e4d7cd0eb9240147d229e8.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81w7-aqdfgl_custom-58e86ec81bc09307f0e4d7cd0eb9240147d229e8.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81w7-aqdfgl_custom-58e86ec81bc09307f0e4d7cd0eb9240147d229e8.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81w7-aqdfgl_custom-58e86ec81bc09307f0e4d7cd0eb9240147d229e8.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81w7-aqdfgl_custom-58e86ec81bc09307f0e4d7cd0eb9240147d229e8.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="The Broken Earth (series), by N.K. Jemisin" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Orbit Books </span> </div> </div> <p><p>In the world of the Stillness, geological convulsions cause upheavals that can last for centuries — and only the orogenes, despised yet essential to the status quo — can control them. <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/12/26/680201486/at-the-end-of-the-year-n-k-jemisin-ponders-the-end-of-the-world">N.K. Jemisin</a> deservedly won three back-to-back Hugo awards for these books, which use magnificent world building and lapidary prose to smack you in the face about your own complicity in systems of oppression. "Jemisin is the first — and so far only — person ever to have won a Hugo Award for Best Novel for every single book in a series. These books upheaved the terrain of epic fantasy as surely and completely as Fifth Seasons transform the geography of the Stillness," says poll judge Amal El-Mohtar.</p></p> <div id="res1028087873" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">The Broken Earth (series)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">N.K. Jemisin</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>The Broken Earth (series)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>N.K. Jemisin</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0316229296?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316229296?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780316229296?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316229296?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1028089537"> <h3 class="card__title">Station Eleven</h3> <div id="res1028091588" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1000; --source-height: 1540; " > <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/239452/station-eleven-by-emily-st-john-mandel/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71b700ochdl_custom-e056a33f5d899a2039ede85237cb8f394db00171.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71b700ochdl_custom-e056a33f5d899a2039ede85237cb8f394db00171.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71b700ochdl_custom-e056a33f5d899a2039ede85237cb8f394db00171.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71b700ochdl_custom-e056a33f5d899a2039ede85237cb8f394db00171.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71b700ochdl_custom-e056a33f5d899a2039ede85237cb8f394db00171.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71b700ochdl_custom-e056a33f5d899a2039ede85237cb8f394db00171.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71b700ochdl_custom-e056a33f5d899a2039ede85237cb8f394db00171.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71b700ochdl_custom-e056a33f5d899a2039ede85237cb8f394db00171.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71b700ochdl_custom-e056a33f5d899a2039ede85237cb8f394db00171.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71b700ochdl_custom-e056a33f5d899a2039ede85237cb8f394db00171.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71b700ochdl_custom-e056a33f5d899a2039ede85237cb8f394db00171.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71b700ochdl_custom-e056a33f5d899a2039ede85237cb8f394db00171.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71b700ochdl_custom-e056a33f5d899a2039ede85237cb8f394db00171.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71b700ochdl_custom-e056a33f5d899a2039ede85237cb8f394db00171.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group </span> </div> </div> <p><p>Author Emily St. John Mandel went on Twitter in 2020 and <a href="https://twitter.com/EmilyMandel/status/1221260337116258304">advised people <em>not</em> to read <em>Station Eleven</em></a>, not in the midst of the pandemic. But we beg to disagree. A story in which art (and particularly Shakespeare) helps humanity come back to itself after a pandemic wipes out the world as we know it might be just the thing we need. "Survival is insufficient," say Mandel's traveling players (a line <a href="https://www.npr.org/2015/06/20/415782006/survival-is-insufficient-station-eleven-preserves-art-after-the-apocalypse">she says she lifted from <em>Star Trek</em></a>), and that's a solid motto any time.</p></p> <div id="res1028091855" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">Station Eleven</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Emily St. John Mandel</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>Station Eleven</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Emily St. John Mandel</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0804172447?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0804172447?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780804172448?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780804172448?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1028087955"> <h3 class="card__title">This Is How You Lose the Time War</h3> <div id="res1028089311" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1399; --source-height: 2101; " > <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/This-Is-How-You-Lose-the-Time-War/Amal-El-Mohtar/9781534430990"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71d4a-qfanl_custom-ce09f401d33ca39967cca5111195e59b807edb82.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71d4a-qfanl_custom-ce09f401d33ca39967cca5111195e59b807edb82.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71d4a-qfanl_custom-ce09f401d33ca39967cca5111195e59b807edb82.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71d4a-qfanl_custom-ce09f401d33ca39967cca5111195e59b807edb82.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71d4a-qfanl_custom-ce09f401d33ca39967cca5111195e59b807edb82.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71d4a-qfanl_custom-ce09f401d33ca39967cca5111195e59b807edb82.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71d4a-qfanl_custom-ce09f401d33ca39967cca5111195e59b807edb82.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71d4a-qfanl_custom-ce09f401d33ca39967cca5111195e59b807edb82.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71d4a-qfanl_custom-ce09f401d33ca39967cca5111195e59b807edb82.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71d4a-qfanl_custom-ce09f401d33ca39967cca5111195e59b807edb82.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71d4a-qfanl_custom-ce09f401d33ca39967cca5111195e59b807edb82.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71d4a-qfanl_custom-ce09f401d33ca39967cca5111195e59b807edb82.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71d4a-qfanl_custom-ce09f401d33ca39967cca5111195e59b807edb82.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71d4a-qfanl_custom-ce09f401d33ca39967cca5111195e59b807edb82.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="This Is How You Lose the Time War, Max Gladstone & Amal El-Mohtar" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Gallery / Saga Press </span> </div> </div> <p><p>Enemies-to-lovers is a classic romance novel trope, and it's rarely been done with as much strange beauty as poll judge Amal El-Mohtar and co-author Max Gladstone pull off in this tale of Red and Blue, two agents on opposite sides of a war that's sprawled across time and space. "Most books I read are objects of study. And more often than not, I can figure out how the prose happened, how the character arcs are constructed, the story's architecture," says judge Tochi Onyebuchi. "But then along comes a thing so dazzling you can't help but stare at and ask 'how.' Amal and Max wrote a cheat code of a book. They unlocked all the power-ups, caught all the Chaos Emeralds, mastered all the jutsus, and honestly, I'd say it's downright unfair how much they flexed on us with <em>Time War</em>, except I'm so damn grateful they gave it to us in the first place." (As we noted above, having <em>Time War</em> on the list meant that Max Gladstone couldn't make a second appearance for his outstanding solo work with the <a href="https://www.npr.org/2015/06/27/416517818/the-craft-sequence-please-do-judge-these-books-by-their-covers">Craft Sequence</a>. But you should absolutely read those, too.)</p></p> <div id="res1028089467" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">This Is How You Lose the Time War</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Max Gladstone & Amal El-Mohtar</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>This Is How You Lose the Time War</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Max Gladstone & Amal El-Mohtar</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1534430997?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1534430997?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9781534430990?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781534430990?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1028091856"> <h3 class="card__title">The Poppy War Trilogy</h3> <div id="res1028092418" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1599; --source-height: 2409; " > <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-poppy-war-r-f-kuang"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81laymbisll_custom-3672cf847e374ab050b21d1ab215772a6ddc14fc.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81laymbisll_custom-3672cf847e374ab050b21d1ab215772a6ddc14fc.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81laymbisll_custom-3672cf847e374ab050b21d1ab215772a6ddc14fc.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81laymbisll_custom-3672cf847e374ab050b21d1ab215772a6ddc14fc.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81laymbisll_custom-3672cf847e374ab050b21d1ab215772a6ddc14fc.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81laymbisll_custom-3672cf847e374ab050b21d1ab215772a6ddc14fc.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81laymbisll_custom-3672cf847e374ab050b21d1ab215772a6ddc14fc.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81laymbisll_custom-3672cf847e374ab050b21d1ab215772a6ddc14fc.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81laymbisll_custom-3672cf847e374ab050b21d1ab215772a6ddc14fc.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81laymbisll_custom-3672cf847e374ab050b21d1ab215772a6ddc14fc.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81laymbisll_custom-3672cf847e374ab050b21d1ab215772a6ddc14fc.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81laymbisll_custom-3672cf847e374ab050b21d1ab215772a6ddc14fc.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81laymbisll_custom-3672cf847e374ab050b21d1ab215772a6ddc14fc.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81laymbisll_custom-3672cf847e374ab050b21d1ab215772a6ddc14fc.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="The Poppy War Trilogy, by R.F. Kuang" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Harper Voyager </span> </div> </div> <p><p>What if Mao Zedong were a teenage girl? <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/11/24/937995479/in-the-poppy-war-series-r-f-kuang-asks-what-if-mao-was-a-teenage-girl">That's how author R.F. Kuang describes the central question in her Poppy War series</a>. Fiery, ruthless war orphan Fang Runin grows up, attends an elite military academy, develops fire magic and wins a war — but finds herself becoming the kind of monster she once fought against. Kuang has turned her own rage and anger at historical atrocities into a gripping, award-winning story that will drag you along with it, all the way to the end. "If this were football, Kuang might be under investigation for PEDs," jokes judge Tochi Onyebuchi, referring to performance-enhancing drugs. "But, no, she's really just that good."</p></p> <div id="res1028092758" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">The Poppy War Trilogy</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">R.F. Kuang</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>The Poppy War Trilogy</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>R.F. Kuang</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0062662589?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062662589?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780062662583?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062662583?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1028092846"> <h3 class="card__title">The Masquerade (series)</h3> <div id="res1028094677" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1399; --source-height: 2114; " > <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/series/themasquerade"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71xxe7rptll_custom-343a1c61d3f831e0d1b9a8298a8acb4a4fb593df.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71xxe7rptll_custom-343a1c61d3f831e0d1b9a8298a8acb4a4fb593df.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71xxe7rptll_custom-343a1c61d3f831e0d1b9a8298a8acb4a4fb593df.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71xxe7rptll_custom-343a1c61d3f831e0d1b9a8298a8acb4a4fb593df.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71xxe7rptll_custom-343a1c61d3f831e0d1b9a8298a8acb4a4fb593df.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71xxe7rptll_custom-343a1c61d3f831e0d1b9a8298a8acb4a4fb593df.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71xxe7rptll_custom-343a1c61d3f831e0d1b9a8298a8acb4a4fb593df.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71xxe7rptll_custom-343a1c61d3f831e0d1b9a8298a8acb4a4fb593df.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71xxe7rptll_custom-343a1c61d3f831e0d1b9a8298a8acb4a4fb593df.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71xxe7rptll_custom-343a1c61d3f831e0d1b9a8298a8acb4a4fb593df.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71xxe7rptll_custom-343a1c61d3f831e0d1b9a8298a8acb4a4fb593df.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71xxe7rptll_custom-343a1c61d3f831e0d1b9a8298a8acb4a4fb593df.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71xxe7rptll_custom-343a1c61d3f831e0d1b9a8298a8acb4a4fb593df.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/71xxe7rptll_custom-343a1c61d3f831e0d1b9a8298a8acb4a4fb593df.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="The Masquerade (series), by Seth Dickinson" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Tor Books </span> </div> </div> <p><p>Baru Cormorant was born to a free-living, free-loving nation, but all that changed when the repressive Empire of Masks swept in, tearing apart her family, yet singling her out for advancement through its new school system. Baru decides the only way to free her people is to claw her way up the ranks of Empire — but she risks becoming the monster she's fighting against. "I've loved every volume of this more than the one before it, and the first one was devastatingly strong," says judge Amal El-Mohtar — <a href="https://www.npr.org/2015/09/27/437287631/baru-cormorant-will-catch-you-unawares">who said of that first volume,</a> "This book is a tar pit, and I mean that as a compliment."</p></p> <div id="res1028094904" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">The Masquerade (series)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Seth Dickinson</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>The Masquerade (series)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Seth Dickinson</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0765380730?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0765380730?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780765380739?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780765380739?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1028095173"> <h3 class="card__title">An Unkindness of Ghosts</h3> <div id="res1028097094" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1598; --source-height: 2514; " > <a href="http://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/an-unkindness-of-ghosts/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91ywh-2etdl_custom-1157d10a1e5b473d3f0b369e193ef546466793ad.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91ywh-2etdl_custom-1157d10a1e5b473d3f0b369e193ef546466793ad.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91ywh-2etdl_custom-1157d10a1e5b473d3f0b369e193ef546466793ad.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91ywh-2etdl_custom-1157d10a1e5b473d3f0b369e193ef546466793ad.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91ywh-2etdl_custom-1157d10a1e5b473d3f0b369e193ef546466793ad.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91ywh-2etdl_custom-1157d10a1e5b473d3f0b369e193ef546466793ad.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91ywh-2etdl_custom-1157d10a1e5b473d3f0b369e193ef546466793ad.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91ywh-2etdl_custom-1157d10a1e5b473d3f0b369e193ef546466793ad.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91ywh-2etdl_custom-1157d10a1e5b473d3f0b369e193ef546466793ad.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91ywh-2etdl_custom-1157d10a1e5b473d3f0b369e193ef546466793ad.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91ywh-2etdl_custom-1157d10a1e5b473d3f0b369e193ef546466793ad.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91ywh-2etdl_custom-1157d10a1e5b473d3f0b369e193ef546466793ad.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91ywh-2etdl_custom-1157d10a1e5b473d3f0b369e193ef546466793ad.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91ywh-2etdl_custom-1157d10a1e5b473d3f0b369e193ef546466793ad.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="An Unkindness of Ghosts, by Rivers Solomon" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Akashic Books </span> </div> </div> <p><p>The <em>Matilda</em> is a generation ship, a vast repository of human life among the stars, cruelly organized like an antebellum plantation: Black and brown people on the lower decks, working under vicious overseers to provide the white upper-deck passengers with comfortable lives. Aster, an orphaned outsider, uses her late mother's medical knowledge to bring healing where she can and to solve the mystery of <em>Matilda</em>'s failing power source. Poll judge Amal El-Mohtar <a href="https://www.npr.org/2017/10/06/548665897/unkindness-of-ghosts-transposes-the-plantations-cruelty-to-the-stars">originally reviewed <em>An Unkindness of Ghosts</em> for us</a>, writing "What Solomon achieves with this debut — the sharpness, the depth, the precision — puts me in mind of a syringe full of stars."</p></p> <div id="res1028097316" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">An Unkindness of Ghosts</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Rivers Solomon</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>An Unkindness of Ghosts</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Rivers Solomon</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1617755885?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1617755885?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9781617755880?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781617755880?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1028097349"> <h3 class="card__title">The Bird King</h3> <div id="res1028098577" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1599; --source-height: 2401; " > <a href="https://groveatlantic.com/book/the-bird-king/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81rsvlc4-kl_custom-7a3d286693f8a81379bec710e3711f2a324ac8dc.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81rsvlc4-kl_custom-7a3d286693f8a81379bec710e3711f2a324ac8dc.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81rsvlc4-kl_custom-7a3d286693f8a81379bec710e3711f2a324ac8dc.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81rsvlc4-kl_custom-7a3d286693f8a81379bec710e3711f2a324ac8dc.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81rsvlc4-kl_custom-7a3d286693f8a81379bec710e3711f2a324ac8dc.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81rsvlc4-kl_custom-7a3d286693f8a81379bec710e3711f2a324ac8dc.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81rsvlc4-kl_custom-7a3d286693f8a81379bec710e3711f2a324ac8dc.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81rsvlc4-kl_custom-7a3d286693f8a81379bec710e3711f2a324ac8dc.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81rsvlc4-kl_custom-7a3d286693f8a81379bec710e3711f2a324ac8dc.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81rsvlc4-kl_custom-7a3d286693f8a81379bec710e3711f2a324ac8dc.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81rsvlc4-kl_custom-7a3d286693f8a81379bec710e3711f2a324ac8dc.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81rsvlc4-kl_custom-7a3d286693f8a81379bec710e3711f2a324ac8dc.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81rsvlc4-kl_custom-7a3d286693f8a81379bec710e3711f2a324ac8dc.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81rsvlc4-kl_custom-7a3d286693f8a81379bec710e3711f2a324ac8dc.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="The Bird King, by G. Willow Wilson" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Grove Press </span> </div> </div> <p><p>G. Willow Wilson's beautiful novel, set during the last days of Muslim Granada, follows a royal concubine who yearns for freedom and the queer mapmaker who's her best friend. "It is really devastating to a critic to find that the only truly accurate way of describing an author's prose is the word 'luminous,' but here we are," says judge Amal El-Mohtar. "This book is luminous. It is full of light, in searing mirror-flashes and warm candleflame flickers and dappled twists of heart-breaking insight into empire, war and religion."</p></p> <div id="res1028098696" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">The Bird King</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">G. Willow Wilson</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>The Bird King</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>G. Willow Wilson</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0802148298?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0802148298?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780802148292?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780802148292?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1028098716"> <h3 class="card__title">American War</h3> <div id="res1028099768" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1560; --source-height: 2395; " > <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/543957/american-war-by-omar-el-akkad/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81ewwp7dpul_custom-0f2397daded87db6dd92ee54f2c753f1183785cc.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81ewwp7dpul_custom-0f2397daded87db6dd92ee54f2c753f1183785cc.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81ewwp7dpul_custom-0f2397daded87db6dd92ee54f2c753f1183785cc.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81ewwp7dpul_custom-0f2397daded87db6dd92ee54f2c753f1183785cc.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81ewwp7dpul_custom-0f2397daded87db6dd92ee54f2c753f1183785cc.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81ewwp7dpul_custom-0f2397daded87db6dd92ee54f2c753f1183785cc.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81ewwp7dpul_custom-0f2397daded87db6dd92ee54f2c753f1183785cc.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81ewwp7dpul_custom-0f2397daded87db6dd92ee54f2c753f1183785cc.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81ewwp7dpul_custom-0f2397daded87db6dd92ee54f2c753f1183785cc.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81ewwp7dpul_custom-0f2397daded87db6dd92ee54f2c753f1183785cc.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81ewwp7dpul_custom-0f2397daded87db6dd92ee54f2c753f1183785cc.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81ewwp7dpul_custom-0f2397daded87db6dd92ee54f2c753f1183785cc.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81ewwp7dpul_custom-0f2397daded87db6dd92ee54f2c753f1183785cc.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81ewwp7dpul_custom-0f2397daded87db6dd92ee54f2c753f1183785cc.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="American War, by Omar El Akkad" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Vintage Books </span> </div> </div> <p><p>This was judge Tochi Onyebuchi's personal pick — a devastating portrait of a post-climate-apocalypse, post-Second Civil War America that's chosen to use its most terrifying and oppressive policies against its own people. "It despairs me how careless we are with the word 'prescient' these days, but when I finished <em><a href="https://www.npr.org/2017/04/02/522194002/american-war-explores-the-universality-of-revenge">American War</a></em>, I truly felt that I'd glimpsed our future," Onyebuchi says. "Charred and scarred and shot through with shards of hope."</p></p> <div id="res1028100091" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">American War</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Omar El Akkad</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>American War</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Omar El Akkad</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1101973137?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1101973137?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9781101973134?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781101973134?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1028100167"> <h3 class="card__title">Riot Baby</h3> <div id="res1028100917" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1500; --source-height: 2400; " > <a href="https://publishing.tor.com/riotbaby-dbtmp1144773/9781250214751/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81myf-tr-7l_custom-b792987cc1c6c791d0ecc28d03f50a3ee5be8d06.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81myf-tr-7l_custom-b792987cc1c6c791d0ecc28d03f50a3ee5be8d06.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81myf-tr-7l_custom-b792987cc1c6c791d0ecc28d03f50a3ee5be8d06.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81myf-tr-7l_custom-b792987cc1c6c791d0ecc28d03f50a3ee5be8d06.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81myf-tr-7l_custom-b792987cc1c6c791d0ecc28d03f50a3ee5be8d06.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81myf-tr-7l_custom-b792987cc1c6c791d0ecc28d03f50a3ee5be8d06.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81myf-tr-7l_custom-b792987cc1c6c791d0ecc28d03f50a3ee5be8d06.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81myf-tr-7l_custom-b792987cc1c6c791d0ecc28d03f50a3ee5be8d06.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81myf-tr-7l_custom-b792987cc1c6c791d0ecc28d03f50a3ee5be8d06.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81myf-tr-7l_custom-b792987cc1c6c791d0ecc28d03f50a3ee5be8d06.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81myf-tr-7l_custom-b792987cc1c6c791d0ecc28d03f50a3ee5be8d06.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81myf-tr-7l_custom-b792987cc1c6c791d0ecc28d03f50a3ee5be8d06.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81myf-tr-7l_custom-b792987cc1c6c791d0ecc28d03f50a3ee5be8d06.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/81myf-tr-7l_custom-b792987cc1c6c791d0ecc28d03f50a3ee5be8d06.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="Riot Baby, by Tochi Onyebuchi" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Tordotcom </span> </div> </div> <p><p>Poll judge Tochi Onyebuchi centers this story on the kind of person who's more often a statistic, rarely a fully rounded character: <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/01/26/798237707/this-isnt-new-questions-for-tochi-onyebuchi-author-of-riot-baby">Kevin, who's young, Black and in prison</a>. Born amid the upheaval around the Rodney King verdict, Kevin is hemmed in by structural and individual racism at every turn; meanwhile, his sister Ella has developed mysterious, frightening powers — but she still can't do the one thing she truly wants to do, which is to rescue her brother. This slim novella packs a punch with all the weight of history behind it; fellow judge Amal El-Mohtar says, "I've said it in reviews and I'll say it again here: This book reads like hot diamonds, as searing as it is precise."</p></p> <div id="res1028101134" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">Riot Baby</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Tochi Onyebuchi</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>Riot Baby</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Tochi Onyebuchi</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1250214750?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250214750?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9781250214751?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250214751?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1028101302"> <h3 class="card__title">On Fragile Waves</h3> <div id="res1028103594" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1643; --source-height: 2560; " > <a href="https://www.workman.com/products/on-fragile-waves#:~:text=On%20Fragile%20Waves%20%2D%20Workman%20Publishing"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91-mggwpnol_custom-73854673fe499861293c7396692e0d8a6e5bc782.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91-mggwpnol_custom-73854673fe499861293c7396692e0d8a6e5bc782.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91-mggwpnol_custom-73854673fe499861293c7396692e0d8a6e5bc782.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91-mggwpnol_custom-73854673fe499861293c7396692e0d8a6e5bc782.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91-mggwpnol_custom-73854673fe499861293c7396692e0d8a6e5bc782.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91-mggwpnol_custom-73854673fe499861293c7396692e0d8a6e5bc782.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91-mggwpnol_custom-73854673fe499861293c7396692e0d8a6e5bc782.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91-mggwpnol_custom-73854673fe499861293c7396692e0d8a6e5bc782.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91-mggwpnol_custom-73854673fe499861293c7396692e0d8a6e5bc782.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91-mggwpnol_custom-73854673fe499861293c7396692e0d8a6e5bc782.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91-mggwpnol_custom-73854673fe499861293c7396692e0d8a6e5bc782.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91-mggwpnol_custom-73854673fe499861293c7396692e0d8a6e5bc782.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91-mggwpnol_custom-73854673fe499861293c7396692e0d8a6e5bc782.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/91-mggwpnol_custom-73854673fe499861293c7396692e0d8a6e5bc782.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="On Fragile Waves, by E. Lily Yu" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Erewhon Books </span> </div> </div> <p><p>Every year, we ask our judges to add some of their own favorites to the list, and this year, Amal El-Mohtar teared up talking about her passion for E. Lily Yu's haunted refugee story <em>On Fragile Waves</em>. "I need everyone to read this book," she says. "I wept throughout it and for a solid half-hour once I had finished it, and I know it's hard to recommend books that make you cry right now, but I have no chill about this one: It is so important, it is so beautiful, and I feel like maybe if everyone read it the world would be a slightly less terrible place."</p></p> <div id="res1028103992" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">On Fragile Waves</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">E. Lily Yu</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>On Fragile Waves</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>E. Lily Yu</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/164566032X?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/164566032X?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9781645660323?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781645660323?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> </div> </div>  <div class="hr"><hr /></div> <div class="bucketwrap list large" id="res1027250146" aria-label="list"> <div class="list-header"> <h3 class="list-header__title">Will Make You Feel Good</h3> <p class="list__caption">Maybe, after the year we've just had, you want to read a book where good things happen, eventually? We've got you.</p> </div> <div class="list__items"> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027395897"> <h3 class="card__title">The Goblin Emperor</h3> <div id="res1027397397" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1396; --source-height: 2290; " > <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780765365682"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91zn5qwi9ll_custom-5cce26a7c05c27d1d88cf077ca5157531db448f6.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91zn5qwi9ll_custom-5cce26a7c05c27d1d88cf077ca5157531db448f6.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91zn5qwi9ll_custom-5cce26a7c05c27d1d88cf077ca5157531db448f6.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91zn5qwi9ll_custom-5cce26a7c05c27d1d88cf077ca5157531db448f6.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91zn5qwi9ll_custom-5cce26a7c05c27d1d88cf077ca5157531db448f6.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91zn5qwi9ll_custom-5cce26a7c05c27d1d88cf077ca5157531db448f6.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91zn5qwi9ll_custom-5cce26a7c05c27d1d88cf077ca5157531db448f6.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91zn5qwi9ll_custom-5cce26a7c05c27d1d88cf077ca5157531db448f6.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91zn5qwi9ll_custom-5cce26a7c05c27d1d88cf077ca5157531db448f6.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91zn5qwi9ll_custom-5cce26a7c05c27d1d88cf077ca5157531db448f6.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91zn5qwi9ll_custom-5cce26a7c05c27d1d88cf077ca5157531db448f6.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91zn5qwi9ll_custom-5cce26a7c05c27d1d88cf077ca5157531db448f6.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91zn5qwi9ll_custom-5cce26a7c05c27d1d88cf077ca5157531db448f6.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91zn5qwi9ll_custom-5cce26a7c05c27d1d88cf077ca5157531db448f6.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="The Goblin Emperor, by Katherine Addison" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Tor Fantasy </span> </div> </div> <p><p>In a far corner of an elven empire, young half-goblin Maia learns that a mysterious accident has left him heir to the throne. But he has been in exile almost all his life — how can he possibly negotiate the intricate treacheries of the imperial court? Fairly well, as it turns out. Maia is a wonderful character, hesitant and shy at first, but deeply good and surprisingly adept at the whole being-an-emperor thing. The only thing wrong with <em>The Goblin Emperor</em> was that it was, for a long time, a stand-alone. But now there's a sequel, <em>The Witness for the Dead</em> — so if you love the world Katherine Addison has created, you've got a way back to it. "I just love this book utterly," says judge Amal El-Mohtar. "So warm, so kind, so generous."</p></p> <div id="res1027397923" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">The Goblin Emperor</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Katherine Addison</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>The Goblin Emperor</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Katherine Addison</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0765365685?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0765365685?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780765365682?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780765365682?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027397989"> <h3 class="card__title">Murderbot (series)</h3> <div id="res1027399307" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 850; --source-height: 1360; " > <a href="https://publishing.tor.com/themurderbotdiaries-marthawells/9781250784278/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61jtnttnlql_custom-d8556a69319b3f945717cb8ae42cc4477320771e.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61jtnttnlql_custom-d8556a69319b3f945717cb8ae42cc4477320771e.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61jtnttnlql_custom-d8556a69319b3f945717cb8ae42cc4477320771e.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61jtnttnlql_custom-d8556a69319b3f945717cb8ae42cc4477320771e.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61jtnttnlql_custom-d8556a69319b3f945717cb8ae42cc4477320771e.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61jtnttnlql_custom-d8556a69319b3f945717cb8ae42cc4477320771e.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61jtnttnlql_custom-d8556a69319b3f945717cb8ae42cc4477320771e.jpg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61jtnttnlql_custom-d8556a69319b3f945717cb8ae42cc4477320771e.jpg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61jtnttnlql_custom-d8556a69319b3f945717cb8ae42cc4477320771e.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61jtnttnlql_custom-d8556a69319b3f945717cb8ae42cc4477320771e.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61jtnttnlql_custom-d8556a69319b3f945717cb8ae42cc4477320771e.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61jtnttnlql_custom-d8556a69319b3f945717cb8ae42cc4477320771e.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61jtnttnlql_custom-d8556a69319b3f945717cb8ae42cc4477320771e.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/61jtnttnlql_custom-d8556a69319b3f945717cb8ae42cc4477320771e.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="All Systems Red, by Martha Wells" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Tordotcom </span> </div> </div> <p><p>Oh <a href="https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/05/11/murderbot-diaries-martha-wells">Murderbot</a> — we know you just want to be left alone to watch your shows, but we can't quit you. Martha Wells' series about a murderous security robot that's hacked its own governing module and become self-aware is <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/01/27/688354123/sulky-cynical-murderbot-is-one-of-sci-fis-most-human-characters">expansive, action-packed, funny and deeply human</a>. Also, your humble poll editor deeply wishes that someone would write a fic in which Murderbot meets <em>Ancillary Justice</em>'s Breq and they swap tips about how to be human over tea (which Murderbot can't really drink).</p></p> <div id="res1027399755" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries Book 1)</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Martha Wells</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries Book 1)</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Martha Wells</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0765397536?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0765397536?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780765397539?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780765397539?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027442941"> <h3 class="card__title">The Interdependency (series)</h3> <div id="res1027535098" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1636; --source-height: 2495; " > <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/series/theinterdependency/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91dm63m69il_custom-195e49337b1fe60f501acaa5387d3baef72fb8e5.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91dm63m69il_custom-195e49337b1fe60f501acaa5387d3baef72fb8e5.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91dm63m69il_custom-195e49337b1fe60f501acaa5387d3baef72fb8e5.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91dm63m69il_custom-195e49337b1fe60f501acaa5387d3baef72fb8e5.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91dm63m69il_custom-195e49337b1fe60f501acaa5387d3baef72fb8e5.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91dm63m69il_custom-195e49337b1fe60f501acaa5387d3baef72fb8e5.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91dm63m69il_custom-195e49337b1fe60f501acaa5387d3baef72fb8e5.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91dm63m69il_custom-195e49337b1fe60f501acaa5387d3baef72fb8e5.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91dm63m69il_custom-195e49337b1fe60f501acaa5387d3baef72fb8e5.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91dm63m69il_custom-195e49337b1fe60f501acaa5387d3baef72fb8e5.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91dm63m69il_custom-195e49337b1fe60f501acaa5387d3baef72fb8e5.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91dm63m69il_custom-195e49337b1fe60f501acaa5387d3baef72fb8e5.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91dm63m69il_custom-195e49337b1fe60f501acaa5387d3baef72fb8e5.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91dm63m69il_custom-195e49337b1fe60f501acaa5387d3baef72fb8e5.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="The Collapsing Empire, by John Scalzi" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Tor Books </span> </div> </div> <p><p>John Scalzi didn't mean to be <em>quite</em> so prescient when he started this trilogy about a galactic empire facing destruction as its interstellar routes collapse — a problem the empire knew about but ignored for all the same reasons we punt our problems today. "Some of that was completely unintentional," <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/04/11/832191830/set-1-500-years-from-now-the-last-emperox-is-still-pretty-timely">he told Scott Simon</a>. "But some of it was. I live in the world." <em>The Interdependency</em> series is funny, heartfelt and ultimately hopeful, and packed with fantastic characters. To the reader who said they voted "because of Kiva Lagos," we say, us too.</p></p> <div id="res1027602273" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">The Collapsing Empire</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">John Scalzi</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>The Collapsing Empire</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>John Scalzi</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1509835075?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1509835075?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9781509835072?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781509835072?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027599707"> <h3 class="card__title">The Martian</h3> <div id="res1027601314" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1555; --source-height: 2400; " > <a href="https://www.broadwaybooks.net/book/9780553418026"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81wfmy9oafl_custom-0faf8f17413857547ce59182be61cde0bc373105.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81wfmy9oafl_custom-0faf8f17413857547ce59182be61cde0bc373105.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81wfmy9oafl_custom-0faf8f17413857547ce59182be61cde0bc373105.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81wfmy9oafl_custom-0faf8f17413857547ce59182be61cde0bc373105.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81wfmy9oafl_custom-0faf8f17413857547ce59182be61cde0bc373105.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81wfmy9oafl_custom-0faf8f17413857547ce59182be61cde0bc373105.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81wfmy9oafl_custom-0faf8f17413857547ce59182be61cde0bc373105.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81wfmy9oafl_custom-0faf8f17413857547ce59182be61cde0bc373105.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81wfmy9oafl_custom-0faf8f17413857547ce59182be61cde0bc373105.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81wfmy9oafl_custom-0faf8f17413857547ce59182be61cde0bc373105.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81wfmy9oafl_custom-0faf8f17413857547ce59182be61cde0bc373105.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81wfmy9oafl_custom-0faf8f17413857547ce59182be61cde0bc373105.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81wfmy9oafl_custom-0faf8f17413857547ce59182be61cde0bc373105.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/81wfmy9oafl_custom-0faf8f17413857547ce59182be61cde0bc373105.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="The Martian, by Andy Weir." loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Broadway Books </span> </div> </div> <p><p>You don't expect a hard sci-fi novel to start with the phrase "I'm pretty much f****d," but it definitely sets the tone for Andy Weir's massive hit. Astronaut Mark Watney, stranded alone on Mars after an accident, is a profane and engaging narrator who'll let you know just how f****d he is and then just how he plans to science his way out of it. If you've only seen the movie, there's so much more to dig into <a href="https://www.npr.org/2016/02/27/468402296/-the-martian-started-as-a-self-published-book">in the book</a> (including, well, that very first line).</p></p> <div id="res1027601719" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">The Martian</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Andy Weir</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>The Martian</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Andy Weir</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0553418025?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553418025?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780553418026?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780553418026?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> <div class="list__item"> <div class="bucketwrap card large" id="res1027602479"> <h3 class="card__title">Sorcerer to the Crown/The True Queen</h3> <div id="res1027604804" class="bucketwrap image small"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 1648; --source-height: 2470; " > <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/761/a-sorcerer-to-the-crown-novel/"> <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91vhwgmkdkl_custom-88d279c5d4f5e76eabd0cb48ddb46c694c67dd72.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=webp 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91vhwgmkdkl_custom-88d279c5d4f5e76eabd0cb48ddb46c694c67dd72.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=webp 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91vhwgmkdkl_custom-88d279c5d4f5e76eabd0cb48ddb46c694c67dd72.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91vhwgmkdkl_custom-88d279c5d4f5e76eabd0cb48ddb46c694c67dd72.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91vhwgmkdkl_custom-88d279c5d4f5e76eabd0cb48ddb46c694c67dd72.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91vhwgmkdkl_custom-88d279c5d4f5e76eabd0cb48ddb46c694c67dd72.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91vhwgmkdkl_custom-88d279c5d4f5e76eabd0cb48ddb46c694c67dd72.jpeg?s=200&c=85&f=jpeg 200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91vhwgmkdkl_custom-88d279c5d4f5e76eabd0cb48ddb46c694c67dd72.jpeg?s=300&c=85&f=jpeg 300w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91vhwgmkdkl_custom-88d279c5d4f5e76eabd0cb48ddb46c694c67dd72.jpeg?s=400&c=85&f=jpeg 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91vhwgmkdkl_custom-88d279c5d4f5e76eabd0cb48ddb46c694c67dd72.jpeg?s=600&c=85&f=jpeg 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91vhwgmkdkl_custom-88d279c5d4f5e76eabd0cb48ddb46c694c67dd72.jpeg?s=800&c=85&f=jpeg 800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91vhwgmkdkl_custom-88d279c5d4f5e76eabd0cb48ddb46c694c67dd72.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 168px, (min-width: 1025px) 168px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91vhwgmkdkl_custom-88d279c5d4f5e76eabd0cb48ddb46c694c67dd72.jpeg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/13/91vhwgmkdkl_custom-88d279c5d4f5e76eabd0cb48ddb46c694c67dd72.jpeg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="Sorcerer to the Crown/The True Queen, by Zen Cho" loading="lazy" /> </picture> </a> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> </div> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Ace </span> </div> </div> <p><p>A Regency romp with squabbling magicians, romance and intrigue, with women and people of color center stage? Yes, please! These two books form a wonderful balance. <em><a href="https://www.npr.org/2015/09/03/435543648/sorcerer-is-a-delightful-romp-with-deep-solid-roots">Sorcerer to the Crown</a></em> is more whimsical and occasionally riotously funny despite its serious underlying themes. <em><a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/03/21/705163539/the-true-queen-casts-a-pleasant-spell">The True Queen</a> </em>builds out from there, looking at the characters and events of the first book with a different, more serious perspective. But both volumes are charming, thoughtful and thoroughly enjoyable.</p></p> <div id="res1027605321" class="bucketwrap ecommerce"> <button class="ecommerce__button ecommerce__button--book" ><b class="ecommerce__callout">Purchase Book</b><b class="ecommerce__title">Sorcerer to the Crown/The True Queen</b><b class="ecommerce_by-label"> by </b><b class="ecommerce__creator">Zen Cho</b></button> <div class="ecommercepop"> <div class="ecomm_body"> <button class='btn-close'>close overlay</button> <h3>Buy Featured Book</h3> <dl class="meta"><dt>Title</dt><dd>Sorcerer to the Crown/The True Queen</dd><dt>By</dt><dd>Zen Cho</dd></dl> <input type="hidden" id="ecommerceId" value="3" /> <p class="support">Your purchase helps support NPR programming. <a href="https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/articles/2168887-how-can-my-online-purchases-support-npr-programming">How?</a></p> <ul class="purchase-links"> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Amazon","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0425283402?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1"}' class="buylink1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0425283402?tag=npr-online-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1">Amazon</a></li> <li><a data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"affiliate","action":"affiliate_click","clickName":"Independent Bookstores","clickType":"book affiliate","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.indiebound.org\/book\/9780425283400?aff=NPR"}' class="buyLink3" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780425283400?aff=NPR">Independent Bookstores</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  </div>  </div>  </div> </div> </div>  <h3 class="edTag">How We Built This</h3> <p>Wow, you're some dedicated readers! Thanks for coming all the way down here to find out more. As I said above, we decided to limit ourselves to 50 books this year instead of our usual 100, which made winnowing down the list a particular challenge. As you may know, this poll isn't a straight-up popularity contest, though, if it were, the Broken Earth books would have crushed all comers — y'all have good taste! Instead, we take your votes (over 16,000 this year) and pare them down to about 250 semifinalists, and then during a truly epic conference call, our panel of expert judges goes through those titles, cuts some, adds some and hammers out a final curated list.</p> <aside id="ad-secondary-wrap" class="ad-wrap secondary" aria-label="advertisement"> <div class="ad-header "><span>Sponsor Message</span></div> <div id="ad-secondary-Arts___Life_Books_Book_Reviews" class="ad-config ad-secondary has-refresh-enabled" data-ad-config='{"network":"\/6735\/","site":{"desktop":"NPRSecondary","mobile":"NPRMobileSecondary"},"zone":"Arts___Life_Books_Book_Reviews","targets":{"testserver":"false","isPodcastEpisode":"false","storyId":"1027159166","agg":["1242295180","153985993","1006228413","191676894","434975886"]},"location":"secondary","deferred":false,"isBetweenContent":true,"overflowCount":null,"hasRefreshEnabled":true,"isOutstreamVideoEnabled":false}'></div> <div class="ad-footer "></div> </aside> <h3 class="edTag">What Didn't Make It — And Why</h3> <p>As always, there were works readers loved and voted for that didn't make our final list of 50 — it's not a favorites list if you can't argue about it, right? Sometimes, we left things out because we felt like the authors were well known enough not to need our help (farewell, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2013/06/17/191346480/a-deceptively-simple-tale-of-magic-and-peril-in-ocean"><em>The Ocean at the End of the Lane</em></a>, Neil Gaiman, we hope you'll forgive us!), but mostly it happened because the books either came out before our cutoff date or already appeared on the original 2011 list. (Sorry, Brandon Sanderson! The first Mistborn book was actually on this year's list, until I looked more closely and realized it was a repeat from 2011.)</p> <p>Some books didn't make it this year because we're almost positive they'll come around next year — next year being the 10th anniversary of our original 2012 YA poll, when (spoiler alert!) we're planning a similar redo. So we say "not farewell, but fare forward, voyagers" to the likes of <a href="https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#year=2020&book=345"><em>Raybearer</em></a>, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/03/09/592423944/children-of-blood-and-bone-tackles-heavy-themes-in-a-magical-world"><em>Children of Blood and Bone</em></a> and the <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/04/24/990149487/on-netflix-leigh-bardugos-shadow-and-bone-celebrates-a-diverse-grishaverse">Grishaverse</a> books; if they don't show up on next year's list I'll, I don't know, I'll eat my <em>kefta</em>.</p> <p>And this year, because we had only 50 titles to play with, we did not apply the famous Nora Roberts rule, which allows particularly beloved and prolific authors onto the list twice. So as much as it pains me, there's only one Seanan McGuire entry here, and Max Gladstone appears alongside poll judge Amal El-Mohtar for <em>This Is How You Lose the Time War</em> but not on his own for the excellent <a href="https://www.npr.org/2015/06/27/416517818/the-craft-sequence-please-do-judge-these-books-by-their-covers">Craft Sequence</a>. Which — as we said above — you should ABSOLUTELY read.</p> <h3 class="edTag">One Final Note</h3> <p>Usually, readers will vote at least some works by members of our judging panel onto the list, and usually, we let the judges themselves decide whether or not to include them. But this year, I put my editorial foot down — all four judges made it to the semifinals, and had we not included them, the final product would have been the less for it. So you'll find all four on the list. And we hope you enjoy going through it as much as we enjoyed putting it together!</p> </div> <div class="share-tools share-tools--secondary" aria-label="Share tools"> <ul> <li class="share-tools__service share-tools__service--facebook"><button class="fbStory1027159166" data-share-facebook='{"storyId": "1027159166" }' data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"share","action":"share","clickName":"facebook"}' ><b class="share-tools__service-name">Facebook</b></button></li> <li class="share-tools__service share-tools__service--flipboard"><button class="story1027159166" data-share-flipboard='{"storyId": "1027159166" }' data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"share","action":"share","clickName":"flipboard"}' ><b class="share-tools__service-name">Flipboard</b></button></li> <li class="share-tools__service share-tools__service--email"><button class='share-tools__email-link' data-story-id='1027159166' data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"share","action":"share","clickName":"email"}' ><b class="share-tools__service-name">Email</b></button></li> </ul> </div>  <div id="newsletter-acquisition-callout-data" data-newsletter="{"newsletterId":"news","title":"Up First","marketingHeader":"Sign Up For NPR's Up First Newsletter","frequency":"every day","shortDescription":"The stories you need to start your day, hand-picked for you every weekday. 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The 50 best science fiction and fantasy books of the past decade : NPR