The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica, translated by Sarah Moses (Pushkin, £16.99)
Another dystopian horror from the author of Tender Is the Flesh, this one focused on a religious cult after civilisational collapse. The narrator has found refuge from the dangerous wastelands behind the walls of a repurposed monastery, ruled over by a whip-wielding Superior Sister on behalf of an unseen, nameless “He”. Only young, unblemished women are allowed to join the Sacred Sisterhood; they begin as the Unworthy, but hope to be Chosen, although this means they will be mutilated – eyes sewn shut, tongue removed, eardrums pierced – to serve as conduits to the hidden God. Little is said about the tenets of this new religion, beyond its need to punish. The flagellations and bloodlettings are all too familiar from De Sade and other perverse fantasies, and while there is some very fine writing, it is most affecting when the narrator recalls memories from before her arrival; despite its serious themes, the faux-religious set-up feels too contrived to convince.
Dissolution by Nicholas Binge (HarperVoyager, £16.99)
Maggie is in her 80s and has been losing her beloved husband to memory loss over the years. She is offered unexpected hope by a radical new process that could allow her to connect her mind to his, to retrieve their shared memories. If that works, she will have to dive deeper in search of a discovery he made before she knew him; a secret about the workings of memory that could restore him to her. But there are those who want the secret to remain hidden, and Maggie does not know who she can trust. This twisty, absorbing thriller is both a moving love story and fascinating speculative fiction exploring memory, time and reality.
The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar (Arcadia, £14.99)
The solo debut from the co-author of This Is How You Lose the Time War is the tale of two sisters, living near the magical river that flows between Arcadia (also known as Faerie) and England. Since childhood they have sung to the willows that grow along its banks and are especially prized for basket-weaving. One sister loves tragic ballads and the other prefers riddling songs, but they are devoted to one another, and their voices in harmony are stronger and more beautiful than either singing alone. When one is not only wooed by a local man, but attracts the interest of a mysterious, shape-shifting being from beyond the border lands, how will this affect their bond? A pitch-perfect story of love and sacrifice, yearning and discovery, like a classic folk tale, but freshly minted.
When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi (Tor, £20) The absurd premise of this science fictional jape has our familiar moon suddenly replaced by a gigantic cheese ball. Scalzi explores the idea with as much scientific scaffolding as possible, but mostly with jokes and great good humour, aiming to show how ordinary Americans, whether working for Nasa or behind the counter in a specialist cheese shop, might respond to such an inexplicable change to known reality. The author is clearly an optimist. Except for one narcissistic billionaire, the characters are sympathetic, sane and exceptionally rational, normal folks trying to keep their lives on track. Often very funny and occasionally moving, this is a welcome bit of comic relief.
The Foot on the Crown by Christopher Fowler (Bantam, £20)
The final novel by the late author of the Bryant & May series is a giddy, violent romp through an imaginary dark ages, set in an enormous castle fortress called Londinium, ruled by a grotesque warrior king known as “the Great Wound” whose attempts to get his daughter married off incite the war that will end his reign. Most of the characters meet a hideous death, or narrowly escape one, as a lost chapter of London’s forgotten early history unfolds. It might have benefited from a few revisions, but this coda to his career is an exuberant entertainment.
