At a point in ancient history “before time,” a nameless young girl travels to the ruins of a great sphinx. She arrives in this place somewhat magically, “as if the wind had carried her from a golden palace far away.” The girl does not behave like a child. She appears to have wisdom that is […]
When 17-year-old Devin is woken up in the middle of the night by two men in her room, she fights back and calls for her foster parents. She quickly learns they’re well aware of what’s going on. The men throw her into a van that’s holding another teen named Ollie and take them both into […]
Colt has a secret identity. By day, he’s a seemingly ordinary child, but when the neighborhood needs his help, he transforms into Neigh Kid—dressed in a horse mask, a red cape, and nothing else. He envisions himself as a majestic hero, galloping through streets on a mission to save a lost pet. However, the humorous […]
“The act of probing into the future need not be predictive to be useful,” writes historian Adamson. Instead, considering what the future might look like can focus attention on the good and bad of the present. Adamson opens with a fascinating, albeit brief, account of weather forecasting, which became more reliable with the advent of […]
Riley never meant to be a photographer; he was a professional skateboarder until a bad landing put him in a coma. When he woke up, his job on the tour was gone, and now he feels dizzy whenever he tries to get back on a board. Eventually, he settles for becoming a Phoenix-based skate photographer […]
It’s 1960 and Gabriel Dax is flying home to England after interviewing Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba when a series of “strange coincidences” begins. He’s upgraded to first class and a woman on the plane is reading one of his travel books. Back home he finds someone has left his flat in “careful disarray,” and […]
Having fled the bombing in Königsberg, 11-year-old Asta and 9-year-old Pieta are living with their mother on their grandparents’ farm during the final months of World War II when the Red Army attacks. They’re forced to flee to the ships carrying refugees to safety in mainland Germany; the family hopes to reach a cousin in […]
Following the success of her novels Chemistry (2017) and Joan Is Okay (2022), Wang returns with the story of Keru and Nate, a Chinese American woman and a white man who meet at Yale, fall in love, and get married. Some years later, they go on two vacations—to Cape Cod and the Catskills—during which both […]
Every good family saga features a wedding, and this one boasts two. First, Alina marries Fedir. The newlyweds receive land with a dacha built on it to set them up for the future. Soon they’ll have a “sea of gold”—sunflowers that provide food, oil, and mulch. Alina becomes a baker and makes offerings to “BA […]
Robin, a nonbinary kid who lives with their uncle Miles, sits alone in the basement, bored and lonely, as they do every night. Suddenly, a “tall figure in a thundery coat” enters: the Cat-Headed Wanderer. The dapper, anthropomorphic feline whisks Robin to a magical purple treehouse filled with mystical characters from Robin’s dreams. Everyone has […]