Chris Panatier lives in Dallas, Texas, with his wife, daughter, and a fluctuating herd of animals resembling dogs (one is almost certainly a goat). He writes short stories and novels, "plays" the drums, and draws album covers for metal bands. Plays himself on twitter @chrisjpanatier.
The Final Orchard (2024) CJ Rivera "The Final Orchard is a layered mystery that unfolds the pages of dystopian horror at a blistering pace. Rivera masterfully delivers a story that has one foot in the present and another on the precipice of the future, making it all the more real, and terrifying."
Cascade Failure (2024) (Ambit's Run, book 1) L M Sagas "With Cascade Failure, L.M. Sagas brings to life a gritty, grippy, space adventure with the big time stakes of The Expanse, the engaging family dynamics of Becky Chambers, and the sweet, tangy snark of Murderbot."
The Bone Roots (2023) Gabriela Houston "Gabriela Houston's The Bone Roots is an exuberantly told story that weaves together the lives of two mothers and their daughters. This enthralling tale is filled with dark magic, intriguing monsters, and a tension that holds until the very end."
Mercury Rising (2022) (First Planets, book 1) R W W Greene "Mercury Rising charmed and fascinated me. Greene has taken an absolutely wild premise and somehow made it fit like a puzzle piece into our own history and knowledge of the greater universe. It is unexpected and clever, heartfelt and funny, with big, conceptual penny-drop moments that hit the reader as hard as they hit the novel's weary protagonist, Brooklyn Lamontagne."
Deep Dive (2022) Ron Walters "If extremely fast-paced, sci-fi tech thrillers are your thing, then Ron Walter's debut, Deep Dive, is a must get. It's Blake Crouch's Dark Matter, filled with Tal Klein's The Punch Escrow, rolled up and lightly dusted with Mythic Quest. This was a tightly crafted, super fun, and original take on the virtual reality rabbit hole, and I couldn't turn the pages quickly enough."
Swashbucklers (2021) Dan Hanks "With Swashbucklers, Dan Hanks puts forty-year-old characters in an action-packed fantastical story designed for the fitness level of teenagers and sees if they can keep up. They can't. And it's an awesome formula for fun."
Forging a Nightmare (2021) Patricia A Jackson "With Forging a Nightmare, Patricia A. Jackson has hammered a fast-paced thriller into New York's newest borough: Hell. Along the way, she cracks open the mythos of fallen angels, fans the flames, and stuffs them into this barn-burner of a story. Forging follows an FBI agent trying to solve a series of occult murders while discovering the truth of his own lineage. Jackson's frenetic action, imaginative storytelling, and unapologetic prose will keep your heart pounding."
The Offset (2021) Calder Szewczak "The Offset crushed me. This is an expertly – and starkly – written, well-drawn eco-dystopian novel about the ultimate measure of austerity taken in order to save the planet. There’s so much that was done well here: the world, the science, the societal conflict – but to get into the (possibly carnivorous) weeds would distract from soul of this book. It is a bare-knuckle punch to the heart. Calder Szewczak made me suffer – brilliantly."
Composite Creatures (2021) Caroline Hardaker "An unapologetic, intimate tale of our shared human fragility, and the deceptions we employ to keep from breaking."
The Rush's Edge (2020) (Rush's Edge, book 1) Ginger Smith "You will root for these heroes and cringe at the evil that brought them together."
