
If you’re searching for your new favourite book and/or author, look no further! We invited our friends from QBD Books to tell us which titles they are most looking forward to this May.
Project Hail Mary
By Andy Weir
Out Now
Anyone who has read The Martian (or even watched the film) knows Andy Weir can pen a seriously addictive space thriller. Now he’s back at it again with Project Hail Mary, an absolute stellar of an interstellar read!
I received an early reading copy of this book, and it only took about two paragraphs for me to be completely hooked on both the character, and the story.
Ryland Grace wakes up alone, hurtling through space on a spaceship to an unknown destination. He can’t remember who he is. Or why he’s there. But then one shard of a memory returns to him. The earth is in trouble. Something is eating the sun’s energy. It’s down to him to save the planet. If he can just remember how…
– Alyssa, QBD Books Mt Druitt, NSW
The Bright and the Pale (The Bright & the Pale Duology #1)
By Jessica Rubinkowski
Out Now
Being one of the only few survivors of ‘the freeze’, a dark magic cast over her village, Valeria is in hiding and on the run. She finds refuge with the Thieves Guild, along with her best friend Alik. But then something horrible happens. Alik is murdered.
Or so she thought.
A year later, Valeria discovers Alik is alive, but being held captive. Now, to get him back, she must lead a group of cutthroats and thieves on a journey to the very mountains that claimed the lives of her entire family. But there is something sinister hiding in the mountains. And it’s ready to be released.
This book just sounds amazing! As soon as I heard about it, I added it to my TBR. The story is super intriguing, I just know I’m not going to be able to put it down. I cannot wait to see the relationship between Valeria and Alik; to see what they would do for one another. Plus, I really want to know what is in that mountain…
– Angelique, QBD Books Emporium Melbourne, VIC
Bruised
By Tanya Boteju
Out Now
If you’ve ever watched the film Whip It, starring Elliot Page, and thought to yourself, “Huh. This is fulfilling a weird craving I didn’t know I had; I need more”, then look no further than Tanya Boteju’s Bruised.
Daya Wijsinghe discovers Roller Derby, a rough and tumble sport that seems like just the thing to keep her trauma locked away. What Daya doesn’t expect is her teammates’ love and care for her wellbeing, resulting in Daya embarking on a journey of self-discovery and healing.
If the above doesn’t convince you, did I mention the LGBT+ representation? Because there’s that as well.
– Karina, QBD Books Mt Druitt, NSW
The Girl and the Mountain
By Mark Lawrence
Out Now
If you are a fan of Mark Lawrence’s signature gritty storytelling, this sequel will keep you enthralled from cover to cover. The Girl and the Mountain commences immediately following the exciting cliff-hanger in The Girl and the Stars.
The book continues Yaz of the Ictha’s journey as she fights for survival against a sect of zealot priests, a harsh ice tundra, and the ever-growing weight of responsibility on her shoulders.
Throughout the book, Lawrence skillfully combines classic fantasy storytelling with a contemporary nihilistic flair to create grounded characters with relatable intentions. Consequently, The Girl and the Mountain is a must-read for both returning fans of the Book of Ice series, as well readers unfamiliar with Lawrence’s previous fantasy work.
– Andrew, QBD Books Mt Druitt, NSW
The End of Men
By Christina Sweeney-Baird
Out Now
I’m a massive sucker for disease in science fiction (World War Z by Max Brooks in particular), and when I saw that a new one was coming out, especially in our current times, I couldn’t resist!
Dealing with a plague (with eerily familiar flu-like symptoms) that targets all men around the world, Doctor Maclean must try and find out what is happening to the world. While some may welcome a world without men, this should still prove to be a fascinating and intriguing novel nonetheless!
– Lewis, QBD Books Miranda, NSW
Son of the Storm
By Suyi Davies Okungbowa
Release Date: Tuesday, 11 May
Danso is an upcoming scholar, bound for greatness. But he doesn’t want that life. He doesn’t want to have political obligations and a rigid family. He wants a way out. When the wounded skin-changing warrior, Lilong, appears in his barn, he gets the way out he’s looking for.
Lilong is from the Nameless islands, that don’t exist, and her magic shouldn’t exist either. She is the catalyst for Danso discovering hidden histories, forcefully suppressed until magic was only a tale in Basso Lore. The secrets he discovers threaten to destroy the very empire which controls those histories and bring all their secrets to light.
Set in pre-colonial Africa, this book is filled with dark secrets, ancient magic, complex politics, civil and moral unrest, and lost histories. And as is (happily) the new norm, superb cover art.
– Tahlia, QBD Books Albury, NSW
The Shadow of the Gods
By John Gwynne
Release Date: Tuesday, 11 May
I was scrolling through Instagram and saw this gorgeous dragon on the cover of a book, and I immediately dropped everything to find out more.
A fantastic debut, this series blends the best of Norse fantasy with everyone’s favourite winged fire-breathing creature (not a wyvern), the dragon, and it looks to be a gorgeous step into this brand-new world. Full of feuding jarls, dangerous monsters and magic, this is a must-read!
– Lewis, QBD Books Miranda, NSW
Ajin, Vol. 16
By Gamon Sakurai
Release Date: Tuesday, 18 May
Have you ever thought about what it would be like to never die? This is the reality for Demi-humans, also known as ‘Ajin’. Immortal beings with mysterious powers, they were labelled as a threat to mankind and immediately detained.
Despite these actions, Ajin weren’t more than a story to most people, such as Kei Nagai, a high school student aspiring to be a doctor. That is, until one day he is fatally hit by a car and walks away, branding himself as an Ajin. Forced to run from both his friends and family, Kei must think and act fast as he is hunted down.
A high stakes action-thriller made for fans of Parasyte and Tokyo Ghoul, Ajin is an incredible exploration of what exactly it is that makes us human.
– Rory, QBD Books Miranda, NSW
The Blacktongue Thief
By Christopher Buehlman
Release Date: Tuesday, 25 May
The tagline mentioned Robin Hobb, so I was immediately all for this one. Reading further only turned my “yes” into a “hell yes!”.
Kinch Na Shannack is a well-educated thief, thanks to the Takers Guild. And in order to pay back the small fortune he owes them, he’ll have to put his schooling to good use.
He waits by the old forest road to rob the next unsuspecting person. Unfortunately for him, it turns out to be a knight. Galva is a handmaiden of the goddess of death, a survivor of the savage goblin wars, who is in search of her missing queen, and she is in no mood to be held up by a petty thief. Kinch manages to escape with his life, but finds that common enemies (flesh-eating goblins and unknown dangers) force him and Galva together in a world where honour is a luxury few can afford.
– Tahlia, QBD Books Albury, NSW
In the Ravenous Dark
By A.M. Strickland
Release Date: Tuesday, 25 May
In a world of deception and magical control, handsome spirits and alluring princesses, a pansexual bloodmage woman has to make the right choices to save them all. After being bound to a spirit who can control her body and soul, a fate her father died trying to protect her from, Rovan finds herself tangled in a world of wonder and deceit in the palace.
For Rovan, Ivrilos, the spirit that binds her, is captivating. Then there is the rebellious princess, who Rovan also can’t help but fall for. And yet, she can’t trust either of them.
When they discover a secret that would destroy everything, Rovan will have to start a rebellion in both the underworld, and the mortal world. Plus, she will have to decide if she can trust the people she is beginning to love, or if she will betray them.
Need I say any more? Rebellion, love, magic, betrayals and a pan representation – why wouldn’t you read this? And that cover, just gorgeous.
– Tahlia, QBD Books Albury, NSW