A “‘romantasy’ with elaborate world-building, discernible inspiration from Game of Thrones, and class divides” (plus, a sentient dog), comes with possible side-effects: “a rampant desire to watch Game of Thrones, wariness of gendered power imbalances, and impatience for an adventurous sequel.” —Jessica Poon reviews Realm of Thieves, by Karina Halle (Toronto: Ace, 2025) 9780593819821 / $25.99
“[R]eading this novel made me livid in the best possible way. The supernatural aspects of the novel are, arguably, the least frightening; normalized human cruelty and deep-seated male entitlement are infinitely more terrifying. Prepare to flinch.” —Jessica Poon reviews The Hunger We Pass Down, by Jen Sookfong Lee (Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 2025) $26.00 / 9780771012853
An intriguing, alchemical novel “that blends the real and the unreal into something more myth than fable, more real than magic, for all its occasionally fantastical elements,” has a “dreamy quality that is enhanced by the understated prose.” —Ryan Frawley reviews The Unfinished World, by Marilyn Bowering (Montreal: Linda Leith Publishing, 2025) $26.95 / 9781773901800
A “wildly variable” collection of stories is marked by emotional extravagance and an abundance of figurative language. The ‘too-muchness’ and iffy copyediting result in a book that’s a challenge to appreciate. —Candace Fertile reviews Love’s Lonely Pursuits, by Marina Sonkina (Garden Bay: MW Books, 2025) $24.95 / 9781069534606
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Elite athletes with personal demons and career doubts meet in a sizzling romance novel strengthened by complex characters, appealing peer group bantering, and, of course, plentiful spark. —Jessica Poon reviews Revolve, by Bal Khabra (Toronto: Berkley, 2025) $19.00 / 9780593818305
“That’s not to presume that the novel is necessarily autobiographical, only to suggest that [the author] clearly holds a great fondness for the people and places of Vancouver Island, a fondness that is capably demonstrated through this curious and entertaining story of Tibetan Buddhism, talking fish, and the weight of familial legacy.” —Logan Macnair reviews The Atoner of Alberni, by Edward Cepka (Vancouver: Granville Island Publishing, 2025 ) $23.95 / 9781989467770
Atmospheric BC-set debut novel grows nearly hallucinatory with grotesque and supernatural elements. Teen investigators Alinta and Ruby ground a (somewhat overstuffed) story with their tight bond and quest to solve a mystery. —Brett Josef Grubisic reviews Woodbine Grove, by Ryan O’Dowd (Hamilton: Manor House Press, 2025) $29.95 / 9781998938193
Reissue of an avant garde but out-of-print 1981 novel with a “highly experimental structure and unabashed presentation of its occasionally difficult subject matter” highlights how “sometimes art with this level of originality takes longer than it should to gain the appreciation that it deserves.” —Logan Macnair reviews The Bee Book, by Ann Rosenberg (Toronto: Invisible Publishing, 2025) $24.95 / 9781778430794
WWII-set prequel to a book series portrays an unexpected spying assignment for young Lane Winslow. And Christmas with her grandparents! Rousing and entertaining, it’s a tale Alfred Hitchcock would have relished. —Bill Engleson reviews A Season for Spies—A Lane Winslow Prequel, by Iona Whishaw (Victoria: TouchWood Editions, 2025) $19.95 / 9781771514828
“The title’s invocation of Van Gogh’s painting proves apt. Like the artist’s swirling night sky, Mootoo’s prose contains turbulence within careful composition. The result resembles pointillism: individual impressions that cohere into recognizable forms only when viewed from proper distance.” —Selena Mercuri reviews. Starry Starry Night, by Shani Mootoo (Toronto: Book*hug Press, 2025) $24.95 / 9781771669566
“Lovers of the short story should rush right out and get their hands on Victoria writer Terence Young’s new collection. I was utterly captivated by these stories that gently probe ordinary life with grace and insight.” —Candace Fertile reviews Give Us This Day, by Terence Young (Winnipeg: Signature Editions, 2025) $21.95 / 9781773241616
Ruminative and speculative, a debut story collection is diverse in subject, time, and character as it ponders “the limits of personal agency to reconcile with landscapes that are altered or altering beyond the capacity of any individual to influence.” —Dana McFarland reviews The Other Shore, by Rebecca Campbell (Hamilton: Stelliform Press, 2025) $21.00 / 9781998466016
What follows after an epic coastal earthquake, with a staggering body count and collapsed infrastructure? A sophomore novel with magic realist elements explores the question in a way that’s “that’s well-told, and in an unconventional manner as it whips us from one timeframe to another without ever leaving us behind.” —Heidi Greco reviews Ladder to Heaven, by Katie Welch (Hamilton: Wolsak & Wynn, 2025) $26.00 / 9781998408276
In a complex, wide-ranging novel with themes related to family, violence, and cultural identity, generations of women strive for peace and contentment despite the sorrowful, imposing outside world. —Theo Dombrowski reviews Songs from This and That Country, by Gail Sidone Šobat (Winnipeg: Great Plains Publishing, 2025) $27.95 / 9781773371412
With her late-Victorian setting on Vancouver Island, a debut novelist “clearly takes much care in constructing her story, using metaphor effectively to enhance the reader’s appreciation of the wilderness setting and the lengthy cast of characters.” Despite the successes, the novel proved confounding on occasion for our reviewer. —Ron Verzuh reviews A Snake and a Feathered Bird, by Angie Ellis (Saskatoon: Thistledown Press, 2025) $24.95 / 9781771872812
In a “brutally frank, but also hopeful” novel that “nail[s] the adolescent voice—there’s plenty of profanity, a touch of irreverence, and no small amount of self-deprecation,” a teenage girl struggles to manage her compulsions and find equilibrium. —Jessica Poon reviews A Drop in the Ocean, by Léa Taranto (Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press, 2025) $19.95 / 9781551519813
An author’s fourth historical novel is buoyed by tumultuous ocean voyage scenes and a love for the ages. Its exposition, however, raises the question of whether it might have met greater success as nonfiction. —Valerie Green reviews The Rebel’s Wife, by Gerald Richardson Brown (Vancouver: Granville Island Publishing, 2025) $24.95 / 9781989467794
Simultaneously black- and warmhearted, a Victoria author’s sophomore novel satirizes corporate culture. In it, a nebbish hero simmers with fantasies of power and revenge… and then strikes a fateful bargain with dire consequences. —Ron Verzuh reviews Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World, by Mark Waddell (Toronto: Viking Canada, 2025) $26.95 / 9780735250321
“A book like One Thousand and a Night stands or falls on the portrayal of its main character, and Lyalya passes every test. She is strong and forthright, brave and opinionated, resilient and optimistic, and it’s hard not to feel just a little in awe of her, just the way her niece does.” —Ryan Frawley reviews One Thousand and A Night as Told by Larissa, Construction Shock Worker, by Marina Sonkina (Gananoque: Guernica Editions, 2025) $25.00 / 9781771839662