This review was first published in and is reposted with permission from Shelf Awareness.
​A young woman rediscovers her past and strikes out against her community's secrets in Camp Damascus, a gripping horror novel from Chuck Tingle (Straight; Just Kind of Ignoring This Sad Lonesome T-Rex Who Is Screaming "Debate Me" from His Folding Chair). Rose is part of Neverton, Montana's Kingdom of the Pine community, a strict Christian sect that eschews fantasy fiction, alcohol, and caffeine, in addition to running a "gay conversion" program at Camp Damascus outside of town. Rose always thought there was something funny about the camp's commercials: the locals in the crowd shots mostly claim they have never been there, and the few who say they have can't describe it. But as she approaches the end of high school, she begins to experience mysterious and sometimes violent apparitions whenever she comes close to acknowledging her attraction to women. She realizes that something was done to her at Camp Damascus that she must remember and, with the help of two other survivors, keep from happening to anyone else. Rose, like Tingle, is autistic, and her neurodivergence might just mean she's able to overcome the camp's brainwashing.
Tingle is best known as a writer of short surrealist erotica, but in this, his first traditionally published novel, he proves that he is equally skilled at social horror in the vein of The Stepford Wives or Get Out. Sharp allegory and an appealing narrator will make Tingle's fans and new readers eager for more in any genre he pursues. --Kristen Allen-Vogel, information services librarian at Dayton Metro Library

This review was first published in and is reposted with permission from Shelf Awareness.
​Movie magic has its dark side in Silver Nitrate, a twisted horror thriller by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (The Daughter of Doctor Moreau; Mexican Gothic). Montserrat Curiel is a struggling sound editor in 1990s Mexico City; she's talented but held back by a jerk of a boss and his boys'-club style of management. Her friend Tristán Abascal, an actor whose never-quite-first-rate career was stalled by scandal, discovers that his new neighbor is director Abel Urueta. Because Tristán and Montserrat share a love of cult horror movies, he invites her along to dinner with Urueta, who presents them with a proposition. Decades earlier, Urueta participated in an attempt by a Nazi occultist to cast a literal spell through filmmaking. The film was never completed, and Urueta believes the curse of the unfinished spell is what ended his career. He believes if Montserrat and Tristán can help him finish the missing scene, the curse will be lifted. But once they begin work on the film, Montserrat and Tristán find themselves entangled with supernatural enemies.
Moreno-Garcia skillfully balances cult-film lore, movie-making techniques from different periods, and occult scheming with well-constructed, intriguing characters. The backdrop of Urueta's career and the origin of the cursed film is intricately constructed and, once production is underway, the thrills never stop. The menaces of racism and misogyny looming over the action add a thoughtful streak that gives some depth to the narrative. Thriller fans and movie buffs will be on the edges of their seats. --Kristen Allen-Vogel, information services librarian at Dayton Metro Library

This review was originally published in and is reposted with permission from Shelf Awareness.
​Ann Leckie's Translation State, a stand-alone entry in the Imperial Radch universe, weaves fascinating alien societies and interstellar governmental intrigue in a thrilling and thought-provoking adventure. Enae Athtur (pronouns sie/hir) spent many years caring for hir now-deceased Grandmaman, who left hir--primarily as a means to provide for hir--a government post. Enae is ostensibly searching for a translator for the Presger, an advanced and mysterious alien race that went missing more than 200 years ago; nobody expects hir to do more than travel and file expenses. When Enae decides to see what happens if sie actually investigates, hir path crosses with Reet Hluid, an orphan whose genetics hint at mysterious origins.
Meanwhile, Qven, on the cusp of adulthood and intended for an important position in their clade, suffers an attack and disgrace. The repercussions only cement Qven's terror at what awaits them in maturity. When all three come together, the result is a legal battle, hinging on what it means to be a person, that threatens a treaty with an alien species so mysterious that conspiracies question their very existence.
Once again, Leckie (Provenance) constructs an intricate science fiction backdrop, otherworldly yet comprehensible, and uses it to ground questions of family, selfhood, and fate. Although Translation State is self-contained, those who have read the trilogy beginning with Ancillary Justice will appreciate seeing some familiar elements of its culture and learning more about the Presger. Fans of philosophical science fiction will be enthralled. --Kristen Allen-Vogel, information services librarian at Dayton Metro Library