This review was first published in and is reposted with permission from Shelf Awareness.
The future is simultaneously familiar and utterly ridiculous in Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick, the second Zoey Ashe thriller from David Wong, after Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits. As the story opens, Zoey is addressing a hostage crisis in one of the many businesses of various degrees of shadiness that she inherited from her extremely shady father. She and the team--whom she also inherited, and thinks of as the Suits--appear to resolve the situation, only to discover later that it isn't over when a corpse is shipped to Zoey. Even worse, the corpse gets up and rampages through her house.
The city of Tabula Ra$a is a funhouse mirror of modern society viewed through a superhero comic or a James Bond movie, where no laws are enforced and would-be supervillains get implants to give them superhuman abilities. Not having associated with her father during his life, Zoey is still relatively new to this world of constant scrutiny and the hatred that her sudden power can provoke. Although rich with commentary on celebrity culture, social media and toxic masculinity, readers will be laughing too hard for it to ever feel preachy, with dialogue such as "No, this requires finesse. Andre, send in the giant robot monster."
Readers who have not read the previous Zoey Ashe novel will easily gain their footing in this universe, but those returning will find all of the biting satire, sophomoric humor and laugh-out-loud moments they loved in the original. --Kristen Allen-Vogel, information services librarian at Dayton Metro Library
Discover: This absurdist science fiction satire will make new and established fans of the series laugh out loud.

This review was first published in and is reposted with permission from Shelf Awareness.
In the sharply written linked stories of Where the Wild Ladies Are by Aoko Matsuda, contemporary takes on Japanese folktales lift a veil from a world where the living and the dead work side by side. Strikingly feminist slants on otherworldly creatures figure strongly. A woman who was told all her life that she was "just a girl" discovers one day that she might be a fox. A woman responding to a breakup through a regimen of hair removal is paid a visit by a deceased aunt who urges her to cultivate the power of her hair.
Although this collection is full of spirits, it focuses more on the challenges of connecting with one's self and others than on chills. Otherworldly women may confound a man with their unorthodox approach to door-to-door sales. Another one will babysit for a single mother. Several ghosts who knew each other in life come to work for the mysterious Mr. Tei, who hires people with special talents, living or dead. A woman discovers that some incense left behind by her late father has unusual properties, and comes to a realization about how she wants to use it. No knowledge of the source material is required, however interested readers will find a list and summary at the end of the collection. These stories are sometimes charming, sometimes surreal, and always intriguing. This first full collection of Matsuda's work to appear in English will leave readers eager for more. --Kristen Allen-Vogel, information services librarian, Dayton Metro Library
Discover: Traditional stories take on vibrant contemporary forms in this engrossing collection.