This review was first published in and is reposted with permission from Shelf Awareness.
​A survivor of a world-altering upheaval reveals how the research she developed to rebuild society was hijacked for purposes beyond what she intended in this suspenseful novel by Jeffrey Cranor (The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home, written with Jeffrey Fink) and Janina Matthewson (Of Things Gone Astray), set in the world of the podcast Within the Wires.
You Feel It Just Below the Ribs is presented as an autobiography of Miriam Gregory, a psychologist who played a pivotal role in an alternate 20th century. Following decades of war in her youth, Miriam becomes involved in the building of the New Society, founded on the basis of eschewing all tribalism, including the bonds between parents and children. How this is accomplished is revealed slowly through both Miriam's narrative and footnotes ostensibly added by an underground publisher when the manuscript was discovered. However, as Miriam's story progresses and becomes darker, the footnotes become ever more insistent that her version of events cannot be verified and contradicts established facts. Is the manuscript actually a work of fiction, a fraud, or an exposé of a conspiracy never otherwise revealed?
Just as each season of Within the Wires is a self-contained story presented as found audio, this novel stands independently, although listeners will recognize elements of the society and enjoy learning more about their backgrounds. Fans and newcomers alike will be engrossed by the mix of alternate history, science fiction and slow-burn horror. --Kristen Allen-Vogel, information services librarian at Dayton Metro Library
Discover: A suspenseful story of survival and loss gradually exposes the creation of a dystopian world order.

This review was first published in and is reposted with permission from Shelf Awareness.
​Relationships and dreams remain achingly familiar, even in the wildest futures, in the stories collected in Even Greater Mistakes by Charlie Jane Anders (Never Say You Can't Survive).
In "The Time Travel Club," a group that meets to share fictional stories of their time travel adventures is presented with a working time machine but stymied by trigonometry when it comes to using it. A young couple turns to suspended animation to help them balance their relationship with launching their careers in "The Power Couple." The 19 stories in this collection demonstrate Anders's mastery of many genres and tones, including comic space opera, queer body horror and a few set in the present or very near future with only minor speculative elements. Although all of the stories have been published previously, some have been expanded or substantially reworked. Some are intended as epilogues to Anders's novels but are self-contained enough that they can still be appreciated by readers who come to these first, as long as they don't mind spoilers.
Frequently tackling issues around mental health, gender, political turmoil and climate change, Anders toys with expectations and alternately delivers laughter and chills. "Ghost Champagne," in which a woman is haunted by her own future ghost, is a particular standout for the combination of its sharp wit and intense handling of depression. This collection will be appreciated not only by Anders's existing fans but also by readers of Ursula Le Guin and other sociological science fiction. --Kristen Allen-Vogel, information services librarian at Dayton Metro Library
Discover: This varied collection of 19 short stories showcases the author's sharp insight and knack for defying expectations.