These three authors may be operating in different genres, but with the premise for their new novels being so captivating, we need only enjoy how well they’re executed. Happy hours of reading!

Author Sam Hughes uses the internet handle of QNTM, and here is his latest SciFi horror novel. A software developer in the UK, he has been writing short-form SciFi for decades; speculative fiction that is both surprising and unsettling. In this one, he imagines a near future where humanity is being attacked by antimemes, black holes of information - an enemy that negates the memory, identity, and well of information of those who make contact with it. So how do you confront an enemy you don’t even remember exists? You could be married to a person who is shouting into your ear, but you have no recollection of who that person is. Or you can write about the encounter and find the page blank the next moment. It’s the opposing force with the ultimate camouflage; as we’re at war, but don’t even know who or what the enemy is.

One of our main protagonists would be Marie Sheridan Quinn, who heads the division and has to constantly reset her objectives, realities, and even her personnel. She’s married to Adam Quinn, a musician in an orchestra, and there’s a chapter devoted to how she thinks he’s an intruder in their home. At one point, Adam becomes the main focus of the narrative, trying to re-establish his role and status in the life of Marie. A number of pages have redacted text, indicating how this is classified material; and while the truth is out there, the most we can hope for is a sliver or hint of that truth, given the nature of the prevailing situation, and these antimemes. As living black holes of information, there’s body horror as these antimemes inhabit the host humans. And when you factor in the paranoia of who or what you are interacting with, this is one racy, disturbing read.

Here’s a thrilling addition to the 007 universe, and it’s one that’s coming from Ian Fleming Publications, official custodians of the Ian Fleming legacy. After having the likes of Anthony Horowitz and William Boyd author new James Bond books in tribute to Sir Ian, the estate’s publishing arm turned to renowned crime fiction writer Vaseem Khan and threw up the irresistible premise of creating a novel that would have Q, Major Boothroyd, as the main character. For those in the dark, Q was the head of his own division within MI6 and was responsible for the gadgets, concealed weapons, reinforced vehicles, and technology that would be customized for the double-O agents. To place him in the center of the James Bond universe would be a wonderful way of extending the franchise, and if done right, could be brimming with originality.

Both escapist and playful, the novel reads like turning the keys of the kingdom over to Merlin, with a cameo from King Arthur. In this storyline, Q is out of MI6, relieved by the new M, and cast adrift. It’s when he hears that childhood friend Peter Napier, a renowned quantum computer scientist, has died in mysterious circumstances that he’s motivated to head to his hometown of Wickstone-On-Water, outside London. While the local police consider it a closed case of drowning by misadventure, a cryptic note Napier wrote on the day he died and sent to Q, has Q poking into corners that don’t want to be poked. A quantum tech start-up, an Albanian crime syndicate, an old flame who’s now working on the Wickstone police force, and an estranged father that Q had basically run away from - they’re all part of the landscape facing him as he reconnects with his roots. A great start to what we hope will be a series.

Simultaneous by Eric Heisserer

As the Oscar-nominated writer for the screenplay of Arrival, and having written Bird Box, plus creator of the limited series Shadow and Bone, there was much anticipation surrounding the publication of Heisserer's first novel. It’s a thriller that qualifies as Crime Fiction, but with a potent speculative narrative strand that makes it quite unique. Federal agent Grant Lukather is connected to Homeland Security, attached to a division called Predictive Analytics - tasked to scroll through the internet chatter, and prevent terrorist events before they happen. Sarah Newcomb is a Los Angeles therapist who specializes in past-life hypnosis, and one of her patients, Marigold Chu, would seem to regress into a past life that isn’t actually embedded in the past, but belongs to a law officer who currently lives in Denver, Colorado. Hence, the Simultaneous of the title.

It’s when the three, Grant, Sarah, and Marigold, discover that Marigold may not be the only one experiencing this; that dark possibilities, as linked to a copycat serial killer in Colorado, emerge. The killer seems to be following the modus operandi of a convicted felon now serving time. The billion-dollar question is what if it’s not just a matter of playing copycat, but the convict is ‘sharing’ the consciousness of the copycat? And who’s to say whether this ‘simultaneous’ phenomenon is limited to only two individuals? Both cerebral and cinematic, this suspenseful crime story knows how to tackle the premise of past and parallel lives. Without blinking an eye, Heisserer has us suspending disbelief, and joining him on this tale that spans state lines, timelines, and even consciousness. The sharp execution captivates, and if this were a movie, we’d be on the edge of our seats!