The best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror – review roundup

Alfa by Lilja Sigurծardóttir; The Lost Spectacular by Zoé Duhaime; Look What the Cat Dragged In by Jason Rekulak; China +100: Stories from a Century After the Outbreak edited by Xueting C Ni; Everything Happens So Much by Andrew H Murray Alfa by Lilja Sigurծardóttir, translated b

Alfa by Lilja Sigurծardóttir; The Lost Spectacular by Zoé Duhaime; Look What the Cat Dragged In by Jason Rekulak; China +100: Stories from a Century After the Outbreak edited by Xueting C Ni; Everything Happens So Much by Andrew H Murray Alfa by Lilja Sigurծardóttir, translated by Larissa Kyzer (Orenda, £10.99) The first speculative fiction by the Icelandic crime writer is set 26 years from now, with European countries united under the benevolent “omniocratic” rule of the titular artificial intelligence in Reykjavik. Universal basic income, autonomous vehicles and constant surveillance steering citizens towards their best lives are welcomed by most Icelanders, where only a few dissidents insist on living off-grid. When one of them is found murdered in a way that should have been impossible, questions are raised about the supposedly perfect system, creating fractures in the victim’s family – one of whom helped to establish the ruling AI, and still works closely with it.

A fascinating, thoughtful, suspenseful tale grounded in believable characters, this could hardly be more timely. The Lost Spectacular by Zoé Duhaime (Solaris, £18.99) At the core of this debut is a Danish folk tale about Lukǿje, a Sandman-like character who knows more stories than anyone in the world. Set in a “City Not-Unlike-Montréal” and another that could almost be New York, it follows the careers of two former best friends, now enemies.

Munro envies Noon’s magical ability to jump into different places and times through books or pictures, and has never forgiven her for inheriting the bookshop he thought should have been his. In his role as a museum curator, Munro has developed a stalkerish method by which he tracks down and eliminates every access Noon could have into the worlds of her favourite stories. A fantastical literary battle unfolds.

Whimsical with a dark edge, this bookish fantasy could develop a cult following. Continue reading...