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The post Read An Excerpt From ‘Femlandia’ by Christina Dalcher appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

In a future that could very well become our own, constant standardised testing of children and adults determines their quotient (Q). Those with high Q scores get better education, jobs, and resources, while those with substandard scores get federal boarding schools, menial jobs, and bottom of the barrel resources. Elena Fairchild is a teacher at one of the elite schools, wife to the man who brought the Q system to the nation, and mother to two daughters. When her youngest daughter fails the monthly test and is sent away to one of the federal schools, Elena fights to find a way to bring her daughter back home. At any cost.

What stands out most about Master Class is the slowly dawning horror as you read, that this could one day be our reality. Eugenics is nothing new, but to many, it is something that happened elsewhere. However, as Dalcher points out in the Author’s Notes, the historical events mentioned throughout the story are real and they include the American eugenics movement that we as a nation have seemed to have forgotten. Dalcher masterfully weaves this buried history with the state of society today and gives the reader a frightening glimpse into what happens when we forget our own history.

Elena Fairchild is a complex main character that is slowly built throughout the course of the story. The reader is given new insight and knowledge of Elena up until, quite literally, the last page. While stories that go back and forth in time can sometimes be choppy, Dalcher transitions smoothly between times and every look into the past has a purpose. Seeing Elena’s past and how it slowly morphed into her current horror is a timely and intriguing look into how we can let prejudice and the fear of not being good enough mould our world.

This story has a lot to say, but its main focus is always on Elena. This leaves us with very two dimensional secondary characters. Their two dimensions are well written, but they lack the depth needed to really care about them. Freddie Fairchild, Elena’s youngest daughter that is sent away, is a nine-year-old who suffers from acute anxiety. That should pull on all the heartstrings…but it doesn’t. Malcolm Fairchild, Elena’s husband, is a despicable human who I wanted to punch through the whole story…but I never knew why he was the way he was. Having a bit more depth into other characters would have benefited the story, but it didn’t detract from the overall suspense of the novel.

Speaking of suspense, Master Class has it in spades. But it’s a quiet, haunting kind of suspense. The kind where you just feel something is wrong the whole time, but you don’t know just how bad it is until it is too late. Then everything is awful and enthralling and you just can’t stop reading. The whole time I was reading this novel, one word kept coming to mind: insidious. The slow, subtle changes that creep into our society that have beyond harmful effects. The way the storytelling of Master Class mirrors those kinds of changes is nothing short of perfection.

Master Class is dark, provoking, and an absolute must read. Dalcher has proven herself a master author of insidious suspense that feels oh so real and will stick with you long after you’ve closed the book. And for those who scoff, and proclaim this story is just fiction and could never happen to them, I leave you with this quote from the novel: “It started with fear, and it ended with laws.”

Master Class is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailer as of April 21st 2020.

Will you be picking up Master Class? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

The future of every child is determined by one standardized measurement: their quotient (Q). Score high enough, and they attend a top tier school with a golden future ahead of them. Score low, and they are sent to a federally run boarding school with limited prospects for future employment. The purpose? Education costs are cut, teachers focus on the best students, and parents are happy.

Elena Fairchild is a teacher at one of the state’s elite schools. When her nine-year old daughter fails her next monthly test, her Q score drops to a disastrously low level and she is immediately forced to leave her top school for a federal school hundreds of miles away. As a teacher, Elena knows intimately the dangers of failure in their tiered educational system, but as a mother who just lost her child, all Elena wants is to be near her daughter again. And she will do the unthinkable to make it happen.

The post Review: Master Class by Christina Dalcher appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Ruthless Gods by Emily A. Duncan
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In her dramatic follow-up to Wicked Saints, the first book in her Something Dark and Holy trilogy, Emily A. Duncan paints a Gothic, icy world where shadows whisper, and no one is who they seem, with a shocking ending that will leave you breathless.

Looking Glass by Christina Henry
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In four new novellas, Christina Henry returns to the world of Alice and Red Queen, where magic runs as freely as secrets and blood.

Master Class by Christina Dalcher
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From the critically-acclaimed author of the international bestseller VOX comes a suspenseful new novel that examines a disturbing near future where harsh realities follow from unreachable standards.

The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey
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The first in a gripping new trilogy, The Book of Koli charts the journey of one unforgettable young boy struggling to find his place in a chilling post-apocalyptic world. Perfect for readers of Station Eleven and Annihilation.

Empire City by Matt Gallagher
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The author of Youngblood returns with this bold and provocative novel following a group of super-powered soldiers and civilians as they navigate an imperial America on the precipice of a major upheaval—for fans of The Fortress of Solitude and The Plot Against America.

The Glass Magician by Caroline Stevermer
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A gilded menagerie rules a Gilded Age: Bears and Bulls are not only real, but dominate humanity in The Glass Magician, an amazing historical fantasy by Caroline Stevermer.

Repo Virtual by Corey J. White
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Corey J. White’s debut novel Repo Virtual blurs the lines between the real and virtual in an action-packed cyberpunk heist story.

The post April 2020 Book Releases: Fantasy + Sci-Fi appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Need some sci-fi? There’s Vox where women are only allowed 100 words a day, Alan Dean Foster’s Relic follows the last surviving man, and Stars Uncharted follows a ragtag band of explorers are looking to make the biggest score in the galaxy.

If fantasy is more your speed, Annie Sullivan’s debut novel A Touch of Gold focuses on King Midas’ daughter, The Tower of Living and Dying is the sequel to The Court of Broken Knives by Anna Smith Spark, or Rob J. Hayes City of Kings.

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below which ones you are most excited for!

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab
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Cassidy Blake’s parents are The Inspectres, a (somewhat inept) ghost-hunting team. But Cass herself can REALLY see ghosts. In fact, her best friend, Jacob, just happens to be one. When The Inspectres head to ultra-haunted Edinburgh, Scotland, for their new TV show, Cass—and Jacob—come along. Cass is surrounded by ghosts, not all of them friendly. Then she meets Lara, a girl who can also see the dead. But Lara tells Cassidy that as an In-betweener, their job is to send ghosts permanently beyond the Veil.

Heartbreaker by Claudia Dey
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Seventeen years after falling from a stolen car into a remote northern town, Billie Jean Fontaine is still an outsider. When Billie Jean vanishes one cold October night in her bare feet and track suit with only her truck keys, those closest to her begin a frantic search. Her daughter, Pony, a girl struggling against being a teen in the middle of nowhere; her killer dog to whom she cannot tell a lie; her husband, The Heavy, a man haunted by his past; and the charismatic Supernatural, a teenage boy longing only to be average. Each holding a different piece of the puzzle, they must come together to understand the darkest secrets of their beloved, and lay bare the mysteries of the human heart.

The Stars Now Unclaimed by Drew Williams
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Jane Kamali is an agent for the Justified. Her mission: to recruit children with miraculous gifts in the hope that they might prevent the Pulse from once again sending countless worlds back to the dark ages. Hot on her trail is the Pax–a collection of fascist zealots who believe they are the rightful rulers of the galaxy and who remain untouched by the Pulse. Now Jane, a handful of comrades from her past, and a telekinetic girl called Esa must fight their way through a galaxy full of dangerous conflicts, remnants of ancient technology, and other hidden dangers. And that’s just the beginning . . .

Vox by Christina Dalcher
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On the day the government decrees that women are no longer allowed more than 100 words daily, Dr. Jean McClellan is in denial–this can’t happen here. Not in America. Not to her. Soon women can no longer hold jobs. Girls are no longer taught to read or write. Females no longer have a voice. Before, the average person spoke sixteen thousand words a day, but now women only have one hundred to make themselves heard. For herself, her daughter, and every woman silenced, Jean will reclaim her voice.

A Touch of Gold by Annie Sullivan
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King Midas once had the ability to turn all he touched into gold, but after it almost killed his daughter, Midas relinquished The Touch forever. Ten years later, Princess Kora’s skin shines golden, rumours follow her everywhere she goes, and she harbours secret powers that are getting harder to hide. It isn’t until a charming young duke arrives that Kora realises there may be someone out there who doesn’t fear her or her curse. But their courtship is disrupted when a thief steals precious items from the kingdom, leaving the treasury depleted and King Midas vulnerable. Thanks to her unique ability to sense gold, Kora is the only one who can track the thief down.

City of Kings by Rob J. Hayes
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War makes monsters and corpses of us all. For generations the blooded have ruled the Wilds, cultivating a lawless frontier and bleeding the good folk dry. The Black Thorn, once the most wanted outlaw the world has ever seen, is set on stopping them, and bringing an end to the great game that oppresses them all. Crucible is the only blooded fortress left, but not for nothing is it called the City of Kings. Its defenses are unbreakable, its walls unassailable, all built so one hundred can hold back a thousand. Worse yet, the Black Thorn is running out of time and there are darker things hiding underground, looking to turn the city into a tomb.

The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal
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Continuing the grand sweep of alternate history laid out in The Calculating Stars, we head to 1961 where mankind is well-established on the moon and looking forward to its next step: journeying to, and eventually colonising, Mars. Of course the noted Lady Astronaut Elma York would like to go, but could the International Aerospace Coalition ever stand the thought of putting a woman on such a potentially dangerous mission? Could Elma knowingly take the place of other astronauts who have been overlooked because of their race? And could she really leave behind her husband and the chance to start a family?

Relic by Alan Dean Foster
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Once Homo sapiens reigned supreme, spreading from star system to star system in an empire that encountered no alien life and thus knew no enemy . . . save itself. When a genetically engineered smart virus wipes out humanity, the last known survivor is Ruslan. He spends his days as something of a cross between a research subject and a zoo attraction. The Myssari, an intelligent alien race, are determined to resurrect the human race, using Ruslan’s genetic material, all he wants for himself and his species is oblivion. But then the Myssari make Ruslan an extraordinary offer: In exchange for his cooperation, they will do everything in their considerable power to find the lost home world of his species–an all-but-mythical place called Earth–and, perhaps, another living human.

The Tower of Living and Dying by Anna Smith Spark
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In the sequel to The Court of Broken Knives, Marith has been a sellsword, a prince, a murderer, a demon, and dead. But something keeps bringing him back to life, and now there is nothing stopping him from taking back the throne that is rightfully his. Thalia, the former high priestess, remains Marith’s only tenuous grasp to whatever goodness he has left. His left hand and his last source of light, Thalia still believes that the power that lies within him can be used for better ends. But as more forces gather beneath Marith’s banner, she can feel her influence slipping.

Stars Uncharted by S.K. Dunstall
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Three people who are not who they claim to be: Nika Rik Terri, body modder extraordinaire, has devoted her life to redesigning people’s bodies right down to the molecular level. Josune Arriola is crew on the famous explorer ship the Hassim, whose memory banks contain records of unexplored worlds worth a fortune. Hammond Roystan, the captain of the rival explorer ship, The Road, has many secrets. Some believe one of them is the key to finding the lost world. Josune’s captain sends her to infiltrate Roystan’s ship, promising to follow. But when the Hassim exits nullspace close to Roystan’s ship, it’s out of control, the crew are dead, and unknown Company operatives are trying to take over. Narrowly escaping and wounded, Roystan and Josune come to Nika for treatment–and with problems of her own, she flees with them after the next Company attack.

The Fall of Gondolin by J.R.R. Tolkien
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In the Tale of The Fall of Gondolin are two of the greatest powers in the world. There is Morgoth of the uttermost evil, unseen in this story but ruling over a vast military power from his fortress of Angband. Deeply opposed to Morgoth is Ulmo, second in might only to Manwë, chief of the Valar: he is called the Lord of Waters, of all seas, lakes, and rivers under the sky. But he works in secret in Middle-earth to support the Noldor, the kindred of the Elves among whom were numbered Húrin and Túrin Turambar. Following his presentation of Beren and Lúthien Christopher Tolkien has used the same ‘history in sequence’ mode in the writing of this edition of The Fall of Gondolin.

These Rebel Waves by Sara Raasch
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Lu is a soldier. Five years ago, she helped the magic-rich island of Grace Loray overthrow its oppressor, Argrid, a country ruled by religion. When an Argridian delegate vanishes during peace talks with Grace Loray’s new Council, Argrid demands brutal justice—but Lu suspects something more dangerous is at work. Devereux is a pirate. After Argrid accuses raiders of the diplomat’s abduction, he becomes a target. An expert navigator, he agrees to help Lu find the Argridian—but the truth they uncover could be deadlier than any war. Benat is a heretic. The crown prince of Argrid, he harbours a secret obsession with Grace Loray’s forbidden magic. When Ben’s father, the king, gives him the shocking task of reversing Argrid’s fear of magic, Ben has to decide if one prince can change a devout country—or if he’s building his own pyre.

Check out our other August book picks on our Goodreads list!

Any other releases you’re excited to read this month? Tell us in the comments below!

The post August Book Release: Fantasy + Sci-Fi appeared first on The Nerd Daily.