Nophek Gloss by Essa Hansen
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When a young man’s planet is destroyed, he sets out on a single-minded quest for revenge across the galaxy in Nophek Gloss, the first book in this epic space opera trilogy by debut author Essa Hansen, for fans of Revenger and Children of Time.

A Deal with the Elf King by Elise Kova
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Perfect for fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses and Uprooted, this stand-alone, fantasy romance about a human girl and her marriage to the Elf King is impossible to put down!

The Betrayals by Bridget Collins
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An intricate and utterly spellbinding literary epic brimming with enchantment, mystery, and dark secrets from the highly acclaimed author of the #1 international bestseller The Binding.

The Awakening by Nora Roberts
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#1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts begins a new trilogy of adventure, romance, and magick in The Awakening.

The Way Back by Gavriel Savit
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Perfect for readers of Neil Gaiman and Philip Pullman, a sweeping historical fantasy that follows two teens on a journey through the Far Country, a Jewish land of spirits and demons.

The Alpha Enigma by W. Michael Gear
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A thrilling new science fiction mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of the Donovan novels.

The Thief on the Winged Horse by Kate Mascarenhas
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A dazzling mixture of crime, romance, magic and myth from the acclaimed author of The Psychology of Time Travel.

Soulswift by Megan Bannen
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A dark, epic fantasy about a girl who must reevaluate everything she believes after she is betrayed and hunted by the religion that raised her—from Megan Bannen, author of The Bird and the Blade. Perfect for fans of The Winner’s Curse and The Girl of Fire and Thorns.

The Burning God by R.F. Kuang
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The exciting end to The Poppy War trilogy, R. F. Kuang’s acclaimed, award-winning epic fantasy that combines the history of twentieth-century China with a gripping world of gods and monsters, to devastating, enthralling effect.

The Arrest by Jonathan Lethem
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From the award-winning author of The Feral Detective and Motherless Brooklyn  comes an utterly original postapocalyptic yarn about two siblings, the man that came between them, and a nuclear-powered super car.

Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson
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The Stormlight Archive saga continues in Rhythm of War, the eagerly awaited sequel to Brandon Sanderson’s #1 New York Times bestselling Oathbringer, from an epic fantasy writer at the top of his game.

Rebel Sisters by Tochi Onyebuchi
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In the epic, action-packed sequel to the “brilliant” (Booklist, starred review) novel War Girls, the battles are over, but the fight for justice has just begun.

What fantasy and sci-fi releases are you looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below!

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

Rather than focusing on how the time machines work and the technology behind them, The Psychology of Time Travel explores the effects that a time travelling profession would have on the traveller as well as the world itself. At the beginning, there were four scientists working to make this dream come true – Bee, Margaret, Grace, and Lucille. But when time came, Bee’s contributions were hidden and her role disappeared altogether. Fifty years later, Bee still reminisces about those days and her exclusion from the pioneer group, looking for a glimmer of hope to become part of the team again. Supporting her is her granddaughter, Ruby, intrigued by her grandmother’s past. When Bee is left a token from Grace about the death of a woman, Ruby cannot help investigating, leading her into an adventure of secrets, time travel, and more.

This book led me to think deeply about the concept of time travel – the shiny and the ugly parts of it are revealed beautifully by Mascarenhas through her characters. I appreciated the theme of understanding death from the human and time-traveller’s perspective, providing a commentary of developing resilience as one jumps through times. Odette’s role as the person who witnessed the woman’s death and her drive to understand what happened, form an important inside link into the workings of the Conclave – the group that manages time travelling. There is also the theme of how power can corrupt people and the ways in which we justify the actions that we take.

Themes for Thought

Stories have a way of provoking thoughts that might not have crossed the mind before. This is precisely the reason why this section exists. From this book, three main ideas surfaced that I want to share:

On the reason behind Time Travelling

Time travelling is an amazing profession. The premise this time is that you can go back, as far as when the machine was built, and as forward as a certain year in the 2500s, with details unclear about why not any further. Unlike the multiverse theory, think Avengers Endgame or The Umbrella Academy, where there are multiple timelines and outcomes to any decision, Kate Mascarenhas’ story happens in a single timeline world. The time travellers can give people the insight of an impending event, but they cannot alter the event.

This makes me wonder about the reason behind time travelling at all. Ask yourself: If you could time travel, to the past, or to the future, where would you go? Why would you undertake such a journey? What if you could not affect any change at all?

Feel free to share your answer to the questions in the comments below!

I personally think the answer lies in our curiosity to know things. Even if we cannot bring about any change, we would like to know all possible aspects of the story. If you are a booklover, that is the reason you chase books that depict your favourite stories from different character point of views, whether it is Pride and Prejudice written from Mr Darcy’s angle (check out Mr Darcy’s Diary if you haven’t already) or Twilight from Edward’s angle (alas, The Midnight Sun remains a draft).

On Death

A curious phenomenon that happened with time travellers in The Psychology of Time Travel was their disconnection from death of people they care about. With the ability to travel to the past, they can always go back and see the ones they love.

“When you’re a time traveller, the people you love die, and you carry on seeing them, so their death stops making a difference to you. The only death that will ever change things is your own.” – Fay, page 54.

I found this fascinating because I had never looked at it this way. In another book I recently read, When you Kant figure it out, ask a philosopher, by Marie Robert (advanced reader copy), coming November 2019, the beliefs of Blaise Pascal (yes, the scientist after which Pascal, the unit of pressure is named) are shared. He believed that humans do not live in the present. We spend a lot of our time thinking about the past and planning for the future. Think about your own habits and how you are really present in the present moment… for myself, I agree with Pascal.

Coming back to time travel, if one can become indifferent to something as huge as death because one can visit the people in a different time, how much in the present does the said time traveller really exist? What’s even better is the Kate, through Ruby’s investigations, explores the answer to my questions.

“Sometimes she [the time traveller] gets the date wrong, and mistakenly places it in the past. She expects her friends and family to remember something that won’t happen for years.” Ginger, in conversation with Ruby, page 58.

“How much were future and past jumbled in Grace’s mind? She’s traveled years into the future on multiple occasions. Maybe she too dislocated from the events the rest of the loved through.” – Ruby’s inner turmoil, page 59.

On Character Presence

The Psychology of Time Travel has a diverse set of characters, most of them female, belonging to the LGBTQ+ community. This added some interesting elements, but it got me questioning why men were not more involved in the time-travel profession. That’s one aspect I notice more and more nowadays. If you watched Avengers Endgame, you probably remember the scene with all the female superheroes helping out Spider-Man. The absence of the male characters is impossible to ignore.

I think it gives more of a commentary on the things we are used to and call ‘normal’ as a society. Seeing men in groups seems normal, while women forming the main cast of the story, without a male character, seems different, in a good way. Refreshing, because this was my first book that had both LGBTQ+ elements as well as main female protagonists. The fact that time travel was invented by four female scientists is amazing.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to all time travelling enthusiasts. This book is a blend of mystery and thriller, a diverse set of characters, dealing with life in their unique ways, at the heart of which is a murder, and a profession that takes all the time there is (in all possible senses of time). I also recommend that, should you choose to read this, pay attention to the timeline of the chapters – the chapters are short and can cover multiple people’s stories at the same time. I am definitely keeping a timeline of events next time!

Want to read more books related to time travel? Check out this list on Goodreads! Other books I will be checking out are by Mary Robinette Kowal’s series The Lady Astronaut novel collection, starting with The Calculating Stars. Also, Blake Crouch has some interesting books, Dark Matter, mentioning time travel, and Recursion, being his latest.

The Psychology of Time Travel is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.

Have you read The Psychology of Time Travel? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

In 1967, four female scientists worked together to build the world’s first time machine. But just as they are about to debut their creation, one of them suffers a breakdown, putting the whole project—and future of time travel—in jeopardy. To protect their invention, one member is exiled from the team—erasing her contributions from history.

Fifty years later, time travel is a big business. Twenty-something Ruby Rebello knows her beloved grandmother, Granny Bee, was one of the pioneers, though no one will tell her more. But when Bee receives a mysterious newspaper clipping from the future reporting the murder of an unidentified woman, Ruby becomes obsessed: could it be Bee? Who would want her dead? And most importantly of all: can her murder be stopped?

Traversing the decades and told from alternating perspectives, The Psychology of Time Travel introduces a fabulous new voice in fiction and a new must-read for fans of speculative fiction and women’s fiction alike.

The post Review: The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Read on to discover our picks and tell us if you will be checking any of these books out in the comments below!

Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J Maas
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Two years after escaping Gotham City’s slums, Selina Kyle returns as the mysterious and wealthy Holly Vanderhees. She quickly discovers that with Batman off on a vital mission, Batwing is left to hold back the tide of notorious criminals. Gotham City is ripe for the taking. Meanwhile, Luke Fox wants to prove he has what it takes to help people in his role as Batwing. He targets a new thief on the prowl who seems cleverer than most. She has teamed up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, and together they are wreaking havoc. This Catwoman may be Batwing’s undoing.

Mirage by Somaiya Daud
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In a star system dominated by the brutal Vathek empire, eighteen-year-old Amani is a dreamer. When adventure comes for Amani, it is not what she expects: she is kidnapped by the regime and taken in secret to the royal palace, where she discovers that she is nearly identical to the cruel half-Vathek Princess Maram. The princess is so hated by her conquered people that she requires a body double, someone to appear in public as Maram, ready to die in her place. As Amani is forced into her new role, she can’t help but enjoy the palace’s beauty—and her time with the princess’ fiancé, Idris.

The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark
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Creeper, a scrappy young teen, is done living on the streets of New Orleans. Instead, she wants to soar, and her sights are set on securing passage aboard the smuggler airship Midnight Robber. Her ticket: earning Captain Ann-Marie’s trust using a secret about a kidnapped Haitian scientist and a mysterious weapon he calls The Black God’s Drums. But Creeper keeps another secret close to heart–Oya, the African orisha of the wind and storms, who speaks inside her head and grants her divine powers. And Oya has her own priorities concerning Creeper and Ann-Marie…

Whisper Me This by Kerry Anne King
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Single mother Maisey Addington has always fallen short of her own mother’s expectations. A phone call blows apart the precarious balance of their lives with Maisey’s mother is in a coma, and her aging father faces charges of abuse and neglect. Back at her childhood home, Maisey must make a heartrending life-or-death decision. Her confused father has destroyed family records, including her mother’s final wishes. Searching for answers, Maisey uncovers one unspeakable secret after another when she stumbles upon a shattering truth: a twin sister named Marley.

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.

Trust Me by Hank Phillippi Ryan
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An accused killer insists she’s innocent of a heinous murder. A grieving journalist surfaces from the wreckage of her shattered life. Their unlikely alliance leads to a dangerous cat and mouse game that will leave you breathless. Trust Me is the chilling standalone novel of psychological suspense and manipulation that award-winning author and renowned investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan was born to write.

Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson
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When the patriarch of the Ballenger empire dies, his son, Jase, becomes its new leader. Even nearby kingdoms bow to the strength of this outlaw family, who have always governed by their own rules. But a new era looms on the horizon, set in motion by a young queen, which makes her the target of the dynasty’s resentment and anger. At the same time, Kazi, a legendary former street thief, is sent by the queen to investigate transgressions against the new settlements. When Kazi arrives in the forbidding land of the Ballengers, she learns that there is more to Jase than she thought.

The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas
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In 1967, four female scientists invent a time-travel machine. They are on the cusp of fame, but then one of them suffers a breakdown and puts the whole project in peril. In 2017, Ruby knows her beloved Granny Bee was a pioneer, but they never talk about the past. Though time travel is now big business, Bee has never been part of it. Then they receive a message from the future – a newspaper clipping reporting the mysterious death of an elderly lady… In 2018, Odette went into shock when she discovered the body. Who is this dead woman that haunts her dreams? And why is everyone determined to cover up her murder?

The King Tides by James Swain
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Nicki Pearl is the perfect daughter and that of strangers, too. Wherever she goes, she’s being watched. Each stalker is different from the last, except for one thing—their alarming obsession with Nicki. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Nicki’s father is turning to someone who can protect her: retired private detective and ex–Navy SEAL Jon Lancaster. Teaming up with FBI agent and former abduction victim Beth Daniels, Lancaster can help—his way. But this case is unusual. Why so many men? Why this one girl? Does Nicki have something to hide? Or do her parents?

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
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Sancia Grado is a thief and her latest target is a heavily guarded warehouse, but unbeknownst to her, Sancia’s been sent to steal an artifact of unimaginable power, an object that could revolutionize the magical technology known as scriving. The Merchant Houses who control this magic–the art of using coded commands to imbue everyday objects with sentience. If they can unlock the artifact’s secrets, they will rewrite the world itself to suit their aims. Now someone in those Houses wants Sancia dead, and the artifact for themselves.

Heretics Anonymous by Katie Henry
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Michael is an atheist. So as he walks through the doors at St. Clare’s—a strict Catholic school—things can’t get much worse. When a girl challenges their teacher in class, Michael thinks he might have found a friend and nonbeliever. Only this girl, Lucy, is not just Catholic . . . she wants to be a priest. But Lucy introduces Michael to other St. Clare’s outcasts, and he officially joins Heretics Anonymous, where he can be an atheist, Lucy can be an outspoken feminist, Avi can be Jewish and gay, Max can wear whatever he wants, and Eden can practice paganism. After an incident in theology class, Michael encourages the Heretics to go from secret society to rebels intent on exposing the school’s hypocrisies.

Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter
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Andrea Cooper knows everything about her mother Laura. She knows she’s spent her whole life in the small town of Gullaway Island; she knows she’s never had any more ambition than to live a quiet life as a pillar of the community; she knows she’s never kept a secret in her life. But one day, a trip to the mall explodes into violence and Andrea suddenly sees a completely different side to Laura. Twenty-four hours later, Laura is in hospital, shot by an intruder who’s spent thirty years trying to track her down. Now, Andrea must go on a desperate journey to follow the breadcrumbs of her mother’s past. If she can’t uncover the secrets hidden there, there may be no future for either of them.

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 Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.