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Best Fiction of 2012

Cover art for THE HERMETIC MILLENNIA
FICTION
Released: Dec. 24, 2012
THE HERMETIC MILLENNIA
by John C. Wright
"Astonishing stuff that leaves readers with plenty of work to do."
Second installment of Wright's ferociously dense and convoluted far-future space opera involving hyperintelligence, aliens and artificial evolution (Count to a Trillion, 2011). Warning up front: read the first book first. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE BUZZARD TABLE
FICTION
Released: Nov. 20, 2012
Kirkus Star THE BUZZARD TABLE
by Margaret Maron
"Maron (Three-Day Town, 2011, etc.) adroitly melds ugly American (open) government secrets with classic whodunit intrigue and stirs the pot by itemizing domestic travails that will touch readers' hearts."
Every family has secrets. Some are even worth telling. Read full book review >
Cover art for YOUNG PHILBY
FICTION
Released: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Star YOUNG PHILBY
by Robert Littell
"A Cold-War spy novel for the top shelf."
A dizzying "what if" take on (in)famous British spy Kim Philby. Read full book review >
Cover art for DEAR LIFE
FICTION
Released: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Star DEAR LIFE: STORIES
by Alice Munro
"The author knows what matters, and the stories pay attention to it."
A revelation, from the most accomplished and acclaimed of contemporary short story writers. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE CASSANDRA PROJECT
FICTION
Released: Nov. 6, 2012
Kirkus Star THE CASSANDRA PROJECT
by Jack McDevitt, Mike Resnick
"A top-notch, edge-of-the-seat thriller in which there are no villains, only mysteries."
This first collaboration from McDevitt (Firebird, 2011, etc.) and Resnick (The Doctor and the Kid, 2011, etc.), developed from a 2010 story by McDevitt (spoiler alert: don't read the story first), takes the form of a conspiracy involving the moon landings. And no, Stanley Kubrick didn't fake them. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE STOCKHOLM OCTAVO
FICTION
Released: Oct. 23, 2012
Kirkus Star THE STOCKHOLM OCTAVO
by Karen Engelmann
"The setup is wonderfully engrossing; the denouement doesn't deliver quite enough. But this is stylish work by an author of real promise."
Elegant and multifaceted, Engelmann's debut explores love and connection in late-18th-century Sweden and delivers an unusual, richly imagined read. Read full book review >