Wombling Along

reviews

Mar 21

Hellooooo!

I hope the signs of Spring have at least helped in a week where the word appears even more on fire than usual! This is Wombling Along the blog’s weekend supplement where I share reviews and articles that caught my eye. Grab a cuppa, a biscuit and hopefully find some books or ideas to ponder.

My week was pleasantly busy with Mother’s Day, a day out walking along a beach and I had a cheeky day off to actually do some reading. I have a small stack of reviews to write this weekend and a very cool pile of imminent reads so I’m enjoying things. Well until I look at the news.

But anyway to the Booktempting (not by me)!

Reviews

Ada Hoffman has collected a Quarterly look book at recent reading highlights

https://buttondown.com/ada-hoffmann/archive/spring-reviews-stories-i-read-in-the-snow/

Nerds of a Feather were captured by Hell’s Heart by Alexis Hall

http://www.nerds-feather.com/2026/03/book-review-hells-heart-by-alexis-hall.html

Gingernuts of Horror really like Wretch by Eric La Rocca

https://gnofhorror.com/wretch-review-eric-laroccas-grief-horror/

And impressed by The Butcher of Nazareth by David Scott Hay

https://gnofhorror.com/the-butcher-of-nazareth-review/

And finally they were wowed by The Shetland Witch by Kate Macdonald

https://gnofhorror.com/the-shetland-witch-by-kate-macdonald-review/

At Locus they enjoyed Loss Protocol by Paul McAuley

https://locusmag.com/review/loss-protocol-by-paul-mcauley-review-by-niall-harrison/

They looked at the Essential Horror of Joe R Lansdale

https://locusmag.com/review/the-essential-horror-of-joe-r-lansdale-by-joe-lansdale-review-by-gabino-iglesias/

And very impressed by The Misheard World by Aliya Whiteley

https://locusmag.com/review/the-misheard-world-by-aliya-whiteley-review-by-abigail-nussbaum/

Also Locus has started its annual Kickstarter and they do good work!

https://www.indiegogo.com/en/projects/locuspublications/locusmag2026

Novel Deelights was impressed by Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

https://noveldeelights.com/2026/03/19/wolf-hall-by-hilary-mantel/

Twirling Book Princess hugely enjoyed So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison

https://twirlingbookprincess.com/2026/03/review-so-thirsty/

Jam Reads enjoyed Nightshare and Oak by a Molly O’Neill

https://jamreads.com/reviews/nightshade-and-oak-by-molly-oneill

Fantasy Book Nerd is very impressed by Clay McLeod Chapman’s new novella Bodies of Wor

https://www.fantasybooknerd.com/2026/03/book-review-bodies-of-work-clay-mcleod.html?m=1

Strange Horizons explores horror in this review of Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

https://strangehorizons.com/wordpress/non-fiction/witchcraft-for-wayward-girls-by-grady-hendrix/

And I really liked this review (less than positive) about Crisis At Proxima by Travis S Taylor and Les Johnson which I think adds to this recent debate on what is science fiction and here a very firmly SF book feels like it for me isn’t what I think what SF should be doing

https://strangehorizons.com/wordpress/non-fiction/crisis-at-proxima-by-travis-s-taylor-and-les-johnson/

Galactic Journey dives into some books from 1971

https://galacticjourney.org/march-16-1971-galactoscope-march-1971/

There’s Always Room for One More look at both Jennifer Thorne’s Diavola and The Witch In The Well by Camilla Bruce with different reactions

https://onemore.org/2026/03/15/shes-behind-you/

Fan Fi Addict was hugely impressed by Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep by Paul Tremblay

https://fanfiaddict.com/review-dead-but-dreaming-of-electric-sheep-by-paul-tremblay/

The Fantasy Hive adds to the number of good reviews of The Misheard World by Aliya Whiteley

https://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2026/03/the-misheard-world-by-aliya-whiteley-book-review/

At SF Book they had more fun than I did with Gareth L Powell’s Jitterbug

https://sfbook.com/jitterbug.htm

They also enjoyed Sentient by Michael Nyak

https://sfbook.com/sentient.htm

Awards

The Aldiss Award looks into worldbuilding and for the second year has announced what looks like it’s actual submissions received

https://thealdissaward.com/the-2026-aldiss-award-long-list/

The Nebulas have annoyed their shortlists

https://reactormag.com/here-are-the-finalists-for-the-2025-nebula-awards/

Cons

One of my favourite cons in the UK is Edgelit in Derby a one-day con that often has a writing focus. If you’ve ever pondered going to a con this one is a nice easy way to dip your toe. More information is here

https://www.derbyquad.co.uk/events/edgelit12/?fbclid=IwZnRzaAQqROBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEerhShT22TtkRYci5-p5K5ZAqfFGtNBYplFggLm_ND2Z31uVLW6bzv1IPf77Q_aem_KjzWSoxUgxmn7LJ2AlRtCA

Eastercon has announced this year’s programme

https://guide.eastercon2026.org

In Other News

At Ancillary Review of Books there is this fascinating essay exploring yhe Weird Space Opera

Ancillary Review of Books

https://ancillaryreviewofbooks.org/2026/03/20/angels-and-devices/

Also it’s a great time to mention their Kickstarter has started and it’s for a great blog site so please consider donating

https://ancillaryreviewofbooks.org/2026/03/18/arb-fundraiser-incoming/

Charlie-Jane Anders explores a problematic character type

https://buttondown.com/charliejane/archive/im-kinda-tired-of-this-book-trope-the-miserable/

At Reactor this article explores how someone can read multiple books at once. Best I usually manage is three!