Wombling Along
Hellloooo!
Welcome to Wombling Aling the blog’s weekend supplement where I share the reviews and other things that caught my eye this week.
So I last left you going off to see the Mersey Tunnels and that was a really cool trip into the engineering of a tunnel which is complicated. It also introduced me to a thirty foot fan where they play the Thunderbirds theme tune as the giant doors open - this was what I needed the last heat wave.
Unfortunately then a parent took ill and this week has been a bit of a tough one combining tricky work days with hospital visits. Things are looking up on both fronts by today but I’m very much aiming for two days of relaxing this weekend. I might even get my reviews written up at last!
Reviews
Adam Roberts takes a balanced look at the time loop series On The Calculation of Volume by Solvej Balle
https://profadamroberts.substack.com/p/slovej-balle-on-the-calculation-of
Strange Horizons is won over by the strange horror crime novel Teddy Bears Never Die by Cho Yeeun
Series Book Lover is really impressed by The Salt King by Natasha Pulley
https://seriesbooklover.wordpress.com/2026/08/21/the-salt-king-by-natasha-pulley/
Locus is impressed by Heaven’s Graveyard by Crace Curtis
https://locusmag.com/review/heavens-graveyard-by-grace-curtis-review-by-niall-harrison/
They tempt me with some gothic horror in the form of That Which Feeds Us by Keala Kendall
https://locusmag.com/review/that-which-feeds-us-by-keala-kendall-review-by-colleen-mondor/
Jam Reads tempts me with horror and their new fave The Sea Hides Its Dead by Megan Bontrager
https://jamreads.com/reviews/the-sea-hides-its-dead-by-megan-bontrager
They also hugely enjoyed The Eye of The Leviathan by M A Carrick
https://jamreads.com/reviews/the-eye-of-leviathan-the-sea-beyond-1-by-ma-carrick
And also very happy with Preaching to the Choir by Adrian Tchaikovsky
https://jamreads.com/reviews/preaching-to-the-choir-by-adrian-tchaikovsky
And left breathless by Dead Weight by Hildur Knutsdottir
And should tempt you with The Republic of Memory by The Republic of Memory by Mahmud El Sayed
https://locusmag.com/review/the-republic-of-memory-by-mahmud-el-sayed-review-by-alexandra-pierce/
Ancillary Review of Books tempts me with This Tongue I Dream In by Sheree Renee Thomas
https://ancillaryreviewofbooks.org/2026/08/17/dreaming-in-tongues/
Then in this month’s Small Press Despatch it’s The Witch by Marie Ndiaye
https://ancillaryreviewofbooks.org/2026/08/19/spd-tears-of-blood-and-mediocrity/
Nerds of a Feather really enjoys Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky
http://www.nerds-feather.com/2026/08/review-shroud-by-adrian-tchaikovsky.html
At a Gingernuts of Horror they’re impressed by Lullabies for the Lost by Mia Dalia
https://gnofhorror.com/book-review-lullabies-for-the-lost/
And is very impressed by Lionhearts by Dan Howarth
https://gnofhorror.com/lionhearts-by-dan-howarth-angry-political-horror/
Tar Vol On liked my current read Small Burn by Amal Singh
https://www.tarvolon.com/2026/08/20/fantasy-novel-review-slow-burn-by-amal-singh/
And they’re very happy with Preaching to the Choir by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Reactor’s delve into translated fiction looks happily at If We Cannot Go At The Speed of Light by Kim Choyeop
https://reactormag.com/found-in-translation-kim-choyeops-if-we-cannot-go-at-the-speed-of-light/
They also have their picks of July short fiction
https://reactormag.com/must-read-short-speculative-fiction-july-2026/
And entertained by The Dragon Has Some Complaints by John Wiswell
https://reactormag.com/book-review-the-dragon-has-some-complaints-by-john-wiswell/
And impressed by The Fishbone Cinderella by Elizabeth Lim
https://reactormag.com/book-review-fishbone-cinderella-by-elizabeth-lim/
Fantasy Book Nerd was underwhelmed by The Children by Melissa Albert
https://www.fantasybooknerd.com/2026/08/book-review-children-melissa-albert.html
Fan Fi Addict is very impressed by Home Sick by Rhiannon Grist
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-home-sick-by-rhiannon-grist-2/
And The Burn Line by Jonathan Sims
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-the-burn-line-by-jonathan-sims-2/
Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub enjoyed The Bone Raiders by Jackson Ford
https://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.home.blog/2026/08/17/book-review-the-bone-raiders-by-jackson-ford/
In Other News
Ancillary also has this reflection and investigation into the life of Joanna Russ
https://ancillaryreviewofbooks.org/2026/08/18/the-robber-time/
A Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett led Stewart Hotston to ponder the use of Empire by writers in fantasy
https://stewarthotston.com/2026/08/18/the-tainted-cup-on-empires-that-arent-in-modern-fantasy/
And this led to me also reading Borrowed and Blue’s thoughts on the series
https://borrowed-and-blue.beehiiv.com/p/robert-jackson-bennett-s-the-shadow-of-the-leviathan
Gautam Bhatia has a new Words for Worlds edion
https://gautambhatia.substack.com/p/words-for-worlds-issue-129
As always don’t forget to tuck into this week’s The Full Lid
https://us8.campaign-archive.com/?u=a0e2b590b7db9ab7d2927942c&id=243945432e
And for more excellent reviews and insights don’t forget to read Renay’s Intergalactic Mixtape
https://buttondown.com/intergalacticmixtape/archive/intergalactic-mixtape-67/
Have a great weekend, keep reading and I will see you soon!
