Religious & Spiritual Fiction Books

Book SynopsisFive bedraggled refugees and a sinister wizard awaken a dragon—and defy the godsAfter their homeland is struck with a deadly plague, five refugees cross the continent searching for answers. Instead, they find Psander—a wizard whose fortress is invisible to the gods and who is willing to sacrifice anything and anyone to keep the knowledge of the wizards safe.With Psander as their patron, the refugees cross the mountains and brave the territory of their sworn enemies. They confront a hostile ocean and even traverse the world of the fairies in search of magic powerful enough to save themselves—and Psander’s library—from the wrath of the gods. All they need to do now is rescue an imprisoned dragon and unleash a primordial monster upon the world . . . And how hard could that be?File Under: Fantasy [ Ravens of Revenge / The Great Flood / Dragon Boy / You’re the Prophecy ]Trade Review“Silent Hall is very nearly a perfect novel. I wish my first book had been anywhere near as inventive and challenging to the norm.”– James A Moore, author of the Seven Forges series“This was crazy good! 4.8/5”– Koeur’s Book Reviews“This is a very special debut novel. The quality of writing takes this tale way beyond a simple fantasy adventure.”– Strange Alliances“An excellent debut from a new author. What a lush world of magics and peoples, gods, and dragons. What’s more, the author set it all in a patriarchal world, yet delivers some rather feminist notions in a very organic way. Likewise, there are nuggets about racism and even domestic violence, but done so subtly and woven in so smoothly that they don’t stand out as such. They just blend in to make a much rounder story that has a lot more to say than the typical medieval-patriarchy fantasy. A delightful surprise, and cleverly done.”– Women of Badassery“If you are a reader of fantasy, I highly recommend Silent Hall, the first in Dolkart’s new series. Read it because you like a comfort read. Read it because you like to read about close friends succeeding together. Read it because you appreciate the value of ethical interaction that is so lost in most of the fantasy literature coming out today. Read it for its cleverness, read it for its endearing Talmud like study of a fantastical theology. Read it because of its feminist bent or its discussion of the value of knowledge and the fear that knowledge can generate. Read it to watch characters learn to love themselves. Read it because it’s raining outside. Whatever. Read it!”– Dirty Little Bookworm“I believe any fan of epic fantasy, or anyone who just like a well written, focused character driven story, will enjoy this book. If you’re big into Anthony Ryan’s Blood Song series, Michael Sullivan’s Ryiria series, Tim Marquitz’s Blood War series, or Jeff Salyard’s Bloodsounder’s Arc series, then this book should be a must read for you.”– The Bookwyrm Speaks“Love this story.”– H D Lynn, author of The Corner Store Witch“Reading Silent Hall, I was impressed by just how well thought out and paced the narrative was. As a first novel, this is supremely good book.”– Misanthropester“N S Dolkart’s debut novel, Silent Hall, is an epic fantasy adventure that explores new ground with a reluctant band of adventurers and really captures the reader’s attention.”– Looking for a Good Book“Silent Hall wages a war between selfish gods and a band of wanderers, whose strained friendship is their greatest weapon. The reader has no opportunity to lose interest in this tale.”– Cowering King“A great, mythological sort of story that brings all of high fantasy’s good stuff to the table without having all that Good Ol’ Boy fantasy nonsense of its genre predecessors from the 90s and early 2000s.“– Jasmine Gower, author of Moonshine“Dolkart did a great job of switching between his characters, and I felt their pain when they were faced with trials.“– A Man for All Seasons“Epic fantasy at its most divine.“– Sean Grigsby

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Book SynopsisWinner of the John W Campbell Award for Best New Writer, Jeannette Ng brings a stunningly different Victorian fantasy that mixes Crimson Peak with Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. Victorian missionaries travel into the heart of the newly discovered lands of the Fae, in a stunningly different fantasy that mixes Crimson Peak with Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. Catherine Helstone’s brother, Laon, has disappeared in Arcadia, legendary land of the magical fae. Desperate for news of him, she makes the perilous journey, but once there, she finds herself alone and isolated in the sinister house of Gethsemane. At last there comes news: her beloved brother is riding to be reunited with her soon but the Queen of the Fae and her insane court are hard on his heels.File Under: Fantasy [ In Arcadia Seek and Hide The Queen of Moths Lands of the Damned ] Trade Review“An opulently atmospheric piece of neo-Victorian fantasy set in a 19th century in which the British are sending missionaries to Fairyland. It’s a strange, brooding and occasionally perverse debut.”– The Guardian, The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2017“An evocative, claustrophobic Gothic novel with strikingly creepy set-pieces, which repeatedly dislocates its reader’s and characters’ worldview in a forceful examination of faith and the power of stories.”– Aliette de Bodard, Nebula, Locus and BSFA Award-winning author of The House of Shattered Wings“Under the Pendulum Sun is a weird, ingenious, and ravishing story of the Fae and the outsiders driven to discover their secrets, told with a heady melange of disturbing beauty and enticing dangers.”– Kate Elliott, author of Cold Magic, Black Wolves, and Court of Fives“Poetic, elegant, the writing feels filigreed and heavy with silk… the most nonchalantly menacing thing I’ve ever read.”– Cassandra Khaw, author of Hammers on Bone"Threads together the Brontës, Fae mythology and the Biblical Apocrypha into an intricate gothic tapestry, the sort that seems to shift slightly when you glance away, the sort that throws away imagery in every half-sentence that makes the “shifting tapestry” metaphor in the previous sentence wince at being a bit predictable." – Kieron Gillen, co-creator of The Wicked + The Divine“An enchanting literary debut – I couldn’t put it down!”– Lavie Tidhar, World Fantasy Award winning author of A Man Lies Dreaming and Central Station“Jeanette Ng has no time for Victorian attempts to sanitise and prettify Faerie. A story as intriguing as it is eerily disturbing.”– Juliet McKenna"Extremely beautiful, entertaining, and emotionally compelling...read this excellent book."– Grimdark magazine "Intriguing... fascinating."– Publishers Weekly“The world-building and atmosphere are just incredible. It’s especially gripping because the normal rules don’t apply, and nothing is as it seems.”– Syfy Wire, The 10 Best Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books of 2017“This is The Woman in Black, Heart of Darkness and fae all mixed up in a magical debut novel.”– Morpheus Tales Reviews“Under the Pendulum Sun is without a shadow of doubt one of the best fantasy stories I’ve read in 2017. I was engrossed in the mystery, delighted by the scope of the intertextuality, thrilled by the reversal of situations I hadn’t seen coming, and amazed by the world building. Under the Pendulum Sun not only has a fantastic cover, it also has a great story to tell that I would urge any fantasy reader, particularly if they are keen on gritty Victoriana, to try.”– Black Girl Nerds“A brave and startling debut, one that’s both sensual and sinister, a foundation for what should be a glowing career.”– British Fantasy Society“Under the Pendulum Sun contains wonders and terrors, sweet love and brittle disgust. ”– Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog“A brilliant fantasy that challenges the characters’ faith and hearts, and creates a world entirely of its own.”– Scifi Now“Jeannette Ng’s Under the Pendulum Sun is big and unruly and spills over in various directions in ways that genuinely excite.”– Strange Horizons“Jeannette Ng weaves an incredible tale in the vein of a creepy Victorian novel that blends elements of fantasy, historical fiction, mystery, and more into a dark and captivating tale.”– San Francisco Book Review“A perfectly twisted novel.”– SFF World"A stroke of pure brilliance."– the Guardian“Hauntingly beautiful and masterfully told. This looks like the start of a brilliant career.”– Keith Yatsuhashi, author of Kokoro“Jeannette Ng's imagery is breathtaking, her setting dark and delightful, and her use of theology is pure genius. Like some sinister elf, Under the Pendulum Sun will steal your imagination and never give it back.”– N S Dolkart, author of Among the Fallen“Under the Pendulum Sun does live up to its fabulous pitch. A richly woven fantasy from a brilliant imagination. Definitely one for readers interested in fairy lore and Gothic fantasy.”– Rod Duncan, author of The Bullet-Catcher’s Daughter“Imagine Northanger Abbey’s Catherine Morland confined to a particularly mysterious corner of Gormenghast with the Faeries of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell for company and you start to get an idea of how delightfully intricate and beautifully realised a novel Under the Pendulum Sunis. A remarkable debut.”– Jonathan L Howard, author of Johannes Cabal the Necromancer series“Under the Pendulum Sun is a delicious fusion of repressed Victorian missionary values and the horror of the Fae. A sumptuous account of the journey into the land of the Fae, and into the darkest recesses of the human soul, this book delighted and shocked in all the best ways.”– Emma Newman“A novel whose big heart enables it to engage with big ideas. Read it carefully, and be rewarded.”– Andrew Wallace, author of Sons of the Crystal Mind"Jeannette Ng has written an utterly brilliant gothic novel, using all the tropes and cliches of the genre and rising above them in magnificent style. I highly recommend it."– Intellectus Speculativus“Ng draws us into the fantastic quickly, with gorgeously imaginative details.”– Shoreline of Infinity“There is a wisdom, but also an exquisite beauty in her words that stun you... Under the Pendulum Sun is a gorgeous book.”– Utopia State of Mind“An intricate distortion of myth and history… A pre-Halloween puzzle box of a book.”– Victorian Soul Critiques“A deep, rich and very definitely eerie gothic novel that asks some very hard, very interesting questions about god, faith, the nature of truth and what stories and storytelling have to do with all of it.”– Kam Reads and Recs“Under the Pendulum Sun is a dark, psychological fantasy in a gothic vein, paying considerable literary homage to authors such as the Brontës. Impressively, Jeannette Ng manages to keep her debut novel grounded in historical reality despite its taking place entirely in the faelands.”– The Fancy Hat Lady Reads“Holy wah. Holy wah! Holy WAH! This book was an amazing read!”– Purple Owl Reviews“Jeannette Ng’s Under the Pendulum Sun expertly weaves fantasy, the Gothic, academia, and religion in this compelling novel about missionaries to Arcadia, the land of the Fae.”– Fairy Book Mother“The writing and the world building are an absolute treat and the story is very original.”– Helen’s Bookshelf“Under the Pendulum Sun is a towering work of imagination.”– Alan Brenik“Jeannette Ng has subverted the Gothic novel and given it a fresh lease of life.”– Strange Alliances“The writing is, in a word, beautiful.”– YA On My Mind“Beautifully crafted and structured, but containing a deeper, hidden heart that takes patience to reach. 5 Stars: Excellent.”– Occasionally Random Book Reviews“Under the Pendulum Sun is an amazing debut novel from an author to watch.”– The Illustrated Page“A book that will pull you in about fourteen different directions and refresh your imagination.”– Chain Interaction“Ng’s writing is first rate and this is an enjoyable, immersive book that is able both to take seriously the perspective of its Victorian characters and to show their worldview under assault from a cultural encounter for which they’re wholly unfitted. It’s a haunting, intricate book which is like nothing I’d read before. I’d strongly recommend it.”– Blue Book Balloon“The author does an excellent job of building suspense and setting throughout, and gives us interesting characters.”– JD DeHart“A stunningly different fantasy that mixes Crimson Peak with Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.”– Fine Print“Under the Pendulum Sun is a debut novel from a writer who knows her prose craft.”– Pop-Verse“Really interesting and refreshing.”– Bofinkins vlog“Under the Pendulum Sun is fantastic and I can’t wait to see what Jeannette Ng writes next.”– Pretty Terrible“Ng’s writing is stunning. It’s rich and lush, full of description and atmosphere. You can practically feel things moving in the shadows as you’re reading. The language Ng has used fits perfectly with the story she’s writing -- descriptions balancing on the edge of over-done, utilising old-fashioned styles of perhaps ’telling’ more than is common now. It’s all beautifully done and Under the Pendulum Sun could easily sit next to any of the classic Gothic Romance novels.”– Foxes & Fairytales“Utterly captivating and super weird. Loved it.”– Way Too Fantasy“A rich, strange, increasingly nightmarish phantasmagoria of both horror and beauty. It’s impressively erudite and sly. It draws the reader expertly in, builds steady tension, then lays shocking plot twist after plot twist. It’s a novel that opens into landscapes of wonder, and becomes a moving, even rapturous, journey. ”– It’s a Jumble“An excellent eerie trip… If you would like a chance from fantasy that constantly looks for a quest or quasi-detective story then I think this would be a perfect novel to take you away but you may not be quite the same person afterwards. Pass the salt…”– Runalong the Shelves“So much its own thing that I don’t hesitate to recommend it, and am extremely curious to see what Ng does next.”– Asking the Wrong Questions“Under the Pendulum Sun is without a shadow of doubt one of the best fantasy stories I’ve read in 2017. I was engrossed in the mystery, delighted by the scope of the intertextuality, thrilled by the reversal of situations I hadn’t seen coming and amazed by the world building. Under the Pendulum Sun not only has a fantastic cover, it also has a great story to tell that I would urge any fantasy reader, particularly if they are keen on gritty Victoriana, to try.”– The Middle Shelf“Under the Pendulum Sun is a fascinating story.”– Earl Grey“Ng’s novel is a dream that does not disappoint. It’s a rich, strange, increasingly nightmarish phantasmagoria of both horror and beauty. It’s impressively erudite and sly. It draws the reader expertly in, builds steady tension, then lays shocking plot twist after plot twist. It’s a novel that opens into landscapes of wonder, and becomes a moving, even rapturous, journey. ”– It’s a Jumble“I loved this book… A genuinely delightful and thought provoking read.”– Fox Spirit“Under the Pendulum Sun is no fairytale; its ancestors are Jane Eyre and Ann Radcliffe, not the faerie-tinged historical fantasies of Susanna Clarke and Zen Cho.”– The English Student“Under the Pendulum Sun is more than a simple novel of the Fae (to quote it’s subtitle) but instead is quite a rather clever morality tale that shows what can happen to those who believe their culture is far superior to everyone else’s. It’s a great novel and ... I enjoyed it alot.”– Resolute Reader“I’d be lying if I said this book hadn’t utterly blown me away. As debut novels go, I think this is a damned hard one to beat, and I’ve read some really great ones. In fairness, both to it and to others, though, I’ve never read anything quite like this. As an example of SFF at its finest, it shines like a faerie moon hanging before an angler fish. Just watch out for those teeth.”– Over The Effing Rainbow“Beautifully written.”– Fantasy Book Review“Ms Ng’s rendering of the Fae world is a must-read. Such vast imagination that takes authors years to build. Weird, quirky, and intricate details that are so subtle yet immensely powerful–like a well-added spice.”– Moore Fantasy“Geat prose, effectively told story, utterly captivating and super weird. Loved it.”– Way Too Fantasy“Stanislaw Lem meets George MacDonald meets VC Andrews meets Sylvia Townsend Warner. If having your expectations swung back and forth sounds like fun give this a go.”– 10 Bad Habits“Captivating, thoroughly recommended.”– Novel Gazing Redux“This is a masterful debut, although it won’t be for everyone – it’s slow, often ambiguous, as religious as it is profane, and takes great joy in its broken edges. Bravo.”– One More“Vibrant, complex, and engrossing... a sorrowful, heartfelt masterpiece.”– Literary Nocturne Review“This tale weaves folklore, history, and the gothic tradition into a tapestry of horror, unease and suspense that I just couldn’t put down, this combines with a beautiful insta-worthy cover meant it was definitely a big favourite of my year.”– The Trouble with Tribbles“An interesting read and a beautiful one and definitely worth the effort.”– Fangs for the Fantasy“The premise is irresistible and strange, and Ng’s crisp and luminous prose is ideal for navigating faeland, a gloomy world, full of secrets and mysteries, and casual cruelty.”– Head Shoulders Knees & Toes“The writing in this book was phenomenal, and the way the world was designed and built was so intricately done, so extraordinary and just a pleasure to read. ”– Ayundabhuwana’s Blog"There are times when the 'real' crosses over into delightful absurdism that reminds readers of the work of Lewis Carol or Hayao Miyazaki. But above all one of the most captivating elements of this book is its novel and alluring premise: Victorian missonairies travel to the Faelands to convert the fae folk to Christianity."– The Writer's Corner"Basically, I really love this book and would highly recommend it!"– Brenhines Books

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER INTERNATIONAL PRIZE • From the bestselling author of To the End of the Land comes a searing story of loss and survival.In a dive bar in a small Israeli city, Dov Greenstein, a comedian a bit past his prime, takes the stage for his final show. Over the course of a single evening, Dov’s patter becomes a kind of memoir, taking us back into the terrors of his childhood. And in the dance between comic and audience, a deeper story begins to take shape as Dov confronts the decision that has shaped the course of his life—a story that will alter the lives of several of those in attendance. A Horse Walks Into a Bar is a poignant exploration of how people confront life’s capricious battering.

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Book SynopsisFrom the author of the multi-million copy bestseller The Tattooist of Auschwitz comes a new novel based on a riveting true story of love and resilience. Her beauty saved her and condemned her. Cilka is just sixteen years old when she is taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp in 1942, where the commandant immediately notices how beautiful she is. Forcibly separated from the other women prisoners, Cilka learns quickly that power, even unwillingly taken, equals survival. When the war is over and the camp is liberated, freedom is not granted to Cilka: She is charged as a collaborator for sleeping with the enemy and sent to a Siberian prison camp. But did she really have a choice? And where do the lines of morality lie for Cilka, who was send to Auschwitz when she was still a child? In Siberia, Cilka faces challenges both new and horribly familiar, including the unwanted attention of the guards. But when she meets a kind fe

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Book SynopsisFrom Heather Morris, the author of the multi-million copy bestseller The Tattooist of Auschwitz, comes a engrossing novel based on a riveting true story of love and resilience.Her beauty saved herand condemned her.Cilka is just sixteen years old when she is taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp in 1942, where the commandant immediately notices how beautiful she is. Forcibly separated from the other women prisoners, Cilka learns quickly that power, even unwillingly taken, equals survival.When the war is over and the camp is liberated, freedom is not granted to Cilka: She is charged as a collaborator for sleeping with the enemy and sent to a Siberian prison camp. But did she really have a choice? And where do the lines of morality lie for Cilka, who was sent to Auschwitz when she was still a child? In Siberia, Cilka faces challenges both new and horribly familiar, including the unwanted attention of the guards. But when she

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Book SynopsisIn the words of Lee Child on Gone to Dust, I want more of Nils Shapiro. Emmy Award-winning author Matt Goldman happily obliges by bringing the Minneapolis private detective back for another thrilling, stand alone adventure in Broken Ice.Nils Shapiro has been hired to find missing Linnea Engstrom, a teenager from the small northern hockey town of Warroad, Minnesota. Most of Warroad is in Minneapolis for the state high school hockey tournament, and Linnea never returned from last night's game. Linnea's friend Haley Housch is also missingand soon found dead.After Nils is shot through the arm with an arrow at the Haley Housch crime scene, only the quick work of medical examiner Char Northagen saves Nil's life.Nils should be in the hospital recovering from his near fatal injury, but he knows that the clock is ticking. Linnea could be anywhere, and someone doesn't want her found. Is Linnea a victim, or is she playing a dangerous game? As bodies

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Book SynopsisA GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICKA BELLETRIST BOOK CLUB PICK For fans of The Hours and Fates and Furies, a bold, kaleidoscopic novel intertwining the lives of three women across three centuries as their stories of sex, power, and desire finally converge in the present day. Lily is a mother and a daughter. And a second wife. And a writer, maybe? Or she was going to be, before she had children. Now, in her rented Brooklyn apartment she's grappling with her sexual and intellectual desires, while also trying to manage her roles as a mother and a wife in 2016. Vivian Barr seems to be the perfect political wife, dedicated to helping her charismatic and ambitious husband find success in Watergate-era Washington D.C. But one night he demands a humiliating favor, and her refusal to obey changes the course of her lifealong with the lives of others.Esther is a fiercely independent young woman in ancient Persia,

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Book SynopsisBoth suspenseful and deeply moving, Carolina Moonset is an engrossing novel about family, memories both golden and terrible, and secrets too dangerous to stay hidden forever, from New York Times bestselling and Emmy Award-winning author, Matt Goldman.Joey Green has returned to Beaufort, South Carolina, with its palmettos and shrimp boats, to look after his ailing father, who is succumbing to dementia, while his overstressed mother takes a break. Marshall Green's short-term memory has all but evaporated, but, as if in compensation, his oldest memories are more vivid than ever. His mind keeps slipping backwards in time, retreating into long-ago yesterdays of growing up in Beaufort as a boy.At first this seems like a blessing of sorts, with the past providing a refuge from a shrinking future, but Joey grows increasingly anxious as his father's hallucinatory arguments with figures from his youth begin to hint at deadly secrets, scandals, and suspicio

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Book SynopsisA SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERA jewel of a rediscovery . . . . A riveting, noirish, intensely filmic portrait of an ambivalent fugitive, cornered but not captured, safest when in motion, at greatest risk when forced to rest.The Wall Street JournalBerlin, November 1938. Jewish shops have been ransacked and looted, synagogues destroyed. As storm troopers pound on his door, Otto Silbermann, a respected businessman, is forced to sneak out the back of his own home. Turned away from establishments he had long patronized, and fearful of being exposed as a Jew despite his Aryan looks, he boards a train. And then another. And another . . . until his flight becomes a frantic odyssey across Germany, as he searches first for information, then for help, and finally for escape. Taut, immediate, infused with acerbic Kafkaesque humor, The Passenger is an indelible portrait of a man and a society careening out of control. Twenty-three

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Book SynopsisSet in Minnesota, Gone to Dust is the New York Times bestselling debut private eye murder mystery from Emmy Award-winning Seinfeld writer Matt Goldman.Sharp wit, complex characters, and masterful plotting makes Goldman a writer to watch. Irreverent and insightful, private detective Nils Shapiro is sure to become a fan favorite. Harlan Coben, New York Times bestselling authorA brutal crime. The ultimate cover-up. How do you solve a murder with no useable evidence?Private detective Nils Shapiro is focused on forgetting his ex-wife and keeping warm during another Minneapolis winter when a former colleague, neighboring Edina Police Detective Anders Ellegaard, calls with the impossible.Suburban divorcee Maggie Somerville was found murdered in her bedroom, her body covered with the dust from hundreds of emptied vacuum cleaner bags, all potential DNA evidence obscured by the calculating killer.Digging into Maggie's cell phone re

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