Images by Svetlana Alyuk, banner by Imyril

It’s May again, and that means it’s one of my favourite times of the year on the blogger calendar – it’s time for Wyrd and Wonder!

This is an online feature, or event, started by bloggers Imyril, Lisa and Jorie back in 2018

a quest to celebrate the best fantasy books, movies, audiobooks, games, art and whatever else tickles our fancy

You can find out more on Imyril’s blog here.

This year, it’s going to be bigger than ever! Here are some of things we’re planning on taking part in:

• The daily photo challenge over on Instagram
• A read-along of The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart
• Fantasy Fridays – every Friday we’ll be looking at fantasy reads and authors in a particular theme.
• Tough Travels – this month’s Tough Travel will coincide with Wyrd and Wonder’s Trope Tuesday and we’ll be looking at the Chosen One.
• We’ll be bringing back Five-Star Fantasy Books in Five Words!

As ever with Wyrd and Wonder, we kick off the month with a look at our Wyrd and Wonder TBRs. Let us know in the comments what you’ll be reading, and if you’ll be adding any of these to your TBRs!

Beth

I’m entering the month having already started Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder, so I’ll be finishing up this fun secret-detective-agency fantasy in time for the blog tour on 14th May. 

I’ll also be taking part in the readalong of The Bone Shard Daughter, although it will be a re-readalong for me – and I can’t wait 😀

I’m also rereading, on the Kindle, The Quietening by Kai Greenwood, sequel to our semi-finalist Code of the Communer. Greenwood has since made some amendments to the manuscript, so I’m giving it a reread to see how it fares.

After I’ve finished Marion Lane, I’ll be picking either C. L. Polk’s The Midnight Bargain, or The Light of the Midnight Stars by Rena Rossner. Nils also has a copy of that one, so there may be another buddy read in my not-to-distant future. Following the quite heavy/epic/grimdark fantasy of the finalists of SPFBO 6, I find myself craving a bit of a change, and all these “Midnight” titled books are just the ticket.

Shaping up to be a busy month!

Nils

I have an ambitious TBR planned, which I fully expect never to complete or stick strictly to.

But I’m joining in with Beth for The Bone Shard Daughter, by Andrea Stewart, readalong, so I’ll be trying desperately to keep up with that each week! I can’t wait to get stuck in, I’ve been craving an Asian inspired fantasy again, and I’m always up for animal companions too!

I’m also planning on Seven Deaths of an Empire by G R Matthews, which is an upcoming grimdark fantasy, and a chunky one at that.

Then I’ve got She who Became the Sun, The Hand of the Sun King and Shards of Earth to pick from. Or as Beth has mentioned there’s The Light of the Midnight Stars by Rena Rossner to buddy read! So many options this month!

I’ll also have to read The Coward by Stephen Aryan sometime near the end of May as it’s released by Angry Robot in early June and I’m signed up for the blog tour! I’m excited as I’ve had a quick read of the first few chapters and I really like the subtle humorous tone, but also the complexities of the characters too. They’re not your average heroes!

Jonathan

 I’m starting off this month reading Serpent’s Reach by C. J. Cherryh and Lisa Tuttle’s short story ‘Wives’ for an academic presentation I’m giving at the end of the month.

I’m also reading Jeff VanderMeer’s new novel Hummingbird Salamander, which I am very excited about. So far it’s easily up there with his other modern classics.

I have some exciting ARCs I need to read this month too – Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon, To The Warm Horizon by Choi Jin-Young, In The Shadow Of The Phosphorus Dawn by Rob True and Absorbed by Kylie Whitehead are all out this month, and I intend to write about all of them.

I’ll also be rereading more Octavia E. Butler for the PhD, Paul Di Filippo’s Ribofunk for another project I’m working on… plenty to be getting on with!

Scarlett

 I loved The Bone Shard Daughter! It will be such a fun read along. Enjoy 🙂 

I have a few books scheduled in May starting with The Helm of Midnight, book 1 in the Five Penalties trilogy, by Marina Lostetter. This one is all about powerful artefacts and a serial killer in a fantastical urban setting where murders and madness are happening in dark places. Oh,heck yes! Must I say more?

Next I will read Hall of Bones, book 1 in The Brotherhood of the Eagle series by Tim Hardie. It’s an epic viking inspired fantasy with rivalling clans, remnant dark evils and a magic system that sounds too good not to explore. I’m excited about this one!

I will also read Wendy, Darling by A.C. Wise, it’s a horror-tinged feminist Peter Pan retelling and I’m all there for it! I love retellings and Peter Pan is one of my favorite characters from my childhood.

I will also try Little White Hands by Mark Cushen. It’s a fantasy adventure story with light hearted whimsical themes as well as darker elements suited for anyone middle grade up, as I understand it.

There is also a fantasy graphic novel that I can’t wait to read. It’s called Numa.The Hunter. by Stas Borodin, an artist I’ve been following for a while, and the novel is about a young hunter on a perilous journey through a world populated by giant insects! That has to be good, right? I already know the visuals will be stunning!

Can’t wait. If I can fit in more titles, the merrier. For now I like how May is shaping up!