Can't-Wait Wednesday: Fabrications by Zachary Mason & The Best Journey in the World: An Antarctic Story by Kim Stanley Robinson

       

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released!

Fabrications by Zachary Mason

Publication: December 1st, 2026

Grove Presss

Hardcover. 224 pages.

Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:

"'Fabrications captures its highly intelligent narrators with great astuteness and nuance, drawing thrilling stories out of 'alien' minds. Mason's work feels more pertinent than ever in our fast-advancing future.'—Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Coldwire 

Far-sighted, darkly amusing, and haunting, Fabrications is a dazzling work of literary imagination told from the perspectives of various powerful artificial intelligences, influenced by Borges and Calvino, and for readers of Kazuo Ishiguro and Emily St. John Mandel

In Fabrications, New York Times bestselling author and computer scientist Zachary Mason tells stories of an all-too-plausible near-future world molded and mediated by advanced artificial intelligence. Benevolent by design, literal by nature, and immensely powerful when unchained, these are not the chatbots of today’s world, but rather highly evolved yet surprisingly vulnerable beings who permeate nearly all aspects of human life. Their fates inexorably wrapped around those of the people they serve, the AIs communicate in milliseconds but watch the sweep of time unfold from the detached watchtower of immortality. 

The revelations Mason conjures from within these beings’ perspectives are brilliantly crafted and strikingly relevant. In “Kami”, AIs are assigned to represent natural phenomena, giving nature legal personhood and setting off a chain of high-stakes consequences. In “Ouroboros”, a hedge fund manager unleashes his AI from the usual constraints, allowing it to make him billions of dollars—when he dies, the program clones him several times over the centuries like a familiar left without a companion. And in “Lamina”, a woman with dementia is gently kept on track and reassured by the medical program implanted in her mind who can be there with her when no one else can. 

For readers of Ted Chiang, Karen Russell, and David Mitchell, Zachary Mason holds a mirror up to our contemporary world and dares to imagine what might follow."

I'm really intrigued by the concept of this one, and the authors included are all ones that I'm always happy to check out new work from, so this one I'm very eager to check out!

The Best Journey in the World: An Antarctic Story by Kim Stanley Robinson

Publication: December 1st, 2026

Little, Brown and Company

Hardcover. 448 pages.

Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:

"Interweaving memoir, some never-before-published photographs, and good old fashioned ice adventure, Kim Stanley Robinson takes readers along on the Arctic journeys that have happened before and the journeys that may never happen again. 

In May of 1911, Robert Scott and the twenty-four men under his command said good-bye to the sun and settled in for the long Antarctic winter. When the sun returned in September, they were going to try to become the first people to reach the South Pole. However, a week past the winter solstice, Scott's second-in-command took a team on a trip to Cape Crozier to man-haul two sledges through the perpetual night of the Antarctic winter, exposed to the coldest temperatures human beings had ever traveled in. This side trip was, at best, a dangerous distraction and at worst, a disaster. Yet, chronicled by zoological assistant (and major expedition funder) Apsley Cherry-Garrard, it became The Worst Journey in the World, one of the best adventure books ever written.  

Kim Stanley Robinson first read Cherry-Garrard's book in his twenties and re-read it again in 1995, as part of his preparations to Antarctica that he made that year as research for his Mars novels. It was a dream excursion: he traveled around the continent, by snowmobile and helicopter and airplane. All the while, Cherry's book loomed larger and larger in Robinson's mind, and he tried to follow in their ill-fated footsteps.  

Ultimately, in The Best Journey in the World, we see Robinson stepping on ice and finding an earthly holy place. As he searches for what can―and cannot―be found again, he takes readers on a journey of realization that is not just about being the first to get somewhere but about falling in love with what the world has to offer us. That being with people who also feel a kinship to a place worthy of preserving is itself, an act of devotion. Replete with gorgeous photographs taken in a place many will never set foot, and woven throughout with Robinson’s sharp, funny, and personal voice, prepare to take the best journey in the world.”

I am always up for any and all stories/experience about Antarctica, so definitely sign me up for this one as well!

Review: Find Me Where it Ends by Cassandra Khaw

     

Find Me Where It Ends by Cassandra Khaw
Publication Date: October 6th, 2026
Tor Nightfire
144 pages. Hardcover.

About Find Me Where It Ends:

"A young woman wakes up to find the black hound of Death at her front door in this hauntingly beautiful tale from USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Khaw.

Antigone is no stranger to death. For the women of her family, death always comes in the form of a black dog.

When Antigone’s own black dog arrives, she isn’t afraid. She invites it inside, where it soon becomes a daily source of companionship and comfort. It also forces her to reflect on the life she’s led—the parts of herself she’s hollowed out for the sake of others, and the bone-deep exhaustion that’s hounded her every step.

Her Death’s arrival must be a sign, permission to finally let go. To rest. Because while mortality is inevitable, living is a choice.

But a good death comes at a price."

There’s something about the premise of Find Me Where It Ends that really caught my attention, but I was admittedly a bit skeptical and hesitant about checking it out because I haven’t really been a fan of Khaw’s writing in the past. I also wasn’t sure what exactly to expect from a premise like this, but honestly, the cover for Find Me Where it Ends called out to me so strongly (I truly can’t tell you how much I love this cover) that it alone convinced me to read the book. I was also really interested to see what Khaw would do with this particular topic, as I find I never quite know what to expect from her writing. And after all of that, I have to say: I think I loved this novella.



This is a tough read, in all honesty. Not in the sense that the writing is dense or the plot is exceptionally complex, but just in that it touches on very difficult topics and it does say in a very real way. I read through this book very quickly, but it hit very hard and it’s not one I’ll soon forget.

Find Me Where It Ends is not a particularly plot-driven novel; it’s very much a thematic and character-driven story, and I think that’s relevant to know going into it. The themes and topics are dark, but it’s not exactly horror in the traditional sense. It’s more horror in what our minds can struggle with in the dark, when we’re alone, but not necessarily the typical type of horror you might initially expect.

And before I get into this review a bit more, I’d like to provide a quick note about this book and what it discusses. It’s a fairly heavy book that discusses grief, depression, and suicide. Please make sure you’re in a good, stable place before diving into this one, though do know that it ends in a way that I hope could be helpful to readers in their own struggles and journeys in their own ways. Still, be mindful and make sure to take care of yourself.

In Find Me Where It Ends, we follow Antigone, and in her family, death apparently physically appears to the women in her line as a black dog. When one shows up, the woman in question pretty much knows her time is up imminently--or at least within a couple of months, a year, something along those lines. Regardless: death is on the horizon, so best start preparing. So naturally, our story begins with the black dog showing up on Antigone’s doorstep. She eventually welcome the dog into her home, and it becomes something of a companion to her. She begins to see its arrival almost as permission to finally take a rest. I mean, death is coming for all of us, so why not listen when you hear it calling?

I was very intrigued by Death being depicted as a great black hound, and I’m glad the author chose this concept. It was somehow both comforting and a bit imposing or intimidating at the same time. Death is, of course, an expected part of life, but it’s also something that can easily induce a great deal of fear, and I think the dog reflected that concept beautifully: it’s large, ominous, imposing, hard to ignore, but also not something that is necessarily frightening to all. It’s not demanding anything of Antigone. And in this case, it’s not that Antigone fears death, but rather that she sees it as something inevitable that she no longer has to run away from. If anything, she’s embracing it a little too readily, some may say (and some do say, which we’ll get to later). 



It was also interesting to me to consider a black dog as the symbol of Death because it can mean so many different things, depending upon your experiences. For someone who doesn’t like dogs or is afraid of them, that might be a horribly imposing present. But for others, such as much who happens to own a large black dog, that black dog symbolizes comfort and protection. I’m not one hundred percent sure if this was the intent of the author or not, but I think a dog symbolizes this duality of how different people perceive death really well, which is incredibly thoughtful and also very apt.  (And as a personal experience: for me, my own black dog is a motivation to keep living and make sure I’m doing everything I can to give him the best life possible, so I found it an interesting experience to not insert my own dog into that role and instead separate that from this story.)

Antigone has a difficult past and a complicated relationship with death, especially given the way it has appeared to members of her family. She also has some unresolved issues surrounding her mother and her death, and I think this book's ability to tackle those experiences in thoughtful and engaging ways was very successful. I really empathized with and connected to Antigone, and I appreciated how we got to see inside her head while also understanding how her desire to give up might be viewed as selfish by those around her, and how she, in turn, responds to that perspective. I actually think this book does a great job of giving us a glimpse into several different perspectives while remaining firmly focused on Antigone's story. I loved that we were able to explore both perspectives without there being some overwhelming narrative that one was right or wrong, which can be really off-putting for some and make those who struggle (or those who want to help) feel shame. Topics of depression and suicidality are so difficult to tackle and even discuss sometimes, and I think this story handled them remarkably well.

I truly appreciated how real and honest this book felt. It didn't seem like it was amping anything up for entertainment value or trying to do more than what it was, and that came through with an authenticity that made it feel personal and almost comforting in a strange way. I very much understand that feeling of being so tired, so ready to take one sign from the universe and say, "alright, well, pack it up, I'm ready." The story takes a really good, hard look at life and how sometimes death isn't only seen as something big and scary, or even as an escape from imminent danger, but as something that might offer relief from life itself, something that can call to you when everything else feels like too much and you don't think you can handle it anymore. I think this can be really hard for people who haven’t experienced that feeling to understand. Khaw conveys this painfully well. They really take these ideas and turn them into a conversation about what that struggle can look like for both the individual and those around them who are witnessing it, as well as everything that might exist on the other side of all those feelings.

Khaw's prose is quite lyrical in nature, and there's something about the way it flows so effortlessly that really worked for me here. I also thought the novella's short length was perfect and helped the story hit sharply and with true aim before leaving. It makes its mark and doesn't linger too long--it says what it needs to say and moves on, which I think takes quite a bit of skill from an author to execute well.

It would have been so easy for this story to end tragically or take a more conventionally horrific direction, and I actually really appreciate that Khaw chose to end it the way she did. It's mildly open-ended, but thoughtful and hopeful in a way that I think the world, and many of us, really need right now. Despite all the darkness throughout this story, there really is--or at least, there was to me--such a strong sense of hope by the end. Not necessarily the kind of hope that comes with some big, dramatic realization of "wow, I love life now!" but something much quieter and (again, to me), more meaningful. Maybe you just need to find one more day or one more story to tell, and then take things as they go.

I went into Find Me Where It Ends with some hesitation, but I came away genuinely surprised and really shaken by it. It’s really quite beautiful, and I think it’ll stay with me for a long time. Khaw's prose is quite lyrical in nature, and there's something about the way it flows so effortlessly that really worked for me here. I also thought the novella's short length was perfect and helped the story hit sharply and with true aim before leaving. It makes its mark and doesn't linger too long--it says what it needs to say and moves on, which I think takes quite a bit of skill from an author to execute well.

*I received a copy of Find Me Where It Ends courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating or enjoyment.*

Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Primeval and Other Times by Olga Tokarczuk & Ravenous by Mark D. Freeman

        

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released!

Primeval and Other Times by Olga Tokarczuk, trans. Antonia Lloyd-Jones

Publication: November 1st, 2026

Riverhead Books

Hardcover. 288 pages.

Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:

"The Nobel Prize winner at her earthiest and most ethereal, in a fictional journey through three generations in the life of a mythical Polish village.  

For the denizens of Primeval, the world beyond its fields and forests is but a dream. The outcast Cornspike raises her daughter among the creatures and spirits of the forest. The squire Popielski loses his faith and becomes obsessed with a game where progress is attained only by dreaming the right kind of dream. Nonhuman beings—trees and mushrooms and archangels—have their Times too, as do inanimate objects, which may be “more important for the world than people.” Yet their stories—or Times—are buffeted by the feral history of the twentieth century, after war carries Michał the miller away from his family in 1914. Bloodshed, betrayal, and the dramas of daily life mark the birth, life, and decline of Primeval’s little world and Times, making us consider afresh the stories by which we comprehend our own.  

Rich with the capaciousness and imagination that have brought Tokarczuk to sustained international fame, Primeval and Other Times is yet another treasure for fans and new converts alike."

I've been really wanting to check out more of Olga Tokarczuk's work, and I am really fascinated by the sound of this one.

Ravenous by Mark D. Freeman

Publication: December 29th, 2026

Grand Central Publishing

Hardcover. 336 pages.

Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:

"In this chilling horror eco-thriller, a Canadian town has built its tourism around migrating polar bears―but when late-forming ice maroons the bears, a wildlife specialist realizes the entire community is trapped within the perfect hunting ground.  

The ice is forming late this year. Very late. And the polar bears are growing hungry. Very hungry. Ravenous.  

Kat Girard is in her second year as manager of the Polar Bear Alert Program in Borea, Manitoba, the polar bear eco-tourism capital of the world. Every fall, over a thousand bears migrate through the town on their way to the frozen Hudson Bay, drawing crowds of tourists hoping to glimpse the north’s deadliest predators up close.  

But the bay shows no sign of freezing this year, leaving a horde of hungry polar bears isolated on land. Kat has her hands full managing the impatient wildlife, alongside arrogant and ignorant business owners more interested in tourist money than the growing danger all around them. What none of them know is that one bear has grown tired of waiting for the ice―and others soon follow suit. A sudden storm threatens to trap the entire town with land’s biggest living carnivores as an unprecedented hunger grips them.  

Kat and the scientists and wildlife experts she works with respect these deadly apex predators. But those who don’t are about to see nature take its ultimate revenge.”

Now this is the type of revenge story I might be able to get behind! Maybe this will be more like what I was hoping Blacktail would've been, haha.

Month in Review: October 2026

 

Not to sound like a broken record, but I can't believe it's November! I hope you all had a great October and, for those who celebrate Halloween, a great Halloween as well! I always love seeing everyone's costumes, and this year I feel like I saw some really fantastic ones. October was a crazy month, but not a bad one, and I've enjoyed putting this post together this month to remember what I actually read and posted. 

In personal news, it's been a very busy month! The biggest thing that happened is probably that I performed in my first aerial silks performance for my local aerial studio's showcase in October! I've only done two previous aerial performances, but those were both group pieces that I didn't choreograph and they were on different apparatuses, so this was a very different experience creating my own piece and performing solo. I worked on the piece for about twelve weeks from about late July until October and it was a huge rollercoaster of an experience, but I'm so glad I made it through and had a (generally) successful performance! The theme for my studio's showcase was movies, so I chose to use Mad Max: Fury Road as the inspiration, which in hindsight was definitely a huge challenge of a piece to tackle, but you know, who among us doesn't accidentally add extra stress to their lives regularly? 🤣 Outside of that, I've been mainly trying to enjoy the spooky season, read a lot, and survive busy season at my job (the stress at work is also real, but you know, such is life). The saddest news of the month is that the library closest to me is closed from now until February for repainting (four months!?), so I am quite sad. There are other libraries I can visit, but they won't be quite as convenient to get to, unfortunately. 

In reading news, October was a great reading month! I read more than I anticipated and still managed to not read half of the books I wanted to, but I really think that's more of an "I have too many books I want to read" than an "I didn't read enough" problem, haha, a problem which I'm sure most of us share. Some of my top reads from the past month were House Haunters, The Nudge, Subcutanean, and Solace House, though I really enjoyed most of my spooky October reads! November will continue to be a spooky reading month, though, because there are still more I want to get to. I also managed to actually have a solid number of reviews up in October as well, which I'm feeling pretty good about for once, since I've been woefully behind most of the year. 

How was your October and what books have you been reading? Any reading-related goals?  Let me know how your month was below and what you've been reading!

   

# books read: 15

Solace House by Will Maclean

Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC
Thoughts: I really enjoyed exploring this story and all of the ideas Maclean played with in it. It was definitely one I found easy to get lost in and follow along with all the weird things that happened to the characters. My review is already up (the link is listed below)!

Quaint Folk by Bitter Karella

Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: This was a very solid follow-up to the previous book from Bitter Karella that I loved, and it was absolutely the perfect blend of weird, creepy, and just a little disturbing. 

Public Access Afterworld by Jane Schoenbrun

Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC
Thoughts: This was a very long, very mind-bend-y traverse into the world within the static of television, and I'm not sure what else to say about that! My review is also already up, and I recommend this one as well!

House Haunters by KC Jones

Source: Publisher | Format: Paperback
Thoughts: House Haunters was such a delight to read. It read it in the couple days leading up to Halloween and finished it Halloween night, and I truly couldn't have picked a better read. It's perfectly spooky with lots of ghostly intrigue and also had a very endearing cast that made it so enjoyable to read. Can't wait to read even more KC Jones, since I've really liked everything I've read from them so far!

This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno

Source: Library | Format: Ebook
Thoughts: This was a little odd and the ending got a little much for me, but overall I was definitely intrigued by this one and I really appreciated how it tackled grief. 

The House on the Borderland and Other Mysterious Places by William Hope Hodgson

Source: Library | Format: Hardcover
Thoughts: A fantastic tale of classic cosmic horror to start, and many other fun stories to follow! I am absolutely going to be checking out more from William Hope Hodgson

The Nudge by Joseph Fink

Source: Library | Format: Hardcover
Thoughts: I read this in one sitting and had a blast. I highly recommend it for a quick bite of some unsettling horror. 

Subcutanean by Aaron A. Reed

Source: Owned | Format: Paperback
Thoughts: This is perfect for fans of backrooms/liminal spaces, and especially those love the idea of alternate/parallel dimensions and also interesting characters. The concept behind the making of this novel is also super neat, so be sure to look it up or check out my review to find out more about it!

I Am Legend and Other Stories by Richard Matheson

Source: Library | Format: Paperback
Thoughts: I finally read the classic I Am Legend and I'm glad I did because it was a surprisingly captivating read for me as someone who isn't huge on vampires. 

Root Rot by Saskia Nislow

Source: Library | Format: Ebook
Thoughts: This was odd and had a very unsettling atmosphere, but something about it didn't fully grab me. Still, it's a short enough read that I think it's worth checking out!

The Devil Knows Her Name by C.N. Vair

Source: Library | Format: Audiobook
Thoughts: This was not at all what I was expected, but because of that I enjoyed it more than I expected to. It's a quieter read than I expected as well, but plays with some compelling ideas. 

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

Source: Library | Format: Ebook
Thoughts: Carmilla is apparently a vampire story that inspired Dracula, and it was a very compelling read. It's absolutely worth a read for any Dracula or classic vampire fans! 

Molka by Monika Kim

Source: Library | Format: Audiobook
Thoughts: I have mixed thoughts on this one, and I'd ultimately say it was an okay read, but not one I particularly enjoyed. Some of the scariest part of this book were definitely the real-life horror aspects of what "molka" refers to. It wasn't quite as compelling as The Eyes Are the Best Part, but still an intriguing and thought-provoking read.

My Death by Lisa Tuttle

Source: Library | Format: Ebook
Thoughts: This was a very short novella that I stumbled upon after hearing it randomly mentioned somewhere that I can't quite remember, and while it's not as directly "scary" as I'd anticipated, it's certainly just a bit concerning. The ending was mildly predictable to me, but I enjoyed the journey to get there and thought the author built up to it very well. I'd be curious to read more from Lisa Tuttle.

Deephaven by Ethan M. Aldridge

Source: Owned | Format: Hardcover
Thoughts: This was a very fun middle grade horror! For me, it was exceptionally light on the "scare" aspect, but the setting and atmosphere was very haunting, and it hit on some pretty heavy topics at times. Worth the read for middle grade readers/fans, but definitely not as scary as ones like The Thickety (which is one of my favorites and I highly recommend), so no worries there if you want something a bit lighter. 

Quaint Folk by Bitter Karella
The Nudge by Joseph Fink
This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno
Solace House by Will Maclean

The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson
I Am Legend by Richard Mathson
Subcutanean by Aaron A. Reed
Public Access Afterworld by Jane Schoenbrun

 Posts:

Month in Review: September 2026

Blog Memes:

Can't-Wait Wednesday:

10/7: An Edge Sharp Enough by Jesse Q. Sutanto & A Glacier's Guide to Dying by Michelle Porter

10/14: All the Beastly Things by Eilish Quin, There Used to Be People Here by Kennedy Cole, & The Wolves of War by John Gwynne

10/21:Cold Empty Rooms by Andy Marino, This Wild Wanting by Sophie Gonzalez, & Tiger's Mouth by Lucy Tan
10/28: Pinfeathers by Christina Henry, Milkteeth by Caitlin Starling, and The Horse and I by Genki Kawamura

Anticipated November 2026 Releases

November is another busy publishing month and it's looking like there are going to be some really top-notch releases coming at us! As always, I've arranged a small collection of some of my anticipated releases for November, and I'm very curious to hear which books you're most looking forward to checking out in November, so be sure to let me know!

Happy reading!

The Wolves of War by John Gwynne || November 3rd -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

An Edge Sharp Enough by Jesse Q. Sutanto || November 17th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

All the Beastly Things by Eilish Quin || November 17th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

This Wild Wanting by Sophie Gonzalez || November 17th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

This Impossible Life by Chinelo Okparanta || November 10th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Clear Water by Gabrielle Lucille Fuentes || November 3rd -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

There Used to Be People Here by Kennedy Cole || November 3rd -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

A Glacier's Guide to Dying by Michelle Porter || November 3rd -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Pinfeathers by Christina Henry || November 17th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Cold Empty Rooms by Andy Marino || November 10th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Until the Last Light Goes Out by Courtney Gould || November 10th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Milkteeth by Caitlin Starling || November 10th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Wordspotter's Guide: A Jaunt Through Our Etymological Past by Olivia Swarthout || November 10th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Trial of Magdalena Overmorrow by Caitriona Moran || November 10th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Tiger's Mouth by Lucy Tan || November 17th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Castles by Dan Jones || November 3rd -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Don't Stop Snowing by Gabriel Bump || November 10th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Murmuration by TJ Klune || November 17th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Meridian Forge by Tara Sim || November 3rd -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Last Star in the Void by Melissa Caruso || November 10th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Art of Living Forever by A. T. Rainach || November 3rd -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Horse and I by Genki Kawamura || November 17th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Everything Happens So Much by Andrew H. Murray || November 10th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Key Biscayne Affair || November 10th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Revenge Plot by Stephanie Wrobel || November 10th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Yule Day Slaughter by Craig DiLouie || November 25th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

What are your anticipated November releases?