Summer Reads 2021 from Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly

The Chosen and the Beautiful

Nghi Vo (Tordotcom)

Vo’s gorgeous full-length debut infuses The Great Gatsby with subtle, intoxicating magic: Gatsby’s decadent parties see the hedonists of the Jazz Age consuming demon blood along with alcohol; Daisy Buchanan uses a charm to float listlessly around her house; and queer, Asian American adoptee Jordan Baker—the novel’s narrator—can create magic from cut paper. Vo’s lyrical prose captures the spirit of Fitzgerald’s original while brilliantly reframing the narrative and subverting expectations at every turn.

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The Jasmine Throne

Tasha Suri (Orbit)

A princess imprisoned for her defiance, a maidservant who possesses forbidden magic, and the unexpected bond that develops between them drive the lush, exhilarating epic that launches Suri’s Burning Kingdoms trilogy. Readers will come for the complex, India-inspired worldbuilding and shifting political intrigue, and stay for the fierce critique of empire and powerful story of a love that blossoms amid danger and desperation.

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My Heart Is a Chainsaw

Stephen Graham Jones (Saga)

Jones’s virtuosic latest is many things: a loving celebration of slasher movie tropes; a funny and moving coming-of-age tale; an incisive critique of American identity, gentrification, and colonialism; and a terrifying, no-holds-barred gore fest. It’s also distinctly summery—set on a (seemingly) idyllic lakeshore and culminating in the Fourth of July. This should be in every horror fiend’s beach bag.

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Project Hail Mary

Andy Weir (Ballantine)

Scientist Ryland Grace wakes up alone on an abandoned spaceship with no memory of who he is or how he got there—and to save humanity from a fast approaching catastrophe he’ll have to piece together his past. Weir combines dizzyingly high stakes, thought-provoking science, and a series of shocking twists to create an un-put-downable page-turner. Add in the wry humor of Grace’s narration, and the result is must-read science fiction.

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Sword Stone Table: Old Legends, New Voices

Edited by Swapna Krishna and Jenn Northington (Vintage)

In this delightful and wide-ranging anthology, Krishna and Northington collect 16 diverse, masterful takes on Arthurian legend from genre heavy hitters. By turns funny, light, and hauntingly emotional, these strong, inventive tales offer gender- and race-bent adaptations of favorite characters and recast familiar stories in fresh, creative contexts. Lovers of Arthurian legends will be wowed, and the skill and innovation at play here make this a sure bet for any sci-fi/fantasy fan.

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