@gavreads

@gavreads.co.uk

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Reader of SF&F, mainly. *Libraries have ebooks that you can read on your phone. Est. 2005

Promotional banner from Waterstones advertising an online‑only pre‑order sale. A bright yellow circle sits at the centre, surrounded by colourful illustrated book covers arranged in a ring. Text on the banner reads “25% OFF RRP” and “Books Coming Soon,” with the dates “21–24 July ONLINE ONLY.” A blue button labelled “Shop Now” appears below. The banner states “Pre‑order from thousands of titles with code: SUMMER26,” and a small note at the bottom says “Selected lines only. T&Cs apply.” The top navigation bar shows the Waterstones logo, search bar, and icons for Menu, Account, Join Plus, and Basket.
A screen showing a vertical shipment‑tracking log. Each line lists a timestamp followed by the status “Departed Facility” and a small plus symbol. The entries run from 2026‑07‑16 to 2026‑07‑20, with multiple departures on each day. The full sequence reads: 2026‑07‑20 04:01, 01:29; 2026‑07‑18 21:53, 19:55, 17:06, 15:24, 14:29, 11:23, 04:43, 01:57; 2026‑07‑17 20:17, 17:32, 17:21, 13:58; 2026‑07‑16 17:54, 16:10, 13:49, 13:32, 13:06 — all marked “Departed Facility”.
Review graphic for Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. Against a starry sky and neon grid background, the headline reads “New Review.” The book cover appears on the right. The review quote reads: “The ‘cleverness’ of this work, and perhaps of the genre, is that it takes the core mechanics of an RPG and reveals the brutal reality behind them. The system is against him—he's there to kill and, ultimately, to die, in an entertaining way.” GavReads.co.uk logo appears at the bottom.
A hardcover copy of The Somewhat Wicked Witch of Brigandale rests on a black‑and‑white woven surface. The dark green cover is filled with bright, whimsical illustrations—flowers, frogs, birds, mushrooms, a witch’s hat, scissors, and a tiny house—arranged around the title and author’s name, creating a magical, fairy‑tale feel.
You Should Have Been Home Now — Aden Polydoros A red, eerie cover showing a rustic house surrounded by trees and a wooden fence. Sharp red claw‑like marks slash across the roof and treeline. The title sits below the illustration in bold white text.
Audiobook player screen for Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, published by Naxos AudioBooks. The cover shows a dramatic ocean scene with a huge white whale rising from turbulent waves while small boats of sailors try to harpoon it; a sailing ship sits in the background. The narrator is William Hootkins. The interface displays Chapter 1 at 1 minute 31 seconds out of a total 1 hour 16 minutes 51 seconds, with playback controls, speed set to 1.0×, car mode, timer, clips, a PDF button, title details, and a listen log.
A stylised promotional graphic featuring the book Harbour of Hungry Ghosts by Eliza Chan. The cover shows intricate, brightly coloured illustrations of mythological creatures — a lion‑guardian, dragons, and tigers — in vivid blues, reds, and whites, arranged around an ornate geometric pattern. To the left of the cover, a blue text box contains the quote: “If the main character annoyed me less, I think I could have forgiven it more.” The background is a mix of abstract pink, white, and blue shapes, including a pale circular element resembling a moon. At the bottom, the text “gavreads.co.uk”.
Promotional graphic for a new review of Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon by Annie Mare. The bright yellow and pink design features a quote about tangled pasts, futures, and fragile connections alongside the book cover, which shows retro-style lettering, lush green plants, salon chairs, hanging lanterns, and a glowing portal-like circle in a cosmic setting.
Promotional graphic for a new review of Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon by Annie Mare. The bright yellow and pink design features a quote about tangled pasts, futures, and fragile connections alongside the book cover, which shows retro-style lettering, lush green plants, salon chairs, hanging lanterns, and a glowing portal-like circle in a cosmic setting.
The cover of The Fountain by Casey Scieszka. A bright green background with a blue, stylised face tilted upward, the features melting or dripping downward like ink or watercolor. At the top, an endorsement reads: “Absolutely delicious. Crisp and funny. An excellent debut!” — Emma Straub.
Angel Down by Daniel Kraus lies on a zigzag‑patterned fabric surface. The cover is beige with a dramatic burst of fiery orange, yellow, and black radiating from the centre, where a single white feather appears. At the top is a quote: “THIS NOVEL LEAVES YOU BREATHLESS.” — Stephen Graham Jones.
A stylised book cover for Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon, a novel by Annie Mare. The background is dark green with scattered stars and three hanging golden lamps. In the centre is a large circular window showing a ringed planet against a cosmic sky. In the foreground sits an orange retro salon chair beside a matching orange hooded hair dryer. A small table holds a vase of pink flowers. At the top is an endorsement: “A wild ride that will have you laughing, crying, and swooning all at once!” — Alexandra Kennington, author of Blood Beneath the Snow. The title text reads: COSMIC LOVE at the MULTIVERSE HAIR SALON with the subtitle a novel and the tagline “Love times infinity.” The author’s name, ANNIE MARE, appears at the bottom.
A video with a retro 80s neon aesthetic featuring a grid pattern with glowing blue lines and concentric pink squares that create a tunnel effect. The video opens with bold white text that reads, "I've entered a queer SF&F romance reading era." The grid then flashes to reveal a 3x3 grid of nine sci-fi and fantasy book covers, which include: ○ Volatile Memory by Seth Haddon ○ The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso ○ The Undetables by Courtney Smyth ○ Everything Not Saved by J.R. Dawson ○ The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers ○ The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovitch ○ Sorcery for Small Magics by Maiga Doocy ○ August Kitko and the Mechas from Space by Alex White ○ The Stars Too Fondly by Emily Hamilton The video ends back on the neon grid with the text, "What would you recommend I read next?" The website "gavreads.co.uk" is displayed in white text at the bottom throughout the video.
A video with a retro 80s neon aesthetic featuring a grid pattern with glowing blue lines and concentric pink squares that create a tunnel effect. The video opens with bold white text that reads, "I've entered a queer SF&F romance reading era." The grid then flashes to reveal a 3x3 grid of nine sci-fi and fantasy book covers, which include: ○ Volatile Memory by Seth Haddon ○ The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso ○ The Undetables by Courtney Smyth ○ Everything Not Saved by J.R. Dawson ○ The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers ○ The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovitch ○ Sorcery for Small Magics by Maiga Doocy ○ August Kitko and the Mechas from Space by Alex White ○ The Stars Too Fondly by Emily Hamilton The video ends back on the neon grid with the text, "What would you recommend I read next?" The website "gavreads.co.uk" is displayed in white text at the bottom throughout the video.
A vertical stack of 14 books curated from a bookshelf, featuring all Black authors. From top to bottom, the visible titles are: Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin; King of Dead Things by Nevin Holness; Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury; Psychopomp & Circumstance by Eden Royce; The Witch by Marie NDiaye; a trilogy by Moses Ose Utomi (The Lies of the Ajungo, The Truth of the Aleke, The Memory of the Ogisi); Doe by Rebecca Barrow; Hangman by Maya Binyam; Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor; Firstborn of the Sun by Marvellous Michael Anson; A Song of Legends Lost by M. H. Ayinde; and Not with a Bang by Temi Oh. The spines show a vibrant mix of colors, including bright purple, lush green monstera leaves, minimalist white, striking red, cosmic indigo, and two brilliant metallic gold covers.
Book cover for Heir of the Shadow by Marvellous Michael Anson. Fantasy artwork shows two stylized figures standing back-to-back beneath swirling, mist-like shapes. One figure faces left and wears gold jewelry and a beaded hair adornment with glowing red accents. The other faces forward and wears an elaborate blue, wave-shaped headdress and blue beaded accessories. The color palette blends deep blues, teals, white, gold, and violet tones. The title “HEIR OF THE SHADOW” appears in large silver lettering at the top, with the author’s name at the bottom.
A hardback copy of He Who Fights With Monsters by Travis Deverell, writing as Shirtaloon, rests on a flat surface. The cover shows a dark, hooded figure holding a glowing dagger against a red background filled with monstrous faces. Bold yellow title text sits across the centre. Above it, a review quote from Matt Dinniman reads: “Exciting, hilarious, irreverent and action‑packed.” A round Waterstones sticker in the top‑right corner says “£3 off.”
A neon-themed collage of six book covers arranged in two rows of three. Top row: The Undead Complex by Courtney Smyth (green and cream with insects), Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz (bright pink and orange noodles with chopsticks), and Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy (dark blue with decorative plants and figures). Bottom row: Floodlines by Saleem Haddad (painting of a street scene with figures), A Conventional Boy by Charles Stross (fiery orange with silhouettes and geometric symbols), and The Tinderbox by M.R. Carey (teal with a detailed box and foliage). The background features glowing purple and blue streaks, with “gavreads.co.uk” at the bottom.
The cover of RETRO by Jessica M. Goldstein. A classical‑style painting shows a woman in a flowing red dress sitting on grass, holding a smartphone and looking at the screen. A white cow stands behind her in a soft, pastoral landscape. A modern notification bubble with a red heart and “500” floats above her. The tagline reads, “Why worry about the future when the past is waiting for you?” Two endorsements appear at the bottom: “So much fun!” — Holly Gramazio and “Shrewd, witty and original” — Aisling Rawe.
Three new books inside a brown Waterstones shopping bag. The visible titles are Animal Spiral by Luis Othoniel Rosa, translated by Katie Marya; Canon by Paige Lewis; and System Collapse by Martha Wells from the Murderbot series. All three books look crisp and newly bou
Dark, grunge‑textured background. Bold white text at the top reads “INTRODUCING YOUR,” followed by large distressed yellow text: “SHIMMER DADDY.” Simple yellow wing outlines sit on either side of the bottom words.
Cover of Permanence by Sophie Mackintosh, showing two soft shadowy silhouettes above a white‑sheeted bed, with a bold orange lower half featuring the title and the quote “Granta Best of Young British Novelists 2023.”
Two books sit side by side on a white surface. On the left is a paperback of Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon by Annie Mare, with a bright retro cover featuring pink and red text, a heart, planets, stars, plants, and a salon chair. A quote appears at the top, and the tagline reads “Love times infinity.” On the right is an e‑reader showing Harbour of Hungry Ghosts by Eliza Chan, with a monochrome cover of intricate mythological creatures — a tiger, dragon, and lion statue — surrounded by waves and East Asian architectural motifs.
“Book cover for Understory by Chloe Benjamin. The design shows a bright, glowing sun-like circle at the top fading into deep blue water below. A lone diver swims downward into the darker section. The title Understory appears in large white text, mirrored upside down beneath it. A line at the bottom reads: “An epic love story, wondrous, wildly ambitious.” — Ann Napolitano.”
Book cover for Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon by Annie Mare. A bright, surreal illustration shows an orange retro salon chair beside a small table with flowers, surrounded by large green plants. Behind them is a circular window looking out onto a ringed planet in space. Blurbs and title text appear across the cover, including a quote praising the novel and the tagline “Love times infinity.”
Book review graphic for Everything Not Saved by NMJ Coveney. The book cover shows two teenage characters back-to-back in front of a circular, stained-glass style design with glowing light and gaming imagery. The background of the graphic is a neon, retro grid in blue, pink, and purple, evoking a 1990s arcade aesthetic. A text panel reads: “In a queer coming-of-age tale about two teenage boys, Coveney captures the creepy village vibe, invokes video-game nostalgia, and takes your emotions on a roller-coaster.” A sticker in the top corner says “New Review,” and the handle “GAVREADS.CO.UK” appears along the bottom.
A Kindle Oasis displaying the e‑ARC cover of Harbour of Hungry Ghosts by Eliza Chan. The screen shows a black‑and‑white illustrated design featuring a tiger, a dragon, a fox‑like spirit, and a guardian lion arranged around a geometric gate motif, with stylised mountains, clouds, and a ship in the background.
The spine of a paperback book on patterned fabric. It reads peter watts at the top, firefall in large white lowercase letters, and the Head of Zeus logo at the bottom. The spine is visibly and heavily creased.
Two men in Regency attire, back to back, surrounded by lush florals.
Two book covers side by side. On the left is The Rainseekers by Matthew Kressel. The cover shows swirling white star trails across a deep blue night sky, with a small silhouette of a person standing on rocky ground beneath a bright shooting star. A quote at the top reads: “Like some space-age Chaucer decamped to the stars.” —Jedediah Berry, author of The Naming Song. On the right is Centro Europa by Vicente Luis Mora, translated by Rahul Bery. Its design features bold red title text over an abstract collage: a human figure with a blue head, layered textures resembling earth and mountains, and a circular badge in the top right that says “Winner English PEN Award.”
Text from a review of Floodlines sits on a yellow background next to the book’s painted cover, all placed on a patterned backdrop of stylised suns, fish, and geometric shapes. The quote reads: “Lies sit at the heart of the novel because they are used to sweep away the truth. It is a story of dreams and quests, but also of the realities of displacement, and of how setting the past aside in favour of the present does not remove its burdens.”
The book cover for The Traveler by Joseph Eckert. A large hourglass sits centered on a black background, filled with bright yellow sand. In the lower half of the hourglass, the sand forms the silhouette of a person walking forward. The title “The Traveler” appears in bold yellow text above the hourglass, with the tagline “Time waits for no one” below it. At the top are two endorsements: on the left, “‘Addictive as hell’ Gareth Brown, author of The Book of Doors,” and on the right, “‘You must read this’ James Rollins, author of Map of Bones.”
A screenshot of a post called “Review: God’s Junk Drawer by Peter Clines [2024]” on gavreads.co.uk. The visible text: “I liked it, I think. Let me explain. I’ve stepped back from reviewing for a while because I felt a bit of an imbalance. The analytical side of my brain — the part that holds the book in a buffer in my mind and runs analysis on it — had, I think, started to take away from the feelings that make reading enjoyable, the joy that my more emotive side gets from a book. This might explain why I’ve been enjoying books that give a strong emotional response, even when I can see ‘flaws’ that my more logical side would normally have focused on and criticised the book for. God’s Junk Drawer is exactly the kind of book that benefits from that shift — one that hits the emotional notes even if the logic sometimes feels like unwelcome static.”
A hardcover copy of Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman rests on a red‑and‑white Waterstones paper bag. The cover is mostly black with bold yellow block lettering and bright magenta accents. At the top, a line of text reads “NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER.” The title “DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL” fills most of the cover in large, stacked letters. In the centre, two silhouetted figures run through jagged magenta shapes that look like torn or shattered panels. Small icons — including a skull, a pineapple, and other symbols — are scattered across the background like a patterned texture. The author’s name, “MATT DINNIMAN,” appears at the bottom in yellow.
A horizontal stack of six books on patterned fabric. Spines read: Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove; Old Wounds by Logan‑Ashley Kisner; The Imagined Life by Andrew Porter; Spread Me by Sarah Gailey; Open Throat by Henry Hoke; Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor.
A horizontal stack of seven books on patterned fabric. Spines read: The Unfathomable Curse by Courtney Smyth; The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden; Orange by Curtis Garner; Field Guide for the Formerly Villainous by Autumn K. England; Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle; The Last Soul Among Wolves by Melissa Caruso; Isabella Nagg and the Pet of Basil by Oliver Darkshire.
A copy of Invisible Rainbows by Dr. Alfredo Carpineti lies on patterned grey‑and‑black fabric. The black cover shows bright, curved rainbow‑coloured lines and a quote at the top: “This book makes science delicious” — Robin Ince. The subtitle reads The Unseen Universe Beyond Our Senses. A yellow Mildliner marker rests diagonally across the book. A couple of coloured tabs stick out from the top edge.
A paperback copy of Writing the Uncanny: Essays on Crafting Strange Fiction lies on patterned blue, grey, and beige fabric. The grey cover shows the word “UNCANNY” in large red‑outlined capital letters arranged diagonally. At the top, the text reads “Writing the Uncanny” and “Essays on Crafting Strange Fiction,” with “Edited by Dan Coxon & Richard V. Hirst” beneath. A vertical list of contributor names appears on the right side: Jeremy Dyson, Alison Moore, Nicholas Royle, Gary Budden, Catriona Ward, Jenn Ashworth, Robert Shearman, Claire Dean, Michèle Roberts, Lucie McKnight Hardy, Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, Chikodili Emelumadu, and Timothy J. Jarvis.
A copy of Invisible Rainbows by Dr. Alfredo Carpineti lies on patterned grey‑and‑black fabric. The black cover shows bright, curved rainbow‑coloured lines and a quote at the top: “This book makes science delicious” — Robin Ince. The subtitle reads The Unseen Universe Beyond Our Senses. A yellow Mildliner marker rests diagonally across the book. A couple of coloured tabs stick out from the top edge.
Extract from the newsletter: While I wait for my editor's notes on Wildersongs book 2 I'm starting to put together a rough outline for book 3 and having lots of fun doing so. This early idea stage is one of my favorite parts of writing, when nothing really has to make sense yet and you're running on pure inspiration.
Neon line‑art profile on a black background with flowers growing from the head, titled “Collective: The Collaborative Art of the Anthology,” edited by Dan Coxon and Pete W. Sutton.
Three books on patterned fabric. Left: Freezing Point by Anders Bodelsen, a blue geometric face with icicle shapes; this edition uses Joan Tate’s translation. Centre: A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing by Alice Evelyn Yang, dark floral art with an animal face and a “Women’s Prize Longlisted 2024” sticker. Right: Field Guide for the Formerly Villainous by Autumn K. England, a colourful illustrated branch with fruit, a house, a sword, and potion bottles.
A Publishers Marketplace deal announcement overlaid on a background of croissants and bread rolls with scattered gold star sparkles. The text block reads: “Publishers Marketplace — Deal Report. Category: International rights: UK Fiction. May 22, 2026. HALF‑BAKED, CRASHED by Caitlin Rozakis. Imprint: Titan Books, Titan Comics.” It summarises two upcoming Dreadfulverse projects: HALF‑BAKED, a sequel to Dreadful, and CRASHED, a standalone graphic novel, both acquired by Titan for 2027 publication.
Cover of Migraine by Samuel Fisher, showing St. Paul’s Cathedral in yellow‑green tones with jagged lightning lines radiating outward like a migraine aura. At the top is a quote from Daisy Lafarge: “A beguiling, sinuous wonder of a novel.” The publisher’s handle @littlebrownbookgroup_uk appears in the corner.
Two people stand facing each other in a rocky desert landscape at night under a star‑filled sky. Above them, large text reads: “NATO OFFICIAL ADMITS SIGNAL IS ‘NOT HUMAN’.” Below it, smaller text says: “A profoundly human literary debut about friendship at the end of the world.” In the bottom left is the @boroughpress handle, and in the bottom right is a lowercase “b” logo.
A copy of Patience David Parlett
Four Aftertaste covers shown in a grid, each shifting the book’s tone: one with two round restaurant‑door windows filled with clouds; one in blue‑purple with an illustrated dinner scene; one dark‑blue with a white apron; and one black and smoky with a grief‑themed tagline. The set highlights how each redesign changes the mood
The book cover for Ode to the Half‑Broken by Suzanne Palmer. The image shows a narrow alleyway between tall, worn‑down buildings. Plants, vines, and trees grow up the walls and across the ground. At the centre, a humanoid figure and a smaller figure walk away from the viewer toward a bright orange light at the far end of the alley. The overall colours are muted blues, greens, and oranges.
With regard to my remarks about artificial intelligence at the Poznan Impact conference: Like any other conversation, remarks made before a live audience at a public event can be incorrectly understood. I did not write my forthcoming book - to be published in fall 2026 in Polish - either using Al or with anyone else. For several decades I have written alone. I state briefly and firmly: 1. I make use of artificial intelligence on the same principles as most people in the world - I treat it as a tool that allows faster documenting and checking of facts. Whenever I use this tool | additionally verify the information. Just as I have done for several decades by reading books and by exploring libraries and archives. 2. None of my texts, including the novel that will appear in Polish this fall, has been written with the help of artificial intelligence - except for using it as a tool for faster preliminary research. 3. I am sometimes inspired by dreams, but before this sentence too is cornered and torn to pieces by the experts, ! hasten to report that they are my own dreams.
A silhouetted warrior stands atop a rocky hill, raising a sword towards the sky as bright blue lightning flashes around him. The scene is dark and stormy, with dramatic clouds lit by the lightning. The book title, Highlander, and the author’s name, Garry Kilworth, appear above the figure.
Cover of “The Witch” by Marie NDiaye, translated by Jordan Stump. A close-up of a woman’s pale face fills the frame, with a single blood tear running down her cheek against a dark background. At the top is a blurb from Katie Kitamura that reads: “Mesmerizing, wholly singular, completely unforgettable.” At the bottom, text notes the novel was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2026.
A patterned couch with four books arranged in a row. 1. Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle — illustrated cover in blue and purple showing two people at a table with drinks, tagline “A love story to savour.” 2. Teddy Bears Never Die by Cho Yeeun, translated by Sung Ryu — large pink teddy bear holding a paint roller with a person on its shoulder, colourful cityscape background, vertical Korean text on the right. 3. The Republic of Memory by Mahmud El Sayed — blue-toned cover with a winged figure before a grand architectural structure, with praise quotes. 4. Startup Hell by Caitlin Rozakis — bright orange cover featuring a computer keyboard, sticky notes, and humorous office-themed illustrations, tagline “Hilarious, clever, and insightful.”
A white ceramic mug printed with a black silhouette of Hallgrímskirkja church above a stylised rainbow road inspired by Reykjavík’s Skólavörðustígur (Rainbow Street) in Iceland. The mug sits on a red coaster beside the book “Floodlines” by Saleem Haddad on a dark surface.
A Bookshop.org UK promo graphic advertising a 20% pre‑order offer with the code PREORDER20.
The front cover of “Woman in Blue” by Douglas Bruton. The cover features Johannes Vermeer’s painting Woman in Blue Reading a Letter (c. 1663–64), showing a woman in a blue jacket standing beside a table, absorbed in reading a letter. The artwork sits against a deep blue background that matches the book’s title treatment. A quote from Alexander McCall Smith appears above the image, praising the novel as “a profound meditation on art, loss and love.” The overall design feels elegant, quiet, and reflective, echoing the contemplative mood of the Vermeer painting.
A copy of “The Killing Spell” by Shay Kauwe. The cover is deep blue and purple with dense, stylized jungle foliage. A geometric-patterned snake curves across the top, and two bright orange‑yellow shell‑like shapes sit near the bottom. A Rebecca Roanhorse blurb appears above the title. The title is in large turquoise letters, and the author’s name is in bold yellow at the bottom. The overall design feels magical, mysterious, and atmospheric.
Two books rest on a dark surface. • The Death of Mountains by Jordan Kurella sits on the left, its cover showing jagged, snow‑streaked mountains under swirling dark clouds in a monochrome palette, with a Publishers Weekly blurb at the bottom. In • Woman in Blue by Douglas Bruton is on the right, featuring a classical painting of a woman in a blue dress reading a letter indoors, framed by two short praise quotes.
The cover of Odessa by Gabrielle Sher, featuring a red‑toned illustration of a person with two overlapping faces. Both faces have Hebrew letters on the forehead, and the figure wears a white lace‑collared garment. The doubled faces create a surreal, unsettling sense of psychological tension.
A neatly arranged bookshelf featuring a mix of fantasy, horror, and speculative fiction titles, including • Ballad of the Bone Road — A. C. Wise • The Hounding — Xenobe Purvis • Clockwork Boys: A Clocktaur War Novel — T. Kingfisher • Stay for a Spell — Amy Coombe • Wolf Worm — T. Kingfisher • Orange — Curtis Garner • Hell’s Heart — Alexis Hall • Between Two Fires — Christopher Buehlman