There’s a chill in the air, and it’s more than just the usual existential dread. That’s right, September is upon us, and with it the onset of autumn. There is a drizzle outside my window as I type this, but we should still be in for some dry, if cold, weather for the next week or so. Perfect weather to go book shopping, if you ask me. But before we go out and buy more, let’s take a moment to examine what’s already on the TBR.

TBR

I suppose the last remaining block of books on my TBR is the four-part Deep Space Nine: Mission Gamma series. This is a major part of the DS9 relaunch and has a range of authors at the helm. The first of those is David R. George, who has contributed a five hundred page doorstopper. My hesitance to get bogged down in that book is the sole reason this series is not already on my completed shelves. There is also a non-zero chance that they’ll be joined on the TBR by the remaining books in Peter David’s New Frontier series, depending on how an eBay bidding war goes.

Not seen on the TBR shelf due to their audio nature, I’ve got some Warhammer 40,000 in the shape of Chris Wraight’s Vaults of Terra trilogy. This is highly acclaimed, and I’m not really sure why I’ve been putting it off. If not for this month’s schedule, then certainly for my visit Stateside in October.

One book that’s been hanging around for a while is Christopher Ruocchio’s Disquiet Gods, the latest volume in the Sun Eater series. I love this series, but some parts of it have been skewing more along fantasy lines in recent books, which is off-putting for an SF purist like myself. That being said, a recent chat with some fellow members of the Red Company discord (the semi-official Sun Eater fan group) has reinvigorated my enthusiasm, so Ruocchio is back on the schedule for October.

I’m balancing that fantasy potential with some diamond-hard SF from Stephen Baxter. I absolutely loved Destroyer, so the sequel Creator has a lot to live up to. There’s also Creation Node, Baxter’s most recent standalone, which should give me all the hard SF I could possibly need in my life.

Sitting alongside these larger plans are the usual odds and ends, ranging from two Hugo winners (Lois Mcaster Bujold and Robert Charles Wilson), a pair of Eric Brown novels, one of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s new releases, and a random pick-up called Emissaries of the Dead. After rolling dice to make up my mind, I’ll be starting the month with that final book.

With only thirteen books on the TBR, it’s possible I’ll have no books left to read by October. Unlikely, because of how long some of these books are, but possible nonetheless. Only time will tell.

& BEYOND

I’ve got a few articles in the work that might see the light of day in September. The most likely of these is my brief study of twenty-first century military SF. Three novels will form the backbone of this, which basically looks into the ways in which the Iraq War influenced science fiction.

The second article that I’ve been chewing on for a while is a dive into the rather thorny topic of monetisation. Don’t worry, At Boundary’s Edge will always be free to read, but I do think it’s worth taking a look at how things like Patreon and ad revenue have influenced the book-reviewing community. Put bluntly, I think they’ve largely been damaging. So stay tuned for a rather spiky article from me in the coming weeks.

Having looked at both the Best of British and the Best of Black Library earlier in the year, the next target on my list is the Best of Star Trek. It will be a similar format to previous ‘Best of’s, but with the added bonus of seeing how the various series fare when comparing onscreen adventures to those on the page. This one may wait until after I’ve finished the Mission Gamma series, which could have a sizable impact on the DS9 ratings.

RELEASE SCHEDULE

8/09 – Warhammer 40,000: Dominion Genesis, by Jonathan D Beer – While I wasn’t a huge fan of Beer’s Warhammer Crime debut, I’m always up for second chances, and a new Mechanicus novel is always a treat. I have fallen behind on Black Library releases of late, so I might well be grabbing a bunch at the same time.

8/09 – Warhammer 40,000: Lords of Nocturne, by Nick Kyme – The latest Warhammer Omnibus, this time for the Salamanders Space Marines. It’s not a high priority for me, but it’s good to see Black Library putting older books back into publication.

12/09 – Thunder City, by Philip Reeve – For the first time since 2011’s Scrivener’s Moon, Reeve is headed back to the world of Mortal Engines. This time it’s another prequel, but set in the Traction Era. I loved the Mortal Engines books when I was younger, so I may well check this out despite not being the target audience.

12/09 – Living Space: And Other Stories, by Isaac Asimov – A new Asimov anthology? Well, not really. As far as I can tell, this is a repackaged version of The Complete Stories Volume I. The rerelease does however mean that audiophiles will get a chance to listen to these classics, and that can only be a good thing.

24/09 – Planetside #4: Darkside, by Michael Mammay – It’s been a while since Colonyside, but after a few original novels, Mammay is back to the series that made his name. Given that Planetside is one of the reasons I started blogging, I am very much looking forward to returning to the series.

Yes, it’s a crowded month all right. As ever, if there’s anything I’ve overlooked, or something you think I should get on top of, just let me know. Until then, keep reading.