Moss'd in Space

Moss'd in Space by Rebecca Thorne, 368 pages

For years, Torian has been saving up her meager pay to buy a spaceship, which she plans on using to take her sister to a human planet where scientists can help cure her sister's chronic pulmonary condition. When she finally gets to buy a spaceship, it turns out the only one she can afford is an alien ship that's been hanging around the dock for a century, and is covered in moss. Still, she can work with that. But then she learns that the moss is actually an organic computer with abandonment issues and way more sarcasm than anyone Torian has ever met. Seems like an excellent setup for some problematic hijinks.

I absolutely loved Thorne's Tomes & Tea cozy fantasy series, and I'm thrilled that she's taking things into space (but keeping the pirates, because duh). Moss is an amazing character, Torian's just reckless enough, and all of the supporting characters are fantastic. I loved this series-starting science fiction, and I can't wait to read more of Torian and Moss's adventures.

*This book will be published July 7, 2026.

The Spare Man

The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal, 357 pages

Tesla Crane and her new spouse, Shal Steward, are honeymooning aboard the Lindgren, an intergalactic cruise liner, when they witness the death of another passenger. They're first on the scene, and Shal is arrested for the murder, leaving Tesla angry, confused, and determined to clear her new spouse's name, whatever the cost — and fortunately, she has plenty of resources to do so. What ensues is a classic murder mystery set on a spaceship that defies most laws of physics (Kowal even notes in an afterword that nobody but a cruise line would build this ship). It's a fun caper, full of intrigue, nods to golden age detective stories, classic cocktails, and the support cutest dog in the galaxy. I loved it, and I would love to read more about Tesla, Shal, and Gimlet (the aforementioned dog).