REISSUES
Our paperback picks include seafaring fantasy THE ADVENTURES OF AMINA AL-SIRAFI (★★★★☆ , 29 February), first in a new series by Shannon Chakraborty. It sees an ex-pirate returning to sea after being offered a fortune to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a former crewmate. Complicating matters: the kidnapper is searching for an eldritch artefact. We said: “Takes many of its cues from heist stories… Al-Siafri and her crew are fabulous additions to fantasy fiction’s pantheon of antiheroes.” Martin MacInnes’s IN ASCENSION (★★★★☆ , out now, Atlantic) concerns a researcher into ancient algae who joins a research ship investigating a trench in the Atlantic. What’s found there calls into question everything we know about humanity’s beginnings, setting in motion a chain of events that sends her out into the Solar System. We said: “A widescreen slipstream novel that grapples with life and death in an era of accelerating climate change.” Finally, Mark Lawrence’s THE BOOK THAT WOULDN’T BURN (★★★★☆ , 12 March, HarperVoyager) centres on a library that reaches across time and space, holding uncounted secrets. Apprentice librarian Livira is willing to break every rule to divine its mysteries; meanwhile, Evar’s been trapped inside since childhood, searching for a way out. We said: “Lawrence crafts a highly complex world, juggles multiple timelines, and tackles big ideas about history, identity and war.”