Two Tachyon titles bookend The Ranting Dragon ten speculative novels worth reading in April.

10. Lovecraft’s Monsters by Ellen Datlow ed.

The first—and tenth—item on this list is Lovecraft’s Monsters, an anthology edited by Ellen Datlow and filled with great speculative authors. Neil Gaiman, Joe R. Lansdale, and Elizabeth Bear (who will show up further down this list, as well) are just some of the names featured in this Lovecraftian anthology. In Lovecraft’s Monsters, H.P. Lovecraft’s famous creations—Cthulhu, Shoggoths, Deep Ones, and more—are celebrated in all their terrifying glory. The monsters are lovingly rendered in spectacular original art by World Fantasy Award–winning artist John Coulthart.

1. Hollow World by Michael J. Sullivan

Finally, the book most worth reading in April is a book I’ve already had the pleasure of reading. Michael J. Sullivan is known for rocking the publishing industry in all kinds of ways, having released books with a small press publisher, a “Big Five” publisher, and on his own. Sullivan undertakes a new approach with Hollow World, which was financed through Kickstarter first and is now being published by Tachyon Publications. More importantly, Hollow World is a deeply wonderful literary science fiction novel reminiscent of H.G. Wells’s The Time Machine. Hollow World is one of those rare literary gems that exceed the speculative genre to become worthy of any English literature class.

Visit The Ranting Dragon for selections 8-2.

For information on Hollow World, visit the Tachyon page.

For more information on Lovecraft’s Monsters, visit the Tachyon site.

Lovecraft’s Monsterscover by John Coulthart.