Book Reviews

Activist Bill McKibben answers his own call for topical fiction with Radio Free Vermont, a gently surreal tale about a septuagenarian troublemaker who inadvertently sparks a secession movement.

Part memoir, part travelogue, part science tome, Juli Berwald's book is thoroughly entertaining, and makes the case for the jellyfish as both fascinating animal and a bellwether for climate change.

His new 700-page omnibus of collected bits and pieces shouldn't be read all at once — but taken in careful sips, it's a cheeky, crotchety, sometimes serious, sometimes satirical delight.

Twin Peaks co-creator Mark Frost reveals the final fates of several characters and ties up the show's narrative threads in a way that is as satisfying as The Return was mystifying.

Neuroscientist Joseph Jebelli's new book about the fight against Alzheimer's draws on his own personal passions; his grandfather developed the disease and eventually stopped recognizing his grandson.

Fantastic worldbuilding sets the stage in Tochi Onyebuchi's new novel, set in a bustling market city inspired by his Nigerian heritage. While the storytelling can be indecisive, the setting triumphs.

Joe Hagan's Sticky Fingers, compiled from unfettered access to Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner, steadfastly avoids hagiography. It can't avoid a sad ending.

Author Kim Stanley Robinson deserves a place as a true visionary: He has done more than just write good science-fiction — he's mapped out new territory in what it means to be human, says Adam Frank.

Daniel Alarcón's new story collection is an empathetic look at isolation, whether due to migration, loneliness or poverty. His mix of kindness and distance makes the stories land like a gut punch.

Gordon S. Wood's engaging new dual biography of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams aims to discover why Jefferson is so much more well-loved than his lifelong (though sometimes estranged) friend.