"A thoroughly researched but highly opinionated exploration of the science fiction and fantasy genres by two award-winning novelists... Highly recommended." – Library Journal

"Fascinating...a lively and sometimes surprisingly personal appreciation of the field today by two of its most distinguished practitioners." – Locus

"Deeply researched and entertaining, this is a treat for genre fans." – Publishers Weekly

"A treasure trove... will be devoured." – Chicago Review of Books

Praise for Jo Walton and Ada Palmer:

“Rendered with Walton’s usual power and beauty...It’s this haunting character complexity that ultimately holds the reader captive to the tale.” —N. K. Jemisin on My Real Children by Jo Walton

“The best science fiction novel I’ve read in a long while.” —Robert Charles Wilson on Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer

“Insightful, incisive, and human. Walton has the ability to make you love your favorite books even more, and to fascinate you with discussions of books that aren’t your cup of tea.” —Cory Doctorow on What Makes This Book So Great by Jo Walton

“Awe-inspiring...A thrilling feat of speculative world-building, on par with those of masters like Gene Wolfe and Neal Stephenson.” —NPR on Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer

"Enchanting and immersive. Every Jo Walton book takes you somewhere new and wondrous. I loved Everybody's Perfect."-- Rainbow Rowell, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of the Simon Snow trilogy, on Everybody's Perfect by Jo Walton

"An intimate fantasy, filled with ordinary people living everyday lives in an extraordinary place, and it drew me in immediately. It's a story where the happy ending depends on the ability of the people in the story to believe in its possibility, which feels weirdly relevant even though it's about communities of otherworldly aliens living in a fantasy Venice." --Naomi Kritzer on Everybody's Perfect by Jo Walton

“Akin to a genre version of Nancy Pearl’s Book Lust. Walton’s affection for many of these titles is contagious, and fans will find their own reading lists growing.” —Library Journal (starred review) on What Makes This Book So Great by Jo Walton

"She is fond of saying that we know less than 1 percent of what happened 500 years ago, and that at least two-thirds of what we know is wrong. To someone whose sense of history is like a topiary garden, full of shapely epochs and manicured heroes, she is the sound of an approaching chain saw." --Gregory Barber, "The Weird Hand of Progress", profile of Ada Palmer in Wired, 2022

"Remarkable... [Walton and Palmer] favor argumentative clarity and intellectual accessibility over aesthetics, warmly and engagingly combining fannish vim with scholarly vigor." —Locus