10. The Spook Who Sat By the Door by Sam Greenlee
A radical thriller the remains relevant to this day.
9. Moju the Blind Beast by Edogawa Rampo
A surreal, extreme novella by one of Japan's most fascinating authors.
8. Wild Turkey by Michael Hemmingson
This was a modern noir with a lot of unexpected twists. I couldn't put it down.
7. Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg
A classic, intense novel of growing up lesbian and gender-fluid in the 20th century.
6. Welcome to Your Dreamtime by Norman Spinrad
This is the anti-Ready Player One. A sharp, creative satire of how mass culture and corporate IP are increasingly colonizing the imagination.
5. Left Hand by Paul Curran
One of the strangest and most visceral experimental works I've read.
4. I Am Not Sidney Poitier by Percival Everett
Percival Everett remains a favorite. This was was a hilarious, entertaining satire of race and identity in America.
3. The Tunnel by Russell Edson
I'd read a handful of Edson's poems, but this was my first full book of them. It didn't disappoint in the least.
2. We'll Never Be Fragile Again by Thomas Moore
I maintain Thomas Moore is one of the greatest working authors at the moment. This book was an absolute gut-punch. A heart-breaking meditation on love.
1. The Butcher of Nazareth by David Scott Hay
This is releasing early 2026, but I had a chance to read an early copy. It's an amazing read. A unique take on the Gospels and the early life of Jesus told in a thrilling story with well-crafted, tight prose.
Honorable Mentions
Red Flags: Stories and Other Disturbances by Charlene Elsby
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. LeGuin
I Live In Hell by Mike Salinas
This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno
A Condescending Wound by Benzo Monroe
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