Praise for Books
“Fans of Iain Reid will love this chilling psychological tale. Written with a timeless quality, The Memory Ward is mysterious, clever, and unnerving—a book to be read quickly that demands further thought after the final page is turned.” —Zoje Stage, USA Today bestselling author of Baby Teeth
“History owns every page of this beautifully intimate novel, residing as willfully as the fictional world Conner creates. With writing that is both smart and unapologetically edifying, Conner depicts a human experience with totality that is strikingly small, made so by the binds that tie us in our infinite search for understanding. A powerful read.” —Edward A. Farmer, author of Pale: A Novel
“An excellent read. It explores the history of the Caribbean Islands in the context of European colonization, along with current events in which communities of color are confronted with overwhelming forces that deal out harsh punishments. It’s a thought-provoking and interesting story, one that I’m still thinking about.” —The Verge
“Bassoff’s uncanny Bethlam, Nevada, hits the map to stand toe-to-toe with eerie heavyweights Stepford, Connecticut, and Twin Peaks, Washington.” —Warren Hammond, author of KOP and Denver Moon
“M Shelly Conner has a literary masterpiece in everyman. The unflinching dialogue and masterfully crisp prose gripped me from the beginning. Conner’s command of history and language is on full display! everyman is a story for everyone. This book shows you the knowledge of your past can break your heart, set you free or very likely both.” —Catherine Adel West, author of SheReads 2020 Book of the Year, Saving Ruby King
“Bring[s] to mind the urgent and vibrant writing of Octavia Butler…From beginning to end, The Lesson is thrilling, moving and thought-provoking. This may be Turnbull’s debut, but it reads like the work of a seasoned writer. It’s also proof that science fiction is more than entertaining—it’s a vital genre that lays bare the perils of the age and the boundlessness of the human spirit. —Shelf Awareness
“Half waking dream, half living nightmare, The Memory Ward is a palpitating descent into a verisimilitude of madness that could only be written by one of the very best in the game, Jon Bassoff.” —Craig Johnson, author of the Walt Longmire mystery series
“everyman is a vivid and winding tale of self-discovery that I was quite happy to trail along after. With a cast of fascinating characters, each one lovingly drawn, Conner’s debut is captivating, smart, and beautifully written.” —Sharon Lynn Fisher, award-winning author of The Absinthe Earl
“Turnbull artfully incorporates the history of slavery and colonialism on the US Virgin Islands into the story, imagining that history’s legacy on a future in which it’s hard to differentiate between the cruel nature of man and alien. The Lesson is an impressive first book that takes a classic science fiction archetype and makes it feel new.” —Booklist
“Jon Bassoff is a master of that territory where pulp becomes poetry, and crime fiction mates with horror.” —Ramsey Campbell, Bram Stoker Award–winning author of Ancient Images
“everyman is utterly compelling. It’s a deep exploration into who we are in the fabric of our souls and the deep and complex power of womanhood; what makes us, what we need to know about who we are, and when we can and should just accept with love and without condition, not only those closest to us, but ourselves.” —Natasha Boyd, author of The Indigo Girl
“Mr. Turnbull, who has been compared to Emily St. John and Octavia Butler, is considered one of science fiction’s most exciting young talents.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“The Memory Ward is a twisty sci-fi mystery sure to delight fans of Black Mirror and any reader who was thrilled to discover Philip K. Dick paperbacks at their local library branch.” —Molly Tanzer, author of Vermilion and Creatures of Will and Temper
“M Shelly Conner’s everyman unwinds a history that is by turns literary and intimate. That indelible past is written in the lives Conner brings to life in these pages. A generational saga recalling books like Isabelle Allende’s House of Spirits, everyman follows one woman’s journey to find where she comes from and how distant, unseen roots shape us.” —David R. Slayton, author of the Adam Binder novels
“If Frantz Fanon had written War of the Worlds, he might have produced something like Cadwell Turnbull’s The Lesson…Turnbull shows with heartbreaking clarity that even when fundamentally different individuals are able to find an essential humanity in each other, the nature of colonialism destroys both the colonizer and the colonized.” —The Rumpus
“Bassoff’s Memory Ward is one of those rare jewels: a page-turner that’s conceptually spectacular. If The Truman Show and The Crying of Lot 49 had an incredibly weird, wonderful baby, The Memory Ward would be it. Couldn’t put it down.” —Erika T. Wurth, author of White Horse, a New York Times editors’ pick
“everyman by M Shelly Conner is a mural, a bold and colorful exploration of personal and communal history. At its core, the work is a bountiful examination of Black life before and after the Great Migration, deeply researched and carefully rendered, the narratives inform and intersect, challenge and comfort; fueled by intellectual inquiry and steeped in history, this book is personal and political, an unapologetic engagement of the heart and the mind. With this novel, Conner invites us to explore the stories we tell ourselves about who we are, where we came from, and how we define home.” —Sheree L. Greer, author of A Return to Arms
“For all the story’s thoughtfulness and literary depth, The Lesson is given a sharp edge through Turnbull’s refusal to flinch from portraying the true consequences and costs of invasion, violence and resistance…In his first novel, he displays a sure hand with plot and characters, creating a complex world that is firmly anchored in, and made more compelling by, its roots in real history. The Lesson should appeal to fans of the socially aware and thoughtfully constructed science fiction of Ursula K. Le Guin and Octavia E. Butler.” —B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog
“The Memory Ward is a mystery box of a novel that you will delight in unraveling—a true mind-bender that expertly subverts your expectations and will leave you wondering how Bassoff pulled it off. I dare you to put this down once you start it.” —Rob Hart, bestselling author of Assassins Anonymous
“everyman is the rare twenty-first-century novel that feels like Morrison and Walker guided the hand of the characters, and the writer, calling it home. M Shelly Conner writes as if all of our lives depend on her art. After reading everyman, I’m convinced she’s right.” —Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy: An American Memoir
“The Lesson is a story that should not be missed by readers who embraced such books as Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven or even Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End…It’s a tribute to Turnbull’s storytelling that everything unfolds through scenes that ratchet up a slow-burn tension that climaxes in something truly gripping and shocking…The Lesson is definitely one of those books that wants to provoke a deeply individual response from each of its readers, rather than spelling out a conclusive, pedantic “lesson” for us all. Perhaps that’s a good storytelling lesson more writers ought to heed.” —SFF180
“Jon Bassoff’s The Memory Ward mixes the page-turning momentum of a beach read bent on thrills with eerie and mysterious Twilight Zone vibes. This exploration of the subjectivity of memory and self spirals down into the darkness beneath the idyllic town of Bethlam and demands we contemplate the disturbing truth of who we are (or aren’t). Fun and weirdly funny until its final-act trap springs, The Memory Ward merges the psychological thriller with the literary horror novel to unsettling results.” —Jeremy Robert Johnson, author of The Loop
“History comes alive through M Shelly Conner’s richly imagined settings and characters. I was hooked by the complex web of secrets that unfold in unexpected ways.” —Maisy Card, author of These Ghosts Are Family
“Narrators Janina Edwards and Ron Butler do a fantastic job setting us in the islands, and their accents draw extra attention to the colonial elements of alien invasion that mirror our own history.” —BookPage (audio review)
“This book scared the shit out of me so much I had to close my blinds one night while reading. It’s also funny as hell. And that’s where Jon Bassoff gets you, in that bizarrely tense space between unsettled and funny and heartwarming. I don’t know what or who is real anymore. I’m still shook!” —Steven Dunn, author of Potted Meat
“A literary masterpiece…The unflinching dialogue and masterfully crisp prose gripped me from the beginning…everyman is a story for everyone.” —Catherine Adel West, author of Saving Ruby King, SheReads 2020 Book of the Year
“Cadwell Turnbull paints a stunningly intricate portrait of humanity, capturing hopes and dreams, flaws and failings with remarkable depth and texture. The Lesson is a blast to read and a meaningful exploration of the bearing of colonialism and the perils of human ambition.” —Sylvain Neuvel, author of The Test and the Themis Files trilogy
“The Memory Ward is a nesting doll of horror and suspense. Bassoff artfully crafts a novel that questions morality, free will, and what makes us human. Compelling from the first page to the last.” —Erin E. Adams, Bram Stoker Award finalist and Edgar Award–winning author of Jackal
“everyman is the rare twenty-first-century novel that feels like Morrison and Walker guided the hand of the characters, and the writer, calling it home.” —Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy: An American Memoir
“I came for the aliens and a war of the worlds. I stayed for the deadpan St. Thomas humor; the complicated, charming, sexy island folk; and Turnbull’s delicious prose. He may not only be a new voice in sci-fi, but also a major new name in Caribbean American literature.” —Wilton Barnhardt, New York Times bestselling author of Lookaway, Lookaway
“The Memory Ward starts with a fast one-two combo of unease and quiet suburban terror and only gets better from there. If The Stepford Wives and The Truman Show had a creepy, punk rock baby, it would be The Memory Ward. Read it. Visit Bethlam. And don’t worry if your memories feel a little funny.” —Gabino Iglesias, award-winning author of House of Bone and Rain
“Conner’s inviting debut unearths a young Black woman’s family history…Conner weaves plenty of details of African American history throughout, such as the founding of the Tuskegee Institute and Martin Luther King Jr.’s alliance with a Chicago street gang, seamlessly connecting these events to the characters’ lives. Overall, this wonderfully evokes a sense of place, and a palpable curiosity about the past.” —Publishers Weekly
“Cadwell Turnbull’s The Lesson brings an alien invasion to St. Thomas with a breadth that encompasses the past, present, and future. As his well-drawn characters wrestle with interspecies challenges, Turnbull imparts lessons that both embrace and transcend culture and race to drive at the heart of what it means to be human.” —Tananarive Due, American Book Award winner, executive producer of Horror Noire
“Bassoff weaves a tale that mixes Ira Levin with the best horror films, where you want to yell at the screen to warn a character of what is about to happen…Readers will not be able to put this book down.” —firstCLUE Reviews
“In this lilting and lyrical epic, readers follow the meandering ancestry of twenty-two-year-old Every Mann, known as Eve, as she searches for answers and meaning in her genealogy…everyman is a gorgeous, multigenerational examination of the Great Migration and the ripple effects of mysteries that were left in its wake for the descendants of those who sought ‘the warmth of other suns.’” —Booklist
“In The Lesson Cadwell Turnbull, by setting his story in St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, makes something completely new of the old theme of humans’ first contact with superior aliens. Putting these ‘colonizing aliens’ in a place shaped by colonialism opens new perspectives on issues of race and culture and sex and exploitation. But the true wonder of this novel is its beautifully realized portrayal of Charlotte Amalie and its deeply human and complex characters, young and old, all of them transformed by the arrival of the ambiguously motivated Ynaa. It’s a story of mystery, romance, tragedy, and redemption. Like Octavia Butler and Ursula K. Le Guin before him, Turnbull uses the tools of science fiction to illuminate the human heart. The Lesson stands at the beginning of what I expect to be a long and illustrious career.” —John Kessel, Nebula Award–winning author of The Moon and the Other and Pride and Prometheus
“Drawing you in one hook at a time before fully ensnaring you into a paranoid frenzy that subtly explores what our memories mean to us and how we are more shaped by them than we imagine, The Memory Ward is a book you’ll be compelled to finish in one sitting.” —The Best Thriller Books
“Boomers, Gen Jones, Millennials, Gen X, Gen Y, and beyond have much to learn from Dr. Conner, and the stories are telling and compelling as each character’s thread creates the tapestry that Eve is seeking to create. She weaves words, actions, recollections, and even though a picture is forming, it will always be gloriously incomplete. Summer, fall, winter—any season is perfect for this book. Get two today—one to keep and one to share. The loaner will never return.” —Out in Jersey
“Turnbull was raised in the Caribbean in a family that lived there for generations. This slow but gradual addition to the field of diverse writers whose fiction is influenced by their cultural background has not only led to a more authentic depiction of places other than mainland America and the United Kingdom, it’s also revitalized the genre’s creaky old tropes, such as the alien invasion/first contact narrative…The Lesson is everything I adore about a debut, a bold new voice that applies a fresh coat of paint to an old idea and does so with a sense of daring, compassion, and intelligence.” —Ian Mond, Locus
“The Memory Ward by Jon Bassoff is a very highly recommended psychological suspense novel with a science fiction connection. This page-turner had me fully engaged and speculating right from the start.” —She Treads Softly
“Janina Edwards sensitively narrates Conner’s powerful debut…Edwards’s voice is perfectly suited to this beautiful audiobook. She speaks with a velvety fluidity…[and] is especially effective at delivering dialogue, as she captures the many different personalities and authentically communicates their love, desperation, and humanity.” —AudioFile
“The Lesson is a welcomed addition to the new wave of Virgin Islands literature. The plot is smooth and exciting, the polemics are subtle but smart, and the characters are heartfelt.” —Tiphanie Yanique, author of Land of Love and Drowning
“Haunting…Bassoff skillfully portrays flawed characters as sympathetic truth-seekers caught in a world presenting a dangerously cheerful facade…The underlying sinister feeling will entice fans of Blake Crouch’s Wayward Pines series…The Memory Ward is a strong addition to the psychological thriller genre.” —Booklist
“Turnbull’s bold and provocative debut pits aliens against slavers, aliens against the descendants of slaves. On the island of St. Thomas, a family collides with intergalactic meddlers, stranding two lovers with souls in distant worlds. A forbidding panoply of colonial mischief.” —Kris Lackey, USA Today bestselling author of Nail’s Crossing
“If you like a twisty, totally engrossing psychological thriller that is going to take you all kinds of places you don’t expect, then add The Memory Ward to your TBR pile, and move it to the top…Well-executed elements of mystery and horror add dark and smoky notes to the tale, making it almost impossible to put down.” —Rocky Mountain Reader
“A compelling and layered narrative that explores colonialism and our messy human flaws through a diverse and painfully real cast of characters. The Lesson is smart, full of dry wit and creeping dread—a unique and artful debut.” —M. K. England, author of The Disasters
“Bassoff whips up sufficient unease with his Twilight Zone setup…Blake Crouch fans will enjoy this mind-bender.” —Publishers Weekly
“A strong debut from Cadwell Turnbull, The Lesson does what all the best science fiction does: it uses the supernatural to reveal something true about our world.” —BookPage
“Bassoff delivers a tale of trauma and altered identity, and one questioning the concept of humanity itself.” —The Cullman Times
“Rather than collapse his premise into a straightforward colonial allegory, Turnbull uses the Ynaa occupation to explore what social violence means to the communities that embrace or suffer through it, and whether we as individuals have anything to say about it. Some of the early critical comparisons of The Lesson to Octavia Butler can feel just a little gauche—black authors somehow always seem to be compared only to each other—but Turnbull’s fearless commitment to his novel’s ambivalence more than earns it.” —Fiction Unbound
“Beyond its examination of violence and colonialism…there is also, and I was not expecting that, a look at toxic masculinity, paternalism, and patriarchy. It didn’t escape me that there is a beautiful (and harrowing) juxtaposing between language itself and these ideas (when the Ynaa refer to “men” who are they talking about?) that leads to an explosive ending…Its multiple threads fall into place beautifully.” —The Book Smugglers
“A culture clash between humans and aliens is brought to life in the narration of Janina Edwards and Ron Butler…Both excel in their smooth Caribbean accents, bringing to life an intergenerational cast of characters with distinct personalities.” —AudioFile
“Remarkable…Turnbull’s writing is affecting and intelligent, dropping wisdom like cherry bombs…A daring and thoughtful book…that presents racial issues and questions in a genuinely new way, which makes it a book that, I hope, will stand the test of time.” —Katharine Coldiron, Locus
“Turnbull’s novel combines a solid, modest gravitas, a homey quotidian ambiance, a sophistication of character development, and some genuine SFnal strangeness into a unique and savory gumbo…A native of the region before taking up residence in the USA, Turnbull has the setting and citizens of St. Thomas in his bones and blood, and he conveys their reality to us gracefully, colorfully and with a minimum of hand-holding…Turnbull illustrates life on the island and the patterns of culture that contribute to the climactic miniapocalypse with sensitivity and flair…Ultimately, this deft, low-key, exacting, surprising, yet predestined story assumes the contours of the classic account of two cultures at cross-purposes, misunderstanding each other through a welter of good and bad intentions, tragedy resulting.” —Paul Di Filippo, Locus
“A parable of cultural conflict, conflicting moralities, colonialism, and the costs of being a decent person in the midst of desperate times…This is one of those books in which the setting becomes almost a character in itself. The Virgin Islands and their people are drawn in vibrant detail…Turnbull has been compared to Octavia Butler, and in his case I think the observation is a valid one. The Lesson isn’t just a serious, important book—it’s also a fun and rewarding one.” —Analog Science Fiction and Fact
“A thought-provoking work that blends empathy with high concepts. It’s a fine place for a thoughtful career to begin.” —Vol. 1 Brooklyn
“[A] rich debut novel about family, love, and loyalty in turbulent times…Turnbull uses a beautifully drawn cast of black characters to convey the complexity of ordinary hardship in extraordinary times. This is an ideal story for fans of Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven and other literary science fiction novels.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Emotional prose and distinctive characters highlight an incredible story that will touch readers’ hearts and minds. A compelling tale of invasive occupation and emotional uprising, Turnbull’s debut is complex and enthralling. It’s a must for all libraries, and the writer, who crafts speculative stories with black characters on par with Octavia Butler, is definitely one to watch.” —Library Journal (starred review)
“Sometimes the aliens don’t land in New York or London. In fact, the alien Ynaa ship that catalyzes the emotional landscape and drives the action of this debut novel lands in the harbor of Water Island, one of the US Virgin Islands…A persuasively—almost musically—worded meditation on colonialism and whether it’s really possible to return home again.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“While reading this book, I couldn’t help but think back on the state of race relations in the United States…The book is a study in power and how two opposing sides warily regard one another, and what happens when things get out of control. Given the events of the summer of 2020, this is a theme that’s undoubtedly here to stay as authors use science fiction to explore this deadly power dynamic and white supremacy that’s part of American life.” —Polygon
