Orange-sky apocalypse horror fiction, a cool corporate conspiracy thriller about a plane crash, and a mellow record-collector compilation

Roundup 06/11/2023

Greetings from Read Max HQ and welcome to our weekly roundup column, in which I pick out some worthwhile and often overlooked books, articles, movies, and music to recommend to paying subscribers. But first!

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of appearing with my friends Jay Kang and Tammy Kim on their great podcast Time to Say Goodbye to talk about A.I. and the writers strike. Listen here, and definitely subscribe, because it’s a great podcast:

A.I. scab-bot$, with Max Read

I’m still seeking stories and anecdotes about horrible A.I.-related interaction at work, and that Read Max caps are still available from the store.

Anyway. For this week’s round-up I’ve got:

• A great, terrifying horror novel about an oppressive orange-sky apocalypse;

• a tight halogencore thriller about an investigation into a mysterious plane crash; and

• a great new beardo compilation guaranteed to get you groovy.

If any of that sounds interesting -- and if you want to support Read Max in its continuing mission of explaining the future to relatively normal people -- please subscribe below. Subscribers get access to these weekly emails and to the comprehensive Read Max Master Lists of Good Movies to Watch and Good Books to Read--as well as preferred pricing on merchandise like the Read Max “EMAIL SUPPLY” caps. If you’re already a subscriber, thank you.

I love to hear from readers who want to recommend a cool book or movie (or whatever!) to me, or from readers who are looking for specific kinds of recommendations. Just leave a comment or drop me a line at maxread@gmail.com.

Finally, please note that I may receive a small commission if you purchase books via links in this email.

Now, the roundup. First, as always, a dispatch from the future: