What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky

by Lesley Nneka Arimah (Riverhead, $26). This debut collection is a real stunner—one of the best of 2017. Lesley Nneka Arimah’s prose is lovely and effortless, and her 12 stories leap from genre to genre while always showcasing her masterful understanding of human frailty.

by Bennett Sims (Two Dollar Radio, $16). These 11 cerebral, uncanny stories marry horror, pop culture, metafiction, and cinema, and the result is a collection unlike any other in recent memory. If you like David Foster Wallace, Godzilla, or both, you need this book.