Pulp Fiction discussion

Welcome to our August discussion of Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Born in Mexico and now based in Canada, Moreno-Garcia has become one of the most versatile and acclaimed voices in contemporary speculative fiction. Since her debut novel Signal to Noise, she has built an impressive body of work that refuses to be confined to a single genre, moving effortlessly between horror, fantasy, historical fiction, noir, science fiction, and mystery. Along the way she's earned nominations for the Hugo, Locus, British Fantasy, and Shirley Jackson Awards, while novels such as Mexican Gothic, Gods of Jade and Shadow, and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau have introduced countless readers to her richly atmospheric storytelling.

Published in 2023, Silver Nitrate continues Moreno-Garcia's fascination with blending history and the supernatural, but this time she turns her attention to the Mexican film industry of the 1990s and the lingering legacy of its golden age. At its heart, the novel follows two longtime friends who become entangled in the mystery surrounding a legendary director's unfinished horror film, drawing them into a world where cinema, folklore, and the occult intersect. While horror certainly plays a role, readers familiar with Moreno-Garcia's work know that she's equally interested in character, setting, and the ways the past continues to shape the present.

The novel also makes an excellent fit for our Backstage Stabbings theme. Rather than focusing on detectives or police investigations, it explores the hidden corners of the entertainment industry itself—where ambition, artistic obsession, fading reputations, and old rivalries can be just as dangerous as any criminal conspiracy. It's also exactly the kind of book our club enjoys discovering: a modern work that draws on the traditions of noir and suspense while bringing a fresh perspective, a distinctive cultural setting, and a voice that broadens our reading beyond the familiar classics.

As always, please be mindful of spoilers, especially during the first half of the month. Feel free to share your first impressions, favorite passages, thoughts on the characters, observations about the film-world setting, or anything else that catches your attention as you read. Whether this is your first Silvia Moreno-Garcia novel or you've followed her work for years, I hope you'll jump into the conversation and help make this another lively month of discussion. Happy reading!



How can you resist an author who eats blueberry pancakes? Yum!

Oh, this is nice.
I've wanted to read Moreno-García for a while.
As always, I sign up for too many things all the time, so let's see how the month goes.