Ray Nayler has been on my must=read list ever since I read The Tusks of Extinction. This novel, set mainly during WWII, involves human children trying to avoid the Nazis and Communists; they are aided by a community of crows. A compelling read, if sometimes very dark. Nayler is getting better and better.

I wasn't expecting Nayler's next novel to move into historical fiction but still keep the speculative intelligence angle, but he's done an amazing job here. We get a novel that shuttles between the early 70s in Russia, decades removed from a small group of children's experiences as they attempt to survive the German blitzkrieg of Lithuania in the wood. This time, Nayler gets to talk about the intelligence of crows, and brings them into the lives of these four children in a truly amazing and unexpected way as they try to survive World War II and also deal with their unique backgrounds as they learn to survive. Also interesting is that Nayler chooses to take the dive into a period of time that was fucking bleak as hell, but focuses on how to get through when it looks like maybe the future isn't worth it and the present sucks. This comes out in May; highly recommend preordering this.

If you haven't read anything by Ray Nayler yet, now is the best time to pick up his work. PALACES OF THE CROW is a fantastically well-researched speculative historical fiction novel, that remains grounded and true to the historical events it follows while perfectly balancing its speculative elements throughout the story.

The story follows a small group of teens as they survive in the forests of Lithuania for multiple years during WWII. They face threats from the Germans, the Russians, and other desperate survivors, all with the help from a flock of mysteriously intelligent crows. The characters build a family with each other as they study the crows and dream about a life beyond the forest, and beyond the war that has destroyed the lives they once knew. Nayler structures the narrative with shifting perspectives and timelines that build to satisfying reveals. This choice is deliberate and pays off well, helping to explore the themes of past trauma haunting the present.

This was one of my most highly anticipated reads of 2026 and it did not disappoint. I would recommend to anyone who has read and enjoyed Nayler's work before, or anyone who enjoys speculative fiction with themes of found family, survival, and the environment.

A deeply felt book about humanity, war, and memory; about the reason to continue in a relentlessly flawed world. Grimly beautiful; speculatively realistic. A fantastic read.

Ray Nayler is a must-read author for me by now. His novels are always so surprising, inventing and smart. I don't usually enjoy historical fiction (especially not set during WWII) so I was expecting this to be my first Nayler disappointment, but of course not. He always delivers!

This is speculative historical fiction, and less sci-fi than his previous novels. It's tragic and beautiful and so interesting. WWII was fought all over the world, and so many people suffered, but there are some people and areas that we don't really hear about in school or media. This is one such story and I learned a lot.

Also, crows are so cool!

I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This was the first time in a while that I picked up a book and genuinely couldn’t put it down. This was a one sitting read for me!! From the opening pages, I was immediately grabbed by the story and with every subsequent page I felt like I was being pulled deeper into the forest with these young people and the crows they found themselves acquainted with.

There is a fluidity to the prose in this book that works so well for the speculative elements of this historical fiction. It’s detailed but not overbearing, and with each of the perspectives included it felt like I was right beside Neriya, Czesław, Kezia, and the Boy, listening to and watching the crows. There’s an interesting balance between the tension of hiding from people who mean them harm and the almost languid unfolding of the days, months, and years of this story; the routines developed by these young people and the regular appearances of the crows. Just as the lives of these young people are fractured across the years, so too is this story, told in snatches of memory across a battered landscape.

I really enjoyed the way that many of the themes in this novel were explored, specifically the power of memory and the things that shape us as a person. The way that these elements are explored through the unique experiences and culture of each of the perspective characters was so well done, and I especially loved the way that these things began to intertwine in their lives and the stories and memories they shared and created with one another. I loved the way that time passed in this story and how all of these characters were in and out of memory, and somehow existing alongside the memory of the entire landscape as they grapple with the changing of the world over their lifetimes.

This was absolutely one of my top reads of the year so far. I’ve never read anything quite like it, and Nayler painted such a clear picture of where we were in time and space throughout this book. It all comes together so beautifully to explore how these people were so affected by the world they were born into and the choices (or lack thereof) before them.