BookSeriesInOrder.com





Book Notification

Cadwell Turnbull Books In Order

Book links take you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn money from qualifying purchases.

Publication Order of The Convergence Saga Books

No Gods, No Monsters (2021)Description / Buy at Amazon
We Are the Crisis (2023)Description / Buy at Amazon

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Anthologies

Many Worlds: Or, the Simulacra(2023)Description / Buy at Amazon
Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror(2023)Description / Buy at Amazon

Cadwell Turnbull is a science fiction novelist best known for his debut novel “The Lesson.” He went to North Carolina State University from where he got his MA in Linguistics and a Creative Writing MFA.

He was brought up in the US Virgin Islands and lived all over the place ever since he went to college. He got his bachelors from Pittsburgh’s La Roche University which is where he met Anju, his wife.

Soon after graduation he went back home and for a time taught high school English before he went on to teach English as a Second Language in South Korea. After coming back to the US he served on Americorps and then proceeded to grad school at North Carolina.

Before he became a novelist he published short fiction that has been featured in the likes of Asimov’s Science Fiction, The Verge, Nightmare, and Lightspeed. He has also had his stories published in The Year’s Best Fantasy and Science Fiction and Asimov’s Science Fiction among many other anthologies.
His short fiction and debut novel have won and been nominated for several prestigious awards over the years. He is currently a professor at North Carolina State University and lives in Raleigh.

Turnbull always loved reading from a young age and asserts that the first novel to have a significant impact on him was The Diary of Anne Frank. It was a book that was assigned to the class by the English teacher who wanted them to write a paper on it.

While he procrastinated for a while, once he got down to reading it he could not stop. He became swept up in the desire for deep friendship and closeness, the dreams, the boredom and daily concerns that the lead character had. She felt as if the author was speaking to her by reaching through time.
Still, he could not understand the ending as a young boy from the Virgin Islands who lived a very different life. But he recognized the deep sense of being lost, the unfairness and not being allowed to grow up as a child that the lead had to deal with.

This was his first glimpse into how politics impacts daily life and he felt very raw even as he wrote the paper. Cadwell’s teacher would later draw him aside and told him that he should think about a career as an author. Up to that time he had been thinking of pursuing a career as a scientist and it was the first time he thought maybe he could become a writer.

Cadwell Turnbull’s first experience with the science fiction genre was when he began watching movies with his mother. He still remembers his childhood when he used to watch reruns of “Star Trek” and “Frequency” that they watched regularly. As a high schooler, he got into watching Stargate SG1, Charmed and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. All of these genre movies helped pique his interest in fantasy.

During his high school years, he got into George Orwell’s 1984 which was an assigned reading. He was attracted to the speculative aspects of the work though everybody considered it a classic rather than science fiction. He would imagine a dystopian future and how it would be to explore the lives of the people who lived in it.

When he was in college Ursula Le Guin’s The Lathe of Heaven was recommended by a friend and it was at this point that he began reading fantasy and science fiction novels.

Attending La Roche University, Cadwell Turnbull knew he was destined for a career as a writer but not what kind. The college offered a creative writing degree that included disciplines such as journalism, literary criticism, grant writing, technical writing and creative writing.

Since he did not yet know what type of writer he wanted to be he applied for the course and was accepted. Living outside the Virgin Islands was exciting for the young man that had never left home before. Before he graduated he had narrowed down his preferences to creative writing, criticism and journalism.
He completed his internship working as assistant editor for a literary magazine and then went on to work as a freelance reporter back home in the Virgin Islands. Turnbull then attended North Carolina State and it was here that he decided to study creative writing.

Once he graduated, he went to an intensive six week workshop at Clarion West where he learned all about fantasy and science fiction writing. At the workshop he made friends with incredible authors who shared his aspirations. Not long afterwards he began publishing short stories with some success until he published “The Lesson” in 2019.

“No Gods, No Monsters” by Cadwell Turnbull introduces the mundane concerns of several characters Patrice and Derrick who are longtime friends that might become lovers.

Patrice’s mother Aubrey soon finds herself falling for Jackson, a coworker even as his father is getting into a relationship with an ex-student of his. Their lives become chaotic when some strange ship appears over the island looking like a giant seashell. It seems the ship does not obey any laws of physics and gravity as it hums over the small island.

But rather than focus on the awe, shock and turmoil that grips the world following the arrival of the UFO, the author skips five years to when the aliens have established their reign over the Earth. They made a deal with the governments of the world in which they agreed that the aliens would stay for only a little time. They need time to find something important for their society and intend to stay in one local as they conduct their explorations.

In return for the hospitality they will provide cures for a range of conditions such as cancer and clean energy. While they seem to be benevolent in their actions, it is the islanders who live with the aliens that have to endure what is increasingly a bad situation. Some of the aliens have taken on human form and live among them but are more resilient and stronger than the humans they live amongst.

When the aliens encounter any kind of provocation or resistance they tend to violently lash out killing and maiming without hesitation.

Cadwell Turnbull’s “Jump’ is set on an early morning in October. Laina has just been informed that her younger sibling had been shot and killed by the police in Boston. But what initially seemed like a case of police brutality turns out to be something stranger.

Creatures from legend and myth emerge from the shadows as they look to find safety in the world which sets off a series of what at first glance looks like unrelated events. A local werewolf pack gets threats while a professor follows a friend and stumbles upon a mysterious secret society.
Meanwhile, a boy with special capabilities is looking for a safe haven against a pro monster group with its own secrets. In the meantime, more people are going missing as protests erupt all over the world, hate crime and suicides increase both for and against the supernaturals.
Why is this happening now when it has been very quiet for hundreds of years?


Caldwell Turnbull is a reputed American novelist of science fiction and fantasy novels. He is particularly well known for writing several successful standalone novels such as The Lesson, All the Hidden Places, etc. Turnbull has also written a few short fictions that have appeared in Nightmare, Asimov’s Science Fiction, The Verge, and Lightspeed. One of his short stories, Loneliness is in Your Blood, was chosen for the 2018 Best American SF and Fantasy. A novelette written by Turnbull for Asimov’s called Other Worlds and This One has also been included in an anthology as a notable story. Another short story penned by him is called Jump, which has been selected as the 2019 Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of the Year.

Prior to making his debut in the field of writing, Turnbull earned his Master of Arts degree in Linguistics and an MFA degree in Creative Writing from the University of North Caroline State. He has also attended the 2016 Clarion West. Author Turnbull has set his debut book, The Lesson, in his native United States Virgin Islands and has described it as coming under alien colonization. This book has received great reviews, praise, and appreciations from many noteworthy magazines, editors, critics, and fellow writers. The highlights of the appreciations include starred reviews from Library Journal, Kirkus Review, and Publisher’s Weekly. A large number of readers have also spoken kind words for the book on various literary platforms and have appreciated Turnbull’s efforts in coming up with such a unique science fiction story.

Turnbull requests the readers to rate and review his work as much as they as he is new to the writing scene and desperately needs their praise to make a successful writing career for himself. He also expects his newly acquired fans to talk about his books on online platforms and share them among their friends so that they reach out to a wider audience. For the past two months, author Turnbull is on a book tour for promoting his first book. He has already visited my American cities and is expected to many more by September 2019. Throughout the book tour, Turnbull has been interacting with the audience, signing books for them, answering their queries and questions, and taking their valuable feedback. And going by the response he has been getting, he is hopeful that people from other countries of the world are also going to like his book and help it become much more successful.

Turnbull is also active on social media, where he interacts with the readers and gives them updates about the release dates of his books, a timeline of his book signing events, details, and news of his future projects, and much other information in regards to his writing career. He is grateful for all the love and support he has received from the audience throughout his country. Also, Turnbull is thankful to all the critics, reviewers, and fellow authors who have spoken good words about his work and praised his efforts. He is looking forward to writing a lot more novels in the years to come and entertaining the readers to the best of his ability.

The debut book written by author Cadwell Turnbull is entitled ‘The Lesson’. It was released by Blackstone Publishing in 2019. This book explores the belief’s nature and alien colonialism’s impact on human life. It is considered a breaking ground in the genre of science fiction. Set in US Virgin Islands, the novel is thought-provoking and delves deeply into colonialism’s allegorical themes. It also draws vivid images of the Charlotte Amalie community, where author Turnbull hails from. Initially, it is mentioned that a ship owned by aliens lands near Water Island. After getting acquainted with the local people of the community, the super-advanced race of aliens called Ynaa go on to live with them for 5 years. But, they do not disclose to humans the fact that they are carrying out a secret research mission.

The Ynaa race of aliens remains calm and composed throughout their stay on the Water Island, but they fight every step of aggression against them with equal force. After some time, the relationship between the local Islanders and the Ynaa aliens becomes strained. As a result, the peace between the two species gets destroyed. Later, a local young boy gets killed by the aliens and a year after this tragedy, three families united to fight against them. They indulge in an inevitable conflict that leaves them becoming victims of the wrath of the Ynaa. This event touches every human on the Island and teaches them a terrible lesson for life.

Another excellent book penned by author Turnbull is called ‘Monsters Come Howling In Their Season’. It was published in 2019 and contains illustrations done by Corey Brickley. Turnbull has set the story in St. Thomas and has depicted the lead character in the role of Nancy Stevens. The book opens by showing that a deadly hurricane hit St. Thomas and causes huge destruction. When the hurricane Owen subsides, Dr. Nancy Stevens sends a drone in the air to capture the extent of the destruction. She is shocked to find that the community has become completely naked. The leaves of its trees disappear and the soil beneath gets revealed. Trash and debris get tucked between the trees and every building in the community become tainted with dirt and soil.

Hurricane Owen leaves the mark of its destruction everywhere, exploiting each weak spot, stripping the trees, demolishing old buildings, tearing telephone poles, etc. Later, people come out to assess the damage caused by the natural disaster and help each other in clearing the debris. They call Nancy Stevens for help as she is equipped with advanced technology and can speed up the process of helping the community get back on its feet. This book was also highly appreciated by readers in all parts of the world. They praised the unique setting, engaging characters, excellent storyline, and interesting writing style of author Turnbull. The readers also enjoyed Corey Brickley’s interesting illustrations. All these factors helped the book become widely popular and reach out into the hands of readers far and wide. Author Turnbull received huge praise for his work in the book.

Book Series In Order » Authors » Cadwell Turnbull

Leave a Reply