For this installment of our weekly book reviews from Booklist, the American Library Association’s nationally distributed book and media review publication, we have Allison Cho’s review of Senaa Ahmad’s “The Age of Calamities,” first published November 6, 2025, on Booklist Online.
Enjoy.
“The Age of Calamities”
By Senaa Ahmad
Jan. 2026. 240p. Holt, paper, $17.99 (9781250378477); e-book (9781250378484).
Some of history’s most iconic figures are shoved into bewildering circumstances in this eccentric debut collection. In the first story, King Henry VIII discovers that his wife, Anne Boleyn, won’t die. She survives beheading, drowning, and choking on scarves, crawling back to her bedroom after a long day of dying. Despite her fortitude and the couple’s surprisingly tender moments, Henry continues to plot her demise. In another tale, the mysterious Historian traps John Adams and Marilyn Monroe, among others, in a mansion that becomes the site of a murder mystery. The guests reckon with the death at hand as well as their own fates in their original worlds. And a young girl finds herself being possessed by the spirit of Joan of Arc. It is, simply put, a very confusing experience for all. Author Ahmad’s genre-defying short stories teeter on the brink of fiction, twisting time and space in a way that will keep readers on their toes. A surreal collection steeped in dark humor, this book is perfect for history buffs who need a chuckle.— Allison Cho
If what you’re reading has piqued your interest, look for “The Age of Calamities” at your local library, bookstore, or wherever you like to check out (or listen to) books.
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