The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de BodardMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Aliette de Bodard crafts a dystopian world in an alternate history where The Great War led to a earth-shattering conclusion forever crippling the civilized world. With its roots in fallen angels, where there is a market in their very skin, bones, […]
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin KwanMy rating: 3 of 5 stars I enjoyed this romp through Asia, an eye opening experience to be sure. Kevin Kwan creates a nightmare paradise of extravagant materialism and rigid tradition, where life’s entire purpose has become accumulating enough status points to enter into a great Singapore family. Rachel Chu
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Dawn by Octavia E. ButlerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars What a great story!Terrifying and seductive and such awesome world building. These may be my favorite aliens ever.Humans are predictably uncivilized showing all our worse traits, but Octavia Butler is a realist and holds nothing back. Our antipathy to aliens lies deep within our core
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Spinning Silver by Naomi NovikMy rating: 5 of 5 stars Note: mild spoilers (just a little more than a dust jacket summary and list of characters) Naomi Novik’s modern fairy tale, Spinning Silver, draws from Indo-European folklore, especially the story of Rumpelstiltskin. Novik is both upfront and subversive about the story’s roots, starting the novel
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Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha LeeMy rating: 5 of 5 stars Brilliant story. The worldbuilding of Ninefox Gambit comes to fruition here. The story also packs a killer plot twist & reveal, though there is plenty of foreshadowing of the possibility, so it’s both surprising and inevitable. One of my favorite 2017 sci-fi novels. 🙂
Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha LeeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Not only a good novel, this is also a window into an enormous world in conflict, and it begins in media res, with brutal and confusing warfare. At the center of the story is Kel Cheris, an infantry captain and brilliant mathematician, and Shuos
Ninefox Gambit – the joy of great world building! Read More »
A Conjuring of Light by V.E. SchwabMy rating: 5 of 5 stars I loved the Shades of Magic saga. The world building was unique and made sense in the story. The characters are memorable, their positive and negative attributes. The magic system is coherent and well-matched for the world, and this author isn’t afraid of
A Conjuring of Light – last installment of the Shades of Magic series. Read More »
Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael WolffMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Wolff gives what seems a reasonably accurate take on the infighting at the White House. My impression is that to a vast degree the book is correct. Wolff has tapes of interviews and an expert attorney doing a libel
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Quantum Physics & My Dog Bob: stories by Pat RushinMy rating: 5 of 5 stars Quantum Physics & My Dog Bob by Pat Rushin consists of 2 novelettes, 6 short stories, and 2 pieces of flash fiction. Throughout the collection, beyond-the-pale characters are challenged by the day-to-day struggle of being human. What they learn is
A Fun Collection of Thought Provoking Stories. Read More »
Quantum Physics & My Dog Bob: stories by Pat RushinMy rating: 5 of 5 stars Quantum Physics & My Dog Bob by Pat Rushin consists of 2 novelettes, 6 short stories, and 2 pieces of flash fiction. Throughout the collection, beyond-the-pale characters are challenged by the day-to-day struggle of being human. What they learn is
A Fun Collection of Thought Provoking Stories. Read More »
The Obsidian Heart by Mark T. BarnesMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Mark Barnes does incredible world building. It’s extraordinary and many-layered, which can almost stun the reader with its complexity, at least that is how I feel reading the stories. On the other hand, there is no denying how many details he keeps in
The Obsidian Heart Brings Echoes of Empire into Focus! Read More »
The Hedge Knight by George R.R. MartinMy rating: 4 of 5 stars A delicious short tale set in a brief hiatus of peace, a time when a knight like Ser Duncan (Dunk) could walk, ride, joust, and sell his sword to a worthy (or not) lord. This tale describes how he and his squire Egg
Cinder by Marissa MeyerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Marissa Meyer writes fairy tales in a dystopian future of high technology and little hope. Cinder, the protagonist, is a homologue of Cinderella. We have a Prince, an evil stepmother, and other aspects of the famous tale, but the original story is used as a device
Wild Cards by George R.R. MartinMy rating: 3 of 5 stars A mosaic novel where after an alien virus is exploded over New York City (and into the jet stream), society has a parallel force of Aces and Jokers, victims/beneficiaries of the virus. What’s coolest (for me) is the way actual events were woven into
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The Grind Show by Phil TuckerMy rating: 3 of 5 stars The Grind Show is an early novel by Phil Tucker that explores a world where demons cohabit with humans. Only a few human beings can perceive them, both through sight and esp. For other humans, these demon fighters are insane. Our protagonist is one
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The Adventures of Jesus Christ, Boy Detective by J. BradleyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars The Adventures of Jesus Christ, Boy Detective It’s disingenuous to begin a book like J. Bradley’s The Adventures of Jesus Christ, Boy Detective and not expect to wallow in irreverence, so don’t read it if your religious feathers are easily
The Satanic Verses by Salman RushdieMy rating: 4 of 5 stars A confounding, challenging book that leaves impactful philosophical impressions! This book is so many things: a weird odd-couple story that crosses the planes, a tale of the immigrant experience in England, and a fable about surrender to religion versus a rigorous adherence to secular
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SantaLand Diaries by David SedarisMy rating: 3 of 5 stars I enjoy David Sedaris’s humor. This story has a very original perspective on the holiday season. The protagonist is a Macy’s elf, Crumpet/Blisters, and – through him – we get a behind-the-scenes look at the business of manufactured levity. There is a bitter tone to
Elves Need Love too. Read More »
Grave Peril by Jim ButcherMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Such an enjoyable story, but to be honest, I found Harry to be pretty annoying until the last third of the book. His arrogance and chivalry bordered on absurd. He needed to be pressed up against the edge to find his solution this time though,
Grave Peril – Harry Dresden #3 – by Jim Butcher. A great ride! Read More »
Skin Deep by Brandon SandersonMy rating: 3 of 5 stars I love Brandon Sanderson’s imagination. Mistborn and the world of The Rithmatist are two of my favorite places to dream about being. My expectations for Legion were, therefore, unrealistic, but that’s the danger when your audience becomes acquainted with dining gourmet. A lesser meal just
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