The Revisioners by Margaret Wilkerson SextonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars A heartfelt intergenerational journey across two centuries of American history told from the perspective of two women, Ava & Josephine, whose families are victims of racism. The author uses the term “recycled racism” to describe their suffering, and it’s precise. There are three narratives. […]
I have finished my Hugo reading for the year. My eyes are so blurry, but I am brimming with happiness. Here are my choices along with a brief word on each category: Best Novel Gideon the Ninth, by Tamsyn Muir (Tor.com Publishing) The Light Brigade, by Kameron Hurley (Saga; Angry Robot UK) Middlegame, by Seanan
My 2020 Hugo Ballot Read More »
There is an old German saying that an apple generally does not fall far from its tree. A pure nature versus nurture argument, it is usually reserved for decrying unpleasant traits inherited by a wicked person’s offspring, but this philosophy has uses for dramatists too; and in King Lear, Shakespeare often paints Goneril and Regan
To “Fall from Bias of Nature”: A Dissenting Opinion on Good Cordelia Read More »
Macbeth by William ShakespeareMy rating: 5 of 5 stars Although the signifier “mirror” is absent from Macbeth, and “glass” only appears twice, once as a prop instruction and once in dialogue, The Scottish Play fairly bristles with reflections, though like the mirrors of its time, they are somewhat deceptive. First, of course, is the mirror
“By the Strength of Their Illusion”: Reflections on the Scottish Play Read More »
The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir by John R. BoltonMy rating: 2 of 5 stars It is truly appalling that someone who purports to be a public servant would maintain silence in the face of so much corruption going on in the same room, however this review is not about John Bolton,
A Book About John Bolton’s Dereliction of Duty. Read More »
The Deep by Rivers SolomonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Trying to do this without spoiling it for you, so bear with me. I’m not going to reveal too much more than the synopsis. First, I really liked the root concept of the story, the origins of the Wajinru, the merpeople. Solomon creates a compelling
Finding Redemption in the Deep Read More »
The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. LovecraftMy rating: 5 of 5 stars “That is not dead which can eternal lie,And with strange aeons even death may die.” The Call of Cthulhu is a feast of creepiness told in colorful language, which is only flawed by Lovecraft’s primitive obsession with physiognomy and base racism. I view
Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn. Read More »
Pornland: How Porn Has Hijacked Our Sexuality by Gail DinesMy rating: 2 of 5 stars Dines’s book is an excursion into the destructive nature of pornography on our society. It hits some of the problem on the head, especially the violence of the gonzo olympics. However, the book is flawed in that Dines enters the
Pornland is Informative But Also As Boring As Porn Read More »
Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. CoreyMy rating: 5 of 5 stars A good story set against a brilliant vision of the future solar system. I love the setting so much, especially all the political interplay. The characters were a bit of a reach for me at first, especially Miller’s obsession with the dead girl. I
Leviathan Wakes (First story of The Expanse) Read More »
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-GarciaMy rating: 5 of 5 stars Moreno-Garcia dipped into the inkwell of mortality to write a modern fairy tale about love, both romantic and fraternal, featuring Gods and a plucky character shaped by the world to be a reluctant hero. The world-building is brilliant, drawing from the lush
My Favorite Story of 2019 (so far) Read More »
Funny In Farsi: A Memoir Of Growing Up Iranian In America by Firoozeh DumasMy rating: 3 of 5 stars A refreshing memoir by a talented, entertaining author who speaks in clear direct language and tells great stories, especially about her extended family. This valuable book illuminates the life of an immigrant and narrates the American
An Endearing and Instructive Immigration Story Told With Wit and Aplomb Read More »
Autonomous by Annalee NewitzMy rating: 4 of 5 stars I really liked Autonomous. I thought Newitz’s vision of a future world with drug patent hoarding corporations and pirates willing to defy them scarily realistic. I also thoroughly enjoyed the embedded discussion of capitalism’s overreach of claiming human biological data, and the implicit criticism of how
Questions of Consent Read More »
Prime Meridian by Silvia Moreno-Garcia My rating: 5 of 5 starsSilvia Moreno-Garcia’s “Prime Meridian” is about Mars, though not the red planet nor the Roman god of war. Instead, this story features a black-and-white Mars decorated with cheap studio effects, another Mars that exists only as a bond between a young couple that cannot survive
“Prime Meridian” and Its Many Marses Read More »
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret AtwoodMy rating: 5 of 5 stars Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is brilliant literary science fiction. I will discuss the literary aspects of it in a moment, but first it’s important to place it squarely in the domain of science fiction. First, under Darko Suvin’s definition of sci fi, the
My review of The Handmaid’s Tale Read More »
Sharp Objects by Gillian FlynnMy rating: 3 of 5 stars Sharp Objects is a solid first novel, to which I would have given a higher rating, were it not for the summary technique in the conclusion that robs the reader of the experience of that year of discovery. Flynn does everything else right. Her characters
Devoured this scrumptious morsel in but a few hours and still left a little hungry. Read More »
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi AdeyemiMy rating: 5 of 5 stars An important story written from a vantage point above a landscape of suffering and tears. Adeyemi does an excellent job with setting, painting a colorful mosaic rich in magical realism but grounded in pain and tragedy. I especially found compelling her use
When They Have Taken the Magic Read More »
The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane AndersMy rating: 5 of 5 stars It’s tough to review this one without spoilers and still convey the essentials, because the worldbuilding is so unique, so let me give a one-liner first and you can choose to move on if you wish: I give
If You Think Science Fiction Should Make You Ask Yourself Tough Questions… Read More »
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillipMy rating: 4 of 5 stars I loved the voice of the narrator, the straightforward unapologetic fairy tale weave. I enjoyed the transformation of Sybel, how she loses her naïveté to the Eld version of the Great Game, and I mourn her loss of the magical world
All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane AndersMy rating: 5 of 5 stars All the birds… is such an enchanting story, a true modern fairy tale that still finds time to dig deep into doomsday ethics and build venn diagrams of science and magic. The characters spoke to me. I love how well
A Modern Fairytale Explores the Union of Magic and Science. Read More »
Women’s Work: The First 20,000 Years Women, Cloth, and Society in Early Times by Elizabeth Wayland BarberMy rating: 4 of 5 stars This really helped consolidate my knowledge of the development of human civilization. Its use of language along with archeological evidence reinforces the research I’ve pursued on language origins. As a world builder of
Women’s Work: The First 20,000 Years. History and culture written in thread. Read More »