***2022 Reread*** I really love this book. With editing the pacing of the new edition is definitely more accessible to readers. Either way I'm a fan an***2022 Reread*** I really love this book. With editing the pacing of the new edition is definitely more accessible to readers. Either way I'm a fan and can't wait for book 2! Thanks to Tor for sending an updated copy for review. ******
Okay, I really enjoyed this! If you're into very philosophical dark academia with magic it's definitely worth a try. The Atlas Six shares some DNA with books like The Secret History and (in my opinion) is much more effectively accomplishing what A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik attempted to do. It's casually diverse with lots of queer characters in an academic, competition-type setting.
It's a slow burn book with multiple perspectives and characters who aren't necessarily likable in many cases. But this book asks questions about morality, ethics, human nature, and the effects of trauma among others. I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading it, but this isn't going to work for everyone....more
If bizarre, abstract sci-fi akin to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is your thing, then you should check out Rosebud. Unfortunate1.5 stars rounded up
If bizarre, abstract sci-fi akin to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is your thing, then you should check out Rosebud. Unfortunately it really isn't mine and I didn't particularly enjoy reading this. It's a novella about the crew of a spaceship, except that the ship is super tiny and the crew are mostly AI with unusual forms (like a bunch of hands, or a balloon). They encounter a mysterious sphere and try to investigate, but things get weird with space, time, and memory.
The setting is a dystopian, capitalist, conservative future where queer people are even more oppressed than they are now. And I appreciate the nods to addressing things like trans identity, but it's all scattered within this bizarre and somewhat nonlinear story that didn't really hit for me. That said, some readers love this sort of thing, so if that's you, maybe give it a shot. I received an advance copy of this book for review via Netgalley. All opinions are my own....more
This was a fascinating installment in Book of the New Sun and a lot happens. Severian continues to be framed as a sort of perverse Christ figure- doinThis was a fascinating installment in Book of the New Sun and a lot happens. Severian continues to be framed as a sort of perverse Christ figure- doing miracles of healing and resurrection, facing temptation....but in subversive ways that are often violent. We get more understanding of the world and its history, encounter extant technologies that seem magical, re-encounter aliens, and more. This book takes some effort to read and unpack but I think it's worthwhile. Also there's less overt sexism than previous installments, though it's definitely still there. Like when he ends up sleeping with an enslaved girl that he frees. Lovely. Overall though, I'm finding the series interesting. ...more
In one of the biggest turnarounds I've had in a long time, I went from thinking of DNFing this book to kind of loving it!
The Bone Orchard is an intriguing debut novel that blends sci-fantasy, horror, and murder mystery into a twisty narrative about the trauma, the pressures placed on women, and the treatment of sex workers. Filled with court politics, dark secrets, and lots of twists, it's a book that will grow on you. Much like the way Mistress Charm grows the girls for her pleasure house.
Mistress Charm is the mistress of the emperor, imprisoned with a magical mindlock. On his deathbed he promises to free her if she can uncover which of his sons betrayed and poisoned him. I had some major qualms about how this book would handle sensitive issues, but it ended up doing a pretty great job for the most part. Though I still don't love the choice to have a teen girl as one of the pleasure workers who is abused (off page) by a grown man who is a prince. Making someone a p*dophile is a cheap way to denote them as a villain, and while it's kind of addressed later in the book, for me it was inadequate and that's what brings this down for me from 5 stars.
Otherwise, I think this book is very good in terms of plotting and thematic explorations, though the prose quality can be inconsistent. But overall, I ended up really liking this and I'm curious to see more from this author. The way that sex work is handled in this book is really excellent. I received an advance copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
Content warnings include sexual assault (off page), sexual abuse of a minor(off page), domestic violence (on page), suicide and suicidal ideation, death, murder, gore, body horror, emotional abuse, mind control, mental illness, human experimentation....more
If you're looking for a charming fantasy romance that's heavy on plot and world-building A Marvellous Light is a faActual Rating: 4.5 stars rounded up
If you're looking for a charming fantasy romance that's heavy on plot and world-building A Marvellous Light is a fantastic choice! Set in an alternate Edwardian England, Robin is unexpectedly drawn into a magical underworld where a mysterious murder and dastardly machinations must be unraveled. The prickly Edwin becomes his guide into this new world and they work together to uncover the truth, save Robin from a curse, and perhaps lower their walls enough to find love.
It's a slow-burn, but things do get quite steamy later in the book. (There is even some erotic use of magic. Which TBH people would totally do if magic were real) Robin and Edwin live in a time when being gay is extremely dangerous, so they take their time feeling each other out. But they have this very tender relationship, creating safety and understanding for who each of them are. And for readers who prefer their romance to come with a strong side of plot and thoughtful world-building- this book will give you what you're looking for. The audio narration is fabulous and a great option if you like audiobooks! I received an advance copy of this book for review from the publisher. All opinions are my own. ...more
This story has charming and whimsical moments. Plot-wise it's fairly simple and enjoyable enough, though not something that will really stick2.5 stars
This story has charming and whimsical moments. Plot-wise it's fairly simple and enjoyable enough, though not something that will really stick with me. Here's the big thing though, this uses the non-consensual outing of a trans person as a plot twist, and doesn't seem to do a great job with handling that trans identity in general.
I'll also note, I don't want to see any comments saying this should have a spoiler tag because IDENTITY IS NOT A SPOILER. It seems like a lot of reviewers are just excited that this has a trans character, without considering whether it is well handled. There are multiple instances of other characters referring to this trans man as a woman or sister, and frequently that goes unchallenged. I'm also a bit uncomfortable with the way this characterizes gender identity in general, though I'm sure people have different experiences.
And I want to be a little bit careful because while the author appears to be a cis woman, we don't really know nor do we have the right to that disclosure. That said, I do think it's worth noting that for some readers the way this is done could be triggering, and I was uncomfortable with it. Which really detracted from my overall reading experience. I do think the actual prose is quite nice and I might try something else from this author in the future....more
It's always a good day when I get to read a new Seanan McGuire/A. Deborah Baker book!
Along the Saltwise Sea continues the adventures of Avery and ZibIt's always a good day when I get to read a new Seanan McGuire/A. Deborah Baker book!
Along the Saltwise Sea continues the adventures of Avery and Zib in the Up-and-Under, a strange and magical world that these children climbed into one strange and magical day. This was incredibly charming and whimsical while also weaving in commentary on gender, sexism, prejudice, love, and friendship. I loved it. I love how Avery and Zib contrast and complement each other, each with their own strengths and weaknesses that they learn to understand along the way.
Unsurprisingly given the title, this installment includes a good chunk of time aboard a ship and the story expands our understanding of the Up-and-Under and its mythology. And if it's been awhile, you'll be pleased to know that chapter 1 is essentially a recap of what happened in the first book! It's a brief novel at just under 200 pages so I won't say too much more except that this swept me away and I loved. Can't wait for more books in the series! I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher. All opinions are my own....more
This definitely has middle book syndrome. It's a lot of setup for book 3 from what I can tell and while I still enjoyed the more political/espionage pThis definitely has middle book syndrome. It's a lot of setup for book 3 from what I can tell and while I still enjoyed the more political/espionage plotlines and there are some interesting twists, especially toward the end.
There's a little bit of focus on this blending of politics and religion that's interesting, but doesn't really follow through or go deep. Similarly, the parts about memory, empathy and AI are interesting, but again don't go far enough to actually do anything.
There's a side plot involving the discovery of people living somewhere unexpected that's kind of boring, and seems to only exist to get us to another twist that could have been done in a more interesting way. I still had a reasonably good time with the book and am looking forward to the third volume, but certainly didn't love it the way I did book 1....more
I read this for a video project where celebrities recommended me books. This one was on recommendation from James Marsters who you may know as Spike fI read this for a video project where celebrities recommended me books. This one was on recommendation from James Marsters who you may know as Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer: https://youtu.be/D_a0YB_wXOA
This was such a blast to read! The Collapsing Empire is super accessible epic science fiction with larger than life characters, political machinations, twists and turns, casual diversity, high stakes, and multiple interesting female characters who are written as fleshed out individuals rather than existing for the sake of male character arc. And I'm always stoked to find male SFF authors who do a decent job of writing female characters without a ton of misogyny! I will definitely be reading more from Scalzi.
Our main POV characters include...
- A young woman who never expected to become Emperox rising to power while dealing with threats on her life and instability in the empire
- The brash daughter of a guild merchant family serving as their representative on a spaceship who has no f*cks to give. (but also many of them in linguistic terms)
- A young man from a backwater planet where rebellion is fomenting, raised by his scientist father to carry a family secret with world-shattering implications
Overall, this just reminded me how much fun this kind of sci-fi can be. It's a wild ride with a well-developed world, fun and interesting characters, and a strong sense of humor. I do realize humor is very subjective so that element may not work for everyone, but it definitely worked for me. Can't wait to read on in the series!...more
Southern gothic horror meets dark academia in this intricately woven narrative of grief, facing your past, uncovering the truth, and coming to terms wSouthern gothic horror meets dark academia in this intricately woven narrative of grief, facing your past, uncovering the truth, and coming to terms with who you really are. Summer Sons is the sort of book that creeps up on you and then holds you riveted and breaks you in the best possible way. It's also super queer.
Eddie was Andrew's best friend, more than a brother. But six months ago he left to begin graduate studies at Vanderbilt and became cagy about Andrew joining him. Now he's dead, apparently by suicide, and Andrew is there to pick up the pieces he's inherited. But he doesn't believe Eddie would have killed himself and is determined to retrace his steps and uncover what really happened.
But Andrew and Eddie share a dark secret that haunted them for years. And Andrew is quite literally being haunted by a ghostly presence, but he refuses to think about that piece of his past. Much like he refuses to admit that his feelings for Eddie went far beyond friendship. But the people he encounters in Nashville slowly begin to break down his walls, even as his taking up Eddie's graduate research speeds him toward dangerous answers.
This book intrigued me from the very beginning, but it really burrowed its way under my skin. If you're expecting something that is full of intense horror and paced like a thriller, you aren't going to get it. Rather the horror elements creep up on you and are inextricably linked to how we come to understand the characters.
And this does a beautiful job of driving home that the true horrors to be found in the American South include assumed heteronormativity and a racist past and present. Andrew wrestles with his internalized homophobia and intense grief and anger. A Black side character faces discriminatory treatment in a mostly white academic department and old plantation houses become sites of horror in more ways than one.
I really ended up loving this and had so many feelings following Andrew's journey. The audio narration is fantastic and completely nails the creepy southern vibe. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Note that this book includes violence, gore, occult rituals, drug use, and some explicit sexual content, as well as dealing with grief etc....more
Haunting, heart-breaking and disturbing, Mapping the Interior is a searing literary horror novella about generational trauma and identity. Our main chHaunting, heart-breaking and disturbing, Mapping the Interior is a searing literary horror novella about generational trauma and identity. Our main character is an indigenous boy who is 12 the first time he sees his dead father. He is living with his mom and mentally disabled brother as they fight to survive the violence that invades their lives.
This subverts the “Indian burial ground” trope in interesting ways and explores how we cope with trauma as children only to eventually pass it on. It offers glimpses of how the characters wish they could reclaim their Native heritage, and the challenges that stand in their way. The arc of the story is ultimately a tragic one, leaving the reader and the characters wishing for what might have been. For a story that’s just under 100 pages there is a lot here that could be dissected and discussed. Excellent....more
Goliath is an outstanding example of literary science fiction with the ability to interrogate the pressing fReading Vlog: https://youtu.be/PYRn9-TJsz4
Goliath is an outstanding example of literary science fiction with the ability to interrogate the pressing fears of the day- from climate change and race wars to disease, gentrification, technological advancement, class division, and more. It contains a non-linear story structure and is told in an elevated style of prose that readers might find challenging, but I promise it is well worth the effort. This novel manages to be both experimental and fiercely relevant to the human experience.
It's hard to talk in depth about this book because so much of the poignancy comes from the experience of reading and slowly gaining context for the world the characters are functioning in. Part three really does this and changes how you think about everything that came before. It's a book I anticipate reading again and taking different things away.
In short, the book is set in a not-too-distant post-apocalyptic future where (mostly) white and wealthy people have fled this radioactive planet onto space colonies. Those left behind struggle to survive and make a life for themselves. But there is so much nuance and depth to the characters, the themes, and the way Onyebuchi explores very difficult topics. And the thing is, the world of this book doesn't feel all that distant or far-fetched. It feels like an all-too-real possible future. It's often dark and gritty, so do take a look at content warnings if you need them. I would recommend reading this review for CW's and just for the fantastic way they talk about the book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I'm going to be thinking about this one for awhile and would definitely recommend it. Just know you will need to take your time and put in effort. It would be a great book to read and discuss with people. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher. All opinions are my own....more
I went in with high hopes but ultimately struggled with Some Faraway Place. I read the first book in the Bright Sessions series and loved it, but was I went in with high hopes but ultimately struggled with Some Faraway Place. I read the first book in the Bright Sessions series and loved it, but was under the impression they could all be read as standalones. That isn't really the case because it's clear I'm missing a few things not having read book 2. But beyond that, this felt like a lot of me WANTING to like the story and appreciating certain elements of it, but never feel it gel together in a satisfying way.
Rose is the only member of her family without supernatural abilities. She dreams of becoming a chef and has a new girlfriend she's into. But then things start to get weird when she develops the ability to enter people's dreams.
One of my issues with this book is there are just too many things going on, none of them feeling as well-handled as they should be. There's a romance. There's a fraught brother/sister relationship. There is grief over a family medical issue. There's this new ability portrayed in a way that seems to be a commentary on depression and addiction. But ALSO there's a whole semi-mysterious side plot involving a side character from previous books. It's a lot and it jumps around. Like there are whole sections of the book that are doing nothing with the romance, and then we suddenly get back to it. The pacing is weird and I was left at the end feeling really dissatisfied, wondering what the point of what I just read was. There are good bits and pieces of ideas, but they never really progress much beyond that. Which is unfortunate. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own....more
A bit slow to start, but this ends up being a riveting sci-fi novel with thriller elements and really well-thought out world-building. Jian is a pilotA bit slow to start, but this ends up being a riveting sci-fi novel with thriller elements and really well-thought out world-building. Jian is a pilot asked to take on a dangerous job flying an experimental space ship. Things go wrong and Jian wonders if the ship might host an AI. Possibly?
Thematically, this does something a bit different with questions of personhood and rights. Political and racial tensions on Persephone mean that there are factions advocating for the rights of AI, while the leaders of an underclass of humans are angry that machines might get rights before they do. It deftly highlights how some fights for rights and justice simultaneously neglect other classes of people.
This came out in the early 90's and it's fascinating to read it 30 years later. Technology has changed a lot since then and you can definitely see the influence of where things were at in 1992 in the technological world-building. That's not a bad thing, but it is interesting.
The casual queerness of characters here is also cool. Right now we have a LOT of queer SFF coming out, but there's less I'm aware of from this time. Scott is openly gay and the main character of the book is likely bisexual. I'm glad I read this one!...more
The Starless Crown is a multi-pov sci-fantasy on an epic scale. It introduces us to a magical world filled with dangerous and unique creatures, intereThe Starless Crown is a multi-pov sci-fantasy on an epic scale. It introduces us to a magical world filled with dangerous and unique creatures, interesting climates, political conspiracies, and a prophesied apocalypse on the horizon. It's an intriguing start to a new series with high stakes and a world that has clearly had a lot of thought put into it. There is a lot to like here, though it's not without flaws.
The early part of this book quickly drew me in. It wove a fascinating world and introduced a blind young woman with a compelling story, and then a prisoner who discovers a living woman made of bronze and escapes with her, and then an extraneous prince who isn't the heir and seems forgotten about.... All very cool with interesting twists and turns.
But then the middle to end of the book felt a bit bloated to me. Clocking in at 550 pages, I really don't think this needed to be as long as it is. A very significant part of the book is characters traveling and fighting, which gets to feel repetitive at times, especially because we keep switching to the perspectives of yet more characters who are also traveling and fighting. Some of the creatures and places are genuinely interesting, but I could have done with less of them. This feels like an instance where the author spent massive amounts of time designing the world and map and wanted to put all of that into the book. Instead a novella or series of short stories might have been a better option to keep the momentum of the plot and help with parts that drag a bit, while having a way to share the cool extra world-building bits. Some of the battles are also cool, airships feature heavily and that makes for some interesting scenes. But again, personally I felt there was rather more than I wanted. Your mileage may vary.
One other thing worth mentioning is this book has that trope of "magical healing" for a disabled character (in this case a blind girl) which to me feels really unfortunate. I know the author made the reasons for that make sense in world and made them important to the plot, but I think it could have been done another way. I wish she had stayed blind, and how cool would that have been? To have a great heroine doing all of this with other senses she had developed throughout her life? This isn't a major thing that affected my rating, but something worth discussing.
Overall I think this is a very good first installment in a series, but a bloated and repetitive second half keep it from being great. I received an advance copy of this book for review from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Content warnings include graphic violence, death, death of animals, torture, traumatic childbirth, mention of incest, experimentation on children...more
"Defiantly joyful" is a good word for this book- a story that looks unflinchingly at the harsh realities that many trans youth face, all the while wea"Defiantly joyful" is a good word for this book- a story that looks unflinchingly at the harsh realities that many trans youth face, all the while weaving a hopeful tale about love, music, found family, and mouthwatering food. It's character driven science fiction peppered with Faustian bargains, cursed violins, and aliens who run a donut shop. There's a lot happening here but somehow it manages to fit together in a beautiful tapestry.
Katrina Wen is a trans runaway and a gifted violin prodigy using sex work to survive and hopefully afford more hormones. She's early in her transition, dealing with hate and violence, living in fear, even in places that should have been safe.
Her life changes when she meets Shizuka Satomi- an infamous violinist who offers to become her teacher. But Satomi has made a deal with the devil to deliver the souls of her students to hell. And yet...she shows kindness to Katrina and in turn Katrina begins to worm her way into her heart.
Meanwhile in a donut shop and alien family is in hiding, using replicators to make donuts that never quite have that taste of home. And when Satomi happens into the store, she and the Lan (matriarch of the alien family) are immediately attracted to each other.
Like I said, there's a lot happening here but it's a surprisingly quiet, beautiful story that is raw and vulnerable in presenting the experience of being a young trans woman. And it's clear the author knows and loves music. Permeating the book is a passion for the violin, and equally a passion for food with descriptions that will probably make you hungry!
At first I didn't love the audio narration because it didn't always echo the more silly and lighthearted tone of some scenes, but eventually I really fell in love with it because it really gets across the emotional depth. I received an audio review copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Note that this book does include semi-graphic scenes of sexual assault, slurs, dead-naming, etc....more
A group of friends spend the night in a haunted house in Japan because two of them want to get married there, but things go very wrong....
The writingA group of friends spend the night in a haunted house in Japan because two of them want to get married there, but things go very wrong....
The writing in this was lovely and it was an interesting, somewhat disturbing ghost story drawing on Japanese culture and legends with a diverse group of characters. I liked it, though I wish it was longer. I think more time spent developing the characters and relationships would have been great. That said, I will definitely read more from Khaw in the future. ...more
This was a really fun little novella with giant mechs battling and a sapphic romance. Kas is a junior researcher visiting old Earth on a research tripThis was a really fun little novella with giant mechs battling and a sapphic romance. Kas is a junior researcher visiting old Earth on a research trip to study ancient technology and coding. Zhi is a mech pilot in trouble who tries to scam Kas out of money. But they end up working together in the face of danger.
I don't want to say much more because it's a brief story, but I found this really enjoyable. Kas and Zhi have a fun dynamic and they slowly come to understand each other and overcome their misconceptions. The sci-fi elements are interesting, including this idea that digital networks on Earth eventually became so full of malware as to be unusable. Definitely worth a read! Thank you to tordotcom for sending me a copy for review. All opinions are my own. ...more
I had hight hopes for this one but ultimately it didn't really work for me. Flowers for the Sea is I guess a take on cosmic horror1.5 stars rounded up
I had hight hopes for this one but ultimately it didn't really work for me. Flowers for the Sea is I guess a take on cosmic horror in novella form, following a pregnant woman surviving on a ship after her home has flooded. Except she really doesn't want to be pregnant and maybe isn't carrying a human child.
The premise is interesting, but I wasn't a fan of the execution. Flashbacks weave into the present weave into dreamscapes that make the narrative difficult to follow. The depictions of pregnancy, childbirth, and early motherhood are very gruesome and disturbing. And as someone who has had a couple of children including a traumatic birth, I found myself irritated by inaccuracies and strange choices, especially when real childbirth can be horrific enough. Like you're going to have sex while in active labor??? And have no pain before immediately delivering? I don't know, I just couldn't get into it.
I'm not opposed to using the horror genre to explore these topics and think it can be done in a compelling way. This reminds me a bit of Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon, but while their execution really worked for me, this didn't. It's also quite short and doesn't feel like there was enough time to really tell the story the author is trying to tell here. So if this sort of thing interests you, I might recommend checking out Sorrowland instead. I received an advance copy of this book for review via Netgalley. All opinions are my own....more
Deal with the Devil is a high-action dystopian romance following deadly mercenaries at odds, trying to survive in a dangerous post-apocalyptic world. Deal with the Devil is a high-action dystopian romance following deadly mercenaries at odds, trying to survive in a dangerous post-apocalyptic world. The Mercenary Librarians thing is technically true if a little misleading since the librarian elements are hardly referenced, but overall I had a reasonably good time with this. I think the world is really interesting and there is cool use of advanced technology and science including things like genetically altered clones and super soldiers. The specific story being told here was fine, but honestly I would have been more interested in the back story of the main characters. They both escaped from abusive and dangerous organizations, but we never learn a whole lot about their time there. I like the found family elements and the romance was decent, though I never fully connected to all of the characters. Basically this was fun more often than not, but not a story I have strong feelings about. I wouldn't turn people away from it, I just think go in with measured expectations and you'll probably have a pretty good time if this is your sort of book....more
Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany)
>
Books:
tor-tordotcom
(148)
Loading...
