This is a review of the short story: "A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies" by Alix E. Harrow.
I have included the reviThis is a review of the short story: "A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies" by Alix E. Harrow.
I have included the review here because Goodreads does not have a separate entry for this story.
I do wish that I had a tag / bookshelf / category for witches - but I am trying to keep my tags to under 500! Based on the title, (and the story itself), I would say a witch is involved!
An excellent story, told with a great deal of humour, and a great deal of compassion for librarians.
Unfortunately, this excellent story lost out for the Nebula "best short story" award to "The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington" - also a good story, but not nearly as good as this one.
My rating system: Since Goodreads only allows 1 to 5 stars (no half-stars), you have no option but to be ruthless. I reserve one star for a book that is a BOMB - or poor (equivalent to a letter grade of F, E, or at most D). Progressing upwards, 2 stars is equivalent to C (C -, C or C+), 3 stars (equals B - or B), 4 stars (equals B+ or A -), and 5 stars (equals A or A+). As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don't waste half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality....more
An absolutely amazing story! The author has a remarkable sense of imagination. She demonstrates a very light touch in telling her wonderful story. I wAn absolutely amazing story! The author has a remarkable sense of imagination. She demonstrates a very light touch in telling her wonderful story. I will certainly be looking for more of her fiction.
Unfortunately, the story lost out to "The Only Harmless Great Thing" for Nebula best novelette - a good story, but nowhere near as good and exceptional as this one.
My rating system: Since Goodreads only allows 1 to 5 stars (no half-stars), you have no option but to be ruthless. I reserve one star for a book that is a BOMB - or poor (equivalent to a letter grade of F, E, or at most D). Progressing upwards, 2 stars is equivalent to C (C -, C or C+), 3 stars (equals to B - or B), 4 stars (equals B+ or A -), and 5 stars (equals A or A+). As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don't waste half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality.
I rated this novelette "A", which translates to 5 stars on Goodreads....more
Wow - what an absolutely amazing read! While I am much more of an SF fan than a fantasy enthusiast, I was entirely carried away with this novella - stWow - what an absolutely amazing read! While I am much more of an SF fan than a fantasy enthusiast, I was entirely carried away with this novella - stayed up late reading, and woke up in the middle of the night to finish it. I would rank this novella right up with my favourite fantasies, including "Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Raven Tower" by Ann Leckie and "Not Long Before the End" by Larry Niven.
While it might be argued that there are some SF elements here, I would place this work squarely in the fantasy realm. I was not pleased to discover that it had somehow "magically" made its way into my favourite SF on a website - as it is NOT SF.
My rating system: The Goodreads system is out of 5 stars, and does not allow you to use half-stars, so highest rating is 5 full stars, next-highest 4 stars, etc. -- and lowest is 1 star. I did NOT want to space these ratings equally, giving just as much precedence to low-quality mush as to really good works. For that reason, I laid out my system as follows:
I begin with one star being equivalent to a rating of "D, E, F" or below. Progressing upwards, I add 1 star for each step, up to the maximum 5 stars, which is equivalent to a rating of "A"+. I reserve 1 star for BOMBS, there being no option of zero or negative stars. As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don't squander half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality....more
Nebula Awards voters made an excellent selection for best novel of 2016 - Uprooted by Naomi Novik. This fantasy features highly believable magic and aNebula Awards voters made an excellent selection for best novel of 2016 - Uprooted by Naomi Novik. This fantasy features highly believable magic and a dread menace that threatens to engulf the world. The spells were praised by none other than Ursula K. Le Guin, a master whose wizard school predated Hogwarts by several decades.
The sense of dread is palpable here. Novik is very good at building suspense, gradually ratcheting up the tension as the plot rises toward its climax. In counterpoint, the rite of passage story of a novice magician learning the craft is heart-warming. This tale is told with a light touch and much humour.
I found the ending rather over-complex. In my opinion, we could have reached an equally effective conclusion without such a tortuous sequence of explanations and meandering backstory. This, however, is a small quibble - it's well-nigh impossible to navigate several hundred pages without the occasional quibble.
I gave the novel 4 stars because I rated it "A -" when I read it.
My rating system: Since Goodreads only allows 1 to 5 stars (no half-stars), you have no option but to be ruthless. I reserve one star for a book that is a BOMB - or poor (equivalent to a letter grade of F, E, or at most D). Progressing upwards, 2 stars is equivalent to C (C -, C or C+), 3 stars (equals B - or B), 4 stars (equals B+ or A -), and 5 stars (equals A or A+). As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don't waste half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality....more
The page count for this book includes 18 pages of appendices - A catalogue of Fifth Seasons; a Glossary (both are the same as in volumes 1 and 2); andThe page count for this book includes 18 pages of appendices - A catalogue of Fifth Seasons; a Glossary (both are the same as in volumes 1 and 2); and Acknowledgements. This page count felt a bit like padding.
SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT The text below includes spoilers.
The novel was interesting BUT I do NOT like teleporting around the planet. Also - I do NOT like the stone-eaters very much at all. The imminent apocalypse makes it all seem rather pointless. It is a bit like our current situation - I am diligently cataloguing my books on Goodreads / rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic - while the average global temperature of my home planet creeps up toward and past the apocalyptic 1.6 degrees.
The process of getting to the moon in the novel was asinine. Was this really the best the author could do??? If so - leave it out altogether!
Being a geologist, I really enjoyed the first novel of the series, and found it very thought-provoking. When it arrived, at the about the same time as Naomi Novik's excellent fantasy "Uprooted", I was torn between the two - undecided over which was the better of the two. As with a great many (most?) series, the general trendline of the Broken Earth series quality was downward - with a rather abrupt drop-off (for me) between the second and third novels. All the more surprising, then, that this third novel won a Nebula as well as a Hugo.
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Incidentally, it is noteworthy that that every single novel in this trilogy won a Hugo Award. This is apparently the first time that it has happened. This is a major achievement, and I want to state clearly that I fully acknowledge her success, and have no wish to detract from it.
However, if you were to judge by the clamour over this event, you would misjudge what has occurred. The big, striking record overall for Hugo Awards for novel is the fact that Robert A. Heinlein won an astounding four in his career - more than anyone else ever. And he did so way back in 1966 (only 13 years after the awards were instituted)! Were the commentators who were obsessing over N.K. Jemisin’s 3 Hugos unaware of these facts – did they not have access to a search engine/computer/smartphone? Even a quick check of Wikipedia would have set the record straight.
If we pull back and focus on the big picture, I look at which novels have won one or the other of the two biggest awards each year – namely the Hugos and the Nebulas. A total of 106 novels have won either a Hugo and/or a Nebula Award (begun in 1966), as of Aug. 1, 2024 – it might increase by 1 next week). I think the vast majority of SF & F fans (at least in the west) would regard the Hugo and Nebula as the 2 of the major awards (and it really is not clear that one or the other takes precedence). On that score, only 1 author has won 5 awards (Lois McMaster Bujold), 3 authors have won 4 awards (Ursula K. Le Guin, Kim Stanley Robinson, and the aforementioned RAH). When you go one step further – to authors who have won an award for 3 different novels – there are FOUR authors – namely Joe Haldeman, Vernor Vinge and Connie Willis – in addition to N.K. Jemisin.
Winning a Hugo Award for every novel in a series is important, but it is equally important to place this feat in context.
My rating system: Since Goodreads only allows 1 to 5 stars (no half-stars), you have no option but to be ruthless. I reserve one star for a book that is a BOMB - or poor (equivalent to a letter grade of F, E, or at most D). Progressing upwards, 2 stars is equivalent to C (C -, C or C+), 3 stars (equals to B - or B), 4 stars (equals B+ or A -), and 5 stars (equals A or A+). As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don't waste half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality. I rated this book C+. This translates to a Goodreads score of 2 stars.
Her first fantasy novel - VERY successful, one of the best fantasies that I have read. This book was nominated for World Fantasy Award - one of five fHer first fantasy novel - VERY successful, one of the best fantasies that I have read. This book was nominated for World Fantasy Award - one of five finalists, but did not win. Highly recommended....more
One of my top couple of favourites among the fantasy novels that have won the Hugo or Nebula award.
I am primarily a hard Sf fan - but the Hugo Award gOne of my top couple of favourites among the fantasy novels that have won the Hugo or Nebula award.
I am primarily a hard Sf fan - but the Hugo Award given to this novel demonstrates the great joy of reading every single winner - sometimes you are blown away by a novel that you never would have looked at otherwise!
I would also recommend checking out The Ladies of Grace Adieu.
My rating system: Since Goodreads only allows 1 to 5 stars (no half-stars), you have no option but to be ruthless. I reserve one star for a book that is a BOMB - or poor (equivalent to a letter grade of F, E, or at most D). Progressing upwards, 2 stars is equivalent to C (C -, C or C+), 3 stars (equals to B - or B), 4 stars (equals B+ or A -), and 5 stars (equals A or A+). As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don't waste half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality....more
There are some very good aspects to ‘The Saint of Bright Doors”, a novel by Varja Chandrasekera. The characters are well-drawn, and the personality ofThere are some very good aspects to ‘The Saint of Bright Doors”, a novel by Varja Chandrasekera. The characters are well-drawn, and the personality of Fetter, the protagonist, is vivid. His origin story is fascinating, if pretty bizarre, and his family is likewise ‘noteworthy’. To its credit, the novel exhibits the author's significant social conscience, and raises valid questions about how to behave ethically in an unjust world. It also raises questions about religious sensibilities, and their moral ramifications in such a world. A world pretty similar to ours, in some respects.
Unfortunately, things go south from there. Fetter’s life and thoughts are often wild and utterly incomprehensible. This situation changes, course, when the author tells us what's going on. Sad to say, things often become even less understandable after the explanations.
Think Philp K. Dick - when he was being obscure - when he was being intentionally (?!?) confusing - when he was being particularly PKD-ish. When someone was throwing the I-Ching, for example, to try to understand the world – and discovering that it was impossible to comprehend what was going on. When it seemed as though you were viewing some unknown planet through assorted dark distorting lenses, after consuming vast quantities of mind-altering substances. In short - muddled.
Since I only rated this novel C+, my Goodreads rating was just 2 stars. This is essentially a failed novel, so I consider this assessment reasonable – the rating could easily have been lower. There were significant stretches of the book, particularly in the last one-third to one-quarter, when I was checking regularly just how many more pages I would have to trudge through before the end.
The good news? I won’t have to force my way through the text again if it wins best novel at the Hugo ceremonies on August 11. I sincerely hope that one of the other nominees wins – but I won’t be placing any wagers. The Hugos (and the Nebulas) have disappointed too many times. At least we will avoid last year’s Hugo fiasco, when the best novel (which had won the Nebula) couldn’t even be nominated.
My rating system: Since Goodreads only allows 1 to 5 stars (no half-stars), you have no option but to be ruthless. I reserve one star for a book that is a BOMB - or poor (equivalent to a letter grade of F, E, or at most D). Progressing upwards, 2 stars is equivalent to C (C -, C or C+), 3 stars (equals to B - or B), 4 stars (equals B+ or A -), and 5 stars (equals A or A+). As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don't waste half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality....more
Sorry - not really a review - just a few thoughts that the novel stirred up.
Initially, it seemed as though this novel might possibly be science fictioSorry - not really a review - just a few thoughts that the novel stirred up.
Initially, it seemed as though this novel might possibly be science fiction, but it eventually became clear that all 3 novels in the series are fantasy. While this SF versus Fantasy dichotomy might seem hard to imagine, it is remarkable to consider the range of ideas that are typically included as science fiction, such as telepathy, assorted psychic abilities and mental powers, teleportation, faster than light travel, time travel, human lifespans of centuries (or even immortality), suspended animation for extreme periods, mind uploading, etc. etc.
None of the aforementioned ideas have any real practical basis in science. But it's okay - we have willing suspension of disbelief - so long as the author weaves a convincing tale.
Highly recommended. How often do we get a real honest-to-god geological novel. We geologists couldn't be happier!...more
My top favourite fantasy story. Larry Niven is primarily a science fiction author, but he really knocks it out of the park with this fantasy. The storMy top favourite fantasy story. Larry Niven is primarily a science fiction author, but he really knocks it out of the park with this fantasy. The story of the Warlock is continued in "The Magic Goes Away". There is also an excellent story set later in this universe about Clubfoot.
See also stories by other authors, which are set in the same universe, in the collection "The Magic May Return"
Reread (for the umpteenth time) on Nov. 6, 2018.
An absolutely great fantasy story. Once again, Niven demonstrates his commitment to exploring the logical development of a concept. He never did do a lot of fantasy, and this one is his very best.
As a committed SF fan of more than a half-century, this story forces me to admit that fantasy can occasionally be as compelling as science fiction. I even remember back to the Before Times, when Hugo and Nebula Awards were reserved exclusively for science fiction. [With apologies to all of you fantasists out there.]
My rating system: Since Goodreads only allows 1 to 5 stars (no half-stars), you have no option but to be ruthless. I reserve one star for a book that is a BOMB - or poor (equivalent to a letter grade of F, E, or at most D). Progressing upwards, 2 stars is equivalent to C (C -, C or C+), 3 stars (equals to B - or B), 4 stars (equals B+ or A -), and 5 stars (equals A or A+). As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don't waste half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality....more
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