Well. This was a longer version of the novellas where things Murderbot learned earlier (storing earlier versions in places others can't access, what nWell. This was a longer version of the novellas where things Murderbot learned earlier (storing earlier versions in places others can't access, what not to tell humans, what to prioritize, how to get around corporate regulations, etc.) come into play. I can't say I enjoyed it exactly. But maybe I can be a Tournament of Books completist.
This was also my first audiobook through the Libby app since my public library switched over and it was a good experience, didn't lose my place or make me re-select the reading speed the way Hoopla does. And the audiobook wait was shorter than the eBook!...more
Our reluctant hero, Murderbot, has to solve a mystery instead of watching their shows. Good thing they don't think slow like a human.Our reluctant hero, Murderbot, has to solve a mystery instead of watching their shows. Good thing they don't think slow like a human....more
I will admit up front that I only finished this book because it was included in the Tournament of Books shortlist. Look, I encountered A Modest ProposI will admit up front that I only finished this book because it was included in the Tournament of Books shortlist. Look, I encountered A Modest Proposal as required reading in high school, so I know all the points that are made when a book is about people turning to human flesh for consumption. The points are the same but it is fleshed out slightly different in this novel.
... (Did you get my joke?)
How the "special meat" is produced brings the people in the story more directly into contact with the source, the lines are far more blurred. And worse, the question of "If we are willing to consume human flesh what else are we willing to do?" gets explored so content warnings are high. (view spoiler)[ CW for rape, sexual assault of a minor, torture, kidnapping, stalking, hunting, harm to animals, consumption of flesh, ambivalence, cockroaches. (hide spoiler)]
It's like, I get it, absolutely no enjoyment in reading it. I hope it goes up against Red Pill which left me with similar hopeless feelings about humanity, albeit for different reasons. And honestly the writing and translation are fine but I'm so put off by the subject matter, how do you even rate a book like that....more
I'm zooming through the Murderbot novellas finally since I want to read the full-length book. One thing has become clear - Sanctuary Moon is the show I'm zooming through the Murderbot novellas finally since I want to read the full-length book. One thing has become clear - Sanctuary Moon is the show I need but will never see.
This one was interesting in the sense that Murderbot is still navigating the ability to be perceived as a human but what that requires they relinquish, but it is all in pursuit of the truth of what happened.... and he makes a "friend" with an AI and that was pretty great....more
Every time I read something new from Don DeLillo, it is even shorter, and even more about death. I guess he's winding down. This novella about the endEvery time I read something new from Don DeLillo, it is even shorter, and even more about death. I guess he's winding down. This novella about the end of the world through five people in Manhattan feels more like a play, lots of bizarre scenes and philosophizing in ways people only behave in literature.
I had a copy from the publisher in exchange for my aforementioned honest review....more
In a near future where entire species have gone extinct and the numbers of birds and fish are catastrophically low, Franny convinces a fishing boat caIn a near future where entire species have gone extinct and the numbers of birds and fish are catastrophically low, Franny convinces a fishing boat captain to bring her aboard to follow the Arctic Tern (which she thinks will also follow the fish.) As the story goes on, more of her past is revealed. It sometimes feels like a story churning in its own destruction because obviously Fanny knows everything that has happened and the reader doesn't, but I liked the premise and the landscape. The crew is interesting as is the people they encounter, usually in cold and remote places, my favorite.
I had a copy of this from Flatiron Books through Netgalley although it came out August 4th so I'm obviously in catch-up mode with eARCs....more
Nora Seed decides to die but wakes up in a strange library where she can try out "books" of her life, all the roads not taken.CW for suicidal ideation
Nora Seed decides to die but wakes up in a strange library where she can try out "books" of her life, all the roads not taken. For me, this fizzled out on the central concept and the author didn't take the opportunities he created for himself, preferring instead to tell a tale with a moral. Others seem to be experiencing more pleasure in their reading so don't decide anything from my comments. Also he's a UK author so maybe this is one of those "UK funny but Jenny doesn't get it" novels.
I had a copy of the novel from the publisher through Edelweiss; it came out September 29th....more
I've heard this referred to as "gender-bending Alexander the Great in space" and that might be true. Court intrigue, warring families and factions thaI've heard this referred to as "gender-bending Alexander the Great in space" and that might be true. Court intrigue, warring families and factions that control vast planetary systems, budding romances and older political romances, characters who struggle between destiny and desire; military conquest and quantum space travel. I also had to look up some words for this one, like oleaginous.
In a discussion in the Sword and Laser group, I mentioned that in some ways this could be in the same universe as The Expanse, but a much broader swatch of the universe. The Expanse really does stick pretty close to "home" but in this era, they have the tech figured out in ways that figure in to the story. But even if it were in a similar universe, the storytelling is a completely different style....more
I really loved this collection of speculative short stories (and those who know me know that stories are not typically my jam, so they have to be exceI really loved this collection of speculative short stories (and those who know me know that stories are not typically my jam, so they have to be excellent to keep my attention!) - top marks for transgender and nonbinary representation, also just playing with tropes in new ways. ...more
I enjoyed vol. 1 of Invisible Kingdom, about a novitiate who uncovers corruption inside her order connecting to the government and connects with a spaI enjoyed vol. 1 of Invisible Kingdom, about a novitiate who uncovers corruption inside her order connecting to the government and connects with a spaceship crew - I feel the world is established and just want more!...more
"The essential idea behind Calico is, let's talk to the translators... find out what's interesting, what's not being published in English, what's perc"The essential idea behind Calico is, let's talk to the translators... find out what's interesting, what's not being published in English, what's percolating in other parts of the world that we haven't heard about yet. THAT WE MAY LIVE is a collection of speculative Chinese fiction... of unnerving, uncanny, weird stories about urbanization and late capitalism." - Chad Felix of Two Lines Press in this interview.
I've been reading these stories very slowly, just one every few days/weeks or so, since I shelved it next to my computer where I work all the time. They definitely feel like they are in conversation with other works from Asia, particularly South Korea, but that connection may be more about what has been translated vs. what hasn't been.
Sour Meat by Dorothy Tse A surreal story about a stinky brew, also about women's bodies... would have loved some editor or translator notes with some context as it seems intentionally sexual as if it is trying to push boundaries, but what are the boundaries in China, I don't know....
Auntie Han's Modern Life by Enoch Tam "Every time she came home, she felt as if it were to a different house on a different street." garden-keepers cultivating skyscrapers houses that move, houses that are depressed
Lip Service by Zhu Hui Oof! A punchy tale of what a naturally beautiful woman has to be willing to do to stay on top.
The Elephant by Chan Chi Wa Clearly in conversation with "The Elephant Vanishes" by Haruki Murakami, the narrator of this story has a similar emotional experience about an elephant but it has the added layer of living in a state of surveillance.
The Mushroom Houses Proliferated in District M by Enoch Tam Continuing the themes of the earlier story by the same author, it's about the garden keepers and their war with the mushrooms.
A Counterfeit Life by Chen Si'an "He started roaming around every corner of the city, searching for those spots in which people being waited for might fail to show up."
Flourishing Beasts by Yan Ge Are you a [woman] or are you a [beast]?...more
To Be Taught, if Fortunate by Becky Chambers is one of the books I bought since all the stay at home orders (support your local bookstores through booTo Be Taught, if Fortunate by Becky Chambers is one of the books I bought since all the stay at home orders (support your local bookstores through bookshop.org) - it is novella length and is about a small crew of scientists doing science on four different exoplanets, using somaforming to adapt to the new environments. I loved the info at the end about the science this is based on (and the scientist the author works with most often.)...more
This book was listed in an article called “Five Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books to Ease Your April Isolation” and it is definitely captivating. It takes someThis book was listed in an article called “Five Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books to Ease Your April Isolation” and it is definitely captivating. It takes some of the tropes from early feminist sci-fi (women only or matriarchal) and pulls it into the near present, in an era of #metoo and consent. The central character has been sent to The Fortress after his wife catches him cheating, again, and must submit to whatever happens there. In his former life he was a high powered executive so it is quite the change. I read it in a day and was uncomfortable and delighted simultaneously.
I had a copy from the publisher through NetGalley; it came out March 17, 2020....more
I have made the call - Ben H. Winters is the Philip K. Dick of our generation. The way he expands an idea into a novel (in Golden State - an alternateI have made the call - Ben H. Winters is the Philip K. Dick of our generation. The way he expands an idea into a novel (in Golden State - an alternate/future California ruled by absolute truth) and the flawed characters that you root for anyway, but also that sense of maybe the ending could have been stronger. Winters redeemed the messy ending for me with clever and funny moments throughout. This was another read from the Tournament of Books and I listened in Audible....more
Four interlinked stories in a small Tokyo cafe where time travel is possible if you follow the rules...
I enjoyed the characters in the novel and how yFour interlinked stories in a small Tokyo cafe where time travel is possible if you follow the rules...
I enjoyed the characters in the novel and how you learned their back stories through the stories of others.
I have a review of this book from the publisher in NetGalley, where it says it doesn't come out until November. But I see the book reviewed a lot and on sale various places so who can tell....more
This author knows how to write an ending! I had been told I could read these our of order and this is so different from the first novel, Planetfall. TThis author knows how to write an ending! I had been told I could read these our of order and this is so different from the first novel, Planetfall. This is on Earth and is more of a murder mystery in an era of great scarcity, corporate slavery, and magnified artificial intelligence linking people and working as assistants. Carlos is the son of the ship captain who led the trip off the planet but to survive is indebted to a corporation. Luckily he is a skilled investigator. There are some pieces especially near the end that tie back to book one but the ending of that one has remained unresolved....more
When a podcast guest recommended another book in this series, she said I didn't have to start at the beginning but I did anyway. It's about a colony oWhen a podcast guest recommended another book in this series, she said I didn't have to start at the beginning but I did anyway. It's about a colony on an alien planet, a engineer/builder named Ren who specializes in 3D printing and has fashioned most of the colony herself, and secrets that she's kept for years. It all unravels in interesting ways leading to a conclusion I couldn't have seen coming and makes me very curious about the next book. There is a unique look at mental illness here that grew more nuanced as the story went on, and the author writes about it very compassionately....more
Some fun bits, but didn't quite deliver the fun as much as the blurb and cover seemed to promise. I definitely should have seen more from the psychic Some fun bits, but didn't quite deliver the fun as much as the blurb and cover seemed to promise. I definitely should have seen more from the psychic cats. Loved Vakar who shows emotions through scents, didn't care as much about the adventuring or even the main character Ava....more
"I am writing the stories that I wish someone had written for me when I was younger." - N.K. Jemisin on the video for her fresh and well deserved MacA"I am writing the stories that I wish someone had written for me when I was younger." - N.K. Jemisin on the video for her fresh and well deserved MacArthur Fellowship. This collection shows so much of the range of the mind of N.K. Jemisin, and I can't wait to see what she does next.
I purchased this book as part of a bundle of speculative fiction by black women writers from Sistah Scifi and I have been reading it since July. I set it beside my working space and would read a story when I needed to take a brain break. Some stories connect to the worlds she has written novels in, while others stand alone. Some are in conversation with previous stories, and some are more of a reflection on the world we know. I can't rate each one individually but overall my experience was five stars.
The links to stories when I can find them is not meant to take away from the sales of this book! Please buy it. But sometimes there are audio versions and sometimes it's nice to re-read a story by listening.
The Ones Who Stay and Fight on Lightspeed Magazine This is in direct conversation with The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin and if you haven't read that one first, this one just won't make as much sense. It's like the old science fiction short story landscape, or so I've been told, where people wrote them to respond to others. They go together. So I guess the question has become, are you one who walks away, or do you stay and fight? Or do you just... stay?
The City Born Great on Tor.com This is the idea that became The City We Became but honestly the voice in this story is my favorite. "Yooooo no." Ha! And with the added layer of homeless/poverty plus Blackness plus the appearance of mental illness for a man wandering the city.
Red Dirt Witch Witchy ways in Alabama, through dreaming, the coming of the White Woman and future racial strife, lead a mother to make a sacrifice.
L'Alchimista A cook gets a new gig. (Listen on EscapePod)
The Effluent Engine (read on Lightspeed Magazine) Steampunk New Orleans, lady inventors who might have potential for more, Haitian spies, white supremacist secret orgs
Cloud Dragon Skies (read on Strange Horizons) "I was not so very different from other women. I wanted to be touched with tenderness...I wanted someone to talk to who would ... not think, "How do I control such a woman?" That did not seem so very much to ask, to me. Nor to this strange young man from the sky.
The Brides of Heaven Well *that's* an interesting interpretation of a first contact story.
The Evaluators When the first crew disappears, a new inquiry is captured through reports and interview transcriptions and the reader helps figure it out too.
Walking Awake (on Lightspeed Magazine) Examines complicity and complacency in a earth where humans are bred for their alien masters.
The Elevator Dancer A very short story about freedom.
On the Banks of the River Lex (On Clarkesworld Magazine) "So Death walked into town every day." A post-human world filled with the beings known to humans, but also the rest of the biological landscape. Also very New York.
The Narcomancer (audio from PodCastle Originally written as proof of concept for the world of the Dreaming Moon, which might be my favorite of Jemisin's universes. You can read more about that process and her thinking in this interview.
Henosis (available at Uncanny Magazine) A brief story about the price of fame, and what sets your legacy.
Too Many Yesterdays, Not Enough Tomorrows Something has happened to reset the world every day, except the virtual world, which is where continuity is found among a group of people who can only interact that way. (I have many questions.)
The You Train (listen on YouTube I'm positive this came from daydreaming while waiting for a train!
Non-Zero Probabilities (read on Clarkesworld Magazine) Basically the author predicted the outside of probability 2020. Ha.
Sinners, Saints, Dragons, and Haints, in the City Under the Still Waters (read it at Uncanny Magazine Katrina or a Katrina-like hurricane, and a man encounters different creatures in the aftermath. ...more
Jenny (Reading Envy)
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