Fantasy Novella Review: Spear by Nicola Griffith

Spear is a Nebula Nominated Novella by author Nicola Griffith. The Novella, which has won praise and nominations for multiple awards, is a queer adaptation of Arthurian and Welsh (Fae) Myth featuring a genderflipped version of the knight Perceval named Peretur. I enjoy some Adaptations of Arthurian Myth but don't really seek them out, so I skipped out on Spear when it first came out...but the sheer amount of acclaim the novella received made it pretty much impossible for me to skip it for too much longer.

And well Spear is pretty damn deserving of its acclaim. The story features Peretur as its protagonist as she starts out being raised alone in a cave magically warded by her mother Elen - who fears Peretur's fae father who once enchanted Elen - and follows Peretur as she sets out against her Mother's wishes to explore humanity and to join the companions of Artos who she sees defend the land. Written in really gorgeous prose, the story sees Peretur grow up, bind her breasts to appear as a boy, grow interested in and have experiences with girls, and - armed with her trusty spear - come into contact with Artos' companions and learn the truth behind both them and her own origins...and how power can so easily corrupt. It's a really effective story that is very easy to recommend.

Spoilery Discussion/Review: Be the Serpent and the October Daye series, 18 Books In - Featuring Sleep No More and The Innocent Sleep

 



This post is for a spoilery discussion of the 17th and 18th novels - Sleep No More and The Innocent Sleep - in Seanan McGuire's October Daye series.  If you are interested in the series and want to speculate on what the events of these books mean?  This is for you.  If not, and you still want to read this series, I recommend not reading on beyond the jump.


If you accidentally found this page and want to read the actual spoiler free review of these books go HERE for Sleep No More and go HERE for The Innocent Sleep  


You have been warned.

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Innocent Sleep by Seanan McGuire

 



Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on October 24, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

The Innocent Sleep is technically the 18th book in Seanan McGuire's urban fantasy "October Daye" series.  I say technically because the book is a unique oddity - whereas the first 17 novels in the series all are told from the first person perspective of series protagonist October "Toby" Daye,, The Innocent Sleep takes place instead from the perspective of major supporting character Tybalt, Toby's Cait Sidhe companion (and spoiler alert: something more than that).  Even more different - this book doesn't tell a fully new story but instead tells the story of the timespan of book 17, Sleep No More (reviewed here), from the perspective of Tybalt as he tries to figure out what's going on and what to do about it.  So in a way this is really book 17.5 rather than book 18.  

This is not a bad thing at all and The Innocent Sleep more than justifies its existence.  Tybalt not only is present for a lot of scenes referenced in Sleep No More, but his different approach and attitude makes him a fascinating character in his own right, with his own motivations all being all over the place but also understandable.  He also has quite a bit of the old ingenuity that Toby is missing in her own story (for the reasons set forth in that setting) and it's really fun to see Tybalt deal with the horror through such human and non-fae (and sometimes fae) know-how.  Add in some excellent character work to showcase the mental struggle Titania's actions have put Tybalt in, and well...this book is honestly a highlight in the series.  You shouldn't read it before Sleep No More, but you should definitely read it afterwards rather than try to skip to book 19.  And as a bonus, you get an excellent novella showcasing the perspective of Helmi as she came to first serve Dianda Lorden and then got to experience the events we've seen in the series....

Further discussion of this book is below.  Note: Spoilers for Books 1-16 (Be the Serpent) are inevitable and unlabeled in this review after the jump.  Spoilers for this book and Book 17 (Sleep No More) will not be revealed as much as possible  My spoiler-filled post to discuss both this book and Sleep No More can be found HERE.

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: A Stranger in the Citadel by Tobias S. Buckell

Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on October 17, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

A Stranger in the Citadel is a SF/F novel by author Tobias S. Buckell. The novel was originally an Audible audiobook "original" in 2021 and is now being published in actual print (and ebook) in 2023 by Tachyon Publications, a publisher who tends to publish a lot of really interesting short novels from SF/F authors. It's a novel that Buckell notes was inspired by Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 in that it features a world where literacy - reading and writing - is a heresy of the highest order and punishable by death. But unlike other novels I've read with similar concepts, where protagonists get introduced to reading and find it magical and seek to change the world, Buckell takes a different tack.

Instead we have a world where reading and writing genuinely is dangerous and the world without it - where stories are told and retold by griots and food is provided by magical cornucopias - is seemingly okay...until a "Librarian" arrives with a book and our protagonist, the Musketress (princess) Lilith tries to spare his life out of mercy. The resulting tale of revolution, of privilege and corruption and power, of love, friendship and human curiosity is fascinating and goes in paths you very much won't expect and is well well worth your time.

Trigger Warning: Sexual Abuse is referred to, although it's never seen on page, as a horror inflicted by one of the early antagonists.  It shouldn't affect readers too much, but if it does, it's there.  

Fantasy Novella Review: A Necessary Chaos by Brent Lambert

Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained from the publisher in advance of the book's release on October 3, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

A Necessary Chaos is a fantasy novella from author Brent Lambert, which features a pair of spies from opposing sides - one from an Empire's most deadly secret services and the other from a revolutionary group which fights for freedom from said Empire - who have fallen for each other...until they each get the order to dispose of the other and their M/M romance gets put to the test by the horrors committed by said Empire. Oh and the world is divided among three Empires which each keep power through the use of magic from horrifying sources - the main empire for example uses magic derived from magic speech that comes from a "Torture Dimension".

The result is a story that features a strong relationship at its core with its protagonists Vade and Althus and is very easy to get engrossed in and which has a pretty satisfying ending. At the same time, it does punt away one of the more interesting ideas in its concept by its midpoint, which prevents it from quite being as interesting as I'd hoped. Still a solid novella - for more, see my thoughts after the jump.

Fantasy Novella Review: Off-Time Jive by A.Z. Louise

 

Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained  from the publisher in advance of the book's release on October 24, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

Off-Time Jive is a novella from author A.Z. Louise and is one of the latest novellas in queer small publisher Neon Hemlock's annual series of novellas.  Neon Hemlock's works are nearly always interesting, and well Off-Time Jive's pitch - a historical fantasy taking place in an alternate Harlem Renaissance dealing with a magical murder mystery/fantasy noir - certainly made it seem like it would continue that trend.  And I'd seen some good talk about this work on social media, so it was an easy choice to accept a free copy from the publisher in exchange for a review.  

And well, Off-Time Jive IS interesting, even if I don't quite think the novella pulls everything off.  The story's main character and narrator, Bessie Knox, is at times fascinating as she deals with the fact that her magic is fading even as she investigates a murder tied to a tragical magical accident in her past, and the story's setting in an alternate Harlem Renaissance where (Black) new magic was disdained by practitioners of (White) old magic is utterly fascinating.  Add in a White-passing assistant to Bessie with ties to the mob and deadly magical cops could appear to disappear or worse anyone who gets in their path and you have all the makings of a really strong noir.  And yet the story kind of stumbles in its ending, which doesn't quite feel earned by everything that comes beforehand.  

More specifics after the jump:

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport by Samit Basu

Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on October 3, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport is Indian author Samit Basu's (writer of the fascinating novel The City Inside) new take on the story of Aladdin.  The story is advertised by the marketing copy as a mash up of Aladdin and Murderbot, and to be fair there is something to that as Basu weaves a Sci-Fi story from the first person perspective of a story-bot who is supposed to stay invisible and record a story...and who naturally gets more and more involved with events instead.  Add in two main characters in a young woman and her brother, a monkey-bot, who each want to use a piece of alien tech - a ring and a lamp, of course - for their own revolutionary (and a little selfish) purposes, and you have a take on Aladdin that is a little bit familiar but at the same time is very different from the takes you may be used to.  

The result is an excellent and fun novel that stays somewhat true to the framework of the original story while also still featuring twists, turns, and characters that will surprise and delight a reader.  The trio of main characters - monkeybot Bador, revolutionary girl Lina, and storybot Moku - are an utter delight even as they all think and behave in very different ways and Basu infuses them and the plot with a frequent humor that will make you smile even as the story never verges into comedy.  Meanwhile, the story deals with some very interesting and relevant themes of oppression, individual rights for different types of beings, colonization, empire and how to change all that, and the various possible means of revolution.  The end result is this is another winning installment from Basu that is well worth your time.  

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: A Fire Born of Exile by Aliette de Bodard

Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained from the author in advance of the book's release on October 12, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

A Fire Born of Exile is the latest novel by Aliette de Bodard, and the second full length novel in her Xuya Universe - A universe where humanity has spread to space and grown with its dominant cultures originating in Vietnamese and Chinese cultures and where humans live alongside living ships ("Mindships") whose minds are birthed by human beings. This universe had originated in de Bodard's novellas and short fiction (On a Red Station, Drifting, The Citadel of Weeping Pearls, the Tea Master and the Detective, Seven of Infinities) and had its first novel in last year's "The Red Scholar's Wake" and frequently deals with issues such as power, family piety, justice, and class differences, among other things.

 As a white American reader, the themes and perspectives of de Bodard's work (and her excellent characters), especially in this universe, are especially different and fascinating to read and as a result I've become a huge fan of de Bodard. Oh and they often deal with F/F Sapphic (and occasionally other queer) Romances in very excellent ways, even as de Bodard uses this universe to play on some classic stories of western canon - like Sherlock Holmes, & Arsene Lupin.

A Fire Born of Exile is de Bodard's long promised adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo. The novel is her longest Xuya story yet and features Quỳnh, the "Count"-esque character, who was once under her old identity unjustly executed for treason by a cruel Prefect and Quỳnh's disloyal and ambitious lover, as Quỳnh returns years later, actually alive, to try and get revenge. Along the way she encounters two others - the prefect's daughter, Minh, who is innocent of her mother's crimes and is constantly pressured by her mother into trying to be something she's not, and Hoà, the sister of Quỳnh's original identity's mentor, with who Quỳnh starts to fall in love. And so we have a story that deals with family piety, love, choosing one's own destiny, power and justice and more as Quỳnh tries to enact her plot for revenge only for Minh and Hoà to not fully intentionally get in the way. It's a very good work, even if I think it's not quite up to the same level of de Bodard's incredibly good other works.

Note: As the characters and setting are based in and inspired by Vietnamese culture, certain names have use the Vietnamese Latin Alphabet.  I am trying to use those same letters when appropriate below, but for a few characters I was unable to find a letter to easily put in the review, so my apologize for the slight inaccuracy in character names.

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Library of Broken Worlds by Alaya Dawn Johnson

 



The Library of Broken Worlds is the third Young Adult novel by author Alaya Dawn Johnson, one of my favorite lesser known authors, despite the fact that every long fiction she's written has managed to earn awards.  Her first YA novel, Love is the Drug, won the Nebula/Norton Award for best YA SF/F novel; her second novel The Summer Prince was nominated for that same award (and is one of my few perfect score books - it's incredible); and her third novel, Trouble the Saints, won the World Fantasy Award.  ADJ's works have varied in their settings and characters, even as they often deal with similar themes of racial and other forms of oppression and injustice, and they have always featured strong characters and fascinating plots - as such she's basically an auto-read for me whenever I hear that she's published anything new.  

And The Library of Broken Worlds is perhaps the deepest novel ADJ has ever written as the novel is packed with ideas, themes, questions and concepts about tons of things - about love, about the long term trauma and need to heal from sexual abuse, about power, about legal precedents and how access and abuse of those precedents can solidify power, about the value of one people vs another, etc. etc.  There's a ton here, all explored in a plot featuring AIs with strange morality and concepts, a world filled with techno-organic life all around the protagonist - a girl named Freida who was birthed seemingly by one of those AI gods for an unknown purpose and who tells most of the story in communication with a war god AI she is seemingly supposed to destroy.  And this is a story told in a way heavily reliant upon description, metaphor, and internal tales, such that well it's not only easy to miss what's being explored, but I'm pretty sure I DID miss out on some of what Johnson was trying to get at. 

In some ways that obtuse plot structure thus prevents this book from fully working - I suspect nearly every reader will come out of this confused by a good portion of what they read, and that feeling will definitely frustrate many readers.  At the same time, the plot's examination of power, oppression, and historical wrongs, as well as its following of a coming of age story of love, of trying to figure out who one is, and of tremendous self-determination even in the face of trauma and abuse is extremely compelling and makes this a definite recommend.  

More explanations after the jump:

TRIGGER WARNING:  Sexual Abuse of a teenage character (in virtual reality) through one character acting without the other's consent.  This isn't explicitly described, but it's very important to the plot, so it can't be ignored, but this plot element is treated extremely seriously and all of its ramifications explored.   Also possibly triggering: Oppression of minority groups and dehumanization of peoples.  

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal

The Spare Man is a Science Fiction Mystery novel written by author Mary Robinette Kowal, an author who won Hugo Award(s) for her Lady Astronaut series (The Calculating Stars) and is the former President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (the SFWA). The novel is also a nominee for this year's Hugo Award for Best Novel, which is what put it on my radar after I initially skipped it - I very much enjoyed one of Kowal's prior novels (Ghost Talkers) but haven't really loved her Lady Astronaut series so I wasn't particularly interested when it first came up. And to be honest here, its one of two books that I kind of groaned to see on the nomination list instead of some books I really loved from last year, so my reading and this review is colored by a bit of a negative bias.

But, trying to put that bias aside, The Spare Man is an okay SciFi Murder Mystery...but isn't really much more than that. The novel's standout feature is its protagonist, Tesla Crane, who struggles with physical disability and PTSD from a past disaster that basically ended her engineering career, and has to cope with her disabilities via both an internal system that allows her to regulate pain and feeling and a little Westie named Gimlet who serves her crucially as a service dog. Tesla's handicaps and her difficulties working around them are written extremely well, and give this book its sole real bit of originality (the Space Opera or SciFi Murder Mystery is hardly new) and is praiseworthy. But the rest of the setup is kind of lackluster and there's nothing really special here to make this book seem worthy of an award; nor is the murder mystery particularly compelling or solved in a super interesting fashion. It's not the worst mystery I've read, and honestly I no longer read a lot of them, but this isn't good enough for it to be more than a solid but mostly forgettable piece of science fiction for me.

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Shadow Speaker by Nnedi Okorafor

Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on September 26, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

Shadow Speaker is a new expanded edition of a young adult africanfuturist fantasy novel first published over 15 years ago by renowned author Nnedi Okorafor (before the renown part). The novel is being republished in new form this fall by DAW, together with a sequel that Okorafor had previously planned but never apparently had gotten the opportunity to write. And well, if you're familiar with Okorafor - writer of Binti, Who Fears Death, Akata Witch and so so much more - you might understand why this is an exciting thing - Okorafor is one of the more well known Africanfuturist authors for a reason, using African myth, religions, culture, and realities to create strong and interesting science fiction and fantasy with some really interesting themes throughout her books (even as the books range in subgenres). So yeah, I was super excited to get an early chance to read this novel.

Shadow Speaker is another very solid novel, although it's one that certainly feels like it was written before some of Okorafor's earlier works, almost like it is a predecessor to the Akata Witch/Nsibidi Scripts series which it resembles to a certain extent (with a hint of the post apocalyptic world of other Okorafor books). The story features a future Africa after magical Peace Bombs were unleashed upon the world causing a great change, resulting in persons being born with powers, and parts of our world and other worlds beginning to merge. Such is the world where 15 year old Ejii, who can talk to Shadows (amidst the other hard to explain powers she has), grows up and has to go on a journey to seemingly avert a war between the various other worlds out there and our own. The result is a story dealing with power, oppression and greed, misogyny, and the struggle to make things better through means other than violence, and it works pretty well thanks to its excellent main duo of characters. At the same time, it is kind of scattered and not super focused, so readers may find it a little unsatisfying.

Obvious disclaimer: As a White Jewish American reader its always possible I'm missing something in a book that is different from my cultural experience - with the book being based in the culture, history and myth of Africa, particularly both African Muslims and other African religions. So be aware of how my perspective affects my review, as opposed to a reader who comes from such cultures.

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Ghosts of Trappist by KB Wagers

 

Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on June 27, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

The Ghosts of Trappist is the third book in KB Wagers' NeoG series of space opera novels, which follow a future space version of the Coast Guard in the 25th century, after humanity had experienced a societal collapse from which it emerged a better, more egalitarian and accepting, but still far from perfect society. The series, which began with the really enjoyable A Pale Light in the Black (my review is here), follow specifically a team of Neos who crew the interceptor "Zuma's Ghost" as they attempt to safeguard travel in the Black - both in the Solar System and around a human colony in the Trappist system - and as they form a found family...even as things can get rough for them personally and professionally. Also there's a fun inter-military competition called the Boarding Games that the team competes in for fun and bragging rights. The first book was largely found family and light-ish, even as there was a background conspiracy plot, but the second book (Hold Fast Through the Fire) got a bit darker, featuring betrayal, traumatic events, and struggles to pull through together (I didn't quite love it as much).

And so we come to this book, book 3, which tries to sort of hit multiple themes we saw in both books - found family, struggling with trauma and grief - as well as some new ones having to deal with AI, specifically the team's robot dog "Doge" who was one of my favorite characters in prior books. There's also a major new theme of abusive relationships, which was previously touched on in the family sense with major character Max's family (and is still dealt with here on that note) and now extends to other such abusive relationships, romantic and otherwise. And for the most part, I think The Ghosts of Trappist does this well - the characters remain excellent, both new and old, the dialogue and plot events are sharp and enjoyable (even as the horror nature of the plot never really is that horrifying and parts of the plot are predictable to the point where you just wish the protagonists would get a clue for a long long time). And I enjoyed getting point of view chapters from one Zuma member, Sapphi, who we previously only saw from the side...and seeing how the "hacking" seems to work in this book was kind of fun and enjoyable, even if it reads a little silly. That said, the book is probably spread a bit too thin, with some subplots not feeling complete amidst everything else, so it's not perfect...but it's still a very solid continuation of this series.

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Mr. and Mrs. Witch by Gwenda Bond

 



Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on March 7, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

Mr. and Mrs. Witch is a fantasy romance novel written by author Gwenda Bond. The book is, as you might imagine from the title, a riff on the movie "Mr. and Mrs. Smith", where Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie play a married couple who, unbeknownst to each other, are each contract assassins who wind up getting assigned to kill the other. Only here, in this novel our just about to get married protagonists are Savvy - a witch who secretly works for an organization tries to stop supernatural threats from arising around the globe - and Griffin - a human hunter of the supernatural who works for an organization that opposes the Witches and sees them as one of those supernatural threats. Naturally just as they're about to get married the secret comes out, leading to a conflict of fighting...and love.

The result is a book that sometimes feels a bit rushed with character development and actions and certainly has a setting and plot that doesn't make too much sense if you try to think too hard about it....but is still incredibly fun and breezy and a very enjoyable romance. The chemistry between Savvy and Griffin works really well, the side characters are amusing if not deep at all, and the story makes good use of its premise to fill a short but enjoyable romance. There's little actually surprising here and some things are resolved way too easily, but well - I didn't expect anything else, so I could hardly be disappointed. In short, if you pick this up, you know what you're getting and you will be pretty much satisfied.

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Splinter in the Sky by Kemi Ashing-Giwa

 




Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on July 11, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

The Splinter in the Sky is the debut novel of author Kei Ashing-Giwa and is a novel that deals with a theme that is getting more deserved attention in the books I read these days: the issue of Empire, its treatment of colonized peoples, and how those people can, should, and may be able to react to a foe who sees them as inhuman and seeks to change them to fit the Empire's own standards (as Empires in our world have done, time and time again). The novel is centered around a woman Enitan from such a conquered colonized people who takes desperate action in heading to the seat of the Empire when her sibling Xiang is kidnapped mysteriously by said Empire....and follows Enitan as (in her attempt to save Xiang) she gets involved in the political conspiracies and intrigue of the Empire that she hates so much.

It's a setup that I've seen done a number of times in various and often really interesting ways (see C.L. Clark's The Unbroken, Seth Dickinson's Baru Cormorant, Arkardy Martine's A Memory Called Empire, etc.), and The Splinter in the Sky starts really promisingly, especially as Enitan winds up working for the ostensible leader (but really figure head) of the Empire - to whom she's attrated - as well as sending reports to the Empire's main political rival. But The Splinter in the Sky kind of struggles with what to do with this setup once it's established how awful people are to the colonized people, settling on becoming kind of a conspiracy thriller race to kill the members of a shadow council governing the Empire before they can embark on a new deadly war, and then assuming that with the council dead that the now empowered good emperor can change things for the better. I don't mean to ding a book too hard for optimism (or for being more optimistic than those other works I mentioned), but the Splinter in the Sky's setup suggests a realist view of how things work and how difficult it will be to change them and then its ending just kind of throws that away, and I didn't think that really worked for me, either in fitting the story or carrying the themes.

More specifics after the jump:

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N. Williams

 

That Self-Same Metal is a young adult historical fantasy novel written by author Brittany N. Williams. Taking place in a loose historical take on Shakespearean London, the story follows Joan, one of two black twins who are part of Shakespeare's troupe of players, and who (along with her twin) possesses magical powers as the chosen of one of the Orisha - for Joan, the Orisha Ogun, who gifts her with the power to magically manipulate metal. But when a pact between humanity and the Fae seems to fall apart, Joan finds herself and her friends and loved ones confronted with the chaos of a fae invasion, which only she and other Orisha-blessed peoples seem to be able to fight off. Along the way Joan will also have to deal with romantic inclinations towards both a fellow boy in her troupe and a girl who asks her for help, as well as the political machinations and prejudice of a lord and royalty who see fit to use her for their own ends.

The result is a highly enjoyable story, as Joan is a really well done narrator and protagonist and the story goes in a bunch of fun and interesting directions. By playing with both African mythology and Historical events in this era of England (very loosely at times), the story is rarely super predictable (with one exception near the end) and the occasional interludes of Fae Horror really heighten the stakes and well...horrify in how they show off the monstrous actions of the Fae. The love triangle here is also done decently well, although the suddenness of Joan's infatuation doesn't quite ring true for me at times (but that's a me thing), especially as it promises a bisexual and poly relationship...even if this book doesn't quite get around to finishing the romantic subplot. And the book deals well with both racial and gender prejudices, as Joan faces both in the course of the plot. All in all, it's a solid start to this series (I don't know if this is a duology or trilogy or whatever) and I'll be back for the next book to see how this resolves.

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Sleep No More by Seanan McGuire

Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on September 5, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

Sleep No More is the 17th novel in Seanan McGuire's urban fae fantasy "October Daye" series, one of my favorite series in SF/F at this point. If by some chance you have no knowledge of the series and are still reading this review anyway, well the series follows the half-fae (Changeling) October Daye, as her work as both a knight of the local Fae Kingdom in San Francisco and her private detective work in the human world gets her deeper and deeper involved in the affairs of Faerie. More importantly, the series really thrives on showcasing its irreverent blood working heroine as she winds up over all the books building her own found family with whom she feels at home....and who aid her as she gets deeper and deeper into trouble.

Most likely however, if you're reading this review, you've heard of or at least read part of the series, and it's kind of impossible to write this review without going into spoilers for the series' first 16 books as Sleep No More builds directly off a MASSIVE cliffhanger in the series' last book, Be the Serpent. At the end of that book, after October had finally dealt with a threat hinted at for 15 prior books, she found her world and herself massively changed in a way that was simply wrong....and horrifying. It was a twist that was downright brutal and unprecedented in this series, and it left me begging for a conclusion.

Sleep No More is that conclusion in part - McGuire actually wrote an 18th book from Tybalt's perspective because there is so much to deal with in this new world that can't be seen here in this book - as October lives in this new world for a while until cracks start to form and set her down the road to restoration. It's yet another gripping book in the series, although its ending leaves a little to be desired...given the sheer amount of threat our series' new antagonist poses, it does feel like our protagonist's set things "right" a bit too easily (especially after everything in the last two books). But well, if you're an October Daye fan, you'll remain hooked on the series after this book and wanting more now that this cliffhanger is resolved.

Spoilers for the First 16 books are below and untagged. If you want to read further, you're reading at your own risk. Spoilers for THIS book will be discussed in a secondary post.

SciFi/Fantasy/Horror Book Review: A House with Good Bones by T Kingfisher

 

A House with Good Bones is the latest horror novel by author T Kingfisher (aka Children's author Ursula Vernon). This time around, the novel isn't a take by Kingfisher on a classic horror story from a century ago, but is instead a Southern Gothic, featuring an archeological entomologist Sam as she returns to her mother's house (formerly her Gran Mae's North Carolina House) between digs...and to check on that same mother, who Sam's brother thinks is acting "off". Needless to say, as this is a southern gothic, Sam's mother's actions are symptoms of a greater problem, one which Sam will slowly discover as things get further and further out of control...in horrifying fashion.

As I've said before, I'm not a horror fan in general - I will enjoy those stories when they come with deeper themes or really enjoyable characters, but I could care a lot less about getting scared by a story or a movie. And when the culprit behind the slow burn of a horror story is obvious to anyone familiar with a genre, as seemed to be the case with A House with Good Bones (and was with the last Kingfisher Horror I read), it's even less of an interest to me. But A House with Good Bones managed to surprise me in its last act, putting things together in a way that surprised, and combined with Kingfisher's usually enjoyable and good characters, wound up working for me despite it all. So if you like horror, would definitely recommend this one.

Fantasy Novella Review: Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo

 



Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on September 12, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

Mammoths at the Gates is the fourth novella in Nghi Vo's "Singing Hills" cycle of Novellas. The Singing Hills novellas all follow Cleric Chih and their neixin (a talking intelligent hoopoe bird who never forgets) named Almost Brilliant as they go around this fantasy world and collect and tell stories, whether they be tales or histories. So the first novella (The Empress of Salt and Fortune) dealt with the story of the rise of an outsider Empress through the telling of her companion; the second novella (When the Tiger Came down the Mountain) tells a romance between a tiger woman and a human...but has the story told from both the perspective of humans and from the perspective of tigers; the third novella (Into the Riverlands) was a wuxia tale of martial artists and kung fu tales seeming in the past...but maybe in the present as well? Each tale was really well done, often very fun, and award worthy, as Cleric Chih's encounters with stories allowed Vo to touch serious and fun themes in different genres.

Mammoths at the Gates flips things a little - where Cleric Chih is usually a passive observer, here the novella focuses on events and people Chih actually has experienced: mainly the life of one of their mentors at the Singing Hills Monastery, who has now passed away, and whose body is now wanted by the mentor's blood relatives, who are threatening to storm the monastery with the titular mammoths. But the focus flip doesn't prevent this novella from being a tale about stories, and about a number of fascinating things - grief, how we see people from different (good and bad) lights, and how people change over time in ways others never could have anticipated. It isn't my favorite novella in the series, but it's another very effective one.

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Labyrinth's Heart by M.A. Carrick

 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Labyrinth's Heart by M.A. Carrick: https://t.co/OBL9HHBR2N

Short Review: 8.5 out of 10 - The conclusion of the Rook & Rose Trilogy features Ren, Grey, and Vargo dealing with their secrets being revealed, the corrupting powers of the Medallions...
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) August 14, 2023

Short Review (cont): the truths in each of their pasts, and a burgeoning revolution in Nadežra, which in the wrong hands can make things not better, but far worse. The plot and pacing is a bit unwieldy, but I love the characters in this series so much and am very satisfied
2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) August 14, 2023

Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on August 15, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.


Labyrinth's Heart is the third and final book in the epic fantasy "Rook and Rose" series by M.A. Carrick (a pen name for the combined work of authors Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms), which began with The Mask of Mirrors (my review here) and continued with The Liar's Knot (my review here).  The series has aspects of a Fantasy of Manners (dealing with nobles, duelists, assignments, secret identities and claims of family) but also deals with major conflicts in a city caused by multiple conflicting magic systems and the remains of empire and colonialism in a city still kinda ruled by its onetime conquerors.  There's a lot going on, and honestly I found it resulted in a first book that was kind of confusing in the end...but also it resulted in a second book that I absolutely loved, as protagonist Ren - a con artist who tried to con her way into a noble family - winds up struggling with lies, finding family and loves where she never expected, and having to deal with powers of gods and those far more dangerous than gods wielded by those seeking Power for their own sake.  The main characters in this series have been really really good, even as many of the minor characters are forgettable and resulted in me never remembering how to distinguish one such character from another.

Labyrinth's Heart is somewhere in the middle of the two books: on one hand, the book features tremendous character work, as long running plot threads get resolved and our characters have to come to terms with what is left when their lies and deceptions are revealed, and whether the relationships they have grown in the meantime can survive. Our main protagonist Ren, as well as secondary protagonist's Grey and Vargo, remains fantastic and the other characters who have been major parts of this series remain really strong as they deal with the new developments....and have to deal with what happens when the city of Nadežra face a series of important developments - the powers of the Medallions belonging to the heretical god (Primordial) of desire being in the hands of nobles who ostensibly are working together to destroy them...but may instead find themselves tempted; the uprising of the Vraszenian people who originally settled Nadežra against the outside Liganti nobles who have remained in control since the Tyrant was overthrown; and the coming of the most holy of days, when the magical wellspring at the center of the Vraszenian religion comes into physical being. The result is truly excellent character work as these characters deal with issues of love, family, and revolution....but on the other hand, the plot winds up resolving with a series of repeated climaxes that don't quite satisfy as well as how book 2 came together. Still, the character work in this trilogy is so good that I find it too hard to care that certain aspects of the plot are a little confusing and might not satisfy...as other parts and characters satisfy immensely.

Note: Spoilers are unavoidable for books 1 and 2 in this series. But if you want to remain unspoiled and are simply trying to decide whether or not to start or continue this series, the rest of this review concludes that my recommendation is to absolutely give this series and this book a try, as this ending to the trilogy works really really well.

Fantasy Novella Review: The Lies of the Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi

 

Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on March 21, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.


The Lies of the Ajungo is the debut novella of Nigerian-American author Moses Ose Utomi.   The novella features a story about a boy from a city in world filled with desert that was taken advantage of by a powerful neighboring empire (the Ajungo).  The Ajungo offers this city just enough water for its people to barely survive...in exchange for the tongues of every adult resident...and to make it worse, the Ajungo rename the city the "City of Lies" to prevent its residents from being believed when they seek for help.  In this setting, the boy - Tutu - sets out into the desert to try to find water to save his dying mother...only to find the things he understands about the world aren't quite what he believed....

The result is a story of greed ad colonial and economic oppression and about the lies those in power use to prevent the oppressed from being able to rise up and change their fates.  I'm gonna try to make this review as spoiler free as possible, although I may rot13 some spoilers after the jump, but I'll say straight out: this is a really effective novella in characters, themes, and message, and well worthy of award recognition.  

Note: The novella is  part of a series that will be continued next year apparently.  But the story is entirely stand alone and the only connection I suspect there is in the series - from what I can tell from the next novella's plot summary - is that it takes place in the same world some 300 years later, when this story's events are long mythologized history.  

Fantasy Anthology Review: Jade Shards by Fonda Lee

 

Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on July 31, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

Jade Shards is a collection of four prequel stories to Fonda Lee's The Green Bone Saga (Jade City, Jade War, Jade Legacy), her award winning trilogy that combined concepts of mafia books like The Godfather with Wuxia/Kung Fu tropes from southeast Asia. The four stories include three which were originally published on Lee's patreon followed by a fourth brand new story, and together the collection only makes up the length of a middle-length novella (the stories also each come with an afterward explaining Lee's thoughts in making them).

I very much wound up liking The Green Bone Saga, so I was very willing to try out four new stories in this world. As you might expect from stories so short, they will only be of interest to big fans of this world, but if you did really like the trilogy, you will probably enjoy this quick look back at what happened to setup its events.

SciFi Novella Review: Emergent Properties by Aimee Ogden

 

Emergent Properties by Aimee Ogden:

Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on July 25, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

Emergent Properties is the next novella from author Aimee Ogden, author of a pair of really interesting novellas from last year - Local Star (A Queer Polyamorous Space Opera and Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters (A Queer Space Opera with elements of the Little Mermaid and a whole lot more). This novella travels over ground made familiar to many sci-fi fans in Martha Wells' Murderbot stories, with Emergent Properties following the independent AI Scorn in a world filled with non-autonomous AIs who are limited to certain roles and properties...unlike the young Scorn. And so, in a similar vein to Murderbot, there's a story here about an AI unsure of its own purpose and place among humans and non-autonomous AIs, as Scorn tries to solve a mystery while treading the line of not acting too like humans...but also not limiting zirself too much either.

The result may feel like it's covering similar ground in AI self-discovery as Murderbot, but the method Ogden does so is very different, and that results in a rather interesting and well told story (even if it will be one far less approachable for the common fan than Murderbot). The world and setting here isn't particularly setup all too deeply, with the reader having to fill in gaps and implications on their own, but Scorn's own mental narrative and perspective works really well as the story sets up a mystery for Scorn to investigate - what happened to the ten missing days in Scorn's memory and who would be trying to stop Scorn from finding something out...and what? - and follows that through to its conclusion. Very enjoyable, as usual from Ogden.

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Beneath the Burning Wave by Jennifer Hayashi Danns

 

Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on November 8, 2022 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

Beneath the Burning Wave is a Queer YA fantasy novel by debut British author Jennifer Hayashi Danns and is apparently the start of a trilogy. The story advertises itself as exploring the "origin of gender and desire in an epic queer fusion of Japanese folklore and Egyptian mythology" and well, that piqued my interest. And just as promised there is a very queer world here, with the setting being an island whose people don't use gendered pronouns and who practice queernorm relationships and polyamory, (whether they differentiate based upon sex in other ways is another question).

That said, the prose used to describe this world often fails to make clear exactly what is happening, and the characters and plotting in this world are very weak, shallow, and sometime just plain irritating, such that I didn't think the book worked at all. There's an attempt to do things here with origins of gender and pronouns that just seems abrupt and poorly done, a lot of things happen just well "because", and there's no satisfying resolution or message here to take home, even if you consider this just the first book of a longer story. This is not a book that makes me want to read further into the trilogy, which makes it one I also cannot recommend.

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong

Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on July 18, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

Immortal Longings is the first book in a new fantasy trilogy by Chloe Gong. Gong is well known for her YA work, beginning with her These Violent Delights duology which took Romeo and Juliet and reimagined it as taking place in 1920s Shanghai, with its conflicts between Communists and Nationalists and between foreign Imperialists jockeying for power from the West and the East and the local peoples. I really liked that duology, which reimagined its Romeo and Juliet type characters in interesting ways, dealt with the impacts of real life historical atrocities of imperialism and even local massacres, and had characters and a story who really worked. I was less enthused by Gong's first book in her follow up duology (Foul Lady Fortune), but I was impressed enough by the first duology that I was certainly interested to check out Gong's first non-YA long fiction, as Immortal Longings is pitched.

And like These Violent Delights (which honestly could be just as easily considered not YA if the protagonists weren't the right age), Immortal Longings is certainly interesting - filled with a couple of really strong lead characters, some very strong themes of power, Empire, and what it means to try to fix oppression and suffering. Yeah it's all centered around a plot structure that's pretty familiar and Hunger Games-esque, albeit with an Asian-inspired setting, but Gong makes that familiar setup work thanks to some excellent characters and plotting. And with a magical power that most of our characters have to jump bodies, you also have here some interesting questions about the soul and what it means to be one's self/own-person. The result is well worth reading, even if the book's last act featured way too many abrupt ends to plot threads and a VERY abrupt cliffhanger ending.

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: To Shape A Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

 


Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on May 9, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

To Shape a Dragon's Breath is subtitled "The First Book of Nampeshiweisit" and as that subtitle might lead you to expect, it's the first book in a new Indigenous American-inspired fantasy series.*  The story features a 15 year old indigenous young woman** named Anequs who lives on the island of Masquapaug, an island populated by her indigenous people who live otherwise unmolested by the colonizing Anglish as long as they pay their taxes on time and don't come into anything of value to the Anglish.  But when Anequs finds a dragon egg, a Nampeshiwe dragon rather than a colonizer dragon, she finds that she has no choice but to go to the Anglish world with her dragon Kasaqua in order to learn about how to properly train and handle the dragon...for her own people's dragons had been lost long ago, together with their own knowledge of how to handle them.  Naturally this results in conflict, for the colonizers do not view Anequs and her people as civilized at best, want to exterminate them at worst, and nearly all have little interest in them having a dragon....

*Some places online, like goodreads, list this book as Young Adult, presumably because the story is in some sense a "coming of age" story, features a teen protagonist, and features as a major plot point the protagonist going to a special school.  However, neither the publisher website nor Amazon list the book as such and it does deal with adult themes, and I know one reviewer I trust for YA has rejected the distinction for this book.  So I will be treating this as adult fiction.*

**Anequs' culture treats adulthood as coming at 13, so despite her age I will be referring to her as a "woman" and not a "girl" in this review.**

The result is a fascinating story, which features a rigid prejudiced, sexist, and classist colonizer society like that of Victorian England (with a Norse-like religion mind you) being constantly interrogated and run up against by the far more liberal and flexible Anequs.  Anequs encounters not only colonial power and the aforementioned prejudices, but also has to deal with the Anglish society's rules against queerness (Anequs is Bi and would like to date two different people at once) and its misogynist and ableist teaching in society that lead another friend of hers, an Anglish boy who is clearly autistic, to be constantly bullied and punished.  And how Anequs struggles through it all  as she tries to learn how to handle Kasaqua and to help her people survive and get use out of the dragon (including trying to figure out the setting's really interesting alchemical/chemistry based dragon magic) is really interesting to read.  That said, the book sometimes feels like it makes Anequs too perfect, as if she has the answer to everything such that she can never truly go wrong, which kind of is a personal issue of mine with certain books, even if the book never goes quite too far in this direction to the point of being really annoying....

More specifics after the jump:

SciFi/Fantasy Poetry Collection Review: Beautiful Malady by Ennis Rook Bashe

Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on June 5, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

Beautiful Malady is a collection of speculative poetry, dealing with queerness and disability and the modern and speculative treatment of those who suffer from disability. The collection is short but powerful and contains a number of self-contained but related poems as well as a series of 8 poems which actually tells a complete short story in poetic form.

This'll be a short review, as you'd expect from something this short in page length, and I should note here quickly that I'm not a huge fan of or really a good judge of poetry. So take my words here with a grain of salt. But Beautiful Malady worked for me pretty well, really hitting home the struggles of the disabled to be taken seriously when they say their bodies are in pain, to not be laughed at when they suffer or seek treatment, and to not be treated as lesser when they try to simply live their lives like anyone else with what accomodations they require. Disabled people are people, and not in any way lesser, and the disabled perhaps (as noted in a at least one poem) are better able to recognize when they should rely on accomodations like a cane than the prideful healthy-bodied who should use one when they get old and less able.

Bashe uses speculative ideas and concepts (Fae and Changlings, Princes and Ghost Bodyguards, etc.) to illustrate these themes really well, and does include in the end a strong autobiographical piece on their own struggle and their struggle to write about it. And the aforementioned 8 part story of poems, Rose Ghost, is really great as it showcases a girl whose disability makes her body barely able to function, so she's given the ability to become a ghost who can serve as a bodyguard for the royal prince, with whom she falls in love. A really excellent way to begin and end this collection, as its first and eighth parts bookend the poems. So yeah, despite me not being a poetry guy, I recommend this one.

Horror/Fantasy Novella Review: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

What Moves the Dead by T Kingfisher

What Moves the Dead is a horror novella by author T Kingfisher (aka children's author Ursula Vernon).  The novella is an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Fall of the House of Usher", in which Kingfisher attempts to answer some questions she has always had about the short story and to fill in her own horror-filled answers. I've never read the short story and to be honest I'm not a huge horror fan, but generally Kingfisher's adaptations of old classic horror stories (see The Twisted Ones and The Hollow Places) have really worked for me, with strong characters, dialogue, and plotting, even if I don't thrive on jumps cares or existential horror the ways others do. So when this novella saw a sequel announced recently, I figured I'd given it a try.

And well, What Moves the Dead doesn't quite work for me in the same fashion as those novels. Don't get me wrong, the dialogue and internal narration of the protagonist, Alex Easton (a queer former soldier from a fictional country with some interesting difference in its gender roles), is very enjoyable and the story is told decently enough. But the story is obvious from its start about what will likely be responsible for the horror (hint: creepy fungi) and yet takes a while to get to that point, and if you - like me - don't necessarily find the horrifying result worth a read in and of itself, well, the novella won't do too much for you.

More specifics after the jump

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Aestus: Book 1: The City by S.Z. Attwell

 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Aestus: Book 1: The City by S.Z. Attwell: https://t.co/1iNRI9DrZm

Short Review: 7.5 out of 10 - A long post-apocalyptic science fiction novel featuring Jossey, an engineer in a city of humans stuck underground who gets recruited to the military to
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) June 30, 2023

Short Review (cont): take part in an important engineering project...which might be attacked by the strange monsters above grounds who once attacked her & killed her brother. Enjoyable & with solid themes, if unsubtle, but it's long & has an unsatisfying cliffhanger...
2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) June 30, 2023

Aestus is the first book in a self published epic sci-fi duology. The story, which takes place in the far future after a climate apocalypse seems to have reduced humanity to living in an underground city, has been named a finalist in this year's Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (#SPSFC2 - See my earlier SPSFC2 reviews here). Despite this book not being stand alone in any way, the book is by far the longest of any of the SPSFC2 finalists, clocking in at over 700 pages although the book reads fairly well - I finished the book in 3 days, whereas I normally manage to read typical sized SF/F books in 2. Whereas there was one book of similar length that my team was assigned for the semifinals that I was unable to finishs, Aestus* drew me in effectively and made me want to keep going, so I could see quite easily how such a long book could make the SPSFC2 finals.

The title of this series is technically "Aestus" with this book being "Aestus: Book 1: The City" but that's a mouthful, so I'm going to refer to this book solely as Aestus for the rest of this review.

This is because the book's protagonist - engineer Jossey - is extremely compelling as she deals with trauma from an encounter with monsters that resulted in the disappearance and probable death of her brother, an extremely shifty Uncle who asks her to join the city's military unit and to take part in an important engineering project, several potential love interests, and a discovery that not everything she knows is as it seems. The book is in large part somewhat predictable in its reveals but manages them well, and deals with strong themes dealing with autocratic governments keeping secrets, oppression and exploitation of minority groups, and more. And so I was hoping as the book neared its end that I would give this one a really high score...but the book ends on an extremely frustrating cliffhanger that provides no resolution whatsoever and is incredibly unsatisfying - both for how it just cuts off the plot extremely abruptly and is based upon a reveal that oddly isn't foreshadowed very well and thus seems to come out of nowhere. For such a long book, that's a major problem to have.

More specifics after the jump:

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Percival Gynt and the Conspiracy of Days by Drew Melbourne

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Percival Gynt and the Conspiracy of Days by Drew Melbourne: https://t.co/EXJgSbmdX4

Short Review: 7 out of 10 - A #SPSFC2 Finalist, this is a comedic science fantasy novel featuring quirky accountant with a dark past Percival Gynt as he is roped
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) June 28, 2023

Short Review (cont): by a strange young woman into an adventure to stop literal Space Nazis from obtaining a magical power that threatens the entire universe. It's fine, but the comedy didn't work super well for me and the character relationships really didn't work for me.

2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) June 28, 2023

Percival Gynt and the Conspiracy of Days is a Science Fantasy novel by Drew Melbourne and one of our finalists in this year's Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (#SPSFC2 - See my earlier SPSFC2 reviews here). In addition to being Science Fantasy (meaning the novel is Science Fiction but set in a setting where magic is very real and prominent in the setting as well), the novel follows a trend in this competition of being one that peppers its setting with jokey comments, attributes, and ideas alongside a plot that is more a thriller than a comedy. For those who have read my reviews before, or have read them as I judged books in the SPSFC, well you may note that such comedic stylings are often kind of wasted on me, although if done really well I have been swayed into enjoying them. And well, one book this really reminded me of - K Eason's "How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse" - actually managed to do that, so even as I got through the first act of this book I was hopeful Percival Gynt would manage to accomplish that feat.

Unfortunately, it did not quite manage to do that. None of the absurd bits, jokes about the future of our society, or just things in general really made me smile all that much, and the plot of Percival Gynt never really gets that interesting, even if it's put together mostly well. The main character in Percival is enjoyable at times, as are some others, but the book insists upon a mutual romantic interest between two characters pretty much immediately despite portraying basically no chemistry on page between them, which made it hard to care about actions those characters take due to their sudden love and caring for one another. Add in a final act that sort of disposes of the biggest antagonists with a whimper and then deus ex machinas away all the remaining lost plot threads/consequences of certain actions, and well, the result was a book that was never "bad" but also just made me shrug when I finished it. I want more from books that are supposed to be challengers to win a competition, and I didn't find it here.

SciFi/Fantasy/Horror Anthology Review: Night of the Living Queers: 13 Tales of Terror & Delight: Edited by Shelly Page and Alex Brown

 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Night of the Living Queers: 13 Tales of Terror & Delight - edited by Shelly Page and Alex Brown: https://t.co/v2G6QqzblU

Short Review: 8.5 out of 10-An anthology of YA horror stories written by queer writers of color, this anthology contains a very
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) June 23, 2023

Short Review (cont): nice mix of humorous, dark horrific and serious, and romantic stories featuring queer protagonists. A few stories I really really enjoyed here, as I detail in my long review.

2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) June 23, 2023

Full Disclosure:  This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on August 29, 2023 in exchange for a potential review.  I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

Night of the Living Queers is an upcoming YA horror anthology featuring 13 stories by queer writers of color, collected and edited by Alex Brown and Shelly Page. The anthology features a set of 13 stories united by a few common things: First, each features a queer teen of color; Second, each takes place on Halloween during a "Blue Moon" - the name for a phenomenon where there is a 13th Full moon during the year instead of 12. The authors are a mix of those who I've heard of before (and who are somewhat prominent, like Kalynn Bayron) and those who I hadn't, so I was very intrigued by the collection when I was given a shot at an early copy for review.

And Night of the Living Queers does largely deliver what it promised: YA Horror or Horror adjacent stories that turned the narrative of queer people being the monsters on their heads by having them be the protagonists of their own stories. The stories themselves range from truly dark and horrific, sometimes dealing with powerful and harsh subjects like the struggles and abuse queer people face, to stories that are light and comedic (or that are somewhere in between), so there's a bit of something for everyone here. As with any anthology, some of these stories are better than others, but in general, this is a pretty damn solid anthology that I'd easily recommend for the YA Horror reader.

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Hammer and Crucible by Cameron Cooper

 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Hammer and Crucible by Cameron Cooper: https://t.co/iNMP5ykDwO

Short Review: 5.5 out of 10 - A Space Opera thriller featuring a retired agent of a Galactic Empire who, along with her granddaughter goes on the hunt for the truth behind what happened
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) June 21, 2023

Short Review (cont): years prior to cause her son to cause havoc and get his name disgraced in his death only to discover a strange and deadly conspiracy.

Really generic thriller, with no character depth or themes so it's very forgettable, despite being a #SPSFC2 finalist.
2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) June 21, 2023

Hammer and Crucible is a self-published Science Fiction (Space Opera) thriller written by author Cameron Cooper. The novel is a finalist in this year's Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (#SPSFC2 - See my earlier SPSFC2 reviews here) and as such, I was given a copy to Judge as part of my reviewing team. Admittedly, I'm not the biggest fan of conspiracy thrillers like Hammer and Crucible - I enjoy them when they have strong characters and/or strong themes, but the very plot structure of seeing characters on the run trying to figure out a grand conspiracy until they can strike back against the conspirators to save the day and clear their names isn't something that really appeals to me (and I've seen a bunch of them as a Judge in this competition). But Hammer and Crucible, which is the first of a five book series, is a finalist, so I was hoping it would have those characters and themes to show it worthy of possibly winning the SPSFC2 crown.

And well, to be frank, it doesn't really have either. Hammer and Crucible features a space opera setting where the galaxy is ruled by an Empire who controls space travel through proprietary technology that controls wormhole gates between planets and a humanity that has discovered technology that can reset one's body age, eliminating death by old age...except this rejuvenation technology is largely expensive and usually forces people to either enter into military service or some form of indentured servitude to pay for it. There's some interesting stuff that can be done with those themes (and other books have), but Hammer and Crucible doesn't bother to try, and instead focuses upon the chase by its protagonist Danny around the galaxy with her granddaughter Juliyana to discover what really happened 40 years ago when Danny's son (and Juliyana's father) went mad and seemingly caused massive chaos, killing many and upsetting the galactic orer. The story really tries to lean on its main protagonist Danny being cool as she figures things out and keeps her and her family/friends alive, but really never develops its characters in any interesting way; nor does its reveals make any impact since there is little reason to care about the world or to even realize that the revelations make much difference in how the characters see the world. I'm not sure how this was a SPSFC2 finalist - it's crafted okay but that's about it - but it isn't quite up with many of the books I've read in this competition so far, and it wouldn't have made my list.

Note: For whatever reason, the book's plot summary on websites includes a massive spoiler for a last act reveal and at the same time pretty massively mischaracterizes the book's plot for most of its runtime. If you intend to read the book, I would avoid the plot summaries posted online.

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera

 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera: https://t.co/3hY0tJKrzg

Short Review: 6.5 out of 10 - A long novel bursting at the seams with ideas, featuring a man raised to by his magically powerful mother to kill his cult leader father but who
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) June 19, 2023

Short Review (cont): rejects that destiny and winds up in a support group with others cast out by cult upbringings. There's so many themes going on here (revolution, dystopia, absurd bureaucracy, empire, colonization!) but not enough space for it all to be examined.

2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) June 19, 2023

Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on July 11, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

The Saint of Bright Doors is the debut novel of Sri Lankan Science Fiction/Fantasy author Vajra Chandrasekera, who has written a whole bunch of SF/F short fiction for various outlets.  This is my first experience with Chandrasekera, but the novel got some hype on twitter from authors I enjoy, so I was very interested when I got an advance copy on NetGalley.  The novel features a man named Fetter, raised by his mad and possibly magically powerful mother to assassinate his cult leader father, who now just tries to live in peace in a City filled with all kinds of people, while he gets therapy along with others who have moved on from having been chosen or "unchosen" as special by various cults and religions.  

If that was all The Saint of Bright Doors was about, I might've liked it more, but Chandrasekera fills the book with so many ideas its pretty much bursting at the seems.  So you also have a city which is in some ways socialist in how it provides for everyone but is also a Big Brother-esque incoherent caste system-oriented bureaucracy-led city where pogroms and plague are always on the horizon.  You have demons only the protagonist can see, and mysterious bright painted doors that can't open, appear mysteriously out of real doors, and appear only throughout the city.  You have revolution, colonization, refugee camps, cults of personality, and more.  There's just so much happening here, and some of these ideas feel kind of contradictory, with the book moving from one idea to another, that none of it really lands and any message that's intended just comes out muddled. 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The City Beneath the Hidden Stars by Sonya Kudei

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The City Beneath the Hidden Stars by Sonya Kudei: https://t.co/4KlLbOzOg7

Short Review: 8.5 out of 10 - A fantasy novel based on the myths of Zagreb, Croatia that's a bit irreverent, as a man from the stars and a few others deal with the rise...
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) June 15, 2023

Short Review (cont): of a Dark Queen from the distant past. A kind of bonkers story that somehow was charming and amusing and made me smile.

2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) June 15, 2023

Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on September 27, 2022 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

The City Beneath the Hidden Stars is a fantasy novel from an indie publisher by author Sonya Kudei. I requested the novel out of pure curiosity on NetGalley, as its publisher blurb noted that it was "based on the myths and history of Zagreb, Croatia", a country I know very little about whatsoever. So I was intrigued to see how the novel would turn out, given my love of trying books based upon different cultures from around the world, even if the book's description had some of the stulted language that I often see and dislike in Indie/Self-Published Books.

And The City Beneath the Stars was kind of a pleasant surprise. The book features a narrative style that sometimes feels as if it came from a Douglas Adams-y book, with quips and asides that are clearly aiming (and are often successful) to amuse, although it goes long sections without much of those quips and I usually find such half-hearted commitment to that style to be a little annoying and pointless. The book's main characters are enjoyable, but really aren't particularly built up or developed that well, and there really aren't any major relationships between characters here for the story to grow, as all characters wind up having to confront (willingly, unwillingly, or even knowingly) the rising of a dark evil queen from the distant past. And yet, despite all of the above, the narration and the characters remain incredibly charming and amusing, even when things are played straight, and it all winds up culminating in a kind of bonkers story that made me smile even despite all the things it seemingly did wrong that I usually dislike. I'll try to explain better after the jump, but yeah, I enjoyed this book a lot.

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Secret of the Moon Conch by David Bowles and Guadalupe García McCall

 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Secrets of the Moon Conch by David Bowles and Guadalupe García McCall: https://t.co/4NiBL6N7fd

Short Review (cont): 9 out of 10 - A young adult historical fantasy romance across time featuring Sitlali girl in the modern day fleeing gangs in Mexico
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) June 13, 2023

Short Review(cont): & Calizto, an Aztec boy in 1521 defending his homeland & what remains of his family, as the two are connected across time by a magic conch & each face foes who think of them as inhuman. Tough & difficult at times, but powerful & realistically hopeful.
2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) June 13, 2023

Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on June 6, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

Secret of the Moon Conch is a new young adult fantasy novel by authors David Bowles and Guadalupe García McCall. The novel contains large elements of historical fantasy and romance, as the story features two protagonists from two different time periods: the year 1521, in which the story follows an Aztec warrior named Calizto during the fall of the Aztec Empire to Cortez and his Spanish invaders and the year 2019, in which the story follows a girl Sitlali as she attempts to flee to her father who abandoned them to head to the United States to escape the attention of gangs in Mexico. Through a magical conch, the two protagonists connect and are able to communicate...and fall in love, as they each struggle with seemingly similar situations, persecution for who they are at the behest of colonial and imperial powers and people who simply are unwilling to acknowledge others as human beings with their own rights to exist.

You'd think such a book would be a bit heavy handed, and it is, and the book is in some ways predictable (and not just because Calizto's history has already happened), but at the same time the story really works. Both main characters are really easy to relate to and have strong deep characters, resulting in them having some rather unpredictable moments, and the thematic parallels between their times work quite well. The romantic chemistry between the two is really well done, and the book closes itself off not with an unrealistically optimistic ending, but also not with a dark cynical and depressing one as well - there's just the right amount of hopefulness alongside the recognition that today's world features some absolute atrocities alongside the southern border...not just in Mexico, but in the US immigration system's treatment of those trying to cross the border for the sake of better lives. It's a short book, but it's packed and not a quick read, and I would definitely recommend it to YA readers

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Melody by David Hoffer

 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Melody: A First Contact Novel by David Hoffer: https://t.co/a3yypdSDnT

Short Review: 6 out of 10 A very cynical take on First Contact, featuring a mysterious transmission bearing plans to a strange device, and a man named Stephen Fisher...
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) June 8, 2023

Short Review (cont): with a seeming connection to the transmission....or who at least has a voice in his own head driving him mad. A #SPSFC2 finalist, but a novel that doesn't really have anything interesting to say other than a base most of humanity cant be trusted. Meh.
2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) June 8, 2023

David Hoffer's "Melody" is a self-published science fiction novel that is now a finalist in this year's Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (#SPSFC2 - See my earlier SPSFC2 reviews here), of which I am a Judge. The novel bears the subtitle "A First Contact Novel" and well, kind of means what it says, as the novel features humanity's first contact with alien life in the form of a mysterious communication received from beyond the stars. At the same time, the novel isn't quite the typical version of a first contact novel - with the story focusing upon a protagonist who might be connected to the mysterious aliens rather than dealing with alien visitors physically showing up on our world.

And well, Melody is a cynical take on first contact, and it's one that pretty much didn't work for me, even if it certainly isn't a bad book. The main theme of the book seemingly is that human contact with alien life and advanced technology is going to treated with extreme distrust and that humans will try to immediately misuse and abuse such technology if given it, especially governments and militaries. Is this a plausible idea? Sure, it can be, but it's not a particularly insightful or interesting one. Add in a take on reincarnation that I kind of found distasteful and well, Melody is not a book I would have chosen to be a Finalist had I been a judge of it earlier in the competition.

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi

 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi: https://t.co/BIkVdeOCnv

Short Review: 7.5 out of 10 - An urban fantasy novel featuring the deities of each religion reimagined as corporate boards competing for influence, following former...
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) June 7, 2023

Short Review (cont): nightmare god (for the Orisha spirit company) Shigidi and succubus Nneoma as they perform a heist of the British Museum to gain their freedom from Olorun, head of the Orishas. Very enjoyable with solid themes, but not as fulfilling as I'd hoped.
2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) June 7, 2023

Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on August 8, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon is the debut novel of acclaimed Nigerian SF/F writer Wole Talabi. Talabi's short fiction has been fantastic when I've read it, so I was super excited to read this novel - his first work of published long fiction (at least in the US). The novel promises an urban fantasy story inspired in large part by West African/Yoruba myth, but featuring myths, deities, magics, and beings from other myths as well. Indeed the story follows a West African Nightmare God (the eponymous Shigidi) as he breaks free of a corporate structure of godhood and embarks on a heist of the British Museum alongside a Succubus he loves, and if that's not a hook that interests you, well...you have different tastes than mine.

The result is.....uneven, but largely enjoyable. The novel's setting is utterly fascinating, with the gods and deities of each religion reimagined as having formed corporate boards that negotiate and compete for influence (with mortal faith giving them power), such that the African gods are struggling to maintain power amidst everything else...and our heroes struggle for freedom from this corporate structure after they've escaped. The heist of a relic of West Africa with deific power (the eponymous Brass Head) is well done, and the way the two main characters (Shigidi and Nneoma) are built up through frequent flashbacks, along with a famous magician they pick up along the way, works pretty well. There's even some themes of fighting foreign and colonial influence interwoven throughout the story. That said, the constant flashbacks, the in media res beginning, and the way it all plays out made this a bit less fulfilling than I would've hoped in what seems to be the start of what should be a longer series.

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai

 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai: https://t.co/vNrpctVfCD

Short Review: 9 out of 10 - A Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance featuring a Descendent of a Chinese Medicine God and a Half-Elf Special Agent for a Faerie Agency as they fall in love despite...
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) June 2, 2023

Short Review(cont): their secret backgrounds seemingly putting them into opposition, and those secrets requiring them to take drastic actions. Really great slow-burn at first, giving rise to steamy romance, and this book takes some very surprising & great turns for a romance
2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) June 2, 2023

Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on March 14, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

Bitter Medicine is a fantasy/paranormal romance novel written by debut author Mia Tsai. The novel features a world where paranormal beings exist alongside humanity without their knowledge, all coming from myths and creations of different cultures - so our protagonists are a Chinese Immortal and a Half-Elf Fae - many of whom work together for a Fae Company under its boss Oberon. The story doesn't focus too much on how this setting should or could work, and instead deals largely with the romance between its main duo: Elle, the aforementioned immortal - who conceals her magical/medical skills to hide herself and her older brother from her dangerous but still loved older brother - and Luc, a half-elf who serves as Oberon's best fixer, meaning he kills or gets rid of whatever stands in Oberon's way, despite his dislike of what that entails and what that means about him. The story follows the duo as they finally admit their feelings for one another, come into conflict due to their secrets, and have to figure out what to do about it.

And Bitter Medicine tells this story really really well, and drew me in quite strongly. The story's approach to the romance begins kind of slow burn as both characters are afraid to spit it out, but once they do it gets incredibly steamy in the best way possible. And when their secrets do come out, Tsai takes the story in directions that really aren't the usual way - for example, not to spoil too much, this book avoids the usual romance plot arc where the characters get together, break apart due to a conflict, and then get back together again and reconcile....events and difficulties do occur, but our characters approach and deal with them in different and understandable ways, and this diversion from the usual plot arc really works. Tsai's refusal to go with normal pathways for this romance, and the development of her characters, their plot arcs, and the setting around them, wind up really working and being highly enjoyable, such that I could barely put this book down. If you're looking for a fantasy romance, this is definitely something you should be into.

Fantasy Novella Review: The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar by Indra Das

  The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar by Indra Das

Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on June 30, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar is a novella by Indian science fiction/fantasy author Indra Das and marks a return for him to long fiction after his debut 2016 novel "The Devourers". The Devourers was a masterpiece, a queer fantasy horror/historical fiction novel (although I don't think those genre classifications are necessarily adequate) that dealt ostensibly with shapehshifters/werewolves in modern day and 17th century history and questions of identity, love and transformation (using serious and often brutal themes like rape here). So it was with great anticipation that I requested this second piece of long fiction (Das has written plenty of short fiction since The Devourers) from NetGalley as soon as it was posted up there.

And as expected, The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar is a fascinating novella, that itself defies classification, and is really interesting. The story follows a boy Reuel, as he grows up in a family that seems to come from nowhere, who makes him constantly a tea that forces him to forget whenever he learns something about their true history, and yet still he has glimpses of memories of his family dealing with the impossible - dragons and dragonflesh. Its the story of a child of immigrants from another world who want that child to grow up in this world, rather than their own one, and the struggles that child feels when his family can't escape their feelings and memories towards that old world and can't quite understand at the same time this own new one. And it's the story about faith and memory and believing, and keeping history alive, told in beautiful fascinating prose, and I think it really works.

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Nightland Express by J.M. Lee

 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Nightland Express by J.M. Lee: https://t.co/tIpxvhSj8p

Short Review: 9 out of 10 - a Really great YA antebellum weird west novel as two teens - escaped slave Ben and secretly queer Jesse - take a job on the mysterious Pony Express offshoot...
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) May 25, 2023

Short Review (cont): the Nightland Express, where they must deliver a mysterious young girl to California. Really strong story of identity, oppression of various types, colonialism and genocide, and more.
2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) May 25, 2023

Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on November 8, 2022 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

The Nightland Express is an antebellum young adult weird west novel by author J.M. Lee, published by one of my favorite publishers Erewhon Books. The novel takes place in 1860 America, where two teens try to obtain a special job for the Pony Express to travel the unusual and unheard of Nightland route to California with a special package, one which is unusual and not one that normal Pony Express Riders would take. But the two teens - Jesse and Ben - are each holding secrets that they are deathly afraid of getting out: Ben, for being a mixed race boy who passes for White and is on the run as a runaway slave from his pure White Brother, and Jesse, for being born female but feeling more comfortable in boy's clothes, even if calling Jesse a "boy" doesn't quite work either. And then there's the strange supernatural spirit creatures that the two of them start to see as they journey across the country with a strange young girl.

The result is a fascinating and generally well done story as the two teen struggle with their secrets, their identities, and the realities of a United States that is built upon not just the works of slavery, but colonial oppression of indigenous peoples and spirits. There's a grand overarching plot here as Ben and Jesse find themselves caught up in a battle for the future of the Spirit World, but really the strength of this novel is finding the two teens struggling with who they are and what they want to be - and how they deal with the revelations about the other. The book deals with these themes and oppressions pretty well, never equating the different hardships of the two and rejecting the times where a character tries to do so, and as a result is a stronger more interesting and powerful/useful story as a result of it. It's not a long book, but The Nightland Express packs a bunch into it, and it's worth your time.

More specifics after the jump:

Mild Trigger Warning: A minor scene of sexual assault in flashback, slavery and abuse in flashback.