SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Ash by Grace Walker

 

Ash is a self-published science fiction novel that is the start of a new series/trilogy by 17 year old author Grace Walker, whose bio notes that her first trilogy was written at age 14. And let me tell you, for a 17 year old's self published work, Ash is very solid - the prose is written very well and is very readable and the main characters are certainly likable, with the story also containing some promise of exploration of serious themes. And the novel is short enough that readers will get through it fairly quickly.

Unfortunately, Ash isn't ultimately a satisfying novel because the book feels incomplete. As I'll explain more below, the book stops on a cliffhanger before the story really gets into anything, despite the reader knowing that certain events are going to happen, so it just winds up being kind of frustrating. And the book definitely could use a bunch of editing as it takes just too long to get out of the first act that is basically just preamble and probably could've used more time in the book's second act. There's a good novel in what is written here I think and an editor probably would've helped Walker tease it out, but Ash isn't there yet.

SciFi Novella Review: Navigational Entanglements by Aliette de Bodard

Navigational Entanglements is the newest Sci-Fi novella from Aliette de Bodard (the Xuya Universe, Dominion of the Fallen, Dragons and Blades), one of my favorite authors. Like de Bodard's Xuya works, this is set in a sci-fi universe (with some magic-esque attributes) where the world is Vietnamese-inspired, although this work is not actually a Xuya work (that universe is seemingly more direct sci-fi and prominently features mindships, which are not present here). And de Bodard uses this new setting to tell a story of a pair of young adults, Nhi and Hạc Cúc being sent on a mission with two other young Navigators by their rival clans, which forces them to confront their internal struggles as well as their own moral codes and desires to do what's right.

It's a really well done novella, dealing strongly with a pair of protagonists (who fall for each other of course) dealing with their own insecurities or disabilities - Nhi is on the spectrum and has a hard time dealing with people, Hạc Cúc is massively insecure about not living up to their legendary mentor - and putting them into a super interesting scifi world with some interesting themes.

SciFi/Fantasy/Romance Book Review: A Swift and Sudden Exit by Nico Vincenty

 

A Swift and Sudden Exit is a self-published sci-fi F/F romance novel that features a time traveler from a post-apocalyptic future (Zera) looking for keys to fix her time and an immortal woman (Katherine) she keeps finding along the way who might possess the answers she seeks...if she doesn't fall in love with her first. It's not a unique setup, but it's one seemingly tailor-made to intrigue me, so it wasn't a surprise when it wound up in my review allotment for the Self Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC) that I am judging again this year.

And the result is uneven, although it has moments of real promise. The romance between Zera and Katherine works really well from the midpoint on, with both characters being delights to read and strong in their development and character, which means romance fans will definitely enjoy this book. But there are a few moments here and there that are clear whiffs (one will cause any lawyer reader pain), a late act plot twist is insanely predictable, and the book's ending is an utter mess. The result is an enjoyable romance but one with enough flaws to prevent it from being a strong recommend...and one that non-romance readers should definitely skip.*

Normally I wouldn't include this caveat in a review, but as this is a SPSFC review and some readers will thus be looking for Sci-Fi without romance, I feel obligated to give it, even though it's not quite the fault of the book.