Fantasy Novella Review: Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard

 



Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard


Fireheart Tiger is the latest novella from one of my favorite authors, Aliette de Bodard, known best for her Xuya Universe stories and her Dominion of the Fallen series.  The hype for this novella has been honestly immense and it comes off a year in which de Bodard released two other novellas (Seven of Infinities, Of Dragons Feasts and Murders) in her other universes which I expect to get major award consideration.  This novella, unlike those, is not set in a pre-existing universe, instead set in a different fantasy world inspired by pre-colonial Vietnam/Southeast Asia which is facing the imminent encroachment of colonial powers.

And it's a hell of a novella, even if it's so short that I can't imagine anyone won't finish it in a single sitting.  de Bodard has already shown herself able to write stories featuring issues of love and consent better than perhaps any other SF/F writer out there today, and she does that again here, weaving a tale of love (a F-F-F love triangle) and abusive relationships in the background of this perilous pre-colonial setting.  My biggest complaint about this one is that I felt it could've used perhaps 4-5 more pages...and when that's my only complaint, well - this will get sure consideration for 2022 awards and is absolutely a tremendous read.  

More specifics after the jump: 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Give Way to Night by Cass Morris

 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Give Way to Night by Cass Morris: https://t.co/TgjqPhdctZ

Short Review: 7 out of 10
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 26, 2021

Short Review (cont): The 2nd in this series featuring a magic-filled version of the Roman Republic (on verge of Empire) is at times really good with its two mage main characters struggling for progressive change...but other times infuriating especially the cliffhanger ending.
2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 26, 2021

Give Way to Night is the second book in Cass Morris' Aven Cycle, a series featuring a magic filled alternate version of Ancient Rome that began in 2018 with her novel, From Unseen Fire (which I reviewed here).  The Aven Cycle's ancient Rome ("Aven") features the addition of magic and takes place shortly after the death of a monstrous Dictator almost strangles the republic and leaves things in a state of flux.  The series deals with issues such as conservative vs progressive views, and of misogyny and roles of men vs women, but one thing it does not really deal with as you might expect are the problems of Empire - like well, Rome - and colonization/imperialism.  Aven is very much Rome, with slaves, conquered lands, etc., and the series isn't interested in exploring all of the implications of that, instead focusing upon its own story with that in the background.  

Give Way to Night does so by splitting our main duo of characters - powerful fire and spirit mage Latona who is learning to take the city's general welfare into her own hands and secret shadow and water mage Sempronius who seeks to rise up to power in Aven to change things for the better.  The result is that the story essentially features two equal plots - on in Aven itself, and one on the warfront of Iberia - unlike the first book which featured the Iberia front as a sideplot that didn't quite feel as important as the rest of it all.  Both of its main characters and the setting are compelling, as our many of the side characters whose views we get to see, but not only does this book leave major plot threads hanging just like the first book, it ends on an absolutely ridiculous and frustrating cliffhanger that just left me tremendously unsatisfied.

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: We Free the Stars by Hafsah Faizal

 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: We Free the Stars by Hafsah Faizal: https://t.co/XIKc5zK6Mi

Short Review: 7.5 out of 10
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 25, 2021

Short Review (cont): The 2nd half of this Arabian-inspired duology is incredibly frustrating, with a main romance, fantasy adventure plot, and main duo that eventually become really compelling but so many side plots and teases going nowhere that it was just distracting.
2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 25, 2021

We Free the Stars is the sequel to Hafsah Faizal's "We Hunt the Flame" (My review is here) and the second half of her Sands of Arawiya duology.  I didn't quite love We Hunt the Flame as much as others - it won the Ignyte Award for Best YA novel - but I really enjoyed its main two characters, its very strong and deep setting, and was intrigued by its cliffhanger ending, so I was excited to see the audiobook show up on Hoopla as soon as the book was released.  I didn't quite love the first book's central romance, but I was hopeful that Faizal would fix that in the second book.  

And well....Faizal manages to make the romance work a lot better with We Free the Stars after a rough start, and continues doing wonderful work with the setting as she guides the book to a conclusion.  But like the first book, this book features a sequence of reveals and big game changing events in the final act one after the other that feel like unnecessary whiplash, and while the book manages to deal with a dark dark plot featuring a magic book with a mind of its own really well, it struggles to make its other dark moments not feel excessive.  This was a book that I loved quite a lot in some ways and was tremendously frustrated with in others, more than perhaps any I can remember.  

More after the jump.  (Spoilers for book 1 are inevitable, but I'll avoid them as much as I can)

Note: I read this in audiobook and the readers are the same ones as in the first book and they are excellent, so if you want to read this book, I do recommend that format quite a bit.  

SciFi/Fantasy Anthology Review: Dying With Her Cheer Pants On by Seanan McGuire

 

Fantasy Anthology Review: Dying with her Cheer Pants On by Seanan McGuire: https://t.co/NfVTTKuzAC

Short Review: 6 out of 10
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 24, 2021

Short Review (cont): An anthology of Seanan McGuire's short stories featuring the Flying Pumpkins, her horror-fighting cheerleaders includes some new interstitials and one real new story, but honestly these stories are best read apart. The new story is a standout at least.
2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 24, 2021

Dying With Her Cheer Pants On is a 2020 collection of a series of short fiction works by Seanan McGuire, best known for her October Daye, InCryptid, and Wayward Children series (and a lot else).  The anthology collects her stories that feature the Flying Pumpkins, a group of cheerleaders who are forced to face off with the supernatural, the extra-dimensional horrors, and basically everything else monstrous.  The collection includes what appear to be three brand new stories - two that are essentially an introduction to the rest of the collection and one that is a full brand new story - and otherwise collects stories published from 2010-2020, with explanatory interstitials in between each story.  

And it's a fun if inessential collection of stories.  The Pumpkins are a fun group of characters, led by a half-vampire girl, featuring girls of various degrees of supernatural ability, who at first are terrified of disappearing like nearly every prior squad but soon come to just shrug off and fight through the latest supernatural disaster of the day.  With the exception of one story, which is novella length and takes up over a third of the volume, the stories are just short enough to never outstay their welcome too.  Even so, the stories are never quite as humorous as they seem like they should be, and when put together back to back to back, the stories do feel often a bit repetitive and without tension.  

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: American Street by Ibi Zoboi

 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: American Street by Ibi Zoboi: https://t.co/k6z78wtYK7

Short Review: 8.5 out of 10
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 23, 2021

Short Review: The powerful but sometimes hard to read book of a Haitian-American girl, coming over from Haiti as her mom gets detained, and she moves in with her cousins in Detroit and tries to find her way with her voodoo traditions. Really good (Magical Realism)
2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 23, 2021

American Street is an award nominated debut novel of author Ibi Zoboi, featuring the story of a teenage girl from Haiti coming to live in America, particularly Detroit, while her other is detained by immigration.  A fair warning to anyone who usually reads my reviews: whether this book qualifies as genre is highly debatable - it's the type of "magical realism" where the existence of potentially fantastical elements: in this case, the presence of voodoo/voodoo figures.  So don't expect must fantasy here.

What you should expect is a compelling but often heartbreaking tale of immigrant/minority life in modern America, where black and immigrant teens are forced to make compromises & sacrifices to secure their lives, the lives of their families, and their loves in the unjust world of America today.  As you might imagine, that often makes it a tough read to follow, as a reader is likely to know when the sometimes wise sometimes naive protagonist's actions are going to lead to disaster, but it's all the more realistic and powerful for it.  Well worth your time and the praise.

SciFi Novella Review Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor

Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor

Remote Control is the latest novella by Nnedi Okorafor, renowned writer for her afrofuturist novels and novellas.  Okorafor's works are always inspired and based on African myth, folklore, or the modern African experience but feature a wide range of tones - hitting sometimes heartwarming YA with her Akata Witch series, strong character beats about knowing oneself and relationships with others in her Binti series, outright comedy in her stand-alone Lagoon, to devastating tragedy and wrathful anger in Who Fears Death and The Book of Phoenix.  I haven't always loved Okorafor's work, but it's always fascinating to read in some respects, which makes her one of the more interesting authors out there.  

Remote Control continues that trend for me - it's a fascinating novella, a dark tale of a girl who thanks to an alien artifact becomes a bringer of death, and finds herself wandering alone as a result.  Like her Binti Novellas, Remote Control will not be for you if you're looking for a classical plot structure - there is no clear bad guy for the protagonist to fight against or clear overall story arc.  But unlike Binti, Remote Control is not optimistic in its story of a girl figuring out her new dark place in the world, even as it doesn't quite reach the triumphant wrathful nature of The Book of Phoenix.  

I'll try to explain better after the jump: 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine

 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine: https://t.co/tTwzZWGaRp

Short Review: 9 out of 10
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 19, 2021

Short Review (cont): The follow up to A Memory Called Empire is tremendous, as Mahit is forced to return to the Teixcalaan as the Empire is threatened by an alien force, and the heir to the throne learns about the machinery of the Empire he will once inherit. Sooo good.

2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 19, 2021

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 2, 2021 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 Desolation Called Peace is the highly anticipated sequel to last year's Hugo Award winner for Best Novel, A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine.  I was one of the few who didn't love A Memory Called Empire (my review is here), but I still found what it was trying to do really interesting: a story about Empire, and language and how impossible it is for an outsider studying its culture or even being nearby from not being consumed by that culture, even as the Empire itself was at the verge of a crisis due to the interaction of the Empire's own leaders and the intricacies of that culture.  The problem for me was not its ambitions, but how fast the plot moved, which made it hard for me to truly believe in the power and allure of this Empire as it was presented, and so I was hoping the sequel would improve on this area.  

And A Desolation Called Peace does indeed improve into a novel that I really loved, taking its already present themes of Empire and adding further themes of culture, of isolation, of identity and even more for a spin in a novel that's somehow both slower and yet just as thrilling at the same time.  The book expands the point of view to a series of other characters, such that the plot essentially is split in three, even as all three deal with the same "crisis" - the confrontation between the Teixcalaanli Empire and a powerful Alien force.  And yet the combination of these three viewpoints doesn't muddle the story at all, instead it contributes to a really fascinating story from beginning to end.  

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Dead Space by Kali Wallace

 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Dead Space by Kali Wallace: https://t.co/cPUYMlJ8tD

Short Review: 7 out of 10
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 18, 2021

Short Review (cont): A SF/Cyberpunk/Thriller/Noir hybrid, Dead Space features a former AI engineer forced to do investigative work for a powerful corporation, investigating the mysterious death of a former colleague.

It's well enough done, but pretty much unexceptional.
2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 18, 2021

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 2, 2021 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.       

Dead Space is a SciFi mystery/thriller from author Kali Wallace and a book I knew practically nothing about going in (I'd requested it on Netgalley on a whim).  It turns out to be a thriller in the vein of some of the Planetfall novels (most notably After Atlas), featuring an AI expert whose career and body was blown apart by tragedy and forced to become instead an investigator of mostly petty crimes by a overly powerful corporation who owns her debt, as she investigates the mysterious death of a former colleague. 

It's a solid setup, and the book doesn't try to go too deep with any themes (unlike the Planetfall novels), but the result is a pretty solid and enjoyable thriller which isn't too long to read.  The character work is solid if unexceptional, and the mystery just tantalizing enough to reel you in, that if you're looking for a thriller dealing with all of these elements - AI, Powerful Corporations holding people in debt in space, a murder mystery, etc. - then this will work for you.  

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Machinehood by S.B. Divya

 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Machinehood by S.B. Divya: https://t.co/sph5Nm2fmx

Short Review: 8 out of 10
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 17, 2021

Short Review (cont): In a cyberpunk-esque future in which near-AIs & automaton have developed so far to require humanity to try to keep up with drugs, 2 sisters - a mercenary and a drug researcher - must act to save the world when supposed AIs attack leaders of drug funding
2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 17, 2021

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 2, 2021 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.     

Machinehood is the first novel by SciFi/Fantasy short fiction writer S.B. Divya, who managed to pick up a Nebula nomination for best novella in 2016 for her story, Runtime.  I remember not loving Runtime, but mostly due to the fact that the setting contained within felt too constricted by the novella format - I felt that the story could have benefitted from being a full novel instead.  So when I saw on Netgalley that Divya was finally releasing a full length novel in 2021, I was definitely intrigued.  

And Machinehood is a really interesting scifi novels, with some really interesting ideas about how humanity will progress in the future as machines and AIs become more intelligent, and how human work and protest changes to match, and how much everything will be the same.  I think its ending is a bit abrupt and it could've perhaps used a longer final act, but its two main characters and their lives are generally really interesting, making this a really solid read.  It's not a perfect book or one of the most powerful I've read, but its content is one that got me really thinking for a while, so it's more than worth your time.  

SciFi/Romance Novellas Review: The Beyond Novellas by Kit Rocha

 



The Beyond Novellas by Kit Rocha

This review is actually a review of three novellas: Beyond Temptation, Beyond Solitude, and Beyond Possession by Kit Rocha.  As the names suggest these novellas are all part of the Beyond series of explicit erotic romance novels, featuring a gang of bootleggers in a post-apocalyptic world, living lives of love, freedom, and consensual but oh so dirty sex.  

These novellas take place during or between books 3-6 of the series, with each featuring couples who are occasionally mentioned but not taking major roles in the main books.  They're shorter stories, so the stories get into the sex quicker than the novels, but they all work fairly well for their length and are all very enjoyable.  Recommended for those who enjoy the series, although those who haven't read any of the series will likely be a little lost.  

SciFi Novella Review: The Album of Dr. Moreau by Daryl Gregory

 
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 18, 2021 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 Album of Dr. Moreau by Daryl Gregory


The Album of Dr. Moreau is a SF/F mystery novella by Daryl Gregory, a multi-award-nominated (and winning I think) author of Sci Fi and Fantasy.  My prior knowledge of Gregory comes from his Nebula nominated "Spoonbenders" and his Hugo (and otherwise) nominated "Nine Last Days on Planet Earth", both of which have been solid - but otherwise haven't really blown me away.  But the hook on this novella interested me a little, so I figured I'd request it on NetGalley because why not.

And I'm glad I did, because The Album of Dr. Moreau really touched an itch I haven't realized needed to be scratched - for this is a loving self-aware pastiche of locked room murder mysteries....with a mystery featuring a boy band filled with genetically modified anthropomorphic animals whose groupies are furries and all the hijinx that result.  It's really really fun as a result, and I'm very glad I picked it up, and if you grew up liking old Agatha Christie mysteries (or similar authors), you'll enjoy this a lot.  

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh

 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh: https://t.co/wpbfchW56q

Short Review: 7 out of 10
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 12, 2021

Short Review (cont): Paranormal Romance in a version of our world filled with ruling Angels and Vampires, featuring a vampire hunter heroine and an Archangel love interest, which is fun, but the sex scene isn't great and there are some consent issues.
2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 12, 2021

Angels' Blood is the first novel in Nalini Singh's Paranormal Romance "Guild Hunter" series.  Readers of this blog will know that I've started to read more SF/F romance books - and Paranormal Romance is essentially a type of fantasy romance - and so when I heard the duo of Kit Rocha (who writes SF romance with Deal with the Devil and the Beyond series) recommend Singh for people looking for more, I put her on my TBR list.  And when I needed a new audiobook for this month, I saw this book was available on Hoopla, so I picked it up.  

And Angels' Blood is a really interesting first novel in a long (like 10+ books plus several novellas) fantasy romance/paranormal romance series, featuring a world where angels rule the world, with vampires as the other supernatural species of note.  The plot intrigues and works well, ending in a satisfying way while also leaving open matters for future books.  But the romance....I have mixed feelings about, with it working well in terms of the lust and sexual attraction but having some consent issues that the book is clearly well aware of, but I'm not sure it handled as well as it could have.  

More explanation after the jump:

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Calculated Risks by Seanan McGuire

 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Calculated Risks (InCryptid #10/Sarah #2) by Seanan McGuire: https://t.co/0EV7STkDA2

Short Review: 7 out of 10
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 11, 2021

Short Review (cont): The 10th Incryptid book finishes Sarah's duology, as she has taken her family to another dimension...& taken their memories of her in the process, & must find a way to rebuild their trust to get back. Good as usual, but Sarah isn't my favorite character
2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 11, 2021

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 February 23, 2021 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.   

Calculated Risks is the tenth (10th!) book in Seanan McGuire's second urban fantasy series, InCryptid.  It's also the second half of a duology featuring Sarah Zellaby as its main protagonist, following from last year's "Imaginary Numbers" (Reviewed Here).  The InCryptid series has had its dark moments, but in general this series about a family trying to help the Cryptid (non-human creatures/beings science doesn't recognize as existing) community survive in a world where humans are dominant has had a really fun and often very witty tone, from its sardonic heroes/heroines to its hilarious hyper-religious mice that follow the protagonists around.  But Imaginary Numbers was the series' darkest novel yet and it ended on a really dark cliffhanger, which set kind of a different tone.

Calculated Risks tops its predecessor in darkness - there are moments of humor here, but again they're not nearly as extensive as earlier in the series.  Instead we get a book where Sarah - our protagonist from a species known for being sociopathic telepaths - has just had her dreamed-for moment of bliss stolen away from her in dramatic fashion and is forced to cope with the aftereffects all the while being also the only person who can possibly save everyone she cares about.  The characters here are still compelling, and the ending kind of cheats a little at the end to give a happy ending, but the darker tone makes this probably my least favorite of the series - though still well worth your time if you've enjoyed the series so far.  

Note:  This book comes with a novella set prior to the novel, which can be read before or after the main story, and I'll include a very quick review of that below:

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Out Past The Stars by KB Wagers

 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Out Past the Stars by KB Wagers: https://t.co/xpj6JhuYA7

Short Review: 9 out of 10
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 10, 2021

Short Review (cont): The final Farian War book features Gunrunner Empress Hail Bristol, having gone through hell and back, trying to make peace between 2 alien races while dealing with treacherous alien gods. Hail's character development makes this such a winner - I love her
2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 10, 2021

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 February 23, 2021 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.   

Out Past the Stars is the third book in KB Wagers' "The Farian War" trilogy and the sixth book in their space opera series featuring their "gunrunner empress" Hail Bristol.  I've come to really enjoy Wagers' work ever since I picked up the first book in this trilogy, There Before the Chaos, two years ago (My review is here) which spurred me to pick up the original Hail Bristol trilogy (The Indranan War trilogy, which is referenced and explained enough in this trilogy that you don't need to have read it to enjoy this trilogy) before continuing on with this trilogy and picking up Wagers' new series (the NeoG).  So I was hugely anticipating this book, especially coming off the heels of its predecessor, which dealt greatly with the trauma of dealing with overwhelming grief in a tremendous fashion and ended on one hell of a cliffhanger.  

And Out Past the Stars is a tremendous finale to this trilogy, with it subverting my expectations at times and winding up in the end at a very very satisfying ending.  The story still deals a little bit with grief, but continues past that to common Wagers' themes of the use of violence or other methods in order to resolve conflicts between different peoples and these themes, not to mention the great characters, are all really well done.  The book even manages to avoid for the most part some of Wagers' more common pitfalls in their last few books, making this one even easier to recommend.  If this is the last Hail Bristol book - and I for one would love some prequels - the series has gone out with a hell of a finale.

Spoilers for prior books are inevitable after the jump, fair warning.

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry by C. M. Waggoner

 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner: https://t.co/wPjI5mVLwo

Short Review: 9.5 out of 10
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 9, 2021

Short Review (cont): When gutterwitch (Fire/Melting Things) Della Wells sees an advert for a bodyguard job for "Female persons of Magical Ability" she thinks first of easy money and maybe of finding a rich lady to attach herself to, but instead finds adventure and...love?

2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 9, 2021

The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry is a stand-alone sequel to C.M. Waggoner's Unnatural Magic (which I reviewed here).  A reader does not need to read the prior book to enjoy this one, as while it takes place in the same world, it takes place a generation later such that the prevailing cultural atmosphere of the world as changed a little bit, and prior knowledge will reward a reader with easter eggs and small moments of recognition but nothing more.  I enjoyed Unnatural Magic myself for its characters quite a bit, especially its romantic pairing of a troll & human-soldier, but found the story's attempt at a greater plot (particularly a mystery) to not work quite as well.  So I was interested to see how the sequel would do, especially after a review I read suggested it would be more character focused than its predecessor.  

And the book is a lot more focused than its predecessor, featuring just a single point of view protagonist, and a cast of women at its core who are so great and tremendously fun as the story goes quickly from beginning to conclusion.  The great romance elements of the first book are back and are tremendous as our fire witch from the slums tries to figure out the half-troll (daughter of the first book's romance) fighter/illusionist at first for the sake of money....and then because she actually develops feelings, and well, I loved it a lot.  I read this book at a time I really needed something to cheer me up, and this book definitely did the trick, as it is filled with wit, humor and charm and I highly recommend giving it a shot.  

Note: Again, you do not need to read Unnatural Magic to enjoy this book, which I stress because I really want people to read this one.  

SciFi Novella Review: The Alaska Escape by K.B. Spangler

 


The Alaska Escape by K.B. Spangler

The Alaska Escape is the third in a serious of stand-alone "smutty" (author's words, not mine!) novellas by author K.B. Spangler, featuring a character from her webcomic, A Girl and her Fed (which can be found here).  The webcomic, and the Rachel Peng novel series which I've also reviewed on this blog, feature a world where 500 top government employees were made into cyborgs with the mental ability to break into basically every computer system possible, among other skills....but that doesn't really matter too much for this series of novellas except as background.  

Instead, what matters is that this series features Josh Glassman, cyborg casanova extraordinaire, as he goes on an adventure with a girl and gets married (temporarily) at the end of each book.  Spangler describes the series as her "Joshsmut" series, although honestly there's only one sex scene included here, and it's not THAT out there.  But what is here is a fun adventure, even if you have no familiarity with Spangler's webcomic or the rest of this series, which will work for a breezy read if you are looking for that.  

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Cibola Burn by James S. A. Corey

 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Cibola Burn by James S.A. Corey: https://t.co/uwEpcJjdB4

Short Review: 7.5 out of 10
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 5, 2021

Short Review (cont): The fourth Expanse novel finds Holden and the Rocinante trying to mediate between Belters and Earther scientists trying to colonize the first new planet, as alien devices awake around them and threaten everything. Solid Fun Space Opera.

2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 5, 2021

Cibola Burn is the fourth book in James S.A. Corey's (also known as Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) space opera series, The Expanse, and well if you're reading this blog I probably don't need to explain the series to you.  The Expanse just finished its fifth season on TV and is scheduled for one final season, and so this book covers the events of roughly the fourth season of the TV show (which I fell behind after the end of book 1's adaptation).  I've both really enjoyed this series and found it hard at times to be that eager to continue it - it has provided excellent space opera action, with strong characters and a background that has some serious themes held within it....but it has little interest in exploring those themes, and so the books never rise too far above fun popcorn fare.  

And Cibola Burn is no exception to that trend, once again grounding the story in a serious theme - who has a claim to land? - and not really exploring that, focusing instead on the conflict between humans of different sides on a new alien planet, where not everything left behind by the aliens is as safe as it seems.  Once again we get a mix of characters that include series protagonist James Holden plus a cast of newbies and the authors manage to keep everything moving so the plot never slows or tires, despite the book being nearly 600 pages long.  And yet, it all does seem kind of formulaic after book 3, so while I enjoyed reading this and stayed up late to finish, I'm not that eager once again to jump into book 5.  

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Beyond Innocence by Kit Rocha

 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Beyond Innocence by Kit Rocha: https://t.co/qP2F7vwo7l

Short Review: 8.5 out of 10
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 4, 2021

Short Review (cont): The 6th novel in the post-apoc erotic romance Beyond series features former child trophy wife Lili, as she tries to understand freedom with help from Jared, former whore and now spy for the O'Kanes.

As usual explicit and sexy as hell and great.

2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 4, 2021

Beyond Innocence is the sixth book in Kit Rocha's Beyond series, their series of post apocalyptic erotic romance novels.  Each book is a stand alone romance between a couple or grouping of characters that get involved with Dallas O'Kane's gang that controls one of the slums in this world.  But each book also continues to build a series wide plotline of a found family of people coming together to make a life of love, sex, and happiness in a harsh world, with multiple romances along the way.  In short, you could in theory start with any book in the series, but you're gonna miss a lot if you don't read the earlier books first.  

Beyond Innocence is both like and unlike other books in the series - like in books 3, you have a couple of a guy and a girl where the girl is basically unknowing about the idea that sex can be had between equal consenting partners to give pleasure to both parties in a relationship.  Unlike in prior books however, neither of the main couple are members of the O'Kane gang to start, here we follow a pair of outsiders drawn into the gang's orbit, each trying to figure out their place in a world that is growing more complicated, where each of their pasts are impossible to go back to.  It works pretty well as usual, with one tremendous orgy scene that might be one of the longest in the series.  

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Those Violent Delights by Chloe Gong: https://t.co/bL36GPD3Qc

Short Review: 9 out of 10
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 3, 2021

Short Review (cont): A YA Fantasy adaptation of Romeo and Juliet set in 1920s Western-Occupied Shanghai is absolutely tremendous in its characters and how it deals with its themes of the influence of colonization, and I cannot wait for the sequel.
2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 3, 2021

These Violent Delights is a Young Adult* fantasy adaptation of Romeo and Juliet by debut author Chloe Gong.  More interestingly, this is not just an adaptation set in a similar setting with fantasy elements but when where the story has been shifted to 1920s colonized Shanghai - a city divided among Western Powers who looked down upon the Chinese inhabitants and what little parts they controlled.  Add in a monster that causes madness and destruction and you have a lot of plot elements here that are not in the original story, which made this all the more intriguing for me to pick up.  

*This book is marketed and shelved as YA, but I'm not really sure if I'd have called it YA without that fact: Our Protagonists are 19 yes but are more or less dealing entirely with adult matters here, with their YA-like days being reduced to memories/flashbacks.  That said, there's nothing that'll be a problem here if YA readers take this for a spin.*

And I really liked These Violent Delights quite a bit, which hits many of the beats of the Romeo and Juliet story, remains a bit tragic, but really makes the characters original at the same time as it transitions them to colonized Shanghai.  And it really emphasizes the impact of colonialism, especially in a city colonized not just by one power, but a number all that disrespect the locals - a group that includes not just the native Chinese but other refugee peoples who fled there (and of course you have the communist party along with all of the above).  And with the two families replaced by two gangster families with a blood feud, several queer characters, and a mystery monster all in the plot, you have a lot of changes from the original Romeo and Juliet in ways that are absolutely fascinating to read.  

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Dark Archive by Genevieve Cogman

 

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Dark Archive by Genevieve Cogman: https://t.co/KELeE9L0lH

Short Review: 9 out of 10
1/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 2, 2021

Short Review (cont): The 7th Invisible Library book remains incredibly fun, as old foes return to face Irene, Kai and her new Fae apprentice Catherine, and series-long secrets start to be revealed. I love this series so damn much.
2/3

— Josh (garik16) (@garik16) February 2, 2021

The Dark Archive is the seventh book in Genevieve Cogman's Invisible Library series.  This series is one of my favorite ongoing and long-running series that I have come across over the last few years, and I swear I devour each new one in the series I get my hands on in record time, within 24 hours of me picking it up.  The series' general plot of a Librarian working for a multiversal library trying to collect rare books from various worlds of magic and technology, all the while staying out of the way of conflicting Fae (beings of Chaos) and Dragons (beings of Order), has blossomed into a greater scope that has been fascinating to watch...but has not at all lost its core of fun dialogue characters and humor.  

And The Dark Archive is no exception to any of the above.  This book clearly marks the move into the series' endgame, as several ongoing plot threads are finally resolved, and Irene's supporting cast gets a new member....and yet the novel remains still fresh and fun throughout, with great immensely quotable dialogue and characters I really damn care about.  And Cogman's prose remains incredibly easy to read, to the point where I could barrel through it quickly and finish this book in just a few hours, even when I didn't intend to read so much so quickly.  I'd say oops, but that would involve me being sorry I did it, and with this series I never am.