Monday, March 11, 2024

Lake of Souls by Ann Leckie


I love single-author short story collections. I really enjoyed getting to see an author I like and admire flex their muscles in different ways. So I was very excited to get an eARC of Ann Leckie’s short story collection, Lake of Souls, from Orbit and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 


I have loved Ann Leckie’s writing from the first time I read Ancillary Justice (which I have reread and listened to the audiobook of several times). I so enjoyed the Imperial Radch universe and adored each book in that trilogy. Provenance surprised me by being so different while still being in that universe and being so wonderful and I thought Translation State was hands down the best 2023 novel I read last year. I also very much enjoyed The Raven Tower and thought Ms. Leckie was classy and generous when she demurred and turned down a Hugo nomination for it. 


I was not disappointed by this collection. Every story is a gem. Some of them didn’t click perfectly with me, but i thoroughly enjoyed each and every one. The titular story, Lake of Souls, was the epitome of what good, intelligent SF can be and it has stuck with me ever since I read it.


I cannot recommend this collection highly enough. 

Monday, March 4, 2024

Aftermarket Afterlife by Seanan McGuire

 


This book moved me in several ways. I got very mad, and very sad. It’s just that good!


I love Seanan McGuire’s body of work.  (Note: I review a bunch of her books so I am copying part of some of my other reviews here to save time.). She has quickly become my favorite living writer and I feel very lucky that she is so prolific. I was first introduced to her work when her book Parasite, written as Mira Grant, was nominated for a Hugo Award. I loved it and quickly devoured the Newsflesh series before I realized that Mira Grant and Seanan McGuire were the same person. 


I started reading her works under her own name, starting with Sparrow Hill Road, which is amazing, but I picked it because I was intimidated by her long running October Daye series. When Incryptid was nominated for the Best Series Hugo in 2018, I dove into that and I loved it! It is probably my second favorite series by McGuire (Velveteen Vs. holds a special place in my heart). 


I was overjoyed when DAW and NetGalley awarded me an eARC of the latest Incryptid book, Aftermarket Afterlife, in exchange for an honest review. Finally the fight with the Covenant, long promised since the ending of Chaos Choreography when Verity outed the family on national TV, was here! This has been building for so long, and I was happy to get an earthbound narrative after several reality-hopping adventures in previous books. 


The problem with long-promised fights is that they come with casualties. I’m not going to spoil things but this is where the mad and the sad will come from. There are some characters for whom I repeatedly thought “how will they go on?” at different points in the book. 


We also have a new narrator this time around - Mary the ghost babysitter has a star turn! With her ghostly traveling abilities, Mary is a logical choice for this role in a globetrotting story, and, thanks to being a Patreon supporter, I have already had a chance to read alot of Mary’s backstory, which made this novel even richer. 


This is a wonderful, wonderful book. A culmination of much that has come before, it lays several avenues open for the future. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Friday, February 9, 2024

The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed



Four years ago, I wrote in a review of Premee Mohamed’s first book: “After reading this book, I will definitely pick up the next book by Premee Mohamed.  This author has a great deal of potential and I look forward to seeing what else she writes.” I am so glad I stuck with this author because The Butcher of the Forest is beautiful, lyrical, hear-wrenching, and wonderful. 


This is not the first book by Ms. Mohamed that I enjoyed - I liked The Annual Migration of Clouds a great deal and I am looking forward to the sequel coming out soon. But this book spoke to my heart. 


This novella has a dark fairy tale vibe - a woman is called upon by an evil tyrant to venture into a haunted fey forest to retrieve his lost children. But that plot description doesn’t do this book justice. In a few paragraphs the author can capture a mood and paint a picture that entrances and ensnares the reader. The language in this book a gorgeous and brutal. The sense of dread is palpable. I am unable to put into words how enjoyable the act of reading this book was. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Sunday, February 4, 2024

What Feasts At Night by T. Kingfisher


In the past 3-4 years, I have become a HUGE fan of T. Kingfisher aka Ursula Vernon. 


Ms. Vernon is the author of the Hamster Princess books, which both of my daughters have enjoyed (as have I!). Those books were my introduction to her, along with her social media presence, which I found through Seanan McGuire. 


Ordinarily, I don’t like horror. I never wanted to watch scary movies as a kid. I got nightmares from E.T.  But based on recommendations I read the Twisted Ones and The Holllow Places and I realized that I loved Ms. Vernon’s writing and I could make it through the scary parts unscathed with her as my guide. 


I started devouring her back catalog and putting all new releases on hold at the library.  I have subscribed to her Patreon and I convinced my wife to read Nettle and Bone, which she loved (as did I). 


I really enjoyed What Moves the Dead when it came out - I adored Angus and Ms. Potter and I thought Alex Easton was one of the most interesting, enjoyable protagonists in a Kingfisher book I had ever seen. (Toadling is still my favorite, I think). I didn’t remember the original Poe story that influenced it, but my only complaint about that book was that it was too short. 


So I was thrilled when I found out that a sequel was coming and even more thrilled when I got an audiobook eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 


This new book, I believe, is not based on a Poe story but is an original creation. And it is wonderful! I was so happy to see Ms. Potter and Angus again, the Widow was my new favorite character, and the story was creepy in all the best ways. The descriptions of Alex’s PTSD feel very real. Once again, my only complaint is that it was too short! 


I really liked the narrator as well. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!




Saturday, January 27, 2024

Power to Yield and Other Stories by Bogi Takács



I first became aware of Bogi Takács when e was nominated for the Hugo award for best fan writer. I knew that e also wrote short stories, but I don’t read a lot of short stories in magazines or on websites, so I hadn’t encountered eir fiction before. But I LOVE a solo author short fiction collection so I jumped at a chance to request Power to Yield and Other Stories when I saw it on NetGalley. 


There is a mix of sci fi, fantasy, and some science fantasy in this collection and I enjoyed most all of them! Some made me think and some made my heart sing. My favorite story involved a mother who was stuck in the form of a houseplant while her child was preparing to be bar mitzvahed. It really captured the humanity in a profound yet quiet way that I really enjoyed. The title story in the collection, Power to Yield, was a little too violent and uncomfortable for my tastes, but I understand that that may have been part of the reason for the story. It still left me feeling icky. 


All in all, I am very glad I read this collection and I look forward to reading more stories by Bogi Takács. 


My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for a fair review. 

Monday, January 15, 2024

Jade Shards by Fonda Lee

 


Every time I read something by Fonda Lee, I regret not having read more of her work. I previously loved The Jade Setter of Janloon but the Green Bone Saga is still on my TBR pile - I think the length is intimidating (as is the concerns of schlepping a giant tome on mass transit).  So when I saw a collection of short stories by her set in that universe from Subterranean Press on NetGalley, I thought I should request it to dip my toes back in those waters. This book was so good! Full of tidbits and snapshots, these stories might resonate more if I had already read the original trilogy but I found them satisfying and delightful. This a testament to Fonda Lee that these stories are so enjoyable even without the context of the larger narrative. 


I loved this book and I vow to prioritize reading the rest of Green Bone Saga this year. Thanks for the eARC in exchange for this honest review.

Monday, January 1, 2024

Mislaid In Parts Half Known by Seanan McGuire Audiobook


This is a fantastic Wayward Children audiobook!!


I love Seanan McGuire’s writing. (Note: I review a bunch of her books so I am copying part of some of my other reviews here to save time.). She has quickly become my favorite living writer and I feel very lucky that she is so prolific. I was first introduced to her work when her book Parasite, written as Mira Grant, was nominated for a Hugo Award. I loved it and quickly devoured the Newsflesh series before I realized that Mira Grant and Seanan McGuire were the same person. 


I started reading her works under her own name, starting with Sparrow Hill Road, which is amazing, but I picked it because I was intimidated by her long running October Daye series. I had read some Urban Fantasy before, and I fondly remember Mercedes Lackey’s Diana Tregarde books, but my tastes run more to science fiction and then secondary world fantasy, so I was hesitant to dive into such a long series. I picked up the first book, Rosemary and Rue, when it was on sale as a kindle daily deal, and I found it somewhat disappointing compared to her other work. I reminded myself that it was her first published novel, so I cut it some slack. Then Incryptid was nominated for the Best Series Hugo in 2018 and I dove into that instead. I loved it! So I vowed to give Toby another chance. And I was so glad that I did! It is no one of my favorite series. 


I was already a big fan of Ms. McGuire’s when the first wayward children book, Every Heart a Doorway, came out, and I loved it! As a kid who grew up loving the Oz series and resenting the Christian imagery in Narnia, it was right up my alley. It is a wonderful book and this is an excellent series, definitely deserving of its Best Series Hugo win.  In this series, the odd numbered books are the main timeline, and the even numbered books tell stories outside the main timeline - sometimes introducing us to new characters when they travel through their Doors, and other times showing up backstory of preexisting characters. 


I was overjoyed when the publisher and NetGalley awarded me an eARC of the audiobook of Mislaid In Parts Half Known. I have been hoping for eARCs of the wayward children books every year and this year I was finally lucky enough to get one!


This story starts with Antsy, who was introduced in the last volume, and follows her story at the school. The adventure (that’s not a spoiler, is it? Surely not) ropes in perennial favorites Sumi, Kade, Christopher, and Cora. There is a decent amount of world hopping in this book, and my only complaint is that it was too short! I know this is a series of novellas, but this volume, like several of the previous ones, feels so restricted by its length. I feel like this story could have easily been told in a 300-500 page novel and then we would’ve gotten more insights into the characters’ feelings and motivations. 


But that is a minor, minor quibble. This was another amazing entry in this series and I cannot wait to devour the next one!


I read this book originally back in July when I got an eARC, and I just listened to the audio book version and it was excellent. The narrator did an excellent job with all of the characters’ voices and I really enjoyed it.