The Slantwise Histories by Alix Harrow

 

I first heard of Alix Harrow when her short story “A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies” was nominated for a Hugo Award. I read it, and I loved it. When her first novel came out, The Ten Thousand Door of January, I read it right away, and was a little disappointed. The book felt disjointed, and I didn’t care for the protagonist or her struggles very much. I felt like the author didn’t successfully make the leap from short story to novel.  I read Ms. Harrow’s two fractured fairytale Novelas when they were nominated for the Hugos and I enjoyed them, although they felt a bit glib (I think I’m part because I’m getting a little tired of the hard-drinking, Devil-May-care protagonist trope). 

Starling House, however, was a massive leveling up - one of the absolute best books I read the year it came out. I loved it so much!!! And The Everlasting was also a stunner. It really cemented Alix Harrow as a major talent and a must-read author for me. 

So of course I was excited when the publisher and NetGalley granted me an audio eARC of Slantwise Histories, a collection of short stories by Ms. Harrow in exchange for an honest review. I adored this book. It included the aforementioned A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies”, which I loved, as well as “The Knight and the Butcherbird”, a wonderful post apocalyptic short story about the lies we tell ourselves and the choices we make to survive. It was wonderfully engrossing, as were most of the works in this book. The final story in particular was achingly good. What a treat! 

God's Junk Drawer by Peter Clines

I often check out new books by authors I have never read before based on Seanan McGuire’s recommendations on social media. She posted that she loved this book and wished she had written it, so I requested an eARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

After reading it, I too wished she had written it, because I didn’t love the way Peter Clines handled this story. It is, in effect, a grown-up version of Land of the Lost - it is supposed to be a realistic take on what would’ve happened if some people went on a rafting trip and ended up in a world with dinosaurs. 

This book had a lot of grief in it, which was handled well, for the most part, and it had dinosaurs and a fun robot.  But it also split its focus between too many characters, many of whom were just sketches with little to no depth. The solution to the final mystery was disappointing. This book was fine but not the tour de force I was led to believe it would be. 

Ignore All Previous Instructions by Ada Hoffman Audiobook

Tachyon has become one of the publishers I seek out work by - they have a really good track record of publishing books I enjoy. Now, I hadn’t heard of the author Ada Hoffman before, but I was perusing Tachyon’s offerings on NetGalley and I was intrigued by this book. I’m a sucker for a story set on a Jovian moon so I requested a copy of the audiobook  in exchange for an honest review. Boy was I glad I did! This book was wonderful and powerful and sad and kind in so many ways! The protagonist is a neurodivergent woman who works as a script supervisor for an AI generated tv show and she gets caught up in her ex’s heist hijinks when he comes back into her life.  There is humor and love and pathos and sadness and I just could not put this book down. I am so glad I read it and I know you will be too. The narrator did a great job. I listened to this at 2x speed. 

The Henchperson's Guide to Unionizing by Marshall J. Moore

Hench is such a delightful word. I enjoy superhero stories, and sidekicks and henchmen are often my favorites. I have always loved Robin and Batgirl more than Batman, and I think giving Joker the henchwoman Harley Quinn in BTAS was one of the best additions to canon that came out of that wonderful show. I adored the book Hench, and so I was instantly drawn to The Henchperson's Guide to Unionizing by Marshall J. Moore based on the title alone, and I was very appreciative when I got an eARC from NetGalley and the publisher. 

This book was delightful! All of the classic monster archetypes are here with their henchpeople - a mad scientist’s Igor, a witch’s familiar, and a vampire’s spawn - and all of them, like Harley Quinn, go on a journey of discovery as they learn to stand on their own feet in spite of the domineering and degrading treatment they receive. I predicted the twist with the graveyard attendant and was so happy when I was right! This book was fun from beginning to end. 

Children of Strife by Adrian Tchaikovsky

I have said in the past that I used to think I didn’t like Adrian Tchaikovsky’s books. I mean, I was told that I SHOULD like them since I’m a big fan of Peter F. Hamilton’s space opera doorstoppers. But when I tried to read one of his books a few years ago I rage-quit it like 12% of the way through. (I don’t remember exactly why now. Maybe I should try it again?)

But then when his novella Elder Race was nominated for a Hugo, I read it and enjoyed it. I also read Ogres when it was nominated, and it wasn’t half bad. I enjoyed Service Model when the publisher and NetGalley gave me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. My main complaints were too many pop culture references and some incoherent worldbuilding. His other big novel from that year, Alien Clay, really didn’t do much for me. I hated the protagonist and felt it was dreary. 

So I was optimistic when I got a copy of Children of Strife from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. It is as far a you can get from being a standalone - it is his fourth book in his series about uplifted spiders and cephalopods in the distant future living in harmony with the last dregs of humanity. I really enjoyed the first book in the series.  I can remember being genuinely surprised at the way the first book ended and how humanity ended up surviving. The second and third books were enjoyable, but not nearly as engrossing.  The more remnants of humanity that are found amongst the stars, the more unlikely the entire story seems to feel. 

I liked this book better than book 3, but not nearly as much as book 1. 

Legends & Lattes: The Graphic Novel by Travis Baldree

I first heard about Travis Baldree’s Legends and Lattes from Seanan McGuire’s Twitter account. She often would talk about upcoming books that she loved, and she described it in such a way that I was very much looking forward to reading it. 

It didn’t disappoint- it was a very nice, sweet, cozy story, and I really enjoyed it. It might have bordered on being too twee, and the inventions of cinnamon rolls and other coffee shop staples felt a tad too convenient at times, but that didn’t detract from the joys of the book. 

So I was overjoyed when the publisher and NetGalley gave me an eARC of the graphic novel version of the same story. It had everything that made me love the original book all gussied up with delightful artwork. Couldn’t recommend more!

A Wall is Also a Road by Annalee Newitz

Annalee Newitz is a favorite author of mine - I have enjoyed both their fiction and nonfiction in the past, going back to their io9 days, and I also enjoyed their podcast with Charlie Jane Anders. 

I thought they did a masterful job creating the robot protagonist Paladin in their debut novel Autonomous, and I adored Automatic Noodle, although I didn’t enjoy Terraformers nearly as much. I figured that maybe I just prefer their robot stories. 

So I was intrigued when I received a copy of their new book A Wall Is Also A Road from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not disappointed - instead I was bowled away. 

I hadn’t read any blurbs or other reviews before I started reading this book so I was surprised and delighted when I found out when and where it was taking place. The protagonist is a unicellular graduate student in a far part of the galaxy.  As part of their field research, they end up SPOILER ALERT in Pompeii a few years before Vesuvius erupts. It is clear that the author used a great deal of the research they did for their ancient cities non-fiction book in crafting a vibrant, lived in Pompeii. 

This is not one of those books about having to outrace lava flows or stop the eruption. This is a book about growing up and growing into yourself and learning about who you are when you learn about the world.  I savored every moment of it and will put it on my Hugo ballot next year for sure.