Matt
A great book that will likely appeal to fans of Rob Ware and Cory Doctorow. Chilling and funny, an examination of how human innovation may imperil humanity. The story of a world dominated by monopolies, algorithms, and consumption. Add in social credit and AI, and you've got the real world...erm, Qualityland. Following a machine scrapper, a presidential candidate, and others, Qualityland tells a tale of conflict between individuals and systems, as one man seeks to overcome the identity imposed upon him by corporate systems. A satirical look at the influences big tech and e-commerce have on the world today. At times Qualityland prioritizes its ideas over the plot, but it is nevertheless potent and amusing.
The Wishing Game is a delightfully cozy story about a contest to win the only copy of a book by a mega-popular children's author. A handful of contestants are invited to the author's private island to compete for the prize. Will one of them win? Read the book and find out. With themes of family, forgiveness, seeing others complexly, courage, and hope this whimsical novel is a delight for the young at heart. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence is an absolutely incredible story of antihero Prince Jorg as he seeks to take his rightful place and exact revenge on his enemies. I almost DNF'd this book in chapter one because of a horribly wicked and distasteful thing the protagonist did - almost the first thing we see Jorg do. But as the novel progresses the reader learns more about the teenage prince and how he got the way he is. I don't condone all, or most, of the prince's choices, but Mark Lawrence has done a remarkable job of writing a character that is both compelling and horrible at the same time. Understanding Jorg's history and trauma humanizes him, and I found myself rooting for the brothers despite them being terrible human beings. In many ways this is a coming-of-age story, and Jorg's journey is really something to behold. If you enjoyed the various shades of gray characters found in A Song of Ice and Fire, the phrase “game of thrones” is even used in the book, you might find this series likable too. There's also some really compelling world building, including an unexpected twist about the setting. I don't want to spoil anything, but I was pleasantly surprised to find this story loosely akin to two other books I've read recently: A Canticle for Leibowitz and Anathem. Lawrence does a great job revealing information and blending elements together. While I was occasionally confused about the rules of this world, overall I throughly enjoyed this book and plan to move directly on to King of Thorns. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to IDW and NetGalley for the eARC. EARTHDIVERS VOL 2 is the second story arc for Stephen Graham Jones' speculative comic series. Following Tawny's journey to the ice age, I found this storyline a lot more enigmatic than the prior volume. Readers of SGJ likely know his prose is often as difficult as it is elegant, but I found the transition from volume 1 to 2 very confusing. I was initially unsure what was going on and it connected to earlier issues, despite having read volume one pretty recently. Overall I struggled to connect with Tawny and her plot line, and found this arc less compelling than the first. The art is beautiful and I think it's worth reading for fans of the series, but it felt like a step down to me.
Great horror comic about what might happen if, in an apocalyptic near future, a group of Indigenous folks tried to go back in time and stop the creation of America to save not only their civilizations, but the world from environmental destruction. While this concept will no doubt offend some patriots, I think it's good food for thought about the complex history and mixed impacts of the US in both North America and the globe. In typical Stephen Graham Jones fashion, sometimes the story is a little hard to follow, but it's wildly creative and beautifully drawn and colored. I highly recommend and look forward to the next story arc.
#convergence by Craig Alanson is the beginning of Alanson #urbanfantasy series following Kaz Wolfe, wizard. Wolfe, an inept and untrained wizard, is a fugitive trying to evade both the authorities and shadowy enemies. Weird stuff gets weirder, and in typical Alanson fashion the hero has to find a way to save the world. Fans of Alanson's Expeditionary Force may find a lot of familiar elements here, and even at least one direct Easter Egg. It's hard for me not say it's a little formulaic, but it was also extremely entertaining and I plan to listen to Dragonslayer. R.C. Bray does an amazing job, as always. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫#bookstagram #bookreview
Failure Mode by Craig Alanson is book 15 of Expeditionary Force. Although there is (at least) one more ExForce book forthcoming, book 15 was originally billed as the end of the series. I've loved this comedic military sci-fi saga, and Failure Mode was no exception. I feel the need to clarify that neither this book nor this series are particularly well-written. No offense to Mr. Alanson, but these books are often repetitive and would benefit from some good editing. Failure Mode, and some of the prior books, have relied on deus ex machina to overcome obstacles. Failure Mode featured some scenes should of been emotionally moving, but just didn't totally stick the landing for me. With that said, what Alanson has done delightfully well throughout the series is write fantastically funny dialogue and vignettes, as well as flesh out a really compelling sci-fi world and develop some really loveable characters. I enjoyed getting to spend more time with Joe and Skippy, and see a fantastic climax for the series come to fulfillment. I'm also glad this isn't really the end. Criticism not withstanding, Alanson knows how to write FUN fiction, and I'll read anything he publishes. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
The author kindly provided me an ARC to review. Becoming the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar, sequel to 2021's Chasing the Boogeyman, is an excellent meta-fiction horror follow-up. Again taking the format of a true crime novel, this book blends elements of Chizmar's real life with a thrilling narrative following the author-as-character's life years after the events of the first book. The Boogeyman might have been caught in the prior installment, but when similar murders start up again Richard Chizmar finds himself asking who and how once again. If you enjoyed the first book I think you'll find a lot to love in this one too. In the author's note, Chizmar acknowledges that he originally intended for Chasing the Boogeyman to stand alone, and honestly my feelings about this sequel are similar to my thoughts on Stephen Graham Jones' Don't Fear the Reaper: we don't really need it, but I'm glad we have it. In both instances we get to see the protagonist years after the initial story, and they basically do more of the same things but with a different prospective. Becoming the Boogeyman has loads of creepy and tense moments, it made me Google what a window well was (iykyk), and I certainly didn't see many events of the plot coming. Chizmar got even more ambitious in weaving this story together across multiple formats or “sources”, and I think he was largely successful. I had a lot of fun reading this one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
I am grateful to have received an eARC of this title to review from @netgalley. A HAUNTING ON THE HILL by Elizabeth Hand is a spooky return to the world of Shirley Jackson's THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE. Hand's novel is nothing short of a triumph, creating a book for 2023 readers that propels many of the themes and ideas in Jackson's timeless original into the present century. The motif of theatre is woven into much of the narrative, with the idea that actors may be possessed by their characters a central concept of the novel. Yet, what if the character doing the possessing is no divine muse but rather Jackson's absolute reality under which no organism can remain sane? When Holly, Nisa, Stevie, and Amanda arrive at Hill House to rehearse Holly's new play, this is the question they will unwittingly explore. In many ways this book takes ideas and pieces of the original and twists or refreshes them for both fans of Jackson and new readers alike. Where Jackson wrote of spiritualism, Hand writes of Wicca and neopaganism. Hand allows a sapphic romance to live, breathe, and struggle on the page: combining both the subtle hints of a queer relationship between Eleanor and Theodora and the dysfunctional relationship of Eleanor and her sister. The theme of a demented place, a house that feeds upon its inhabitants and pulls at the strings binding their relationships and very sanity to the point of unraveling floats to the surface in Hand's books just as it did in Jackson's. In a major stylistic departure from Jackson, Hand has ramped up the scares, and presents a book that will please modern horror readers who might find Jackson too much of a slow-burn. Although a case could be made that every character in the book is unlikable, I somehow still enjoyed getting to spend time with each one. Some questions were left unanswered, but perhaps some mysteries in Hill House are best left to walk alone. Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
“Knowing and accepting the truth are two different things, and they're getting closer all the time.” Singing All the Way Up by Stephanie Sanders-Jacob is a genre-defying novel of science fiction, horror, and coming-of-age. Young protagonist Laura was abducted by aliens, singing all the way up the tractor beam...or was she? She recalls nothing of The Incident, but that doesn't stop her parents, folks at UFO conventions, and others from believing. In many ways this short book is about relationships, disclosure of truth, and the complex multifaceted and mysterious nature of reality that can make both survivors and monsters of us all. Written in a fast-paced highly compelling plot - interspersed with stories of real alien abductions, UFO sighting, and Cryptid encounters - I found this book extremely readable and enjoyable. Toward the end my empathy for Laura began to diminish, but I think the author poses some interesting ethical questions for the reader and gives us a lot to think about. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Silver Nitrate might be my favorite book by Silvia Moreno-Garcia yet! Combining film, the occult, history, cursed media, and even a will-it-or-won't-it friends-to-lovers arc, Silver Nitrate has a lot going on, and it's all awesome. Monserrat, a México City audio editor, and her best friend actor Tristan find themselves increasingly sucked in to a world of magic. Yet an old silver nitrate film may end up being more than they bargained for. This book combines elements of cursed media horror with a lot of fascinating information and presents a pair of compelling protagonists. While a few elements of the story didn't feel 100% paid off in this first read, I nevertheless enjoyed the book enough to call it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is How You Lose the Time War is a beautiful sci-fi dystopian sapphic love story. Epistles blooming between bits of narrative; Red and Blue, somewhat reminiscent of the time travelers in Umbrella Academy, travel up and down the threads of time to bring the future of their allegiance to fruition. Yet what they truly find is something totally unexpected. It's really a delightful story composed in majestic prose. If I have a critique, it is that the way information was revealed made some elements of the world building feel a bit vague or undefined, but this does not significantly detract from the book.
Murder in Bermuda is a fun episodic series of legal thrillers. Following American lawyer Beth Heller on the island of Bermuda as she becomes increasingly entangled in a series of mysteries and legal cases with far-reaching consequences. More of an audio drama and less of a traditional book, Murder in Bermuda is well-written and superbly performed.
Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar is one of the best books I've read this year. Composed in moving yet highly readable prose, this novel combines fact and imagination from the author's life to form a fictional “true” crime book following a serial killer. Unlike many real true crime books, a genre I have dabbled in but do not count among my favorites, the reader does not know who the criminal is from the outset. This allows Chizmar's masterful narrative to combine elements of mystery along with the journalistic and procedural thriller to weave his tale as the reader, along with Chizmar, seeks to discover the responsible party behind the Edgewood murders. Chizmar's inclusion of photos following each chapter really helped to sell the true crime book genre and really enhanced the reading experience. Although the audiobook narrator did a great job, I'd highly recommend checking out Audible's included PDF or getting a print/ebook copy to check out the pictures. In addition to being a suspenseful and creepy story, where Chasing the Boogeyman really shines is in making sections of the book feel so warm, personal, and nostalgic. By using elements of his own lived experience in the book, author Chizmar has endowed the character Chizmar and his setting with both verisimilitude and personality that draws the reader in and tugs at the heart. Few authors, Chizmar's sometimes collaborator Stephen King among them, manage to write dark fiction that is both scary and heartwarming. This is one area where Richard Chizmar has truly succeeded in Chasing the Boogeyman. Although the story is not historical, it nevertheless felt true, and the character of Richard Chizmar felt relatable. Part “true” crime armature detective thriller, part new adult, part book about books, and part love letter to small towns...Chasing the Boogeyman is not to be missed. I've already pre-ordered Becoming the Boogeyman, and can't wait to read it!
Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone is a fun satirical Aussie murder mystery. Perfect for fans of the genre, particularly those who delight in the works of the Golden Age. This story is told from the prospective of Ernest Cunningham, an author of how-to guides for mystery writers (despite not having written a mystery himself), begrudgingly attending a family reunion in the mountains. As you can imagine...a body appears and the locked room mystery commences. What distinguishes this novel from the many others like it is how self-referential and meta it is throughout. Ern constantly refers to Knox's rules, mystery classics, and even earlier and future passages in the book to continually remind the reader that they are, in fact, reading a mystery. While I can see how some readers might get annoyed by the frequent winks, nudges, and explanations; I marveled at the author's command of the style and form to be able to deconstruct it in a subversion of the normal mystery style, without sacrificing too much suspense. With that said, the middle dragged a bit and the plot got a little confusing in my opinion. Overall, I enjoyed this one and would likely listen to other books from this author, though I don't think it quite reached the standard of the golden age mysteries it frequently alludes to.
Dead Eleven is Jimmy Juliano's debut novel. Constructed as a “book within a book” the manuscript's fictional author, Harper, recounts his investigation into his sister's disappearance on Door County's Clifford Island. Using a variety of different formats (audio transcripts, letters, third person narrative, direct address to the reader, etc.) and told from the prospective several different narrators, Dead Eleven is an oral history of the natural and supernatural horrors on Clifford. The best way I can think to describe this book is Stephen King's IT meets Thomas Olde Heuvelt's HEX with a weird 90s setting. Although it would be fair to say this book stands firmly on the shoulders of its antecedents, perhaps even to the point of being derivative of King, this was such a page turner! I absolutely loved this book and was fully invested in the plot and characters. The use of different formats to create the oral history style of the novel infused the book with variety and flexibility, and just made the book feel a little more original and pulled the reader from chapter to chapter to the climax. I would have never guessed this was a debut novel until the final few chapters (some of which seemed a bit over-written, laying out information that had previously been revealed to the reader, etc.) but nevertheless I found the beginning, middle, and end highly compelling (even if the end was slightly less so). To be fair, though this was Juliano's first published novel, he is an established writer in short fiction, that his literary skill was evident throughout. This was no “MFA thesis book” (I mean that as a compliment), and it's no surprise Dead Eleven is in development for adaptation with A&E. I highly recommend Dead Eleven to horror fans, and I know I'll want to check out the on-screen version if it ultimately gets made.