Matt
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is a funny cozy mystery following the title character's amateur investigation of a murder in her tea shop. Vera is funny, charming, and such a strong protagonist. The other characters in the book are wonderful too. I enjoyed the plot, although I did guess who the culprit was. Ultimately this mystery is very enjoyable!
I was lucky to get to read this book early because Nightfire sent me an ARC! Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi (Gothic, Beneath a Pale Sky, etc.) is a thrilling novel of coming-of-age amidst demonic possession. This Lord of the Flies meets The Exorcist story is set in St. Vincent's Orphanage, nestled in a 19th century Pennsylvania valley. Filled with daily human horrors, which truthfully may very well surpass the diabolical, as well as the infernal, Fracassi takes the reader on a rapidly-paced journey through the choices that shape the human soul. Through the powerful motif of fathers and sons, protagonist Peter must struggle against the chaos to find the light. It is worth noting this book contains very few women, both of whom are fairly minor characters, which might leave some readers disappointed. Yet, Boys in the Valley features a captivating plot, truly disturbing imagery, and generally strong character development on its mostly male cast of priests and orphans. Toward the end there were a couple details that didn't totally add up to me, but overall I found this to be a really compelling book. I have read Fracassi's short story collections and found his novel length work to be just as good, if not even better. An excellent book for fans of King, Cutter, and the like. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Dade County Death Cruise is a fantastic sequel to Alexander C Kane's Orlando People. Gretch is back, now as an agent of the newly created DEC, and the story continues. This book largely takes the form of a locked room mystery and, while maybe not as strong as the first book, is very enjoyable. Great characters, humor, action, and narration.
On the Slayed Page by Jasmine Webb is the third book in the Poppy Perkins mysteries series. This is another fun cozy mystery following up-and-coming author Poppy Perkins solve crimes in San Francisco. If you liked the last two books you'll probably like this one too. Sometimes Webb writes monologues for her characters, which sort of stick out and almost sound a bit preach-y in my opinion...but then again a similar criticism could be made about The Thursday Murder Club, and any author being compared to Richard Osman is in excellent company. There is a fourth book slated for release soon, and I'm really looking forward to it!
The Donut Legion is a fun Lansdale thriller. Set in East Texas, this book has everything! After a vision of his ex-wife (a ghost?) and finding her missing, Charlie sets out to find out what happened. The resulting journey involved donut shops opened by the local UFO cult, an alphabet of sexual acts, a very good lawyer, and a chimpanzee (not a monkey). Overall, this book was a lot of fun. I had previously read Moon Lake, and generally found this one to be a bit lighter and comic, while still being exciting. The audiobook is read by a cast including both the author and his daughter. It was enjoyable listening to Joe R. Lansdale read his own story, although the audio quality was not up to the level I'm accustomed to. Some of the dialogue strained believably and almost sounded like a comedic bit in a sitcom rather than a crime fiction novel, but I nevertheless found the listening experience enjoyable.
Tell me I'm Worthless by Allison Rumfitt is a dark haunted house story about a country plagued by transphobia and fear. Through a combination of allusion to horror classics, realistic narrative, and relentless prose Rumfitt weaves the story of Alice and Ila and a house haunted by hate. It's very dark and sometimes lacks subtly, but perhaps Rumfitt's point is that this is also reality.
Booked for Murder is a fun whodunnit. Set in San Francisco, aspiring author and donut shop employee Poppy Perkins is blamed for a murder she didn't commit. With the help of an independent investigator, will she be able to track down the real culprit? The book is delightfully witty and pokes fun at San Francisco tech culture. I enjoyed Khristine Hvam's narration immensely. I did think the trajectory of the plot left something to be desired, but overall I had a great time listening to this one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
THE ORACLE YEAR is a captivating debut novel from comic author and attorney Charles Soule. The premise is fascinating: Will Dando awakes from a dream in which voices of unknown origin have revealed 108 things yet to be...and he soon discovers that each of these predictions will come true. In many ways The Oracle Year explores significant themes such as faith, choice, and the ways in which we are all connected. Although the book seemed, at times, to be a bit critical of organized religion, Soule nevertheless poses deep questions of spiritual and philosophical import for the reader to ponder about free will, destiny, belief, and the influence of forces beyond our understanding...perhaps revealing this book to have greater depth than expected from a freshman effort in the soft SFF category. Of course, it is only truly a debut in the sense that it is Soule's first time writing in this format, as he is an established comic book author. Soule's plotting and prose were generally very strong throughout, though I did like the first half better than the second. There were occasional moments and scenes that lacked the ring of truth or shine of polish, and some characters that seemed a bit under or unevenly developed...but none of this significantly diminished my interest in the narrative or overall enjoyment. Simply put, the blurb on the cover is correct: this book is a page turner, and I don't think anyone would regret reading it. I especially recommend The Oracle Year to fans of Chuck Wendig, Scott Meyer, etc.
Wrath is a terrifying sci-fi horror thriller. Exploring themes of genetic engineering, biological uplift, and community. Wrath is perfect for fans of Jurassic Park, M3GAN, Nick Cutter, etc. not for the squeamish, some of the most potent horror in this book is gross body horror involving rats. The narration was occasionally a bit over-the-top, but generally good. The plot was slow to start, but once it got going, it was fantastic!
I received an eARC of this book from one of the contributors for review. All opinions are my own. Collage Macabre by the Future Dead Collective is an art themed horror anthology. As a theatre artist and filmmaker I was immediately intrigued by concept and enjoyed this title immensely. Gemma Amor wrote a great introduction which sets the stage for the reader. Each story begins with a chilling illustration and explores characters intersecting with various art forms in many horrific ways. While some tropes seemed a bit repetitive or tired, others were novel and unique. Overall the stories ranged from “ok” to “excellent” with Lady Widow by Julie Sevens, Lack by TJ Price, Chiaro Obscuro by Alex Wolfgang, Station 42 by Erik McHatton, Twigs by Andrew F. Sullivan, How to Make it in Hollywood by Rachel Searcey, and Take it From the Top by Timothy Lanz being some of my favorites. Really, there were no bad stories in the bunch, making this a truly excellent anthology. I think it will appeal to artists of all sorts as well as general horror fans as well. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Biography of X by Catherine Lacey is a fictional biography of a fictional woman who's life was so many fictions, but perhaps therein lies the truth. Set in an alternative version of the past, but maybe offering a chilling speculation about our present and future, the narrator sets out to write a biography of her late wife, the artist/writer known as X. Against the dystopian backdrop of a recently reunified US, the author goes on a quest citing numerous interviews and sources to unravel the complex and convoluted string of identities X had played throughout her life in an attempt to document her life...calling into question how well she had truly known her and even the nature of knowing another, and maybe even the self. This is a very literary book, much more so than my usual reading. I picked it up because of the dystopian elements found in the Southern Territories and Former Southern Territories, which reminded me of Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. These were my favorite parts of the book, even if some aspects of the execution did seem a bit heavy-handed. Otherwise I found the cast of characters and numerous complicated ideas throughout the text to be a bit confusing, though Lacey generally did a good job of grounding the abstract in the human.
The Yanthus Prime Job is a Pepper Melange novella, and part of Robert Kroese's Starship Grifters series. I did not know this book connected to any of Korese's other books, and am now eager to check them out. I had previously read the author's books The Big Sheep and The Last Iota, which I loved, and had high expectations for this story. For the most part, it delivered. I think readers of John Scalzi, particularly fans of Fuzzy Nation (his adaptation of H. Beam Piper's Little Fuzzy), will find a lot to love in this heist story. Pepper Melange is a loveable protagonist. The book definitely has a pulpy feel, sometimes in both good and not so good ways, and if I'm going to be totally honest I didn't feel like there was anything terribly original here. With that said it was an enjoyable and short romp that's a fun listen for genre fans. The audiobook narration is serviceable. J.D. Ledford did a great job with the protagonist and some of the supporting roles, but made bold choices with others that sounded annoying in this listener's opinion.
Another fantastic Expeditionary Force book. If you thought things were going to calm down for the Merry Band of Pirates after the big reveal in the previous book, well...who am I kidding, nobody thought that! Filled with complications and some appearances by different alien species, I'm super excited to see where Alanson is taking the series.
A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel is an awesome sci-fi alternative history exploring first contact and the space race. Cloning aliens have walked among us for thousands of years with the singular mission: “take them to the stars.” Mothers and daughters working to advance the cause of human space exploration in tension with evading the cruelty of their mysterious adversaries and longing to live in the world they're trying to save. The book is loaded with real history and the author's afterward at the end of the audiobook does a great job highlighting the real inspirations of the plot. I really enjoyed Neuvel's Themis trilogy and I loved this book too. Probably will listen to the sequel soon.
Network Effect by Martha Wells is another excellent installment in the Murderbot Diaries. This novel is the longest volume in the series and may also have some of the highest stakes so far. I loved seeing Murderbot team up with old and new characters and throughly enjoyed this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5/12/23
Still love this book! I will say that there was a definite place in the story where I thought “oh, this would be the end of this were a novella,” but I'm glad there was more!
Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells is another great Murderbot Diaries book! This book was published after but set before the Murderbot novel, Network Effect, and is seemingly a self-contained story. Murderbot works with Preservation Station security to investigate a murder (you can imagine how thrilled it is with that arrangement). This novella has all the elements readers have come to know and love in the previous volumes, Murderbot's snark and wit, some action, etc. In some ways I found this book to be a bit less exciting than some of the previous five, especially Network Effect. Something about the plot just didn't feel as high stakes and exciting as the last. It might be the first book I didn't enjoy more than the previous, which is kind of lame, but since we're talking about Murderbot books it was still really good. Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
5/5/2023 Update
After re-listening I disagree with my earlier assessment that the plot didn't feel high stakes. It's a great book and I really enjoyed it.
Good story in the Murderbot Diaries. It's an excellent stepping stone from Exit Strategy to Fugitive Telemetry, but at the same time it's hard not to feel that it's unnecessary for readers of the sixth novella. It's an interesting change for Wells to write from the prospective of a character other than Murderbot, but I might have enjoyed reading a voice even more distinct from SecUnit's. Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Exit Strategy by Martha Wells is the thrilling fourth book in the Murderbot Diaries series. I feel like each book has been better than the last. Wells has written another very exciting story, possibly some of the best action so far, while also revealing so much humanity in both the humans and Murderbot. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5/3/2023 Update
I re-listened to this along with the prior three novellas. I love it! This book continues the story of Murderbot and its relationship with Dr. Mensah and the Preservation crew. This one has some high stakes and great action, but didn't include any awesome new loveable characters like A.R.T. and Miki.
A Mirror Mended by Alix E Harrow is a great follow-up to A Spindle Splintered. Continuing the fairytale retelling, this time using Snow White, Zinnia Gray once again traverses between worlds and discovers what it means to have agency and accept your own story. I really enjoyed this book. I don't know if Harrow plans to write more of these, but I found A Mirror Mended to pack a lot into a very short page count. As in Spindle, there were parts I might have enjoyed having more of, but overall this one is a winner! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
“Well Harold...they're lesbians”
A SPINDLE SPLINTERED is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty by Alix E. Harrow, author of The Once and Future Witches and other books I've yet to read. I really enjoyed this fresh take on Sleeping Beauty and it's critically creative take on fairy tales, heroines, and mortality. I loved the protagonist's voice and Harrow's overall writing style. There were a few parts I wanted more of and certain characters I wanted to play a larger role in the story. But, I'm looking forward to checking out the sequel, A Mirror Mended, soon. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Earthside by Dennis E Taylor is a great follow-up to Outland. The second book in the Quantum Earth series, what I suspect will be at least a trilogy, this novel adds great character and plot development even if it does sometimes seem a bit repetitive. Overall I think this book will be enjoyable to fans of the first book, but absolutely does not stand alone.
Outland by Dennis E Taylor and read by Ray Porter is another excellent sci-fi adventure from Taylor. Exploring concepts of geology, the multiverse, and portals, this book does a great job creating a compelling narrative and love-able characters. Many of Taylor's books contain similar themes and premises, younger people out if their element with advanced technology trying to work out how to save the world, and this book is no different. If you enjoyed Bobiverse, Roadkill, etc. you'll probably like this one too. This was a re-listen for me before starting the sequel. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Sometimes, dead is better.”
-Stephen King, Pet Semetary
Linghun by Ai Jiang is a moving and highly creative haunted house story about grief. Ai was kind enough to provide me an eARC to read and review, all opinions are my own. Set in a mysterious town in Canada known as HOME, residents desperately seek to take advantage of the neighborhood's quirk: the tendency for each house to become haunted by the spirit of the departed. Unlike most conventional haunted houses stories where ghosts are entities inspiring fear, in Linghun the ghosts are vehemently desired. Wenqi's family moves in hoping to reconnect with her brother, but what may happen when a life is haunted by grief to the point of never letting go? Fundamentally, Jiang has written a profound novella exploring a deeply meaningful idea through a unique approach to the concept of a haunted house. I loved the way she revealed information throughout the book and found this work, at times, reminiscent of Shirley Jackson, Catriona Ward, and yet completely and utterly unlike anything else I had ever read. Jiang's prose is frequently excellent and incredibly readable. This is a fast read that will linger with you after the final page. With that said, I found the plot to be a little bit disjointed, especially toward the end. I kind of felt like this was a book about ideas, symbols, and characters more than plot...though the story was by no means bad. Still, overall this was a very good read that I would recommend. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫