Jessica Strider

Pros: brilliant premise, real consequences for actions, realistic viewpoints for the 3 cultures, thought provoking

Cons: Elana's a bit irritating

Elana is in training to become a member of the Federation's Anthropological Service when her spaceship is diverted to Andrecia for a crisis. Her father, the most senior member of the service on board is ordered to deal with the situation along with her intended and another member of the service. After sneaking onto the landing shuttle, Elana becomes a central part of their plan when disaster hits.

Jarel is an apprentice medical officer in the Imperial Exploration Corps, helping with the clearing of land for a new base before the take over of Andrecia and the removal of its native population to a reservation. But he wonders if the natives whom they have captured are human, like him, rather than subhuman as he's been taught.

Georyn is a native of Andrecia. While on the way to ask the king for permission to attack the dragon that's been ravaging a nearby forest, he and his brothers pass the Enchanted forest and meet an Enchantress. She warns them that defeating the dragon will be dangerous and advises them to return if they need her help. Georyn and one brother do return to her and learn magic that will help them free their world from danger.

This is a fantastic story about how point of view differs depending on culture and technological (and other) advancements. It's based on the premise that sufficiently advanced technology appears like magic to those of less advanced societies.

This is also a coming of age story for the three protagonists, though more time is spent from Elana's point of view, as her technology is the highest level, and so her viewpoint is the most expansive.

I found Elana a little irritating at the beginning, as she's still in training and therefore doesn't understand what's really going on on the planet, thinking of their stop as an adventure. She's faced with a number of humbling experiences that cause her to question the service's methods and realize that primitive technological ability does not equal a lack of intelligence. She faces real consequences for the knowledge she gains.

Jarel's point of view is difficult, or rather, uncomfortable to read. As a colonizer, even one who questions what they're doing to the natives, he still believes in the natural inferiority and inherent inhumanity of those whose technology isn't equal to theirs. Though he foreshadow the ending in ways that don't quite feel natural given his position and narrative, the author does specifically point out these moments, showing she was aware of this and making a point with them.

I loved Georyn's point of view. Seeing magic in Elana's actions and performing quests like those from fairy tales, was really cool. I loved that he often figured out what was happening with regards to his training on his own and that he'd manufacture explanations for Elana's actions that fit with his beliefs about her and her purpose.

The book on the whole is quite thought provoking. Originally published in 1970 and reprinted in 2001, this is a book that deserves to be more widely read.

Pros: short essays are easy to read, covers a wide variety of topics

Cons: short essays don't go into much detail

This is the second book of essays compiled from Brennan's Patreon. There's an introduction, 52 themed essays and an afterward. The themes from this book encompass weaponry, honor, cosmetics, clothing, wedding customs, literacy, time keeping, religious practices, superstitions, and some general worldbuilding tips.

I loved that there were a variety of topics, broken down into more specific essays. Each essay is only a few pages long so you can easy read one in a few minutes. Brennan gives several examples per essay showing how cultures differ, so as to get the reader thinking of applications beyond the common. The downside here is each essay is very basic and is more of a way to get you thinking about applications than showing you how to apply each aspect to your own world.

As with the first book, it's a great collection and points out a lot of worthwhile tidbits for making your fictional worlds feel more lived in.

Pros: great characters, interesting story

Cons:

On the run from her past, Rosalyn Devar took a job with Merchantia, cleaning up ships when missions go bad. Excessive drinking means this next mission is her last chance. But the Brigantine's not the dead, drifting ship the company believes. To survive, she'll have to face her past and a new alien threat.

If you like the claustrophobia of Alien and the mysterious alien element from The Expanse, you'll love this book. My only complaint was that the holidays cut into my reading time so the paranoia had time to wear off between reading sessions. Otherwise, it gets very intense.

The characters were all quirky and interesting. The storytelling tight and focused. I did figure out one aspect of the mystery a lot sooner than the characters. The ending is a rollercoaster ride of emotions.

I really enjoyed it.

Pros: fascinating worldbuilding, thought provoking, interesting characters

Cons: could have used more explanation at times

Seske Kaleigh is fond of breaking the rules, dragging her best friend, Adalla, a beastworker, with her on adventures. Their society has recently moved to a new beast, and Seske wants to see the preparation work she'd normally sleep through. It quickly becomes apparent that there's something wrong with this beast, but class concerns keep her away from Adalla, despite their feelings for each other, and politics keeps things in their society the same, despite the realization that they're killing the beast, and through that act, themselves.

The worldbuilding is unique. The descendants of those who fled Earth centuries ago have learned to live on space faring beasts, twisting the insides into homes and stores, feeding on the creatures living inside it. There's a lot of blood and ichor, so if body horror isn't your thing you may want to pass on this. The closest comparison I can make is with Kameron Hurley's The Stars are Legion, though beyond the setting there's no other horror elements here.

There's a lot of vocabulary and cultural information to learn in the first few chapters but the author does an excellent job of introducing things naturally and at a good pace so you can really begin to understand what's going on in this strange beast-ship. This world was so different and unique that I'd have been ok with an info dump or two (though I am honestly impressed at how well integrated the information was on the whole).

The family relationship organization is fascinating. Because the protagonists are younger, we only see this from their perspective, so there are 3 fathers and 6 mothers who make up a unit, and they are allowed 1 child between them. There are lines of who's allowed to sleep with whom, but the book doesn't go too deep into that. It's such an interesting dynamic and I didn't feel like I fully understood how it worked. There was one scene in particular where I felt like I was missing a crucial piece of information. It was clear that the character just learned something that changed how they viewed their parents, but I was left confused by what was meant by the conversation. A later scene seemed to clarify it a bit, but I feel that a bit more explanation would have been helpful at times.

The story is told through the points of view of two characters. Seske, next in line to rule their people, and Adalla, Seske's best friend from a lower social class. Their friendship and attraction, and Seske's desire to break the rules, gets them both in trouble and they never seem to get out of trouble. I really liked both of them at the start. I started to really dislike Seske as the book went on, as she's fairly self-centered, and I wasn't a fan of how she treated Doka. It quickly becomes clear that she's not the best successor though she fights hard to maintain her position. I liked her again towards the end when she started making better decisions. Adalla's journey was challenging but she remained a hard worker who cared deeply for others. Seeing her pain was unpleasant and I desperately wanted things to turn out good for her in the end.

There were a few times when it seemed like important plot developments were passed over too quickly or left without a full resolution. I was left with questions regarding Sisterkin at the end of the book. Similarly one of Adalla's projects got a major plot beat and then was never mentioned again.

The author touches on class divisions and how people from one class don't really see people from the others as human - like themselves. This goes for the ruling women of the upper class towards men and lower classes, but we see the men, despite recognizing their own discrimination, do this with the lower classes. Even among the working classes, the people section themselves off based on what organs they work with, scorning the others.

The book wraps up the main threads, but a sequel is coming soon that will hopefully deal with the fallout of the major decisions made in this book.

On the whole the book dealt with some heavy ethical issues and took place in a fascinating and unique world. I hope the sequel fleshes the family relationships out more.

NOTE: this review contains spoilers for book 1 of the series.

Pros: interesting concept, explores mental trauma

Cons: some gross descriptions

Picking up immediately where The Murders of Molly Southbourne left off, the molly who survives the fire tries to find out who she is, and how she can live, a copy of the original. The memories and ghosts of Molly Prime and all the doppelgangers the prime killed, bring the surviving molly to the brink of madness. When a new enemy points to more answers about her origins she discovers there may be a better way of surviving.

A lot of time is spent in molly's head, reliving her traumas and trying to overcome what her prime did. This causes her several psychotic breaks, which involve time in a mental hospital. I appreciated that molly realized her condition would probably require anti-psychotic medication for her to manage it properly. Some of the scenes involved may be disturbing to certain readers though.

Whenever I started to get annoyed with how molly was acting the story shifted gears and something new forced her to change. I liked seeing her develop over time, learning as she went and becoming an individual rather than an extension of Molly Prime.

Having said that, this is a horror novella, and there are several scenes of violence and descriptions of bodily fluids.

It touches on more of the mystery surrounding Molly's origins, which was great. It was very interesting meeting another person with the same ‘condition'.

It's a quick, interesting read.

Pros: interesting characters, quick paced, touching romance

Cons: limited worldbuilding

Red and Blue work for opposing sides of a war trying to make sure their particular futures come true. Their battles happen across the varieties of time and parallel universes. Their rivalry intensifies when Blue leaves Red a letter, beginning a correspondence that changes them both.

This is a longer novella, easily read in an afternoon. Which is good as it gets pretty intense towards the end and I'm not sure I could have put it down those last 50 pages.

The two protagonists were written by different authors, giving them distinct voices. The book follows the pattern of showing a scene from Red's point of view, followed by a letter and the actions of a mysterious stranger, then shifts to Blue's point of view and a letter she received. I was impressed by how much the characters changed over the course of the story given the brevity of the text.

With novellas I often feel the story could be fleshed out more, but this felt like the perfect length. The shortness even added to the tension.

The science is very hand-wavy so don't expect the usual time travel rules to apply. The addition of multiple universes made me wonder how they could track the changes meant to bring about their futures, but none of that is explored or explained at all. The story is focused entirely on the two characters.

It's a great, unique story.

Pros: interesting mythology, sympathetic protagonist

Cons:

Yetu is the Historian of the wajinru, sea dwelling descendants of pregnant slave women cast overboard. The memories of the ancestors overwhelm and pain Yetu, so they conceive a plan to leave the memories behind.

The Afterward mentions that the idea behind the wajinru comes from the mythology written by the music group Drexciya (James Stinson and Gerald Donald). Another music group, Clipping (rapper Daveed Diggs and producers William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes) wrote the song “The Deep” (nominated for a Hugo award in 2018) based on that mythology. The narrative of Basha, one of the ancestors whose story is told in this novella, incorporates the war with the two-legs that “The Deep” speaks of.

The mythology of the story is strangely poetic as it takes something horrifying and turns it into something beautiful. And while the story is fairly short, there's a lot to take in. There's a real weight to it, a depth that makes the underwater world feel real and lived in.

The idea of a singular memory keeper reminded me of Lois Lowry's The Giver, but I much preferred the ultimate solution the protagonist comes up with here for how to deal with memories as a population that wishes to forget the past while having it accessible, without having a singular member of the group subsumed by those memories. I appreciated that Yetu had anxiety and this caused the memories to weigh on them even more than on past historians.

It's a sad, touching, and ultimately hopeful story that's definitely worth the read.

Pros: interesting characters, fascinating world, various necromantic magics

Cons: slow pacing at start, hard to keep characters straight

It took me a while to get into this book. I really enjoyed the characters and there's conflict immediately, but there's so much to take in with regards to their history and the setting that it just felt kind of slow. The main plot takes a fair bit to get underway which contributed to the feeling that the pacing was on the slow side, even though there was a lot of action.

The worldbuilding is rather neat, with different houses (each on their own planet) having their own style of necromancy. You really get to see the powers on display towards the end of the book. You only learn as much as you need to in order to understand this story, so there are no info dumps and a lot of unanswered questions regarding the larger universe.

The characters were highly varied and interesting. I did have some trouble keeping the various house members apart so I'm glad there was a list of characters by house at the front of the book. You're introduced to everyone all at once which made it hard for me to remember who was who.

The book is told from Gideon's point of view and she's a cool character. There's a fair bit of profanity and sarcasm. I really enjoyed seeing her develop as the story went on. I'm not entirely sure I believe how quickly she adjusted to a few revelations, but there was some emotional punch to the story.

The mystery of how to obtain Lyctorhood (immortality) was interesting and the story really kept me guessing regarding the murders.

It's a unique book and worth picking up.

Pros: brilliant worldbuilding, interesting magic and mythology, interesting characters

Cons:

Two hundred cycles ago, Omehi refugees landed on the shores of Xidda and fought off the natives to claim a peninsula. They hold it through the force of their army and their Gifted. Tau Solarin is a High Common, nearing manhood and the test that will either let him train for his mandatory military service or force him to become a drudge. Neither future appeals to him, but a series of tragedies leaves him burning for revenge. Suddenly military training is the only future that matters.

The worldbuilding in this book is brilliant. There's a lot of vocabulary to learn in the prologue and first chapter, but by chapter two I knew what everything meant. There is a glossary at the back of the book if you need it though. I'd heard online the book had African influences. After reading it I looked up some of the words and they are from the Xhosa language, though the meanings don't all seem to translate to how they're used in the book.

I loved the intricacies of how everything fit together: the military, the Chosen, the Gifted, the castes. There's history on the peninsula as well as a mostly forgotten history of why they fled their homeland. A lot is left unsaid and I'm hoping some of that history will come up in the sequels. The world felt so real at times that I burned for the injustices felt by the Lessers and the often arbitrary justice the Noble castes could inflict on them.

Magic is sparingly used but I loved learning about it. I also liked that there are different beliefs in magic by the natives and invaders. There are limits to its use, which meant the stakes stayed high during battle. I also enjoyed learning about their underworld, the demons, etc.

The characters were all unique. Tau wasn't the most likeable character. At times I felt sorry for him, at others I wanted to shake some sense into him. I loved some of the supporting cast members - especially the members in his core training group. I was impressed that the author introduced characters slowly, so you could really get to know them before adding more people to the group. It made it easy to remember who everyone was.

There's a light romance. So light at the beginning of the novel that I expected the woman to disappear from the narrative entirely and was very happy that she not only came back in but had her own interests and goals (ie, wasn't just the ‘love interest') and played an important role at the end of the book.

Speaking of women, among the Omehi they are the rulers and Gifted (though have little import outside of those roles) while among the natives women are fully integrated into the military. It was cool to see some different social norms.

The book gets pretty brutal at times and very intense. Towards the end I needed a few breaks even though I wanted to know what would happen next. I'm not a huge fan of grimdark as I find the books can go too far in their attempts to be edgy and shocking, and so was happy there were no rape scenes in this (though there is mention that it does happen in the world).

If you're looking for something different and like grimdark fantasy, give this a go.

Pros: thought-provoking, interesting characters, good social commentary

Cons: lots of adult content

In a future America, the hit reality TV show is Vigilance, where active shooters are sent into unprepared locations to see if the people there have what it takes to survive.

This novella is told through the perspectives of two people. First is John McDean, a marketing man and head of Vigilance's production team. The second is Delyna, a bartender whose patrons are hyped to watch the next episode of their favourite show.

Don't pick this up if you don't want to read the following: mass shootings, excessive swearing, and masturbation. While not as violent and profane as some books (possibly due to its shorter length), there's a lot of adult content here.

What's also here is some actual reasons behind why such a show is popular and what that says about the people who would watch it. Murder as reality TV (or just people being hunted for sport) isn't new in the SF field. But quite often the violence is left unexamined. Yes, there's often a vague hand wave to the fact that it's a form of oppression, but Battle Royale is one of the few stories I can point to (and I've read/seen quite a few of these in long and short form) that actually posits a reason for why such a show is put on in the first place (though Battle Royale had a very different reason for it than Vigilance). Not only does Vigilance make you think about the story and society in general (especially today's gun culture in the US and all of its mass shootings), it works to make the violence in the story - which could otherwise be gratuitous - deeply uncomfortable and horrifying instead of entertaining. These aren't characters in a book fingering their guns. These are your neighbours, your friends, your family members.

Delyna's got some great scenes, especially once the TV show starts. Her story is where the social commentary really shines, in several ways.

It's short enough to read in one sitting, but will stick with you long after.

Pros: wide variety of stories, some excellent artwork, inclusive stories

Cons: often abrupt endings, not hard SF, some artwork I didn't care for

First off, reviews are subjective. Everyone likes different things. This is even more apparent when it comes to artwork. So while some of the stories and some of the artwork didn't appeal to me, that won't be true for everyone. There's quite a variety of both stories and artwork here, and the ones that didn't work for me might turn out to be your favourites.

I was surprised by how many stories had retrofitted cars as spaceships. In fact, don't think too much about the science in most of the stories as they generally don't deal with the practicalities of space (like oxygen, radiation shielding, gravity, food, water, waste). The few that did, stood out, and I really enjoyed them.

There are 21 stories in this collection, and some of them are very short, almost more vignettes than full short stories. Some of them end abruptly, which I didn't like.

The black and white artwork was varied. Some of the stories were gorgeous, some had artwork I couldn't stand.

I loved the inclusive nature of the stories. There was a variety of characters from different racial backgrounds and sexual identities.

On the whole the collection is a good mix. There are some real knockout stories and some I personally didn't care for, but it's worth the read.

“M.S.P.I.P.S.P” by Kay Rossbach
** Louanne Davis navigates the spaceport with her daughter before their flight to Mars to reunite with her wife. - I enjoyed the artwork. Anyone's who's flown will sympathize with Louanne's plight as one thing after another goes wrong.“Lia” by Alexxander Dovelin ** A woman's life work is used to capture experiences of space as viewed by androids. - The artwork seemed a little more realistic in style. I liked the story. It's about finding people who believe in you, as you navigate a world where profit is everything.

“Microwave” by Jay Eaton
** Rowan's on her way to use a warp pod to travel to Seatle, but her uncles are driving her nuts with their talk of safety issues. - Not my favourite art style, but an interesting short story about being prepared to act when things go wrong.“Cabbage Island” by Mulele Jarvis ** Yu's dream is to build a car that can warp through space in the hopes of finding a new planet to live on, as the world gets worse and worse. - I liked the artwork and the story was engaging. Not sure when Hondo had time to bake the cookies, and the ending wasn't to my taste.

“Passing Through” by Jamie Kaye and Sunny
** Two friends chat about what they're up to now. - There were a few panels (the ones in the bar) where I wasn't sure what was going on. I do love the idea of having a personal transporter though, and being able to tour the world/galaxy. I was left wondering how the phone didn't cut out each time the man teleported.

“Last Exit” by Christine Williamson and M. Kennedy
* Mary runs away from home to space and gets caught by the predatory bureaucracy. - I was not a fan of the artwork. I found the small script crowded and hard to read. Changing the engine's not enough to make a car space worthy and she was woefully unprepared for the trip considering she left when she did out of pique rather than need.

“Ignition” by Iris Jay and Skolli Rubedo
* Rhea and Imogen are a salvage team hired by a fascist leader to recover the Discovery shuttle. - I didn't like the artwork for this story and the story left me with a several questions.

“Wayhome” by Evan Dahm
* A family makes a home in a new place, leaving the city behind. But isolation breeds paranoia. - I liked aspects of this story. The artwork was interesting and there's a great paranoia reaction at one point. The ending was strange. “Space to Grow” by N.N. Chan * A young astrobiologist blogging about her first solo assignment is beset by internet trolls. - I liked the artwork. I also appreciated that it depicts a common problem for internet creators. Negative comments can really bring you down, even if you're doing what you love.“Soft Physics” by Blue Delliquanti * People in disparate communities await packets of info, some of which contain the exploits of Phoney and Mandy. - The artwork wasn't quite my style. The story was interesting but didn't have much of a conclusion.

“Brilliant + Handsome” by C.B. Webb
* Two boys build ships to go to Mars, one in a car, the other in a washing machine. - Didn't like the artwork. I had to read the ending twice to understand what happened, but really liked it once I got it.“Failsafe” by Rachel Ordway A pilot tries to commit suicide via black hole. - More of a vignette than a story, it does portray frustrated despair very well.

“I Want to Be Alone” by Seren Krakens
* Fed up with life among slobs, the protagonist takes off alone to find the perfect planet where they can be alone. - I found the artwork very confusing and had a difficult time understanding what was going on.

“Finders Keepers” by Ahueonao
*** Three friends attempt to loot an abandoned luxury space station whose AI killed the previous guests and crew. - Loved the artwork and the story was a lot of fun. “Prodigal Sunset” by Sara Duvall and James F. Wright* A group of teens from various planets try to find a cure for the strange illness they share. - Nice artwork. I was left with a lot of questions.

“Words From the Dead” by Jonathon Dalton
** Two archaeologist study the remains of the long dead Taucetian society. - I appreciated that the author paid some attention to science in this story. The artwork was ok. Loved the story's ending. “Story of a Rescue” by Nathaniel Wilson * Two kids and their pilot are heading out to find their dead beat step-dad. - The kids told a lot of back story, which seemed a bit odd as the pilot was older than them and I'd have expected him to have a better sense of current affairs. Loved the ending.

“Solitary” by David Andry and Paul Schultz
** A prisoner's sentence is commuted provided he sign on to a new program. - Interesting story that was well executed.“Graddad's Second Wife” by Cheez Hayama and Earl T. Roske ** Sergio's granddad needs help keeping his new wife - an alien - from ICE. - The alien was kind of disturbing, but the story was otherwise fun.

“The Senior Project” by Maia Kobabe
** While other kids work on FTL thesis projects, Willow cultivates a fast-growing crop of Adzuki beans. - I liked the relationship that formed between Willow and Kai, as they both worked on their projects. I also liked the practical applications for Kai's teleporter.“My Stars and Garters” by Ainsley Seago ** A couple builds a spaceship so they can live their most authentic Victorian lives away from people who find them strange. - I suspect people who live differently would be among the first to leave Earth should an FTL drive become cheaply available. An enjoyable end to the collection.

Pros: interesting characters, great melding of history and myth

Cons:

Fatima is one of the sultan's concubine's in Alhambra, 1491AD. Amid the siege and her anger at her lack of freedom, her only comfort is Hassan, a gay scribe who can create maps to places that don't exist. When a delegation from the Spanish monarchs arrives, Hassan's life is put in danger and Fatima flees with him, hoping to escape the inquisitorial eye and find a better life.

I loved the blending of history and myth and the clash of beliefs that form the foundation of this novel.

The author has a solid grasp on the events and world of 1491, including a lot of minor details that bring the world to life.

I loved her depiction of jinn, which was different from any I've read before and made them fascinating. The island being a part of both Islamic and Christian myth was a nice touch, showing that some things are universal.

Beyond the jinn, there's the magic associated with Hassan's maps. It's subtle and beautiful and while the plot hangs on it, it's sparingly used.

The characters questioned their actions at every point in the book, which made them feel real. They blamed each other for bad decisions. They forgave each other for outbursts they regretted. Fatima is so full of anger and so unaware of the world outside the palace that her growth arc was huge. She's very passionate and her reactions run the gamut. Luz was absolutely terrifying and I loved that the author played on a modern understanding of what the inquisition was to avoid graphic descriptions. There's a little information but mostly the book relies on hints of what happens to those put to the question.

The book is fairly fast paced, with the characters constantly running into trouble.

If you like history with a hint of magic, this is a great read.

Asking the question “What if Afrikans had discovered Europe and enslaved whytes” this novel follows the escape attempt of Omorenomwara (born Doris Scragglethorpe). Using a mixture of black humour and insightful comments into the nature of slavery and racism, this novel tells a truly remarkable story. Well worth the time - first to read the book, then to ponder it.

Pros: fully realized dystopian world, thought provoking, interesting characters

Cons: problematic decisions by characters, black & white thinking

Justin was dying of cancer when he had himself cryogenically frozen in an abandoned mineshaft. Woken 300 years later into a new, and very different world, he realizes that he cannot abide the necessity to incorporate - allowing others to buy and sell parts of him as stock. He falls in love with his reanimation specialist - a serious moral crime, and is hounded by Hektor Sambianco on behalf of GCI - the reigning corporation - in whose facility he was reanimated.

This is a very slow read and a thought provoking one. The first 100-150 pages are all character development and world building, as set up for the events later on. Despite being a slow read, it is by no means a boring one. The background information necessary for this book is given in realistic ways, rather than info dumps (with one later exception), and delves more heavily into history and socio-economics than most dystopian novels.

The world is incredible. It's intricate in all the ways dystopian fiction usually isn't. Instead of using a corrupt government, the world is focused on corporations and people. Incorporation means that at birth every citizen has 100 000 shares. Parents get 20% and the government 5%. The rest of the person's value is theirs to barter for services, starting with their education. Saavy people can bargain for a better education at a smaller percentage of their future earnings. The flip side of the system is that shareholders can dictate where you work, audit you if you make decisions they don't like, and have a say in your life. People who want more control over their lives can buy back their own shares, gaining majority. As pointed out by several characters, this system has the effect of making you care for others you have stock in (and anyone can buy stock of anyone else provided they have the cash for it). You want to see those people succeed so their stock prices rise and you earn money from them. The downside, and where Justin's problem comes in, is the lack of personal freedoms associated with the system.

Equality between the sexes (or lack thereof) is never mentioned, but there are a few lines that indicates sexual orientations of all sorts are acceptable and, if the names are anything to go by (since physical descriptions are minimal) there's little to no racism.

One of the issues I had with the book was that, like the future of This Perfect Day by Ira Levin, I actually thought it was pretty good. There's still poverty (discussed/shown briefly later in the book), but the poor all have jobs and houses, are well fed and able to climb to greater things if they're lucky and/or work hard. It's an issue because the majority of the book consists of Justin bucking society to not only remain unincorporated, but, as he's pushed over and over again by Hektor Sambianco to incorporate, becomes an advocate of unincorporation and freedom for everyone. This decision creates problems Justin didn't foresee for the world around him.

While I hated Hektor Sambianco as a person, there were times when he was the only one to see the consequences of Justin's actions beforehand, making his own actions sometimes understandable. Having said that, he causes more problems than he solves by harrassing Justin. He views the world in very black and white terms, much as Justin himself does.

It's a fascinating novel, and a great addition to the dystopian oeuvre. If you're looking for action, look elsewhere. If you want a book that will make you think about the way the world works, then pick this up.

Pros: good worldbuilding, interesting setting and characters

Cons: opening felt a bit slow

When the newly trained assassin Amastan discovers a drum chief's body hidden on a rooftop, he's tasked with proving that his clan of assassins wasn't responsible. But the unknown killer isn't the only danger, as the unquieted jaani (souls) of the murdered are restless, not dissipating as they ought, and trying to possess new bodies. With few leads Amastan's time is running out, even as he befriends the servant of the first victim and begins to feel love for the first time.

It took me a while to warm to Amastan. The first few chapters show how undecided and hesitant he is, trying to plan things to perfection. As his relationship with various characters grew, I started to like him a lot more. It was interesting seeing the assassin clan portrayed as merely helping the city get rid of bad people. It makes the concept and characters easier to sympathize with.

I was surprised Tamella, his trainer and head assassin, left him to solve the murder without any advice or consultation. I can understand that she couldn't investigate things herself, but she had knowledge that would have aided Amastan. Instead she simply blamed him for not solving it fast enough despite his having no training in detective work.

The worldbuilding was really good. I did like that Amastan and the other assassin trainees had real jobs to pay bills and keep occupied around their secondary craft. I also liked that they actually worked at those jobs. Menna's work with the elders, quieting jaani was interesting. The jaani themselves were cool and terrifying. I also liked seeing the healers dependent on water for their work, and how towards the end of the season that's problematic as the desert city must ration it. Reading characters running across rooftops and down narrow alleys was entertaining.

While I figured out who the killer was fairly early, it was still interesting seeing the story unfold.

It was a fun, quick read.

Pros: creepy future, interesting politics/worldbuilding, great plot twists

Cons: protagonist is unlikable (as are most of the supporting characters), protagonist can't think past himself

Mitchell Courtenay is assigned as head of Fowler Schocken's new Venus Section: making the planet look appealing for colonization and subsequent subversion by their company. But this is a tough sell, not the least because of Venus's harsh atmosphere. To help, he gets on retainer the only man who's ever been there, Jack O'Shea, little person pilot and new to fame and fortune. The future overcrowded corporate run world has one main enemy - Consies (Conservationalists), whom Mitchell must deal with. Finally, he must convince his not quite wife to take him back.

This book details a very scary future, and given that it was written in 1953, a surprisingly relavent one. Corporations have nigh absolute power, and what little remains to governments can be easily bought. Advertisers like Fowler Schocken cash in on the art of persuasion, with a touch of a mildly addictive substance added to their products that force consumers to keep buying them.

The novel is told mostly from the priviledged POV of Mitchell, though we eventually learn how others live and are treated by the corporations that come to own them (in a form of indentured slavery).

The plot has several fantastic ups and downs to keep readers on their toes.

I wasn't a fan of Mitchell. He's fairly out of touch with the rest of the world (and how ‘consumers' live) to be sympathetic. Even at the end, when he's started to understand the larger picture, he's not particularly likable. Having said that, I did want to see him succeed at the end, his enemies being even more dispicable (if characters wore hats he'd be in gray while most of the others would be wearing black).

The supporting characters aren't that sympathetic either. Jack starts out as a great guy but quickly descends into - and is destroyed by - debauchery. Mitchell's not quite wife, a surgeon, has her own negative aspects that are revealed later in the book.

St Martin's Press recently published a revised 21st century edition of this book. Having read the original, it doesn't seem necessary to have updated it. The story still has relevance in its original form and packs quite a punch with regards to where humanity is potentially heading.

Pros: interesting character, evocative writing, quick paced

Cons:

Katherine Victoria Lundy is content to be the friendless principal's daughter so long as she can read her books. When a mysterious door appears before her one day, she opens it and finds a new world, one with strict rules of fairness. She has until she turns 18 to decide which world she wants to live in, a choice that gets harder the closer the deadline comes.

This is a novella and so can be read in a couple of hours. It's a great, fast paced story that's hard to put down. I liked Katherine's no nonsense behaviour and the world where people state what they want and try to deal fairly with one another (or risk discipline). I can understand why she'd want to live there as there's something comforting in the idea of knowing that no one can take advantage of you.

I thought her choice at the end was believably difficult, with several sides to consider.

The writing was quite beautiful at times. Almost lyrical even.

While part of the Wayward Children series it easily stands alone and you don't need to have read any of the others to fully grasp the story.

This is a great series and a good alternate starting point.

An urban fantasy that successfully wandes into the realm of faerie. It makes you think. Are you happy with who you are? Would you give up the bad things in your past if it meant possibly being someone you won't like? The ending is highly satisfying. An excellent read.

Pros: political intrigue, interesting characters, fantastic worldbuilding

Cons:

Baru Cormorant's actions on Aurdwynn have numerous consequences. She is now Agonist, a cryptarch, one of the secret lords of the Imperial Throne of the Imperial Republic of Falcrest. She has also made a lot of enemies, one of whom is a navy admiral, who decides to mutiny in order to bring Baru to a form of justice.

Baru believes she's one step further towards destroying Falcrest and freeing her homeland, but cryptarch rivals Hesychest and Itinerant have a job for her and two of their other proteges.

This book picks up immediately where the previous one ended, and if you don't remember all of the characters and subplots of the first book, I'd highly recommend giving it a quick reread. I was very happy that an issue I had with that book's ending was dealt with pretty heavily in this one.

There are plots within plots, and two main points of view, that of Baru (told in third person) and Xate Yawa (told in first person). The switch was a bit jarring at times, but insured you didn't mistake who's thoughts you were observing. There are also flashbacks to a previous war from the viewpoint of Tau-indi, a prince of the Oriati Mbo, which gives cultural and historical information for the continent and for the war of ideas between the cryptarchs.

The worldbuilding is incredibly intricate. Everything is connected and the language recognizes differences from our own world - like ‘matronizingly' instead of 'patronizingly', because some cultures have a matriarchy as a system of rule. I loved the attention to detail.

While Baru is often - though not always - able to avoid personal consequences for her actions, once again it's clear how she causes serious fallout in her wake, particularly with regards to trade and the economics of some of the islands she visits. Very serious consequences, for what seems like limited gains on her part. This makes her an increasingly hard character to like or sympathize with. Which I believe is the point.

A lot of the action is set-up for the next book, so the plot here feels scattered at times. Having said that, the level of intrigue is high and I never felt bored.

Be prepared to remember a lot of names and get lost in intrigue. If you like morally dubious characters, this book is for you.

Pros: very fast paced, emotional punch, thought-provoking

Cons: minor things, slightly rushed ending

A year ago life changed for 50% of the US population. Women were kicked out of the workforce and made to wear bracelets that counted their words. When they reached their cap of 100 words, they received an electric jolts of increasing intensity until they stopped talking. Members of the LGBT community were shipped off to ‘camps'.

A year ago Dr. Jean McClellan was a top cognitive linguist researching Wernicke's aphasia, an ailment that makes it difficult to form coherent sentences. Now she's a stay at home wife, slowly watching her marriage crumble, her daughter suffer under the word restrictions, and her oldest son become a misogynist.

When the President's brother has an accident that affects the Wernicke area of the brain, she's asked to help find a cure, little knowing that there's another reason the government wants her work.

The book is very fast paced and only look me 2 days to whip through. It's first person narrative makes the world immediate and the clever use of flashbacks fleshes out the characters and how the US changed so quickly.

Loss of freedom is always an interesting plot device, and this book touches on real fears American women have during the present political climate. The book joins other US dystopian novels that focus on how women could be repressed like Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, Veracity by Laura Bynum, and When She Woke by Hilary Jordan.

There are some powerfully emotional scenes, some of which were rage inducing, while others made me want to cry. While I often didn't agree with Jean's choices, I could understand why she made those decisions and sympathized with her plight.

While the book explained that Wernicke's aphasia impairs the ability to speak coherently, it would have been good to point out that it doesn't always impair cognitive abilities outside of communication. I was left wondering if people who had it would be able to function or if they would have to be put into care homes.

There were a few minor issues that annoyed me, like cookbooks being banned when you would expect they would be needed. You can't remember every recipe or learn new ones without some sort of help. There's also a scene where Jean had just under 40 words remaining in her day and she had to make a phone call. She prepared her message in advance but used her whole allotment, even though several of the words she used were unnecessary. What if she'd had to respond to a question afterwards? She'd have had to stay silent.

The ending felt a bit rushed in that I would have liked a more complete telling of what happened. I understand why it wasn't comprehensive, but it felt like the author could have provided an alternate viewpoint or arranged to have a witness describe the event in more detail.

It's hard to call a book that does so many horrible things a pleasant read, but it was. Normally dystopian novels leave me horrified by how things could go in the real world while this one left me feeling energized, and feeling that the resistance can succeed if good people fight for their rights.

Pros: unique magic system, intricate world-building, fascinating characters, interesting plot

Cons:

Three years ago Sancia Grado was a slave. Now she's a skilled thief, hired to pull off a very difficult job. The payout means she can finally get a physiquere to fix the scar on her head and remove the metal plate beneath it that was scrived to allow her to hear the thoughts of every object she touches. But the item she steals is connected to the Occidentals, also known as hierophants, those who became like gods, able to use scrivings to change reality itself. Suddenly the plate in her head's the least of her worries.

This book was amazing. I've only mentioned Sancia's plot thread, though there are several others that intersect with hers once the book gets going. She's a thoroughly engaging protagonist, and while her scrived state makes her fairly powerful in some respects, that's balanced by the pain speaking with objects causes her.

I absolutely loved Clef. He's such a fun character, coming out with all the sarcastic, swearing, responses people would love to use but don't because they want to be polite. The book does have quite a lot of swearing, which I sometimes found jarring and other times thought fit the situation nicely.

The worldbuilding was intricate and detailed, with several layers to it. The main setting is the city with it's four campos and the commons, but other locations are mentioned. History comes mostly in the form of mythology - which different sources report in different ways.

The magic is unique and hard to describe in few words. It's remarkably... logical, though it takes some time to wrap your brain around what the people are doing.

The plot is interesting, with several threads wrapping around each other. There is some downtime to get to know the characters and let them figure out their next moves, but the majority of the book is one daring break in or escape after another.

As I said, it's an excellent book. If you're looking for a unique fantasy novel, I highly recommend this.

Pros: great romance, optimistic, inclusive

Cons: tenses changes often bumped me out of the story

A year after successfully using the godsgem to defeat the Old God, the seven questers returned to their lives. Sir Erris Quicksword married the King. Mage Ladros took the gem to the Mage Keep in case it's needed again. Their thief, Olsa Rhetsdaughter paid off her debt but keeps getting picked up by the guards for thievery, which is becoming a problem as the king can no longer intercede on her behalf. Her lover, the apprentice knight Kalanthe Ironheart has also interceded several times, but her own problems - finding a rich husband before she's knighted and her own debts come due - can no longer be ignored.

This is the story of what happens after the quest is over.

The novel alternates between scenes from the quest - which detail the quest itself and the burgeoning romance between Olsa and Kalanthe - and what's happening in the present. Oddly, the present scenes are written in the past tense third person viewpoint whereas the past scenes are told from a first person present tense from either Olsa or Kalanthe's point of view. On the one hand, this makes it very clear what period you're in, on the other hand, it can be jarring going from one tense to the other.

I loved the characters. Seeing five female knights on a quest was great, especially when one was asexual and another was transgender. The romance between Olsa and Kalanthe developed organically in the flashback scenes and you can see them trying to come to terms with their choices - imposed and desired - in the present and how their circumstances and pride cause problems.

It was refreshing to read a quest story that shows how characters move on from the disruption to their lives and one that's so unabashedly positive. There's no shame around sex (or any of the pairings - all of which happen off screen, there's no graphic content here), nor is race an issue (several characters have dark skin, and among them different hair care is required). There is a desert dweller who faces ridicule due to her background by side characters, but the questers accept her without question.

This is a fantastic standalone novel, perfect for the YA crowd and adults looking for more optimistic stories.

Pros: interesting story, good character development

Cons: limited description

Amelia dreams of heading to Mars, but she can't afford the flight and doesn't want to be an indentured servant, so she continues to eek out an existence in Mexico City, making ends meet by doing occasional jobs as a paid friend.

This is a novella funded by an IndieGoGo campaign, which I supported.

Amelia isn't the most likeable character, as evidenced by her limited Friendrr clientele, but she is an honest one. A string of bad luck left her somewhat bitter and depressed as her dreams become harder and harder to achieve. As the story progresses she both becomes a better friend and person in some ways while also making bad decisions that could land her in an even worse position. By the end of the story, seeing her deal with difficult circumstances, I really liked her.

It is fairly short and while I'd have enjoyed more description the story works very well as is. It's interesting hearing about life in Mexico City. The story doesn't say what year this takes place, though given the dates that are mentioned it can't be too far into the future.

It's a quick read if you're looking for something a little different.

Pros: interesting worldbuilding, fast paced, great evil entity

Cons: somewhat cliche detective pair

Agents Hamed and Onsi from the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities, are sent to investigate a haunting at the Ministry of Transportation. But budget concerns make dealing with the entity harder than expected.

The book is set in an alternate 1910s Egypt during suffragette protests. I liked how the fight for women's ability to vote was tied into the rest of the story. Though it's a novella, there's a wealth of detail making Cairo come alive. I loved the diversity of the city, its people, food, and clothing. I loved the included - historically accurate - references to ancient and medieval documents regarding the paranormal.

The evil entity they're dealing with wasn't one I've heard of so I found it interesting - and creepy.

I found Hamed a boring protagonist. He's not quite the stereotypical detective with a new recruit, but he's close. I found the female characters significantly more engaging and would have liked seeing more of them and their points of view.

It's an engaging and entertaining story that had me looking for other stories and books by Clark, including the story alluded to regarding Fatma's assignment at the end of this one.

Pros: fascinating characters, excellent world building, layered mysteries

Cons:

Oichi Angelis is a murderess and conspirator upon the generation spaceship Olympia. Using a Medusa unit, she's been taking out key members of the Executive class. But the Executives aren't the only threats to her mission to overturn the ship's rigid class system.

The back cover synopsis for this book calls Oichi a ‘worm', which I'd misinterpreted as meaning she was either a computer program or A.I. of some sort. So I was surprised to discover she was a human, and that ‘worm' was a slur for low level people on the ship. Oichi is a fascinating character, who's completely unapologetic about the live's she's taken (who are mostly horrible people), that you can't help but like her. In many ways it's her connection with Medusa, a partly biological machine, that allows her to be such a good assassin.

The world-building is great. The author manages to explain the ship's history in ways that felt organic but not intrusive. For example, there's a scene where Oishi is pretending to study for school while she's actually doing something else. So the narrative is interrupted by occasional digressions of the video that's playing on her screen. At other times we learn about the ship as she does, especially with regards to the executives and their dealings.

There are several overlapping mysteries, all introduced in layers. One mystery is a snippet of conversation Oishi overhears as a child. As she grows up she tries to understand what the Executives were saying, but her interpretation changes as she learns more and more.

Chapters are written in a circuitous way, starting with foreshadowing of what's going to happen, then a linear narrative leading back to what was hinted at or stated earlier. I was impressed at how well the author managed to guide you through the narrative. There was only one spot where I was confused about when an event happened, and that was cleared up quickly. As Oichi learns more about one mystery, others - so many others - come to light. The book keeps you guessing about everyone's motivations.

I really enjoyed this and can't wait for the next book.