Kam

This review is based on an ARC given to me for free by the publisher Ace via Netgalley. The book is slated for release on September 18, 2018.

If there is one thing that Mecha Samurai Empire shares with United States of Japan, though, it???s the themes of the story. Both novels are about seeing the truth through the smokescreen of propaganda, and about taking action against an oppressive regime. The difference comes from the perspectives of the characters involved. In United States of Japan, the characters are government employees who realise that the system they serve is utterly broken, and in order for that system to change they need to take action. They also have an external opponent in the form of a terrorist group called the George Washingtons, but that enemy does not play as significant a role as the enemy within, so to speak.

In Mecha Samurai Empire, it???s different in that it is about a group of young people who realise that they face not only the threat of an outside enemy, that their own government might be an enemy as well. In a way, they are fighting a war on two fronts ??? and in doing so, many of them will die for a government that does not really care for them anyway. This is something Mac and his friends realise, and then try to change in their own way. Whether or not they succeed is uncertain, because by the end of the novel it is clear that this is only the beginning, and that things are only just getting started.

Godsdamn but this book makes me FUCKING ANGRY! I mean this in a good way, by the way, as this is frankly speaking a pretty good read.
Look, it???s not every day that a book pisses me off, but this one pissed me off in the best possible way, with its focus on the sheer hypocrisy of white people - specifically privileged white women - when it comes to the much larger suffering that everyone else around them experiences. From the moment she is introduced all the way to the very end of this novel, Bunny/Elizabeth thinks of no one but herself. Her disinterest as a teenager can be forgiven, I suppose, because I think a majority of teenagers are self-centered little shits to varying degrees - and I say that as a teenager who was pretty self-centered myself. The few who aren???t are rare and far between.
But later on, as she grows more and more comfortable in her place in the oil industry, you can practically SEE her convincing herself that what she???s doing, what her industry is doing, is right and just and not as problematic as everyone thinks it is. Worse, one can also read how she twists her WILLFUL IGNORANCE into a VIRTUE because IT BENEFITS HER TO DO SO. It???s just so INFURIATING to see that happen, since she has the privilege and the opportunity to do better, and yet: SHE DOESN???T!
The funny thing is, SHE GETS CALLED OUT ON IT! There are several moments throughout the novel wherein she is forced to confront how she doesn???t take a stand on anything, for just sitting on a fence, for thinking only of her own comfort, and while she sometimes pauses to think about what the other person???s saying and wonder if maybe they???re right, you can almost FEEL her flinch away from anything that makes her uncomfortable. THEN she goes RIGHT back to thinking any line of thought that makes her feel ???safe??? and one gets to watch as she chooses the path that makes her feel better, even if it comes at the cost of other people???s lives. They???re not HER people after all, how can she consider the plight of some nebulous entity who lives half the world away and whom she???s never met? This takes a chillingly exploitative turn towards the end of the novel.
I???ll admit, for a few moments while reading this I wonder if there???s anything she could have realistically done to actually take a stand and do something. The size and complexity of the oil industry is mentioned repeatedly throughout the novel; at various points Bunny/Elizabeth herself says that she can???t understand all of it, no matter how hard she tries. And when one is faced with something THAT big, that has the capacity to mutate into a new form to avoid accountability and instead re-emerge stronger than ever??? How does one fight against something like that? Seen from that perspective maybe Bunny/Elizabeth???s reticence can be understood, even sympathized with, but after a certain point even this sympathy evaporates because it becomes clear that she???s CHOOSING to remain complacent.
But the interesting thing is, all this rage at Bunny/Elizabeth and the life she???s chosen can easily be turned on oneself. You read this book and wind up asking yourself: ???Am I actually doing anything about the way the world works? Am I doing enough???? These are important questions, in my opinion, and applies to a lot more issues than just the theme of climate crisis that this book???s built around. None of these questions are comfortable or soothing, and the potential answers are likely to be less so, but they???re questions we need to ask regardless, if we don???t want to face the same kind of future Bunny/Elizabeth faces at the end of the novel.
Overall, this is an infuriating read, but excellent precisely BECAUSE it???s infuriating. It reveals some very uncomfortable truths and make the reader as some very difficult questions, leading to answers that are probably even MORE uncomfortable and difficult than the questions themselves. But the novel also emphasizes the need to ask those questions and find those answers, because seeking only to live in a bubble of comfort, unbothered and undisturbed by the wider world???s troubles, means living a life devoid of compassion and empathy, and only leads to a future where the entire world suffers. 

Oh this was a FUN ride, for sure! While the cover, and the premise - lesbian former (?) punk rocker becomes a nun and solves crimes - are definitely appealing the quality of the writing solidify the promise of both cover and premise. In the first three paragraphs one can almost HEAR Sister Holiday???s cigarette-and-punk-rock-roughened voice, and the overall quality of that voice and the author???s writing does not let up for one second over the course of the novel.
It also helps that Sister Holiday herself is FASCINATING. Though there is an overall mystery that needs to be solved (i.e. the arson case that burns down a huge portion of St. Sebastian???s School), the Sister herself is a mystery all her own - one that gets untangled throughout the novel as she gets lost in memories and narrates events from her life before moving to New Orleans and joining the Sisters of the Sublime Blood. The contrast between her past and her present is also incredibly fascinating to read about, not least because the one thing that bridges the two halves of her history is her genuine faith. That???s another thing about this novel that makes it so enjoyable to read: Sister Holiday???s faith is rock-solid and real. It???s not a BLIND faith though; she is entirely aware of how damaged Christianity in general and Roman Catholicism in specific is, and how damaging they are to their believers. This is something she knows from her own personal experience, something that the reader can pick up whenever Sister Holiday narrates her reminiscences on her past.
But despite knowing the downsides, Sister Holiday also knows the strengths of her religion, and it is those strengths that she embraces and holds on to as hard as she can. She regularly extols the virtues of worship, ritual, and a far more progressive lived practice than some people might think is possible while being a devout Catholic. To be fair, this assumption is entirely deserved, but it also neglects a type of Catholicism where socialist thought borne from the hard realities of colonialism and imperialism have interwoven with a Catholic emphasis on action-as-devotion and community service to create a brand of the faith that, in some ways, is very progressive.
Despite all these positives, there are a few minor nitpicks that might rub some readers the wrong way. The first might be the author???s repeated descriptions of how hot New Orleans gets. The language used is very good, so it might not bug the reader too much the first few times it happens, but by around the midway point it DOES get a bit tiresome.
The second nitpick might be the way the mystery is laid out. Sister Holiday is not exactly the tidiest of narrators despite her insistence that she is a fantastic amateur detective, so this means that the reader can get taken for a wilder ride than is strictly necessary. Some readers may find this fun, not least because Sister Holiday???s narrative voice is so compelling, but there might be some other readers out there who won???t be too happy with how the story is laid out.
Overall, this was an amazingly absorbing read, despite a few tiny nitpicks. The characterization of Sister Holiday is stellar, as is the overall quality of the writing, that it easily hooks readers from the beginning and doesn???t let go until the very end. If the cover and/or the premise appeals to the reader, then rest assured that the contents definitely back them up. 

This was a blast! Things really get rolling in this volume, both in terms of the overall plot involving Great Liang and the Western nations, and Chang Geng and Gu Yun???s relationship. 

In my review of the previous volume, I mentioned how Chang Geng and Gu Yun???s relationship was intertwined with the wider events of the world around them. That???s still happening in this volume, but given that the stakes in those wider events are higher, it makes sense that the stakes in the two protagonists??? interpersonal relationship is also higher - as evidenced by certain events that happen in this volume that I won???t go into to avoid spoilers. Suffice to say that Gu Yun and Chang Geng???s relationship progresses significantly - though, it must be noted, still with plenty of drama.

In terms of wider plot events, the events of this volume turn somewhat inward, as it were, taking a look at how Great Liang is run, and how that has both helped and hindered the nation throughout history. This plays well into the elements of political and court intrigue that form a major part of this volume???s plot. Though I have very little knowledge of Imperial China???s political history, given how Great Liang basically IS Imperial China, I think it???s safe to say that the issues and problems Great Liang has in terms of governance are similar to (if not exactly the same as) those that plagued Imperial China in the past. It???s interesting to note how not only the protagonists, but even the other characters around them, constantly run into the various hurdles of that system of governance, with various characters trying all sorts of schemes and plots to get around the hurdles in their way.

At the core of all this lies an interesting question: What makes a good leader? All throughout this volume that question comes up time and time again in different ways, and always with different answers depending on the situation and the characters involved. The question isn???t quite answered by the end of this volume, but that makes sense given how the author appears to really try and approach the question from a variety of angles. It???s a fascinating attempt though, and adds an interesting thematic layer to the overall series.

One thing that still concerns me about this series is the handling of Great Liang???s colonialism (which is itself a reflection of China???s own colonialist tendencies). I previously hoped that it would be addressed, but I am beginning to think that it won???t be addressed at all. This is unfortunate, but also expected, all things considered.

Overall this volume builds on the story and characterization of the previous two volumes, creating interesting layers in terms of themes while also progressing both Chang Geng and Gu Yun???s relationship, and the war between Great Liang and the Western nations. While it???s a pity that Great Liang???s colonial policies weren???t addressed (and I now highly doubt they ever will be in this series, all things considered), this volume does tackle interesting questions around politics and leadership that are both appropriate for the past and the present. 

Oh, but this was so GOOD! This book reads as a LOT more complex than what I remember of MDZS. For one, the worldbuilding is MUCH more thorough than the world of MDZS, which had enough details in it to build a sense of what it???s like in the reader???s head, but certainly not to the same detail as this book. While it???s set in a fictional China, this book goes beyond China???s borders to show its connection to fictional versions of Central Asia, Europe, and Japan. 
And in line with that expansion of the world, the plot and the themes expand as well. While this volume contains elements of mystery and court intrigue, the main bulk of the plot (in this volume anyway) is centered on the resource called violet gold (which reads like a stand-in for crude oil) and the ways Great Liang has attempted to secure its supply of the resource. Those methods include soft and hard controls of the market, but notably, it includes colonial subjugation of a region where the resource is most abundant. That latter bit makes for some interesting thoughts if one is a reader for whom such a theme is of interest, especially given how one character in particular states that, if it were up to them, they would go on a colonial-expansionist project in order to ensure the safety and stability of Great Liang. 
While all of those are weighty and complex topics, this series is still firmly in the danmei genre, as shown by the relationship between Gu Yun and Chang Geng, whose relationship is a bit more nuanced and complex in its portrayal than that between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian. There are plenty of silly moments, of course, and more than a few times I facepalmed (in a good way) at their dynamic, but while it???s clear that they are the main romantic couple of this series, their relationship is not as clear-cut as the main couple in MDSZ. 
Overall, this was an excellent read: a step up in terms of style, narrative, and thematic concerns compared to MDZS, while still remaining within the ambit danmei as a genre. I am not entirely sure if this difference is a result of the authors??? specific skills and styles, or if it is a result of their respective translators, but regardless, this volume certainly shows that priest is entirely capable of doing some very good worldbuilding while weaving a complex plot, as well as working with equally complex themes. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the next volume, as well as for priest???s other works, because I think that her writing might just be the kind I really enjoy. 

So I???ve had this last volume for a while now, but it took me some time to get to it because life and work and blah blah blah. But now I???m finished reading it, and WHOO BOY WAS IT A RIDE!

First of all, it was nice to read how everything was finally, FINALLY wrapped up - not always happily or tidily, but in a way that made sense, given everything that had already happened in the previous four volumes. I will admit that the final unraveling of the villain???s schemes and motivations was a bit info-dumpy, given how it was all set up, but at the same time I don???t really know how else all of that could have been revealed in a more subtle way without doing so in another four or five chapters, so all in all it???s not so bad. 

But what this volume focuses on is a theme that tracks across the entire series: the cyclical nature of vengeance. While that cycle is now closed (or is it?) for Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, the ending shows that the cycle can potentially continue. I can???t really talk about the details because it would be a MASSIVE spoiler to do so, but regardless: I find it interesting that it???s mostly Wei Wuxian who notices what???s going on with the character in question, and it is his musings that point all of this out to the reader. After all, he was a major contributor to the momentous events that led to this ending: events that, when you really get down to it, sprang from someone, somewhere, wanting to avenge themselves on a person, or people, or the entire world.

I also find the inconclusiveness of the cycle???s perpetuation in the form of a certain character to be very interesting too. I know some people might find this annoying or frustrating, but I???m not the sort of reader who expects every single plot thread to be tied up in a nice bow, so I???m honestly fine with the way this particular thread has been left up to the reader???s imagination. Will that character go on to perpetuate tragedy in the same way the series??? primary villain did? Or will they take a different path? Will that path be more or less wicked, more or less tragic? No one can say, because the author???s declined to write that story, and it???s up to the readers to decide whether or not this character will turn out for better, or for worse - though I???m sure there are fanfic writers who???ve got ideas of their own, and are probably churning out epics as I write this.

Speaking of extra writing, the Extras included in this volume were lovely to read. Now that Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji FINALLY know how they feel for each other (after the intervention of OTHER CHARACTERS, it must be noted), the Extras show what life???s like for them in the wake of everything that???s gone before. The tone taken is mostly bittersweet, but there???s plenty of spice there too. If the one spicy scene in Volume 4 was just a little taste of what could happen between these two characters, then the Extras in this volume show ALL THE OTHER THINGS they get up to after the main story???s ending. 

But the Extras aren???t all just smutty scenes (though there are those too). In fact, my favorite stories are the ones where the plot is built around a Night Hunt, and Wei Wuxian and/or Lan Wangji and/or the Lan juniors try to get to the bottom of it. I???m very fond of mysteries, and even more fond of those with supernatural/urban fantasy leanings, and these specific Extras really hit the right notes for me in that regard. It was also an interesting bit of worldbuilding, in that the reader gets insight into how ???regular??? Night Hunts work, as compared to the very grand and dangerous ones that were featured in the main story. 

Overall, this volume was a great wrap-up for this epic and emotional series. The current cycle of vengeance has come to an end for most of the characters involved, but whether or not it???s ended for good is up in the air, given what happens with a certain character during this volume. But in the space between the ending of this cycle and the beginning of the next, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji get to have the best fate of all: time to build a life with each other and their loved ones. After everything that???s happened to them, I can???t think of a better ending for them both. 

How many ways are there to break a heart? This volume seems completely intent on finding that out because OH BOY DOES IT TRY! I can???t talk about what specifically happens, because those would be spoilers of IMMENSE proportions, but suffice to say that we find out the truth behind why Wei Wuxian became Enemy Number One in the cultivation world: as in, the specific inciting event, and not just the general disdain that everyone has for his chosen cultivation path that???s been there since Volume 1. And let me tell you, learning about what he did, but more importantly WHY he did it, is just a shot to the heart on several levels.

See, here???s the thing: it???s clear that Wei Wuxian has a savior complex. Part of that is due to the circumstances of how he grew up (which are immensely tragic), but also because he really just has a very clear sense of what???s right and what???s wrong, and has absolutely ZERO qualms about doing what he thinks is right - even if it means he gets himself hurt in the process, and crucially, without thinking about what others might think or do or say about what his chosen course of action. He sees wrongdoing, he goes and fixes it how he thinks it ought to be fixed. Which would be GREAT, if he ever stopped to think about the consequences to himself and more importantly to the people he cares about. 

And honestly, I appreciate that this is something this story takes the time to really delve into: how doing the right thing no matter what can lead to damaging consequences, not just for oneself, but for the people surrounding oneself. So often in Western media we see characters do heroic things, and they???re always forgiven because they ???did the right thing???: think comic book superheroes whose fights level entire city blocks, destroying homes and communities and livelihoods along the way, and yet are still lauded for their actions. (And yes, I KNOW there???s been pushback against this in other media, but the fact remains that your average Marvel movie is still going to show all that property destruction and it???s going to be handwaved away as being ???okay??? because the Avengers protected New York from the latest threat and Stark Industries can rebuild everything anyway.)

But this series shows that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and Wei Wuxian learns that the very, VERY hard way. While he???s willing to take on all the consequences his choices might bring (he???s quite emphatic about this across the volumes), he never stops to think about how this is practically impossible. His choices always impact others, whether that???s his adopted siblings or Lan Wangji or the entire cultivation world. While Wei Wuxian is undoubtedly a hero, and his actions have always sprung from very good reasons, he has destroyed lives along the way, because he never once stopped to think if there was any way he could minimize and mitigate the potential harm his actions might cause.

On the other hand, there???s something really ADMIRABLE about the way Wei Wuxian deals with his mistakes - in that he admits to them, and deals with them as best as he can. He knows he???s made a lot of terrible choices, but he does his best to fix what he???s done wrong, often sacrificing himself in order to set things right, which is driven home in a very specific scene in this volume that absolutely GUTTED me when I read it. His morals are also extremely admirable: he KNOWS when he???s right and isn???t afraid to speak truth to power, even if it gets him in trouble. The cultivation world thinks of him as this horrible man, but in many ways he???s FAR more noble and upright than a great many cultivators. 

Given all of this, the romance between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji definitely took a backseat during this volume and the previous one, though things did pick up quite a bit by the end of this one. There???s still plenty that needs to be resolved by the fifth volume in terms of the plot???s central mystery, but I think their romance is going to be a bit more front-and-center now, given what happened. May is still a ways away, so there???s going to be a wait for that next volume. I???m definitely going to have to get my mitts on it as soon as it comes out; I really want to know how this all ends. 

... Most of the novel is dedicated to world-building, and the mystery at the heart of the novel is rather thin, though there are some interesting (though perhaps somewhat predictable) twists and turns in it. The library mentioned in the title is not even the story???s central focus, since the mystery plot occurs primarily outside of it. The main thing holding this book together is Ropa, and it???s fortunate that she is interesting to read about. 

Full review here:  wp.me/p21txV-JP 

 Huh! Well, that wasn't quite what I had in mind, but it wasn't entirely bad either. To be fair, this is the start of a whole new series, and it's not all that focused on the Brothers I'm familiar with, so I'm willing to cut it a little bit of slack. What's more interesting than the main romantic couple, though, are the other characters who got featured - including someone from a different species entirely. Definitely looking forward to seeing where this all goes, and if that new species gets featured in its own series or in any of the others that've become associated with this world. 

I first became really interested in ancient Roman history on a slow summer weekend two or three years ago. At the time, I had just finished listening to Dan Carlin???s Hardcore History podcast: specifically the episode titled ???Thor???s Angels???, which is about the latter years of the Roman Empire. Driven by curiosity, I downloaded Carlin???s six-part episode series titled ???Death Throes of the Republic???, which focused on the collapse of the Roman Republic.

From that point onwards I developed a latent curiosity about the history of ancient Rome, though I didn???t actively pursue it - there were other things I was interested in, after all. But I did start looking at novels that were set in the same period: novels like Lindsey Davis??? Marcus Didius Falco novels, and Ruth Downie???s Medicus Investigation series. Still, the prospect of sinking into those novels didn???t really encourage me to pick them up, because I wanted to learn more about the time period they were set in before doing so.

However, the prospect was intimidating, simply because there is so much material out there to read. Scholars have been studying and writing about ancient Rome since the ancient Romans themselves were around - the sheer volume is mind-blowing, and is a reason why one can take build an entire academic career solely on the study of ancient Roman history. I could have probably picked up any number of introductory texts to ancient Roman history, but there were simply so many of them that I didn???t know where to start.

In the end, I went about it in a rather roundabout manner (which can sometimes be the best way to go about things). I first picked up Tom Holland???s Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar, which focused exclusively on the first five Roman emperors. That was when I found out that Mary Beard was publishing her own introduction to the history of ancient Rome, and I knew that that was the book I had to pick up next.

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome is precisely what it says on the cover: a history of ancient Rome. In her twelve-chapter (plus Prologue and Epilogue) sweep through this historical period, Beard asks: how did Rome become one of the greatest superpowers in world history? And is there still a point to engaging with it in the first place?

To the last question, Beard???s response is a resounding ???yes???. She makes this clear in the Prologue:

Ancient Rome is important. To ignore the Romans is not just to turn a blind eye to the distant past. Rome still helps define the way we understand our world and think about ourselves, from high theory to low comedy. After 2,000 years, it continues to underpin Western culture and politics, what we write and how we see the world, and our place in it.??? Rome has bequeathed to us ideas of liberty and citizenship as much as of imperial exploitation, combined with a vocabulary of modern politics, from ???senators??? to ???dictators???. It has loaned us its catchphrases, from ???fearing Greeks bearing gifts??? to ???bread and circuses??? and ???fiddling while Rome burns??? - even ???where there???s life there???s hope???. And it has prompted laughter, awe and horror in more or less equal measures.??? There is much in the classical world - both Roman and Greek - to engage our interest and demand our attention. Our world would be immeasurably the poorer if we did not continue to interact with theirs.

However, the first question is a bit more complicated. Placing herself as a counterpoint of sorts to Edward Gibbon???s chosen perspective (as elucidated in the magisterial The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire), Beard explains how Rome went from nondescript Italian town to international superpower in the span of a few hundred years - something Beard calls ???one of history???s great puzzles.???

Attempting to solve that puzzle takes up the rest of Beard???s twelve-chapter book, which goes from Rome???s rather muddled mythical beginnings all the way to the reign of Emperor Caracalla, who declared that all freemen within the Roman Empire???s ambit would have Roman citizenship. In between those two points in time, Beard weaves her way through Roman identity (personal and national); politics (local and international); and social life and cultural norms, as she tries to understand what drove Rome to greatness.

The first thing the reader needs to understand about this book is that it is a general overview of a specific period in ancient Roman history, and one that does not focus on historical events. Beard is not interested in reviewing them; she is more interested in trying to see how those events reveal who the ancient Romans were as a people. This is, as it turns out, more complicated than the average reader without any previous experience in reading about ancient Roman history might think - especially since the ancient Romans themselves were confused about who they really were. Consider the myth of Romulus and Remus: a story with great resonance for the ancient Romans because it described the origins of their people. Beard points out that the Romans themselves had very ambivalent feelings about their origins:

Wherever and whenever it originated, Roman writers never stopped telling, retelling and intensely debating the story of Romulus and Remus. ???the foundation story raised even bigger questions, of what it was to be Roman, of what special characteristics defined the Roman people - and, no less pressing, of what flaws and failings they had inherited from their ancestors.

From here, Beard begins uncovering what the Romans thought of themselves, of their past, their present, and even of their future, through the writings left behind by ancient Roman writers like Cicero, Pliny, and others, as well as through the latest archaeological and scholarly studies. Along the way, she highlights connections between the ancient Roman world and our world today, such as when she points draws a connection between the Catiline Conspiracy of 63 BCE and terrorism in the twenty-first century:

The tough response by Cicero - including those summary executions [of the participants in the Catiline Conspiracy] - presented in stark form issues that trouble us even today. Is it legitimate to eliminate ???terrorists??? outside the due processes of law? How far should civil rights be sacrificed in the interests of homeland security? The Romans never ceased to debate ???The Conspiracy of Catiline???, as it came to be known. ??? The events of 63 BCE, and the catchphrases created then, have continued to resonate throughout Western history. Some of the exact words spoken in the tense debates that followed the discovery of the plot still find their place in our own political rhetoric and are still, as we shall see, paraded on the placards and banners, and even in the tweets, of modern political protest.

Holding this whole book together is Beard???s writing. Though she is a Cambridge don and has a well-earned reputation for excellent scholarly work in her field, her prose is very readable: no highfaluting academic terminology here. Whenever she inserts a Latin phrase, Beard is quick to translate it into clear, modern language (with occasional slips into more slangy, casual language, where appropriate). This is a definite plus for readers who want their dose of history without the slog.

There is, however, one problem: the organisation of the book itself. Given the wide range of concepts and ideas Beard is trying to cover, it can get a little confusing sometimes to figure out just what she???s discussing at any given point in time. Though she orders her chapters chronologically, and within those chapters tries to use a key person or event as a central focus for her narrative, there???s still no denying that she has a rather terrible tendency to jump around all over the place in while trying to explain something. This means that the narrative slows down some as the reader tries to catch up with whatever train of thought Beard happens to be on. Fortunately, the confusion is not enough to really be a deal-breaker, so long as the reader is one who is willing to follow along and simply go wherever the narrative chooses to go. Beard gets to wherever it is she needs to go - she just takes the conceptual scenic route to get there.

Overall, SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome is, perhaps, one of the most accessible introductions to ancient Roman history currently available. Instead of just detailing history as a series of events, Beard chooses to focus on trying to understand the ancient Romans themselves, and how their culture (as they created it and understood it) has shaped our world today. Beard has an excellent reputation as a scholar, but she does not let academic language slip into this book, which is written in clear, easy-to-read prose with very few confusing terms; any and all Latin phrases are translated in readable English. However, some issues with organisation can make it seem like Beard doesn???t have a clear focus for her narrative, making it difficult to really follow just what sort of point she???s trying to make. Fortunately, this is not a deal-breaking issue, and determined readers should have no problem following along until Beard???s narrative finally arrives where she means it to.

 BOY WAS THIS A READ!

So the previous volumes have had a tendency to jump between the past and present quite easily and casually (which, kudos to the translators, they were able to handle quite deftly, and kudos too to the author for managing to make things coherent despite the frequent jumps between timelines) but this volume DEFINITELY focuses more on the past than the last two volumes, with huge swathes of the volume being devoted to moments pre-, during, and post-Sunshot Campaign. The emphasis is mostly on Wei Wuxian???s relationship with his adopted siblings Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli, which is complicated by the relationship between his adopted father Jiang Fengmian and his wife Madam Yu. It???s a very sad, tragic story that I won???t elaborate on due to spoilers, but I???ve been informed that if I feel the need to bawl my eyes out, I should watch how the drama adaptation of this series portrays certain specific events in this volume. Given how I feel about those events WITHOUT having seen the drama version yet, I can only imagine just how heartwrenching they???d be when acted out.

Speaking of drama (of a different sort), this volume also REALLY expands on the romantic connection between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji - mostly by playing up the fact that Lan Wangji is a VERY poor communicator (his own brother admits to this!) and Wei Wuxian is SO VERY BAD at reading the room. I joked with my friend that the real heroes here are the people around them who have to watch their romance (such as it is) unfold - mostly Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng, who have front-row seats to the two-person circus that their siblings are in.

But that being said, my friend and I also got to discussing a crucial theme that runs throughout the course of the series, but which really gets highlighted here: the idea of a ???right??? path versus a ???wrong??? or ???deviant??? path. This is often associated with cultivation in the series (with most people saying Wei Wuxian???s cultivation is ???demonic??? and therefore ???wrong???), but also applies to how one lives one???s life in general. Said friend remarked that this was associated with Confucian ideals and values, with the ???right??? path aligning with those values and ideals, and ???wrong??? paths being anything that didn???t align with those ideals and values. I don???t think I can speak to how true or accurate this is, given how I have minimal cultural connection to the Filipino-Chinese community and Chinese culture as a whole, but given a quick (and likely woefully insufficient) google research spree, I think this aligns quite well with what I???ve read so far. 

This aligns very well with another thing she pointed out: how we, as westernized readers, tend to view Wei Wuxian in a positive light, thinking his tendency to innovate is something laudable. This runs contrary with the Lans??? point of view, and the point of view of many of the cultivators in this series: innovation is questionable at best, and dangerous at worst. While someone with a more westernized perspective would view Wei Wuxian as a positive figure, others with less western views might see him as heroic, but tragic: an example of what happens when someone takes power by any means possible, no matter the cost. With this in mind it???s becoming easy to see why Wei Wuxian???s trajectory around the time of the Sunshot Campaign and beyond is one of meteoric heights, followed by a sharp and catastrophic fall: a fall which is considered entirely justified, if one chooses to see it from a certain perspective.

Still, despite this framing, the author does not always frame adherence to tradition as a positive thing, especially in interpersonal relationships. Adherence to tradition, after all, is what led to the unhappy marriages portrayed in this volume (including one I didn???t expect). Given that the romance between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji doesn???t quite adhere to tradition, does that mean they stand a better chance at happiness? Gonna have to read the rest of this series to find out I guess - and I am honestly looking forward to that. 

This review is based on an #ARC given to me for free by the author. This does not in any way affect my review. This book is slated for release on Oct. 18, 2018.



So I admit to being a wee bit leery of fairytale retellings because there's plenty floating out there that aren't all that good, but this one. THIS ONE JUST MAKES ME SO HAPPY TO READ Y'ALL. It takes elements from Vietnamese folklore and combines it with a pinch of Lovecraft to create the sci-fi/fantasy post-apocalyptic setting I didn't know I wanted. Then it weaves this gorgeous sapphic love story into that setting, all while raising questions about consent, doing the right thing even if it's the hardest thing, and taking responsibility for one's own mistakes. It's delightfully deep and dark and wonderful and I would not mind another story in this setting and/or with these characters. Grab it when it comes out on Oct. 18; you won't regret it ;D.

 There are days when you want a book to be predictable - or at least, predictable in the sense of quality. Like: you know this is going to be good, even before you've even opened it. And that was definitely the case with this novel: I knew it was going to be good, even before I'd opened it, because it was by T. Kingfisher and it was set in the World of the White Rat. And while the story and characters were different from the Clocktaur War duology and the Saint of Steel series, it was still an incredible, feel-good read. Definitely, DEFINITELY recommend to anyone who's looking for a oneshot intro to T. Kingfisher's fantasy novels. 

Full review here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CO39hvvBjcT/

Full review here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CO39hvvBjcT/

I have a great many bad habits, but the one I???m at fault for the most (and the one I find hardest to break) is procrastination. I never really got into the habit of just getting things done as soon as possible, unless it???s something completely onerous to me and I???d rather just get it done now so I can completely forget about it; it???s something I???d really like to do and can???t wait to get started; or it???s a favour for a friend or family member, in which case I???d rather much do it as soon as possible because I wouldn???t want to cause any inconvenience to someone I???m fond of. But for a lot of other cases and situations in between, I???m not above just delaying things as long as I possibly can, because there???s always something better, or more fun, or more interesting???or all of the above???to do, and I???d rather much do those things.

That kind of procrastination can happen with the stories I engage with. I can procrastinate on watching the next season of a television series, for instance, especially if I don???t find it all that interesting anymore. I can also procrastinate with book series, especially long book series, for the same reason. Sometimes this leads to me dropping the series entirely, but in such cases I don???t particularly mind. If it wasn???t able to hold my attention anymore, then I suppose it???s best to just drop it and make room for something that will???and when it comes to books, I could always use more room for the good things.

But sometimes???very rare times???I procrastinate because I don???t want the story to end. This doesn???t happen very often, and only applies to series that are so good I don???t want to get to the end of the story. I could reread the series, of course, but it wouldn???t be the same experience as when I first read it, without knowing anything ahead of time. There???s a certain kind of magic that comes with the first time one reads a book (or a series of books, for that matter), and rereading just doesn???t capture that particular spark. It???s why so many Harry Potter fans, who grew up with the books and waited in line for the midnight releases just so they could be the first to read the next book in the series, look back on those days with nostalgia, and look forward to the day when they, too, can share the books with those younger than they, and watch the light go on in their eyes as they read about Harry???s adventures for the first time.

So when I encounter a series like Rachel Bach???s Paradox series, which was so good that I didn???t want it to end, I tend to procrastinate. I could have spent the weekend finishing the last book, Heaven???s Queen, but I decided to put it off by doing other things instead. But all good things must come to an end, and I knew that if I didn???t just get it over with, I wouldn???t be able to move on and (hopefully) find something just as good. So I???ve finally finished the third and last novel, Heaven???s Queen, and I have to say, while I???m pleased with the series overall, there???s something about this ending that doesn???t quite sit right with me.

Heaven???s Queen picks up almost immediately from where Honour???s Knight left off. Devi and Rupert have just been dropped out of hyperspace in a xith???cal escape pod, and are looking for a safe place to land and lie low for a while. After everything that???s just happened, Devi would most certainly welcome a breather, not least because she needs to figure out what she needs to do next. However, one thing is clear to her: she has the means to end this whole mess with Maat, the daughters, the Eyes, and the phantoms once and for all, and she???s going to do it???even if she must pay with her life.

One of the first, truly noticeable things about this novel is how slow it is to start. To be sure, the first two novels were fairly slow, but they picked up the pace quite quickly and things were pretty much downhill from there. Heaven???s Queen, though, is off to a comparatively slow start, focusing as it does on Devi and Rupert and their relationship???a start which, frankly speaking, bothered me, and for good reason, as it turned out. It???s not that I begrudge the whole romance plot line in the first place???I loved it, actually, when it was first introduced in Fortune???s Pawn. It made Devi seem more real, more like an actual living, breathing human being that she could experience lust and love and all these other emotions that had nothing to do with being a deadly armoured mercenary. I also liked (for the most part) how Devi reacted to Rupert???s betrayal of her trust in Honour???s Knight: who wouldn???t feel that kind of anger and bitterness at someone who did what Rupert did? It also proved, again, that Devi was human???if not to the reader, then to herself, because she always believed she was immune to that kind of ???foolishness???, but it turns out she???s just as vulnerable as any other person to those kinds of emotions, and it???s a lesson she seriously needs to learn. But what bothers me most about this portion of the novel???and some of the other portions of the novel, for that matter???is how wildly Devi???s emotions swing from one end of the scale to the other. I wanted her to stabilise, to get a grip, because there were far more important things going on that needed her attention. I also realise, however, that this judgment could be unfair on my part because I???ve never been in a romantic relationship before, and therefore can???t say for sure whether or not it???s possible to control one???s emotions so very well. It also doesn???t help that Rupert hits a wall in terms of his characterisation, in this novel. I know that he has a dark past, and I know that that can be played for characterisation, but I???m not entirely happy with his development in this novel, because it rather feels like he hits a wall once he and Devi ???kiss and make up???, so to speak. I was also especially not happy with the pissing contest he seems to have with every man he encounters who might have meant something to Devi before she met him. In one instance he pulls rank on an old comrade of Devi???s, and a few chapters later he goes into an all-out fight with Anthony, who was Devi???s lover before she met him, and who was in love enough with Devi to actually propose to her (sort of). While I???m not entirely happy with Anthony???s reasons for wanting Devi to stay with him, I can???t say I blame him, either, for reasons that are explained in the novel itself. Neither do I like the way that he and Rupert get into a fight over Devi. It doesn???t look like that, on the surface, but it doesn???t take a really clever reader to see what???s really going on, Essentially, that whole plot line kept on bothering me as I read the novel, and it took me a while to realise just why: it had taken centre stage in a way I didn???t really appreciate. Again, I don???t mind a good romance plot line in anything I read, regardless of genre, but I felt that the focus on the romance undermined everything else that I so thoroughly enjoyed about the series, leaving less room for things like Devi being clever and hotheaded and trying to find ways wherein, to quote the Ninth Doctor, ???Everybody lives!??? I???d gone into this series wanting to read about Devi the hero, not really Devi the lover, but that???s not quite what I got.

Despite that, though, the rest of the novel (where the romance doesn???t interfere overmuch) is still the amazing joyride it???s been thus far in the last two books. I was rather skeptical about the whole ???Chosen One??? angle Devi???s characterisation had taken when she found out in Honour???s Knight just what the xith???cal virus could do, but that was mostly because I was happy to have Devi stay, well, Devi: essentially, wonderfully human. Thankfully, the virus didn???t really add anything else to Devi except give her a goal to focus on, which I think was necessary anyway, given the direction the plot was taking. She remains herself, for the most part, if a bit altered because of her relationship with Rupert, but she is still herself, for the most part???which is probably why I was able to still enjoy this novel immensely, despite the problems I mentioned earlier. After all, I was drawn into this series because of Devi, and as long as she remains who she is, mostly, then it???s easy to put up with everything else.

As for the other characters, they change too, though the winner in that regard is Brenton. I won???t go into what happens to him, but suffice to say it made me very sad, because while I agree with Devi that Brenton did the wrong things, he was doing them for the (mostly) right reasons, and it???s kind of hard to find fault with a man who does that. Caldswell also gets some further development in this novel, but as for the other members of the crew???Hyrek, Nova, Basil, and Mabel???they get the short end of the stick. I don???t mind it much with the first three, but in Mabel???s case I???m extremely disappointed that the reader doesn???t get a bit more backstory about her???not least because of what was revealed about her in Honour???s Knight. In that regard, I think Bach could have cut back on the romance, and expanded a bit more on the other characters, and not really lost a lot of ground in terms of plot.

Speaking of the plot, that is still the very fun roller-coaster ride that it was in the first two books???again, where the romance does not interfere. Several important questions posed in Honour???s Knight are finally answered, not least who the real villains are in this series???though I???m sure that careful readers will already have picked up on who that is in the second book. Still, it???s nice to be able to say ???Ha! I knew it!??? when the reveal is finally made, especially since the confusing greyness of other characters??? motivations and actions still interferes with everything else, though not to the same degree as they did in Honour???s Knight.

My one last qualm about this novel is the ending: I???m not entirely sure I???m happy with it. A part of me feels that it wasn???t quite earned, as if a price hadn???t been paid in full to ensure that the novel deserved to be capped with the ending it has. It???s not that Devi doesn???t deserve a happy ending???heavens know she most definitely does, after everything she???s been through???but there was something that felt too tidy about the whole thing. Considering everything that had happened up until that point, I was expecting something a bit more bittersweet: a sharper loss, perhaps, or some kind of situation that might not have been absolutely ideal, but was otherwise workable. As it stands, the novel???s ending sits just a touch too saccharine for my tastes.

Overall, Heaven???s Queen is a mostly-excellent conclusion to the story begun in Fortune???s Pawn and continued in Honour???s Knight, but it???s not the absolutely perfect cap to the trilogy that I might have wanted. It has its problems, some of which were already hinted at in the second novel, and which were exacerbated in this one, and the ending leaves something to be desired, in my opinion. But for all of that, the series as a whole is one of the most enjoyable reads I???ve ever done in a long time, and I???m very happy to have read them all, despite my misgivings, and I???m quite sure I???ll go back and reread the whole thing again when I???m in an appropriate mood, if only because reading about Devi getting the job done is a very great pleasure indeed, even the second time around.

Edit added 6/26/2020: Recently it???s come to light that Elizabeth Bear is a serial emotional abuser and manipulator. I did not know that at the time I wrote this since I don???t move in the same spaces as her victims, but I???m leaving this note here now to say that, despite my high praise of this novel, I absolutely do not condone her behavior at any point in time, whether I was aware of it or not. Any of her books that I now have will not be reviewed on this blog. Review of any of her future work will depend upon whether she has demonstrated any actual, genuine change in her behavior going forward.

Review is based on an ARC given to me for free by the publisher. This is due for release on March 20, 2018.

Karen and Priya are BACK, and though they aren't dealing with Very Big And Dangerous Trouble this go-round (leastways when compared to what happened the last time in Karen Memory - go read it and find out, it's awesome!), they're still in trouble and make no mistake. But while this story isn't as big and bombastic in terms of plot, it's still ridiculously fun and full of heart, which is what really matters to me, truth be told. And it's also got something very important to say about relationships - but you can read it and find out on your own ;D.

It's not often that a book leaves me completely unable to articulate what I feel about it. This speechlessness is generally a reaction to either one of two extremes when it comes to books: either what I've read is extremely terrible, or what I've read is extremely good. The last time this happened was last year, when I finished reading Ursula LeGuin's The Left Hand of Darkness and found myself unable to say exactly what I felt about it. I managed to find the words, but only after a while of sitting on it and thinking about it.

This time, the book that has rendered me completely speechless because it is simply that good is The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, the first in The Inheritance Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin. Now, I've heard a lot of things said about this series, most of it positive, and I'd acquired the trilogy to read whenever I felt like it. However, I kept on putting it off and putting it off, until (as is often the case) Hope decided to read the book and asked (or ordered) me to read it. And since she caught me just as I was finishing Mary Roach's Gulp, I decided it was as good a time as any to start the trilogy.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms begins with the narrator, Yeine Darr, comparing the city of Sky to a rare flower called an altarskirt rose. In comparing the rose with the city, Yeine describes, both succinctly and accurately, its nature and the nature of its residents, particularly of the Arameri, her mother's family. And it is in this beautiful, rotten city that Yeine must find the answers to the question behind her parents' death, as well as figure out what in the world her maternal grandfather, who summoned her there in the first place, could possibly want with her. She must also learn how to survive, for she is caught in the middle of a war, and her destiny is far, far greater than she ever thought it could be.

The first notable thing about this novel is the narration. Though it is told in the first person, there is a dreamlike quality to it that is a result of the fact that this tale is not told in a linear fashion. It slips back and forth between the past and the present, mythology and history, and later on, between two speakers: one is obviously Yeine, but the other is not named until later in the novel (though after a certain plot point the reader can easily guess who Yeine is talking to). Some reviewers have found fault with this non-linear narration, but I, for my part, find it exquisitely well-done and very well-managed. Some authors attempt to write non-linear narrative, and tend to fail quite badly, as they lose track and control of plots and characters. Jemisin, however, keeps a tight rein on her narration, but gives it enough play to allow room for the dreamlike quality I've mentioned earlier.

When I am reading stories told in first-person perspective, I always look for a narrator whose voice is easy to read and engage with. Sometimes, writers don't manage this at all, and there have been times when I have put a book down because I want nothing more than to strangle the narrator - and I do not mean this fondly, either. Yeine is nothing like that at all. Though there are indeed moments when she feels a little bland, she is, for the most part, an interesting narrator and fascinating character. She's sensible, but what I appreciate the most about her is that, when she does make a decision that is not sensible, she is either aware of it, or if not, owns up to the consequences. This makes her inherent courage obvious, even if she doesn't charge headlong into battle.

In many ways, it is this kind of courage that lies at the core of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. Much has already been said by other reviewers and critics about how The Inheritance Trilogy embraces women, people and cultures of color, and homosexuality, and I don't know if I could add more to that discussion beyond saying that, as a woman from a Third-World country, what Jemisin has done with The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and likely the rest of The Inheritance Trilogy is extremely gratifying. I will explain, therefore, why I love Yeine: she is courageous in ways that marginalized people must be courageous in order to effect change - to confront oppression headlong, to look it in the eye and do something about it, despite all the possible hurdles that stand in one's way. So many of us are used to ducking our heads, to looking away and bending to the will of those more powerful than us, because it is safe and less troublesome that way. Yeine was aware that simply bowing to the will of those who were more powerful than her would have been the easy way out - but it was not the right way out, and she deliberately chooses the right path, even if it is not the easy one. Of course, she had the gods on her side - in more ways than one, and no, I do not mean her relationship with Nahadoth - and while this aspect is rather troubling in a deus ex machina kind of way, it does not do much to overshadow the novel's other strengths. And now that I mention Yeine's relationship with Nahadoth, I did find myself squinting at it sideways from time to time. Not to say I didn't like it - I like a spot of romance in my reading as much as the next person - but it did seem to come up during the oddest of moments. I suppose it's just because i would have much preferred to see her investigating after her parents' death in a more old-fashioned manner, instead of approaching Nahadoth and the other gods and asking them questions all the time - especially since Nahadoth made it clear at one point that the gods don't know everything. This is a minor complaint, though - and probably the result of my bias towards Sieh.

Overall, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is a remarkably promising beginning to a trilogy, and, more importantly, a heartening sign for the changing landscape of genre fiction. Jemisin's style and language are exquisite and comparable to Ursula LeGuin in its quality and artistry. Her world-building is thorough and well thought-out, her protagonist/narrator is fascinating, and though her actions and her relationships with other characters are somewhat questionable because they slide a bit too close to deus ex machina territory, she is the for the most part intriguing to read about and attempts to find solutions to her problems without sacrificing who she is, at her core. The ending might be a little too happy for my taste - I would have liked a little more tragedy - but I cannot say there was nothing in the plot that did not indicate it was a possibility, and it was earned, and I appreciate that a great deal. I am now very much looking forward to the next book, which I hope will build on the momentum of this first novel and expand on the consequences already laid out.

Given all these issues, what, then, might be considered this book???s redeeming factor? After all, if I claim to have finished it, and indeed, enjoyed it, why have I mentioned nothing but negatives? The reason is that I am writing this review with a much clearer head than when I read it. I write this fully recovered from my illness, and therefore better able to see all the problems I missed while I was ill. But then, it does say something about the book, that I was able to tolerate it while I was sick. It is sufficiently entertaining, at least: the main plot is a tidy, if somewhat unoriginal, murder mystery, and there is some fun to be had in that. As long as the reader does not think too hard about the finer details ??? which is what tends to happen during illness ??? then he or she should find be able to derive some enjoyment from this book.

Full review here: http://wp.me/p21txV-uK

This...is a bit of an odd duck of a book, series-wise. It happens after Book 10 (Purple Plumeria), which had something incredible happen in it, and the consequences of which OUGHT to have been handled in the book immediately following it. But no: we get this book, which goes on a tangent largely unrelated to the momentous events in Purple Plumeria. I don???t know if it was the author???s decision to do this, but I highly suspect that it was the publisher???s decision, so the entire series could be finished with a round twelve books, as opposed to an awkward eleven.

But putting aside that one little irritation (and it IS just little, in the grand scheme of things), there???s another thing about this book that kind of bothers me that I hadn???t really noticed when I first read this book: the unknowns regarding Lucien???s mother, specifically if she was mixed race. It???s easy to assume that she???s white because she???s described as pale, but she???s also described as having dark hair and very dark eyes, which is a color combination that white people can certainly have, but to my mind, hints that she could have been mixed race but white passing. If this was the case, I wish it had been made clearer if she was in fact mixed race, especially because she???s described as having abolitionist leanings and may have been involved in supporting the slave uprisings in Martinique. It would be even more impactful for Lucien???s characterization, because he???s described as having inherited his mother???s coloring (pale skin, dark hair, dark eyes), and it would have been fantastic to have an outright mixed race male lead in this novel. 

(Honestly I suspect the author of trying to dodge around the thorny history of slavery and colonization that occurred in the Caribbean and of course in North America, given that she herself is a white person and is writing about white people. That???s just me though, and not necessarily something the author should be condemned for. Something to look at them askance for, maybe, since they also kind of did this in Blood Lily, dodging around European and specifically British colonization of India.)

With that being said: the actual story isn???t half-bad! I???m not much into the language of tropes, but I think this would be considered a Grumpy-Sunshine romance? Certainly feels that way, given that Lucien???s all dark and broody and Sally is the most aggressive ball of sunshine to have ever existed in this series. Actually there???s not much else I could possibly say about the romance, really: it???s pretty entertaining, and ends much as one might expect it to. Not sure what else can be said.

Oh, another thing I took away from this: how the most popular books of any given period - the ones people think are going to be surefire classics - can potentially descend into obscurity as time goes by, their early status as ???classics??? dissolving into so much dust as they disappear into the murk of time. Even though The Convent of Orsino is a fictional book, its disappearance from literary history as time went on is something that happens all the time - and will likely happen again. While in some ways this is kind of sad, I find this rather heartening, given the reputation of a certain series about a boy wizard.

Anyway: I???M IN THE HOME STRETCH BAYBEE! After this book it won???t be a reread anymore, but a first time read of the final novel of the series. I can finally put this series to bed for good and move on to something else - which...I???m going to have to decide pretty soon. 

It seems like such a long time since I last read a straight-up, proper sci-fi story. I have, of course, read novels that are grounded in science, but I do believe the last one I read that might be considered truly sci-fi would be Ernest Cline's Ready Player One sometime in September; the last sci-fi novel I read that was set in outer space was The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold, and that was all the way back in August. After I finished Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore I was very definitely hankering for sci-fi, preferably something involving aliens and gunfights. It was tempting, of course, to pick up the next book in Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga, or the next book in Iain M. Banks's Culture series, or Caliban's War, the sequel to Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey. But I felt like reading something with a female protagonist, written by a female author. A lot of women have stepped up to the front lines of genre fiction in the last couple of years, and I wanted to read something in that vein.

It was then that I decided to take a peek into the rather sizable to-read pile I'd accumulated, and decided it was a good time to read Kameron Hurley's God's War. It was something I'd put off reading, mostly because I simply wasn't in the right place, intellectually speaking, to handle what the blurb implied would be a rather heavy read. But four days ago I was ready for it, and dove right in - something I do not regret, though it has left me reeling a little in a very good way.

God's War takes place on a planet called Umayma: baking under the light of two suns, where exposure means cancer or worse. On top of that it is a war-torn planet, as two nations, Nasheen and Chenja, are embroiled in a holy war that has made life even more difficult. Chenja is still run by men, but Nasheen is dominated by women. Both countries send all able-bodied males to the front, where they must serve a certain number of years before they are allowed to come back.

And onto this bloody, ravaged stage steps Nyxnissa “Nyx” so Dasheem, a bel dame: a professional assassin in the employ of the Nasheenian government, with the duty of executing deserters and possible contagion carriers before they get into the heart of Nasheen. But things don't go quite well for Nyx, and soon enough she finds herself stripped of her bel dame title and privileges, and doing work as a bounty hunter with a small team of troubled individuals. Soon enough, though, she receives a message from no one less than the Queen of Nasheen herself, who asks Nyx to accomplish a mission that may either make Nyx and her crew - or break them all.

The first thing that I like about this novel is that it doesn't spend a lot of time in exposition explaining how the world works to the reader. There are times when such an approach to world-building is acceptable, and very enjoyable (to myself, anyway), but I like how Hurley simply dove in and left it up to the reader to figure out how this world worked based on what was going on in the story. It's not kind on the reader, to be sure, but it shows a certain amount of faith in the readers' intelligence that I greatly appreciate. It also means that there is more time spent in characterization and plot, and I believe that it's those two elements that truly make or break a story.

Speaking of characters, this novel has some very interesting and very damaged ones. Nyx is a prime example: a veteran of the war front against Chenja, she's been blown up, burned, reconstituted, beaten, and undergone all sorts of torture - and yet, through her sheer force of will, she continues to survive. Events in her past and throughout the storyline have left and continue to leave Nyx with many physical scars, of course, but it is the psychological scars that truly make Nyx who she is: so damaged that sometimes, she can't see beyond her own nose at the people around her. She is far, far from admirable, and she is not the type of character that will be universally liked, but that is what makes her so fascinating. She is as her world and her situation made her, as much as she has made herself.

The other characters in the novel are just as complex as Nyx, even if they don't receive a lot of screen time, so to speak. There is Rhys, a magician refugee from Chenja and Nyx's right-hand man. Throughout the course of the novel he struggles to hold onto everything he has ever held dear: his honor, his faith, his belief in the rightness of his own beliefs - and yet the reader watches all of that fall apart in the face of the war and in the face of Nyx herself, as her actions show Rhys that maybe, just maybe, he might be wrong after all. There is Taite and his sister Inaya, refugees as well from Ras Tieg, which they fled to avoid persecution. Khos, a Mhorian, is also running away from restrictions in his own country. None of them is completely innocent, completely good, and that's the point. No one can be the metaphorical ray of sunshine in a novel like this, not with the kind of themes it has running.

And the themes in this novel are quite heavy. I really enjoy it when genre fiction is used to refract the reality and concerns of our world, and God's War is an excellent example of such a novel. As the title implies, it ties itself to the ongoing issue of war and religion, and the price or prices that both extract from humanity when one is fought in the name of the other. The results are, of course, not pretty: the very first chapter shows the devastation and desolation wrought by years and years of holy war. Many of the images echo disturbingly with the images that we receive now through various news outlets and media platforms, and the story continues to expand on this by illustrating the desperate lengths people will go in order to survive such a world. Interwoven with those two primary concerns are issues connected to race, gender and the environment, which are handled extraordinarily well. It would be giving away too many spoilers to discuss just how those are handled, but suffice to say that they are dealt with, and, in my opinion, dealt with very well, especially considering how they are incorporated into the story.

As for the plot, that is very well done as well. I enjoy stories that are all about cloak-and-dagger, political intrigue, and this is precisely what lies at the core of God's War. Again to explain how that is the case would mean giving away too many spoilers, but it is there, and it was very enjoyable to read how Nyx and her team unraveled the mystery lying at the heart of the mission given to them by the queen. Hurley also weaves world-building brilliantly into her plot and keeps it moving, balancing action and storytelling with creating the world her characters inhabit. As I mentioned earlier, this places a great deal of faith in the readers' intelligence to put the pieces together to build the world for themselves, but I feel Hurley does it very well without bogging her plot down much. The beginning may feel slow at first, but by the time the reader gets to the middle third of the novel it begins to pick up speed, and the slow pace of the first third is forgotten in the rapid pace of the second and in the revelations of the third.

Overall, God's War is an incredible piece of writing: a well-built world, populated by interesting characters with a plot that moves along very well and dealing in themes that continue to concern us today, despite the far-flung future in which the novel is set. It is, admittedly, the “deep end of the pool” when it comes to sci-fi, and the characters may be off-putting to some, but readers with experience and patience will find their efforts very well-rewarded by a story that offers far more than it initially promises.

So I was looking for a read to lighten my mood after recently finishing some rather emotionally heavy reading (more on that soon!), and this crossed my radar while I was skimming through FictionDB checking up on what was out this month. And since I'm a sucker for a pretty (or interesting) cover, and since I liked the look of this one, I decided to give it a shot. Which is a good thing, because it turns out it was precisely the kind of light reading I needed: hot men, kickass women, and just the right amount of sexytimes to make it all worthwhile. The only bad (if that might even be called bad) thing about it is THAT CLIFFHANGER ENDING OMG. Now I definitely can't wait to get my mitts on the next book XD.

Overall, The Devil and the Deep is an eminently readable collection of short stories, even though not all the stories are as interesting or enjoyable as they could be. Still, the gems that are in here, like ???What My Mother Left Me???, ???A Moment Before Breaking???, ???Sister, Dearest Sister, Let Me Show You to the Sea???, ???The Deep Sea Swell???, ???He Sings of Salt and Wormwood???, and ???Haunt??? balance out the other stories that do not quite shine as brightly as I or other readers might like them to. Many of the authors in this collection have also been published previously, and quite a few have written longer works like novellas and novels, so if the reader finds he or she enjoys the work of a particular author in this collection, then he or she will likely have luck finding longer works by said author to enjoy.

Full review here: https://wp.me/p21txV-GB

One of the most common assumptions people make about my choice of career is that I am as well-read as my job description implies, and because of that, I have a reason to be - even an obligation to be - snooty about my reading choices, and make equally snooty declarations regarding any literary work I come across. These people look at me and titter, and say that I must have read the Russian novelists and enjoyed them, or that I must find Joyce and Woolf exceedingly enlightening reads.

But I do not like a classic simply because it is a classic, and as a professor I'm supposed to like them. As a matter of fact, there are certain classics that I hate with a passion. Finnegans Wake is my favorite example. A lot of people assume that I must love it, because I teach literature, but in truth, I absolutely abhor the thing. My relationship with James Joyce and his work is ambivalent at best, and my stand on Ulysses (the only long work of his that I was able to tolerate enough to read to the end) is a bit wobbly. But I hate Finnegans Wake, and personally believe that Joyce was either trying to be an absolute prick, or had drunk a little too much whiskey or absinthe (or both!) while writing it. The same can be said of The Catcher in the Rye, which I hated when I was made to read it in high school, and though my dislike has faded somewhat, I still wouldn't say that I like it because it's a classic.

On the other hand, there are also quite a few classics that I do enjoy. Homer's epics are absolute gems, and I love reading them. The same goes for Shakespeare's work, though I am more of a fan of his comedies than his tragedies. Pride and Prejudice is all right, but I think Jane Eyre is superior (and I have thought this way since I was sixteen, when they were required reading - and at the time, I couldn't stand Pride and Prejudice). Lady Chatterley's Lover is a heartbreaker, in more ways than one, and the same might be said of Don Quixote. And there are so many other classics besides: the swashbuckling adventures of Alexandre Dumas; the intricate logic-puzzles of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; the twisted dreamland logic of Lewis Carroll. And this is just the Western side of things: I have not yet gotten into the delicate meditative beauty of the Genji Monogatari, for instance, or the aching longing for home in Bienvenido Santos's works (as best exemplified in the short story “The Day the Dancers Came”).

Unfortunately, not a lot of people (nor a lot of my students) share the same enthusiasm as I do about the classics - or about reading in general. I feel this points to a fundamentally incorrect handling of the teaching of literature, particularly at the grade-school level: reading must be taught not only because it is an essential skill, but also because it is one of the greatest pleasures one will ever know.

This, I think, is the core mission of Jack Murnighan's Beowulf on the Beach. He seeks to promote reading in general, but reading of the classics in particular, as a pleasurable endeavor, something that the reader does because he or she thinks it is a worthwhile effort, and not because he or she is required to read. Murnighan selects fifty classic texts from the Western canon (no surprise, since he is speaking primarily to an American audience), and then proceeds to offer a combination of cheat sheet and enticement, telling them the naughty bits and which chunks to skip, all in an effort to get the reader to at least try his recommendations.

In a way, the book reads like a collection of reviews, since what Murnighan does is what any book review tries to accomplish: point out the best bits, point out the worst bits, and then explain why or why not the book is a worthwhile read. And, like all reviews, Murnighan's opinions are really rather personal. At the end of the book he explains how difficult it was to narrow down a list of fifty books for this particular project, and in that explanation he also adds that the true factor that determined whether or not he used a book for his project was whether or not he liked it.

This, I think, certainly goes a long way towards explaining why Murnighan chooses the books he does. Note that he includes Joyce, but recommends Ulysses and not Finnegans Wake, even though higher authorities (other professors and literary connoisseurs) generally declare Finnegans Wake to be superior to Ulysses. But Murnighan openly thumbs his nose at this opinion, and makes no bones about why, precisely, he thinks Ulysses is better than Finnegans Wake. In this, at least, I agree with him: just because “authorities” declare a work to be superior to another, does not automatically mean that the “better” work is a “better read.”

It also helps to keep in mind the personal nature of the selections, as well as the opinions regarding them and the audience for whom the book was intended. A lot of the statements Murnighan makes throughout the book will undoubtedly grate on many readers, particularly the way he distinguishes between “manly” literature and “girly” literature, something which is particularly prevalent in the early part of the book, but which is present all throughout. There is a rather “douchebag” feel to Murnighan's writing, something which will undoubtedly put off more than a few readers. But then, one must remember that he is probably writing for an audience that appreciates such an approach - or perhaps, Murnighan himself believes it is the best approach, and so uses that instead of many other possible ways he could approach the subject at hand. This is certainly a good way of explaining why he dedicates a section of each entry solely to the “naughty bits” of a chosen book (though he also has another book solely about the naughty bits in books), and it also explains why he includes a section about what to skip in a particular work. While some people might disagree with this section entirely, I find that it can be useful when getting through some works like Homer's epics, where entire chunks of the epic are nothing more than lists and so have very little to contribute to the storyline itself. The reader may disagree with Murnighan about what (or what not) to skip in a book, but it must be admitted that there are very few classics (particularly early ones) that do not have chunks one can conveniently bypass without doing damage to one's understanding of the story - unless, of course, one is utterly enamored with the novel in question. That certainly seems to be the case with Murnighan and One Hundred Years of Solitude.

But for all that his writing makes him sound like a godawful douchebag, I will say quite a bit of it is humorous and very easy to read. There were quite a few times when I found myself laughing out loud over some line or idea, and it certainly helps in lightening up the ostensibly “serious” reads that Murnighan is trying to promote. While the jokes do grate on the nerves on occasion, there is a lot more there that is genuinely funny without being mildly offensive.

On the whole, Beowulf on the Beach is not entirely a bad read: it is rather entertaining, and really does try, in its own way (which may or may not be pleasing to the reader), to get the reader to try the classics Murnighan writes about. And although this is not a book about pedagogy, it does point out what is fundamentally wrong with the way literature is often taught in grade school and high school, and offers an alternate method of teaching it: get them to love it first by showing them what they can love about it, and all the rest will follow.

A grab bag, like a lot of short story anthologies tend to be. Some stories are great, specifically those by:

• Elizabeth Bear
• Charles R. Saunders
• Edward Morris
• Cherie Priest
• John Hornor Jacobs
• Ann K. Schwader
• Steve Duffy
• John Langan

• T.E.D. Klein
• Brian McNaughton
• Joseph S. Pulver, Sr.