A decent but not memorable queer horror. Not mad I read it, don't remember much about it. Sorry future me, this is a useless review.A decent but not memorable queer horror. Not mad I read it, don't remember much about it. Sorry future me, this is a useless review....more
Well...I liked t his a lot more than 4. But It did way too much too fast. The first two books let the story breathe. At this point we're alUmm... hmm.
Well...I liked t his a lot more than 4. But It did way too much too fast. The first two books let the story breathe. At this point we're all hyperventilating for 1000 pages which gets none of the benefits of a good lungful of air, or of holding your breath entirely....more
If I had to pick a word for this, it would be meandering. Or a new word I just learned, which is omphaloskepsis! Isn't that fun to say?
Well, the fun sIf I had to pick a word for this, it would be meandering. Or a new word I just learned, which is omphaloskepsis! Isn't that fun to say?
Well, the fun stops here. This should have been a cosmic horror type story. It was a MFA-esque flagellation about what keeps a relationship alive with an ending that I'm sure felt achingly ambiguous, but to the person who'd slogged through the rest was just tedious.
This book is a time capsule. It's literary scifi at the interchange of third wave and intersectional feminism. It's choosing to literally walk away frThis book is a time capsule. It's literary scifi at the interchange of third wave and intersectional feminism. It's choosing to literally walk away from the "man"-made world. It's struggling with what life looks like when you have no romance of any kind--physically, artistically-- and no hope of being remembered by anyone or for any reason.
It's grasping and evading and giving in and challenging, published in '95, when lean in hadn't worked and the anger hadn't yet returned.
I'm not sure what to do with this book, and I'm not sure if it worked or not, but I know I'll be thinking of it for a long time and comparing other literary scifi books to it even longer.
It's only not 5 stars because I kept waiting for something to bite into. This is the finest consommé, delicate and palatable but not satiating.
A small little frolic. Not quite a romp, but a nice and stately skip through a manicured field.
Um, so remember I do not prefer books with obtrusive roA small little frolic. Not quite a romp, but a nice and stately skip through a manicured field.
Um, so remember I do not prefer books with obtrusive romances and this one, while chaste, is still The Point.
CONTENT WARNING: (view spoiler)[ book burning, violent revolution, ecological disaster, mention of homophobia, mention of child abuse. (hide spoiler)]
Things to like:
-Very pleasant. It's cozy. Hot cocoa for the brain.
-Cool world. mermaids, merhorses, talking plants, spell winds... lots of cool stuff to look at.
-How magic worked. I liked the blend of magic and science. I wish we'd had more of it!
I don't really have any dislikes, other than the "HEA" focus and that fact that it felt a bit clinically banal. I didn't feel heart or glee or even mirth. It was just a lovely undyed wool sweater of a book. Perfectly fine, very cozy, no frills and a bit homely....more
An in-your-face take on the incarceration system. This book is not subtle in its comparisons to gladiatorial combat, slavery, and modern American prisAn in-your-face take on the incarceration system. This book is not subtle in its comparisons to gladiatorial combat, slavery, and modern American prisons. Indeed, the reason I ended up not using it for a poll in my book club was because it was so textual and we're currently living in a time where the veneer of civility is sure looking a bit thin on too many fronts for me to feel good about making people think critically or long about yet another battle we as a society need to fight.
CONTENT WARNING: (view spoiler)[ all of the abuses you can imagine of the prison system. Racism, sexism, queer antagonism, prisoner abuse, debasement, discussion of crimes including rape and incest (hide spoiler)]
Things I appreciated:
-The social call out. The prison complex is a personal bugbear and I am 100% here for scifi that is very little "fi" and loud about how people should be treated like people. And also loud about how exploiting people who are not being treated as people is both what is currently happening and vile.
-The nuance. If I'm staying now in the world, this book plays a lot with different ways of seeing gladiator matches among violent offenders. There are very few sympathetic folks here, but you still do want to sympathize with them because of who they become when they are literally fighting for their humanity.
-The writing. I found several passages beautifully composed.
-The characters and their choices. A wide assortment from a lot of different backgrounds with very strong voices throughout.
What I did not love:
-The ending. I don't think it followed. I think I get what it was trying to say, but I don't think it succeeded in its message. I think it was trying to say that these systems are so strong that even their victims enforce them, but this was not the moment for that. I would have loved the same nuance and humanity from the rest of the book to have presented itself here.
That being said, up until that point I found it poignant and well done....more
For my book club, I spend the last few months of the year reading with the specific intent of finding things I think will appeal to our readership. ItFor my book club, I spend the last few months of the year reading with the specific intent of finding things I think will appeal to our readership. It means I try and toss many, many many books and finish but am frustrated with at least a dozen others in the attempt to find a handful I can recommend with no reservations.
This is one of those books. It's well written with darling characters, a very cool world, and a compelling set of issues for a plot. Is it groundbreaking or breathtaking? No, but dammit it is a good story well told from an angle I do not see much of, despite my over-saturation on books.
CONTENT WARNING: (view spoiler)[ non-consensual relationship / kidnapping, child abuse, lots of death and blood, slavery (hide spoiler)]
Really this book just ticks all the boxes. The characters were varied and interesting. The world and magic were fun and hung together well. The writing was masterful. The plot was multi-layered and there were consequences to character choices. The character choices made sense and were followed through with consideration of how those choices might change things. There was plenty left open but the story itself came to a conclusion that felt earned.
My small gripes are too much talk about kissing and a few times the baddies wobbled into moustache twirly territory.
I think this book would appeal to a wide variety of fantasy readers and should be one on the TBR if you like stories of plucky heroines who do cool magic....more
Extremely "World of Darkness" but I'm not sure I connected with it as intended. I guessed the ending pretty early on, and most of the middle was just Extremely "World of Darkness" but I'm not sure I connected with it as intended. I guessed the ending pretty early on, and most of the middle was just gross in a way that made me think back to the shady parts of fandom in the early aughts.
- VAMPIRES! - I enjoy gritty vampire stories that don't romanticize that vampires are, at their least creepy, leeches. This does not stop at the least creepy.
-Vignettes. There are a few character moments and scenes that I still remember vividly.
Things that didn't work for me:
- Gross for gross' sake. We spend a lot of time in the head of a very unpleasant person who ends up not being the bad guy. I didn't love that.
-Twist? A lot of people found the end interesting. I found it unsatisfying. I had guessed the whodunnit, and the explanation wasn't all I hoped for.
A decent spooky time read if you're OK sharing headspace with monsters....more
Class, say it with me. I don't like what? Romances. That's right! Guess what this is.
CONTENT WARNING: (view spoiler)[ PTSD, discussion of homophobia, Class, say it with me. I don't like what? Romances. That's right! Guess what this is.
CONTENT WARNING: (view spoiler)[ PTSD, discussion of homophobia, discussion of racism, genocide/refugeeism/diaspora, gun violence, gore, religion, war (hide spoiler)]
Why this wasn't DNFed:
-Charming. Until tongues came out, the dialogue was brisk and witty.
-Fun to see. Imagine if time travelers from all over gathered together in one time. What larks!
-History tie ins. The cool things that inspired this are true and interesting points in history extrapolated in intriguing ways.
What I did not like:
-Romance. Explicit sex and lots of quivering and whatever. Just not my cuppa.
-Secondary plot. It felt smushed, rushed, rigged, and altogether less important than either the history or the ugly-bumpin'.
Credit where it's due, this is a romance AND time travel (which I also do not like as a rule) and if I hadn't been desperate for books for my book club I would have never have even started this book but it still wrenched 3 stars from me. So if you do not want to turn into a puddle who has lost all ability to think thoughts when you read either romance or time travel, maybe you'll have better luck. ...more
This sounded so fun, and it is, but only if you're ready to exist in the drunk/high space our MC lives in.
Things that were fun:
-Super power is friendsThis sounded so fun, and it is, but only if you're ready to exist in the drunk/high space our MC lives in.
Things that were fun:
-Super power is friendship. Our MC is whatever, but she's mega good at making friends, and that's cute.
-A fae take on post-scarcity. Imagine striking a bargain to end war and starvation. I don't actually think it did a great job exploring that, but it's a fun idea.
-Exuberant writing. Turn off brain, words make the happy thoughts.
It wasn't good though:
-Vapid. Our MC just wants to get stoned and make out with people. She knows she's pretty and while generous and kind and other worthy virtues, the main thing that does her thinking is her pleasure center.
-Cringe. There are a few points, the, uh, climax, in particular, where you're like "surely it won't be so cliche--oh, wow, no it wasn't because it was even more trite."
It was short, and this week I don't hate feeling like I'm a few brain cells lighter, but my highest praise is that I didn't actually roll my eyes except the once at the end, and I did want our plucky girl to get hers....more
This book has so much: compelling characters, a compelling what if, follow through on the what if, strong craftsmanship. Unfortunately what it does noThis book has so much: compelling characters, a compelling what if, follow through on the what if, strong craftsmanship. Unfortunately what it does not have is an ending.
CONTENT WARNING: (view spoiler)[ animal cruelty, bullying, use of alcohol, car accident, climate change (hide spoiler)]
Things to love:
-The different POVs. I thought all of them were well thought out and told a different side of the story in an interesting and endearing way.
-The what if. How would the world react if suddenly fish started showing up on land?
Where it all fell apart:
-The end. I don't know what happened. The author tapped out or couldn't get what she hoped so instead of trying she just basically said "well, never mind." That is criminal, in my world. If you're going to send a book into the world, at least endow it with the courage of its convictions. There are so many better ways this could have gone that would have at least honored the characters and the world.
It would have been 5 stars, if it had stuck any landing....more
This one I don't have much to say about. I liked the premise, but I found the sexual component to be a weird fixation. Both consensual "adult" sex andThis one I don't have much to say about. I liked the premise, but I found the sexual component to be a weird fixation. Both consensual "adult" sex and pedophilia are so prominent in this story that I am am working not to look behind the text too hard.
I don't think the idea was handled respectfully or honestly, and that's a shame, because it's a neat central idea....more
My GR friend Charles accused me of "hating" this book because it's been a couple of months since I read it and I'm only now reviewing it. That is muchMy GR friend Charles accused me of "hating" this book because it's been a couple of months since I read it and I'm only now reviewing it. That is much more a consequence of life bein' life than it is of my sentiments.
I did not hate it. For this type of book to have been published in 1996, I can appreciate its significance and the import it had on the genre. I appreciate it as foundational to the genre. I can see how it shaped the hard social scifi of the next decade. I think it contemplated the paths current day humanity has before it in a prescient and honest way. That said, my money will forever be on Pandora's Star by Hamilton if I have to pick a multi generational epic based on economic differences.
-Gene splicing vs. body modification. In the 90s, cloning and genetic modification were a Big Topic. By sequencing a human's full DNA and cloning a sheep, we launched dozens of branches of science and ethics regarding the use of the human genome. It was also a time when we were considering how best to support people with limb differences, mobility issues, and body dysmorphia. As a child who grew up with this in the news, I remember, and I think this book is iconic for its contemplation of all the different outcomes over dozens of years.
-The immediacy of the writing. I always admire authors who can approach epics and maintain the same energy at each stage. You'd think someone would get tired of a character after narrating their activities for a few centuries, but Sterling was dogged.
-The internal consistency: The author made premises and built off of them. I'm not sure what else anyone can expect from SF. It was complex, nuanced, logical, and followed to its natural conclusion.
Things that did not work for me:
-Reaganism in SF. I'm no longer a child. I have seen how certain policies played out in real life and frankly, I'm over it. The 80s died. The 80s fucked me and mine hard. It was great while it lasted, but it did not last, and now in the cold light of late stage capitalism, the shine has worn off.
-Style. Again, Hamilton gets my vote for a book that survives the future. This one was an important stepping stone, but it is not the end all be all, and I'm not sure it's the best of its ilk. Perhaps fortunately, perhaps unfortunately, the generation spanning works in SF before this are fewer, and then about a decade later there were so many they become almost impossible to distinguish, so it gets compared against Foundation and then more pop culture works from my young adulthood.
So, I did like it, and find it extremely relevant to the history of SF, but I'm not sure I'd call it the future of SF either....more
An unfortunately generic story. Something about a sister, something about gene alteration and monsters and gen ships being threatened. I hardly recallAn unfortunately generic story. Something about a sister, something about gene alteration and monsters and gen ships being threatened. I hardly recall any details less than a month later. ...more
Another book I sampled for book club. Honestly, I initially found it a competent but common haunted house novel. The end however surprised me in a wayAnother book I sampled for book club. Honestly, I initially found it a competent but common haunted house novel. The end however surprised me in a way that reminded me of the "social horror" a la Jordan Peele's works, except of course we're talking about white folk here, so with a different social norm being interrogated.
CONTENT WARNING: (view spoiler)[ graphic bodily harm, including to animals and children. Toxic families and relationships, drinking, work place harassment (hide spoiler)]
Things to love:
-Spooky house. it's real spooky!
-MC. The middle child, twin, art student, only one been to therapy, only one not in a relationship or with children at a family retreat. I bet you can feel all your energy draining. She knew what she was getting into, and was fortified for it, and it's still very extremely relatable.
-The end. I've read a lot of haunted house stories. There's a cadence to them. This one followed all of them until it didn't. And what it did was a smart twist on what it means to never be able to go home.
Not quite perfect:
-A little OTT. Mostly she avoided this, but a few of the characters were just toooo obviously The Bad Guys.
-Wanted more depth to the actual villain. Again, lots of cool and smart choices here, but the central one of motive I found unremarkable.
Overall a surprisingly good entry into the Haunted House subgenre and I'll be following this author more closely in the future.
I was very eager to read about an alternate future focused on what the indigenous populations might have done.
Unfortunately, the scope was very limiteI was very eager to read about an alternate future focused on what the indigenous populations might have done.
Unfortunately, the scope was very limited and not really explored, and the mystery was laughably obvious.
I wanted to know more about the living cities, the universal income etc. And I wanted a lot less villain monologue and people suddenly showing up all over the place....more
A well written scifi noir. It has all the hallmarks of a noir story, with the ultra violence, the lusty ladies, the hard used detective etc. I thoughtA well written scifi noir. It has all the hallmarks of a noir story, with the ultra violence, the lusty ladies, the hard used detective etc. I thought its take on gene manipulation/eternal life seeking was interesting and had cool implications for the world that were mostly internally consistent.
A fine noir, just not one that made me jump up and down for joy on any of the scales I internally use when I'm considering how I feel about a book.
Gosh did I want this book to Say Something. I just don't think it ever did. I could probably give you a list of 10 books that contemplate war, the ludGosh did I want this book to Say Something. I just don't think it ever did. I could probably give you a list of 10 books that contemplate war, the ludicrous nature of nations, the nature of rebellion, and the fall into fascism better than this book
It was very earnest in its thoughts, even if they weren't enlightening, however.
I honestly am trying to remember much about this, but 2 months later, the big takeaway is that war never solves a problem, and that propaganda is the best tool of the state, no matter which state.
Maybe I'm just jaded, but nothing in here was shocking. A lot of it was grotesque, like the torture and depravity, but none of it made me think new thoughts.
Yeah, kid, this is what war looks like. Yeah, kiddo, revolutions fail.