Bring me all the speculative fiction. Whose stories have I been missing out on?
Rating system calibration:
1 star - not worth reading 2 stars - worth reading, but has major problems 3 stars - satisfying read, may have minor problems. Most books live here. 4 stars - inspiring read, overshadows any issues 5 stars - life-changing read
Reading log for @infryq@social.wub.site, @infryq@sunny.garden
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A pretty standard variation on “omg why can’t you just TALK to one another” but gets an extra star because I can’t think of any other romance novel that’s made me think I’d like to read poetry next.
Other nice textures: coming out after 35, healing through music, love letters to New York City, recovering suits, and being a good role model and a terrible influence
From sci-fi visionary and acclaimed author Annalee Newitz comes Automatic Noodle, a cozy near-future novella …
A nice perspective on finding yourself suddenly dumped into adulthood and self-management, but as part of a group— so you all can build something together.
Fans of Murderbot and Becky Chambers (maybe more Wild-Built than Wayfarer) will likely find something to enjoy here, though the edges are very soft indeed. I found myself wishing for a little more depth on the antagonists, and a little less Moderator Ex Machina in the wrap up. Might’ve made a stronger argument for collectives and against authoritarianism if the ones they were fighting with and securing help from were more people-shaped.
A delightful read regardless.
The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the …
This is a story told in dream logic, where you believe the impossible things that are right in front of you because to deny them would just waste everyone's time. The protagonist is unflinchingly practical, and learns to use her temper to her advantage. The antagonist is an embodiment of the petulant powerful who fear being laughed at, and find that that somehow justifies the disproportionate misery they inflict on others. The setting is a concentrated infusion of off-axis 1920s that seeps into every crevice of the narrative. Beautifully delivered.
This is a story told in dream logic, where you believe the impossible things that are right in front of you because to deny them would just waste everyone's time. The protagonist is unflinchingly practical, and learns to use her temper to her advantage. The antagonist is an embodiment of the petulant powerful who fear being laughed at, and find that that somehow justifies the disproportionate misery they inflict on others. The setting is a concentrated infusion of off-axis 1920s that seeps into every crevice of the narrative. Beautifully delivered.
Gunnar, who has kept himself and his family alive using druidic techniques taught by his brother Justen, sends his son …
Time to Orbit: Unknown is a science fiction story set on the colony ship Courageous. …
A friend mentioned this gives them similar feels to Murderbot
From the National Book Award–longlisted author of The Need comes an extraordinary novel about a wife and mother who—after losing …
This reads like a collage of (at least) Iain M Banks, Becky Chambers, Jodi Taylor, and Ann Leckie, which would normally be a slam dunk for me but the execution is disjointed -- not enough time to melt together, individual lifts still too recognizable to feel like a cohesive thought.
It may have suffered a bit in the reading; I would 100% listen to Adjoa Andoh all day every day but either she was blindsided by the layers necessary for the protagonist or she'd never listened to Zara Ramm's rendition of Madeline Maxwell, which hits similar character development notes but does it while making the character, not the reading, seem fractured.
Nevertheless! I want to know more about this universe and how it functions, I enjoyed racing the characters to the end, and I was delighted by several surprises. The treatment of disability and assistive technology was refreshing; …
This reads like a collage of (at least) Iain M Banks, Becky Chambers, Jodi Taylor, and Ann Leckie, which would normally be a slam dunk for me but the execution is disjointed -- not enough time to melt together, individual lifts still too recognizable to feel like a cohesive thought.
It may have suffered a bit in the reading; I would 100% listen to Adjoa Andoh all day every day but either she was blindsided by the layers necessary for the protagonist or she'd never listened to Zara Ramm's rendition of Madeline Maxwell, which hits similar character development notes but does it while making the character, not the reading, seem fractured.
Nevertheless! I want to know more about this universe and how it functions, I enjoyed racing the characters to the end, and I was delighted by several surprises. The treatment of disability and assistive technology was refreshing; neither rosy nor disposable.
From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a thematic response to The Secret History and a tonal retort to …
Joanna Kalotay lives alone in the woods of Vermont, the sole protector of a collection of rare books; books that …
There was a plan.
She had the money, the connections, even the brains. It was become one of the …
A scoundrel who lives in the shadows. Jack Turner grew up in the darkness of London's slums, born into a …
