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xenoc_1

xenoc_1@books.theunseen.city

Joined 2 years ago

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reviewed Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (Southern Reach, #1)

Jeff VanderMeer: Annihilation (2014, FSG Originals) 5 stars

Area X has been cut off from the rest of the continent for decades. Nature …

Review of 'Annihilation: A Novel (The Southern Reach Trilogy Book 1)' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I think Steve Erickson's "Days Between Stations" has a train that goes near Area X. I have not had my perceptions as warped, by a mainstream literary/SF mashup, since reading Erickson's superb book and its sequels/related pieces. VanderMeer's prose works to pull the reader into the inner life of the unnamed narrator (all the characters are unnamed, for in-universe valid reasons). On the surface of the story, if you go by the blurb, you might think it's another take on "The Dome" by King - an area mysteriously cut off, but this time we're following the activities of the agencies on the outside.

No, not at all. The only King that is close to this is the bizarrely unfocused wandering in the shifting sands and spaces and warped timeframes of his first "Dark Tower" book, "The Gunslinger". Yet we are neither in Mid-World nor Erickson's world - we're in what …

Review of 'Day Of The Vikings' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

"Uh-oh, he's starting with a 'but...'". Sadly, yes. I thoroughly enjoyed this novella, as I have all the others in Penn's ARKANE series, as rollicking good fun, fast-paced entertainment. In a topic area I like, the intersection of spirituality, history, psychology. Well-researched, readable. With a kick-butt hero (female heroes are called hero, just like female actors are rightly called actor) in Dr. Morgan Sierra, a character I want to learn so much more about.

But...

There's something missing in this book, and I don't just mean the page count nor the inevitable structural differences between a novella (this) and a full-length novel (the original trilogy of novels and arguably also "One Day in Budapest"). It's taken me about a day to put some solid thoughts and now words to it. What's missing is the whole set of support that Morgan supposedly has, the ARKANE-verse, so to speak.

For 2 and …

William Hope Hodgson: The Night Land 3 stars

The Night Land is a horror/fantasy novel by English writer William Hope Hodgson, first published …

Review of 'The Night Land' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

A long slog through a deeply flawed book. Yet strangely compelling, as long as taken in small doses.

Let's get its many flaws out of the way up front.

First, this is just damnably difficult to read, due to Hodgson's decision to write in a pseudo-18th-century style. Not even in a consistent version, because in the latter part of the book, he shifts into some time-warped "future-past-infinitive" mashup of a tense. "And I to put on my armor. And Mine Own Maid to walk with me" type of thing. Earlier he would have done "And I put on my armor".

Worse, in both styles, he goes on nigh upon forever belaboring a point, repeating so that you doth come with me in all feelings and sense, as would any Reader of non-dulled Wit, as in Those Days no less than These, so well-knownt to be unspoke at any need. But …

David Adams: Lacuna (Paperback, 2013, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, Createspace Independent Publishing Platform) 3 stars

Review of 'Lacuna' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I just whipped through this near-future military SF space opera book so fast, the heat sinks cooling my Kobo are still radiating into space.

Look, it's lightweight stuff. But a really fast, thrilling, funny, yet terrifying ride. It is the first of a series, and it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger both large and small-scale. Yet reasonably self-contained, at least enough so that I feel ok about switching to one of my many other to-read books next. Though likely to buy the next 2 installments soon.

If you like near-future, "what we we do if the aliens attacked us right now?" SF, this may be perfect. It's set (very minor spoilers)about 15 years from now. Boeing 747s are still in use on long-haul intercontinental flights. We humans have come up with 2 or 3 fascinating pieces of advanced tech, but have not yet applied any of them. Everything …

An enforcer wanted dead for crimes she didn’t commit... An assassin wanted dead for crimes …

Review of 'The Emperor’s Edge' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced read, and its very resourceful protagonist, Amaranthe Lokdon, one of the few female "enforcers" (imperial police) in this alt-history novel.

At least in this first book in Buroker's series, it isn't clear if this is an alternate-history Roman Empire that never fell, with name drift over the centuries, or if it is a totally different world. But it's essentially late-19th century tech except for no electricity yet discovered. Some blurbs use the "steampunk" label, but it's not classic steampunk, and there's something else as tech besides steam-powered goodies. As River Song would say, "Spoilers!"