The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This one sent me on a roller-coaster. At first, way before I picked it up, I was all, "Wow, Keanu! Then it was Keanu's comic, Berserker, in novel form! And then the deeper realization that it was also China Miéville (what a wild imagination in his own right) hit me and I was, 'daaammn'."

Fast forward to actually reading it -- and I was struck by the careful language and I was getting into it the way I'd get into any kind of "serious" SF, knowing this was out to push some boundaries -- until I was a bit bored with the action scenes -- and then I fell back into the groove of, "Hey, this IS about the nature of life and death, of the complications of immortality, and it is even a rather nuanced look at reality, itself."

Huh. Real SF, after all. And it wasn't just a cheap knock off of the modern SFnal vein. It had jumps, stories within stories within stories, shifting between broad story-lines, and always the sense of an ocean of ennui fighting against the raging spark of living.

So, yeah, it has a few weak spots, but I definitely feel invigorated for having finished it, and that's on its own merits, and not by any preconceived notion.

It's not going to be a pure action novel even though it is CLOSELY tied to Keanu's comics, but like those comics, it has a deep philosophical streak that, in novel form, actually makes it shine.

For those readers coming just because they have a crush on Keanu or China, come at this with an open mind and heart. You'll be rewarded.


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Defiance of the Fall 2 by TheFirstDefier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Interestingly enough, I enjoyed book two more than the first. Maybe it makes up for all the solo brawny axe bits by stakes that make it quite a bit more social. Building a city definitely helps.

Don't get me wrong, though. There's tons of solo leveling and grind, so everything that brought me to the series is still going strong.

Let's get BEAST. Show the System who's really boss.



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A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is what I consider serious SF. Huge, epic scale SF where nothing is treated like a joke. It's also the source of the term "Singularity", for those who need an introduction.

I've loved this novel ever since it came out in the 90s, being totally fascinated with the Zones of Thought, where different areas of the galaxy can achieve godlike intelligence -- and others are reduced to simple biological slowness, taking away FTL and even computers.

The Blight is spreading that zone faster than any alien race can handle. *shiver*

But here's the best part, IMHO: The Tines world. We spend a lot of time here, with just two humans awake, a brother and sister, who get used in a big political alien game -- but it's nothing simple. Indeed, the aliens themselves are utterly fascinating -- not truly intelligent unless they stay fairly close together in small packs, like wolves, they run a medieval society. The whole tale is delicious.

I won't spoil it here. The thing is -- this is one of THE science fiction greats. So rich with worldbuilding, character development, ranging from cannons and radio to fleets of aliens, super ancient god-like remnants, unknowable threats, and physics, itself, being a major player in the tale.

There have been some pretty great epic-scale SFs, of course, but it's safe to say that most must tip a hat to Vernor Vinge.

That being said, RIP, Vinge. You will be missed.

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Defiance of the Fall by TheFirstDefier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Since I like LitRPGs pretty much all the time, being a long-term gamer, I don't mind the formula or the execution of this kind of thing: Wake up in a mashed-up multi-universe where an omniscient System makes everyone fight for resources/rights to plunder, and leveling up your skills to be the best, most bloodthirsty warrior -- protecting your little corner of your changed Earth.

It's just progression fiction, after all. Fun for what it is -- battles, adventure, leveling up.

The story isn't much, but that's not the best part. Getting beast is the best part. So here we go!

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Shuna's Journey by Hayao Miyazaki
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Back in '83 this early Miyazaki manga was published, and from the cover and subsequently just about everything else within it, I was mesmerized by the imagery and themes.

I pointed at it, saying, "Princess Mononoke!!!"

And while it WASN'T Princess Mononoke, so much of it just screamed similarity, not least Yakul the red reindeer, the character designs, or so much more.

As for itself, it's mythical and beautiful, while feeling young, like all of Miyazaki's work, maybe a bit more SF and raw, but there's no way you could read this and not make all the connections.

Totally worth it.

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The First Step by Tao Wong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wanted something light, and this wuxia cultivation novel seemed just right for me.

Nothing extreme, just a slow progression from a peasant conscript to a fairly competent warrior, but with all the LitRPG elements of opening his chi gates, etc.

Enjoyable, if nothing extreme.

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Maror by Lavie Tidhar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If it wasn't for the fact that this was historical fiction, illustrating the dirty underbelly of Isreal, mostly in the '80s, I would have just said that this was a lurid crime book full of dirty cops, drug dealers, murders, and prostitutes.

I WOULD have said that it was sensational and dark and a bit overblown in just how ugly all this shit was, between summary justice being had on a whim, the amazing amounts of drugs, participation in civil wars, wholesale murder -- but no. It is a story of a nation being built by assholes who do what they think needs doing. The hardliners had to come from somewhere, after all.


As a side-note, I was kinda worried about reading this alongside some truly deplorable current-events, but I shouldn't have worried. Lavie Tidhar writes a pretty damning tale without any modern reference material.


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