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Thursday, March 23, 2023

The Serpent and the Grail (Arthor, #4)The Serpent and the Grail by A.A. Attanasio
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It wasn't the focus on Arthor that I appreciated in this one. Merlin always stole the show and for the most part, so did all his companions.

In this case, I had a great deal of fun with Loki and dealing with Satan was something else, too.

The whole search for the Holy Grail was quite a bit more magical and female this time around and I have no complaints. Mommy dealing with the Fae was a real delight and pretty epic in its own right.

In retrospect, I think I had a bit more fun in this one than the previous two books. Definitely worth reading if you like Arthurian legends.

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Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Galaxy in Flames (The Horus Heresy, #3)Galaxy in Flames by Ben Counter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is entertaining enough if all you're looking for is galactic civil war, hints of other-dimensional godlike invaders, and battle, battle, battle.

I miss the philosophical moments and the slow character burn of the first novel, however. It's the nutritious part. The rest of this seems to be all condiments and hot sauce.

It's FINE if that's all you want. Indeed, some of the action is really good and the whole loyalty above all, the betrayals, the call for EMPIRE and the rage of discovery is all very emotional -- if you have been emotionally invested.

As it is, I did get invested in the first novel. The rest have merely coasted on the first.

And yet, there is some big-scope, big possibility world-destroying action laid down here. I think it would be enough for quite a few readers.

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Death Masks (The Dresden Files, #5)Death Masks by Jim Butcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Moving on with the great re-read of the Dresden Files, I was pretty thrilled to see the progression of the Red Court's threat (still so much less than what it will be) and a true, nasty introduction to the Denarians.

I think I like it all so much better on the re-read. I know how nasty things get so I'm slapping my head about Harry's nonchalance and bravado.

And that leads me right back to where I should have been all along: his friends. Without them, he's ALWAYS a sitting duck. Worse, he's cannon fodder. He talks a great game but he would have been toast without those faith Jedi swords at his back.

Truly though, the action and atmosphere was great in this one. I'm loving Michael and friends a lot. The dialogue is great. The implications at the end...

Well, that's what we have the next novel for. :)

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Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Hell Bent (Alex Stern, #2)Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm definitely jumping on the rave train for this book, this series. I was already in love with the first but Hell Bent one goes above and beyond.

Let me put it this way: this is what a UF ought to be when it goes high-class and high-res. Fantastic on the details, delicious on the characters, and a story that just won't quit. Even the "flashbacks" are beyond necessary and crucial to this full-bodied and sometimes hellbound tale.

I'm in love with Alex Stern. She has everything I've loved in some of my favorite UFs but the creative mix of Ivy League school, secret societies, deep friendships, and a peculiarly wicked sense of honor makes this stand out. It's more than well-rounded, it's invigorating.

I am probably going to want to do a wonderful re-read of this right before the third book comes out and I'm gonna have to take along everyone. It's too good to miss.


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Monday, March 20, 2023

The Wolf and the Crown (Arthor, #3)The Wolf and the Crown by A.A. Attanasio
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

To be honest, the third book in the Arthor cycle feels like a bit of a letdown. Of course, I'm comparing it more to the first and a bit to the second books, both of which spanned great time and scope as well as getting deep into specifics. The first one blew me away. The second was all right because it gave us Arthor (Arthur) as a YA protagonist leading up to the Sword in Stone, giving us a trip through the realms of the World Tree, and some rather awesome storytelling.

This one was merely about the early days of proving himself to be King, discovering what kind of king he would like to be. There was some resolution with the setup in the second book, of course, but oddly enough, this was almost a minor part of the tale.

Now, if I just ignored the Arthor parts and read the book as something else, completely, I thought it was a great collection of druidic legends, a mix of many other mythologies, and a very Fae-ish kind of magical legend. And honestly, I didn't really see why it should have mixed with the Arthurian Legend at all, but there it is.

Was it still pretty fascinating? Yes. Was it imaginative? Yes. But I'm stuck comparing it to the first book which was on a much more epic scale. It's not all that fair to THIS book, especially when it COULD have gone much further and deeper into the whole Grail quest, instead, and ending in the glorious tragedy. Instead, Mordred is still an unborn child throughout books 2 and 3. We had whole GENERATIONS in the first book.

This one is good but NOT to the same level. And that's a shame, because I thought things were going to be much wilder than this.

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Saturday, March 18, 2023

False Gods (The Horus Heresy, #2)False Gods by Graham McNeill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I rather missed the philosophical and ethical depth of the first book. It's still continued, to one degree or another, but it takes a back seat to the action.

This isn't really that bad a thing for a huge space-opera war epic spanning so many worlds. War is everything, warriors, bigger than anything, and the unstoppable wave of death... is totally gratuitous.

Truly, the whole thing is over-the-top gratuitous bloodlust and the glory of war, war, war. And why? For it's own sake. The echoes of the ethics, the questions, the undercurrent from the first book feels like an ultimate counterpoint... and everything is totally overbalanced.

Honestly, it would turn my stomach if I didn't already know what I was getting myself into. After all, it IS Warhammer 40k.

On a side note, I really love the whole idea of the Warp and the complications of godhood. I could read all of these just for that.

I wonder if I have the stomach for all of these. The Emperor's Crusade is so ironic. Peace and enlightenment at the tip of a sword. *rolls eyes*


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The Eagle and the Sword (Arthor, #2)The Eagle and the Sword by A.A. Attanasio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Unpopular opinion time.
Well, maybe unpopular.

I think this is a much better Arthurian legend retelling than White's Once and Future King. It's better than Mort De Arthur. It's better than Mists. Hell, it's better than all the rest of the old Arthurian legends.

Why, under the great world tree, would I say this?

Because it captures my imagination in a way that all the other books could not. Not only is the core re-imagined and intertwined masterfully with a ton of well-researched old mythologies, but Attanasio is very, very creative. The core Arthurian legend continues in this book with a young Arthor (Arthur), Morgan Le Fae, Merlin, as well as the fae, multiple tribes with clashing religions, and monsters and demons living in the World Tree.

The sword in stone is first and foremost, as is the setup for Arthor's future tragedy, and I'm all excited. We have such great setup.

Best of all, this is written in the modern epic fantasy style, popular in the early days of Jordan and Goodkind, and it is easily on the same level.

Loving it.

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Friday, March 17, 2023

The Dragon and the Unicorn (Arthor, #1)The Dragon and the Unicorn by A.A. Attanasio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I remember reading this back around 20 years ago and being blown away by the epic-level magic, the mixing of mythologies, and the beautiful core of this retelling of the Arthurian legend.

On re-read, I'm no less blown away.

There's so much to love in this. We get the genealogies of angels and demons under a very creative worldbuilding banner, the genealogies of Arthur's ancestors and the world into which he was born, a LOT of the extremely interesting take on Merlin, the demon who lives backwards, and especially Arthur's (or rather, Arthor's) parents and their peaceful mix of the ancient Druidic magics and Christianity.

Every page in this book shows a love of ALL mythologies and the desire to include them all under a single banner, just like the High King did for all the savages. The mirroring is gorgeous.

I look at so many modern epic fantasies and it's hard not to think we've lost something by comparison. I'm not saying the focus on Christianity is the thing that's missing. I'm saying the RICHNESS of it and all the others is what's missing, interwoven in a truly archetypal and gorgeous plethora of storytelling. :)

Granted, I didn't truly fall into the magic of this book until around half-way through, the slow build really aided in my love for the rest.

The magic in this book, even by today's jaded consumption of magic... is still quite amazing. There are always limits, balances, and rules.

I can't wait to read on.

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Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Horus Rising (The Horus Heresy, #1)Horus Rising by Dan Abnett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I always avoided reading the Warhammer books for some reason. Maybe it was because I just got a vibe of zealotry, guns, blood, guts, zealotry, guns, destroying humans who disagree, and meeting new alien races to murderize them.

To put it plainly, it's not my cup of tea.

But now that I've finally gotten around to picking this up, I'm really surprised at how philosophical and idealism-oriented it really is. And while most of the warriors are all rah rah for the Emperor, a surprising number of them enjoy a good solid THINK. I really loved the down-time in this a LOT more than the gore, but the action was pretty cool, too.

I think, if I had to choose from any war-type far-future SF, I think this is some of the smoothest I've read. It actually criticizes without throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Very interesting.

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Monday, March 13, 2023

Legacy of Ash (Legacy Trilogy, #1)Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I heard some good things about this and I was hungry for a new Epic Fantasy to sink my teeth into.

By the end of this book, I got exactly what I hoped to get. Dark and heavily risen stakes, a bloodbath or three, and a good taste of the good 'ole grimdark.

I was invested by the end.

That also implies that I wasn't invested in the other times, and that is also true.

It took me about 2/3rds of the novel before I was doing something else than watching some prideful people bite the dust or other prideful people betray those they should have been protecting or sometimes both at the same time.

Don't get me wrong. That's a commonplace trope for these kinds of novels. This book had the mild feel of some Tad Williams and a taste of Abercrombie without the wildly imaginative aspects of either. I did notice something, however. There are an awful lot of epic fantasy novels that use crows. I mean, a LOT. Just an observation.

Anyway, I did think this was pretty good but for me, it's a bit average or a little above average. I may continue on the off-chance it gets brilliant.

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Saturday, March 11, 2023

Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson, #2)Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So. I decided I didn't give Mercy enough chance to get good for me by just reading one book so I eventually circled back around and picked up the second.

I'm kinda surprised and a bit peeved with myself that I took so long.

So here we are, back among the pack and messing around with werewolves and little miss skinwalker is a bit underpowered. You really shouldn't be underpowered when dealing with a vampire sorcerer controlling a freaking demon. It should be a rule or something.

Don't mess around with sorcerer vampires. It's bad. Just.. bad.


Anyway, I actually had a pretty awesome time. I think I may need to buckle down and read the rest.

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Helliconia Winter (Helliconia, #3)Helliconia Winter by Brian W. Aldiss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, I'm glad that I can say that I finally read the Helliconia trilogy.

The main reason I enjoyed it was the worldbuilding. The characters, their having to deal with not only this alien world during different Great Seasons, are, at least to me, secondary to my sheer enjoyment of trying to understand the world itself.

This volume goes all the way in giving us a full explanation of the great cycles, the physiological changes that the humans and sub-human and alien creatures have to go through to survive the great winter, or by remembering Helliconia Summer, the reversed changes from here. (A great plague in either case, killing off so many but whomever survives, survives vastly changed.)

The comparisons between this world and the Earth, what happened to the Earth, our many colonies, was a fantastic addition.

But this is me. I love great worldbuilding, and that includes the sociological upheavals in these books. It was often about plain survival and while I did have some issues about the returning of all this religiosity that they had apparently escaped in Summer, I understand it. Everyone's brains changed. It was survival of the most isolationist, exploitative. It's a good message even if I personally thought it was horrible. It's a great mirror to the first book. In that one, we got a rebellion and the collapse of the priesthood. In this, the re-establishment.

Definitely worth reading. I may not have cared all that much about the dated sex stuff or some of the side-stories but the amount of care he put into making everything hang together is quite extraordinary.

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Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Red Team Blues: A Martin Hench NovelRed Team Blues: A Martin Hench Novel by Cory Doctorow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my, this was a super easy and fun read for me. It has that perfect oddball mix of technothriller present day SF, savvy forensic economics white-hat heroism, and an easily humorous late-middle-age protag that is cunning, and careful, and wily.

Plus, it's Cory Doctorow. There are a great number of fun references to oddballs everywhere, not to mention a great understanding of cryptocurrencies, cryptography, and hacking in general.

Of course, this is a major life-hacking novel, almost noir, and definitely a hoot of an adventure.

I would LOVE to read a TON of Martin Hench novels. Hell, I tend to LOVE any novel with a good understanding of economics and financial chicanery and the will to right injustices.

I mean... is there a more timely novel out there? Just look around. Wouldn't we love to see some light shine on those sinister tax havens and Lex Lutherish super-rich and the stock markets? Wouldn't we love to have some kind of superman rip some of these evil-doers from their bunkers?

Yeeessssss, please.

So give me more of this. Give me the really smart stuff. Hit me. :)


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Tuesday, March 7, 2023

The Complete MausThe Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

*cries silently*
















This was easily more harrowing an experience than any that I've read. I mean, sure, there are worse in documentaries and movies about the Holocaust, but for writing?

No. This started gentle, got me invested heavily, and then the true horror settled in. It was, of course, worse because it was real.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I burst into tears several times, and it wasn't always for just the people depicted as mice. I am horrified, yet again. So absolutely horrified. Again. And it's always worse because we hear of still more atrocities around the world at different times and I have to wonder if there's anything worth saving in mankind.

I know there is. But I have to wonder.



As for this particular graphic novel, it won the Pulitzer for very good reason.

It's also banned all over the place because certain people are still invested in burying the truth, either to keep a beloved scapegoat or to perpetuate prejudice. Either way, fuck them. Everyone ought to pick this up and read it. Don't forget your history. Don't forget everyone's shared history. Don't forget our shared humanity, or we will all be doomed to repeat the same fucking mistakes.



*cries silently*

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Monday, March 6, 2023

Hidden FiguresHidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've been on a great kick of modern women ass-kickers lately, getting a great taste of pre-and-post WWII women who are and should be great role-models for everyone.

In this particular book, we've got the Space Race and the way meritocracy actually overcame racism in the early days when the USA found itself falling behind the USSR.

It wasn't easy by any shot, however, for USA had and still has a real nasty problem with sexism and racism. Only the dire need to get things done had pried open an opportunity in what would later be NASA and there WERE a lot of wonderful female and black mathematicians carrying a ton of the burden. This is their story, and it's a fantastic story.

They may never have gotten the real credit or the adulation they deserve, even with this book and VERY late praise, but I'm very pleased that they did get some. I remember seeing the movie a few years ago, too, and figured it would be right to finally read the book and I'm happy to have done so.

Am I still sore that so much crap still has to be shoveled when ALL such big, wonderful tasks ought to be a joint effort that actively supports each other? Yes. Am I sore that the pervasive racism just f**king sucks, making not only the victim's lives harder, but EVERYONE'S lives harder? Yes.

But I would be remiss if I didn't sound a horn about the death of the space agency itself, having been drained of its blood by the cold war and then left for dead by greedy politicians.

I guess there's a lot to mourn. There's too much to mourn.

But one thing we should not mourn is the fact that these women got to be a part of something great and they ought to be extremely proud. That is, DESPITE all the crap they had to go through... or that everyone has to go through.

As history goes, this books is very necessary. We need to learn. We need to be better. We can't just keep hurting ourselves.

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Sunday, March 5, 2023

The Confidante: The Untold Story of the Woman Who Helped Win WWII and Shape Modern AmericaThe Confidante: The Untold Story of the Woman Who Helped Win WWII and Shape Modern America by Christopher C. Gorham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Anna Marie Rosenberg is one of those women of the 20th century that really oughtn't be forgotten. I mean, she was not only a great role model for anyone, not just other women, but she was instrumental in so many wonderful policies that kept America on track, healthy, and whole.

My personal favorites, other than being FDR's right-hand woman and de facto Secretary of State, ushering in positive policies (New Deal, Social Security, employing women and blacks during the war effort ) and other progressive (one might say, OBVIOUS, but not for the time, inclusion of all capable people) initiatives, was one that we should all be particularly careful to note: Trade Unions.

Before she was the head confidante, chief information gatherer, going so far as to head out among the troops, being at the forefront of learning of the atrocities of WWII, or doing an awful lot to make the post WWII military a bit more efficient, she was a shrewd negotiator with teeth. She quickly earned vast amounts of trust between workers and businesses, cutting through the crap and making sure grievances and proper remuneration and justice would be had on all sides.

This was, of course, during the Great Depression, where there was a lot of homeless and cops and Pinkerton folks were beating up and sometimes murdering workers during the numerous strike busting going on. She understood all the issues and made sure that so many people were handed a little justice.

I bring this up because this little bit of history should be much better known today. The surrounding issues are becoming quite familiar to us. Strike busting never stopped, after all. Massive organization on all sides used to be a thing in America, but this was before the massive PR campaigns and media blackouts and endless funds and lawyers were being poured into ending worker protections.

Anna Marie Rosenberg, were she alive today, would have been at the forefront of organizing the right people, political or otherwise, to make sure regular people had a say.

It's really odd. Back then, it was really, really bad, race-wise, with so many lynchings and overt racism codified into laws, but those times still had it easier when it came to making great changes. Indeed, those social programs, better schools, GI Bills, Social Security itself, and a MUCH higher taxing rate for the richest, was almost unimaginably BETTER than it is now. Indeed, in quite a few ways, all these safety nets are almost back to what it was before the New Deal.

This is where knowing our history is so very important.

We're almost back to the bad old days of the Great Depression and yet we're told on all sides that we're doing great. I'm not saying that they also didn't have their fair share of bold lies and nasty-minded grifters and looters, but at least there were people in actual power, or power-adjacent, like Anna Marie Rosenberg, who could really FIGHT BACK and give us all a chance.

So, if anything, I'd recommend that everyone read this just to have that feeling. That idea that it IS possible to effect real change. I'm so done with example after example of the worst humanity has to offer.

We need to remember that there CAN still be clear-eyed, indefatigable people fighting the good fight.

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Saturday, March 4, 2023

EleanorEleanor by David Michaelis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a very pleasant surprise. A lot of it wasn't that new because I've read and watched a few documentaries on First Lady Eleanor and just how much she informed and shaped FDR's presidency, but there is something really comforting about a well-written account.

Frankly, she was something of a heroine. She was a genuinely good person who was willing and able to squarely face poverty and racism and meet the problem with courage and charm. I believe she was FDR's conscience, his heart. She pursued goals that made her extremely well-loved by almost everyone.

As far as I'm concerned, here are a few of the most important bits: She was a one-woman equal rights activist, an anti-poverty heroine, a tireless champion of anti-prejudice, an exposer of ignored atrocities, and, as I've said, a genuinely good person.

She used her native intelligence and vitality to give voice to so many problems in American society during a time where most were swept under the rug and kept mum in the media. Between the lynchings to gay rights to concentration camps overseas or right on American soil, women's rights, communist witch hunts, or the endlessly horrible effects of hidden poverty, she was always right there, shining a light on the problems.

She was a great person.

I appreciate her all the more today. We need someone just like her, with that much of a platform, with as much of a good heart. We need her more today than we've ever needed her.

SIGH. Good people need platforms.



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Friday, March 3, 2023

Veniss UndergroundVeniss Underground by Jeff VanderMeer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Here's a fascinating tale. Not perfect by a long shot, but definitely out there, fearless, and lyrical. I've become a fan of VanderMeer for quite some time now. Some of his tales are evocative, full of vitality and the dark atmosphere of the truly strange, others are nicely grounded and only give you grazing shots of the unique and unknowable.

Veniss Underground, on the other hand, gives us a full city that is both remarkably familiar and deeply strange. We're come to understand this is a good 700 hundred years in the future and there are bioengineered freaks, mutants, and enough obsessions to drive anyone nuts. It's a great mix of the usual and the deeply disturbing. Meerkats, for example, are creations that I was fully prepared to be delighted by, but instead I'm reminded of brains in jars and dark incantations.

I like it. When VanderMeer goes all out in with the lyrical grossness, the existential horror with the icing of sheer, screaming, body horror, it's hard not to get sucked right in and remember, fondly of the earlier passages that seemed so light and breezy but have now turned to dread.

I'm not going to say that this was a flawless work, from either the short novel or the handful of short stories capturing more of Veniss, but I can say that I was nicely disturbed and equally impressed with the author. It's challenging, but worth the effort.

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Thursday, March 2, 2023

Backpacking Through Bedlam (InCryptid, #12)Backpacking Through Bedlam by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alice is back, ya'll. That should be enough to capture the interest of most of you grenade-toting freaks, but if it isn't, then you haven't been reading the rest of the Price family novels.

IF you have, though, it means you know that grandma has a bit of some emotion sorting to do with her husband, and if that isn't enough, then we also need to reintroduce ourselves with the already-familiar grandchildren.

This was very fun.

While that would also have been fine all by itself, we DID get an actual novel that included the OTHER side of the family. Yes. Those people. Craziness ensues. And then there is also a long stretch of the novel that has a certain kind of mouse PoV.

For those who know, you know. It's so good.


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Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Jade Legacy (The Green Bone Saga, #3)Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was suitably impressed with the first two volumes of the Green Bone Saga mostly because it reminded me of a very Godfather-type storytelling that was equal bits honor, shady dealings, control, family, and it did it in much the same way as Godfather in the setting. Early 20th century-type worldbuilding, emergent technologies, and a masterfully changing world.

The difference? Green Bone Jade magic, the toughs who use it, and all the sociological challenges and confusions related to it. Culturally, it was all the more fascinating in this book.

As for the tale, it's an epic family drama, now with full generations coming into their own.

I was very impressed. It was always a pleasure to read.

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Monday, February 27, 2023

Chaos Choreography (InCryptid, #5)Chaos Choreography by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Re-Read 2/27/23:

ELIMINATION ROUND.

'nuff said.


Or rather, I think I may have enjoyed it a bit more this time since I've gotten to know Alice a bit better.

Dance! Dance! Dance!


Original Review:

I have to admit I felt a little let down seeing that we were moving back to the big city. Maybe It's just the Verity and Dominic arc that I just don't care all that much for, no matter that it's not bad or uninteresting, but I just don't love it quite as much as big bro.

Of course, most of my annoyance is just because I don't really care about dance, and this, more than all the others, is *all* about dance. Dance competition, stardom, and Verity's personal gratification. I don't disapprove, and there's plenty of good conflict, but it's like watching an episode of Dancing with the Stars or some other weird tv show I have absolutely no interest in watching. The saving grace is that we get to see all these semi-or-professional dancers get permanently kicked off the show... and life.

So even if I didn't give much of a poop, at least I can snicker when the prima-donnas start getting bumped off, and that's basically where I was.

Except for grandma and the dragon princess. I have to admit I really enjoyed them. And the Mice. Things are definitely getting interesting in the side-characters. :)

So, all in all, and despite the basic subject matter, I still had a great deal of fun.

These are still full of a great selection of beasties, of course, but first and foremost, it's all about the Price Family, as usual. And That's A Good Thing. :) What a weird family. :)

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Saturday, February 25, 2023

Downward to the EarthDownward to the Earth by Robert Silverberg
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is one of those books that require a certain frame of mind to truly enjoy. We used to get a lot more books like this in the '60s and '70s, the serious type (SF or not) that really went into deep worldbuilding AND deep soul-searching. That doesn't show up quite as often, or quite as thoroughly, as this particular type of novel.


In this case, I was disturbed by the de-facto post-colonialism, the easy way that humans were racists even after pulling out of the alien world, how so many had felt guilty for treating the local aliens like dumb brutes.

There was no revolution, no great uprising. Indeed, most of us still didn't understand why the aliens were so forgiving or accepting of brute labor. We would have gotten truly pissed.

And then the whole novel has a fantastic Heart of Darkness feel to it that becomes almost mystical, but it was the mystery and the crazy bio-punk and flower-child type feel that made it really disturbing and weird.

The final reveal was really great. It doesn't have anything like a modern novel feel. Indeed, it subverts many SF tropes by being seriously introspective, guilt-searching, and understanding.

The turnaround from the post-colonial view was pretty fantastic.

Yes, a reader CAN read subtext into this, but the novel is deeply weird and nicely disturbing and quite unlike that kind of read.

It is its own SF beast, and wonderfully so.

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Summer Knight (The Dresden Files, #4)Summer Knight by Jim Butcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm loving my re-reads.

I totally forgot how much of the fae we got in this book. It's fae all day and fae all night and these 'bargains' are hilarious for us... and it only means hard times for Dresden.

Poor Dresden.

Of course, knowing what I know about how things shake up and shake out later in the series, it's really fascinating to get thrown into a whole fae murder mystery that leads to a full fae war... with Dresden being Dresden. Little hero Dresden.

Sigh. So good. It's real comfort food. Just like the pizza from Pizza Express. :)


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Friday, February 24, 2023

Pandemic (The Extinction Files, #1)Pandemic by A.G. Riddle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As pandemic, contagion, outbreak stories go, this novel fits squarely in the center of all the novels that I've read.

The good: a lot of real history and even nostalgic bits from the 90's and early 2000's, fairly decent grasp of the science, and when the plot is on track, it's really revving.

The meh: So many characters that are there more for the ambiance and the pathos that don't push the plot forward at all but still makes the novel feel like all the others. We're meant to FEEL for all these poor souls, after all, and it either works or it doesn't.

That's all fine and dandy. It didn't entirely work for me but that's a problem I have with all these same types of novels. A cast that kinda rambles along for a long time in flashbacks, going down rabbit holes. In this case, it turned into a big conspiracy thing with a scientific cabal turned dark. I didn't mind that in general but let's put this all in context with today. This came out in '18 and since then we've had Covid and covidiots and our own stupidest timeline of conspiracy theories that wish they were like the one uncovered in THIS novel.

So yeah, it's a case of reality being stranger (and a lot more stupid) than fiction, and it makes me feel kinda sad for the novel.

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Wednesday, February 22, 2023

The Tenth Realm (Ten Realms, #12)The Tenth Realm by Michael Chatfield
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A satisfying, if predictable, end to the Ten Realms Series.

All hell broke loose, of course, and the most desperate gamble had to be taken. Of course, like most LitRPGs, Ascending is a big deal. This is no exception.

It was worth getting here. Overpowered action, hoorah!

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The Ninth Realm (The Ten Realms #11)The Ninth Realm by Michael Chatfield
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The pacing on this book was also pretty good. The LitRPG goes back to its roots. New levels, new OP training, misunderstandings, and a hell of a lot of focus.

I'm really feeling the end of the series, now. Godlike powers, full elemental control, and hoards of realm-destroying devourers are here, standing at attention, and ready to bring down hell.

Compared to the 6th and 7th realm books, these last two are quiiiiick. I can't say I dislike it.



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Tuesday, February 21, 2023

The Seventh Realm, Part 2 (Ten Realms, #9)The Seventh Realm, Part 2 by Michael Chatfield
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well now! My complaint about part one seems a bit justified... and corrected for this volume. Rugrat and Eric set off on the Seventh Realm and I had a good time. A little actual LitRPG goodness instead of full-out massive military action, rah rah, brothers in arms, defend the kingdom.

I liked that.

But then it was all full-out massive military action, rah rah, brothers in arms, defend the kingdom at the end. *rolls eyes*

Fortunately, it wasn't bad. I just wish we could just LEAVE the first realm BE for a time and spend MORE TIME in the realms that the books are named for!

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The Eighth Realm (The Ten Realms, #10)The Eighth Realm by Michael Chatfield
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There's something good to be said about a tight book. This one has a lot less massive realm MilFantasy battles and a lot more Rugrat and Erik exploring a dangerous subsection of the 7th realm.

Broken from the previous book, trying to learn elements, fighting dragons, and navigating annoying Sect politics is just what the Master Healer ordered.

Maybe it didn't hurt that the novel was short and sweet and had a lot less divergence to it. I had a much better time in this one than I have in the last four.

So, good deal!

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Sunday, February 19, 2023

The Seventh Realm, Part 1 (Ten Realms, #8)The Seventh Realm, Part 1 by Michael Chatfield
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I may need to re-categorize this series as ex-LitRPG. Sure, the realms and the level-up system is pretty standard, but this has gone from personalized leveling and crafting to something closer to Warcraft or Warhammer, complete with massive armies across multiple battlefields.

It's fine if you want all those massive armies with tactics and strategy, but I miss the full experience of Eric and Rugrat doing all they can to become personally powerful, visit new lands, destroy new people.

Heck, for a novel that's called the Seventh Realm, we didn't even get to GO there. It's all just setback after setback and loss of controlled territory. Maybe some people would like this. I didn't mind a lot of it, myself, but after a certain amount of time, I missed what I CAME to these books for.

I'll continue on since it's not unreadable, but I'm doing it mostly to see what the higher realms are like.

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Saturday, February 18, 2023

Bloodsucking Fiends (A Love Story, #1)Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cute, snarky, city-malaise meets fresh meat romance.

Yes, it's romance. Of course, that should be obvious in the title. Even so, it's CUTE. I mean, it's not every day a girl becomes a vampire and sucks a poor unsuspecting boy into her survival machinations.

On the one hand, I think it's rather cynical of her, but he's a clueless nerd and RATHER accepting of the circumstances. Young men are like that. They'll put up with anything as long as they get some.

*SIGH*

Fortunately, it works out pretty well for everyone involved, sans the dead bodies winding up all over the place.

Very cute story. Light and weird.

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Friday, February 17, 2023

The Cage of Dark Hours (The Five Penalties, #2)The Cage of Dark Hours by Marina J. Lostetter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think this is a superior book to first. It's much darker, really evoking the feel of a full-fantasy steampunk London while making us revel in the torture and abuse of small children for the sake of enhancing their magical ability.

The worldbuilding is very good. The magic system is truly fascinating. Breaking off parts of people's souls, trapping them in masks, is both cool and cruel. The very idea of gifting time, itself, to the already powerful and long-lived is also horrific but perfectly understandable in this dark fantasy world.

The implications and ramifications continue to unfold in this novel.

I quite enjoyed the tale for what it is and thought the characters are decent. I won't say I fell in love with all of them, but I did feel some quite strong feelings for one rather strong-minded victim. No spoilers, but I really loved the later quasi-psychological developments and magical resolutions.

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Wednesday, February 15, 2023

The Sixth Realm, Part 2 (Ten Realms, #7)The Sixth Realm, Part 2 by Michael Chatfield
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Part 2 of the Sixth Realm was a bit easier to enjoy. Less Rah rah, more crafting, leveling of skills, and deep preparation to drag all of Alva and the other associations into bigger and badder realms.

I think I really appreciated the sneaky ways they all took to take down the Willful Institute without being obvious about it. That big sect proved to be rather dangerous and it was worse because it was other players. The war was eventually pretty cool.

I'm still all about the normal leveling and skill-ups, though.

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Tuesday, February 14, 2023

PavanePavane by Keith Roberts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was reading this because my literature journey was taking me along the path of SF Masterworks, but I was surprised to see that Gaiman had a foreword to it, to sum: the short story of Father John fucked me up.

So, of course, I had to read this astounding story that would give Gaiman nightmares.

What I discovered was nothing more than a series of 6 independent tales all set within an alternate history where the Protestant Reformation never took, where Queen Elizabeth was assassinated, and the Holy Catholic Church successfully kept technology repressed to a grand degree. And our modern ages are still full of castles and poverty with some slight oddities like steam-powered track-less locomotives, complicated semaphores, and unrest.

Every tale was fascinating to me, but let's just say that Father John was, indeed, a mind-blower. To put into context, this novel in six parts was given to us in 1968. I can EASILY imagine Gaiman stylizing his own writing to emulate or even perfect Father John in his own vein. I very much enjoyed these literary connections. It enriches both.

Overall, I think this is definitely one of the best, most mysterious, and thoroughly pervasive alternate histories that I've read. We're steeped in characters who are very much a product of their time and place. But what makes it really special? The old gods, just waiting in the wings, subverting the Holy Catholic Church. *rubs hands together* Delightful!

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Someone in Time: Tales of Time-Crossed RomanceSomeone in Time: Tales of Time-Crossed Romance by Jonathan Strahan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I thought it would be a lark to jump on this romantic Time Travel SF collection with all the most talked about names in the SF field today, at least, those names bandied about among certain circles, and so I tried.

I really did try. I recognize all the names, I am a really big fan of a handful of them, too. Seanan and Ford and Valente are always pretty great.

I started from the beginning and I suddenly came to the conclusion, after the first 4, then 5, that this wasn't just a time travel romance collection, but it is predominately a M/M or F/F romance collection with just a hint of timey-wimey.

I started wondering if there would be any kind of, you know, actual representation of all types in this.

I mean, I'm straight, I've always supported people being allowed to be what they want to be, but if I see only the goods of any one type, I have to assume I'm not allowed in the club. Of course, it's not just this collection. I think I've read something like 20-30 romances, be it short or novel, in the last two years -- and there was only one -- yes, one -- romance that was between a male and a female.

Of course, that was only a regular romance without any SF or Fantasy in it, so if I redo this list with ONLY SF or F romances... then that's... zero. No F or SF romances with the "extra" m/f romance at all.

Is this the only trend now? I'm well read and yet this is just about all that's published now.

I wound up giving up on this collection because it kinda fails as a personally representative romance on Valentine's day. I wasn't even that impressed with the stories I did read.

I only kinda liked First Aid and Remember Satellites and The Lichens and then I kinda lost all interest after the next few. I did search to find the Valente, though, and it was nicely abstract and weird and it made me think.

I skipped the rest. I felt like I was wasting time. I wasn't looking for something to push me outside of my comfort zones on Valentine's Day. I just wanted something that hit a little closer to home, even if it was all timey-wimey.

Good luck to everyone else out there, though!

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Monday, February 13, 2023

My Killer VacationMy Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is me rolling my eyes so hard that they pop out, go through the ceiling, and fly about 200 yards to get stuck in a tree nearby.

Honestly.

I don't really know what I expected. Sure, a hot and steamy romance I was bullied into reading for Valentine's day? Sure. I'm up for a laugh. But if I was subjected to a double handful cliche archetypes that would be sprung fully-formed -- in perfect derivative glory -- from some sodden sex-drenched pile of text nominally called a novel, I would be half-tempted to laugh and write it off as a Tingle masterpiece.

But no. This was just a straight-laced fearful gradeschool teacher watching a detective and getting into a hammy mystery that would have been solved at the very beginning if they weren't both so damn horny.

Don't get me wrong. I've been known to count the multitudes of cliches throughout this plethora of books, but seriously, they USUALLY they tend to get subverted in some small way or they do something to surprise me in the plot.

This did neither. Indeed, it followed the archetype of a smutty romance so perfectly that it should be taught in school as an example of the immense purity of porn. Strong dangerous guy shows girl how to love the danger x 10. And ouch. I just lost my eyeballs again.

Please don't get me wrong. If you want something so simple and archetypal for your romance, then look no further. This is pretty much the template.



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The Sixth Realm, Part 1 (Ten Realms, #6)The Sixth Realm, Part 1 by Michael Chatfield
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I'll say this: my attention was on target for everything in the cities and not so much for the endless military campaigning against the orcs and/or water realm. It's really mostly all about army actions and sounds like it rather than being a delightfully colorful and snarky LitRPG where everyone fights cool beasties and comes home with fantastic loot and levels.

I was already getting tired of the rah rah stuff in the previous volume so I'm almost tapped out in this one. HOWEVER, this is a part one of 2 for the sixth realm so stopping here is like stopping in the middle of a book and I RARELY DNF anything.

So here we go!

I'm just happy that the crafting stuff and the body tempering stuff is still fun. When we get them.

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Sunday, February 12, 2023

The Fifth Realm (Ten Realms, #5)The Fifth Realm by Michael Chatfield
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I don't have anything bad to say about the LitRPG elements here. I love leveling and I love skillups and crafting and fighting. It's all pretty standard and satisfying.

Where I DO have a problem in this book, and, indeed, most of the books in the Ten Realms, is the HEAVY rah-rah redneck military capitalism at all costs support-the-troops and support-debt and the America-forever mindset. I don't mind a little bit. I don't even mind a moderate amount of it. But I do mind if the propaganda-speak and superiority-mindset hijacks the LitRPG reality in highly unrealistic ways and it always works out because the rah rah is OBVIOUSLY superior.

I expect a bit of goofiness in these books. LitRPG is pure fantasy distilled down to game mechanics and the rest is snark. I really love that. But propaganda politics? I can handle any type until it starts taking over the pages and I just want to get back to some fighting or crafting.

I don't TRULY mind unless it just becomes a vehicle for America-fuck-yeah. This is skirting the edge.

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Friday, February 10, 2023

Wolfsong (Green Creek #1)Wolfsong by T.J. Klune
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sure, with a novel called Wolfsong, it would be kind of a no-brainer to say this was a quasi YA involving werewolves, and you'd be right.

I've read a ton of werewolf novels and this one was so rich, focus, and pure. It's all about the bonds, those rich green bonds. I'm pretty impressed.

It's a super-easy read, and it's super fun. I loved everything about it. It's pure wolfish trust and protection and family. There's something really awesome about that, and this particular novel is stronger on that than most of the novels like this.

It's M/M romance, btw, but even with that, it's a great novel about Pack.

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Thursday, February 9, 2023

The Silence of Unworthy Gods (Arcane Ascension, #4)The Silence of Unworthy Gods by Andrew Rowe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

By this point in my overall LitRPG journey, I have to admit that I'm a total fanboy. Each different series is all cut from roughly the same cloth, that of leveling up, fights, and often a bunch of crafting to go with their stories.

Rowe's delves rather deep in enchanting magic. I love it, plain and simple. I mean, we're still in school or internships most of the time, focused on just GETTING BETTER because there's some really nasty gods toying with the realm and a great number of out-of-reach quests that need fixing. Like lost friends and family, towers with gods at the ends of the rising, and much deeper gods playing games with everyone else.

And I love it. Yes, most of this book in particular is developing special spells and crafting but I have a real sweet spot for magic mechanics and I love where this is going. No one is overpowered yet, but I can taste the possibility.

Suffice to say, I tore through this book and am anxious for so much more.
That end...

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Tuesday, February 7, 2023

The Fourth Realm (Ten Realms, #4)The Fourth Realm by Michael Chatfield
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

All told, I'm here for the character progression. To a lesser degree, I'm here for the town progression. Everything else, at least so far in this particular novel, is tactics and fairly large-scale war in the 4th realm with a bit of progression payoff at the end.

I'll just say that my favorite parts are not the big-scale war stuff. It's okay for what it is but I preferred practically everything else.

I admit I miss the alchemy and smithing portions. And while I do love the dungeon progression, I want to see more of that and proper challenges for it more than the MilSF portions we've seen a lot of in this volume.

Personal preference, of course.


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The Library: A Fragile HistoryThe Library: A Fragile History by Andrew Pettegree
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Books.

Or rather, this is a fairly exhaustive history of those places where they are kept, whether papyrus, hand-written, or print, from ancient times, through dark, and into the modern period. Libraries are really an expression of what book-lovers want out of books, and there really is a conflict here.

Let's put it this way. There are certain people who enjoy books so much that they are very, very greedy. Somo of them love to use books as ways to carry value, similar to how paintings are pumped up and insured, and this is expressed in very interesting ways... private book collections, estate auctions, theft, and of course collectors. Some libraries begun as private collections not meant to be read, but hoarded.

And then there's the other side of human nature, the side that expresses the need to share knowledge, make it available to all, to uplift mankind. These libraries are wonderful creatures (personal bias) and while we get a lot of the history of both, I'm pleased to see that the ones with altruistic intentions have pretty much always been what we get.

It's complicated, though. A lot of the altruism we've had from robber barons and steel magnates was thrown into the creation of libraries. Some of the richest and hardcore business-types threw their resources into this kind of good deed, alas, and while this particular story was pretty much a light touch in this book, it illustrates how much this book leaves out of the REST of the story.

The Library is pretty good as a brief introduction or a brief indexing of famous libraries and their histories. It's about the people who championed books and kept the writings safe, through dark times and the Renaissance -- where books become valuable not just for the knowledge, but status.

I won't get into the full history, myself, because that's what this book is good for, but the printing press and the Reformation makes it spicy, as did the back and forth between gatekeepers and popular fiction, the constant loss of libraries and the heroic funding and stocking of new libraries by the altruistic.

The fact is, libraries are not to be taken for granted. They can die so easily. This is obvious throughout history and it should be obvious now. A lot of the reasons they did bite it was because knowledge and learning was simply NOT VALUED. If poverty or hardship comes to any community, it should never be a question between some momentary political cause or maintaining a door to public learning.

Unfortunately, any old reason can be thrown into the wind and unscrupulous individuals can successfully gut this more pure altruism on a whim.

No civilization is safe once this happens. As far as I can tell, almost every history that showed the death of libraries had the death of its citizens following soon after.

History repeats. Those who don't learn from it are doomed to repeat it.



I won't say this book couldn't have been a bit more charming, but for history buffs and people who want to follow this particular thread, I totally recommend it.

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Monday, February 6, 2023

Sea of TranquilitySea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wasn't quite sure whether I would like this novel. I've had some iffy experiences with LitSF in the past and if I'm to be entirely honest, I wasn't blown away by Station Eleven.

I did actually enjoy this one, however, and I'm rather surprised.

First of all, I'm a sucker for "universe as a simulation" stories. Having themes of death -- in tranquility -- was pretty cool when it comes right down to the lunar colonies.

All told, after I managed my expectations a bit, the novel was rather smooth. The best parts were the obvious strange bits that I will not spoil here. The resolution was solid.


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Sunday, February 5, 2023

A Tree Grows in BrooklynA Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a truly delightful classic YA. This happens to be one of those brilliant ones. Published in '43 but regarding a time in NY over 30 years prior, it relies on realism and unflinching look at the life as it was. There was a lot of good, bad, and ugly.

There's a lot of hindsight in this book, of course, but it is written in such an engaging way that I was lost in the life. Poverty is first and foremost -- poverty, normal expectations, education, parents and siblings, and even a little first love, but underneath it all was the reality of poverty.

It's chipper, really, and they all try so hard, and it's obviously HARD to live, especially with alcoholism and regrets and pride, but that's what makes the novel so good, too. I'm lost in it.


I don't know. I read this and I was very impressed. I kept thinking, "You know, this reminds me a lot of Dostoevsky. The voice, the immersion in poverty, the brightness of mind, of education, of trying to get by. It reminds me of the best stuff of Dostoevsky, but American, and by a woman."

I know this might come across as high praise, but it's also quite true.

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Saturday, February 4, 2023

Pocket Apocalypse (InCryptid, #4)Pocket Apocalypse by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Re-Read 2/4/23:

It's really nice revisiting the Price family by way of snakeboy in the land of murderous freaking snakes. Of course, it's really all about the werewolves and in-laws, but that's okay. It's still just as murderous.

:)


Original Review:

Maybe I'm really getting used to the series or I'm really loving Alex and Shelby's dynamics or I think I'm falling for Australia or maybe the writing is just getting that much better, but I love this instalment of the series much more than all the rest.

It's not just the talking mice, mind you. It's Helen the Wadjet, Basil the yowie, and the entire freakin clan of the Thirty-Sixers.

The novel is kinda a "meet the family" with a truly horrible infestation of werewolves. It worked really, really well. :) I'm stoked and thrilled. :)

I'm not just having fun any more. This fourth book commemorates my official and formal status of FANBOY. :)

Alex has rapidly and far-outstripped my previous enjoyment of his little sister's adventures. :)

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Friday, February 3, 2023

The Third Realm (Ten Realms, #3)The Third Realm by Michael Chatfield
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

No complaints on this LitRPG. Standard leveling stuff, new realms to explore, but it I have to admit I really enjoyed the Alchemy trials the most.

Killing dungeons or subverting them is all pretty fun, as is the fortification, growth, and defense of the hometown, but I was enraptured more by the basic crafting than I was about anything else.

Truly, I love my games the same way, so this is no surprise to me.



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The Catcher in the RyeThe Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Third re-read.

There's something really powerful about this novel. I mean, sure, it's horribly depressing and almost everyone is super vapid and phony and nearly mindless. That's also true for Holden. He may be going on a little insipid self-destructive rampage across NYC, being just as bad a phony as all the others, but here's the thing: Holden is still right.

He may be blind as a bat to his own repressed rage or how much he is just like everyone else in this horribly artificial 1950's America, but his observations about this fake America is still TRUE.

As true then as it is now.

His search for beauty is just a symptom of that emptiness and I admit I recognize a lot of that same horror in myself. Always have, ever since the time I first read this as a kid or now as an adult.

Maybe the themes here are old hat now, but I think this classic was the one that really laid the groundwork for so many other YAs about disillusionment. And maybe the random wandering through NYC is rather tame by today's standards, but the heart is real and Holden's desperation and his love for his sister is just as real.

I admit it, this is a fantastic novel. :)


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Thursday, February 2, 2023

Helliconia Summer (Helliconia, #2)Helliconia Summer by Brian W. Aldiss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I can say a lot of good things about this book. Helliconia's worldbuilding is rather vast and interesting and if you're an SF fan that dies over long time-spans, rich planet history, and cultural upheavals on an alien world, then this is for you.

It's made even more complicated when the world had thousands of years of ice ages and warmer periods that affect all the cultures, but it's most interesting when we have the conflicts between the local humans and the indigenous intelligent life. Add the fact that there's a human space station observing all this and sending the feed back to Earth for entertainment, keeping the world quarantined except for a rare lottery that lets the bored go down, and we've got a better setup for a bit of chaos.

This is an epic book. Epic in the sense that it is vast and vastly imagined.

So why do I give it only 4 stars? Because while it is fascinating, intellectually, it's not particularly gripping. I respect it. I simply don't fall off the balcony for it. It's still a good read, though.

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Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Rocket Ship GalileoRocket Ship Galileo by Robert A. Heinlein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had to show my girl some of the old SF greats. Being a juvenile, herself, I thought it would be best to give her a taste of Heinlein's Juveniles, AND WE'RE BOTH GLAD WE DID.

This particular book was published in 1947, and considering the TIME it was published, it's pretty amazing. Consider the fact that Heinlein was writing about nuclear power rockets using as much of the science he was able to learn, as accurately as he could, in a YA. And not only was it hopeful and adventuresome with a hefty dose of can-do attitude, we even got a little popular ANTIFA action against the Nazis. RAH (Robert A. Heinlein) RAH RAH RAH!

It was delightful. A handful of young men and their mentor go to the moon. Sure, there's a little gloss-over with pre-fabbed rockets (an industry well under way) and a lot of everything else, but the basic science was there and it was written in a fun way.

Best of all, I have to point out that our own real space race had not gotten into gear yet. People's imaginations were not quite ready to pour so much of our resources into the grand competition. But Heinlein was there. Early. And serious about the science. :)


As for my girl, she was always attentive and loved the math (because she likes math) and thought the story was pretty damn fun. (Her words.) We flew through it together and she says she wants to read a LOT more Heinlein.

Ah, I love it. I remember when I went crazy, too, just a little older than her. :)


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Tuesday, January 31, 2023

The Futurological Congress: From the Memoirs of Ijon TichyThe Futurological Congress: From the Memoirs of Ijon Tichy by Stanisław Lem
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lem has always had some seriously good writing and this particular one is no joke. It's funny, loopy with wordplay, and rich in futurology. We follow the perpetually out of place Ijon Tichy who spends almost all of his time trying to figure out what's actually wrong in the future he finds himself.

And believe me, if you've been looking for a good SF that puts a skewer in our own society from many different angles, then you can't really go wrong with Lem. He's just too smart, too concise, wherever he leads us, we bleed.

Lem is a real master.

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Square³Square³ by Mira Grant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Every time I read a Mira Grant (the SF Horror alter-ego of Seanan Mcguire,) I remember how much I love her horror and SF stories.

This one goes all Kaiju and altered physical realities in a very much Lovecraftian vein with a hard shot of SK for a punch.

I LOVE the setup. I could totally live in this messed up world for 7-8 books. :) Alas, this is only a novella, tho.



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