Ymir by Rich Larson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm really closing out 2024 in MASSIVE style. I never realized how good Ymir is.

Just imagine Altered Carbon on a frozen, alien world pulling a retelling of Beowulf.

Oh, sure, I was a bit worried it'd be pretentious or something, but hell no. It was just a fantastic Hard SF read that was written smartly, with wonderful back-and-forths with great reveals. Sharp, modern style, with lots of love for the SF, and it only broadly recalls the Beowulf in particulars--while landing awesome on the FEELS.

100% recommend. I love antiheroes. the biotech, AIs, deep-history machine aliens, and best of all Ymir, itself, makes for one hell of a rich, rich stew that keeps surprising with unexpected hints of bbq and curry to keep you warm in this amazingly cold, cold book. (I'm really enjoying adding synesthesia to my reviews.)



Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to DM requests. I think it's about time I get some eyes on them.

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