Farnham's Freehold by Robert A. Heinlein
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

There are few Heinleins that I can say I actively dislike. Indeed, even the most questionable is usually filled with interesting characters and great premises and that can-do attitude.

This one has ASPECTS of all that, and while the PREMISE of a whole racial slavery hierarchy being flipped on its head sounds GOOD on the surface, this one just comes off icky on every beat.

Which is very sad. I want to forgive it a lot of its faults. But reading it through today's lens, it's pretty indefensible.

Hugh is an asshole. A bully. Just because he did something decent, his power plays were just as ugly as any slave master in the past or (in this case) the future. White supremacy logic, but without the humor of a horror novel that flips all the horror on the person who might have perpetuated it.

The takeaways of whomever gets a taste of power will automatically defend the use of it, no matter what happens, may or may not be realistic, but how it is portrayed in this novel is almost cartoonish.

The fact that Hugh tries to pull the old hero role to escape the slavers with his girl is probably the only decent part of this novel, but by then, I'm not rooting for any of these people anyway.


So, why do I really dislike it? It's the assumptions. The assumption that previous slaves will easily take to being slavers, that a taste of comfort is more than enough to seduce someone despite the very worst practices.

I don't deny that anyone, of any race or socioeconomic status can be an asshole. But sweeping generalities really stink. Especially when they're this ham-fisted. I'll also not deny that this would not be that bad a novel IN ITS TIME. It is very critical of all these people and racism in general, in the story, itself. Hitting the mid 60's, it's timely, too.

But it's NOT a Planet of the Apes novel, no matter how close it seems to come.

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Leveling Up The World 8 by L. Eclaire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Due to the unique restrictions of magic leveling, our OP hero is forced to be a newbie once again. Which, all told, is funny as hell with the skills he already has. Hogwarts plus Solo Leveling. Or even Mashle if you prefer.

And yet, it's also a lot more than that. Truly good plot development and hooks for MANY side characters and new ones to boot.

Who'd think that becoming a mage after becoming a god-killer could be this amusing?

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Leveling Up The World 7 by L. Eclaire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This one really stepped up to the plate. It started out about politics and impossible quests but it became a truly epic tale of ancient destruction, empathy reveals, familiars of gods, and not just one, but TWO showdowns with the Broken Star.

Damn.

Pretty damn amazing.

I kept thinking... where could it actually go from here? But no worries. Seven books, seven skills. Time to keep leveling.

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Uncanny Magazine Issue 65: July/August 2025 by Michael Damian Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For clarity, I'm reading this issue for Valente's When He Calls Your Name.

She always pulls through with some of the wildest stories I've ever read. Clever, weird, always creative, and twisty, twisty, twisty.

In this case, a woman always needs to cover all her angles when it comes to her man. :) Loved it.

Nommed for this year's Hugo for best short story. Right now, for me, it's a toss up between this and the Kaiju.

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Uncanny Magazine Issue 67: November/December 2025 by Michael Damian Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For clarity, I'm reading only Sarah Pinsker's The Millay Illusion from this issue. It's been nominated for the Hugo short this year.

It was refreshing to get a tribute to illusionists in this one. I felt it very appropriate in light of Christopher Priest's death the year prior. (The Prestige author.)

Now, that may or may not have had anything to do with this story, but it certainly felt right. All things considered. :)

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Uncanny Magazine Issue 62: January/February 2025 by Scott Lynch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

To clarify, I'm reading just Kaiju Agonistes by Scott Lynch in this collection.

Muahahahahahaha I LOVED this.

Sure, it's another Kaiju story, but it's damn clever. A good deal of it comes from the Kaiju's perspective, but what really makes this a stand-out is the full alternate history of the world after the first atomic bomb and the... interesting things that could very well have gone on with real public policies and national politics.

But that's not even the best part. It's who the Kaiju uses to take over this damnably wayward species. :)

Hugo nom for short story this year. So far, it's easily my top pick.

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Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy by Martha Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nommed for short Hugo this year.

I must be honest. As an in-betweener for the Murderbot series, it's short and sweet in only the way two machine intelligences can be when revealing their feelings.

But as a nom for the Hugo?

It's nothing groundbreaking. It's literally more of the same that we've always been getting with the series. No big ideas or imaginative sequences or a total alteration of perspective.

It's not a bad story, but it isn't a standout.

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