Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was excited to read this because I absolutely adored the author's short stories. And, let's face it, AI stuff is either REALLY HOT right now or it's met with absolute disgust. Fortunately, I'm of the curious nature and I'm always up for a good imagining.

As for this SF YA, I don't have many complaints. It's cute, has a low-stakes mystery, and focuses on the young characters more than anything else.

Of course, it DOES do a pretty good job of informing the reader of the kinds of issues we all face with data mining, exploits, insecurities in our information networks. (Which are real, to say the VERY least.) So I'd say it does a good job trying to open our eyes while having a cool tale to make it ride.

Other than that, however, it's not ground-shattering. The next book probably won't be, either, but the complications are promising.

Personal note:
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Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book certainly did surprise me.

I mean, I EXPECTED a slasher, and GOT a slasher, but it was a bit more elevated than most potential B-Movie entries. Indeed, it was closer to Scream than any of the Halloween sequels in quality, and the pacing was pretty much near-perfect.

So what was surprising about it?

The reasons for the anger, the murders kept me guessing. Hey, any thriller that can keep that up without devolving into the usual thing has got my vote. I loved the MANY twists and turns.

Good enough, Frendo? :)

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Written on the Dark by Guy Gavriel Kay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's really quite fascinating to see how my reactions to a handful of authors change over the years. The first book I read by Kay left me with a sour taste in my mouth, but it also happened to be one of his first, most popular works.

But later? I kept giving him a shot (being pleasantly surprised), and another, and another--and sooner, rather than later, I was utterly enthralled, lost in the writing. I became so thoroughly immersed in the world and the people who journey there that I was literally enchanted away from the real world. Kay's writing has real magic in it.

In this particular book, we follow Thierry again, the poet who ALWAYS gets into trouble in a world near to, but not quite France, starting with first a murder investigation, and ending in massive, massive changes for a character I'd grown to love over the previous volumes.

But more, it's about his growth rather than the certainly interesting historical-adjacent happenings that reward students of history. Joan of Ark, anyone? But don't be deceived. This novel isn't about her. It's very much about seeing the world through a growing poet's eyes, encountering both danger and kindness, and ultimately... well, I think you ought to read it. It's a very beautiful book.

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Ice by Anna Kavan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A haunting and *very* disturbing novel that could be right at home in today's dystopian libraries. 1967 when it came out, but reminds me of The Road but downright sinister.

Officially, this is supposed to be a SF and was billed as part of the Slipstream SF of the time, in the same category of Christopher Priest, Ballard, and some PKD, and I totally get that impression--but to me it just reads like a mirror darkly of an early Bond novel, but instead of a dashing secret service guy, we've got a serial rapist who can't seem to understand if he's himself or his nemesis.

Which, on the surface of it, sounds both intriguing (nemesis) and ugly as all fuck for the rest. And perhaps it would be, except for the worldbuilding--which is truly nightmarish. The oncoming slow advance of the ice, everywhere, and all the nasty horrors that people might do to each other as it all goes to hell.

So yeah, this book is very memorable, stark, and horribly disturbing all at once. Even the end, where there's a single moment of kindness...

It's a good mindfuck of a novel--but not for the light of heart.

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The Perfect Run 3: The Perfect Run, Book 3 by Maxime J. Durand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A lot of great twists and turns in this finale, as SHOULD always be the case in a time-loop superhero adventure focused on landing that perfect run.

And yes, it's very, very satisfying. Loved all the characters. A lot. I came away with a big ass grin on my face, and that's hardly always the case. Fortunately, this story filled me up with love and hope as well as a sense of awe.

And yes, it continued to be delightfully funny, an R-Rated Deadpool meets My Hero Academia. Lighter, perhaps, than The Boys, and less truly dark than Invincible, it still shines with creative twists and I have almost nothing bad to say about it.

The almost: the whole sequence with the Alchemist was somewhat meh and I'd have preferred to get the core reveals some other way. The build-up and locations (including Malta) were otherwise fantastic, and I'm sure others would have enjoyed the whole Ava thing more, but this is a tiny quibble in an otherwise fantastic run. :)

Totally recommend.

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The Perfect Run II by Maxime J. Durand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Well, it looks like I found another book (hell, a whole series) that demands staying up all night to read, eschewing all other creature comforts in the need to consume it at all costs.

Yeah, it's that good. And it's not just the laugh out loud moments or the absolutely DELIGHTFUL character interactions. It's the amazingly twisty plot and truly surprising direction-changes that're revving me up.

The mystery of New Rome, and the many, many ways it gets destroyed in glaringly beautiful ways, is finally getting narrowed down by QuickSave, with his many, many reloads. I'm utterly shocked by how many good people are on all sides of this clusterfuck, and amazed that we've managed to infiltrate ALL of them in just two books. I'm feeling almost omniscient.

It's BEAUTIFUL.

And this time, it looks like he isn't going it alone. It's a hard life to live all by yourself. The perfect run is all about the friends you've made on the way.

Looks like the final book is the next one, and there's no way in hell I'm going anywhere else other than those pages.

I'm LOVING this series.

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The Perfect Run by Maxime J. Durand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've either read or seen a good number of superhero-type non-M/DC riffs over the years and I *thought* on starting this, I might be at my saturation point.

But then I fell in love with this.

Why?

Oh, QuickSave, my quirky Deadpoolish psychopath who has probably died and reset back to his save point more times than even ME in my RPGs, has a serious mouth with the chops to go with it.

If you like the OP dynamics of Mr. Pool or Carl the Dungeon Crawler, with all the creative and weird twists of both, then you'll love this. And even more: the characters are all fantastic. If you just imagine an R-rated My Hero Academia with enough CULTURE to choke even a fan of Ready Player One, then you've got a good handle on what this has to offer.

Run. Don't walk. Grab this one by Felix the Cat and yell, "Pandaaaaa!"

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The Brightest Shadow by Sarah Lin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While on the hunt for some modern fantasy, I came across this recommendation, feeling its high praise, and I suppose I got a bit more enthusiastic, even over-enthusiastic for the tale.

If I could go back in time, I'd say to myself, "Hey, buddy. Manage those expectations. This isn't a gorgeous panorama of a world filled with wonderful characters that will come together to accomplish something we'd never see in our reality."

I'd go, "Huh. Okay. So what is it?"

Solid characters, low-key quests and journeys, and even a bit of skills progression. The pacing is good and the journey is very much in line with MOST fantasies. It's real hook is how it treats its HERO. I admit, this twist got me pretty worked up and excited. It reminded me of the old adage of: "A hero is someone who leaves a multitude of corpses in his/her wake". Only, this one was a bit more interesting. No spoilers.

Unfortunately, the rest of it is pretty standard fare. I've been reading so many fantasies--and this one doesn't stand out THAT much from the multitude.

It is, however, a decent romp.

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Songs of Earth and Power by Greg Bear
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I originally read this ages ago, back before I went to college, and it seriously stuck with me for my entire damn life. I even avoided re-reading it because of how dear it was to me back in the day, wondering if there would be an impossibly huge amount of cringe within it that would make me ashamed to be myself.

But you know what? I shouldn't have worried at all. We must all dare. We cannot remain afraid of what we are or what we could be.

And now? After curling up with my rare hardcover copy that covers a slight re-write of both The Infinity Concerto and Serpent Mage, and savoring every word, feeling every emotion, I can tell you right now that it is one of my all-time favorite books. And I honestly thought a good handful of Greg Bear's OTHER books were some of my all-time favorite books, being well known for his science fiction--and not the FIRST books he wrote, which were outright FANTASY.

I'm shocked, I tell you. Shocked.

But I let me also give a balanced, thoughtful review about the book, itself:

There are lots of actual cringeworthy things that happen in it. There are obvious flaws. But they are very much human flaws, and fully self-aware ones. It's a true coming of age book. With Michael starting out as a cringeworthy teen, with selfishness and crudity, but also a desire to be better, to learn from his mistakes. And this is what I found most fascinating--it's a tale of actual growth. Or rather, a song of the Sidhe AND of Humans, of gaining, and constantly having to re-examine oneself to improve one's wisdom. And there was a lot that needed to be examined.

This book was REAL on the human level, and unflinching about its own flaws, as if it was the Earth itself, or Bear, himself. And all of these flaws, these pains, these blindnesses, and these glorious growths, were well EARNED.


My original first loves about this tale was primarily about the MUSIC. Mahler's unfinished Tenth Symphony plays an amazingly beautiful and large part in it. And so does other art, be it Coleridge, movie magic, or even the art of wine-crafting--all in the service of creating Songs of Power.

As a fantasy, it's right up there with Earthsea AND The Neverending Story, for much of the same reasons. It's mythical, and appropriately awe-inspiring, imaginative, and even deep. The book is itself a Song of Power, and transformative to a soul open to it. :)

It's also impressively YOUNG. It feels so YOUNG. And maybe that's something all of us need sometimes. It's not violent, although the stakes are impressively enormous. It's not cruel, although there is plenty to encourage cruelty. It's truly hopeful and balanced, even though it seems aimless at times, and being used like a pawn should never evoke a sense of good humor toward those who have used us.

And yet, I honestly feel wiser, happier, after having read this and having grown with this young, stupid kid, into the man he became.

100% recommend. 1000% recommend.



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Great Masters: Mahler—His Life and Music by Robert Greenberg
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A real treat to learn more about Mahler. It always shocked me to know how much of an utter perfectionist and bastard he was in real life, but how all that lead to a perfect storm of musical genius--whether as a brilliant conductor OR as a composer.

Growing up abused, an outcast in social life (rampant, vocal anti-semitism), and most likely a VERY neurodivergent individual, all these things flavor his life and while they don't excuse how he treated others later, it sure made it interesting.

His music, on the other hand, was bar none amazing. Personal, breathtaking, enormous, painful, and always on the cusp of major transitions, it's a perfect example of an artist straight-out ushering in the 20th century. Predating the first or second world wars but just a few years, he may as well have been their HERALD.

Songs of Earth and Power.

On a personal note, I only got into Mahler (at least as my first entry point) through his unfinished 10th symphony. And what a massive trip THAT was. Screaming angels, sweetly singing devils. Pain. Grief. Transcendence.

Mahler is one of the greats and my personal favorite composer of all time. His music is utterly emotional and transformative.


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When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You know that inestimable work of grand science fiction, Seveneves by Neal Stephenson?
How about the peerless satirical movie, Don't Look Up?

Yeah, this book isn't those.

Now, mind you, it certainly GOES in those directions, firmly, brilliantly, and funnily, but let's just say IT'S NOT THOSE.


Honestly, I chortled and snickered and even laughed out loud many times as I read Scalzi's work. It's genuine amore. And between all of these sharp, beautiful vignettes of regular and not so regular folk coming to terms with a shit-load of cheese, I even saw myself.

And yes, I thought about every every bend, crook, and cranny.


This book was far from cheesy, however, even though there was a LOT of cheese. It was smart, funny, and gloriously satirical in a fresh, delightful way. And for once, neither the French nor the folks in Wisconsin were to blame.

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Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm pretty much always a sucker for a good heist tale. So, of course, I had to read this.

My takeaway:

It's REALLY heavy on relationships, betrayals, trying to make good, and trust, which is perfectly in line with MOST heist novels (or movies), but this one leans rather heavily into the push-pull of F/F burn and its fiery dynamism.

For me, I was mostly rooting for a burn this whole thing down ending for at least the first half of the novel, burying the mastermind in a shallow grave--but then a funny thing happened. I started hoping for a happy ending.

Of course, it wouldn't be a good heist without plenty of reversals, and this one has plenty. Suffice to say, it turned out pretty wicked.

I should note that my mind's-eye turned this whole novel into a full tale set in the Cyberpunk 2077 universe and I'll die by my decision to do so. It just WORKS REALLY WELL that way.

Very happy with the tale.

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Private Rites by Julia Armfield
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Okay. So. I really thought I'd love this SO much more. I mean, it's King Lear as told in a near-future SF (ok, barely, just flooding everywhere) with all our modern slant. It should have been NEAR PERFECT.

Well, I guess my imagination about what COULD have been never even came CLOSE to what I received.

So what is this?

It's just a mild three-sister battle over the worldly remains of a tyrant-ish father. Or, as it so happens, a very much sniper-ish battle that could have happened in any family with low stakes, hurt feelings, dramatic sacrifices, misunderstandings, and daddy-drama.

The point is, it's not Succession-level storytelling. It's really just Sex in the City storytelling with some F/F romance and, unlike the Bard, NO FOOL. Unless you count the reader. The reader could always be the true fool in this tragedy.

Even so, it's a pretty average mild horror that leans more to low-stakes family drama, with just a pastiche of flooding and the world going to post 2020 hell to remind us that, yes, we do live in a shitty time full of shittier people.

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Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock by Maud Woolf
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The good:

It's a fast and fun ride of murder and mayhem guided by a light, even friendly, touch. If you think that's rather unusual, then so be it. The circumstances, while clear, are rules we must obey. Clones, replicants, whatever, aren't really considered murderable. So be it. And yet, this almost feels like a light-hearted comedy.

The okay:

Since they are all pretty much identical to the original Lulabelle and they all understand that they're pretty expendable, the whole tale isn't so much about the ethics of it, but the fact that this one character is living out many different aspects of their potential lives, living it fully, and yet, must still go through its own complicated version of psychoanalysis writ large. Can one hate oneself over-much? How about love? All the what-ifs. It isn't bad.

The bad:

I'm so tired of all these similar-themed clone-killing books being a metaphor for mental-health issues. Why? Almost ALL of them tend to go the fame and fortune route and, at least to me, it's so not very interesting. Everyone is living their wish-fulfillments in these many, many copycat books. Sure, it's a thing, but I guess I'm starting to get burned out because it's just feels like another disney princess burnout with yet another message to love oneself. Then again, maybe I'm just a grouch. Maybe I'd have loved something much closer to Orphan Black after all. *shrugs*


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Annie Bot by Sierra Greer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Honestly? I can't really call this SF. The thinnest veneer is in place.

The reality is simpler: this is a power-dynamics contemporary novel with a sharp focus on relationship expectations and imbalance.

I can't help but remember an almost countless-seeming similarities to Stepford Wives, Pleasantville, so many sitcoms riffing on this, or any number of good horrors that do a similar push-pull. So it really boils down to this: does the tale pull off its intent? Am I sufficiently horrified about how this man treats a thinking, feeling being because he thinks he owns her?

Of course. I was right there by page two or three. Maybe by the time I finished reading the blurb.

But here's where I get a bit annoyed: if we're going to start it off with house duties, the unpaid and generally unthanked chores as the ground floor of the injustice in any relationship, then we ought to acknowledge that this isn't a feminist issue. This is a straight power-imbalance issue in any relationship that could go either direction. It's a sore point for me. Almost any of the key anger-issues in this novel could easily be transferred to the other partner in a relationship. It just begs the question: who has the most power, and how is it abused?

The fact that this novel DOES have a resolution that's both grown up and hopeful is quite good, however, and I appreciate that aspect of it.

Now, if only we could take a good long look at the real underlying issue--of power imbalance-- and not just the fact that so many people just assume that sex (in this case, the female, or the sex-bot) is ALWAYS, as a matter of record, the inherent loser of any power-differential. Example: any same sex couple could go through this exact same story, as well as the differential for those men who stay home with a wife who works.

Taken as an allegory, and stretching our imaginations to fit our actual situations, this novel would still work fine, of course, but it still begs the question. Is this, or is this not, a FEMINIST novel? For all these reasons, I have to say no.

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The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm a sucker for stories within stories, of tales written in an epistolary way.

This one captures us recursively, from a modern scholar who has a great grandpa whose written records are in great demand--and from there we learn, feel the growing dread, and fall into a kind of hell within this sometime Lutheran pastor's head in 1912--as he recounts his long accounting of a "confession" by an ex-Blackfoot tribe member.

This nesting works really well in my opinion. Getting to know everything about Good Stab and his people, his long experiences and the sheer HISTORY of his people, as written in the context of a white priest who listens, has all the earmarks of a modern version of Interview with a Vampire.

And, indeed, that's exactly what it is. No Lestat, of course, but something less--and so much more.

There's a ton of heartbreak here. And that's not just about the horrors of what America did to the Indians, but all the personal tragedies, too. The horror and the rage and the revenge work SO very well in this mix.

That being said, there were times when the pacing made it a bit hard to stay immersed. But overall, I thought it was a fantastic tale.

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Monkey: The Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I finally got to see for myself why this is called a classic. More than that, the source (translated, still) of SO many great riffs over the centuries.

Yes, THE trickster monkey king, the humorous, funny, wickedly delightful, freedom-loving immortal master of martial arts, magics, and the art of thumbing one's nose at all gods and demons.

I could say something about its great influence on all of Eastern culture, but I'll skip that for now because a lot of people have said a lot of great things on that.

Instead, I'm just going to throw in MY particular enjoyment--for Mangas and Anime, and just how much debt THEY have to The Monkey King.

Right off the bat, I was chortling with glee about how much young Goku resembled him in SO many particulars, from the original Dragon Ball. Not so much Dragon Ball Z, mind you, but the kid is almost the spitting image of our hero. Riding a cloud and shapeshifting staff, a tail that always shows up in any transformation (or Goku's particular riff on that), not to mention a particular shapeshifting pig, hops to the underworld with King Yama, etc.

But if THAT wasn't enough, I was even MORE delighted to see dozens of equally great references to The Monkey King in One Piece. Luffy's name notwithstanding, his SPIRIT is ENTIRELY the Monkey King. In some ways, One Piece is an even greater riff on the original than Dragon Ball.

And another thing, a very honorable mention: Inuyasha being told to Sit, and some of the households visited on the journey, are SO SUSPICIOUSLY just like the original that I was honestly tickled pink.


And yes, I'm ignoring cultural contexts mostly because I had no issues picking up on all of them in this translation. I'm even ignoring the fact that the whole tale is a deft and delicious SATIRE AND ALLEGORY. Why would I, though?

Because the tale is JUST PLAIN FUN, too. Enjoyment trounced all that.

So, if any of ya'll have never considered picking up this tale, please consider doing so. It's a well-beloved classic for very, very deserved reasons.

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Overcaptain by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Completely enjoyable competence porn, military-magic-style. It's continuing book 23's main character, following the duology-style that Modesitt employs so often.

Frankly, I get it. It's comfortable, fully expected in almost all ways, and yet, with all these new situations and characters, the slow discovery of the world around them, and how they rise to the challenge--is just GOOD.

I can read this kind of thing forever as long as I can trust the author, and I can absolutely trust this one. It's good to feel trust. It's even better to be well rewarded. (Unlike our poor Overcaptain, lol.)

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Far from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've really enjoyed Tade Thompson's work in the past--especially his imagination above all else--so it was a no-brainer to take up an actual spacefaring SF with a fair degree of relish.

From what I understand, it was meant to be a Poe riff, a locked-room mystery on a spacecraft, but it quickly diverted from that course with some of the trademark IDEA stuff I like so much from Tade's writing. Originality always gets super high marks in my head, even over excellent writing. It's what makes me always come back for more.

In this case, it was pretty much only the ideas that carried this book for me. The plot, unfortunately, was slightly odd, or at least a bit too subtle against the actual SFnal backdrop and several big reversals.

Mind you, I think subtlety is a fine, fine thing, but it must be matched with a proper breath in the text. And this? The flavors were a bit of a mismatch. I'm not saying it was a bad book, but it isn't on the same level as the great trilogy.

Do I recommend? Perhaps--if you like to hunt for subtlety. Just don't really expect it to pan out as a true mystery, either.

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Bee Speaker by Adrian Tchaikovsky
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wild.

To be entirely honest, I thought it started out really rough. I kinda hated all the characters and thought they were too stupid to live and you probably wouldn't have been able to change my mind until near the half-way mark.

And then something happened.

No, they didn't get smarter. Indeed, maybe I just got stupider. But the book became fun. Really fun. A wild, messed-up roller-coaster of stupidity, good-naturedness applied to all the wrong places, and unhinged ultraviolence also applied to all the wrong places.

By 2/3, I was chortling and rearing for more and you couldn't pay me to put it down.

So yeah, it's one of THOSE books. And because it's Tchaikovsky, it's an obligatory read AND worth it.

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From the Forest by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm returning to the Recluse Saga after having binge-read them (with great pleasure), only to find out that I'm still AS comforted by reading it as I was with the rest.

Competence porn, military action focusing on saving lives, and growing magical power is the key, here. Indeed, it is THE defining characteristic of ALL of them. I could add that there's always an uncomplicated, mutually-supportive, mature focus on relationships that just as comforting as the steady rise in magical power.

If I were a bit unjust and cruel toward these books, I might say that they're practically FORMULA, and have been for a LONG TIME, but there's generally enough that's different between them that it's like listening to variations on a great musical theme.

I am not complaining. I'm simply enjoying them, like taking a long walk in a familiar field or a forest trail that I've walked many times. After all, the forest is no less beautiful for having walked it a hundred times.

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Lost Gods by Brom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So far, every Brom I've read has been rich, complexly shown, and sharply executed. That's saying a lot. Most horror I've read usually has the sharp execution and sometimes the complexity, but few go for the rich.

Think, for a moment, of mixing American Gods with a few of the best storylines of the Winchesters from Supernatural, leave out the humor entirely, and go whole ADVENTURE in Purgatory.

That's this book. Dead, but still kicking. Gods, angels, demons, and a true eat or be eaten reality. It's not just monsters--but the monsters people become in a truly zero-sum world. Wonderful characters, situations, and overall quest.

Highly recommended.

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Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 224, May 2025 by Neil Clarke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Brainstem Disco, 2191" by Angela Liu - (4*) Future, music, longing. It's evocative, if simple and almost all emotion.

"The Library of the Apocalypse" by Rati Mehrotra - (3*) For as much as I want to love dark future SF library stories, this one's direction somehow left me slightly cold. Nothing I can put my finger on at the moment, but its despair seemed to derail me.

"We, the Fleet" by Alex T. Singer - (5*) At first I thought it was a bit like Leckie's work, but for all that, it still really hit me in the heart and I even teared up. Very cool story.

"Descent" by Wole Talabi - (4*) A pretty sharp moral tale with all the trappings of hard SF, with plenty of adventure to see us down--all the way.

"Oh Time Thy Pyramids" by Ann LeBlanc - (5*) This one really struck a chord with me, tickled my stony heart. Caught me by my throat and wouldn't let go.

"Proxima One" by Caryanna Reuvenm, translated by Sue Burke - (5*) I'm a sucker for silicon life and the theme of longing.

"Yarn Theory" by Marie Vibbert - (4*) Also a sucker for Contact/Arrival extraterrestrial puzzles. But this one was just too cute and fuzzy. :)



Solid collection this month. Nothing extremely outstanding, but good nevertheless.



Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

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Tunnel in the Sky by Robert A. Heinlein
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Re-Read 5/10/25:

I was in the middle of a complete RAH reread when I finally returned to Tunnel.

Honestly? I may have been a bit too harsh in my original review. As long as you are EXPECTING to start a colony on a harsh new world without any help from any outside sources, and you're stuck with a bunch of young brats, it's kinda a wonder they didn't all go Lord of the Flies.

That being said, the CAN DO attitude and the basic optimism IS pretty nice to revisit.



Original Review:

Stargate! Minus all the gods and the missions and the ascension crap.

Add survival, walls, and GOVERNMENT! Wooooo.... um... well at least the survival bit was fun. :)

Seriously, this YA is still a very can-do Americana book, with a seriously heavy Liberterian bent, but I have no issues there. I love that crap.

Still... I think I prefer Miles Vorkosigan's conception of the most important survival tool better. Tipping the invisible hat was one of Bujold's greatest inventions. But Heinlein had the same idea. Screw guns or even shoes, the one thing that any hardscrabble colony needs is the concept of a politics where people can actually work together, and that's what this book is really about.

YA? Sure, more like New Adult in today's classifications. Are you civic-minded enough?

As an adventure and a straight story, it's pretty great all the way to the point where they start voting, then my attention started wandering a bit. Still, some other crazy goes on and we flash forward to see how they all turn out and we even get a complete wrap up, so it's not like the tale went nowhere. It just didn't really do all that much for me. Plus, even though the women were all pretty strong and as can-do as the men, I didn't quite like how the old stereotypes came out in conversation... EVEN IF they were slapped down by a woman right in the group immediately afterward. I just hate the idea that women have to pretend to be men to be treated like men. It's just a sign of the times kind of story, unfortunately, but fortunately, there was very little of this kind of crap and Heinlein's stance on it is pretty egalitarian and equal rights and equal responsibility, so it's more of a me thing hating older cultural trends than a "I blame Heinlein" thing. Petty jealousies and toxic encounters in a closed group, indeed. Of course, she turned it right back and said the same thing about men in any closed group. It may not be clever, but it's true.

I loved the whole stargate survival business and the worldbuilding that led up to it. That was pretty great. :)

It's just the other stuff that made me knock it a star from my original review. Let's Vote! *blech* :)

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A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Truly delicious Holmes-like mystery with rich fantasy elements.

The initial locked-room murder mystery quickly became a wonderfully balanced character study, a worldbuilding splendor, and a truly interesting tale weaving it all together.

Me? As much as I enjoyed the whole, I keep finding myself perking up and wondering even more about the rules of the world. A drop of corruption, indeed. But the whole kept bringing me back.

All my love for Holmes came back full force for this fantasy, alas. In all the right ways, and not just for nostalgia's sake.


This book's synesthesia is a horrid, fascinating mixture of raw oysters and psychoactive mushrooms. Good thing I'm aiming for the effects and not the taste, no?


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

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Counterweight by Djuna
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I happened to vibe well with this SF.

It was, at once, a mystery/thriller that was very corporation-centric, but before very long, we were catapulted right into a PKD nightmare, complete with paranoia and identity confusion, and from there, I was in love.

But it definitely doesn't end there. The thriller aspect kept ramping up, with all the espionage, the worms in people's brains, and the core theme of memory and ambition signified grossly in the glorious space elevator being constructed contrasting against the kingdom that had to be built in order to support it.

But best of all was the surprises at the end. I never would have suspected such a sordid romance--unrequited longing--could be so deliciously and intricately LINKED to all the above.

I swear, I'm still chortling.

No, this book may not be everyone's taste, but I'm happy as hell to have read a truly SMART SF.

It's as rich as the classics, as convoluted as PKD, and as imaginative as any I've seen.

This book's synesthesia is as bright and ephemeral as the wings of a butterfly, as dire as the smoke coming to snuff it out.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

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Until the Last of Me by Sylvain Neuvel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the first book mainly because it let us see the history of science, or rather astrophysics and space, through the eyes of driven clones trying to take humanity to space over a span of 3000 years.

It's not so clear-cut as this description, however. There are generally only three, just like in the Foundation tv series, and never more than that. The elder, the mother, and the daughter... each passing down their drive, philosophy, and love of discovery to the next generation.

What REALLY cut my corn was this, however: blade of their story, even the despair, mirrored our own abortive attempts to get to the stars. And that HURT.

I can only hope the third in the trilogy gives me a happy ending. Damnit.

This book's synesthesia is close to a cup of tea. It smells so good, but damn, I just want to REFUSE to drink it.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

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America and Americans by John Steinbeck
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think I'll just say that something like 60% of these many essays by Steinbeck are still as valuable today as when they were first written. They deal with humanity, his past, and a sharp eye on the world he experienced--just like the core of his truly great novels.

The importance is doubly clear when the events he wrote about--unions, migrant laborers, real people--were being shat on by those with power. Circumstances were not so different in the 30's as they are now. This shouldn't be much of a surprise to anyone. But it's absolutely scary just how close we are to re-living it all, almost exactly as it happened then.

Specifics? How about those who win re-write history? The lies told about America, and re-told, and even shoved down our throats. Yes, the big lies. The ones that perpetuate racism, blaming victims, and that particular blindness that encourages fascism when it helps absolutely no one except those who think might makes right.

Steinbeck understood, and fought against it where he could, but by the end of his career, and his life, he'd seen an America on the top in the 60's. He'd seen the apparent end of the robber barons (from the high tax rates of the super rich) and the ever-growing military might of America's forces following WWII. I personally thought he got a bit confused. The only way to fight for peace is NOT by just volunteering to be medics. But that's neither here nor there, and it was still an argument borne from a man who died 50 years ago.

Some of the essays were not so political or historical, of course. Some were positively charming and personable. But at all times, they were all pretty damn GOOD. Worth reading, especially for context for a great writer's legacy, for history itself, or for anyone who still feels sympathy and mercy for others.

This book's synesthesia is like a personable chat at a table with a good friend, so just add coffee and perhaps a few pastries and the senses will be complete.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

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Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I truly didn't know I needed this in my life, but here I am, chuckling after a neat read.

It's PART Chambers-cozy, but that's only later on. Mostly, it's an outright creature-feature movie from the lowest budget B days where Abbot and Costello meet the mummy, Dracula and the werewolf.

Of course... with a very sharp space-opera supercomputer AI PoV twist.

Me, I was just hoping it'd turn out to be a cool hacking meets survival horror type book, but it became something really delightful and more complex than that.

Ghost ship, indeed. :)

I can't say I'd want to see a bunch of knock-off novels in this vein, mind you, because it MIGHT get really old in the wrong hands. But in Truelove's hands? If she wrote a whole SERIES of this, with these wonderful characters, I'd gobble them up until we hit two dozen of them... AT LEAST.

As it is, I'm STILL enjoying some light-hearted chuckles in memory of quite a few of the events in the novel. That's precious to me.

This book's synesthesia would have to be a bit of rough but comfortable fur under my fingers and a bit of ozone in the air.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

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Ringworld by Larry Niven
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Something like my fourth read of this book.

The first time I read it was way back in the '80s and I was simply thrilled for any kind of big-concept, awe-inducing SF, whether it was a Hugo or Nebula winner or not. Of course, this one was, and it remains one of the greats.

Maybe by the second or third time reading it, I was wondering if I should feel a bit weird about the psycho-sexual dynamics, but by now, it's no biggie. It's future, stemming from the free love culture, but at no point is it icky. Indeed, the ADVENTURE, the great alien dynamics (Puppeteers!! Woooo! Kzin! Humans!) and jaw-dropping discoveries (not just Ringworld, itself, but the enormity of a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of its exploration) and the mysteries of its limited-Dyson sphere construction.

It's funny, of course. This is the most classic example of a concept: "BDO" Big Dumb Object. Back when I heard such a thing, I thought it was awfully dismissive of the true JOY such a thing can evoke in a reader. Indeed, the idea that SOMEONE could have created such a thing--something that could hold the equivalent landmass of 3 million earths, all able to be POPULATED by humanoids--is truly jaw-dropping.

I retain my sense of awe. My imagination runs in overdrive.

Or, indeed, maybe I just feel lucky to have read it.

I miss awe in SF, but this captures it well.

This book's synesthesia is all in the heart's pounding, the excitement of discovery, the scent of sweat and exertion.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

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Post Office by Charles Bukowski
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What I expected:

Sharp satire and/or witticisms couched in brilliant prose, dark examinations of modern society with a slight absurdist flair.

What I got:

A near shaggy-dog story with tones of a Noir as it could be written as a carrier turned long-term clerk, with honestly enjoyable prose and a flippant, dissolute voice.

Not bad by a long shot, but my expectations sure as hell didn't match its execution. Of course, that's all on me.

Will I try more from this esteemed "master" of modern lit? Sure. It was, after all, pretty fun even if it turned expectations on its head. Perhaps BECAUSE it turned expectations on MY head.

This book's synesthesia is the scent of horses and booze to wash down the pain of life's many papercuts.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

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Beyond Armageddon: Twenty-One Sermons to the Dead by Walter M. Miller Jr.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm only reviewing "The Feast of Saint Janis" by Swanwick from this collection.

Well now. I'm filled with a bit of awe, a queasy stomach, and no little spark of rage after reading this.

But not because I hated the story. Indeed, I thought it was a true fish-out-of-water, observing another's culture in its true self-destruct mode, reflecting it right back upon us, queasy.

In that respect, it did its job perfectly.

But to see such implants, personality or otherwise, used for such a means of suicide--well, I'm shivering. Not because it's unrealistic, but because I know people living today that would LOVE a chance to go out this way, with eyes wide open.

I mean, it sure beats the hell out of a quiet death pod, right? Um... right?

I feel a bit disturbed now.

Great story, though.

This book's synesthesia is a wild scream from a good friend, a torn mask in the middle of a ball.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

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Vacuum Flowers by Michael Swanwick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don't know whether it's Michael Swanwick or 80's lush SF in general, but this novel was a real treat. Visually and imaginatively dense, involved, and deep, it gives us a taste of living in a future that includes mini Dyson Spheres, a vast ecology of AIs (even more delicious in today's climate), and a clear Cyberpunk ethos that doesn't so much lean on punk as in its bio-social-technological implications. I always preferred that spin.

But more importantly, the novel gives us a great thread of themes based on integrity and desire--and it doesn't let us down in the slightest. You know, all those 'be careful what you wish for' threads.

I personally wish we could have more modern takes in the current SF trends that pull off worlds as rich as this, building ever more on the core themes while blowing us away with as rich SFnal worlds.

I feel blessed.

Sure, the focus on sex is, as always, a sign of the times, though less weird than the '70s breed of novels. But my honest opinion? It's mild. Certainly little in the way of chauvinism--and more in the spirit of the sexes finding their balance and/or moving on.

Either way, this novel was still a wonder to behold for anyone wanting to fall deep into their imaginations.

This book's synesthesia is a synthesis of hothouse plants and honest sweat, oddly enough.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

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Ashes of Man by Christopher Ruocchio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don't think I'll ever get over how much I got annoyed by the first book in this series. All the name-swiping and nods to other big SF properties simply drove me OUT of the enjoyment of what, in the end, IS a proper good SF in its own right.

Fast forward to book 5, a good 3 books in where I've been grooving to the tale and characters, and I can hardly believe how much I love it NOW versus THEN.

Yes, I love it now. The pain, the reluctant heroism, the sheer scope of DUTY, memory, and loss, just makes this tale shine. I may have even teared up a little.

And the wonderful collection of baddies, of alien or mechanoid races or even proto-gods, also makes this SF shine in a different way. The action sequences are top-notch, but that's like icing to the delicious cake that carries the epic space-opera scope. Oh, the sorrow...

So yeah, I recommend. Wholeheartedly--with that other caveat.

This book's synesthesia is the sense of a deep void filled with awe and tiny pieces of cake.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

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The Unmapping by Denise S. Robbins
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I honestly want to like this book more than I did. I think it was the core concept of moving buildings, always at 4 am, hopping from one location to another in the NYC (and other places), just causing a shoehorned chaos every day.

Sure, it doesn't make any sense, but that's the SURREAL for you.

So, I kinda went in thinking about having such a thing just LEAN into the surreal, think about The City and the City, or Invisible Cities, or even a bit of Borges. It could have been deep and weird and impressionistic and sometimes even a little wild--but instead we got something that went hard on the Literary SF angle, about personal lives rather going down the toilet, or just being uprooted and always just teetering on the edge of dissolution.

I frankly didn't really like any of the characters. They were either too cringey or dissolute EVEN IF I actually like long stream of consciousness writing in general. Especially when it goes deep into the woods. But, unfortunately, the novel kept trying to go in different directions.

It even attempted to nudge us toward a SF reason, and then to a mystical reason, before going the Literary Fiction direction--and all the while, all these pieces just felt SHOEHORNED in. I mean... sure, such an event would definitely call for a serious renewable energy push, would absolutely necessitate grass-roots real-people aid, but to reverse cause and effect, saying ECOLOGICAL DAMAGE would have caused the unmapping of buildings, popping up all over the place like a dream, just felt like an enormous stretch. And no, it wasn't ever confirmed in the novel, thank god, but it coming up multiple times was multiple times too many. I would have bought it if we were to just read the novel as an ALLEGORY... but the allegory stuff, if it was there, was all lost in a morass of anxiety meds and loss of selfhood.

So, great potential idea, but everything else just felt too... shoehorned, try-hard. Alas.

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