Tag: Fiction

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

It’s like the foreign legion for nerds,” I said, and laughed. “With polar bears.” “Or seals,” Aparna added.” pg 32, ebook

Master author John Scalzi penned a lovely book about large creatures in an alternate dimension. That ending though… no spoilers in this review so I won’t say much more about it other than it was a huge disappointment.

“We think we’re smart,” Niamh repeated. “And because we think we’re smart, we only looked at what we wanted to look at and didn’t think to look past it.” pg 165

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I was looking for a light-hearted fiction read, which this book is. The characters are diverse and it was quite fun to discover the world Scalzi created for them.

The kaiju themselves are fascinating. Again, I don’t want to say too much and ruin the best part of this book- the creatures.

I liked the humor in the story even though the same gag is used multiple times. It lends a sense of familiarity in the middle of an alien world.

Though it does get a bit repetitive after a little while.

All that being said, I only recommend this book to Scalzi fans. I could not get over that ending.

Thanks for reading!

Electric Idol (Dark Olympus, #2) by Katee Robert

Electric Idol (Dark Olympus, #2) by Katee Robert

“Star-crossed lovers! What will Demeter and Aphrodite think of their children’s secret relationship?” pg 20

The blurb for Electric Idol is what drew me in to this romance novel. I have not read the first book of “Dark Olympus” so I may have missed a ton of world building, which was missing from this entry in the series.

“Psyche Dimitriou might actually be what passes for a unicorn in Olympus – a good person.” pg 32

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Welcome to Olympus, where the gods and goddesses walk among us, wielding their power not through magical powers, but through armed soldiers, assassins and social media.

All of which could have been very fun, but I felt this novel fell flat.

Most of the tension was in back-and-forth conversations between the two main characters that went something like – I love him/her so much. He/she could never love me. Oh no, people want to kill us.

It went on and on like that for more than 350 pages.

“I want Psyche for my own. A desire that was kindled that first night has grown beyond control in the last twenty-four hours. I don’t care if she deserves someone just as sweet as she is.” pg 123

There’s some erotic interludes in here so librarians please classify it correctly. Not young adult.

Only recommended for serious romance/erotica fans. Others may want to give it a pass.

Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries, #2)by Martha Wells

Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries, #2)by Martha Wells

Murderbot is back again- trying to discover what went wrong in her past while avoiding being captured for her rogue SecUnit status.

“Yes, the giant transport bot is going to help the construct SecUnit pretend to be human. This will go well.” pg 59, ebook

In the second installment of “The Murderbot Diaries,” readers are introduced to ART, the robotic pilot of a transport ship, who has more computing power than Murderbot ever imagined.

Together, they will find a way to do the investigation into Murderbot’s past.

Their relationship is interesting. Both are machines, both have their shortcomings. They don’t always get along very well.

“Tlacy’s terms were great,” Tapan added, “but maybe too great, if you know what I mean.” ART did a quick search and returned the opinion that it was intended to be a figure of speech. I told it I knew that.” pg 66, ebook

I read this novella in a day- it was that good. Highly recommended for science fiction fans. You’ll want to start at the beginning to fully appreciate this story.

Thanks for reading!

Magic Vol. 1 by Jed Mackay, Ig Guara (Illustrations)

Magic Vol. 1 by Jed Mackay, Ig Guara (Illustrations)

Magic Vol. 1 is a beautiful beginning to a fantasy series based on the card game, “Magic the Gathering.”

The story is quite busy for a first volume, bringing together a number of characters and introducing a fairly complex system of magic.

At least, it seemed like a lot to me as I’ve never played Magic the Gathering and have no idea how it goes. To those who are familiar with the game, this might be less of an issue.

The artwork is gorgeous. I love when talented artists team up with great writers to produce graphic novels. I believe that is the case with this book.

I’m interested to see where this goes. Recommended for fantasy readers ages 14 plus because of some violence.

Thanks for reading!

Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #1) by Tamsyn Muir

Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #1) by Tamsyn Muir

Gideon wants to escape from her dreary life on a dead end planet but when her plans are hijacked by the head of her household, she ends up having to become a cavalier for her nemesis. Snarky humor, profanity, and gothic themes follow.

“Gideon marveled that someone could live in the universe only seventeen years and yet wear black and sneer with such ancient self-assurance.” pg 24

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I was unprepared for the violence and blood-soaked pages of this book. (Maybe I should have read some of the reviews first!)

I also had trouble keeping track of character’s titles. Each character could be referred to in three or four different ways, and the author used the titles interchangeably.

It made it hard for me to enjoy the story. The pacing was slow in the middle, which didn’t help matters.

One positive thing I have to say about Gideon the Ninth is the story is quite unique. I’ve never read a story about necromancers in space – until now.

Also, the humor was note-worthy. Tamsyn Muir, the author, uses modern language to build sparkling dialogue and funny interactions. If readers are fond of Deadpool, they may enjoy this story too.

I wish I had enjoyed it more. Only recommended for readers who like their humor dark, their bloody wounds flowing and their character lists massive.

Thanks for reading!

All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries, #1) by Martha Wells

All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries, #1) by Martha Wells

In All Systems Red a sentient android, who calls herself, Murderbot, is with a group of scientists on a mission to survey a planet. She (though technically not a she, but I think of her as a she) is responsible for the security of the group.

When things begin going horribly wrong, Murderbot’s job becomes infinitely more complex. She doesn’t experience emotions but is thrust into situation after situation where the humans around her are dealing with emotions.

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At least she has hours of videos in storage to keep her busy- watching films is her favorite pastime.

It’s not an easy job. But someone has to do it.

From the first pages of this story, I was hooked. Author Martha Wells pulled me in and my attention never wavered throughout this novella. It’s easy to see why this one is an award winner – both Hugo and Nebula Awards.

The characters are delightful. The action is both intense and entertaining.

Throughout the story, I was mentally comparing Murderbot’s interactions with other people with the plight of real soldiers who are returning from war. In many ways, she feels like she doesn’t belong. Her special skillsets and very existence forever separates her from the people around her.

She has no emotions; mimicking the numbness that some soldiers feel with post-traumatic stress disorder.

I realize soldiers are not actually robots, but the allegories drawn from this book could make for interesting book club conversations.

Even though it’s science fiction, it’s not the “hard” variety which leads to appeal far beyond the typical group of science fiction readers.

This is a stand-alone novel as well as the first in a series. Readers who are completionists, like me, may like that, especially if they’re reading outside of their typical genre.

Highly recommended for fiction readers and book clubs.

Thanks for reading!

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix

Susan, the heroine of The Left-Handed Booksellers of London, has never met her father. But she wants to.

“I think I’ll go up to London early. Get acclimatized. There’s bound to be pub work I can get. And I… I’ll try to find my dad.” pg 8, ebook

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Her search takes her to London where, after a night of violence and supernatural scares, she discovers a whole other world existing alongside the every day one.

This is a world of magic and legend, and mysterious, ultra-cool booksellers.

“Susan hesitated and looked back. The monstrous bug was still writhing, but something else was happening now. A dark fog was flowing up the stairs.”

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Enter a teen named Merlin and his sister, Vivien.

“Children’s writers,” said Merlin. “Dangerous bunch. They cause us a lot of trouble. … They don’t do it on purpose… But quite often they discover the key to raise some ancient myth, or release something that should have stayed imprisoned, and they share that knowledge via their writing. Stories aren’t always stories, you know.” pg 59, book

The characters and their sparkling dialogue are the high points in this fantasy tale for young adults.

I was also fond of the heroes being a bunch of booksellers. The only change that would have raised that, in my opinion, was if author Garth Nix had made them librarians. But that’s just me. 🙂

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The world Nix has imagined, though intriguing, never moves beyond the entirely predictable. I suppose I wasn’t the intended audience for the story, but I believe a great book entertains all ages.

“I never knew anything about the Old World or any of this stuff before I met Merlin.” pg 67, ebook.

Although, now that the world is created, I could see this being the first entry in a fun, light-hearted series. We shall see.

Only recommended for young adults who are looking for fantasy reads. Adults readers may find themselves longing for more complexity.

Thanks for reading!

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

In Invisible Man, an unnamed narrator moves through a series of events that highlight racism and inequality both in the society and in the people within the system.

This is a book that is difficult to describe and may need to be experienced.

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The writing is powerful and builds like a punch in sections. I listened to the audiobook while on a walk through the woods so maybe that’s why I was so sensitive to the rhythms.

I’m not a black man and I’ve never walked a mile in his shoes, but this book gives a short sojourn into another person’s life.

The material is sobering and shocking, at times, lyrical and beautiful in others. Rather like life.

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At the end of the book, I found myself hopeful for the narrator. Hopeful that he would move forward from all of the challenges that he faced into a new dawn of understanding and racial equality.

I’m always hopeful for improvement. Always.

I think society sometimes uses aspects of our lives (like gender, race, social status, level of education, sexual orientation) to place people into tidy boxes or make them invisible like the narrator in Ellison’s novel.

One way to combat this evil is to know that we’re not alone as we travel through life. We’re all in this together. We see each other and acknowledge each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

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We are seen and appreciated for our uniqueness by the communities we create. It’s a big responsibility.

I read this classic because it is painted on the staircase of the library where I work. I’m trying to read all of the classics recorded there in an effort to become “classically” well-read.

What do I mean by classics? The most-tagged classics on Goodreads.com include such notable books as “1984” by George Orwell, “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger, and “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck.

Of those three, dear readers, I’ve only read one.

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So, the next problem with this aspiration of mine is — Where do I start? Who is the definitive voice when it comes to choosing classics?

Who better than a library, I thought, literally.

I had the privilege of working at O’Fallon Public Library during the Great Renovation of 2015 to 2016. One of my favorite pieces of improved library space (other than the bubble wall!) are the book spines that were painted on our stairs.

I’d like to invite everyone to read along with me as I “climb the stairs” by reading the classics listed there. The goal is to share the books our community deemed important enough to preserve in our library space for all time.

The next title on the steps is Watership Down, another classic that I have not had the pleasure of reading. (Portions of this review first appeared on the O’Fallon Public Library’s blog.)

Thanks for reading!

Crystal Soldier (The Great Migration Duology, #1; Liaden Universe, #1) by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Crystal Soldier (The Great Migration Duology, #1; Liaden Universe, #1) by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Pilot Jela has crashed on a lonely world where great forests once stood. He was in a fight in space against a highly advanced robotic society that seeks to destroy life itself.

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The sheriekas, for that’s what the enemy are called, have done a number on this world with its endless, lifeless forests. Until, after days of hardship, Jela finds a sign of life.

“The sheriekas (eliminated life) wherever they could, as if life itself was anathema. Overt signs of sheriekas action were an indication that a planet or system held something worthwhile… pg 23, ebook.

Cantra is a pilot whose hauls are generally on the up-and-up. She crosses paths one night with Jela. And that’s where the story truly begins.

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The first entry in the Liaden Universe was written later as sometimes happens with these mammoth science fiction series. As the authors explain in the prologue, they felt creating Jela and Cantra’s story took a type of maturity that they did not yet have in the 1980’s, when they began writing the series.

“The problem we face,” he murmured, “is that someone- and we must assume that someone equals the Enemy- is experimenting with dismantling the universe.” pg 63

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I’ve been considering what to think about that. Certainly, authors don’t have to experience everything they write- imagine Suzanne Collins and her “Hunger Games.” But every artist has her process so, whatever works for them.

This is a well-written book, if a bit plodding at times. The pacing problem is offset with sparkling dialogue between Jela and Cantra. They converse in both words and a type of sign language called “pilot speak.”

It gives a different dimension to the communication between them. I liked that a lot.

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The universe itself, like other science fiction works I’ve read, is full of promise for both adventures and exploration. The nemesis- a group seeking to destroy life itself- is a fitting metaphor for industrialization run amok with its climate change implications.

I’m sure there are other comparisons that can be drawn. That’s simply the first one to pop into my mind.

I also liked that one of the main characters in this story is a tree. Wouldn’t life be fun if you could take a walk and talk to the trees lining your path? I think so.

Highly recommended for readers who enjoy science fiction and don’t mind an occasional pacing problem. Thanks for reading!