Michael Barnes
I have read many lists of well-regarded horror many feature Kathe Koja's debut novel The Cipher (which was going to be called The Funhole but the publishers said no) Her language conjures words and phrases that are at turns poetic and grotesque. Her feel for language is truly impressive. The Funhole, a portal to another dimension in the utility closet of his rundown apartment building that while visible to any who look at it only truly becomes miraculous when our protagonist Nicholas is present. He with his on-again off-again girlfriend Nakota begin to put things in the "Funhole" only to have them returned different.
Nicholas attracts others, accreting them and his descent into visual hallucinations and madness is as horrible as the bizarre purification of the wound in his hand that is linked to the funhole.
I have read many lists of well-regarded horror many feature Kathe Koja's debut novel The Cipher (which was going to be called The Funhole but the publishers said no) Her language conjures words and phrases that are at turns poetic and grotesque. Her feel for language is truly impressive. The Funhole, a portal to another dimension in the utility closet of his rundown apartment building that while visible to any who look at it only truly becomes miraculous when our protagonist Nicholas is present. He with his on-again off-again girlfriend Nakota begin to put things in the "Funhole" only to have them returned different.
Nicholas attracts others, accreting them and his descent into visual hallucinations and madness is as horrible as the bizarre purification of the wound in his hand that is linked to the funhole.
The action in Flight of the Fallen begins soon after the conclusion of Magebike Courier book one Road to Ruin. Sometimes you can pick up the second book in a duology and it doesn't matter that you haven't read the first, this is not one of those (not sure if I can think of any duologies like that actually).
The heart of this story of polyamorous queer throuple spend the first part of the book split but its our now talentless magebike rider bearing the worse but with the discovery of a possible map to the first city of the gods, thanks to a timely influx of refugees from a collapse city, Princess Yi-Nireen and Jin-Li are off into the wastes while our big hearted third Kadrin trying to redeem Princess Yi-Nireen, save his family and deal with a religious leader whose motto is death before change.
Hana Lee's gritty, queer Mad Max–inspired fantasy second novel is as thrilling as the first and brings everyone and everything into a satisfying conclusion.
The action in Flight of the Fallen begins soon after the conclusion of Magebike Courier book one Road to Ruin. Sometimes you can pick up the second book in a duology and it doesn't matter that you haven't read the first, this is not one of those (not sure if I can think of any duologies like that actually).
The heart of this story of polyamorous queer throuple spend the first part of the book split but its our now talentless magebike rider bearing the worse but with the discovery of a possible map to the first city of the gods, thanks to a timely influx of refugees from a collapse city, Princess Yi-Nireen and Jin-Li are off into the wastes while our big hearted third Kadrin trying to redeem Princess Yi-Nireen, save his family and deal with a religious leader whose motto is death before change.
Hana Lee's gritty, queer Mad Max–inspired fantasy second novel is as thrilling as the first and brings everyone and everything into a satisfying conclusion.
This book's attraction for me was the use of alchemy, with my love of chemistry I am drawn to stories which weave a unique alchemical framework that maintains a consistent fundamental system that still allows a surprise that you could predict from the details provided bravo to Lu. The different ways that alchemy can take a life, from transmutating your opponent's skin to the pavement, to melding metal to your target’s scalp – the fighting tactics are innovative and gruesome. Alchemy, in Marie Lu’s adult debut Red City, is the art of transformation. In the novel, we learn that a drug known as Sand is used to make people 'the best they can be' so whilst it heightens their strengths, but also their weaknesses. The tagline of the book reads ‘power always has a price’, referring largely to the fact that the use of alchemy erodes part of the user’s soul. It also, however, alludes to the greater narrative of the story, that power is a give-and-take; so how much are you willing to give up?
The supporting characters are fascination as well all with depth and motivation that make them so much more than just easily categorised hero/villain. Please don't think I some moral equivalence excuses their horrible deeds but at least there are no mustachio cartoon Dick Dastardly plotting evil for the laughs.
The world building is superb in an alternative contemporary of our own but in which alchemy exists in a shadowy underworld. If you have read and enjoyed Fonda Lee’s Greenbone Saga, and V.E. Schwab’s Vicious then I think you will enjoy this new series. Like those this include magical crime syndicates, and childhood unrequited love. Sam and Ari are tragic characters destined to be on opposing sides of a magical war between Alchemists trying to control the most valuable substance: sand. Set primarily in an alternate Los Angeles, we follow these characters as they grow up and head their separate ways. Lu also touches on first generation immigrant struggles, the complicated relationship dynamics with family, and cultural differences drawing on some of her own experiences as she says in the acknowledgements at the end of the book. There might be a few scenes you may find confronting, as there is torture, so check for warnings.
This book's attraction for me was the use of alchemy, with my love of chemistry I am drawn to stories which weave a unique alchemical framework that maintains a consistent fundamental system that still allows a surprise that you could predict from the details provided bravo to Lu. The different ways that alchemy can take a life, from transmutating your opponent's skin to the pavement, to melding metal to your target’s scalp – the fighting tactics are innovative and gruesome. Alchemy, in Marie Lu’s adult debut Red City, is the art of transformation. In the novel, we learn that a drug known as Sand is used to make people 'the best they can be' so whilst it heightens their strengths, but also their weaknesses. The tagline of the book reads ‘power always has a price’, referring largely to the fact that the use of alchemy erodes part of the user’s soul. It also, however, alludes to the greater narrative of the story, that power is a give-and-take; so how much are you willing to give up?
The supporting characters are fascination as well all with depth and motivation that make them so much more than just easily categorised hero/villain. Please don't think I some moral equivalence excuses their horrible deeds but at least there are no mustachio cartoon Dick Dastardly plotting evil for the laughs.
The world building is superb in an alternative contemporary of our own but in which alchemy exists in a shadowy underworld. If you have read and enjoyed Fonda Lee’s Greenbone Saga, and V.E. Schwab’s Vicious then I think you will enjoy this new series. Like those this include magical crime syndicates, and childhood unrequited love. Sam and Ari are tragic characters destined to be on opposing sides of a magical war between Alchemists trying to control the most valuable substance: sand. Set primarily in an alternate Los Angeles, we follow these characters as they grow up and head their separate ways. Lu also touches on first generation immigrant struggles, the complicated relationship dynamics with family, and cultural differences drawing on some of her own experiences as she says in the acknowledgements at the end of the book. There might be a few scenes you may find confronting, as there is torture, so check for warnings.
This was an enjoyable steampunk style romp with a well craft system of magic/science and a strong sense of the rich and privileged thriving on the murdered exploited othered masses, can't image why such a story resonates at the moment. (Honestly we in the 'western hemisphere' are not the good guys).
Also a compelling primary character in Sciona who in a culture steeped in misogyny is willing to tear it down hence the 'punk' in the steampunk.
This was an enjoyable steampunk style romp with a well craft system of magic/science and a strong sense of the rich and privileged thriving on the murdered exploited othered masses, can't image why such a story resonates at the moment. (Honestly we in the 'western hemisphere' are not the good guys).
Also a compelling primary character in Sciona who in a culture steeped in misogyny is willing to tear it down hence the 'punk' in the steampunk.
Fair warning this is book 1 in The Downworld Sequence, published in 2023 but I haven't seen no announcements of a next release and I do want to read more.
Emma Mieko Candon’s The Archive Undying opens with an all to possible beginning: “When an AI god dies, its city dies with it.” This opening line sets the tone for a gripping narrative that binds elements of trauma, flesh-and-blood characters, and the mesmerising allure of the complex relationship between humanity and AI.
Our initial point of view is provided by Sunai, who one reviewer (Simon Kerr at Friction ) "a lovably reckless lead, his latest inadvisable hookup, and a rather suspicious crew". Sunai is haunted soul unable to escape the aftermath of a robotic god’s corruption that left his home in ruins, Sunai has roamed like a ghost for years, numbing his pain with vices and fabricated indifference. But just when he thought he was out, they pull him back in. The gears of fate start turning when Sunai wakes up beside an unexpected stranger with whom he shares more than one passionate night. Fate, like time, is never linear, and Sunai is once again sucked into the machinations of cybernetics deities and the ones that would seek to worship or destroy them.
Other reviewers have commented on how much they found this book a challenge to read but so worth it and I agree. The greatest strength of this book is the writing, which is fluid, clever, and hilarious. Some descriptions read like poetry, others made me laugh out loud: “You were interfaced when corruption hit, riddled with finer threads, all white and tender, the dendritic web through which you understood Iterate Fractal meat to finally consume you. If Iterate Fractal means to eat you, it had better hurry its shit up.”
Candon swiftly delves deep into her characters’ psyches, immersing the reader in Sunai’s heartfelt grappling with the profound impacts of past (and ever-present) trauma. The Archive Undying constantly challenges notions of reality and understanding, creating an ethereal atmosphere comparable to Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation but it also reminded me of my first experience reading Ann Leckie's Imperial Radch space opera trilogy that began with Ancillary Justice.
Seeing the world through Sunai’s eyes was a visceral experience; witnessing his carving as he battles both powerful external forces and the demons within him was terrifying and blissful. The slow-build relationships add layers to the story, making the connections between characters feel substantial. Candon weaves a narrative that questions what it means to love and trust in a world where personal boundaries are interchangeable and permeable and memories are preserved and manipulated. Sunai and Veyadi’s journey is not only one of survival but also a search for connection and understanding in a fragmented, high-stakes world.
The plot fascinates, if you can navigate through the points where the plot bewilders. It’s a book you’d want to take your time with. It may be a book I’ll return to in a year or two and discover the 30 percent of clarity I was missing and happily say, “It’s better than I remembered.” Despite its density, I recommend this beautiful complicated story and hope to read more of Emma Mieko Candon.
Fair warning this is book 1 in The Downworld Sequence, published in 2023 but I haven't seen no announcements of a next release and I do want to read more.
Emma Mieko Candon’s The Archive Undying opens with an all to possible beginning: “When an AI god dies, its city dies with it.” This opening line sets the tone for a gripping narrative that binds elements of trauma, flesh-and-blood characters, and the mesmerising allure of the complex relationship between humanity and AI.
Our initial point of view is provided by Sunai, who one reviewer (Simon Kerr at Friction ) "a lovably reckless lead, his latest inadvisable hookup, and a rather suspicious crew". Sunai is haunted soul unable to escape the aftermath of a robotic god’s corruption that left his home in ruins, Sunai has roamed like a ghost for years, numbing his pain with vices and fabricated indifference. But just when he thought he was out, they pull him back in. The gears of fate start turning when Sunai wakes up beside an unexpected stranger with whom he shares more than one passionate night. Fate, like time, is never linear, and Sunai is once again sucked into the machinations of cybernetics deities and the ones that would seek to worship or destroy them.
Other reviewers have commented on how much they found this book a challenge to read but so worth it and I agree. The greatest strength of this book is the writing, which is fluid, clever, and hilarious. Some descriptions read like poetry, others made me laugh out loud: “You were interfaced when corruption hit, riddled with finer threads, all white and tender, the dendritic web through which you understood Iterate Fractal meat to finally consume you. If Iterate Fractal means to eat you, it had better hurry its shit up.”
Candon swiftly delves deep into her characters’ psyches, immersing the reader in Sunai’s heartfelt grappling with the profound impacts of past (and ever-present) trauma. The Archive Undying constantly challenges notions of reality and understanding, creating an ethereal atmosphere comparable to Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation but it also reminded me of my first experience reading Ann Leckie's Imperial Radch space opera trilogy that began with Ancillary Justice.
Seeing the world through Sunai’s eyes was a visceral experience; witnessing his carving as he battles both powerful external forces and the demons within him was terrifying and blissful. The slow-build relationships add layers to the story, making the connections between characters feel substantial. Candon weaves a narrative that questions what it means to love and trust in a world where personal boundaries are interchangeable and permeable and memories are preserved and manipulated. Sunai and Veyadi’s journey is not only one of survival but also a search for connection and understanding in a fragmented, high-stakes world.
The plot fascinates, if you can navigate through the points where the plot bewilders. It’s a book you’d want to take your time with. It may be a book I’ll return to in a year or two and discover the 30 percent of clarity I was missing and happily say, “It’s better than I remembered.” Despite its density, I recommend this beautiful complicated story and hope to read more of Emma Mieko Candon.
"A glorious sunshine/grumpy romantic re-imagining of the Pandora myth, from the bestselling author of Girl, Goddess, Queen and The End Crowns All" that's an accurate summary. With these retellings you get a fresh take on the myths we all know. I get to learn more about characters who I hadn't heard about before and thanks to the author some cleverly thought out tricks to resolve the dilemmas facing these characters I have gown to care about.
"A glorious sunshine/grumpy romantic re-imagining of the Pandora myth, from the bestselling author of Girl, Goddess, Queen and The End Crowns All" that's an accurate summary. With these retellings you get a fresh take on the myths we all know. I get to learn more about characters who I hadn't heard about before and thanks to the author some cleverly thought out tricks to resolve the dilemmas facing these characters I have gown to care about.
Don't let the forest in' is the second of C.G Drews novels I have read and I can state their beautiful, heart wrenching prose was no one off as it infuses this young adult, queer, dark academia novel. Drew's rich prose fills this tale. I found it immediately captivating from the first line “It hadn’t hurt, the day he cut out his own heart.”
Our protagonist Andrew Perrault (who is described as 'feels too fragile to exist properly in the world, thanks to the intense anxiety that either paralyses him or sends him spiralling' writes haunting terrible fairy tales as a means of managing his anxieties and fears. He is writing them for Thomas Rye – “a freckled kid with a reckless mouth and hair kissed by the devil” who is as talented an artist who draws equally beautiful and terrible images that illustrate these dark monsters of the mind. They are between them … what Andrew spends much of the novel trying to work out. At the lush gothic Wickwood Academy we join them for their final year with polished and high‑achieving twin sister Dove who last year were inseparable but a rift opened between Dove and Thomas last year which has pushed Andrew to try to understand what Thomas means to him.
This would be easier if the school wasn't being stalked by monsters or varied shape, forms an horrors each night, crafted to seem to be echoes of Thomas's drawings and Andrew's stories you can wonder if it is just in the mind, until the Maths teacher dies - (of all those characters encountered so far in the story he was no 2 on my list of won't miss them).
Gabriel Harrison at Elephant Page publishing has recognised "The novel has both asexual and bisexual representation, a dynamic which is often underrepresented even in queer fiction, and was refreshing to read. Seeing Andrew struggle to come to terms with his asexual identity throughout the story is something that will deeply resonate with queer readers, especially those on the asexual spectrum. The author’s bio states that they are aspec themselves, which made me enjoy the novel so much more" which speaks to our need for books like these as 'windows' for me but more importantly as a mirror for your queer folk who don't get to see themselves as heroes in enough stories.
I was enthralled with the ending. It is left ambiguous, allowing the reader to infer their own interpretation of the events that have occurred leading up to it.
Don't let the forest in' is the second of C.G Drews novels I have read and I can state their beautiful, heart wrenching prose was no one off as it infuses this young adult, queer, dark academia novel. Drew's rich prose fills this tale. I found it immediately captivating from the first line “It hadn’t hurt, the day he cut out his own heart.”
Our protagonist Andrew Perrault (who is described as 'feels too fragile to exist properly in the world, thanks to the intense anxiety that either paralyses him or sends him spiralling' writes haunting terrible fairy tales as a means of managing his anxieties and fears. He is writing them for Thomas Rye – “a freckled kid with a reckless mouth and hair kissed by the devil” who is as talented an artist who draws equally beautiful and terrible images that illustrate these dark monsters of the mind. They are between them … what Andrew spends much of the novel trying to work out. At the lush gothic Wickwood Academy we join them for their final year with polished and high‑achieving twin sister Dove who last year were inseparable but a rift opened between Dove and Thomas last year which has pushed Andrew to try to understand what Thomas means to him.
This would be easier if the school wasn't being stalked by monsters or varied shape, forms an horrors each night, crafted to seem to be echoes of Thomas's drawings and Andrew's stories you can wonder if it is just in the mind, until the Maths teacher dies - (of all those characters encountered so far in the story he was no 2 on my list of won't miss them).
Gabriel Harrison at Elephant Page publishing has recognised "The novel has both asexual and bisexual representation, a dynamic which is often underrepresented even in queer fiction, and was refreshing to read. Seeing Andrew struggle to come to terms with his asexual identity throughout the story is something that will deeply resonate with queer readers, especially those on the asexual spectrum. The author’s bio states that they are aspec themselves, which made me enjoy the novel so much more" which speaks to our need for books like these as 'windows' for me but more importantly as a mirror for your queer folk who don't get to see themselves as heroes in enough stories.
I was enthralled with the ending. It is left ambiguous, allowing the reader to infer their own interpretation of the events that have occurred leading up to it.
Road to Ruin by Hana Lee was described to me as a Max Max: Fury Road-inspired fantasy with magic-fuelled motorcycles, a dangerous wasteland, and romantic letter writing, this is an accurate description. The story explodes with our protagonist Jin a courier one of the few who travel outside the safety of the walled cities known as kerinas, delivering goods and letters and dodging dangerous mana storms, outlaw raiders, and aggressive dinosaur-like beasts with Jin being attacked by a flying a pteroper a wild miniature 4 winged pterosaur (about the size of motor cycle helmet) whose she names Screech and whose injury she treats gives us our first indication that our outlaw isn't quite as hard and tough as she pretends to be.
The others in this burgeoning polycute are Prince Kadrin and Princess Yi-Nereen – who live in separate Kerinas – for years. Because Kadrin is dyslexic, Jin has always read Nereen’s letters aloud to him; because women in Nereen’s Kerina are not taught to write, Nereen has always dictated her letters to Kadrin to Jin. These letters open each of the books chapters.
The Lesbrary describes it thus "the world-building of Road to Ruin, which is a delightful combination of fantasy and steampunk. This is clearly a society in decline, able to field motor bikes but also penned in magically-walled cities that are constantly on the verge of failure. You have some of the hallmarks of non-modern fantasy—couriers, knights, winged beasts, and magic sources—but clearly set in the long aftermath of some dystopian climate event. I thought it was very fun and imaginative, and I loved that it allowed us some of the tropes of romantic fantasy such as letter writing and royalty and arranged marriages while also giving us an extremely hot queer motorcycle aesthetic".
Very grateful the second in the duology Flight of the Fallen is available So I can dive right in.
Road to Ruin by Hana Lee was described to me as a Max Max: Fury Road-inspired fantasy with magic-fuelled motorcycles, a dangerous wasteland, and romantic letter writing, this is an accurate description. The story explodes with our protagonist Jin a courier one of the few who travel outside the safety of the walled cities known as kerinas, delivering goods and letters and dodging dangerous mana storms, outlaw raiders, and aggressive dinosaur-like beasts with Jin being attacked by a flying a pteroper a wild miniature 4 winged pterosaur (about the size of motor cycle helmet) whose she names Screech and whose injury she treats gives us our first indication that our outlaw isn't quite as hard and tough as she pretends to be.
The others in this burgeoning polycute are Prince Kadrin and Princess Yi-Nereen – who live in separate Kerinas – for years. Because Kadrin is dyslexic, Jin has always read Nereen’s letters aloud to him; because women in Nereen’s Kerina are not taught to write, Nereen has always dictated her letters to Kadrin to Jin. These letters open each of the books chapters.
The Lesbrary describes it thus "the world-building of Road to Ruin, which is a delightful combination of fantasy and steampunk. This is clearly a society in decline, able to field motor bikes but also penned in magically-walled cities that are constantly on the verge of failure. You have some of the hallmarks of non-modern fantasy—couriers, knights, winged beasts, and magic sources—but clearly set in the long aftermath of some dystopian climate event. I thought it was very fun and imaginative, and I loved that it allowed us some of the tropes of romantic fantasy such as letter writing and royalty and arranged marriages while also giving us an extremely hot queer motorcycle aesthetic".
Very grateful the second in the duology Flight of the Fallen is available So I can dive right in.
Kingfisher writes either cosy fantasy or otherworldly horror this is the former. Its a sleeping beauty fairytale-inspired retelling (you don't want this princess to wake up) and balances the creepy and the cosy and has a heroine the changeling Toadling that deserve so much better than she expects. If you are a fan of Kingfisher’s other novellas like Nettle and Bone or A House with Good Bones, (which I am) then thow this one on the top of your TBR pile, or bottom depends on how you choose from your pile.
Kingfisher writes either cosy fantasy or otherworldly horror this is the former. Its a sleeping beauty fairytale-inspired retelling (you don't want this princess to wake up) and balances the creepy and the cosy and has a heroine the changeling Toadling that deserve so much better than she expects. If you are a fan of Kingfisher’s other novellas like Nettle and Bone or A House with Good Bones, (which I am) then thow this one on the top of your TBR pile, or bottom depends on how you choose from your pile.
This is one of my bookclub choices. It was quite short, a novella in length so I was able to finish it quickly. I found it readable and reminded me of the sort of clear aphorisms you find in contemporary self-help books. I am unsure if that clearness is down to updating a 16 century text Italian text, or the work of the translator. I don't think anyone would be surprised now by the morally reprehensible advice, given how we live in a world that so often has not only espoused but proudly declares its support of the books principles, power is all.
Like other classic texts 'On War', 'The book of Five Rings' and 'The Art of War' what people take away is more support or pithy quotes that support what they want to do anyway.
"blame anyone who, trusting in fortresses, thinks little of being hated by the people" which described the idea of building fortresses on conquered land, but I am sure you could construe such a quote to support whatever thought bubble the techbros of industry are currently try to sell to the masses.
" "A prudent Prince neither can nor ought to keep his word when to keep it is hurtful to him and the causes which led him to pledge it are removed. If all men were good, this would not be good advice, but since they are dishonest and do not keep faith with you, you in return, need not keep faith with them." said every politician ever.
This is one of my bookclub choices. It was quite short, a novella in length so I was able to finish it quickly. I found it readable and reminded me of the sort of clear aphorisms you find in contemporary self-help books. I am unsure if that clearness is down to updating a 16 century text Italian text, or the work of the translator. I don't think anyone would be surprised now by the morally reprehensible advice, given how we live in a world that so often has not only espoused but proudly declares its support of the books principles, power is all.
Like other classic texts 'On War', 'The book of Five Rings' and 'The Art of War' what people take away is more support or pithy quotes that support what they want to do anyway.
"blame anyone who, trusting in fortresses, thinks little of being hated by the people" which described the idea of building fortresses on conquered land, but I am sure you could construe such a quote to support whatever thought bubble the techbros of industry are currently try to sell to the masses.
" "A prudent Prince neither can nor ought to keep his word when to keep it is hurtful to him and the causes which led him to pledge it are removed. If all men were good, this would not be good advice, but since they are dishonest and do not keep faith with you, you in return, need not keep faith with them." said every politician ever.
Hazelthorn is C.G. Drews’ return to the horror genre, after 'Don’t Let the Forest In', which is on my TBR list but this one showed up available in my local library first and I has convinced me to make the effort to track down their earlier novel of the genre I think is called botanical horror (reminds me T. Kingfisher's 'What moves the dead', 'A House with Good Bones' by T. Kingfisher and 'Where the darkness blooms' by Andrea Hannah.
Esmay Rosalyne at Grimdark Magazine sums it thus "It’s a hauntingly tragic tale of an orphan teen with missing memories who inherits a crumbling gothic manor with a carnivorous garden and has to solve a murder mystery together with his ex-best friend who tried to murder him seven years ago".
But its C.G.Crews gorgeous writing style that sets this book apart, their voice comes through as atmospheric and dreamlike with hauntingly beautiful imagery. There are also illustrations of the plants that Evander reads about in the Hazelthorn field guide that are interwoven throughout the story.
But for me it was the focus of the young man (seventeen) Evander's autistic rage, and about being treated like a monster for acting autistic, and about being told that your view of the world is ‘wrong’. It includes anxiety and meltdowns and spirals and sensory issues, and a lot of the horror in the book doubles as a metaphor for what autistics go through. His intoxicating dynamic with Laurie, who is a beautifully complicated mess of a character in his own right. This inexplicable queer yearning is absolutely delicious, and the way that Drews captures Evander’s toxic obsession with Laurie is a highlight of the book.
Hazelthorn is C.G. Drews’ return to the horror genre, after 'Don’t Let the Forest In', which is on my TBR list but this one showed up available in my local library first and I has convinced me to make the effort to track down their earlier novel of the genre I think is called botanical horror (reminds me T. Kingfisher's 'What moves the dead', 'A House with Good Bones' by T. Kingfisher and 'Where the darkness blooms' by Andrea Hannah.
Esmay Rosalyne at Grimdark Magazine sums it thus "It’s a hauntingly tragic tale of an orphan teen with missing memories who inherits a crumbling gothic manor with a carnivorous garden and has to solve a murder mystery together with his ex-best friend who tried to murder him seven years ago".
But its C.G.Crews gorgeous writing style that sets this book apart, their voice comes through as atmospheric and dreamlike with hauntingly beautiful imagery. There are also illustrations of the plants that Evander reads about in the Hazelthorn field guide that are interwoven throughout the story.
But for me it was the focus of the young man (seventeen) Evander's autistic rage, and about being treated like a monster for acting autistic, and about being told that your view of the world is ‘wrong’. It includes anxiety and meltdowns and spirals and sensory issues, and a lot of the horror in the book doubles as a metaphor for what autistics go through. His intoxicating dynamic with Laurie, who is a beautifully complicated mess of a character in his own right. This inexplicable queer yearning is absolutely delicious, and the way that Drews captures Evander’s toxic obsession with Laurie is a highlight of the book.
T Kingfisher is one of those authors I have read and always been engaged by her work, never have I had a disappointment, she is one of my reliable to read authors who I haven't yet devoured her extensive bibliography as I like to keep her novels up my sleeve to perk up my reading.
This southern gothic horror novel masterfully pulls a quirky and genuinely likable protagonist Samantha Montgomery, a thirty-two-year-old post-doctoral scholar in archaeoentomology. She is introduced when the novel opens, where our protagonist is greeted by a vulture perched on their mailbox, keeping a close eye on the house.
Another reason I love Kingfishers work as it is significantly researched and I learned a lot along the way about Vultures, insect taxonomy, ladybugs and roses in fact the author acknowledges the book sprouted (sorry, not sorry) from her own complicated love-hate relationship with tending rose bushes.
The horror aspects of A House with Good Bones kick into overdrive in the last fifth of the book, drawing to while a predictable, but no way unsatisfying conclusion.
T Kingfisher is one of those authors I have read and always been engaged by her work, never have I had a disappointment, she is one of my reliable to read authors who I haven't yet devoured her extensive bibliography as I like to keep her novels up my sleeve to perk up my reading.
This southern gothic horror novel masterfully pulls a quirky and genuinely likable protagonist Samantha Montgomery, a thirty-two-year-old post-doctoral scholar in archaeoentomology. She is introduced when the novel opens, where our protagonist is greeted by a vulture perched on their mailbox, keeping a close eye on the house.
Another reason I love Kingfishers work as it is significantly researched and I learned a lot along the way about Vultures, insect taxonomy, ladybugs and roses in fact the author acknowledges the book sprouted (sorry, not sorry) from her own complicated love-hate relationship with tending rose bushes.
The horror aspects of A House with Good Bones kick into overdrive in the last fifth of the book, drawing to while a predictable, but no way unsatisfying conclusion.
The previous novel On Vicious Worlds had manoeuvred all the pollical players in to various states and locations, some up some down, which left me wondering if Jacobs could satisfactorily wrap these disparate lines in conclusion. As far as I'm concerned, Jacobs nails the ending. Not only is it deeply satisfying, the characterization in this book is so good, and adds so smoothly to the characterization of the previous books, that I saw the whole series in a new light. I thought this was one of the best science fiction series finales I've ever read even given the deus ex gate.
In a conclusion that tracks the action from at least four vantage points and linked in a grand strategy with chaotic surprises. Also the historical storytelling that lead to and described the destruction of the Jeveni moon was one of the most gripping sequences in a book already chock full of action even knowing how it must end.
Also makes me want to reread Ann Leckie's Imperial Radch trilogy.
I look forward to reading more by this new voice Bethany Jacobs.
The previous novel On Vicious Worlds had manoeuvred all the pollical players in to various states and locations, some up some down, which left me wondering if Jacobs could satisfactorily wrap these disparate lines in conclusion. As far as I'm concerned, Jacobs nails the ending. Not only is it deeply satisfying, the characterization in this book is so good, and adds so smoothly to the characterization of the previous books, that I saw the whole series in a new light. I thought this was one of the best science fiction series finales I've ever read even given the deus ex gate.
In a conclusion that tracks the action from at least four vantage points and linked in a grand strategy with chaotic surprises. Also the historical storytelling that lead to and described the destruction of the Jeveni moon was one of the most gripping sequences in a book already chock full of action even knowing how it must end.
Also makes me want to reread Ann Leckie's Imperial Radch trilogy.
I look forward to reading more by this new voice Bethany Jacobs.
Willis, has been awarded eleven Hugo Awards and seven Nebula Awards and a member, since 2009, of the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, and I have enjoyed her award winning time travel shenanigan All Clear series and Oxford novels. I was worried when I realised this was contemporary set in Alien tourist Roswell and involving a cast of characters Francie our protagonist there for a wedding of a best friend Take the fact that its slightly off-the-wall premise of Francie, the wedding attendee in question, a con man named Wade, an old lady who lives for trips to local casinos, a retiree with a RV the size of Texas and UFO-believing devotee with more than a few conspiracy theories in his pocket, all who end up getting abducted by alien they call Indy, which could be too over the top but it not only works in Willis craft but is made to mean something.
The resolution is when the puzzle pieces of this novel click together to make a satisfying and for me unexpected whole. The novel as Alex Kingsley at Ancillary Review of Books reminds us "…to think critically and put compassion over fear—an especially relevant reminder in a day and age when conspiracy theories are alive and well".
Willis, has been awarded eleven Hugo Awards and seven Nebula Awards and a member, since 2009, of the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, and I have enjoyed her award winning time travel shenanigan All Clear series and Oxford novels. I was worried when I realised this was contemporary set in Alien tourist Roswell and involving a cast of characters Francie our protagonist there for a wedding of a best friend Take the fact that its slightly off-the-wall premise of Francie, the wedding attendee in question, a con man named Wade, an old lady who lives for trips to local casinos, a retiree with a RV the size of Texas and UFO-believing devotee with more than a few conspiracy theories in his pocket, all who end up getting abducted by alien they call Indy, which could be too over the top but it not only works in Willis craft but is made to mean something.
The resolution is when the puzzle pieces of this novel click together to make a satisfying and for me unexpected whole. The novel as Alex Kingsley at Ancillary Review of Books reminds us "…to think critically and put compassion over fear—an especially relevant reminder in a day and age when conspiracy theories are alive and well".