Valerie

My resolution this year is to read more nonfiction, and this was the first NF book to come up as I scrolled through my nook tars. Oddly enough, I read most of it on Tolkien's 127th birthday. This is a very easy to read, sometimes speculative look at Tolkien's life mostly before his epics. It does an especially fine job chronicling his relationship with his wife and his Inkling friends. I learned a lot of new things about him and would recommend this to any LOTR fan who wants a quick look into the life of this astonishing person.

I really love the Tufa, and I make a point of downloading the next book whenever I go to my in-laws' house in the Smokies. Bledsoe really does justice to this landscape and I love his fae interpretation. That said, this installment really needed more of those two thing. The switch to first person, human POV didn't work for me, and while I'm always happy to read more diverse characters, Matt often seems defined by little else other than his sexuality and refusal to do literally anything anyone asks him to do. Emily's storyline gets zero emotional investment, and I just wanted more Bliss, Mandalay, and Bronwyn. Giving it a 4 because I love the series as a whole, but this was not the strongest volume.

I don't typically like military SF, but this book reminded me of Ancillary Justice in the best ways. Amazing culture and world-building, thorough characters who keep you guessing, and bonkers technology. I read most of this on a plane which is maybe not ideal because it is so dense and difficult to visualize. Definitely not a book that treats its audience like children. I had to work to understand what was happening, but it didn't feel like work because the characters were so intriguing. Glad I bought the sequel too, but giving my brain a rest before reading it.

This really hit the sweet spot that is literary fantasy/magical realism for me. The prose is lush and dense, the scope is epic, and also undying spirit crow. Crows are neat. Highly recommended especially to fans of Watership Down.

I love Connie Willis enough that I was willing to give a rom-com a try, but in the end, it wasn't for me. I do love her humor, musical references, and style. The sci-fi parts are quite fun, and it picks up a lot after the mid-point, but the trappings of the genre are just not what I enjoy. Great fun if you're into rom-coms, but she has a lot of better sci-fi if you aren't.

Jason Brubaker makes beautiful things, and the latest installment is no exception.

I definitely wouldn't have picked this book up on my own, but I'm glad my book club chose it. It starts out as a hacker thriller novel, but halfway through morphs into some really crazy sci-fi on themes of artificial intelligence and exactly how much of our lives is offloaded to the internet. The characters are often reprehensible but interesting and mostly realistic. I think more could have been done with DeAndre and Aleena, but overall I enjoyed watching these characters. I'm not sure if Wendig is a genius or just a walking dad joke with his spot on naming (Copper? Chance? Really?). The science starts strong, but things do get wonky at the halfway point so don't count on it for hard sci-fi. If that doesn't bother you, it's a great thrill ride.

This collection has some interesting tie in stories to both The Wind Up Girl and The Water Knife which we're probably my favorites. Climate fiction is some of the scariest stuff out there. “The People of Sand and Slag” about broke my heart. There was only on story I didn't care for (the one where the man kills his wife ... title escaping me), but overall I thought it was an intriguing collection and definitely recommended for fans of his novels.

I love the works of Lovecraft, but I love works that draw from lovecraftian mythos a lot more because they can use the good parts and cut out the racism and misogyny. Lovecraft Country, however, takes the idea one step further. Instead of ignoring or excusing the problems, it leans into them to show how much scarier they are than any tentacled horror. It's a brilliant book, and really does a great job as both historical and supernatural fiction.

I really don't know if I liked this more or less than Circe. Miller has a way of reinvigorating stories with a layer of modern philosophy that weaves seamlessly with classic mythos. I've had this on my to-read shelf for ages and am very glad I finally got around to reading it. Patroclus' tale is a frequently overlooked and downplayed part of the Iliad, and it is refreshing to see it get a serious treatment (I'm looking at you, stupid Troy movie). If you have any interest at all in the Iliad, you should read this and probably everything Madeline Miller writes ever.

I think my book club really hit on it when they said that the themes in this book were really interesting, but the execution is dated and feels a little sloppy. The idea of “the other among us” and the fear and xenophobia surrounding this trope is sadly as relevant today as it was in WWII. The characters are pretty flat, however, and Katherine and Joanna's storylines are just both deeply disappointing. I see how it set a lot of foundation for mutant tropes, but it wasn't really for me.

This series is just my favorite long-running series in existence. We're in the penultimate chapter, and so much is lost. So much of the book is spent with a broken, fractured crew. So much of the book is spent far away from the Rocinante. It's deeply impressive how far the world has moved from Leviathan Wakes, how much the characters have changed and grown. If you're already an Expanse fan, you'll need this in your life. If you're not, get on it. You also need this in your life. This fine ship. This fine crew.

This is some of the most impressive world building I've read in ages. Lee blends some of the best mafia tropes with a unique magic system and then drops it in the middle of a Hong Kong action film. Her characters are well-rounded, compelling, and faced with incredibly difficult choices. The plot twists and turns so you're never quite sure what's going to happen. There were definitely pages I had to re-read because I just couldn't believe what had happened. The amount of research poured into this is truly astonishing, and I'm very excited to continue the series.

This isn't necessarily the kind of book I'd typically read, but it is one I'm glad exists. It's poppy, fast-paced, often graphic, and action-packed. What sets it apart though is its setting (a Navajo reservation that is protected by a huge wall from the apocalypse outside) and its characters, particularly Maggie, an indigenous monsterslayer who really needs a lot of therapy. I saw Roanhorse at a local signing and she talks about the issues with indigenous representation in fantasy. Too often, it is reduced to a sidekick, usually a shapeshifter. “That's my culture,” she said, “Shapeshifters.” Roanhorse uses tons of mythological and human character to create a truly unique piece of fiction. It also does a really good job of representing trauma from a first person perspective. Again, the violence and downright abusive relationships in the story kept it from being my cuppa, and the ending felt a bit confusing and rushed (there is a sequel out now which hopefully clears some of that up), but it is a very noteworthy piece that I'm glad I stumbled across.

I read this for work and found it surprisingly valuable. It really defined a lot of the reasons I wasn't doing well at my old job and gave me hope for the new one. If you're familiar with the love languages, it adds a bit to that premise and is very easy to follow. I think it's an especially good read if you have people who work under you.

It's been a while since a book made me cry, but I sobbed all the way through the second half of “The Last of the Winnebagos.” Dogs, man. I can't handle dog stories. Connie Willis goes beyond talented into the realm of gut-wrenching, emotion-twisting savant. Some of the stories in this collection are delightfully quirky (Emily Dickenson vs. War of the Worlds as told in a thesis proposal anyone?) and some are deeply depressing (She really knows a lot about the Blitz), but every one is a gem as would be expected. This is probably a good collection if you've never read Willis before (although one story does read better if you've read the Doomsday Book) and is a must for fans of her other work.

I was extremely excited to grab an ARC of this at Denver Comic Con. Uprooted is one of the best modern fairy tales I have ever read, and while Spinning Silver is a completely different setting and set of characters, it upholds the fantastical tone and complexity of cast that have become Novik's hallmark.

The multiple POV's must have made this challenging, but each perspective gives us valuable insight into both the person and the time period. I want to slap period authors who don't write women with any agency because “that's just how it was.” The women in this book understand the limits society puts on them, and they work within or around those limits to make choices-Especially Miryem, who has to fight against people's attitudes towards women and Jews. Also, a European fantasy book that recognizes Jewish people and anti-Semitism openly? It's just great.

Like Uprooted, many of the male characters seek to take choices and control away from the female ones. Also, like Uprooted, they are unprepared for what they start. I'd argue that the antagonists here are more complex, often more sympathetic, but they are also held accountable for their actions, even if the reader comes to understand how they became monsters. Irina and Mirnatius' mirror narrative is particularly compelling and a lesson in how to keep from making more monsters.

I could gush about this book all day. It's clever, original, beautiful and everything I needed to read right now. You should read both this and a Uprooted, but they are only thematically a series and can be read in either order.

I'm pretty sad that I didn't like this book more. I love Kevin Hearne and I love comedic fantasy, but this one fell flat. The concept was exciting, but it didn't work for me. The jokes are pretty lowbrow and repetitive and I just didn't laugh. In another setting, I probably could've gotten behind the characters, but the tone just didn't allow me to take character development seriously. I think it needed more heart and less poop to really match up with Pratchett, Adams, and other genre masters.

This book is really clever. I love stories that explore gender through a sci-fi lens, and of course Annalee Neuwitz delivers. I was much more interested in the Paladin storyline, but Jack is a pretty great protagonist too (middle-aged, bisexual Asian tech pirate? More of this please). The style and story itself remind me a lot of Cory Doctorow. It's pretty violent and gritty at times, but the themes of autonomy and gender are powerfully and thoughtfully explored. If you are an io9 reader, you probably will enjoy this.

Charlie Jane Anderson makes me angry because she writes stories that should be hackneyed and stupid but turn out delightfully absurd. Genie Theatre Critic? Should be dumb. Is my favorite short story in a long time. Bio-engineered family seeking to inherit dad's body parts? Should be ridiculous. Is refreshingly complex and touching.

Also, we find out what happened to Patricia's cat, and the story made me need to hug my cat for much longer than he prefers.

Honestly, this book just wasn't for me. I read it for book club, but I pretty much knew from the premise I wasn't going to be into it. I'm not automatically against YA fiction, but the basic, flat characters, quick-developing relationships, and rapidly shifting tone and tense really exemplify a lot of the problems that develop when people write for that age range. The gender-swapping nature of badass Hester and milquetoast Tom is a nice touch, but mostly I hurried to finish so I could start something new.

I'm still giving it 3 stars because I think it could make an exceptional comic or anime. Visuals would immensely help this story, both giving it scale, making relationships believable, and playing the jokes as quick, visual Easter eggs rather than laborious references. I genuinely hope it gets picked up by Gainax, though probably not now that there's a film. I have no idea how a live action film will work, but my prediction is not great.

BKV and company continue to own this. How are 4 dudes writing all these female characters so well? Take note, menfolk, it can be done.

While all the time-jumping is trippy and fun (and I am hyper-critical of time travel stories) it's the relationships between the girls that stands out and make this a 5 star series. I'm very intrigued by KJ's story and what it means to her friendships as well as new Tiffany joining the team ( for however briefly... I know how BKV stories go).

This series also does a great job at looking at generations, and I think it will appeals to a wide range of readers because of all the places we can connect to versions of ourselves and other people in our life. As Charlotte says, we are all traveling through time.

Let me start by saying Katherine Arden is a really nice person who even comes into town a day early for conventions because local bookstores tweet at her to come visit. Really cool person who has clearly done a ton of research into Russian mythology and folklore. Definitely my favorite part of the book is the coexistence of household spirits and Christianity. I think a lot of stories end up firmly on one side or the other, but Arden's story (while clearly supportive of the chyerti) firmly favors the idea that both can be true.

Anna is the most interesting character in my opinion. The difference in being born with the Sight and told “these are normal things” and “these are demons” is portrayed with skill and makes her a fascinating if tragic character. Honestly, I'd reread this story from her perspective.

While it was a slow starter (I see Arden setting up Russian politics for the second book, but it was hard to get through to actually hear Vasya's beginning), I think this is one of those books aimed at a YA audience that successfully translates for older readers. Not sure when I'll get to the sequel, but it was a fun read reminiscent of Tamara Pierce with a Russian twist.

This is a stunning reselling of Circe's mythology with a strong emphasis on her relationships, primarily with men. It's fascinating to watch Circe weave through life with her father, brothers, and lovers, watching how so many male figures seem to control her path as she perseveres in her love of mortals. She is pitted against the women who should be her allies and left with her own loneliness as one by one people try to dismiss her as a flat archetype. Then we get characters like Daedalus and Telemachus, powerful contrasts to the toxic masculinity surrounding Circe. Miller takes these ancient stories and weaves them into a seamless tapestry (see what I did there?) that speaks to very modern themes. I can't wait to read more of her retellings.

Tanith Lee weaves a great mythos, and this story, slightly more narrative than the first volume, continues the epic world building of the Flat Earth. I particularly enjoy how Lee plays with gender and the effects it has on how people are perceived. I don't always agree, but it's interesting to find an older book with non-binary characters.