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Hard to read, like any Holocaust account, but very creatively and skillfully done. Fascinating choices for the animal representations of the different cultural groups. Although I've been aware of Maus for some time, I'd never read it before the recent book bans nudged it back into my attention. I had never come across the German comparison of Jewish people to mice before reading this. This book should never be banned from teenagers.
Interesting read, to see PTerry's work at the beginning of his storytelling career. Nowhere near the level of writing or humor that he would go on to achieve, but interesting from the perspective of seeing how very far he developed as a writer, and you can see glimmers of the writer he would become in a few spots.
I read this one rather hoping for something with a Terry Pratchett flavor. This is not that, but it was a delightful read! I enjoyed the magic system. I enjoyed the lighthearted read. There are dark situations, but the overall tone is still a great light read. I would recommend this as a great young adult read with some enjoyable characters.
Then, I read up on the author and it turns out that T. Kingfisher is none other than a pen name for the fantasy artist Ursula Vernon! This was an added delight.
This is a cute book. It is enjoyable, but not fantastic. I read it rather hoping for shades of Terry Pratchett. Instead, I can very much see an influence of Douglas Adams. It is not like reading Adams, but you can see the influence. Easy and quick read, just enjoyable enough to make me hope the sequel lives up to the potential this has.
Like most short story collections, some of these stories are good; some are just weird and very period. However, it is an interesting read in context as part of the history of Science Fiction and the history of modern female authors. For some people, it may also be an interesting challenge to their idea of female writing styles as well.
The greatest strength here is the character writing. Different characters, starkly and distinctively portrayed. The characterization kept me reading to the end. Some weirdness with pacing/continuity, but this was the author's debut novel. I can't tell if it was an intentional tool to portray the neural atypical nature of several characters or just inexperience.
If you are widely read, you won't find anything new in this book. It is going to remind some people obviously of Snowpiercer. Warning. Snowpiercer spoiler:
This is Snowpiercer light, with everyone at the bottom of ship/back of train being people of color. Snowpiercer light, because they have many decks filled with varied crops on this generation ship. Horrid discrimination and abuse, with the lower/colored classes doing most of the manual labor (which for some reason this incredibly high tech generation ship does not automate), but lighter than Snowpiercer as the upper decks are not literally cannibalizing the lower decks, and while abuse is rampant, some lower deck people do have meaningful jobs/careers of a sort.
I suppose the primary goal of this book must have been to portray rampant violent trauma and how that locks people into a cycle where more trauma and abuse continues to occur:
It seemed utterly unrealistic that The General, so incredibly revered as the Hand of God by the entire ship, would refrain from taking power when his uncle died. He was SO dreading the new level of cruelty, but didn't make a move, despite his aristocratic upbringing. We are told he has also been horrifically abused in his past, but it seems not quite believable that a character of tremendous intellect and true religious devotion to doing good, in a position of close inheritance to the throne as it were, wouldn't make any moves to take power in order to prevent great cruelty an evil.
Also, did not enjoy the very abrupt ending.
I've experienced homes heated by wood and homes heated by coal, and yet Ruth Goodman's book still held surprises for me. I didn't realize how very late some technologies (such as cast iron) came into existence, therefore how very difficult the first century or so of domestic coal adoption would have been. If you enjoy the author's other work, you will enjoy this. If you enjoy learning and thinking about the changes that common household living has changed, you will enjoy this. If you enjoy reading about women's history, then you will enjoy this.
What if an Aztec-like culture became a vast conquering space empire? How would that culture, ritual, and language evolve?
This is my first read of Arkady Martine, prompted by award nominations, book club recommendations, and the apparent streak of Aztec/Nahuatl influence and language present in Martine's vast space empire. I was intrigued that some reviewers recommended this book to fans of C.J. Cherryh. Combine all that with a “whodunit” murder mystery, and I began.
I was pleasantly surprised by the skill of this writer. I was delighted by her use of language, linguistics, and poetry in world-building. This book combines psychology and anthropology skillfully. This story is not an action-movie (although it contains everything from warships to daggers). However, it is a layered kaleidoscope of ideas about culture, linguistics, literature, politics, and above all: identity. While there are several points where an astute reader can see where events are going, it is still a delight to watch how the path will unfold from here to there. Part of the pleasure is watching the protagonist learn and discover, even if we can already see a bit ahead of where she can see. I enjoyed the main characters and the process of discovering them with the protagonist.
There are moments when this author taps perfectly into the torn feeling a person can have who comes from a less “mainstream” culture into a larger one. That feeling of being the outsider, even if one is well-versed. This could have been so easy to mess up, but she handled it well.
This author is not C.J. Cherryh, but try this book if you love Cherryh's exploration of personal identity. Neither is this author Guy Gavriel Kay, but try this book if you love the way she uses the “big” human themes of pivotal moments in history, immersion in layers of culture, and lovely descriptions of place. Most of all, give this book a try if you like the idea of identity discovery in the midst of a whodunit, in the midst of a culture that breathes poetry.
Stephen King is always a great story-teller! This book is no different. This is not the typical horror/slasher stereotype of a tale that might come to mind when you hear the author's name. This is one of his “other” books. There is plenty of evil, in a book about imprisoned children. There are innocents suffering, but at the same time, this book seems to be Stephen King having a moment of optimism in the face of darkness. I see two big themes here:
1. It is possible for victims to take back power from abusers by working together.
2. If you could shape the course of the world in ways that you see as beneficial or moral, but at the cost of committing cruelty upon innocents, would you?
Some reviewers have ranted about a handful of sentences in the novel where a character makes an anti-Trump comment. If you are so unable to handle an opposing idea that 5 or 6 sentences in an otherwise excellent novel will make you stop reading or boycott an author, then you have a very sad lack of tolerance, character, and intellect. People who take this path allow a knee-jerk reaction cut themselves off from seeing how Mr. King is making digs at both extreme ends of the political spectrum. Light spoiler:
2b, if you like, is this: Some of the actions taken by those wielding great power in this book might please the deranged absolute left end of the political spectrum, such as planning to murder a strident anti-gay-rights individual, for example. Even though this character is predicted to potentially damage human society on a great scale through his future actions, should he be murdered for the greater good? Should innocents be abused and suffer in order to effect his murder for the greater good? In this book, Mr. King answers "no"!
This is a book with conspiracy, psychic powers, and other entertaining elements, but it is ultimately about the idea that committing wrongs in the name of right should not be done. Mr. King seems to be reminding us that people, groups, and nations who want to stand for the greater good should take care that they do not use the tools of evil to pursue that good.
Also, it's a terrific yarn! Read this book!
I learned a lot a bout Jane Austen's life, and I could hear the author's voice in my head at times, as her distinctive phrasing is so familiar from all of her documentaries. However, this enjoyment was marred because I was reading the Kobo ebook edition. In this edition, the pictures section at the end are all too small to see clearly, and the captions are absolutely miniscule and unreadable. Very disappointing to realize the publisher included photos of people and places mentioned in the book, and then be unable to see them or read what they are. My advice is to not buy the Kobo ebook edition. Try print instead.
No, this is not part of the “Wayward Children” series, but you can see the same author is weaving with some of the same threads, as she's making a new pattern. This book pulled me in and I swept through it, enjoying the ride. Some of McGuire's common bits, like alternate world fairy tales, special children, magic, etc., are present. However, she also brings in alchemy and ideas from the period when early science and magic still had a large overlap in the psyche of human civilization.
Mild spoiler: In this case, she explores what is might be like if universal forces were incarnated as children, paradoxes, etc. We might even see the birth of a new pantheon, of sorts.
This was an interesting and fun work of anachronism in many ways. There are a lot of fun “what ifs” for fans of space exploration and NASA History. Alternate histories are good for that.
I could write about racism in the 1950s. I could write about sexism in the 1950s. I will refrain, though, because that's all to be expected. The main character's social anxiety does seem tiringly omnipresent, but I believe that is the point. It seemed a bit much at times, but if you want to portray a person suffering from social anxiety, who has PTSD several times over, and works a high pressure job that the future of the human race probably depends on (while surrounded by racism and sexism), how could you lessen it? Usually stories gloss over the nerves of the performer, soldier, or yes test pilot. I think it took some bravery on Ms. Kowal's part to attempt this. So even when it's a bit much, it's still interesting to observe as a writing exercise.
It is a fun book. If you ever wondered “what if” about the timelines of the early space race, then you might enjoy it! If you ever looked at the social and technological history of that time and wondered if anything but aliens could have spurred us forward faster and started to bring us together, then Ms. Kowal's offering of natural disaster just might be a read you enjoy as well.
This was an excellent read. Hard to put down, with a very interesting world and even a few unexpected character connections. Skillfully sewn together subplots that give the reader some very satisfying moments when they converge. Even though it features environmental disaster, it is not an excuse to be trite and preachy, as I half dreaded it might have been. This is when I am happy to find a book after the sequels have already been published! Definitely reading more of this author!
This is a fun read. The tales are told in friendly, engaging tone. This made me realize how very much Greek mythology I already knew, and was a nice revisit. The author has done his best to weave the complicated tangle of tales into a more coherent, continuous narrative, which may help them make more immediate sense to a novice. At the same time, he employs a dry wit and large array of cultural references. The footnotes are a pleasure.
