Tag: Science Fiction

Review: Exordia

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Title: Exordia (January 23, 2024)
Author: Seth Dickinson
Pages: 544

The opening act of Exordia is extraordinary. It’s witty, engaging, and sets up a super intriguing first contact alien scenario. What follows that cracking start is a dense, technobabble bonanza that prioritizes impenetrable science abstractions over story and character. 

It’s frustrating because I’m fairly certain Seth Dickinson is brilliant. But he’s so brilliant that most of what he was writing about went well over my head. Or maybe I’ve just outed myself as an unlearned, poorly-read student of science fiction literature – but that’s for me to grapple with. 

I wish I had put this down and chalked it up as one of the many books that are “just not for me,” but the promise of that opening section left me hopeful that the story would eventually sink its teeth back into me. I lost the plot and never got it back as Dickinson dove deeper and deeper down a cosmological rabbit hole that I just could not follow (literally, figuratively, metaphysically). 

There will be a bloc of readers who love Exordia, and I wish I could count myself among their numbers. But consider me among the lesser mortals who could not connect with the frequency at which Dickinson is operating here.

★★

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: After World

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Title: After World: A Novel (December 5, 2023)
Author: Debbie Urbanski
Pages: 368

  1. What is the best way then for humanity to survive a failing Earth?
  2. What is the best way for a failing Earth to survive?
  3. What if the answers to questions 1 and 2 are radically different?

After World imagines a future that is solely concerned with question 2. In order to save Earth, a deadly pathogen is released that sterilizes the human race – thereby swiftly and efficiently eradicating humans from the planet. Its telling is bleak, grim, and unforgiving – and yet, it makes for incredibly compelling reading.

Author Debbie Urbanski has considered every element of the future down to the most granular detail. Those looking for a fun, post-apocalyptic romp will be letdown, as this story self-consciously subverts the post-apocalyptic trappings that fans of the genre are familiar with and focuses on the cold realities that such an end of days scenario would create.

The AI-human romance angle is a bit oversold in the book’s synopsis and is a bit undercooked in the way it’s implemented in the text, but this book is so rich in its worldbuilding and the way it weaves in its unique metanarrative that it hardly matters. With the proliferation of artificial intelligence and the way it is reshaping our (warming) world – this book is a perfect complement to our modern technological time.

★★★★½

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Other Valley

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Title: The Other Valley (February 7, 2024)
Author: Scott Alexander Howard
Pages: 304

This is a quiet gem of a novel. Scott Alexander Howard takes a unique premise and executes it beautifully – never relying too heavily on his fantastical plot device to convey young Odile’s heartfelt story. 

I loved the exploration of the moral and practical reasons a citizen should and should not be allowed to visit their neighboring valley to the east (20 years into their future) and to the west (20 years into their past). A more scrupulous reader might uncover some time travel plot holes here that I tried not to think too hard about – but if you suspend your disbelief and take the story at face value, you’ll find a thought-provoking and wistful tale that I, for one, greatly enjoyed.

★★★★½

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Same Bed Different Dreams

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Title: Same Bed Different Dreams (November 7, 2023)
Author: Ed Park
Pages: 528

Ed Park spins historical fact into brilliant literary fiction with Same Bed Different Dreams. His gripping prose and flair for unconventional storytelling makes even the most opaque sections completely engrossing. This book will coast onto yearly Best-of lists (including my own) and it should be in contention for major literary awards. I was simply blown away.

It’s a mesmerizing fever dream of a novel, with an expansive story that contracts on a whim. It’s sprawling, yet intimate. The subtle interconnections between its nested layers are a joy to puzzle out and it begs to be re-read. Starting over with more enlightened eyes (and maybe a character web to track the broad cast of players and their connections) would certainly yield a different, yet still satisfying, experience.

While it’s difficult to describe the book in terms of plot, if you’re an enjoyer of secret societies, doomsday cults, alternate histories, coded messages, spies, double agents, artificial intelligence, and the history of Korea – give this book a go. If you bristle at the thought of an unconventional narrative structure without much hand-holding, perhaps skip it. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it was certainly mine. 

★★★★½
✪ SPECULATIVE SHELF STARRED BOOK

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Circumference of the World

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Title: The Circumference of the World (September 5, 2023)
Author: Lavie Tidhar
Pages: 256

Reading a new Lavie Tidhar novel is always a treat. You can count on engaging prose paired with an inventive story and The Circumference of the World certainly fits that bill.

Jumping between seemingly unrelated narrative threads, Tidhar spins a tale about an elusive novel that galvanizes everyone in its orbit. We rarely stick with one thread long enough to reach a resolution, but in the end, the sections tie together in an intriguing way.

If you’re looking for a brisk read from a unique voice in science fiction, give this one a shot!

★★★½

My thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: In the Lives of Puppets

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Title: In the Lives of Puppets (April 25, 2023)
Author: T.J. Klune
Pages: 432

I wish I could embrace this book with as much warmth and kindness as T.J. Klune imbues into his writing, but I felt that this book missed the mark much more than Klune’s previous two novels, unfortunately. Apart from one compelling twist, the emotional beats of this tale fell flat for me, as Klune’s trademark sentimentality feels empty when paired with an uninspired story.

The book itself is a Pinocchio retelling at its core, but it also reminded me of so many other works of fiction that it struggled to stand out on its own merits. If you threw together Pinocchio, Martha Wells’ The Murderbot Diaries, Becky Chambers’ The Monk and Robot series, the setting of Fallout: New Vegas, the droids of Star Wars, the characters of The Brave Little Toaster, and the quest of The Wizard of Oz into a pot, you might have a stew that kinda sorta resembles In the Lives of Puppets. I just don’t think it tastes very good.

If you loved Klune’s previous work you’ll probably feel right at home with this book, but to me, a recovering cynic (who was still very much charmed by The House in the Cerulean Sea!), I think your reading time will be better spent elsewhere.

★★½

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Top 10 Books of 2022

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10. Empire of Exiles

Books of the Usurper #1
by Erin M. Evans

You can tell that Evans poured all of her nerdery into this book and it’s impressive to behold...The world feels ripe for exploration and it’s setting up for a great trilogy.

FULL REVIEW

9. The Bone Orchard

by Sara Mueller

The Bone Orchard is an ambitious and inventive novel about the lengths someone will go for self-preservation amidst extreme trauma. 

FULL REVIEW

8. How High We Go in the Dark

by Sequoia Nagamatsu

There is no shortage of dark humor to be found among the increasingly macabre story beats of How High We Go in the Dark. Even so, some sections are just incredibly devastating to read and that’s a credit to Nagamatsu’s excellent writing.

FULL REVIEW

7. Lark Ascending

by Silas House

House’s no-frills, plainly-told story is a refreshing change of pace from similar novels that might get bogged down with worldbuilding about the fall of our civilization. It’s visceral, heart-rending, but filled with hope and promise about the resiliency of a boy growing up under unspeakable conditions. 

FULL REVIEW

6. Fevered Star

Between Earthy & Sky #2
by Rebecca Roanhorse

Fevered Star is a worthy follow-up to Black Sun, one of my favorite books of the last few years. This is epic fantasy of the highest order and Roanhorse’s writing is a joy to read. 

FULL REVIEW

5. A Prayer for the Crown-Shy

Monk & Robot #2
by Becky Chambers

A heartwarming continuation of the adventures of our beloved robot and human companions, Mosscap and Dex. Much like the first novella, I so enjoyed the time spent in this world and with its inhabitants. 

FULL REVIEW

4. The Jade Setter of Janloon

The Green Bone Saga #0.5
by Fonda Lee

Fonda Lee was still able to craft an exciting, tightly-plotted, and complete story featuring many of the hallmarks that made the Green Bone Saga so compelling…if you loved the Green Bone Saga and aren’t ready to leave Janloon behind just yet, this is a supremely satisfying read.

FULL REVIEW

3. Neom

A Central Station Novel
by Lavie Tidhar

This was superb and I’m in awe of Tidhar’s vision. He’s conjured up a futuristic city that feels simultaneously ultramodern and also run down. The rich histories of the region and its cultures are seamlessly interwoven into the fabric of this fully-realized world.

FULL REVIEW

2. Venemous Lumpsucker

by Ned Beauman

This is the most delightful book about mass species extinction that you’ll ever read. Ned Beauman employs pitch-perfect gallows humor to engage with human-caused environmental destruction in a fresh and exciting way…very, very funny…fast paced, an engaging story, smart humor, and interesting characters. This book is a winner.

FULL REVIEW

1. The Spear Cuts Through Water

by Simon Jimenez

What. A. Novel. Simon Jimenez is operating on another level with The Spear Cuts Through Water. This is an evocative tale that beautifully blends fantasy, reality, and fable into a perfect package. To summarize the plot here would deprive you of the wonderful journey that awaits you once you crack open the first page. 

Jimenez simultaneously (and effectively) tells multiple nested stories, while exploring the nature of identity, love, and intergenerational trauma. The book is unwavering in its commitment to its characters, its story, and its structure. And it’s told with such fierce confidence and love that I was totally mesmerized from start to finish.

If The Vanished Birds (also excellent) didn’t put Jimenez on the map, The Spear Cuts Through Water definitely will. This is a special book.

FULL REVIEW

Review: Lark Ascending

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I’d open my eyes and look out at the aching blue of the ocean–a color I had never seen in nature and that most likely only exists in the middle of the Atlantic, a gray blue like a storm cloud full of unspent lightning and unfallen rain.

Title: Lark Ascending (2022)
Author: Silas House
Pages: 288

I wasn’t just seasick; I was undone in sorrow.

Lark Ascending opens with our protagonist’s harrowing journey across the Atlantic Ocean as he flees fire-ravaged America. It’s a brutal voyage, rendered with mesmerizing imagery and soaked with angst. 

This is post-apocalyptic fiction, but House’s no-frills, plainly-told story is a refreshing change of pace from similar novels that might get bogged down with worldbuilding about the fall of our civilization. It’s visceral, heart-rending, but filled with hope and promise about the resiliency of a boy growing up under unspeakable conditions. 

★★★★

Review: The Spear Cuts Through Water

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Title: The Spear Cuts Through Water (August 30, 2022)
Author: Simon Jimenez
Pages: 544

What. A. Novel. Simon Jimenez is operating on another level with The Spear Cuts Through Water. This is an evocative tale that beautifully blends fantasy, reality, and fable into a perfect package. To summarize the plot here would deprive you of the wonderful journey that awaits you once you crack open the first page. 

Jimenez simultaneously (and effectively) tells multiple nested stories, while exploring the nature of identity, love, and intergenerational trauma. The book is unwavering in its commitment to its characters, its story, and its structure. And it’s told with such fierce confidence and love that I was totally mesmerized from start to finish.

If The Vanished Birds (also excellent) didn’t put Jimenez on the map, The Spear Cuts Through Water definitely will. This is a special book.

★★★★★
✪ SPECULATIVE SHELF STARRED BOOK

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.