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Finished reading:
(DNF Sandman Overture Just didn’t care enough, nor have enough background to keep me reading.
The lady astronaut of Mars by Mary Robinette Kowal. Good god. A novelette about a woman who helps colonise Mars but has never lost the craving to keep going, and what she does now that she’s old, her husband is dying, and she’s been offered another opportunity to get into space. (“I’m on Mars. It’s still a planet.”) THIS is how you do a short fiction -- take a concept and then build on it. Trust your reader to fill in the blanks, and that they'll take pleasure in doing so. *takes notes for self*
This was originally written for an anthology, Rip off, where an author takes a first line from a classic and runs with it. The Dorothy aspect could perhaps be slightly stronger, but was still a good fit. I felt like the ending could have had maybe a paragraph or two more to round it out, but none of that stops it from being a wrenching mediation on growing old, and mortality, and all of those things within the complexities of a life-long relationship. Excellent read, and I’m delighted to see she’s got a new book coming out in two weeks.
Currently reading: (By which I mean 'finished minutes ago')
The girl with all the gifts by M. R. Carey, Holy SHIT this is good. I inhaled it in three days, and am left reeling slightly and very satisfied. It starts out with the trappings of a YA dystopia and turns out to be a well-rounded adult zombie genre novel with strong characterisation and excellent world-building. It’s tightly written, well-plotted, and there are no less than three female characters doing differnent things and with complicated agendas. The two military men are written like people, too. I was startled to find out that while M. R. Carey is a pen name, it’s a pen name for a guy. Do rec!
What’s next: Settling properly into The drawing of the three (Dark Tower 2) by Stephen King with some trepidation. I had a love/hate relationship with Dark Tower 1 (loved and read the first half of it in two days, then it took me weeks to read the second half, for example). I’ve been told it gets better, and I’m definitely willing to give it a shot.
(DNF Sandman Overture Just didn’t care enough, nor have enough background to keep me reading.
The lady astronaut of Mars by Mary Robinette Kowal. Good god. A novelette about a woman who helps colonise Mars but has never lost the craving to keep going, and what she does now that she’s old, her husband is dying, and she’s been offered another opportunity to get into space. (“I’m on Mars. It’s still a planet.”) THIS is how you do a short fiction -- take a concept and then build on it. Trust your reader to fill in the blanks, and that they'll take pleasure in doing so. *takes notes for self*
This was originally written for an anthology, Rip off, where an author takes a first line from a classic and runs with it. The Dorothy aspect could perhaps be slightly stronger, but was still a good fit. I felt like the ending could have had maybe a paragraph or two more to round it out, but none of that stops it from being a wrenching mediation on growing old, and mortality, and all of those things within the complexities of a life-long relationship. Excellent read, and I’m delighted to see she’s got a new book coming out in two weeks.
Currently reading: (By which I mean 'finished minutes ago')
The girl with all the gifts by M. R. Carey, Holy SHIT this is good. I inhaled it in three days, and am left reeling slightly and very satisfied. It starts out with the trappings of a YA dystopia and turns out to be a well-rounded adult zombie genre novel with strong characterisation and excellent world-building. It’s tightly written, well-plotted, and there are no less than three female characters doing differnent things and with complicated agendas. The two military men are written like people, too. I was startled to find out that while M. R. Carey is a pen name, it’s a pen name for a guy. Do rec!
What’s next: Settling properly into The drawing of the three (Dark Tower 2) by Stephen King with some trepidation. I had a love/hate relationship with Dark Tower 1 (loved and read the first half of it in two days, then it took me weeks to read the second half, for example). I’ve been told it gets better, and I’m definitely willing to give it a shot.
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