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Finished reading:
All systems red by Martha Wells. I genuinely expected to like this, and I’m still not sure why it didn’t hook me. I’m there for So Many of those tropes: ‘what happened to the earlier crew?’; people being kind to those that most people aren’t kind to; people who aren’t considered people. Also I realise belatedly that this novella is the one I've seen many raving about. And yet I was never hooked – I read the first third? Half? And then jumped forward to read the last chapter, absently, and while I’m glad for the main character, I wasn’t interested in seeing them get there. It wasn’t bad by any stretch, it just never pinged me. *emoji shrug*
Down among the sticks and bones by Seanan McGuire. I was immensely frustrated by the first published in this series, to the point where I nearly didn’t read this prequel. But oh my god, I was utterly transfixed by this. I felt like there was a glorious depth now that she only needed to focus on two characters, and I loved the world and how creepy-as-ordinary it was. This is actually in all seriousness doing battle with And then there was (n-one) for first place on the novella ballot. I did not expect that at all.
Put aside (much less harsh than did not finish)
River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey (Tor.com Publishing): the writing is skilled, the premise (America starts farming hippoes in the south) is inspired, there’s an agender (they/them) character who is also desired by the main protagonist \o/. I really liked this … except for the act of vicious mutilation-then-murder by the main protagonist really close to the start. And okay, probably he’s being positioned as an anti-hero, but when the main (apparent) antagonist is dealing out less violence with more 'cause' than the antagonist…nope. I’m really bummed. : (
The Black Tides of Heaven by JY Yang (Tor.com Publishing): I also really wanted to like this one. A culture where gender is not decided until the early teens means we have two they/them pronouned twin main characters, which kudos, dude. But the writing was not quite tight enough, or the emerging plot quite interesting enough to hold me for the entire novella.
Luminescent threads A series of people's love and appreciation letters to Octavia E Butler ten years after her death and just after 45 got elected. It's unsettling somehow that just enough time has passed that we now have books referencing the 45th presidency. It makes for an amazing moment-in-time book, triply so because this moment is in the process of unfolding right now. The letters are gutting and heartfelt, and I'm really glad this book exists, but having only read one of Butler's books, I'm not feeling the urge to read the entire thing.
Currently reading
Crash Override: how Gamergate (nearly) destroyed my life, and how we came win the fight against online hate by Zoe Quinn. Her publishers were kind enough to give an excerpt of the entire first half of the book in the voters pack, and I went and spent $20 on the ebook unhesitatingly to reward that and also give Quinn money. The first half is a harrowing read of what her Ex and co put her through. The second half is what she’s doing after, and examining the haters (who are us, who are all of us in the ‘right’ conditions), and spent the first half horrified and what I’ve read of the second shouting “YES, THAT. Jesus.” A lot. She provides really good advice on digital protection, and what to do if you get in someone’s crosshairs, and how to help someone when you’re a friend or bystander. I wish she’d provided references, but this is still really, really good and really important. Strong rec.
Up next: Maybe Iain Banks, maybe Ursula Le Guin.
All systems red by Martha Wells. I genuinely expected to like this, and I’m still not sure why it didn’t hook me. I’m there for So Many of those tropes: ‘what happened to the earlier crew?’; people being kind to those that most people aren’t kind to; people who aren’t considered people. Also I realise belatedly that this novella is the one I've seen many raving about. And yet I was never hooked – I read the first third? Half? And then jumped forward to read the last chapter, absently, and while I’m glad for the main character, I wasn’t interested in seeing them get there. It wasn’t bad by any stretch, it just never pinged me. *emoji shrug*
Down among the sticks and bones by Seanan McGuire. I was immensely frustrated by the first published in this series, to the point where I nearly didn’t read this prequel. But oh my god, I was utterly transfixed by this. I felt like there was a glorious depth now that she only needed to focus on two characters, and I loved the world and how creepy-as-ordinary it was. This is actually in all seriousness doing battle with And then there was (n-one) for first place on the novella ballot. I did not expect that at all.
Put aside (much less harsh than did not finish)
River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey (Tor.com Publishing): the writing is skilled, the premise (America starts farming hippoes in the south) is inspired, there’s an agender (they/them) character who is also desired by the main protagonist \o/. I really liked this … except for the act of vicious mutilation-then-murder by the main protagonist really close to the start. And okay, probably he’s being positioned as an anti-hero, but when the main (apparent) antagonist is dealing out less violence with more 'cause' than the antagonist…nope. I’m really bummed. : (
The Black Tides of Heaven by JY Yang (Tor.com Publishing): I also really wanted to like this one. A culture where gender is not decided until the early teens means we have two they/them pronouned twin main characters, which kudos, dude. But the writing was not quite tight enough, or the emerging plot quite interesting enough to hold me for the entire novella.
Luminescent threads A series of people's love and appreciation letters to Octavia E Butler ten years after her death and just after 45 got elected. It's unsettling somehow that just enough time has passed that we now have books referencing the 45th presidency. It makes for an amazing moment-in-time book, triply so because this moment is in the process of unfolding right now. The letters are gutting and heartfelt, and I'm really glad this book exists, but having only read one of Butler's books, I'm not feeling the urge to read the entire thing.
Currently reading
Crash Override: how Gamergate (nearly) destroyed my life, and how we came win the fight against online hate by Zoe Quinn. Her publishers were kind enough to give an excerpt of the entire first half of the book in the voters pack, and I went and spent $20 on the ebook unhesitatingly to reward that and also give Quinn money. The first half is a harrowing read of what her Ex and co put her through. The second half is what she’s doing after, and examining the haters (who are us, who are all of us in the ‘right’ conditions), and spent the first half horrified and what I’ve read of the second shouting “YES, THAT. Jesus.” A lot. She provides really good advice on digital protection, and what to do if you get in someone’s crosshairs, and how to help someone when you’re a friend or bystander. I wish she’d provided references, but this is still really, really good and really important. Strong rec.
Up next: Maybe Iain Banks, maybe Ursula Le Guin.