At first glance this probably looks like another high concept mashup of classics, but it has little in common with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. ItAt first glance this probably looks like another high concept mashup of classics, but it has little in common with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. It's perhaps closer to a recombined sequel, acknowledging and incorporating the vastly different styles of Shelley and Austen. It's also much more, allowing an examination of self and gender and power and privilege against a familiar backdrop....more
Nicola Griffith is one of my favorite authors, one of the authors I'll follow into any genre or subgenre because I know I'm in good hands. This book iNicola Griffith is one of my favorite authors, one of the authors I'll follow into any genre or subgenre because I know I'm in good hands. This book is no exception. It's short but breathless, propulsive, structured in short sections that convince you not to put it down. This was supposed to be a writing day, but I kept sneaking one more page, two more pages, ah, why not just keep going? Griffith has written a visceral, urgent, taut narrative of a woman attacking a new diagnosis, and the things (literal, figurative, metaphorical) that attack her, and her attempts to keep her humanity, her queerness, her body, her fitness, her friends, her dignity, and her self-identity in a system that is bent on erasing her. In other words, the author has woven a fiction that breathes truth....more
This was just so much fun. Stage magic and psychic powers collide. Multiple points of view woven seamlessly, great use of voice, great plotting, heartThis was just so much fun. Stage magic and psychic powers collide. Multiple points of view woven seamlessly, great use of voice, great plotting, heart for days...my author brain and my reader brain both loved it. ...more
I hate zombies, but I loved this book for its indelible protagonist, who would now be my number one choice to protect me from a zombie horde. My frienI hate zombies, but I loved this book for its indelible protagonist, who would now be my number one choice to protect me from a zombie horde. My friend and I started the audio book on a nine hour drive. I'm not the biggest audiobook fan, but in this case the narrator was absolutely wonderful, and the book was a gripping, engaging audio experience. ...more
Haven't quite decided what I thought of this yet. It's ambitious and brutal and well written.Haven't quite decided what I thought of this yet. It's ambitious and brutal and well written....more
I would say that Ellen Klages has a wonderful storytelling voice, but what I mean is all of her storytelling voices: the one that tells stories with cI would say that Ellen Klages has a wonderful storytelling voice, but what I mean is all of her storytelling voices: the one that tells stories with child protagonists that are definitely not children's stories, for example, or the one that tells the very non-fictional story of the scary ham. A delightful collection. ...more
A collection of mind-boggling stories from the boggling mind of Christopher Rowe. You think you know where you are -- well, it's usually Kentucky -- aA collection of mind-boggling stories from the boggling mind of Christopher Rowe. You think you know where you are -- well, it's usually Kentucky -- and that you have a grasp on what's going on, and then a car nuzzles someone for comfort, or a betting clerk hovers in the air beside the protagonist, or a telephone has to be killed. The stories are fresh and the narrative voices delightful, but it's the world-building details that absolutely slay me. ...more
I give five stars super sparingly. For me, four is a full endorsement, a book I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. Five is reserved for books that rewireI give five stars super sparingly. For me, four is a full endorsement, a book I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. Five is reserved for books that rewire my brain. Some of those are delicious, some difficult. My slow-dawning realization of the thing Saunders was trying to pull off here was replaced by amazement as he actually made it work. It's a novel that breaks nearly every rule of novelling. It's also funny, heart-wrenching, disturbing, thoughtful, creative, and thoroughly impressive. As a side-note, I'm not a big audio fiction listener, but I'd be intrigued to check out how they pulled off the cast-of-hundreds....more
I decided to make this my first book of the new year. I'd already read most of the stories but there's something special about how they flow when collI decided to make this my first book of the new year. I'd already read most of the stories but there's something special about how they flow when collected. She's a brilliant writer, and I don't think I can even pick a favorite. My only complaint, which is not the fault of the author, is that I like to know which story originally appeared in which magazine and when, and it's frustrating to have the original publications mentioned collectively rather than individually....more
Gorgeous. Even better than I expected, and I expected a lot after some of the rave reviews I'd seen. It drops brutal, poignant, devastating truths aboGorgeous. Even better than I expected, and I expected a lot after some of the rave reviews I'd seen. It drops brutal, poignant, devastating truths about humanity, cloaked in the small story of two people displaced from their homes. ...more
An unflinching story of magic and pain intertwined. I've seen some people say that the book glamorizes eating disorders, but I strongly disagree. MillAn unflinching story of magic and pain intertwined. I've seen some people say that the book glamorizes eating disorders, but I strongly disagree. Miller is a devastatingly evocative writer, and he makes it very clear what is at stake here....more
A lively and lovely first read of the year. Hooray for alternate histories that prove how vast a palette the past is to work with when a writer doesn'A lively and lovely first read of the year. Hooray for alternate histories that prove how vast a palette the past is to work with when a writer doesn't limit herself....more
Outstanding anthology. This is a great introduction to Chinese short SF if you haven't read any before, or a survey of the current field, showing its Outstanding anthology. This is a great introduction to Chinese short SF if you haven't read any before, or a survey of the current field, showing its breadth and diversity. Highlights for me included Chen Qiufan's "Year of the Rat," Tang Fei's "Call Girl," Xia Jia's "Tongtong's Summer," and Hao Jingfang's Hugo winner, "Folding Beijing." My favorite story in the anthology would have to be the title story, "Invisible Planets," also by Hao Jingfang. It reminds me of Ursula K. Le Guin's Changing Planes. On surface, it's a collection of stories within a story, told with a framing device. In both, the frame adds layers of meaning, forcing a reevaluation of everything that came before. Chinese SF fascinates me, with its rich parallel history to western SF and unique identity. The stories in this anthology show the strength of the current work coming out of China. I look forward to reading more....more
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