I am currently open to receiving solicited advance reading copies (ARCs) and review copies of book. My preferred genres are science fiction and fantasy, though I will read almost anything with a speculative element. Please do not contact me for thrillers, mysteries, romance, etc. unless the book contains a speculative element.
When you find yourself consistently picking up the same book every time you browse the shelves at your bookstore, eventually you buy it. This is the rule of the universe that I've just made up, and also why I ended up purchasing Dark Run, a fun space opera romp.
Ancillary Sword is one of those rare books that's very different from its predecessor and yet still an utterly enjoyable sequel - in fact, I think I might've enjoyed it more than Ancillary Justice.
Fun story: in a roundabout way, I managed to acquire a copy of Godsgrave before its release. A friend from college also reviews books (though in a more official capacity for an actual publication), and she received a review copy in the mail. She decided to give this away to any of her friends who wanted it. Flash forward a week, and a lovely signed edition of Godsgrave showed up in my mail.
This week, we're revisiting the islands of Dara and Ken Liu's Dandelion Dynasty series, because I finally tracked down a copy of The Wall of Storms.
I missed posting a review last week because I knew I wanted to review The Stone Sky next. But I've been struggling to find the right words to express how I feel about this book. What follows will inevitably be inadequate, but I'm going to try. I think this book should be taught in schools across America.
Man, this year and last year have really re-ignited my love of science fiction. Prior to last year, it'd been years since I read any new scifi other than Dune books. But lately I've been fortunate to read books like Ancillary Justice.
UGH CLIFFHANGERS THOUGH. I don't normally do this because I like to respect people who haven't read the books yet, but this review is going to have to be spoilery to properly discuss the events of The Unholy Consult. So fair warning: here be spoilers!
I'm a big fan of the Lovecraftian mythos; I enjoy the overarching theme of outsiders and ethereal beings and creeping horrors that would consume our planet. But Lovecraft's work is loaded with racism and sexism, so reading his stories can be a revolting experience at times. Enter Winter Tide, a lovely take on the Lovecraftian mythos from the point of view of the "monsters" which tackles that racism and sexism head-on.
Onward, friends! I'm continuing to make my way through the world of The Expanse, and that means I recently finished book three, Abaddon's Gate - a welcome shift toward a larger world.
I last read Tom Holt several years ago, when a few of his novels were published in omnibuses. I enjoyed them, but they didn't strike me as anything exceptional, so he fell off my radar. But when I saw The Management Style of the Supreme Beings in the store and found myself laughing at its ridiculously on-point cover (even before I read the blurb), I knew I had to read it.
The Hugos are almost here! This year for the first time, I made a point of reading all the nominees for Best Novel. They're a pretty impressive bunch, running the gamut from insanely ambitious science fiction to beautiful, nuanced character studies to expansive and detailed worlds.
Normally I wouldn't pick up a book like All the Birds in the Sky. Witches aren't normally my cup of tea, nor are contemporary fantasies. But I was hell-bent on reading all the Hugo Award nominees this year (AND this book won the Nebula and Locus awards already), so I rolled the dice and bought it.
YES I KNOW I'M BEHIND THE TIMES, THANK YOU. But I've been hearing about this book for ages, and I finally decided to pick it up because it's about one of my favorite things: video games.*
After reading (and immensely enjoying) V.E. Schwab's Shades of Magic series, I've begun a tour through her other books. The first one I decided to pick up was Vicious, in part because I have a deep and abiding love of villains (and in part because she's working on the sequel right now). It will shock no one, then, to learn that I'm now harboring a crush on Victor Vale.
Here's another Hugo nominee, and it's better than first book in the series, a feat it somehow manages with even less plot.
Ye gods, guys. I just want to give Yoon Ha Lee a huge hug and thank him profusely for writing this series, because it is one of the best damn things I've read in recent years.
Before we begin, I have a disclaimer: this is the first Brandon Sanderson book I've read.* Yeah, I'm aware he's big in fantasy, and I'm also aware that most Sanderson fans recommend that newcomers read Mistborn first. I laugh in the face of convention, etc.
As I said in my previous review, I've gone on a Hugo nominee kick. I picked up Too Like the Lightning even though I otherwise probably wouldn't (based on the description). And...well, we'll get to that in a minute.
I guess I've kinda decided to read all this year's Hugo Award nominees, since I've already read three of them. A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers was on the list, but it's a sequel to her first novel The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and I figured I ought to read that one first.
