Category: Reviewed

Ring Shout — P. Djèlí Clark

By 5t4n5

Ring Shout -- P. Djèlí ClarkA reimagining of a most sickening and horrific history in that supernatural, fantastical, Djèlí style.

This book really made me feel deeply for people who have been — and still are being — treated in such barbaric ways simply for the colour of their skin.   Racism cannot ever be allowed to succeed.

What struck me in this book is the end, where Maryse is sent back out their to cut down the next outbreak of racism.   It reminded me of the United Kingdom, we stood up and beat down the National Front and the BNP and other vile racist groups back in the 20th century, and here we are in the 21st century with more of these sick and twisted fuckheads sprouting ever more groups to spread their hatred.   But, as Djèlí says in the writing of this book, we cannot meet hatred with hatred, if we lower ourselves to their level we become exactly what they want us to be.   We are better than that, we are better than them.

Djèlí’s writing is superb throughout and it’s hardly any wonder that it received the following accolades:

A 2021 Nebula Award Winner
A 2021 Locus Award Winner
 
A New York Times Editor’s Choice Pick!
A Booklist Editor’s Choice Pick!
 
A 2021 Hugo Award Finalist
A 2021 World Fantasy Award Finalist
A 2021 Ignyte Award Finalist
A 2021 Shirley Jackson Award Finalist
A 2021 AAMBC Literary Award Finalist
A 2021 British Fantasy Award Finalist
A 2021 Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy Award Nominee
A 2020 SIBA Award Finalist
A Goodreads Choice Award Finalist
 
Named a Best of 2020 Pick for NPR | Library Journal | Book Riot | LitReactor | Bustle | Polygon | Washington Post

And now i only have one of Djèlí’s books left to read, and that is If the Martians Have Magic from 2021.

P. Djèlí Clark’s Page

#fantasy #pdjeliclark

Stability — Philip K. Dick

By 5t4n5

Stability -- Philip K. DickMy aim is to read all of Philip’s books in order, not all at once, but occasionally when i feel the urge to have my head done in a little bit.   And this, my blog/review readers, is Philip’s very first.

While it’s only a little short story, it quite an entertaining one set in a dystopian future with a time machine screwing with people’s heads.

A great beginning to a great writer’s bibliography.

Available in The Collected Stories: Volume 1.

Philip’s Page

#scifi #philipkdick

Private Universe — Seth Rain

By 5t4n5

Private Universe -- Seth RainAnd so we finally come to the end of this rather enjoyable series.

It’s been pretty much full gas all the way and all the way through you really don’t get much of an idea who is on whose side and what their actual agendas really are until they suddenly reveal themselves and off we go again in a completely new direction.   It’s certainly been an interesting roller coaster ride.

And what a lovely ending, Seth isn’t afraid to kill lots of people that we like along with the ones we don’t: which we always like, don’t we?

I’m certainly looking forward to reading more from Seth in the future.   10 out of 10.

Seth’s Page

#scifi #cyberpunk #sethrain

Nova Igniter — Joseph R. Lallo

By 5t4n5

Nova Igniter -- Joseph R. LalloYet another good read in the Big Sigma series.

I did feel, however, that this one just fell a little short of the usual fun and shenanigans that we’re used to in this series, and the temporal stuff was a little mind bending at times (but then temporal stuff usually is).   All in all, it felt like a bit of an inbetweeny while we wait for an update on Lex’s love life and racing career.   Still a good read though, and we’ve now ended up with yet another version of Ma permanently in existence: which can’t be all bad.

Roll on the next episode.

Joseph’s Page

#scifi #josephrlallo

Android State — Seth Rain

By 5t4n5

Android State -- Seth RainWe begin immediately after the events of Messiah Online with Cardinal, having declared the UK an android state, telling all humans to leave the country or die.

Our protagonists, Blake (The Postman) and Lola, are determined to stop him, but how?   Has Cardinal become too powerful?

Once again, super good stuff and it’ll keep you reading until the end and, like me, you’ll go jumping straight into the last book in the tetralogy, Private Universe.

Seth’s Page

#scifi #cyberpunk #sethrain

Wabi Sabi — Sosuke Takahashi

By 5t4n5

Wabi Sabi -- Sosuke TakahashiIt’s such a shame that a book that is telling us about the things that this book is telling us about could have been translated so poorly.

Or was Sosuke deliberately trying to make this book full of imperfection in some weird sense of ironic humour that i just don’t understand?   Maybe even that’s lost in the translation.

Seriously, if you are going to write books in a language, be sure to have a complete grasp of that language before doing so, if not, then write in your own language and get someone who has a complete grasp and understanding of the language you want the book in to translate it for you.

The content has a lot of good stuff for the reader to consider, but it’s presentation through the woeful English writing just ruins everything this book talks about and makes one think that this writer does no practice what he preaches.

Sosuke’s Page

#japan #wabisabi #sosuketakahashi

Spectrum Worlds — Seth Rain

By 5t4n5

Spectrum Worlds -- Seth RainThe first book in The Cyberpunk Uploads series.

Having just been put through the ultimate in tedious and pointless interruptions to story flow and action scenes when i read The Heartstrikers series, to sit and read this book was an absolute pleasure.   Yes folks, if you really like a high paced, non-stop, story line then this just might be what you’re looking for.

On top of the fast flowing story it’s also a rather good story.   We essentially have a battle royale going between three groups: androids who hate humans and want to eradicate and/or enslave them, humans who want to do the same to androids, and then there’s the odd-ball androids and humans out in left field who think we can all live peacefully and happily together ever after.   Centre it all in the London of the future, known as Lundun, and shove our main protagonist, The Postman, right in the middle of all this is.

The most astute reader will get to realise by the end of the book that there really isn’t anyone The Postman can trust, android or human, everyone seems to have agendas and secrets and i’m really looking forward to learning more in the next book, Messiah Online, which i dove straight into without any hesitation.

Seth’s Page

#scifi #cyberpunk #sethrain

The Maid — Yasutaka Tsutsui

By 5t4n5

The Maid -- Yasutaka TsutsuiWe have a young woman who can read minds who works as a live in maid so that she doesn’t have to stay in any single place very long so that no one will guess her secret.

Thus begins our journey with Nanase as she works for and lives with 8 different Japanese families and ventures through their thoughts and discovers all their private truths.

As a lover of Japanese fiction i found this very interesting, and i can imagine that it must have been quite controversial in Japan when published and probably still is.   Tsutsui essentially strips away the public veneer of polite and controlled Japanese people and society and suggests that there’s something very different lurking underneath: what are their private thoughts and lives really like, can we really take people at face value?

My first book by Tsutsui and i’m looking forward to reading a few more soon, which are already queued up on my Kindle.

Yasutaka’s Page

#japan #yasutakatsutsui

Mythic Quest — Season 2

By 5t4n5

Mythic Quest -- Season 2Season 2 has finally appeared and the most important thing is that all the cast seemed to have survived intact from covid — which is obviously the best thing ever.

Basically, if you enjoyed Season 1, then you’ll love this as it’s pretty much more of the same continuing on from where we left off.   If you didn’t enjoy Season 1 then you need psychiatric help rather quickly.

Anyways, super duper, love this series and can’t wait for Season 3 which will be made whenever it gets made but is most probably going to get made at some point as soon as Rob has finished working on another show.
 

#5t4n5 #mythicquest #tv

Last Dragon Standing — Rachel Aaron

By 5t4n5

Last Dragon Standing -- Rachel AaronConsidering this was the shortest book of the series, it seemed to drag on much more than the previous books.

Once again, like most of the series, Rachel seems to just like filling pages with belabouring conversations when we’re in the middle of seriously important stuff to do.   One can’t help but wonder just how much of the problems faced by our characters in this series would have been avoided if they just got on with things instead of continuously stopping to have a conversation about something completely unimportant.

It gets quite ridiculous when it takes 4 times as long to read about something happening than the something happening is taking to happen because everyone has to have a conversation about something before anything can finish happening.

But, none the less, i got to the end because — belabouring conversations aside — it is a rather good tale.   It is such a shame that it wasn’t edited more strictly and seriously cropped to keep things moving along.

Rachel’s Page

#fantasy #rachelaaron