I love Becky Chambers and I’m familiar with her Wayfarers series, so I knew I would have to switch rapidly between multiple characters with multiple points of view… but I still found the beginning of this book rough. The viewpoint characters have little to do with one another (at least at first) and the reader is forced to juggle multiple locations, conflicts, and cultural issues for quite some time before things come together. At that point, though, we’re safely back in Chambers’ warm universe where people are all just trying to do their best to understand one another and figure out one another’s needs. The society of a completely spacefaring race and the self-sustaining ecology of their vessels was also really interesting. Good book, eventually.
Category: quick reaction
Bannerless, by Carrie Vaughn
I liked this image of the future, which was postapocalyptic but not precisely dystopian. Following the collapse of civilization, survival is precarious and resources are limited; people must organize themselves into demonstrably productive households before they can earn a “banner,” which gives them license to bear a child. Any children born “bannerless” reflect their parents’ lack of community feeling and responsibility, a shame that carries into adulthood. Main character Enid’s job is to mediate conflict and investigate crimes; when she is called in to investigate a suspicious death, she is startled to discover that someone from her past might be involved. The pacing of this book was a little uneven, bouncing back and forth between Enid’s past and present; however, it did a good job communicating both the challenging climate and the sociopolitical structure of Enid’s world. I liked the contemplative tone but thought that for an investigator, Enid took way too long to figure things out that were already made obvious to the reader.
Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion, by Bushra Rehman
A vivid portrait of growing up queer and Muslim in Corona, Queens. There’s not a lot of plot to tie everything together; it reads more like a series of reminisces of Razia’s childhood as she watches the people around her. Her schoolmates play pranks; her immigrant parents find their community; there are so many details of growing up in the 80’s that at times I wondered if the book were autobiography rather than fiction. Razia’s best friend is torn from her by a rift between their families; she later transfers to another school and forms a relationship with Angela, who is accepting but has trouble understanding the depth to which Razia’s background and culture shapes her actions. I enjoyed this read but once Razia starts going to school outside her neighborhood, the writing felt much less compelling; as a consequence her relationship with Angela, as well as the resultant tension with her family, felt much less gripping. The ending also seemed a bit rushed. Good read overall though.
Archangel, by Sharon Shinn
#1 of the Samaria series, recommended to me by E and such an amazing read. The angel Gabriel has been tapped by Jovah to be the next Archangel, and must find his angelica (spouse) before the people of Samaria gather together to sing the Gloria. Gabriel dutifully goes to the oracle, who consults Jovah (by typing at a computer terminal!) and points him to a human woman named Rachel. Gabriel is startled to find Rachel enslaved; once freed, she is less than enthusiastic about the concept of marrying him at all, much less singing the praises of a god that allowed her people to be slain and herself to be sold into slavery. Though there are tantalizing hints that the world was originally engineered by technologically advanced settlers, the heart of the story is in the characters: Gabriel is righteous and impatient, whereas Rachel is stubborn and proud, and you really feel for both of them. I loved the worldbuilding too, which features a multi-racial, multicultural landscape full of political and economic tensions, which also reflects the tension between the two main characters. I really liked the ending, which brought resolution to the relationship without compromising either character. Looking forward to the rest of the series (and also further explanation of how this world came to be).
Wild Magic, by Tamora Pierce
I introduced the kid to Pierce’s Song of the Lioness series; once he polished that one off, he attacked the next one and asked that I read it as well. Wild Magic begins the next quartet of books, this one focused on Daine, a girl who can speak with animals (though not necessarily convince them to do what she wants). Daine has a traumatic origin story, and Pierce does a good job handling her subsequent trust issues without ever making her into a victim.
Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist, by Tim Federle
This delightful book is a bunch of recipes for cocktails (and some mocktails and snacks), each preceded by a witty, entertaining paragraph that ties the recipe to the book or character that inspired it. The pun-filled names are probably the best part; in addition to the titular tequila, my favorites included “Remembrance of Things Pabst,” “One Hundred Beers of Solitude,” and a mushroom toast recipe called “Alice’s Adventures in Wonder Bread.”
Demon Magic and a Martini, by Annette Marie, read by Cris Dukehart
Eemotional drama finally hits this lighthearted series as a demon attack drags secrets into the open, and Tori is forced to reckon with how far she is willing to go to protect her friends. (Answer: extremely far.) Her usual snarky attitude remains firmly in place, which helps to move the story along without things getting too heavy. I also like how firmly this series is set in Vancouver; when demon attacks threatened the cobblestone streets of Gastown, I was able to picture the scene very well.
Into the Riverlands, by Nghi Vo
Another installment in the continuing adventures of cleric Chih and their companion bird, Almost Brilliant; in this volume Chih wanders into the violent Riverlands seeking tales of the folk heroes (and villains) whose fights became legend. As usual with Chih, they find out that there is more to the story than is generally told. I loved the Riverlands characters introduced in this story, and how their interactions with Chih added depth to their stories.
The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson
This book is subtitled “Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America.” There is plenty of the murder and madness, but the magic is more metaphorical and is mostly found in the dreams of aspirational architects and of Chicagoans looking towards the future. The book covers the frantic design and build of the 1893 World’s Expo in Chicago, driven by the architect Daniel Burnham, and intersperses the story of the serial killer H. H. Holmes and how he took advantage of the anything-goes environment in the city. It’s a weird combination but it works; the architect chapters are jammed full of quotes and detail whereas the murder chapters are obviously more speculative, but Larson’s writing style was so engaging that I couldn’t put down the book at any part. Fascinating reading, with lots of juicy historical tidbits.
We Unleash the Merciless Storm, by Tehlor Kay Mejia
Sequel to We Set the Dark on Fire, this one is from the viewpoint of Carmen, Daniela’s rival-turned-lover-turned-?????. When Carmen returns to the rebellion, she finds that the balance of power has shifted against her, and has to choose between her orders and her heart. Carmen’s fire and drive move the story well, but the narrative spends a lot of time on her internal angst over her relationship with Dani, and her internal wibbling contrasts a bit too sharply with her steely warrior persona.