Review: The Peripheral by William Gibson

 

Dense, unexplained terms with two protagonists in different, futuristic worlds.  Pay-off when they intersect, especially because there's a twist. Not sure I ever understood some of the character's motivations, though. 

Review: All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

 

Interesting examples of how to explain magical sort of sci fi, interesting mix of fantasy & sci fi. The first two chapters were just backstory on the two protagonists, but I found them compelling reads: worth the study on interesting characterization. A little too tongue-in-cheek overall for me. DNF but worth coming back to someday when I'm not so busy (read during NaNoWriMo!)

Review: The Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse

 

Went straight into this after Black Sun. Great middle for the trilogy, although admittedly the previous one ended with a cliff-hanger. Looking forward to the next!

BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

 

Glorious writing, beautiful world-building. I care intensely about the characters, and as a writer am buying a copy to study her technique. I fall into the not-a-fan-of-fantasy camp but loved it.

Warning that the plot arc is only partially resolved in the first book. This is usually a pet peeve of mine, but it was good enough for me to get over that. Plus it helps that the second book is out, so I could jump straight into it. The ending of that is better resolved while still leaving a very clear third book to come. I can't wait!

https://bookshop.org/p/books/black-sun-rebecca-roanhorse/14456855?ean=9781534437685

ps. Did you know you can purchase this book on bookshop.org and support your local bookstore at the same time? I love it!

Science fiction? Science fantasy? Speculative fiction?

When it comes to the debate about what can be called science fiction, Ryan Britt nails it:

"... when it comes to the definition of science fiction, there's not really a moral imperative here. Culture changes the way we use language, irrespective of whether or not people like that change. Old-guard literary SF people don't have to like the new, more broad definition of science fiction, but they do have to live with it.

And I find this an interesting concept to consider. 

Unlike a mystery or a romance, science fiction doesn't have story-telling rules. Instead, sci-fi can encompass all the narrative genres. Shows like Star Trek or Doctor Who can do horror, comedy, romance, and mystery, all with the same characters in the same setting.

Review: Dreams Before the Start of Time by Anne Charnock

The threads of characters from the beginning that followed through to the end were why I finished it, but with such brief interactions with the generations between, I never felt connected to them.
The focus on artificial forms of fertility as the futuristic feature was treated mostly as a way for people to judge women. It was interesting how the attitudes changed but not very pleasant to think about, considering how much judgement we're already subject to concerning breast-feeding and c-sections and daycare.

How High We Go in the Dark Sequoia Nagamatsu: Book Review

This was recommended to as literary sci-fi which also involves grief over a grown daughter's death. Indeed, the writing is pretty good. But the first POV seemed quite distant, and not too believable to me in how disconnected from his daughter's death the father seems, as well as angry at her for behaving exactly as he (apparently) had. Maybe that is realistic but it isn't fun to read.

But the second POV, about an amusement park where parents put their terminally-ill children on a rollercoaster to die, was too hard for me to believa. I can imagine wanting to save your child from suffering, but not being with them at the time is unthinkable. And roller coasters are scary: I don't thinksmall children would enjoy them that much, especially when they know they are really going to die.

DNF.