The Rage of Dragons

Evan Winter

Book 1 of The Burning Series

Fantasy novel where an entire people (The Omehi) have traveled across the sea to escape what I can only guess is some sort of magic induced plague. In their new land, they are not welcome and are immediately thrust into a 200 year war, where we pick up. The Omehi are a highly caste structured society, and our protagonist is Tau, a Lesser. Tau has noble friends, but has no real tolerance for caste castigation, which of course gets him into trouble. He joins the military and becomes a phenomenal fighter, taking advantage of the "magic source" in ways that others can't or won't.  In the end, Tau learns that he is not the only one who has concerns about caste, not the only one who questions the magic source, and not the only one fully gutted by the cost of war and violence. 

I'll definetly keep up with the series, but since Books 3 and 4 are not yet published, no hurry...

3 stars (out of 4)

Lotus and Thorn

Sara Wilson Etienne

Set on an expeditionary planet undergoing the woes of colonization, we are introduced to two populations. Those who live in the dome, protected from the elements and controlling all technology, and those living outside the dome, exposed to the elements. Sometime in the past a disease called Red Death decimated the population of the colony and now the outsiders scavenge old civilization for technology so they can trade the domers for food. Classic colonization power dynamics. And classic uprising/hero story. Etienne develops the characters well and gets buy in on the story. She has created a mystery (what is actually going on in the dome) that sustains the plot. While somewhat typical in the dystopian YA world, I found myself attached and read through pretty quickly. 

3 stars (out of 4)

The Invisible Man

H.G. Wells

A man has made himself invisible, thinking of all the benefits this would entail in his personal wealth and power. The story begins with the man experiencing all the detriments that were overlooked in his quest. Sort of a tragicomedy, I can imagine these themes being a modern telling of a Shakespeare story. As the story progresses, the protagonist becomes more and more convinced of his "right to power" which only makes things worse for him. Great short read - I'm surprised it took me this long...

3 stars (out of 4)

Karen Memory

Elizabeth Bear

Set in the NW in the 1800's where lawman Bass Reeves is a legend, but with a subtle steampunk thread including mechanical surgical machines, airships and tesla coils. The protagonist is Karen Memory, a young woman working in a brothel. She meets Reeves and helps solve a series of murders while protecting other young women and learning her own loves and passions in life. Pretty fun, easy read. 

3 stars (out of 4)

The Brass Giant

A Chroniker City Story - Book 1

Brooke Johnson

A cyberpunk feel set in an early 20th century London where mechanism is king. The engineering college is the highest caste and Petra Ward is going to find a way in. Unfortunately, she is battling history since women are not allowed to be engineers. But when a self driven automaton walks by with a bunch of engineering students, she puts herself in the middle of the pack, knowing they will mock her and knowing that she sees a better way to build the thing. Fast forward and she gets involved with a project to do exactly that, but as with everything mechanical and political (and we see this coming a mile away) machines always end up being made for war. Petra, like many scientists and engineers, struggles with the love of discovery and knowledge and the ethical implications of her work. Sort of a lightweight, YA writing style. Not sure if it is engaging enough to continue the series. 

3 stars (out of 4)

Sourdough: A Novel

Robin Sloan

Set in the tech world of Silicon Valley, Lois is a programmer working for a robotics startup. The goal is to develop robot arms that can reliably reproduce repetitive human motion in the workforce. In typical startup fashion, Lois lives her work - long days, no social life, the apartment is really just a place to crash between work sessions. Into this world breaks a local food delivery with the best spicy soup and sourdough bread in the existence of humanity. When the owners of the restaurant move back to europe, Lois is bequeathed a starter of the sourdough, and the charge to keep it alive. So begins the life-changing journey of sourdough. For the first 2/3 of the book, this is a fascinating story and really an enjoyable read. Completely believable in the wacky silicon valley trope. Unfortunately, the last 1/3 makes a major shift and starts telling a story from the perspective of the sourdough culture itself. It just gets weird and (for me) was not meaningful at all. 

3 stars (out of 4)

Spinning Silver

Naomi Novik

In the same vein as Uprooted, Novik has created a magical fantasy world with flavors of Polish culture. Miryam is a Jewish moneylender. She picked up the trade from her father, who was not good at it, and from her Grandfather, who was. She lives in the rural villages an is finally making enough to feel comfortable. That is when the Staryk notice her, and make a deal with her to turn silver into gold. Miryam doesn't know the rules of the Staryk world and what it means to make a deal. She is pulled into a conflict that will either destroy all humanity in her country, or save it from endless winter. Enthralling. 

3 stars (out of 4)

Midnight Bargain

C.L. Polk

A magical fantasy world set around the Bargaining Season, the six weeks of the year where all the wealthy and important men spend time courting the wealthy and important women in order to secure a spousal match that benefits the family. Often these matches are arranges to that women who have the ability to do magic are paired with men who are mages in order to further strengthen the magical genetics. The problem is that since pregnant women are in danger of having their fetus taken over by a spirit, they are warded from all magic during their childbearing years. And for Beatrice, who's only purpose in life is to wield magic, to become a mage who partners with a greater spirit, this arrangement is unacceptable. Using magic wielding as the mechanism by which we can explore women's autonomy makes this less about the mechanics of the magic and more about the social structures that Beatrice (and we) are subject to and perpetuate. Polk offers all the right perspectives and sadly ends up exactly where you would expect, with the masses of men unable to comprehend a different way of life. But the journey is fun and exploring the spirit / corporeal mixing reveals the extent to which Polk is a great storyteller.

3 stars (out of 4)

Thornhedge

T. Kingfisher

A tower in a wasteland surrounded by an impenetrable hedge (yes...) of thorns. The narrator is a beautiful woman who is a changeling (her name is Toadling) and throughout the story, we get her point of view and through flashback her origin story. Upon this scene comes a knight of ill fortune who has read old stories of a princess in this tower. He has come to investigate/rescue/explore. Basically, he is bored (he doesn't like the "normal" knight stuff) and curious. An interesting variation on the Sleeping Beauty theme which is fun, but not enthralling. 

3 stars (out of 4)

Gold Wings Rising

Alex London

Book 3 of Skybound Series

For the conclusion, we get the Kylee and Bryson are reunited and on the same trek. The war (between humans) is over and everyone is in survival mode as the convocation of ghost eagles is terrorizing everyone equally. They have discovered an egg and are getting all kinds of conflictedMaybe the most interesting reminder about real life here is how ones own emotions and historical interpretation and baggage can actually impact the unfolding of reality. What I bring to the table actually matters, and affects outcomes. It is a bit on-the-nose here, but a good message none the less. Overall, the series is good, but not great. 

3 stars (out of 4)

Red Skies Falling

Alex London

Book 2 of Skybound Series

Having captured the ghost eagle, Bryson and Kylee split up. Kylee goes to the capital to train in the hollow tongue to be able to control the ghost eagle for battle. Bryson stays in Six Villages. Each is learning about themselves, how their history has developed them into an individual with motivations and how their "twin-ness" affects their individuality. Of course, in preparation for war, nothing is quite as it seems. But this middle book is, with the war plot moving the story forward, really about identity - the discovery and the integration. I appreciate the use of falconry methods and lessons as a language to think about identity and purpose. I am probably reading way more into this than a simple fantasy series warrants, but ... that's who I am :) By the end, Kylee and Bryson are reunited, and ready to start on yet another trek.

3 stars (out of 4)

Black Wings Beating

Alex London

Book 1 of Skybound Series

Bryson and Kylee are twins living in a world where falconry and bird training is the basis of wealth, power and nobility. Living in the Six Villages, the seat of bird trapping and training, they had a deadbeat dad who is now dead and a religious fanatic mom for whom anything sky related is blasphemy. Bryson pushes the limits, but really has no talents in falconry. Kylee has "the voice", has the hollow tongue in her, which allows her to communicate with birds, but she does not want it. Circumstances drive them to a high risk trek, where they encounter the warriors of the nobility, underworld gangs and the owl mothers. And in the end, Bryson and Kylee have solidified their twin bond, love for each other and begun the process of self discovery. With falconry as the core, this is an atypical fantasy world, and the read is fast enough to be a small investment. 

3 stars (out of 4)

The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams

Stacy Schiff

The story of Sam Adams and his role as provocateur in the lead up to the American Revolution from England. He was nearly universally regarded as the prime voice developing the push for American rights in Massachusetts and organizing a collective voice for the colonies. He was very the twitter-bot of his time, publishing in newspapers under over 15 different pseudonyms, and really not very concerned with the veracity of the facts that he published. He had a point of view and was going to promote that regardless of the truth (which is reminiscent of the fake news / conspiracy trends of the past decade). As presented in this telling, it was also very clear that the colonists were in the right in every way, so even this telling had a point of view. The blinders showed especially in letters Adams wrote to Native Americans asking for their support, suggesting that the crown would continue to abuse them, but colonialists would treat them with respect and honor their sovereignty. Maybe he really believed this, but in hindsight it is so ridiculous that is seems self serving at best. Overall, a fascinating biography. 

3 stars (out of 4)

Civilizations

Laurent Binet

I had heard about this awhile back and had been looking forward to it. The basic premise -- if the "new world" civilizations had come across the Atlantic to colonize the "old world". And I love alternate histories, so it is right up my alley. The specifics: Two Inca brothers are ruling the empire and a civil war results from their disagreements. When one brother is on the brink of decimation, he utilizes some of the ships from the Columbus expedition to escape and seek out new land to rule. He and his 200 or so followers end up in Portugal, where a land devastated by plague and internal conflict is easily conquered. We then see play out the development of how a new power integrates to the French/English/Spanish/Rome/etc. machinations. 

Observations that I enjoyed: Machiavelli becomes a sort of strategist for this new ruler, the Inca are ultimately interested in egalitarian society (farming, freedom of religion, shared resources) and not a power acquisition society, Luther/Rome don't come of looking so good (which is probably true to history), the colonial desires of European countries is not erased.

Unfortunately, the novel didn't end strong. I could have done with a more detailed vision about how things worked well, or went of the rails, or ended up the same anyway. But instead, Binet ended without a real vision, opting instead for a vignette of life for one particular character involved in all the plot lines from the periphery. But overall, fun to imagine...

3 stars (out of 4)

Raybearer

Jordan Ifueko

Sort of an afro-futurism or afro-fantasy feel, but in my mind evolves into a more globalist fantasy world created by Ifueko. The protagonist, Tarisai is a young woman who is working out her identity throughout this novel. She is raised by servants of an absent mother, finds she is the daughter of a Genie father, and is part of an entourage of children in the harem of the global heir who are "trying out" to be part of the inner council. There is political intrigue, personal betrayal, relationship building and internal doubt - all presented in the mostly traditional fantasy style. The created world is fascinating, and the implications for power and conflict with the magical elements of the realm are new and interesting. An excellent and enjoyable story, even if not a "read in one night page-turner". 

3 stars (out of 4)

The Storm of Echoes

Christelle Dabos

Book 4 of The Mirror Visitor Quartet

Ophelia and Thorn working together again and the timeline is tightening. The Other is destroying the world, GOD is now MIA and the Horn of Plenty seems to be the key to the whole thing. Well, Ophelia is the key to the whole thing, but she is seeking the Horn of Plenty since she doesn't know why she is the key to the whole thing. The action doesn't stop in this final story, which is probably good since wrapping up all the good-crazy of the past three books leads to some necessary weird-crazy here that is not as engaging. But overall, everything is (mostly) tied together.

3 stars (out of 4)

Kris Longknife: Bold

Mike Shepard

Having been relieved from the front (protecting against the BEM), Kris is thrown back into the political fire of Longknife v Peterwald. In fact, the family squabbles in the Peterwald clan have initiated a civil war in the Greenfield planets that could be catastrophic to the human arm of the galaxy. Only Kris has the political capital with all the parties to envision a solution. Of course, there are assassins who think different. 

3 stars (out of 4) 

Kris Longknife: Unrelenting

Mike Shepard

As the admiral protecting Alwa from the BEM, it seems hopeless. Yes, she is getting additional military capability from the United Sentients. But the BEM can also just lob very fast rocks through the jump points and hope one of them hits. Time to go on the offensive. 

3 stars (out of 4) 

Kris Longknife: Tenacious

Mike Shepard

The BEM homeworld is found but on the way to explore, Kris has to deal with some mutineers, and help negotiate a peace between factions of a new alien species (cats... yes cats) who are also in danger of annihilation. Nothing is ever easy.

3 stars (out of 4) 

Kris Longknife: Defender

Mike Shepard

Once again a legitimate sailor in the chain of command of the Navy, Kris is assigned to find the BEM homeworld. If they can be found, they can be beat before they destroy another world. 

3 stars (out of 4)