The Witness for the Dead

Katherine Addison

Set in the same world as The Goblin Emperor, but really only the protagonist Tharu carries over. Tharu is a Witness for the Dead, meaning if he touches a dead body soon after death he can get a sense of the last thoughts. Comes in very helpful for solving murders and settling contested wills, etc. In many ways, aside from this fact, Addison has written a very traditional police procedural, with a few cases chased down and the reader wondering how (or if) they will tie together. At the same time he has to deal with the politics of his office and the ongoing evaluation of his call as a Witness. My only complaint is the bombardment of names and vocab in the first two chapters. I understand the fun of creating names when creating a world, but even after wading through, I still couldn't tell who was whom. The good thing is it didn't really spoil or inhibit the novel. 

4 stars (out of 4)

Uprooted

Naomi Novik

Magical Fantasy at its best with a distinct Polish perspective. Agnieszka is a young woman from the local village near The Wood. The Dragon is the most powerful sorcerer in the land and he lives in the tower at the edge of the valley, protecting everyone from the corruption and evil of The Wood. And once every decade he comes into the village to conscript a young girl to serve as his maid and servant. In Agnieszka's year, it is clear who will be chosen...her best friend Kasia. Until she isn't, and Agnieszka is picked. So begins the journey to discovering her own magical abilities and finding what actually is going on in the Wood.

4 stars (out of 4)

The Traitor Baru Cormorant

Seth Dickinson

The Masquerade Book 1

Baru Cormorant is a mathematical savant who happens to be discovering her talents as one of the conquered teens of the reigning empire known as The Masquerade. With her island country crushed by war and disease, with one of her fathers disappeared for "unhygenic practice", with a boundless drive for justice and revenge, Baru goes all in with the Empire -- to break it from the inside. The only question is whether she will lose herself in the process. Can you actually defeat empire? This is the question that keeps surfacing is a variety of contexts. The world that Dickinson creates is astounding. The character Baru is such a dominant force in this world that all the other characters simultaneously pale in comparison and do their job filling in the colors around her to make a vibrant full story. In the end, this is a straight up political thriller that happens to be set in a non-magical, fantasy world. Love it. 

4 stars (out of 4)

A Master of Djinn

P. Djèlí Clark

Set in early 1900's Egypt in a world where the Djinn are a normal part of life and contributors to human society. So much so that Egypt is now a world power and part of the negotiating team trying to prevent a war in Europe. Along with Djinn come evil Djinn, and therefore a government agency to track and manage the spiritual realm. Agent Fatma is one the few women agents and she leads the charge to save the world from some Djinn changing the balance of power with the intent of destroying humanity. I really do love the Sherlock Holmes vibe from an eastern perspective. Love it. 

4 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)

Firebreak

Nicole Kornher-Stace

Pure Cyberpunk excellence with definite Snowcrash vibes. Set in a 22nd century world where New Liberty is a megacity created "inland" to avoid the massive climate change flooding that destroyed most existing cities. New Liberty is the primary front of the war between the two remaining corporations, Stellaxis (which owns all water) and Greenleaf (which controls all agriculture). In this world, Mallory is a war orphan who spends her time in the virtual game world chasing kills and trying to develop a following for her stream as her primary source of income. The game world is really a hyper-realistic simulation of real world (or at least that is what Stellaxis says), and much of the commerce related to the game is centered around the vat-grown SecOps superheroes who fight to protect Stellaxis citizens from the super-mech that Greenleaf operates in the war. As a Sci-Fi commentary on corporate greed gone wild, it is on the nose. Mallory becomes the catalyst for an opening of awareness and the possibility for change. What is perhaps missing here is the same thing that is missing in society. From the perspective of the narrative, Stellaxis has always existed, and as an entity of its own we don't really find any individual to fault. What I would love to see in a SciFi expose of corporations is some discussion/exploration of how to notice and prevent the scenario before it gets to the point of "too far gone". Maybe that is boring and just a political science dissertation? Maybe the prequel Flight and Anchor will get at some of this?

4 stars (out of 4)

Battle Dragons: City of Secrets

Alexander London

Book 3 of the Battle Dragons series

Abel and his family have been exiled to Glassblowers Gulch, a backwater mining town a few hours out in the desert. G2 is decidedly *not* the big city. Only a couple dragons are around, owned by the sheriff. Brother Silas is working as a deputy sheriff and Abel is almost immediately thrust into the hot seat when a local girl begs him to care for a baby Wyvern she hatched (so illegal). So he does, and finds that the local attitude is corrupt and abusive. Can't have that. So Abel and his new dragon take on the world. I love how each dragon has really had a distinct personality, and that a big part of the relationship building has been Abel learning how to work with his new friend. A playful romp through gangster-corrupt-politics and breaking the chains of colonial imperialism. 

4 stars (out of 4)