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)

Battle Dragons: City of Speed

Alexander London

Book 2 of the Battle Dragons series

Having set free a few battle dragons, showing up and angering each of the three criminal gangs in the city and the city secret police, Abel and Roa are now returning to school for their 8th grade year. Part of the deal to keep them out of jail in the last installment was that they now snitch to the cops. And Abel's first undercover assignment is to find out who is doing illegal bio-engineering experiments on dragons. And the way to do that is to get challenged to participate in an illegal dragon street-race. All the same characters, but alliances are shifting, new dragon relationships are forming and Abel and his friends and family are all solidifying their understanding of imperialism, slavery and corruption. They just do it while Abel is racing through the city at 100's of mph on a dragon. How could it get any better. 

4 stars (out of 4)

Battle Dragons: City of Thieves

Alexander London

Book 1 of the Battle Dragons series

This is a modern world. Our protagonist Abel is a 7th grade student who lives on the 90th floor of his building. Most buildings are 200+ stories, and the city has tens of millions living there. It is a pretty high tech place (holographic billboards, cell phones, etc. But all transportation and heavy labor is accomplished via dragon. Need a school bus? Strap some seats on to a long wing dragon. Abel is a middling student (failed his dragon academy entrance exam), but his friend Roa is a prodigy, taking college classes at night in dragon veterinarianism. Abel and Roa quickly get pulled into the city underbelly as Abel finds he has bonded with Karak - a Sunrise Reaper battle dragon. And he is expected to battle on behalf of one of the 3 local gangs. London has created an effective mixture of tech and fantasy. He is illuminating coming of age issues for middle school kids at the same time as the social inequity that comes from the struggle for power at all costs. And Abel as the clear eyed, idealist who can push for a better world is the perfect protagonist. 

4 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)

The Goblin Emperor

Katherine Addison

A nice fantasy world full of hints of magic, a cyberpunk feel (castles, moats, hydrogen airships), and basically two races (elves and goblins). Maia is the 4th son of the current elven emperor. Since his mother was a goblin, he has been banished to exile, his father not wanting any memory of his "poor decision". But when the emperor's airship blows up killing all aboard (including son's 1-3) Maia is suddenly the Emperor. In this world, we follow Maia as he navigates treacherous politics of court, religious and racial discrimination, royal expectations and a murder mystery. It is a fun evolution of a young man (goblin/elf) and maybe one of the most satisfying royal court intrigue stories I've read. 

4 stars (out of 4)

Translation State

Ann Leckie

In the world of the Imperial Radch Trilogy

It has been 5 years since I read the original trilogy and it is still in my memory in broad strokes. The details, not so much. This is a story the provides new insight into the Presger, specifically about one "feral" Presger and the effort to bring them back into the community. I love the expression of multi-species interactions and the matter of fact way that Leckie sets up interactions and at the same time exposes speciesism, privilege and colonial snobbery. Glad I read it. 

4 stars (out of 4)

The Harbors of the Sun

Martha Wells

Raksura Series - Book 5

In the series finale, the weapon was discovered, and then stolen. Moon and Stone pursue, half-breeds support, and Jade follows. More interactions with the groundlings, which Moon excels at. Stone and Jade have serious PTS after the end of the last episode, and Moon can't figure out what is going on (he was on the other side of the rock.  Not really a spoiler, but in the end everything works out. The journey is amazing. Kudos to Wells for an outstanding world and series. 

4 stars (out of 4)

The Edge of Worlds

Martha Wells

Raksura Series - Book 4

Having successfully sealed the Siren in its prison, and come to a working arrangement with his birth court, Moon is expecting to live a normal, uneventful life. But then everyone has the same nightmare at the same time, the Fell invade the Reaches. Then some groundlings come with a story about a powerful weapon. Moon et. al. travel with the groundlings to *again* save the world. My only complaint here is that this is part 1 of a 2 part series (completed in Book 5), which was a departure for Wells. Small complaint :)

4 stars (out of 4)

The Siren Depths

Martha Wells

Raksura Series - Book 3

Moon's birth family shows up and it turns out they are from on of the oldest and most powerful courts of the Reaches. Moon goes "home" to try to get everything settled, with Jade to follow. Turns out this court has also had traumatic experiences with the Fell trying to cross breed and in this installment we find out why. Now Moon, Jade, Stone and some of his new family need to travel to a mysterious ancient formation to prevent humans and the Fell from gaining a great weapon. 

4 stars (out of 4)

The Serpent Sea

Martha Wells

Raksura Series - Book 2

With the Indigo Cloud court having defeated the Fell, and moved back to their mountain tree in the forest, everything seems to be good. Until they find the tree is dying, having had its seed stolen. So Moon and Jade and a few warriors follow the trail of the thieves to the Serpent Sea. Here they encounter a minor mage who is using the seed to keep his solitary power over his floating city. A nice continuation of the saga, expanding the characterization and relationships of both individuals an the community. 

4 stars (out of 4)

The Cloud Roads

Martha Wells

Raksura Series - Book 1

The first in a five volume series referred to as the Raksura Series. The Raksura are a race of shapeshifters, including the Arbora (who shift between human and bird-like, but without wings) and the Aeriat (human and full birds). The Aeriat are warriors and sterile, except for the queen and her consort. Moon is one of these Aeriat, and a constort. The odd piece is that Moon has lived on his own his entire life, mostly in human form trying to fit in. He doesn't know what he his, or if he is the only one. Until he is found by another consort and brought into a tribe (flock?) of his own kind. Only to find that he might be the catalyst for change that could save the tribe from The Fell (a related, but evil species of shape shifters). 

This is a fabulous world. I love the characters and culture, Wells continues to dominate this fantasy genre.

4 stars (out of 4)

City of Bones

Martha Wells

I need to pay attention more. I thought I was reading book one of a series, but instead this is a standalone novel. And a really good one. As I was reading, I really enjoyed the world that Wells creates. A post magical disaster world where cities rise up out of a wasteland that is inhabitable only by monsters and creatures. The central city of the story is an 8-tiered structure with tiers explicitly defining class and wealth. In this world, Khat is a relics dealer, and a krisman - some sort of non-human species created to survive in the waste. He gets mixed up with Elen, a warder - the last remaining wielders of power - in a quest for some relics that may save the world -- or destroy it. In the end, Wells wraps up the story and the world so tightly that I am glad not to be pulled into another volume. Well done Martha.

4 stars (out of 4)

Recursion

Blake Crouch

Helen is a Stanford neuroengineer who is working on a memory capture device. Her motivation is to try to develop a way to preserve the memories and life of her alzheimer laden mother. When funding dries up, she is approached by an angel investor who gives her everything she wants to develop her device. Barry is a NYC detective who is recently divorced, his marriage a shambles after the death of their daughter 11 years ago. Their stories are intertwined in a way that the fate of the world depends on. Turns out Helen's device is usable for time travel and the mechanism is built on a multiverse model where each time travel event spawns a new universe. This is an amazing story telling and system development. For the most part the time travel piece holds together and, while mind boggling, is fascinating and terrible. Really good sci-fi. 

4 stars (out of 4)

Witch King

Martha Wells

Wow, this is an outstanding world. Demons and Witches and Blessed Immortals and humans, oh my. Kai is a demon trapped in the human world (as are all demons who were in the above when the paths to the underearth were sealed). But he has a new body, and with his witch sister, are seeking out who was able to entomb them under water, and why they would do this. Wells does a fabulous job telling this story, revealing Kai's powers and motivations as a natural part of his own discovery and his own memory. Kai with his friends traverses a personal emotional journey concurrent with the global political conspiracies he encounters, striving for freedom and diversity. Just like any group of demon, witch and immortal would do right? I love this world.

4 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)

Babel: An Arcane History

R.F. Kuang

Apparently I am in a phase of exploring colonization (Civilizations and Sam Adams). Babel is a fantasy novel set in Oxford in the mid 1800's. England is the dominant colonizer in the world and extending the reach of her Empire. The power for this domination comes primarily from the Institute of Translation at Oxford, where magical silver-working is centered. The magic in this world manifests in differences in translated meanings. For example, if the word 'sleep' in English is matched with sleep from another language, but the new 2nd language sleep really has meaning of 'sleep comfortably', when both of these words are engraved on silver, the difference in the translation manifests. In this example, comfort. So applying this magic to a stagecoach ride would make the ride comfortable. Magical shocks. The Institute for Translation spends its time looking for useful translation pairs to do anything from holding up buildings to making war ships travel faster to making guns more powerful. Enter into this world the need for translators in new languages and our protagonist (Robin Swift) is a new student, immigrated from China (or rather, brought from China as the bastard son of a Translation professor). Robin meets his fellow first year students (an Indian boy from Calcutta, a Haitian girl, and an English noble-girl). They each must encounter and struggle with race, gender and cultural oppression while making decisions about their participation in the oppression engine of the translation institute. Really fun, while making you think about all the small ways we participate in the colonization/empire engine everyday. 

4 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)

Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory

Martha Wells

Book 7 in The Murderbot Diaries

Not even a novella, this is a very short story. Murderbot and Dr. Mensah have a moment of shared PTS and begin to explore their value to each other as survivors. 

4 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)

Happy-Go-Lucky

David Sedaris

Continuing his m.o. of memoir style collections of stories (a la Calypso), Sedaris provides as series of vignettes ranging from Covid stories to family relationships. His observations are astute, funny, personal, occasionally revealing his generational point of view and insightful snippets of the American condition. 

4 stars (out of 4)

The Mask Falling

Samantha Shannon

Book 4 of The Bone Season series

Having defeated the poltergeist that powered SenShield, Paige, Scion's most wanted voyant, is whisked off to Paris. She is connected with Domino, an international intelligence operation working to destabilize Scion, and she is working on her own to connect with the French voyant society. Warden has traveled with her as her bodyguard / fellow revolutionary. And the twists keep coming. Paige begins to fully embrace her role as Black Moth, Underqueen the London. She is learning about international politics, and reliving the french version of her experience in Sheol. Shannon does a great job of keeping this story interesting and new, with each reveal feeling necessary and natural. In hindsight, this does feel like a filler book in the story arc. But you have to have that at some point in a 7 book series. Now just to wait until the end of the decade for the remaining volumes to be written. 

4 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 Song Rising

Samantha Shannon

Book 3 of The Bone Season series

The Pale Dreamer, aka Paige Mahoney, is now the Black Moth. She has defeated everyone (including her own mime-lord The White Binder) in the battle for control of the voyant syndicate of London. Her whole reason for wanting to lead the syndicate is to rally them to war against Scion and the Rephaim. But as you can guess, a crime based organization built on living in the shadows is not easy to convince. The big problem is that Scion is developing and deploying SenShield, a technology that can identify voyants (making them easy to arrest/disappear). So the prime thrust of this installment is to find and disable SenShield. Paige and her commanders travel to Manchester and then to Edinburgh, matching wits with Scion General Vance along the way. I like the new elements brought in here as we are traveling and learning about other voyant cultures, developing maturity of voyant gifts, and it seems like a whole new world for the Book 4. 

4 stars (out of 4)

The Mime Order

Samantha Shannon

Book 2 of The Bone Season series

The Pale Dreamer has been rescued from Sheol, and returned to the Seven Dials in London. But she is ready to start a revolution, to fight back against the Rephaim and their control of Scion and subjugation of clairvoyants. But she is basically alone in this. "Hey, you're back, you're safe now, don't rock the boat". But Nashira (blood-heir to the Rephaim throne) has different ideas as she hunts the Dreamer and sets in motion a coming out party. Meanwhile, Paige has her own coming out story to tell and has a love of London and life as her foundation. I love how this story is clearly about the Mime world where the previous was clearly about the Rephaim world. In many ways, the plot elements stand alone which is why, IMO, it is such a strong story. 

4 stars (out of 4)

The Bone Season

Samantha Shannon

Set in the mid 21st century London, with a history that dates back to mid-19th century, Shannon has created a world unlike any I have encountered. This London is known as a Scion, a protectorate city where the government keeps citizens safe from clairvoyants. The underworld of clairvoyance is organized and regulated by a hierarchical structure based on the type of access a voyant has to the netherworld (Mediums, Binders, Seers, etc). Our protagonist is Paige, aka Pale Dreamer, who is a dreamwalker. She can sense and enter the dreamscape of others. The prime storyline here begins when Paige is kidnapped and taken to Sheol, which is a voyant prison colony near Oxford. It is here that she has her eyes opened to the real power structures of the world, with Rephiam (non-human netherworld immortals) masters, scary monsters and human corruption. Paige is a product of Bone Season XX, a once in a decade harvesting of human voyants for use by the Rephiam. But the Pale Dreamer is not a typical voyant, either in gifting or in spirit. And she will fight to get back home.

4 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)

The Memory of Babel

Christelle Dabos

Book 3 of The Mirror Visitor Quartet

Ophelia and Thorn, having been accused of murder on the Pole and having GOD as an antagonist, need a new approach. Ophelia goes home to Anima and Thorn is MIA. So Ophelia follows her own clues to the ark Babel, where she works her way up as an intern of sorts in the main library. She is seeking information about GOD and what really happened with the family spirits after the rupture. Babel is the place to be since it is the site of the original academy that the spirits attended. We continue to be introduced to more family powers on this new Ark and the twisted path of clues does not become any more clear. Still fantastic.

4 stars (out of 4)