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)

The Missing of Clairdelune

Christelle Dabos

Book 2 of The Mirror Visitor Quartet

Ophelia is on the Pole, and is presented at court. Yet she clearly has not found love with her betrothed, and the majority of her time is spent staying alive on this strange ark. It is particularly difficult since the dominant power here is illusion, and her fiance is the treasurer (basically hated by everyone). Add to this the fact that she is getting anonymous death threats from GOD and several high profile Pole citizens are disappearing. Fantastic.

4 stars (out of 4)

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within

Becky Chambers

Book 4 of the Wayfarers series

Chambers continues to impress with this final entry in the series. She has created a multi-species universe and is exceptionally adept at using this universe to illuminate the lives we live here on earth. The setting for this story is Gora, a lifeless, rocky planet with no redeeming quality other than it's location at a jump-point crossroads. It is that freeway stopover in central New Mexico with gas stations, a minimart and a motel 6. Three guests have pulled in to a local habitat/rest stop when there is a catastrophic satellite avalanche event that prevents all planetary launch/landings and all communication. So forced short-term down time for the visitors. In the habitat are the owner and her kid (both Laru - a snuffleuffugous type creature in my mind), an Aeluon (communicates via color), a Quelin (short segmented and shelled bug like creature) and an Akarak (a methane breathing tree dweller). As these complete strangers interact and converse, Chambers has created a setting to discuss colonization, war and pacifism, the meaning of home, immigration, gender development, all while exploring the mechanism of dialogue and discourse among disagreeing sentients. Must read...

4 stars (out of 4)

A Winter's Promise

Christelle Dabos

Book 1 of The Mirror Visitor Quartet

Ophelia is a reader. She lives on the ark Anima, has Artemis as her family spirit and is a typical loner. In this world created by Dabos, the earth has ruptured and all life is now living on a series of floating land chunks called arks. There are 21 major arks (each with a family spirit, aka immortal family ancestor) and a few score minor arks. As a reader, Ophelia can see/know the history of any object she touches. Or more specifically, she can know the "life" of that object and see everyone who has touched it in its life. So she wears gloves. As a loner, she is not interested in marriage, but the ruling matchmakers on her ark have arranged for her to marry a man of status from the Pole ark. She goes, and finds a world she is not prepared for. 

This is a fabulous world, and I find it interesting to think about how science fiction worlds vary from international authors (this is a French work translated to English). This story is not about colonization and military, but about court intrigue. It is about power and class and history. Maybe it is me succumbing to stereotype, but this seems very French. 

4 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)