My introduction to Margo Lanagan was through Tender Morsels, so any other book of hers is going to have to reach pretty high to outdo that one. The BrMy introduction to Margo Lanagan was through Tender Morsels, so any other book of hers is going to have to reach pretty high to outdo that one. The Brides of Rollrock Island doesn't quite do it, but it's still an engaging, significant story that will keep its hold on me for a while.
Like Tender Morsels, this is another feminist fairy tale, this time using the mythology of selkies, which are seals that can transform into humans. There aren't any real protagonists here, partly because it's difficult to determine who the main character is. Miskaella is the common thread that runs through the story, and the largest chunk of the story is told from her perspective, but she's not likeable, and her entire thread is about making everyone on the island miserable. I've seen at least one other review that describes her as a man-hater, but I think this oversimplifies her motives: She hates EVERYONE, but she uses men's basest desires to make everyone pay for her own upbringing. There's little kindness in the book.
Lanagan's prose is still lyrical and mesmerizing. Beyond that, her characters feel real and the conflicts and emotions feel genuine. This book is no Tender Morsels, but it doesn't deserve to be ignored, either....more
This series is full of narrative gems like, "His face wore a bitter scowl, the look of a soldier who had long served the Empire and now felt betrayed This series is full of narrative gems like, "His face wore a bitter scowl, the look of a soldier who had long served the Empire and now felt betrayed by the new Imperial leader" to describe a soldier who who already know had long served the Empire and now felt betrayed by the new Imperial leader....more
I have to give this series a point of credit: They bring up environmental concerns in every book. On the other hand, they write out the sound effects I have to give this series a point of credit: They bring up environmental concerns in every book. On the other hand, they write out the sound effects and Artoo's beeps and whistles, so the books read like watching an old episode of "Batman".
The authors tied the series in with the Galaxy of Fear books, which is about what I would expect. They also place 1,138 THX speakers in a theme park, and call a conference of grand moffs a "mofference".
A MOFFERENCE.
This is indefensible, even for a juvenile book....more
These books are clunky, awkward, and boring. The narrative is trite and overly dramatic, and the dialogue is cheesy and doesn't fit the characters. ThThese books are clunky, awkward, and boring. The narrative is trite and overly dramatic, and the dialogue is cheesy and doesn't fit the characters. There are better juvenile books set in the Star Wars universe if your kids need a fix. Anything by Jude Watson is worlds better than these books....more
I've had this book for a few years now, but it's taken me joining a science fiction book club to finally get around to reading it. I'd heard a lot of I've had this book for a few years now, but it's taken me joining a science fiction book club to finally get around to reading it. I'd heard a lot of good things about it, so I went into it with high expectations. For the most part, it met those expectations.
Mandel is a fantastic writer. The plot hooked me right from the start, and her prose kept me immersed in the story. Even with all the time jumps and POV shifts, I stayed interested in all of it.
The thing is, though, is that this book feels like a science fiction book written by a literary author. I mean, that's what it is, but it relies so heavily on apocalypse tropes that it doesn't feel particularly original. Instead, it's a book where the language and themes play harder than the plot, and while the plot is sufficient, it doesn't stand out above other apocalyptic books written by writers more familiar with those tropes. The story comes across as sufficient instead of groundbreaking, which is a shame, because Mandel's prose IS so good. The end result feels more like she's slumming in the genre instead of truly understanding it.
Overall, I would give the book 3.5 stars, and I waffled over whether to round it up or down. Right now, I enjoyed it enough to round it up, but after we discuss the book in the book club, I might change my mind. We'll see how long the story lingers with me....more
This is my first time reading Becky Chambers, and I understand her style of fiction is positive. That puts me in mind of a science fiction version of This is my first time reading Becky Chambers, and I understand her style of fiction is positive. That puts me in mind of a science fiction version of a cozy mystery, but the result surprised me. Its overall view is positive and uplifting, but there are touches of darkness through the story, especially in the second act. This is reassuring, because it shows me Chambers isn't afraid to give her stories the moments they deserve.
The story is about a group of four astronauts on a mission to study planets that have the potential to be habitable. Chambers examines life in space, what it means to be isolated, and how one addresses the brutal conditions of space and other worldly environments. She also includes an afterword that is a dialogue between herself and her mother, who is also her science advisor for her fiction. It speaks a lot to the relationship between science and its fiction, and is entertaining as well as enlightening. That could be said of this entire novella, too....more
It's a bit tell-y and somewhat misleading (Barnabas doesn't even appear in the book, though he's featured on the cover), but this was a surprisingly rIt's a bit tell-y and somewhat misleading (Barnabas doesn't even appear in the book, though he's featured on the cover), but this was a surprisingly readable book. I'm not sure what I expected out of it, but it exceeded them....more
What made the first Io book so intriguing wasn't just the idea that we had a new character who didn't fit the host role, but that it introduced the idWhat made the first Io book so intriguing wasn't just the idea that we had a new character who didn't fit the host role, but that it introduced the idea of a Quasing who was working against its host. The Fall of Io goes away from that, and we're put back into a standard adventure where the advantage goes back and forth for the entire book, Roen plays a large part in the story, and we get fighting sequences described to us in tedious detail. It's like we went back to the formulaic structure Chu gave us in the Tao books, and it made for a much less engaging read.
Plus, I was under the impression this was going to be a duology, but no, it's going to be a full trilogy.
SIGH.
Still, Chu plots well, and his stories stand up well. It's at least readable, and serviceable. I'm just disappointed that he didn't follow the momentum from the first book to break out and do something a little different with this series....more
Straight up: This book is bonkers. I mean, Doc is the best at everything. He has a team of five friends who accompany him on his adventures, all of whStraight up: This book is bonkers. I mean, Doc is the best at everything. He has a team of five friends who accompany him on his adventures, all of whom are the best in their fields, but they're not as good as Doc. Whenever they make a discovery during the course of their adventures, he's already figured it out, but he doesn't say anything, because he doesn't want to deprive them of it. He's the strongest, the bravest, the smartest, the most cunning, along with being the bronziest and the golden-eye-est. If this guy wasn't an inspiration for Superman, then I don't know what Siegel and Shuster were doing, because nothing screams "All-American Golden Boy" more than Doc.
The style of the book is ridiculous, too. Bullets are called lead missiles, every character is described by their appearance at least once a page (and, in the case of the female characters, every time they appear), and everything is declared breathlessly. Succinctly. With exclamation points! I'm guessing this is characteristic of pulp fiction, but I'm not familiar enough with it as a genre to say from personal experience.
Despite all that (and the rampant ethnocentrism and latent sexism), it's still a lot of fun to read. It's hard to take the story seriously, what with the characters and the style, but that seems to be the point. It's not meant to be a Great Novel, but a means of escape. It's not written for modern sensibilities, but so long as people can go in to it understanding it as a product of its time, it shouldn't be too bad. I'm not going to read the rest of the series (all 181 of them!), but it was a fun novelty read....more
This is probably closer to 4.5 stars, but it's Michael McDowell, and he created characters like no other author, so I'm rounding it up instead of downThis is probably closer to 4.5 stars, but it's Michael McDowell, and he created characters like no other author, so I'm rounding it up instead of down. If not for the coincidences that peppered the story, I would give it the full five stars without explanation, but those coincidences are worth it to read this odd, violent, compelling little story....more
This book precedes the other Jensen book I've read so far (House at River's Bend), but it feels like a stronger story. It's still not perfect, but forThis book precedes the other Jensen book I've read so far (House at River's Bend), but it feels like a stronger story. It's still not perfect, but for a second book published back in 1974, it's pretty good. Like House, Eve is another Gothic novel, with a touch of the supernatural. The main character is an improvement, because while the story focuses on her marrying a near-stranger, her motivations are better understood -- she's supporting her daughter and grandmother by giving them a better place to live. Of course, since it's a Gothic novel, it's not quite as straightforward as that.
The book has a good cast of characters and an intriguing plot, solid atmosphere, and will keep the reader guessing up until the end. I wish I could compare the book more to Jensen's later works, but I guess that's the risk of reading an author's work in chronological order. I can deal with it....more
I liked this book, but anyone who thought The Scorpion Rules was too slow is going to be bored to tears by it. It's much more philosophical (it looks I liked this book, but anyone who thought The Scorpion Rules was too slow is going to be bored to tears by it. It's much more philosophical (it looks at what it means to be human by examining the AI characters), so there's a lot less action. It doesn't resonate much, either, because our main character and narrator (the same one from the first book) is now an AI, and while she still retains a human body and has human emotions, she feels a lot more distant and impersonal here. Part of that could be how the story moves beyond the love triangle from the first book....more
This is marginally better than The Deaths of Tao, partly because it's a complete story (or at least the end to a complete story). I've started to dislThis is marginally better than The Deaths of Tao, partly because it's a complete story (or at least the end to a complete story). I've started to dislike the way trilogies tend to be written, where the first book has its own arc, with the tease of something to come, the second book is all doom and gloom, without a firm ending, and the third book is the story come to an end. Give me three stories, each with its own beginning, middle, and end, and then have an overarching story that encompasses all three. How hard is that?
I've come this far, though, and I figure I'll see it through. I'm moving on to The Days of Tao, and then I will (grudgingly) move on to the Io duology....more
I'm not a reader of high fantasy, so all the tropes of the genre aren't familiar to me. I do play D&D, though, so I figured going in to the DragonlancI'm not a reader of high fantasy, so all the tropes of the genre aren't familiar to me. I do play D&D, though, so I figured going in to the Dragonlance Chronicles would be more familiar, since it's a trilogy based on a setting in D&D. Instead, I read a book that reads like it's a transcript of someone's D&D session.
According to the afterword, though, that's EXACTLY what this is. Unfortunately, what makes a good D&D session doesn't make a good novel. It's clear where the random encounters are, and the cadence of the story -- characters gather, go on a quest, get something, get more instructions, go on another quest, get something else, get MORE instructions, lather, rinse, repeat -- makes the plot feel clunky. It doesn't help that the authors don't subscribe to the "Show, don't tell" philosophy of storytelling (whoa nelly, they don't), nor does the characters' lack of depth. There are some moments where the characterization comes through -- Fizbig and Tas come to mind -- but for the most part it's hard to keep up with who's whom.
The gender roles also feel dated, with the female characters being more interested in landing a man than they are in much else. Even the members of the party, capable as they are, keep falling back on that point, and it was disappointing. When the authors do attempt to bring something thematic into the story, they handle it with the grace of a truck driving over a watermelon. In one instance, the barbarian is interested in a barmaid, and another female member of the party explains to him why he has to go easy, because she's young and inexperienced. The entire exchange boils down to: "Don't do that."; "Why?"; "Because."; "Oh, okay." It's handled in about four paragraphs, and doesn't feel convincing at all.
Maybe I'm not the target audience of this series, but man, I can't bring myself to read the rest of this series. I see a lot of the five-star ratings are coming from readers who read this when they were in their teens, and I think if I'd read it then, I would be in the same boat. Now, though, it's just not well written enough or engaging enough to keep my interest. The only reason I didn't abandon it is because it came so highly recommended by friends that I kept going, thinking it would get better. I don't have the patience to get through two more long novels if they're all going to be like this....more
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