Tag: Science Fiction Page 10 of 34

DETAILS:
Series: Halo, #1
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication Date: March 18, 2019
Format: Paperback
Length: 414 pg.
Read Date: March 23-26, 2022

What I Knew About the Franchise

Going in, this was the sum total of my knowledge about Halo:
bullet Someone in it was called, “Master Chief.”
bullet The point of the game (presumably as Master Chief), was to kill hostile aliens (perhaps all aliens)
bullet When I tried to play, I would die in no more than 28.7 seconds.

In other words, I had no preconceptions about this going in. My tabula was about as rasa as you can ask for.

What’s Halo: The Fall of Reach About?

In the 26th century, humanity has colonies in star systems throughout the galaxy. And finally, that moment we’ve been waiting for happens: First Contact. And like SF movies from the early 20th Century tried to warn us: the alien race we make that First Contact with is vastly technologically superior and isn’t friendly.

They’re called the Covenant, and are apparently made up of an association of various races—each with their own specialties. And unless something dramatic happens, they’re going to wipe out humanity. They don’t seem that interested in humans joining with them or assimilating humanity. It pretty much seems like they want humans eradicated.

Enter Dr. Catherine Halsey of the Office of Naval Intelligence. She’s got an insane, ethically-vacant, implausible idea—she’s going to take a bunch of children, train them to become the greatest soldiers in history, surgically/medically augment them, equip them with unbelievably advanced suits of armor, and set them loose on the Covenant. Basically a combination of Urban-Legend understanding of ancient Sparta + Ender’s Game + Red Rising + Tony Stark’s suits.

We see these Spartans in action, flashback to their early training, and then see them at their—and possibly the war’s—most pivotal moment. We get to know a few of them, a bit—but the focus is on the trainee who will become their Master Chief.

There’s also a plotline focusing on one starship commander (he switches vessels a couple of times, so I’ll go generic there) who takes a lot of risks—and has some solid crew members to back him up. Their combination of nerves, cleverness, and luck makes them about as successful as you can be without the scientific enhancements that the Spartans get. Eventually, they play host to the Spartans on a last-ditch mission, and that’s when things really start cooking.

So, what did I think about Halo: The Fall of Reach?

I don’t have a lot to say about this. Like every book (so far) that I was recommended in this 12 Books challenge, this isn’t something I’d typically read. But this was pretty fun. Sure, Pierce Brown and Mike Chen aren’t going to be looking over their shoulders worrying about Nylund—but the dude can write an entertaining scene with some decent character moments.

The battle scenes in particular were just what you want in a book like this (or a video game like this, I assume). The space battles brought me back to Jack Campbell’s books or the Robotech novels that I lived on in the late 80s. I need to make time for more stuff like that.

Reach, I should mention, is the biggest and most important military base for humans outside of Earth—the location of both are tightly kept secrets. So the book focusing on the fall of Reach tells you right away that this book will have an ugly end. And, spoiler alert, the title is apt.

But there’s hope—in the Dumb and Dumber “So, you’re telling me there’s a chance”—kind of hope. But that’s enough for a bioengineered super-soldier, a cocky AI, and a starship of maverick officers, right?

I’m definitely not going to rush and grab another Halo book to see what happens next or to learn about other escapades of the Spartans/Master Chief. But if they come across my path? Yeah, I’d read more.

If you’re into Halo or if you want to understand what someone in your family/friends group sees in the game, this might be just the ticket. It’s a decent amount of fun with just the right amount of action. Give it a shot.

3 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Light Years from Home by Mike Chen: A Tale of Three Siblings

By HCNewton

On February 22, 2022

In Fiction, Mike Chen, Science Fiction

Light Years from Home

by Mike Chen

DETAILS:
Publisher: Mira Books
Publication Date: January 24, 2022
Format: Hardcover
Length: 345 pgs.
Read Date: February 11-18, 2022

For Jakob, it meant days where time had no meaning, one lifechanging revelation after another. Were there aliens? Yes, there were so many aliens, a number so overwhelming that even now he still didn’t know the name of every species working under the Seven Bells flag. Were there bad aliens? Yes, and it turned out that Dad’s sci-fi shows got some of those traits right—plus mechs from the few years when he indulged in anime—along with holographic displays, faster-than-light speed, smart communication tech that quickly adapted to English, and other things.

It was all of that mashed into one overwhelming reality, something that made him question if he hadn’t taken the best/worst drugs of all time.

Fifteen Years Ago

Evie, her older twins, Kass, and Jakob are on a camping trip with their father. When Jakob and his father step away for a private word (Jakob’s thinking of dropping out, and their father is giving him a talk).

Then everything changes. Jakob and their father disappear. Three days later, their father reappears, disoriented and confused. But there’s no sign of Jakob—he’s eventually declared dead, and the family is shattered.

Evie

Evie’s following their father’s theory, Jakob was taken by aliens. She’s moved away from the family and joined up with others convinced that aliens have visited the planet. They research reportings, scientific phenomena, and do a webcast.

When her group notices phenomena in the area near where Jakob disappeared that matches the same strange readings from that night, Evie can’t contain her excitement, so she scrapes together enough money to fly across the country so she can look into it first-hand.

Kass

Kass had the opposite reaction, her brother’s always been a ne’er-do-well, he has no commitment, no follow-through—always getting by on his charm. She assumes that Jakob found some people to hang out with, leach off of, and was off having a great time while the family fell to pieces.

She stayed home, finished her degree, and is now taking care of their mother in the earliest stages of dementia while working as a therapist, helping others do for their families what she couldn’t do for her own.

She’s not thrilled about her sister’s impending arrival—Kass can’t believe Evie’s wasted her potential with this nonsense and has abandoned her family to do so. She wants nothing to do with it, or the inevitable request for financial assistance that comes with any visit with Evie.

Jakob

Jakob actually was taken by aliens—his father was accidentally taken up in the same transporter stream. He’s serving in an intergalactic war—he’s hiding briefly on earth until he can get some vital information to his side.

Or at least, that’s what he tells his sister when he returns. Kass has other ideas. She keeps using words like delusions and psychosis.

A Family Affair

The book hops around, being told from the perspective of each sibling—we get to know them, what they’ve been up to for the last fifteen years, and how they relate to each other. Whatever outlandish story Jakob is telling, what evidence and theories that Evie has about him, and whatever their mother is going through, the focus is the family—particularly on the siblings. The hurt they’ve caused the others, the neglect they’ve shown towards one another, the utter lack of trust that exists between any of them.

But they can’t fight the pull toward each other—to help each other, even as they’re proclaiming their disgust and disappointment.

Chen’s known for writing family drama, and to date, none of his families have had as much drama as these three.

Yes, there’s the FBI running around, accusations of fraud (and possible terrorism), and some pretty intense action—laced with SF goodness (as you expect from Chen). But the story is at it’s core, a story about these three siblings trying to find some healing. Or at least a definitive way to say goodbye.

So, what did I think about Light Years from Home?

I thought it was a great way to tell this story, I thought the characters were interesting and the situation was very compelling—bringing in their mother’s deteriorating condition was a wonderful addition (in terms of storytelling, I’m not saying I find dementia entertaining).

Yet, I had the hardest time getting involved with the story or characters. I thought it was a great read, but I just didn’t care. Or I didn’t think I did. But I found myself on the edge of my seat at the right moments and getting misty at the end. Without my noticing, Chen had wormed his characters into my heart—including the one, I’d easily have said the book didn’t need.

I’ll note that I just talked to a friend, who had an entirely different reaction to the beginning of the book (hasn’t finished it yet, but I can’t imagine he’ll disagree with what I said about the ending). This suggests, as I imagined, this is a Me-problem, not a Chen-issue.

I think this book worms its way into the SF/Speculative Fiction genre differently than Chen’s previous works. And maybe that was my hitch—maybe. I think it’s great that his works are so stand-alone, that there’s not even a Mike Chen-template like so many other stand-alone authors fall into.

With Mike Chen, you never know what you’re going to get beyond: interesting and fresh premise and emotionally satisfying ending. Light Years from Home lives up to that and has me eagerly awaiting his 2023 release to see where he’s going next.

4 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

How to Save a Superhero by Ruth Freeman: A Cute MG Adventure

By HCNewton

On January 31, 2022

In Science Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

How to Save a Superhero

by Ruth Freeman

DETAILS:
Publisher: Holiday House
Publication Date:  October 18, 2021
Format: Hardcover
Length:264
Read Date: January 26-27, 2022

“Adelaide. Now that’s a name you don’t hear very often. I think it’s old German by way of French. How do you do, Adelaide? My name is Minerva, after the Roman goddess of wisdom. I have a theory that interesting people have interesting names. Are you interesting?”

After taking a moment to think about it, Addie said, “I’m kind of working on it.”

“Good answer,” said Minerva Swift. “I’m working on it too.”

What’s How to Save a Superhero About?

Ten-year-old Addie and her mom have one of those relationships where you’re not sure who the parent is a lot of the time. While it’s clear that Tish is devoted to her daughter, she’s not really devoted to anything else—especially her frequently changing employers in frequently changing towns. Since her mother died, she just hasn’t been able to hang on to anything, and Addie’s been emotionally untethered since then, too.

Now they’re staying with another one of Addie’s aunts and Tish is working at the Happy Valley Village Retirement Community on a one-month trial. After school, Addie joins a couple of other children of employees and spends time with some of the residents.

One resident, in particular, is a favorite of Addie’s—and her mother seems to be the only employee that he seems to tolerate. Mr. Norris has been having trouble with falling, so he’s in the HVV until he can regain his stability.

One of Addie’s friends becomes convinced that Mr. Norris is a super-hero—and there have been some strange things happening around him—Addie can’t believe it. Another friend is convinced that he’s a retired Professional Wrestler. Addie’s not so sure about that one, either.

The three friends do what they can to get to the bottom of Mr. Norris’ identity (over his strident and cantankerous objections), and find themselves in the middle of other adventures with some of the other residents while they’re at it.

So, what did I think about How to Save a Superhero?

This was an okay book. It did everything it needed to do and was well told. I never really connected to any of the characters, or any of the rest of it. I can’t tell you what it was missing, but it seemed to be missing that spark.

It was enjoyable enough—just enough—and it’s likely that the target audience will find it more entertaining than I did. So, sure, I’d recommend it for a middle-grade reader, but I wouldn’t necessarily tell anyone older they’d enjoy it.*

* That sounds harsh to me, I’m not trying to be…

3 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Bloodlines by Peter Hartog: Angels and Vampires. Vampires and Drug Lords. Or Something Like That.

By HCNewton

On January 13, 2022

In Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy

Bloodlines

by Peter Hartog

BOOK DETAILS:
Series: The Guardian of Empire City, Book One
Publication Year: 2019
Format: Kindle Eition
Length: 446 pages
Read Date: January 4-10, 2022

“Aren’t you supposed to be governed by logic and all that?”

“Even your most famous literary detective said, ‘once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth,’” she said.

“Sherlock Holmes wouldn’t have believed in vampires, either,” I countered.

“Well, we do live in interesting times, Holliday,” Deacon quipped.

What’s Bloodlines About?

Er, actually…this is the wrong place to start. Let’s try this instead:

Describe this World

This takes place in a futuristic world where human population/civilizations have been destroyed through a combination of “terrorist cyber-attacks, a bunch of nuclear catastrophes, and the pandemics that followed.” Nations have been replaced by a number of enclaves throughout the world, like Empire City (that grew from the ruins of New York), the Confederate States of Birmingham (a theocratic state), and the People’s Republic of Boulder.

Long story short: one of the side effects of the nuclear catastrophes was a new form of energy in the world that acted close enough to magic that people called it that. Also, it made it possible for beings from another dimension to travel to Earth. They’re called Vellans, and I’m going to leave it to Hartog to describe them to you when you read the book (a thing I think you should do).

So, as our setting we’ve got that rebuilt NYC, patching a society and culture together, in a world that looks not dissimilar from Scott’s Blade Runner, powered by magic, and that has pan-dimensional aliens walking around. Clear enough?

Now, with that out of the way, we can ask:

What’s Bloodlines About?

“They aren’t equipped to deal with the things that I want Special Crimes to handle.”

“Such as what, exactly?” I asked.

“Things that require more than a badge, a pair of handcuffs and a warrant,” Mahoney replied, fierce heat coating his words. “Things that laugh at the law, thinking they are above, or beyond it. Things that don’t give a damn about you or me.”

Our protagonist/narrator is Detective Tom “Doc” Holliday, his career has taken a hit and while he still gets to investigate the occasional homicide, he’s primarily the guy who does paperwork for everyone else. He’s recruited to be part of the Special Crimes Unit, working on “the unsolvable and inexplicable” (think Dresden Files‘ Special Investigations or Rivers of London The Folly). At this point, the unit consists of a retired legend of ECPD leading a former Protector (a law enforcement officer from Birmingham) and another consultant. But once they make their mark on the city, there’s a suggestion that they’ll get more legitimacy and funding. Holliday doesn’t much care, it’s a chance to do more than paperwork.

Their first case involves a murder that a tabloid is claiming a vampire committed (farfetched, sure, but it’s a solid explanation for the eyewitness testimony and the physical evidence—at first glance, anyway). Still, a vampire is far-fetched even for this new magical reality. Holliday doesn’t buy it, he’s looking for a more rational explanation. But this is the kind of thing that SCU is for so Holliday and the tiny team dive in.

Doc Holliday

I live and work in the real world. I go after criminals, arrest them, then do it again, and hope I don’t get killed in the process. I do it because it’s my job, I’ve got the training and it’s the right f****** thing to do.”

If you can enjoy—to some extent—Holliday, you’re going to enjoy the novel. I can see where some won’t get along with him, and they’ll have a miserable time with this book. Me? I’m not going to declare us BFFs after just one book, but I’d be more than happy to have a few cups of coffee with the man.

In addition to being the driven detective (at one time, he was considered one of the top three homicide detectives in the enclave), he has a Ph.D. in Literature and a Master’s in gourmet cooking. That’s a tried and true combination of interests, sure to resonate with fans of Detective Fiction. His troubled past, self-destructive tendencies, and wiseguy mouth/attitude add to that appeal.

Along those lines, I appreciate the way Holliday leans on his literary background to get him through tough moments, quoting Shakespeare or other notables to talk steel himself—or calm himself—in a tight situation is nice to see.

As for his clairvoyance? It’s interesting to see in action, and hopefully, as he learns to master and develop the ability, I’ll enjoy it more. It’s a good start at a character with magic, but he needs a little work.

A Question of Genre

As I’ve established before, once I decide to read a book, I pretty much forget everything I learned about it. I remembered that this was an Urban Fantasy—which made me a little leary, and also insanely curious. It’s been a while since I read a new-to-me Urban Fantasy, because most of the new ones I dabbled in didn’t work for me. At the same time, I really want a new-to-me Urban Fantasy series…

I wasn’t prepared for this “blend of science fiction, urban fantasy and crime thriller” (as the author describes it at the end of the book). I’d read one book like that years ago—and it was…okay? In many ways, this is that book, but better. Significantly better.

This reads more like a Futuristic Police Detective novel with Urban Fantasy flourishes. Most of the time. The rest of the time, it’s an Urban Fantasy with neat technology.

The magic system is pretty vague at this point in the series—one of the advantages of “magic” being a new thing to this world, so no one understands it that well, and an author can make it do whatever he wants. Each instance of magic at work is just cool. It reminded me of why I got into Urban Fantasy in the first place, actually, any kind of Fantasy with magic users.

So, what did I think about Bloodlines?

This really impressed me—I was distracted with a non-reading project most of the time that I was reading this book, so I couldn’t devote the time I wanted to devote to it, only reading thirty minutes or so a day. It’s the kind of thing I could’ve been very happy to read in a session or to (and I might have enjoyed it more if I could’ve taken the plunge).

I’m a little tired of authors mining a vague, pop-understanding of Roman Catholicism for their Magical/Fantasy purposes. But I guess it’s easier to do that than to try to find aspects of Protestantism to serve that purpose (the presence of someone with roots in a vaguely Southern Evangelical culture suggests that Hartog intends to try). I’m not going to hold it against this book, I’m just taking the opportunity to belly-ache. Because, if you’re doing to co-opt bits of Roman Catholic practice, this is a pretty tame way to go about it.

I’m definitely coming back for more—I want to explore this world some more, I want more time with the members of the Special Crimes Unit, and I’m curious about the overarching story introduced in the latter parts of this book. I’m not there yet, but I can see me becoming a pretty big fan-boy for this series.

I think anyone who thinks an Urban Fantasy/Science Fiction/Detective mashup novel might be interesting will find themselves entertained with this one-stop source to get your genre-itch scratched. Give it a try, let me know what you think.

My Favorite Non-Crime Fiction of 2021

By HCNewton

On January 7, 2022

In Alex Verus, Benedict Jacka, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, Jo Perry, Mike Chen, News/Misc., Roddy Doyle, Science Fiction, Seanan McGuire, Toby Daye, Urban Fantasy

2021 Favorite Non-Crime
Back when I started this site, I knew the content would be largely “genre”-oriented. I’d have wagered the content would be roughly 1/3 Mystery/Detective fiction, 1/3 Urban Fantasy, and slightly less than 1/3 SFF, with “non-genre” fiction, humor, and non-fiction being enough to make my one-thirds just an approximation (honestly, if you asked me what I read regularly, that’s pretty much how I’d describe it today). Actual numbers show that’s wrong—it’s almost 40% Crime/Thriller Fiction, and Urban Fantasy has only topped 20% once in the last decade—it was 16% the last two years, SFF combined for about 14% in 2021.

Which is just a long-winded way to get to these two points: because Crime Fiction takes such a big chunk of my reading, it gets its own “Favorite” list, but none of the others really garner enough numbers for their own.

As always, re-reads don’t count—only the works that were new to me.

(in alphabetical order by author)

We Could Be Heroes

by Mike Chen

My original post
A super-hero and a super-villain become friends after meeting (as civilians) at a support group meeting and delve into their shared past to figure out how they got their powers and who they used to be. That old story. 🙂 In typical Chen fashion, the SF/super-hero elements are just an excuse to tell a story about friendship, memory, and identity. It’s a story about people, who just happen to be super-powered.

4 Stars

Love

by Roddy Doyle

My original post
This is about as close as you can get to a novel without a plot. You’ve got a pair of old friends, getting together for drinks (many, many drinks) and to catch up on each other’s lives. They end up revisiting their past (as you do), arguing about what really happened then, and seeing how it’s impacted where they are now. There’s more to it, but that’ll do for our purposes. The novel is primarily told through dialogue (although we do get memories and internal commentary from one of the men). As is to be expected from Doyle, that dialogue sings. You can practically hear it jump off of the page–I’m not sure I could conjure up a mental image of anyone in the book, but I know exactly what they’d sound like.

4 Stars

The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling

by Henry Fielding

My wrap-up post for the project
I read most of this in 2020, but didn’t finish it until 2021, so it goes on this list. Just for the (mostly rewarding) time spent on this book, it deserves a spot on this list. It’s not really the kind of book I thought it would be, but it’s so much more interesting. I’ve said enough about this book, I don’t really have it in me for more–it’s a classic, anyway, what can I say that hasn’t been said for hundreds of years?

5 Stars

All the Lonely People

by Mike Gayle

My original post
This is nothing but an all-out attack on the cockles of your heart. I described it to a friend, “Imagine a book by Fredrick Backman–but instead of a crotchety old Swedish man, it’s about a lonely man who left Kingston for London in the 50s.” It’s so heartwarming, so Capra-esque, so…eh, you get the point.

5 Stars

Not Awkward

by Matthew Hanover

My original post
Hanover’s third Wallflowers novel came out last year and shows real growth as a writer, while not losing any of the charm, heart, and likability of his previous novels. Just before his wedding, Scott goes to the funeral for his ex’s father, and somehow ends up spending a few days with the family. Not Awkward is a warm and heart-filled story about revisiting the past, finding healing (whether or not you thought you needed it), and embracing a future that doesn’t look like you expected it would (and is probably better). It’s the kind of book that’ll make you feel a little better about life for a while—and who doesn’t want to read something like that?

4 1/2 Stars

Risen

by Benedict Jacka

My original post
The twelfth and final book in the Alex Verus series blew me away. It’s one of the best series finales I remember reading. It was hard to say good-bye to this world and these characters, but Jacka did such a satisfying job with this novel that it took some of the sting out of it.

5 Stars

When Sorrows Come

by When Sorrows Come

by Seanan McGuire

My original post
If (and that feels like a big “if”) October Day is going to get a Happily Ever After, it’s going to be years down the road. Thankfully, she got a “Happy Right Now” by marrying Tybalt. That’s pretty much what this novel is–a big dollop of happiness (with Toby putting down a palace coup along the way). It was so nice seeing that.

5 Stars

Headphones and Heartaches

by Wesley Parker

My original post
Percy’s a teen who gets put into Foster Care after his mother’s latest OD. While she’s in a treatment program, Percy comes to trust and love his foster mother–a woman with a huge heart, who takes in this boy and gives him a safe place to be for the first time in his life. This is a sweet book, a touching book—an occasionally hilarious book (with some truly cringe-worthy beats)—I guess it’s best summed up as a very human book. Parker got me to feel all sorts of things for these characters, to a degree I didn’t expect or was prepared for.

5 Stars

Pure

by Jo Perry

My original post
(sure, you could make the case that this is Crime Fiction, but I don’t buy it) After Ascher gets quarantined in her late aunt’s retirement condo during the early days of COVID. She sneaks around volunteering for a Jewish Burial Society, and then becomes convinced that one of the women she helped with was the victim of foul play. So Ascher tries to figure out what happened and who is responsible–again, while sneaking around the retirement community’s quarantine. This is a mystery novel about something—it’s more than a whodunit (assuming there was something for a “who” to have “dun”). It, like pretty much everything Perry writes, is about death and how we deal with it as humans (and one neurotic and grieving Mini-Pinscher). THere’s more to chew on, too, but that’d be telling…

This is one that’s going to stay with me for a while.

4 Stars

In Ten Years

by Ian Shane

My original post
A contemporary When Harry Met Sally that makes me just as happy as the movie ever did. Tried and true plotlines that felt fresh thanks to Shane’s light touch and ear for dialogue. It contains what’s probably my favorite chapter of 2021–and more than a couple of my favorite lines. I wanted to race through it to see how it ended, and I wanted to slow down to savor it (the impulse control side lost–what do you expect from someone who tagged himself “Irresponsible”?).

5 Stars

My Favorite Audiobooks of 2021

By HCNewton

On January 4, 2022

In Audiobook, Fantasy, Fiction, History, Humor, Kevin Hearne, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, News/Misc., Non-Fiction, Politics/Current Affairs, Rick Riordan, Science Fiction, Seanan McGuire, Toby Daye, Tufa, Urban Fantasy

My Favorite Audiobooks of 2021
Last year I kicked off my Year-End Retrospective with a look at my favorite audiobooks, I might as well repeat that this year. How do I keep this from being just a rehash of my other year-end lists? By focusing on the audiobook experience over the content. What was it like to listen to it? How engaging was it, how did the narrator do? Was it a good match in terms of tone, content, and performance? All of these books are/were good—but the audiobooks are a bit better because of the narrator and the rest of the people involved in the production.

(in alphabetical order by author)

The Hum and the Shiver

by Alex Bledsoe, Emily Janice Card(Narrator), Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)

This was my third or fourth trip through this book (maybe, fifth, but I don’t think so). I’m not sure if that means it was easy for me to be impressed—or maybe it was really hard because I had high expectations. Regardless, Rudnicki and Card took me to Cloud County and the land of the Tufa. I could believe that these people lived, breathed, and walked around in this world—and yet were otherworldly, as they ought to be. I knew Rudnicki could make me believe in a Fantasy world—it turns out that he can make me believe in this one, too. Card was right there with him.

4 Stars

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It

by Elle Cosimano, Angela Dawe (Narration)

My original post
This is on the list because of Dawe’s narration. The text was entertaining enough, sure, but her narration is what made sure I remembered the book during the list-making time. The novel was a tricky balancing act between the various tones and characters, and Dawe makes you believe it. She captured the comedic sense of the novel along with the tension and emotional moments. There were a few accents involved and she did a believable job with them, too.

3.5 Stars

A Christmas Carol: A Signature Performance by Tim Curry

by Charles Dickens, Tim Curry (Narrator)

My original post
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: all you need to know about this is: Tim Curry. This wasn’t the performance I expected—I figured I was in for something near to over-the-top, with Curry going to town with the text. Instead, we’re treated to a respectful, restrained performance giving Dickens’ classic just the right emotional weight, sentimentality, personality, and life.

5 Stars

In This Bright Future

by Peter Grainger, Gildart Jackson (Narrator)

My original post
Grainger and Jackson together have made this one of my Top 3 audiobook series, period. So my only question was how many of the books would end up on this list. I ended up limiting myself to one, and therefore it had to be this one—we get so little of our typical characters and settings, but Jackson is able to make Belfast as warm and homey as King’s Lake. There are elevated dangers and emotions in this book that we don’t typically get with D.C. Smith, but Jackson doesn’t miss a beat. Grainger puts D.C. through his paces, too. Both are at the top of their game—making D.C. at the top of his, too.

4 Stars

Ink & Sigil

by Kevin Hearne, Luke Daniels (Narrator)

Even though a pro like Luke Daniels is constantly doing voices/accents for his characters and the narration is almost never his “natural” voice (assuming he even has one anymore), I have to think that maintaining a Glaswegian accent for as long as he did for this book (ten hours and change, I think) has to be an added level of difficulty. Not that you can tell from listening to this. I thought the novel was a rollicking good time and just the way you should introduce a new series. The audiobook version just cemented that.

4 1/2 Stars

The Unkindest Tide

by Seanan McGuire, Mary Robinette Kowal (Narrator)

This novel was the payoff (as far as we know so far, I wouldn’t put it past McGuire to turn it upside down later) to a storyline that had been lingering and building for years, I remember being stunned when reading it—just that aspect of The Unkindest Tide brought a great combination of anticipation, grief, suspense, and surprise. The story of the novel—the trip to the Duchy of Ships, the intrigue around Dianda, etc. was as solid as it gets, too. I remembered all this going in, so it was all teed up for Kowal—and she nailed it, it almost felt like I hadn’t read the book before and was discovering it fresh. A narrator who can do that is tops in my book.

4 1/2 Stars

We Had a Little Real Estate Problem: The Unheralded Story of Native Americans and Comedy

by Kliph Nesteroff

My original post
As I was trimming down the list of audiobooks I listened to last year for this list, I didn’t expect that this would stay on the list. A history of Native Americans in Comedy, really? But I kept not deleting it…so I started thinking of it—there’s a social history, an entertainment history, with individual profiles mixed it—it has it all. What’s more, despite a pretty dry (but never boring) narration, and not using clips of original performances, the comedy of these individuals comes through. In the midst of hardship, suffering, prejudice, and hard breaks, there are some solid laughs. It’s hard not to keep thinking about that.

4 Stars

Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods

by Rick Riordan, Jesse Bernstein (Narrator)

I started working on a post last year about contemporary myth retellings (and I intend on finishing it before my unconceived grandkids are ready to read it), and listened to this as part of that. In many ways, the book and the information didn’t fare well compared to things like Gaiman and Fry have recently produced. But this is here and they’re not—because as an audiobook this is a great experience. Bernstein is Percy Jackson here, and it felt like something ol’ Percy was sitting down and relating to future Camp Halfblood residents. It inspired me to listen to the original Percy Jackson series again just so I can listen to Bernstein perform this character.

3 Stars

You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories about Racism

by Amber Ruffin, Lacey Lamar

My original post
I’m still telling people about this audiobook/book nine months later. I can’t think of a book that made me angrier, sadder, or made me laugh as much in 2021 (or a few years before it, either). This did all three. Ruffin’s narration, Lamar’s stories, their hurt, and their optimism make this a must-listen.

4 1/2 Stars

The Salvage Crew

by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne, Nathan Fillion (Narrator)

My original post
This is a very strange SF story about a sentient AI (based on the memories and personality of an engineer). I think I’d have enjoyed the story had I read the novel, but it’s Nathan Fillion that brought it to life. That same charm that makes you like Caleb, Mal, Castle, and Nolan shines forth and makes you believe in this malfunctioning (at least eccentrically-functioning) AI and get invested in the AI’s survival and that of his ragtag crew.

4 Stars

Catch-Up Quick Takes: A Few 2021 Books I Can’t do a Full Post About

By HCNewton

On December 30, 2021

In Audiobook, C. J. Box, Fiction, Joe Pickett, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Non-Fiction, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy

The point of these quick takes posts is to catch up on my “To Write About” stack—emphasizing pithiness, not thoroughness.

Super Powereds: Year 1

by Drew Hayes, Kyle McCarley (Narrator)
Series: Super Powereds, #1
Unabridged Audiobooks, 26 hrs., 11 min.
Tantor Audio, 2016
Read: November 19-25, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

(the official blurb)
Lander University has a program that most universities don’t. They offer a Hero Certification Program—a way for super-powered students to become qualified to be a super-hero. This book focuses on five particular students—they’re not just super-powered, they’ve got a secret, too.

As the title suggests, this book follows them over the first year—as they grow, increase in power and ability, develop bonds, and so on. The book is a nice mashup of superhero training and dumb college kids being dumb college kids.

I went into this expecting something that felt a lot like Fred, the Vampire Accountant. This was less like it than I thought possible—it’s much longer, it doesn’t feel like a collection of interconnected short stories, it’s a novel.

I was impressed at how different it is, sure. But I liked the story, world, and characters. I’m not sure I’m up for four more in this series, but I have a feeling that Hayes will change my mind.

3.5 Stars

Master of Formalities

by Scott Meyer, Luke Daniels (Narrator)
Unabridged Audiobook, 14 hrs., 58 min.
Brilliance Audio, 2015
Read: November 12-17, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

(the official blurb)
Thousands of years in the future, elaborate rules of honor, etiquette, and form have been imposed on the planetary governments to preserve order—even in the midst of war. We’re talking rules that Downton Abbey’s Carson would find overly elaborate and restrictive.

Two planets have been at war for decades—but things have come to a tipping point. It’s up to the two arbiters of these rules on these planets to keep things under control.

This book did something I didn’t expect—I would have admitted it was possible, but wouldn’t have expected that Scott Meyers and Luke Daniels produced something that left me frequently bored and that I had a hard time connecting with at all. It was clever, but that cleverness strayed into convolutedness in the plot. Good enough to listen to, but by a hair.

3 Stars

See Her Die

by Melinda Leigh
Series: Bree Taggert, #2
Kindle Edition, 315 pg.
Montlake, 2020
Read: September 30-October 2, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

(the official blurb)
I don’t have much to say about this book, which is why it’s here, but I wish I did. There’s just something nice about this series, and I’d like to talk about it more.

This is really a follow-up to the first in the series—okay, so Bree got herself the job, what’s she going to do with it? How are the vets in the department and the community as a whole going to handle her coming in? How is she going to do with the whole parental figure for her niece and nephew? Etc. We don’t get definitive answers, but we get some good ideas.

But more importantly, there’s a creepy killer on the loose. In the end, that story is both too outlandish to buy, and I can actually imagine reading about this happening.

I’m coming back for more.

3 Stars

Cold Wind

by C. J. Box, David Chandler (Narrator)
Series: Joe Pickett, #11
Unabridged Audiobook, 11 hrs., 13 min.
Recorded Books, 2011
Read: August 23-24, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

(the official blurb)
Wow. There’s a lot going on in this one. The events of the Nate story were horrible, but Box pulled it off in a way that will be good for the character/series long-term.

Killing Missy’s husband Earl on the other hand…well, like Joe himself, I’m not crazy about any time we spend with Missy, so making her a focal point of a novel isn’t going to make me thrilled with it. But, I ended up really liking this one, too.

These books don’t inspire a lot of thought or writing from me—and maybe they should—but I do consistently enjoy them. Chandler’s narration is solid as ever. At this point, I don’t think I can switch to the print version of the series—I need his voice for Joe and the gang.

4 Stars

Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses

by Kristen O’Neal
Hardcover, 379 pg.
Quirk Publishing, 2021
Read: June 2, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

(the official blurb)
It’s really bothering me that I haven’t gotten a full post out of this yet—and it’s been long enough (and I lost my notes) that anything I end up saying will be super vague and would be too much work to get a longer post.

In a Discord support for chronic illnesses, a group of people from around the world from a variety of age groups, come together to share struggles common to people with a variety of ailments and disorders. A couple of them realize they live nearby and strike up a friendship. Eventually, one of them disappears from contact for too long, so the other takes it upon herself to go try to find her friend IRL.

It turns out that this friend’s chronic illness is a case of lycanthrophy—things get strange and heartwarming from there.

A lot of this is told in modern-epistolary: texts, emails, Discord chats, tumblr posts, etc., etc. I loved the jumble of methods used to tell the story. It really captures the feel for these characters and their lives.

If you look at places like Goodreads, you’ll see a lot of controversy about elements of this book. I didn’t know about any of it until I’d read the book. 96% of what I saw doesn’t reflect the book, and seems to stem from one or two people who hadn’t read the book. Ignore it all.

This was a fun, earnest story that addresses serious things like living with chronic disease and finding your place in the world along with silly things like Lycanthropy and excessive binge-watching with friends. A nice break from reality that maybe helps you think about some things.

3 Stars

Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives

by Tim Hartford, Nicholas Guy Smith (Narrator)
Unabridged Audiobook, 9 hrs., 45 min.
Penguin Audio, 2016
Read: December 16-17, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

(the official blurb)
I think I’m going to have to make a point to listen to more Hartford books—between the time I put this on my TBR list and picking it up, I’d forgotten it was by the man behind The Data Detective.

The basic premise is this—people who are messy (not those full of utter chaos in habits or possessions), function better than those who are ruled by rigid standards—either metaphorically or literally. When rules (primarily at work) are too inflexible it hurts productivity and satisfaction in the work.

So let people organize their work and workplaces as they will, don’t impose a filing system on people who don’t want it, etc. Sure, keep things tidy, but beyond that…let the individual reign. That’s a horrible oversimplification, but to do it justice would take…well, most of this book. Just go with that as a thumbnail and read/listen to it. It’s entertaining, thought-provoking, and empowering.

I think this went on a bit too long—perhaps if the last couple of chapters had been excised, it would’ve been better. But I might change my mind on a re-read/re-listen.

3.5 Stars

Stuff You Should Know:
An Incomplete Compendium
of Mostly Interesting Things

by Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant
Unabridged Audiobook, 9 hrs.
Macmillan Audio, 2020
Read: December 27-28, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

(the official blurb)
Very little (if any) of this fits into things I should know, and I’m glad the subtitle talks about “Mostly Interesting” things. It’s a strange hodgepodge of in-depth look at topics like…the history of facial hair, Murphy beds, Mezcal, and child prodigies.

It was fine, but nothing special. Before I started it, I figured this would end up turning me into a subscriber to the podcast. It didn’t, but I can see why people would listen to it—the narrators/hosts are pretty engaging and had an interesting approach to their explanations. Maybe it was these topics, the randomness of the topics, or…I don’t know. I just didn’t see the point. It made for a good soundtrack to my workday, but within two days, I’ve pretty much forgotten everything I heard.

2 1/2 Stars

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase from any of them, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan: An Overdue Sequel to Verne’s Nemo Stories

By HCNewton

On November 26, 2021

In Fiction, Rick Riordan, Science Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

Daughter of the Deep

by Rick Riordan

Hardcover, 336 pg.
Disney-Hyperion, 2021

Read: November 18-22, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s Daughter of the Deep About?

So here’s the thing—the events and characters of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island are based on actual events and people—but Verne was given a few skewed details. One hundred-fifty years later, descendants of these people are running rival schools their ancestors founded, the Land Institute and the Harding-Pencroft Academy.

Students at HP are only told about their origins at a certain point, and their mission is to graduate future leaders in a variety of disciplines to guard the science that Nemo developed and slowly, carefully introduce it to the world.

Land Institute students are told their origins earlier and their mission is to rush that science out into the world—even if by doing so, it’ll unleash societal upheaval, economic trouble, and will upend established science for years.

The two schools are in sort of a cold war until the Land Institute launches an attack on HP, and the freshman class has to head to sea to try to survive. While on the run, the class is told about HP’s origins and our central character, Ana Dakkar, learns about her family history, forcing her to take a leadership position and more.

Can Ana and the rest of the freshman survive the Land Institute*? Can they utilize Nemo’s technology in ways no one else has? Who will control Nemo’s heritage?

* It is unfortunate that the ocean-going HP Academy is rivaled by the “Land Institute.” It feels a little too-on-the-nose, even though it’s named for Ned Land.

Plausibility

Because this is aimed at the MG crowd, I can buy the whole “a bunch of preteens/teens outsmart and outperform dangerous and super-smart older teens” nature of the plot—it’s pretty much a given in the genre.

Also, the whole Land Institute teachers/administrators allowing students to start killing people is a pretty hard pill to swallow. For some reason, I had an easier time buying competing mythological figures setting teens against teens.

But hey…if it’s in a universe where everything in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is based on reality, and that Nemo’s tech worked (and still does!)? Well, hey, I can buy a little less-than-plausible High School actions.

So, what did I think about Daughter of the Deep?

I had a lot of fun with this. A goofy premise, but well-executed. I dug the characters, the action was solid and the pacing was good—enough to keep the reader engaged and entertained, while giving enough breathing room for a little character development.

And there’s a giant cephalopod—every undersea adventure needs one of them.

If this is the beginning of a series (and it feels like it), there’s a good chance I’ll come back for more. But honestly? I think it’d be better as a stand-alone.

Either way, this is a fun ride—and one that’ll hopefully spur the target audience into giving Jules Verne himself a try.

3.5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Junkyard Bargain (eBook) by Faith Hunter: Sometimes getting what you want is painful

By HCNewton

On October 20, 2021

In Book Tour, Faith Hunter, Fiction, Science Fiction, Uncategorized

Junkyard Bargain

by Faith Hunter
Series: Shining Smith, #2

eARC, 166 pages
Lore Seekers Press, 2021

Read: October 16-18, 2021

Back in March, I talked about this as an Audible Original. And I’m going to borrow from that, but the eBook is a different experience, so we’ll talk about that a little bit, too.

The Law was uncertain. Vengeance wasn’t.

What’s Junkyard Bargain About?

Shining Smith needs to gear up and improve her weapons and armor if they’re going to take on the task they have ahead of them. This means traveling to Charleston, and selling some of the junk from her scrapyard, and making the right deals.

Standing in their way are rival bike gangs, corrupt police, sex slavers, and random other criminals. Whatever else happens—Shining isn’t going to allow those slavers to hang on to their captives (and likely won’t let them hang on to their lives, either). She needs to avoid the police, strike careful deals with the gangs, and survive the rest—all the while she’s noticing changes in her cats and expands the control Shining’s won enhancements have on those closest to her.

It’s really hard to explain without pretty much recapping everything in the first book.

Shining’s Thralls and Allies

This time through the book, Cupcake, Jagger, Mateo, and Jolene—Shining’s Thralls—grabbed my attention to various degrees more than they had before. Don’t get me wrong, this is Shining’s story and she’s a character that’s worth dissecting.

But what Hunter has done with these secondary characters is really interesting. Cupcake, for example, changes a lot over the course of these pages—due to what’s required of her as well as what happens to her. There’s a lot to Cupcake that’s been latent, but she’s never had a reason/opportunity to express. Now she’s been given that opportunity…I can’t wait to see what Cupcake gets up to in the next installment.

The rest of the thralls all end up doing things that Shining doesn’t expect (this is hard to get into while staying away from spoilers). The way this works out both in the closing pages of this book and in the next is likely going to make or break this series.

Getting back to Shining—one thing that Hunter’s protagonists tend to share is that they’re coming to greater understandings of their abilities (and developing them) in each book. This applies just as much to her post-apocalyptic SF hero as it does to her Urban Fantasy protagonists. It’s just about her nanobots instead of magic.

A Different Experience

This isn’t evaluative, I just figured it deserved a mention. While I’ve frequently moved from reading a book to re-reading it via audiobook, I’ve never moved from audio to text before, so this was an interesting experience just for that. For one thing, I finally learned how to spell “Berger chip.”

I did think that I related to the text, story, and characters differently when reading as opposed to listening—although part of that is due to the fact that this was my second exposure to Junkyard Bargain. It’s like getting to read the screenplay/script for a movie/play that you’re familiar with. I did find that most of the characters “sounded” a lot like Khristine Hvam as I read the dialogue.

I’m definitely still going to listen to the third Shining Smith book when it’s released on audio, but I’m also going to be making sure I get the ebook later (which I didn’t do for Junkyard Cats…yet).

So, what did I think about Junkyard Bargain?

I absolutely love this world. I don’t think one more novella is going to be enough to satisfy my curiosity. I’m going to need more somehow—it doesn’t necessarily have to be about Shining Smith.

After Junkyard Cats took several unexpected turns in the latter half, I didn’t know what to expect from this beyond more of the same. This novella may have ended up where it seemed to be heading from the beginning, but the route it took bore so little difference to what was expected that it’s hard to recognize that. Hunter is filling this post-apocalyptic world with more dangers and strangeness than we’d been exposed to last time, and you know the next installment will increase the danger.

When talking about the last book, I said that it was too brief and not deep enough. This isn’t the case this time—and not just because it was 40 minutes longer. This time it felt like there was a solid match between depth and time—to the point I wondered how she fit it all in the novella-length book.

There were some great action scenes, some solid surprises, and good character development. And…cats with telepathy. I can’t wait to see what #3 has in store.

3 Stars

EXCERPT from Junkyard Bargain by Faith Hunter: A Breakfast Conversation

By HCNewton

On October 20, 2021

In Book Tour, Faith Hunter, Fiction, Quotations, Science Fiction

from Junkyard Bargain by Faith Hunter

“I love broccoli,” I said, shoveling beets into my mouth. “I had broccoli pesto once. It’s good.”

“Oh my god, yes. Anything with garlic and pine nuts is good. You ever tried Brussels sprouts pesto? So good! The greenhouse is just blooming up a storm,” she nattered on now that I had contributed to the conversation, once again cheery, her blue eyes sparkling. I ate and heard her say, “That new hemp mesh Mateo and I strung up? The stuff that was left over from shading the greenhouse compound? We put it up on aisle Tango three.”

“Mmm,” I said, now scooping in the pancakes. Trying not to puke at the growing rotten-finger stench.

“This place needs a good cleaning,” she said. “It’s getting kinda rank in here.”

“Right. Soon. New hemp mesh?” I reminded her.

“It’s absorbing and capturing moisture out of the night air like a dream. Come winter, we might bring in enough to actually get a shower once a week.”

That caught my attention. I swigged my coffee so I could talk. She poured me more. “Fresh water?” I asked.

“Nearly a week’s supply for drinking and watering the greenhouse, in a little over ten days,” she said, pouring herself a cup of coffee. “We think we can do twice that in winter.”

My hand, holding the fancy fork, halted halfway to my mouth. “That’s … That’s really good.”

“It’s not a full replacement, yet,” she prattled, “but not bad for summer, and if Mateo and I can get that water tower off the office roof and patch it up, we’ll have a good place to store water.”

Something like pleasure, maybe mixed with joy, flowed through me—a rare and unexpected sensation. “I’m … I’m proud of you, Cupcake.”

Cupcake’s blue eyes widened. Her color went high as she blossomed at the praise. “Eat,” she ordered, pointing at my meal, shaking with elation.

I didn’t praise her enough. I had to remember to do that. I ate. The buckwheat and millet pancakes were tasty enough. The roasted beets were surprisingly sweet and tender.

“It’s good.”

She hid her smile in her coffee cup. That was the thing about thralls. They were eager to please, needed to please, quite literally might die if they couldn’t find a way to serve and didn’t get attention from their nanobot-donor queen. She set down her cup, whipped a nail file out of her pocket, and reached for my left hand. “Not this morning,” I said softly. To keep her from freezing in uncertainty, I continued, “Tell me more about the netting and the free water.” Then, because it made her glow, I added, “This is exciting.”

Read the rest in Junkyard Bargain by Faith Hunter to see what happens from here—and all the new ways that Cupcake finds to serve.

My thanks to Let’s Talk! Promotions for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials (including the book via NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group) they provided.