Author: Scott

A very quirky ship with societies filled with interesting roles and rules. This book is primarily the story of two sisters as they are chased and courted by wild AIs, endure attacks and strange threats, and traipse across the ship. The nanotechnology is interesting and very different from most takes I’ve seen; the world is a dark mix of broken and advanced to the point of looking like magic. It never feels like magic, however, which must have been a hard line to walk… it’s always a ship and technology, no matter how advanced. Rien and Perceval’s relationship is quirky but feels appropriately complex. Rien makes an excellent pair of eyes to explore; she’s been so isolated that she provides a great viewpoint for exploration; her amazement matches ours.

While this book is the first book in a series, it feels like a stand alone novel. At the moment, I’m inclined to treat it that way– but it was strongly written, so I may very well continue the series when the sequel comes out later this year.

A worthy sequel to the previous book. Simon’s past comes back to haunt him (in the form of an old flame) and new dark things stalk the city. Romany jump in for a subplot, and the FOG elite versus the rest of the DEA is a big subplot. Partner and relationship problems are a very large focus of the book; at times it’s a little hard to feel sympathetic to Simon given how big a jealous ass he is, but it makes sense given his background.

All in all, a fun read, but I don’t feel compelled to keep reading the series. I’ll call it a successful two books and may keep an eye out for Anton’s other books.

Well, that’s where my evening went. I enjoyed it thoroughly; it was a fast paced fun story. I like the strange world building– it makes it a lot easier to detach in time and place– particularly the obsessive focus on “here”. The complete commitment schools are interesting backdrops and very quirky to think about.

The core of the story is Charlie, her friends, and high school social interactions. Even twisted into this fantasy world, the basic complaints of high school remain clear– though interesting, since it’s all inside baseball on the girls side. The bitter hate for the “boys like you” fairy possessor was fascinating– again, something I generically knew, but reading it deepened the experience. (Any number of real life asides and out of context snipes fall into place.)

It’s a quirky treat– a few hours of confection and characters you quickly come to care about. And not a dragon in sight.

In addition to reading some Spirit of the Century, I also completed several books on vacation. This is probably all the record they’ll get.

Foreigner by C.J. Cherryh. A strong book with a strange setup; the first two or three chapters don’t tie to the rest of the book very strongly. (I think I’d have preferred them as a linked short story, even under the same cover.) The politics, aliens, and negotiations and cultural struggles are all deftly handled. The compromises in dealing with the native cultures are interesting, as is the history that is revealed as the book advances. There is action, but I like the suspicion and doubt even more.

RIM by Alexander Besher. OK, but weak. Lots of psychic and religious/eastern mystical meshing strangely. Not recommended for a reread.

The Female Man by Joanna Russ. A good story confusingly told; I didn’t like the structure, but the underlying story was good. It was just work to get to it.

Self Made Man by Norah Vincent. An interesting look at unconscious social cues, the effect of presentation, etc. She comes away with sympathetic look at men’s internal interactions and offers good commentary about how we reinforce a system that fails us. There’s no real solution offered, and the social pressures to conform look immense from her viewpoint, but bit by bit, maybe we can salvage men’s roles. Her perceptions of dating very much matched mine, particularly the ego crushing and reinforcement of roles inherent in the attempts. I’m so happy Jennifer and I mapped out a different route.

Jaran by Kate Elliot. I liked this book quite a bit. There are interesting sci-fi elements, but it’s also a great look at fitting into strange cultures, evaluating responsibilities, and so on. I like the novel’s heroine, Tess, and the men of the jahar. The Chapalii are realistically alien, with subtle differences adding up. I don’t know if I want to continue on to read the rest of the series, or just stop after this successful book.

New Sudden Fiction edited by Robert Shapard and James Thomas. A collection of well written stories, all 3-5 pages long. A few really worked well and ran with me, while others were okay but quickly forgotten. I really enjoyed the domestic stories; the audio tour of the ex-boyfriend’s apartment and a close examination of three voice mail messages. Others perfectly crystallize one moment or snippet of life. They won’t all work for you, but at 5 pages, even a bad story is over with quickly. It’s easy to get sucked into the next story, and the next…