Tag: genre: fantasy

Review – Harrow the Ninth

Posted on by Taking One Step at a Time

The second book in a series, especially a short series (three or four books), has a tough job to do. The first book ropes in the viewer, so it’s generally enjoyed. The last book wraps everything up, so it’s generally enjoyed. The second, or middle, books have to get you from the beginning to the end, so it’s generally not as well liked. This is very true of Harrow the Ninth.

In addition, I had a very difficult time with this book. The first issue is one that I had with Gideon the Ninth, and I suspect I will have with the latter two books. I don’t like horror, I don’t like psychological horror, and I don’t really like books that are gory, and Harrow the Ninth has all three in spades. In addition, it has been described as gaslighting the reader, as it describes the events of the first book as happening very differently–in one case, with a completely different character in an important position, as Harrow’s cavalier. Finally, Ortus (Harrow’s cavalier according to this book) is the name for two important characters, which is just confusing. It turns out, in the end, to have happened that way for a reason, but I found it confusing.

Confusing, and frequently disgusting, are the two best descriptions I have for this book. Until the last act, I was thinking I’d rate it two stars. In the end, I gave it three. It would probably benefit greatly from a reread, but I’m not sure I can stomach that. Maybe after the last two books.

Muir, Tamsyn. Harrow the Ninth. New York, New York: Tordotcom Books, 2020. 178,196 words. 3 stars.

Review – Babel

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Babel is the winner of the Nebula award for Best Novel on 2022. The question isn’t “Why did it win the Nebula?” but “Why wasn’t it even nominated for the Hugo?” It is an excellent book which deserves all of the awards it has won or been nominated for. I read it in one day, which was tough even for me as it’s long.

The length of the book is one of the two things I would quibble about. I’m not sure what you would cut to shorten it, and I don’t think it would work as two books, or that it would be better if you left things out. It’s just long, and one of the reasons that it took me as long as it did to start it. The other quibble is the footnotes. They aren’t necessary and, from what I can tell, are just the things that Kuang couldn’t fit into the story but still wanted to share.

As well as just being a good story, Babel addresses the evils of capitalism and colonialism, and discusses the difficulty of being a minority in a society. The main character, Robin Swift, is a Chinese boy who is “rescued” by Richard Lovell and brought to England, to eventually be trained at Babel in Oxford and become a translator and silver worker, or mage. Said like that, it doesn’t sound bad, and for much of the book, Robin doesn’t complain much about it. However, as the story progresses, the evil to which Robin, and others like him, have been subjected to become more and more apparent. By the end, the consequences of those evils are shown. More than that will spoil the ending, which I won’t.

I found this a “quick” read (for its length; it took me all day), but there’s a lot going on. Of the Nebula nominees that I’ve read, it is the best by far. It definitely deserves to have been nominated for the Hugo.

Kuang, R. F. Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution. New York, New York: Harper Voyager, 2022. 198,265 words. 5 stars.

Review – Gideon the Ninth

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Lesbian necromancers IN SPACE!!! This is one of the descriptions of Gideon the Ninth, and it’s accurate if a little misleading. This is difficult book for me to describe, or even state if I enjoyed. I generally don’t like stories in which necromancy is a key factor, and I don’t like horror, which most stories about necromancy have as a factor. I’m not sure I can say that I enjoyed the book, but it’s a good one, once it gets started. For me, this was a slow start.

The book follows Gideon Nav, a young woman of the Ninth House (Keepers of the Locked Tomb) who hates her house and wants to escape; however, she is blocked by the head of the house, Reverend Daughter Harrowhark Nongesimus. During the current attempt, Harrow receives a summons from their Emperor, that she and her cavalier are to report to Canaan House to (try to) become a Lyctor. Since her cavalier has successfully left, Harrow convinces Gideon to pretend to be her cavalier and go with her.

Yes, the names are something else. Most of the last names have to do with the number of the house. And the events at Canaan House are intense. Without spoiling the plot, it’s hard to discuss what happens there, but a lot is going on, and things we are told in the beginning turn out to be either wrong or not quite what was first assumed.

This book was nominated for the Hugo and Nebula awards for its year, among others. It won the Locus Award for first novel and the William L. Crawford award for first fantasy novel. It is also the first book of The Locked Tomb series; the most recent of which was published last year and the last is to be published next year.

Muir, Tamsyn. Gideon the Ninth. New York, New York: Tordotcom Books, 2019. 141,992 words. 4 stars.

Review – Nettle & Bone

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Nettle & Bone has been nominated for both the Hugo and Nebula awards for 2023; at the time of this writing, it did not win the Nebula but the Hugo is still in the future. “This isn’t the kind of fairytale where the princess marries a prince. It’s the one where she kills him.“

The author’s note at the end references “The Princess and the Pea,” but the fairy tale that most resonated with me while reading it was “The Seven Swans.” Marra is the youngest of three princesses and it is she who is the main, and viewpoint, character. The beginning of the book sets up the situation: eldest sister Damia marries Prince Vorling and dies in a fall, middle sister Kania marries Prince Vorling and has one living daughter and miscarries all the others. The action is set into effect during a vigil before the daughter’s funeral, when Marra realizes that her sister is being abused by Vorling. Marra decides that she must kill him to protect her sister.

Marra sets off on her quest to remove the godmother’s blessing that protects Vorling. Along the way, she accumulates people who decide to help her, a group of fairy tale helpers. Kingfisher doesn’t quite stick to the fairy tale template, although the story remains recognizably one, but throws in twists and surprises along the way. It’s a slow start–I don’t much care for apocalyptic stories, which this one appeared to be at the beginning–but I was thoroughly engrossed by the end.

This is a worthy nominee for both the Hugo and Nebula awards. Although it didn’t win the Nebula, I believe it is one of the two most likely to win the Hugo (I haven’t read Nona the Ninth yet). It has some grit and realism to it which is surprising for the genre, but makes it stick.

Kingfisher, T. Nettle & Bone. New York, New York: Tor Books, 2022. 84,002 words. 4 stars.

Review – Legends & Lattes

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Legends & Lattes is described as a “high fantasy with low stakes.” I would describe it as a coffee shop AU set in a D&D world. It has been nominated for both the Hugo and Nebula awards for best novel of 2023.

Viv is an orc adventurer who has a dream: to quit fighting and open her own coffee shop. She, and her party, had fought a monster called a Scalvert Queen; the only part of the treasure she wanted was the stone from its head; she left the rest of the treasure (quite a rich haul) to her party. She then took the scalvert stone, which is supposed to attract good luck, and the research to find the best place to use it, and quits to open her coffee shop.

This, incidentally, is all set up in the prologue. The rest of the book follows her quest to open, run, and keep running the coffee shop, which is eventually named Legends & Lattes. The “low stakes” of the description is that this isn’t a story about sword fights and battle magics; it’s a story about owning a small business. “Low stakes” to everyone but the small business owner. Throughout the story, Viv meets a diverse cast of characters, most of whom want her to succeed.

The villains of the book are those who are trying to prevent Viv from succeeding in her dream: the organized crime group who wants protection money, the former party member who feels he should have been given a piece of the action, and the complete lack of knowledge of coffee.

This is a delightful book that I enjoyed reading and, although I would call it a little slight to be “worthy” of both the Hugo and the Nebula awards, I’d not be unhappy if it won either. (It hasn’t won the Nebula; the Hugo is still in the future.)

Baldree, Travis. Legends & Lattes. New York, New York: Tor Books, 2022. 61,349 words. 5 stars.

Review – Magic for Nothing

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Magic for Nothing is the sixth book in Seanan McGuire’s InCryptid series. The series follows a family of cryptozoologists; each one follows one specific member of the family. The first two, and the fifth, follow middle child Verity Price, and the third and fourth follow oldest child, and only son, Alex Price. This follows youngest child, Antimony “Annie” Price.

I will admit right here that, so far, Annie is my least favorite of the Price siblings. This may be because, as an eldest child myself, I sympathize more with the older siblings than with Annie. I find her whiny and complaining because her older sister wants to have a live in addition to the cryptozoology. I really like Verity, so Annie’s antipathy grates on me.

After Verity outs herself as a Price, and defies the Covenant of St. George, the Price family’s nemesis, on national television, Annie is asked to go to London, infiltrate the Covenant, and find out what’s going on. Complaining about Verity’s actions the whole way, she does so. I don’t want to spoil the plot, so I won’t go further into it, except to say that undercover and spy tropes abound.

This is my least favorite of the series so far, in large part because Annie annoys me, but it’s a solid entry in the series and well-worth the read.

McGuire, Seanan. Magic for Nothing. New York, New York: DAW Books, 2017. 117,367 words. 4 stars.

Review: Carpe Glitter by Cat Rambo

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Cat Rambo won the Nebula award in 2020 for her novelette Carpe Glitter, and it deserves the award.

It’s a look at the granddaughter of a stage magician, going through her grandmother’s home after her death, and dealing with all the detritus that is saved through a life.  This isn’t a fun process; I’ve done it now twice, and at least I didn’t have to do it alone.  What to keep, what to sell, what to donate, and what to throw away is a wrenching ordeal.  Although she has to do it on her own, the protagonist does have to handle her mother’s opinions on her decisions.

In the process of going through everything, the protagonist discovers the answers to multiple family mysteries.  She gains some family, loses some more, discovers a ghost and a mechanical man.

The novelette is closer to horror than I usually read and enjoy, but I did enjoy this story and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a quick, spooky read.

Rambo, Cat. Carpe Glitter. (Meerkat Press, October 29, 2019.) 62 pages. 4 stars.

Review – Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire

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As the first book in the Hugo-nominated series October Daye, I wanted to enjoy this book. Unfortunately, I think I will be putting Ms. McGuire on my “Do Not Bother” list.

This should not, however, stop anyone else. I suspect my issues with McGuire have more to do with my personal tastes than with her ability to write and tell stories. My best guess may be the same reason that I don’t enjoy Jemisin’s works even though I can identify that she’s a good writer and deserves every last Hugo that she has won.

There is very little happiness in Rosemary and Rue. In the very beginning of the book, Toby (October) Daye loses her beloved partner and child, and there’s likely no way for her to get them back. Then, an ally dies, leaving her with the mystery of her killer, and a curse that will kill Toby unless she figures it out.

I enjoy fantasies with Faerie Courts as a supporting character, which this definitely falls into. I enjoy mysteries, especially if I don’t have to figure out “whodunit” before the end. I’m lousy at it; as with this book, I generally figure it out at about the point that the detective should be collecting the final pieces of confirming evidence. (Not my kind of puzzle.)

I don’t require that the books I read be overwhelming cheerful; I don’t even require a happy ending (all of the time). I don’t read for beautiful writing; I enjoy it when I find it, but it isn’t a requirement. I don’t read for intricate plots; again, I enjoy them when found. I read to engage my brain, to visit other “worlds”, and to escape my world for a few hours.

Rosemary and Rue is well-plotted and well-written. The characters are fairly well-drawn, although I’m sure that will become more true as the series progresses. The mystery is a decent one; I figured it out just before Toby did (so I felt smart). But, just as with everything else of McGuire’s that I’ve read, it’s a dreary world with very little to be happy about, at least for Toby.

McGuire, Seanan. Rosemary and Rue. New York, NY: Daw Books, 2009 (September 1). 368 pages. 3 stars.

Book Review – An Informal History of the Hugos by Jo Walton

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This book started out as a series of posts on Tor.com call Revisiting the Hugos. It was the author’s, Jo Walton’s, look at the Hugos. She look at not just the winners, but the nominees, the books that didn’t make the short list, the other awards, and anything else she found interesting. When putting the book together, she included some of the most relevant of the comments; mostly those from fellow writers and editors.

That highlights the strength and weakness of this book. It’s put together by someone who isn’t only a science fiction/fantasy fan, but by a professional writer who has spent years not just reading but studying the works in the field. The comments that she uses are primarily from editors, who know the field as professionals, not as “simple” fans. The book covers not simply the works, but their place in historical and cultural context, how well they’ve aged, and how well they’re remembered.

Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if I’d read just a year or two at a time. I had to slog and really force my way through it, but I kept thinking that, at some point, I was going to want to go back and read this or that entry again, with more careful attention to it. I never paid a lot of attention to the politics, history, and culture of the science fiction community as a whole; I just read what I enjoyed that I could find.

The tone of the book is informal and chatty; it sounds very much like a conversation. My biggest issue with it is that she puts so much information into each year that it’s intimidating. She talks about books that she read once thirty years ago with actual memory of it; I struggle to do the same with some books I read last year, or last month.

She covers the Hugo Awards, mostly for the novels but the shorter works are discussed and all other awards are at least briefly mentioned, from 1953 to 2000. There’s a lot of material here and I look forward to reading it again…one chapter (year) at a time.

Walton, Jo. An Informal History of the Hugos. New York, NY: Tor Books, 2018. Kindle edition. Amazon. August 7, 2018.

Review – European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss

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This is the second book in The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club. The first book in the series, The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter, was nominated for the Nebula award and the World Fantasy award, and was a fun read.

This book starts off planning the trip set up at the end of the first one, an expedition to visit Mary Jekyll’s former governess, Mina Harker nee Murray, and to rescue Lucinda Van Helsing. And the adventure itself is fun, full of adventure, kidnappings, fights, romance, and lots of familiar names. The seven women from the first novel all have their parts to play in this one, with several new women in this, from Dracula and Sherlock Holmes. After the rescue, our heroines take off to stop a Royal Society-type organization that is creating more monsters.

I didn’t enjoy this book nearly as much as the first one, and I think the reason is that, at 720 pages, it was too long. There are two stories, related, but I think it would have worked better if the stories had been separated. And, since the book was so long, the comments from the other women, which tend to be funny and add color and character, became distracting.

I’m hoping that the author gets advice to shorten her books so that the next entry in the series will be as entertaining as the first one.

Goss, Theodora. European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman. New York, NY: Saga Press, 2018. Kindle edition. Amazon.