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Recent Reads

The Cold Between and Remnants of Trust by Elizabeth Bonesteel

An interesting deep future, divided into three significant factions, and a number of colony worlds that think they’re more independent and self-sustaining than they really are.

It’s a tale of humanity divided – no on screen aliens, but some alien ruins do play a part. The three major factions are Central, PSI, and the syndicates.

We follow Commander Elena Shaw in both books; while we get other POV chapters and they’re often significant, they mostly round out Elena’s story. She serves aboard a Central Gov ship, which means that we’re mostly experiencing the universe from a Central POV.

PSI serves a big role in both books; local politics tangles the two groups together, and working their way through the accusations keeps Trey (our ex-PSI love interest) and Elena running together and sorting through decades of rumor and distance.

Central and PSI are both written as organizations of people as people, with factions and cross cutting interests, popular kids and those passed over and seething, keeping them from being one dimensional. [The third faction is mostly off screen and more inscrutable – the Syndicate – though they are foregrounded more in Remnants of Trust.]

The universe feels authentic, with lots of human touches — like all three factions existing largely to prop up colonies that constantly skate closer to collapse than their citizens can bear to understand; lots of wishful thinking and willful ignorance fills the colonies – but they’re not one-dimensional people sitting around waiting to be rescued either.

There’s also some love scenes; they begin early in The Cold Between, so you’ll quickly know if they’re to your taste, or more involved than you’re used to.

Becky Chambers is probably my favorite author, certainly my favorite that I’ve discovered within the last decade. A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is the sequel to A Psalm for the Wild Built, and continues to inspire. Both books were “delicious” in a way that made me pick it up and start reading it again the night after I finished my first read through.

Prayer is very much a book about friendship and obligation; the interaction between Dex and Mosscap is rich and layered and a beautiful way to muse about what we want out of life and our relationships.

If you want action and adventure, this is not the series for you. This is a world descended from an era that faced tremendous challenges, accepted them, and realigned their life to live sustainably and harmoniously. Even their sharpest edges and gravest worries feel like small beer in the 21st century… but what a beautiful approach to utopia they’ve created.

Dead Space by Kari Wallace is set a few centuries from now, in a more plausible and certainly more selfish future – one that’s easy to imagine that modern corporations have set us on the path to build.

Hester is a wage-slave police investigator for a corporation that she’s indebted to. She winds up elbowing her way into investigating the murder of a friend… who has their own secrets and discoveries that come to light as the investigation progresses. There are lots of twists and revelations that keep revealing new layers of the onion…

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The Truth Machine

by James L. Halperin

In interesting book, written back in the era when you could talk about the future President Gore and look ahead to 2004.

It reminded me of the big idea books of old science fiction – mostly about a big new technology, and exploring its consequences. There are more women and more emotional engagement than in rockets and physics lecture sci-fi, but it’s consciously and intentionally uses a drier reporting style to avoid first person POV.

The cast of characters is interesting, though the main character, Pete, is a genius very much in the mold of older sci-fi. His two friends David and Diana are destined for greatness, much like Pete.

The core of the book, though is about the intersection of a society trapped in a rising tide of crime, and willing to make tremendous tradeoffs to solve the issue.

In the end, it’s an interesting thought experiment, and Pete is an appealing lens to examine just what we’d trade for safety — and the tremendous changes that society would undergo if lying became impossible.

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January Fifteenth by Rachel Swirsky

A low key, “everyday reality” kind of sci-fi book, where UBI (or “ooby”) is just another casually accepted element of reality a generation after passage. Very well written and often fascinating; the parallel storylines don’t cross, but do an excellent job of showing just how everyone has an opinion, rich or poor — even though most people shrug and take it for granted.

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Summer Books

Witchmark by C.L. Polk (4/5). An interesting fantasy world, with witches and magic in hiding… but WWI technology and mores. A very different feel to the world, even from Victorian settings. Dr. Singer is a grounded doctor, disturbed, but harnessing it.

Stormsong by C.L. Polk (Kingston #2) (4/5). A much faster read, with the world already familiar. A new POV, and a fast moving duel of politics. Fortunately, our heroine is learning about the new power structure and allies, just as we are. Romance spins her head…

Soulstar by C.L. Polk (Kingston #3) (4/5). Robin is very differently situated, with much less sympathy for aristocratic heritage. Revolution, without being stamped out or falling into France-like terror is a hard line to walk, but fascinating to watch.

Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi (4/5). I’d never heard of Piper’s books, but like the situation that develops and the characterization. I suspect that the modern take helps a lot with making it feel future instead of retro-futuristic.

Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers (4/5) – Focused on Exodus Fleet, a great introduction to the deeply humane Galactic Commons universe. Several interesting POV characters — no stinkers, and some surprising choices. A lot of focus on escaping and feeling trapped, returning and reinventing.

Ancestral Night by Elizabeth Bear (4/5) – A bold future, featuring a lot of neurochemical tuning, and a recovery tug that gets in way too deep. Haimey is a great POV character – she has a lot of layers. She’s distracted, and struggles, but is not immeasurably removed from today — her troubles are comprehensible, and gravely worrying as layer after layer is revealed.

Machine by Elizabeth Bear (White Space #2, sequel to Ancestral Night). -Currently reading.

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C. J. Cherryh in June

Merchanter’s Luck by C. J. Cherryh (3/5). I remember picking this one because I thought it was the oldest in the timeline, but it still felt like hopping aboard a train in motion. A great main character and interesting small/big relations among the merchants.

Forty Thousand in Gehenna by C. J. Cherryh (3/5). Very different from the book it’s paired with; an interesting two century colonization and adaptation experience. Union abandoning the colony felt “on brand” for a universe (and power) that I know mostly by reputation.

Gate of Ivrel (The Morgaine Cycle, #1) by C.J. Cherryh (3/5). A packed novel with a fascinating viewpoint character, Vanye, and interesting cultures. Adapting to Morgaine is interesting; her viewpoint feels closer to modern, making Vanye’s struggles fascinating.

Well of Shiuan (Morgaine 2) by C.J. Cherryh (3/5). A fascinating development, as Vanye struggles to adjust to life in a new world. It *really* doesn’t go well. This world and its drowning does make you wonder about gates failing. Cousin Roh is interesting.

Fires of Azeroth (Morgaine #3) (4/5). This one caught my attention and hope; interesting world building and tough interactions w/ the horde. Roh really pays off, with so much scheming and poised betrayal.

Exile’s Gate (Morgaine #4) (3/5). The struggle to respect and discuss strategies w/ someone so different — I hated that best intentions went so awry, but it made sense. The locals are so mired, but it works well.

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Spring Books

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee. A fantastic, weird future — an excellent stand alone that’s also the beginning of a trilogy. Cheris is fascinating, with interesting flaws. (4/5)

Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee. A skewed sequel, with grave alterations to Cheris. Jedao makes a little more sense as he becomes the focus, though he’s still inscrutably 400 years old, etc. (3/5)

Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee. An interesting conclusion to the trilogy, but it also answers the “If you like X so much, why not more?” question. The calendar leaves the universe in a new ready state. (3/5)

In the Dream House by Carmen Machado (5/5). Not my normal reading vein; it’s somber and real. It feels so much like something that you can’t talk about straight, so you approach it from dozens of directions, shying away when it gets grim.

Station Eleven by Emily Mandel (4/5). An intriguing set of intertwined storylines, both in a current day at the onset of apocalypse, and 20 years after. Long on the practical survival end, rather than gun fantasy — though force is certainly present and a concern.

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse (4/5). An interestingly different post-apocalypse world. Maggie is a monster hunter… a bit like a bounty hunter, but with interesting clan powers. The Navajo grounding makes it a unique world.

Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee (3/5). A fascinating space opera, grounded in Korean myths and archetypes. For YA it’s very strong (5/5) with a great lead; I’d highly recommend it. Min’s a great young hero.

Child of Fire by Harry Connolly (5/5). A favorite reread; dangerous to sleep because it’s so hard to put down. It’s set today, and magic, but not like anything else– dark and terrible, but not hopeless or grim. Ray Lily is amazing.

Game of Cages by Harry Connolly (4/5). Ray without Annalise is dedicated, ambitious, and seriously screwed up. The enemies of the 20 Palaces Society are as narcissistic as you’d fear… and interestingly unique in their motivations.

Circle of Enemies by Harry Connolly (5/5). Visiting LA and the perspective of 5 years separation really rings true. It kicks off strong and the relations are full of believable gaps and inferences. Wally King turns out to be a nightmare-but the links and byplay work.

Doughnut Economics By Kate Raworth. An interesting “gut check” and step back from the details of economics; an encouragement to identify the void at the center of current economics (GDP), and name replacements and more careful analysis.

Twenty Palaces (prequel) by Harry Connolly – My first time through; enjoyable, but it challenged some of what I’d assumed reading Child of Fire (many times), so there’s some collision of Ray-views to it. Well written and consistent, just a bit uncomfortable so far.

“The Home Made Mask” by Harry Connolly (4/5) – An interesting view of the predation from a new, uniformed viewpoint. Good characterization, slightly askew perceptions, sympathetic victims.

The Twisted Path by Harry Connolly (5/5) – Tautly written, fascinating novella. A fascinating trip abroad from someone who’d never imagined foreign travel, seeing life and differences. Ray’s insight and puzzle solving shine… and the peers are authentic dicks.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (4/5) – A fascinating world with greek-style gods, passionate and enslaved, with a twisted deepening history revealed onion layer by layer.

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February 2021 Books

The 99% Invisible City by Mars & Kohlstedt is a great collection of short articles (most 2 pages or less), revealing details about cities, buildings, foundations, and particularly what’s hidden below. A great overview of many interesting topics.

Peace Talks by Jim Butcher (Dresden 16). A tense book, showing the consequences of Harry’s allegiances, with an excellent curve ball near the beginning that makes life even more complicated. Tough choices, consequences continue.

Battle Ground by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files 17) — Focused and relentless; slow starting with several twists and dramatic and consequential developments. Some cursing the author in good ways, lots of tough developments. Harry’s quite unmoored by the end.

After Hastings by Steven Silver (3/5). A fascinating “What If” for Harold defeating William in 1066. I was surprised by division within England at the time. Sadly, it was harder to empathize with the main characters due to their alien sounding names.

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January 2021 Books

Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive, Book 2) is another solid fantasy book… just very long. All three stories overlap by the middle (a huge plus), and the world changes dramatically by the end. But couldn’t face book 3– not up for 1200 more pages yet.

Matt Yglesais One Billion Americans was a good, relatively fast read. The premise is assumed (that American’s aren’t willing to slide in importance), but it does align with our rhetoric. Given the goal, it’s a lot of well marshaled facts and interesting anecdotes. It pivots in part 3 somewhat unsuccessfully to the specifics of local governance and land use. It’s presented as a continuation of the previous theme, but I’d have rather had the extra attention paid to finishing the federal element–that’s plenty hard.

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November 2020 Books

Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold (4/5). This was a much better book to get into Cordelia’s story and the universe. Interesting worlds at both ends (Beta and Barrayar), with the complicated drawbacks of societies.

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine (5/5). A wonderful exploration of Teixcalaan through Malit’s eyes. A straightforward ambassadorial post gets loaded up with intrigue and shifting alliances, plus delightful tech.

Ancestral Night by Elizabeth Bear (4/5). As claimed, it’s big idea fiction — about a future built around incredible self-governance and struggles about autonomy. Haimey is delightfully complex, with layers and layers of revelation. And universe altering stakes.

A Murder of Mages by Marshall Ryan Maresca (3/5). Well written and a great enlightenment-ish low fantasy w/ great POV characters. Minox Welling’s precision, logic and annoyances are deftly drawn, while Satrine faces impossible choices and performs exceptionally.

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October 2020 Books

Salvation Day by Kali Wallace (4/5). Interesting future built on & above a worn out Earth. Zarah and Jas are excellent viewpoint characters, each with wounds and flaws that they’re living down. House of Wisdom proves a deadly creepy battleground.

This is how you lose the time war by Amal El-Mohtar (4/5). A fascinating “spy versus spy” conflict, with the added complexity of time travel, and overbearing and intrusive superiors. Subtle… sometimes to us, always in the world. Weird friendships, well handled.

Why We’re Polarized by Ezra Klein. (4/5) Well written and systematic; the evolution of the parties following the conversion of the Dixiecrats explains a lot. At the end, I considered writing up a per chapter response, but… 2020.

Network Effect by Martha Wells (4/5). An interesting Murderbot book, filled with substantial challenges and nice callbacks to the novellas. The last quarter spun a little far for my sensibilities, but the direction Murderbot decides makes a great bridge.

Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold (4/5). This was a much better book to get into Cordelia’s story and the universe. Interesting worlds at both ends (Beta and Barrayar), with the complicated drawbacks of societies.

Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold (3/5). Well written but a tough starting place for the series; it was very dependent on people’s roles from a previous book (and how their current activity breaks from expectation). Probably a universe I’ll like more as I read more.