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Start of the 2017 Book Reviews
Feb. 22nd, 2019 09:13 pmOh crap! I haven't done any of these this year.
1. Time Salvager by Wesley Chu. 4. Good take on time travel, super depressing dystopia, implications that we did this one to ourselves and there's the possibility of fixing somewhat in sequels. But not the greatest choice if you're already depressed about climate change.
2. The Fold by Peter Clines. 4. So I figured out the twist within a chapter or two (the characters don't until two thirds of the way through), but I think you're supposed to. Most of the appeal is watching them slowly realize that their teleporter really really isn't doing what they think it does and then figure out what to do about it. Hypercompetent protagonist is kinda ridiculous, but in a very fun way.
3. Maplecroft by Cherie Priest. 3.5. What if Lizzie Borden was a Lovecraft character? Lots of fun and creepy horror, but kind of runs a bit off the rails in the end.
4. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. 3. Dizzy romance featuring gobsmackingly rich folks in Singapore. Cute, but kinda shallow. The movie is, shockingly, considerably more charming.
5. The Starlit Wood ed. Dominick Parisien and Navah Wolfe. 4. Delightful collection of updated fairy tales, from some of fantasy's current leading writers. Not quite as charming as Robots vs Fairies, though.
6. The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal. 5. Alternate history in which a meteorite smacks DC in the 50s, leading to a space race for survival before computers (the machines) are really a thing. Which means...lady astronaut! Beautifully researched and beautifully written.
7. Blood of Tyrants by Naomi Novik. 3.5. Really, this penultimate novel in the Temeraire saga is really two unconnected books. In one, Lawrence loses his memory and wanders around Japan and then China. This has no bearing on the second, about Napoleon's Russian campaign and Lawrence struggling with the concept of serfdom.
8. League of Dragons by Naomi Novik. 4. Reasonably satisfying closure to the Temeraire saga. Doesn't quite wrap up all things, but gets most of them, which is impressive for a ninth book.
That's not all of them, but at least it's a start?
1. Time Salvager by Wesley Chu. 4. Good take on time travel, super depressing dystopia, implications that we did this one to ourselves and there's the possibility of fixing somewhat in sequels. But not the greatest choice if you're already depressed about climate change.
2. The Fold by Peter Clines. 4. So I figured out the twist within a chapter or two (the characters don't until two thirds of the way through), but I think you're supposed to. Most of the appeal is watching them slowly realize that their teleporter really really isn't doing what they think it does and then figure out what to do about it. Hypercompetent protagonist is kinda ridiculous, but in a very fun way.
3. Maplecroft by Cherie Priest. 3.5. What if Lizzie Borden was a Lovecraft character? Lots of fun and creepy horror, but kind of runs a bit off the rails in the end.
4. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. 3. Dizzy romance featuring gobsmackingly rich folks in Singapore. Cute, but kinda shallow. The movie is, shockingly, considerably more charming.
5. The Starlit Wood ed. Dominick Parisien and Navah Wolfe. 4. Delightful collection of updated fairy tales, from some of fantasy's current leading writers. Not quite as charming as Robots vs Fairies, though.
6. The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal. 5. Alternate history in which a meteorite smacks DC in the 50s, leading to a space race for survival before computers (the machines) are really a thing. Which means...lady astronaut! Beautifully researched and beautifully written.
7. Blood of Tyrants by Naomi Novik. 3.5. Really, this penultimate novel in the Temeraire saga is really two unconnected books. In one, Lawrence loses his memory and wanders around Japan and then China. This has no bearing on the second, about Napoleon's Russian campaign and Lawrence struggling with the concept of serfdom.
8. League of Dragons by Naomi Novik. 4. Reasonably satisfying closure to the Temeraire saga. Doesn't quite wrap up all things, but gets most of them, which is impressive for a ninth book.
That's not all of them, but at least it's a start?
