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I wanted to call attention to two Martha Wells ebooks briefly available for $1.99 US; I have read and can recommend both.
Wheel of the Infinite: ass-kicking middle-aged retired abess from a civilization much like the medieval Khmer Empire must solve a murder that she committed ten years ago, with the help of her pretty barbarian boy-toy. (The publisher managed to print the original book with a diptych cover image so that the black woman was folded on the back, and the boy-toy on the front. Rights have now reverted to Wells, and I believe the ebook uses a different image) This is a book I reread every so often. It's got a great dynamic between the characters, and I love the protagonist. A favourite.
City of Bones: It's been a while since I read this, but my memory of it is that it's a pair of scoundrels trying to solve a mystery in a city where they are only welcome in the lower end. One of them uses his man-uterus to smuggle stolen wares. Also, it turns out that the mystery is not what you, or they, thought. Also, neither is the book's genre.
Wells, in her lj post also mentions other authors whose wares are on sale, of whom I recognized Chuck Wendig.
City of Bones by Martha Wells
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A book that made me gleeful to read. Why? It's urban fantasy in an imagined casbah on a desolate world. It gives me a protagonist who's smart enough that when he's stupid, he'd really stupid. It teased me with the possibility of an mpreg (and you're going to have to trust me on this one) that made me think "neat!" rather than "ew." It was a mystery and and a romp at once, and half the mystery was the entire nature of their world. There were no helpless maidens, the villain was never certain, and danger menaced on all sides. Also, people commented several times on the prettiness of the male protagonist, which made me happy.
Martha Wells always uses her books to look at how societies regulate interactions between men and women, and although a minor theme, this is here too. (rough paraphrase: "If I'd stayed, I'd be someone's second husband and looking after six kids.") Her B.A. in anthropology is an asset to her writing: the society and economy of the city is layered and complex. (I like that sort of thing, okay?) Xenophobia is a recurring theme, and never simplified. Recommended.
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Wheel of the Infinite: ass-kicking middle-aged retired abess from a civilization much like the medieval Khmer Empire must solve a murder that she committed ten years ago, with the help of her pretty barbarian boy-toy. (The publisher managed to print the original book with a diptych cover image so that the black woman was folded on the back, and the boy-toy on the front. Rights have now reverted to Wells, and I believe the ebook uses a different image) This is a book I reread every so often. It's got a great dynamic between the characters, and I love the protagonist. A favourite.
City of Bones: It's been a while since I read this, but my memory of it is that it's a pair of scoundrels trying to solve a mystery in a city where they are only welcome in the lower end. One of them uses his man-uterus to smuggle stolen wares. Also, it turns out that the mystery is not what you, or they, thought. Also, neither is the book's genre.
Wells, in her lj post also mentions other authors whose wares are on sale, of whom I recognized Chuck Wendig.
City of Bones by Martha Wells
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A book that made me gleeful to read. Why? It's urban fantasy in an imagined casbah on a desolate world. It gives me a protagonist who's smart enough that when he's stupid, he'd really stupid. It teased me with the possibility of an mpreg (and you're going to have to trust me on this one) that made me think "neat!" rather than "ew." It was a mystery and and a romp at once, and half the mystery was the entire nature of their world. There were no helpless maidens, the villain was never certain, and danger menaced on all sides. Also, people commented several times on the prettiness of the male protagonist, which made me happy.
Martha Wells always uses her books to look at how societies regulate interactions between men and women, and although a minor theme, this is here too. (rough paraphrase: "If I'd stayed, I'd be someone's second husband and looking after six kids.") Her B.A. in anthropology is an asset to her writing: the society and economy of the city is layered and complex. (I like that sort of thing, okay?) Xenophobia is a recurring theme, and never simplified. Recommended.
View all my reviews
This post also on dreamwidth (
comments)