Fiction: f/sf
M.R. Carey, The Girl with All the Gifts: So this is Mike Carey, writer of Lucifer and the Felix Castor series, apparently being relaunched (the implications for Felix Castor make me sad), which I didn’t know until I had the physical book in my hands. It’s another zombie variant-there’s probably an interesting essay to be written about why so many writers play with the zombie rules, while vampire writers are generally selective from the standard rules but rarely deviate a lot; something to do with the difference between reading a book and watching a movie perhaps. A fungus that takes over ant nervous systems and makes them destroy themselves to spread the fungus crosses over into humans, creating “hungries” with an endless hunger for live meat. Twenty years later, a small research facility represents humanity’s last hope. Melanie is a child at the facility; every day they come to point guns at her, strap her in, and wheel her to her lessons. In fact, she and her cohort are infected, but they are also able to reason. Caroline Caldwell-left behind as not quite good enough when the previous last-ditch attempt at scientific victory was launched-wants to know why in order to develop a vaccine or a cure, so she dissects the children, and she’s about to come for Melanie when disaster strikes. Caldwell, Melanie, the teacher on whom Melanie has a crush, and two soldiers are forced to journey across the hungry-infested countryside. It’s all very compelling, and the ending really works, in a classic sf way.
Scott Lynch, The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastards vol. 1): This is a well-crafted fantasy novel that I’d recommend to many people, but that I myself could not like despite its many virtues. Set in a city-state crowded with humanity and peppered with the mysterious creations of an ancient race, the story goes back and forth between the past training of master thief Locke Lamora and his crew and the present, when they’re at the top of their game and about to pull off a huge score against the nobility. The worldbuilding is intriguing and doesn’t delay the story; the events (including Lamora’s relations with the master of the city’s illegal activities, who doesn’t allow ripping off the nobility; the score, which involves an elaborate scam as well as an investigation thereof; and a troublesome newcomer known as the Gray King who keeps killing other criminals) move fast and with an accelerating pace that ends with an almost unbearable tension. Lynch persuasively raises the stakes-lots of people end up dead who most fantasy authors would’ve been afraid to kill, but this isn’t GRRM grimdark territory either-and sets up obstacles that are satisfyingly all but insurmountable. I wasn’t thrilled about the lack of major female characters, but the real reason that I could not enjoy this book as much as it should be enjoyed was that Lamora is a scam artist, and I am too lawfully-oriented and anti-false advertising to like that. I can’t root for a guy whose raison d’etre is to take money from people under false pretenses, even if they only offer the money because they have some larceny in their own hearts. Though Lynch does his best to show Lamora protecting the small people he barrels over in his complicated schemes against the wealthy, that protection at best means that they’re alive and exiled rather than tortured to death for their failure to protect their employers. Lynch is honest enough to show some of the collateral damage, but I can’t help but think of all the other victims. However, as those victims are fictional, and as not everyone has my visceral reaction to con artists, this may well be a fantasy worth checking out.
Katherine Addison, The Goblin Emperor: Sarah Monette has changed her writing name for publishing reasons, but she’s still writing books I love to read. This one is about the despised half-goblin son of the elven emperor, who becomes emperor when everyone else in the line of succession is killed. He has to learn to navigate imperial politics, investigate the death of his father and older brothers, and choose an empress, among other pressing tasks. This is a satisfying turning-the-tables story, where the low become high; Maia is practically a saint and does not abuse his newfound power, even when he wants to, so it’s really easy to root for him. Way less sexual abuse than Monette’s Felix books (okay, that’s not saying much: women are expected to get married for dynastic reasons, as are men, but the men have somewhat more choice in the matter, and that’s as bad as it gets). Also the story is self-contained, so it is much less of an investment. Recommended!
comments on DW | reply there. I have invites or you can use OpenID.
Scott Lynch, The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastards vol. 1): This is a well-crafted fantasy novel that I’d recommend to many people, but that I myself could not like despite its many virtues. Set in a city-state crowded with humanity and peppered with the mysterious creations of an ancient race, the story goes back and forth between the past training of master thief Locke Lamora and his crew and the present, when they’re at the top of their game and about to pull off a huge score against the nobility. The worldbuilding is intriguing and doesn’t delay the story; the events (including Lamora’s relations with the master of the city’s illegal activities, who doesn’t allow ripping off the nobility; the score, which involves an elaborate scam as well as an investigation thereof; and a troublesome newcomer known as the Gray King who keeps killing other criminals) move fast and with an accelerating pace that ends with an almost unbearable tension. Lynch persuasively raises the stakes-lots of people end up dead who most fantasy authors would’ve been afraid to kill, but this isn’t GRRM grimdark territory either-and sets up obstacles that are satisfyingly all but insurmountable. I wasn’t thrilled about the lack of major female characters, but the real reason that I could not enjoy this book as much as it should be enjoyed was that Lamora is a scam artist, and I am too lawfully-oriented and anti-false advertising to like that. I can’t root for a guy whose raison d’etre is to take money from people under false pretenses, even if they only offer the money because they have some larceny in their own hearts. Though Lynch does his best to show Lamora protecting the small people he barrels over in his complicated schemes against the wealthy, that protection at best means that they’re alive and exiled rather than tortured to death for their failure to protect their employers. Lynch is honest enough to show some of the collateral damage, but I can’t help but think of all the other victims. However, as those victims are fictional, and as not everyone has my visceral reaction to con artists, this may well be a fantasy worth checking out.
Katherine Addison, The Goblin Emperor: Sarah Monette has changed her writing name for publishing reasons, but she’s still writing books I love to read. This one is about the despised half-goblin son of the elven emperor, who becomes emperor when everyone else in the line of succession is killed. He has to learn to navigate imperial politics, investigate the death of his father and older brothers, and choose an empress, among other pressing tasks. This is a satisfying turning-the-tables story, where the low become high; Maia is practically a saint and does not abuse his newfound power, even when he wants to, so it’s really easy to root for him. Way less sexual abuse than Monette’s Felix books (okay, that’s not saying much: women are expected to get married for dynastic reasons, as are men, but the men have somewhat more choice in the matter, and that’s as bad as it gets). Also the story is self-contained, so it is much less of an investment. Recommended!
comments on DW | reply there. I have invites or you can use OpenID.