Fiction/poetry
Okay, all else aside, #bae_of_pigs is a brilliant coinage, no? Perfect synthesis of present pop culture with historical political scandal.
Adam Rex, The True Meaning of Smekday: A great YA read with some wonderful metaphors and biting social commentary. Gratuity Tucci, aka Tip, is separated from her mother when the aliens invade and announce that everyone in the US is going to have to move to Florida because the Boov are going to use the rest of the country. When Tip meets J.Lo, a Boov in trouble, her real adventures begin. Funny and touching, and overall wacky joy to read.
Richard Siken, War of the Foxes: Siken continues, from Crush, his habit of obsessive repetition and variation of certain themes, different ones here: war, painting, the reasons (if any) to create painting, the boundaries of the body, violating those boundaries (cutting off one’s own head). Maybe that repetition/variation is what makes him so attractive to fan creators? I don’t know what identity he’s using to write BBC Sherlock fanfic, but I still like the rhythm of his poems. My favorite line: “I’ve seen your true face: the back/of your head.” Crush is more my favorite for its violent Americana-here Siken moves from individualized violence to the violence of warring armies: landscape strewn with dead bodies, landscape that swallows up any individual.
Raphael Carter, The Fortunate Fall: Two centuries from now, after the genocidal reign of the biotech-enhanced Guardians and the huge population displacements generated by the mind-controlling Army that stopped them, the world outside of Africa is heavily regulated against any deviance. Maya, a “camera”-a reporter who lets her viewers share her consciousness as she reports-stumbles into a potentially deadly encounter with a survivor of the Guardians, and her own past, which has been ripped from her by the suppressant chip inside her. There’s an awful lot of worldbuilding whizzing by-I probably could have read a whole book about rich, technologically advanced, free Africa and its three (or maybe four) Kings-but ultimately the book is about compromise, and being compromised, and people working to stop horrors by accepting other horrors.
Cherie Priest, Ganymede: This entry in Priest’s steampunk alternate history follows the activities of a New Orleans madam secretly fighting the occupying Texans, the airship pilot-her former lover-who has business in Seattle dealing with characters from earlier books, and the submarine that she wants him to pilot away from the Texans and into the waiting arms of the Union. Also, the zombis/walking dead from the Seattle gas are spreading, and causing complications. I’d really like to read a book where there is an organized attempt to deal with that problem, though organization is not a highly developed feature of this America.
Daryl Gregory, Afterparty: A team of scientists develops a pharmaceutical that gives people the experience of knowing that there is a God/gods. A decade after one of them overdoses the others, one of the survivors gets out of custody in order to track down the source of a new drug that seems dangerously similar to that pharmaceutical. She has to fight her way through competing drug dealers worried about competition, fellow inmates whose own delusions make them only partially reliable allies, friends from her past-and Dr. Gloria, the angel who follows her around hectoring her about her bad behavior. Heretical, sad, and twisty-a great read.
Daryl Gregory, Pandemonium: In a world in which possession by demons/archetypes/entities (it’s a matter of great debate) is common, Del is an aimless young man still struggling with the longterm effects of possession by the Hellion, a Dennis the Menace type, when he was younger. As he searches for someone to help him, he finds out that his problem is more complicated than mere possession. A clever twist and an intriguing world, though I wanted a lot more worldbuilding than just finding out that Nixon took over when Eisenhower was killed by the Kamikaze, and then something internment camps something.
Charles Stross, The Annihilation Score: This is the first Laundry Files book told from Mo’s perspective, but Mo as presented by Stross is basically her husband with a greater focus on bureaucratic procedure. I’m not sure that the world needed a Lovecraft homage where essentially all the action involves forming a task force and engaging in bureaucratic infighting (as the stars get ever closer to coming right and the apocalypse draws nigh), but it’s kind of hilarious to have one exist. Definitely advances the plot a fair amount; I would have preferred it if Mo had a more distinctive voice, but I’m still interested to see what happens next.
Mira Grant, Rolling in the Deep: Horror novella with Grant’s trademark interest in public perception/communication. A “reality” show similar to Discovery’s pseudo-scientific “documentaries” sets out to find out if mermaids really do live in the deepest part of the ocean. Spoiler: they do. And they’re hungry.
Frances Hardinge, The Lie Tree: Faith is the ignored daughter of a curate/natural scientist working in Darwin’s wake and a mother she despises for her embrace of feminine wiles. A scandal sends the family to an isolated island, where Faith learns that almost everything she believes about her family only scratches the surface of the truth. Investigating a tree that feeds on lies, Faith learns of her own dangerous ability to spread lies and has to choose how to use it. Not my favorite of Hardinge’s books, but very good nonetheless.
Jim Butcher & Mark Powers, Down Town (Dresden Files graphic novel): In which Harry, Molly, and Marcone face down a threat from underground that’s killing store owners to whom Marcone has promised protection, for reasons that don’t make much sense but are lampshaded as same. The art involves women who all have the same hourglass shape (and Molly spends most of the time in belly-baring, shoulder-slipping cutoff shirts), but I liked how solidly Mouse was drawn. I’m not sure who the comics are supposed to work for-there’s just not room for Harry’s soliloquies on duty and being a nice guy to women etc. But if they’re your favorites, all your favorites are there, including Bob the skull.
Dessa Lux, The Omega’s Bodyguard: Original m/m slash novella with alpha/omega werewolf tropes, including mating bonds, knotting, and self-lubrication. Reclusive computer genius finds he’s being stalked, hires an ex-military bodyguard who determines that the reason for the stalking is that the genius is a potential omega. The bodyguard is an alpha and won’t stand for that kind of interference with the omega’s freedom to choose … including the freedom to choose him. Lots of enthusiastic, meant-to-be, take-me-now-alpha sex ensues. Future installments promise lots of multiple-partner action as the omega brings his new alpha pack together.
comments on DW | reply there. I have invites or you can use OpenID.
Adam Rex, The True Meaning of Smekday: A great YA read with some wonderful metaphors and biting social commentary. Gratuity Tucci, aka Tip, is separated from her mother when the aliens invade and announce that everyone in the US is going to have to move to Florida because the Boov are going to use the rest of the country. When Tip meets J.Lo, a Boov in trouble, her real adventures begin. Funny and touching, and overall wacky joy to read.
Richard Siken, War of the Foxes: Siken continues, from Crush, his habit of obsessive repetition and variation of certain themes, different ones here: war, painting, the reasons (if any) to create painting, the boundaries of the body, violating those boundaries (cutting off one’s own head). Maybe that repetition/variation is what makes him so attractive to fan creators? I don’t know what identity he’s using to write BBC Sherlock fanfic, but I still like the rhythm of his poems. My favorite line: “I’ve seen your true face: the back/of your head.” Crush is more my favorite for its violent Americana-here Siken moves from individualized violence to the violence of warring armies: landscape strewn with dead bodies, landscape that swallows up any individual.
Raphael Carter, The Fortunate Fall: Two centuries from now, after the genocidal reign of the biotech-enhanced Guardians and the huge population displacements generated by the mind-controlling Army that stopped them, the world outside of Africa is heavily regulated against any deviance. Maya, a “camera”-a reporter who lets her viewers share her consciousness as she reports-stumbles into a potentially deadly encounter with a survivor of the Guardians, and her own past, which has been ripped from her by the suppressant chip inside her. There’s an awful lot of worldbuilding whizzing by-I probably could have read a whole book about rich, technologically advanced, free Africa and its three (or maybe four) Kings-but ultimately the book is about compromise, and being compromised, and people working to stop horrors by accepting other horrors.
Cherie Priest, Ganymede: This entry in Priest’s steampunk alternate history follows the activities of a New Orleans madam secretly fighting the occupying Texans, the airship pilot-her former lover-who has business in Seattle dealing with characters from earlier books, and the submarine that she wants him to pilot away from the Texans and into the waiting arms of the Union. Also, the zombis/walking dead from the Seattle gas are spreading, and causing complications. I’d really like to read a book where there is an organized attempt to deal with that problem, though organization is not a highly developed feature of this America.
Daryl Gregory, Afterparty: A team of scientists develops a pharmaceutical that gives people the experience of knowing that there is a God/gods. A decade after one of them overdoses the others, one of the survivors gets out of custody in order to track down the source of a new drug that seems dangerously similar to that pharmaceutical. She has to fight her way through competing drug dealers worried about competition, fellow inmates whose own delusions make them only partially reliable allies, friends from her past-and Dr. Gloria, the angel who follows her around hectoring her about her bad behavior. Heretical, sad, and twisty-a great read.
Daryl Gregory, Pandemonium: In a world in which possession by demons/archetypes/entities (it’s a matter of great debate) is common, Del is an aimless young man still struggling with the longterm effects of possession by the Hellion, a Dennis the Menace type, when he was younger. As he searches for someone to help him, he finds out that his problem is more complicated than mere possession. A clever twist and an intriguing world, though I wanted a lot more worldbuilding than just finding out that Nixon took over when Eisenhower was killed by the Kamikaze, and then something internment camps something.
Charles Stross, The Annihilation Score: This is the first Laundry Files book told from Mo’s perspective, but Mo as presented by Stross is basically her husband with a greater focus on bureaucratic procedure. I’m not sure that the world needed a Lovecraft homage where essentially all the action involves forming a task force and engaging in bureaucratic infighting (as the stars get ever closer to coming right and the apocalypse draws nigh), but it’s kind of hilarious to have one exist. Definitely advances the plot a fair amount; I would have preferred it if Mo had a more distinctive voice, but I’m still interested to see what happens next.
Mira Grant, Rolling in the Deep: Horror novella with Grant’s trademark interest in public perception/communication. A “reality” show similar to Discovery’s pseudo-scientific “documentaries” sets out to find out if mermaids really do live in the deepest part of the ocean. Spoiler: they do. And they’re hungry.
Frances Hardinge, The Lie Tree: Faith is the ignored daughter of a curate/natural scientist working in Darwin’s wake and a mother she despises for her embrace of feminine wiles. A scandal sends the family to an isolated island, where Faith learns that almost everything she believes about her family only scratches the surface of the truth. Investigating a tree that feeds on lies, Faith learns of her own dangerous ability to spread lies and has to choose how to use it. Not my favorite of Hardinge’s books, but very good nonetheless.
Jim Butcher & Mark Powers, Down Town (Dresden Files graphic novel): In which Harry, Molly, and Marcone face down a threat from underground that’s killing store owners to whom Marcone has promised protection, for reasons that don’t make much sense but are lampshaded as same. The art involves women who all have the same hourglass shape (and Molly spends most of the time in belly-baring, shoulder-slipping cutoff shirts), but I liked how solidly Mouse was drawn. I’m not sure who the comics are supposed to work for-there’s just not room for Harry’s soliloquies on duty and being a nice guy to women etc. But if they’re your favorites, all your favorites are there, including Bob the skull.
Dessa Lux, The Omega’s Bodyguard: Original m/m slash novella with alpha/omega werewolf tropes, including mating bonds, knotting, and self-lubrication. Reclusive computer genius finds he’s being stalked, hires an ex-military bodyguard who determines that the reason for the stalking is that the genius is a potential omega. The bodyguard is an alpha and won’t stand for that kind of interference with the omega’s freedom to choose … including the freedom to choose him. Lots of enthusiastic, meant-to-be, take-me-now-alpha sex ensues. Future installments promise lots of multiple-partner action as the omega brings his new alpha pack together.
comments on DW | reply there. I have invites or you can use OpenID.