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Showing posts from June, 2018
Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee My rating: 5 of 5 stars Brilliant story. The worldbuilding of Ninefox Gambit comes to fruition here. The story also packs a killer plot twist & reveal, though there is plenty of foreshadowing of the possibility, so it's both surprising and inevitable. One of my favorite 2017 sci-fi novels. :-) View all my reviews

Ninefox Gambit - the joy of great world building!

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee My rating: 4 of 5 stars Not only a good novel, this is also a window into an enormous world in conflict, and it begins in media res, with brutal and confusing warfare. At the center of the story is Kel Cheris, an infantry captain and brilliant mathematician, and Shuos Jedao, a disgraced general from half a millennium ago, who only wins. Because of his knack for victory, Jedao is resurrected by a despotic empire again and again, and each time needs a living being to which he is attached. This time it is Cheris, and it is the chance Jedao has been waiting for! What are they fighting over? Calendrical heresy! That likely means nothing to you if you haven't read the story, but it suffices to say that a calendar is a set of rules, "fueled by the coherence of our beliefs." In other words, it's a society-wide convention and must be adhered to for the empire's technologies and governance to function. I love the vastness of the story. The w

A Great Peek Into a Very Special Fantasy World

Children of Thorns, Children of Water by Aliette de Bodard My rating: 4 of 5 stars This story, a novelette of just under 12000 words, is not only a wonderful story of loyalty and friendship but also a glance through a display window into a dark and vivid world. De Bodard's prose is excellent, especially the settings. I am excited to read more of the Dominion of the Fallen. View all my reviews