Posts Tagged ‘science fiction’
Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
Posted on: March 17, 2019
Dragon Pearl, by Yoon Ha Lee
Published in January of 2019
where I got it: purchased new
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About half way through Raven Stratagem, I realized I wanted to read everything Yoon Ha Lee had written. The Machineries of Empire series only has three books, and I needed more of this kind of writing, of this style of story weaving. So, I ordered myself a copy of Conservation of Shadows, and bought a copy of Lee’s middle grade book Dragon Pearl.
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Dragon Pearl was very cute, and it is definitely book aimed towards the 8 to 10 years old crowd. My niece justs turned six, I can’t wait for her to be old enough to read this. I hope this is the book that has her asking her parents a million questions about how the world works, why adults do the things they do, if she can be a fox spirit when she grows up, and how terra-forming works.
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When Min’s older brother Jun joined the Space Forces, his family hoped he’d return home to a better world. When Min’s mother receives word that Jun abandoned his post to seek the Dragon Pearl, the family is shocked. Min knows her brother would never do something like this. She knows what he was looking for, out there in the deepness of space, and she knows why it would tempt him so much. But his letters home make no sense, she knows something is very wrong! Knowing that she can’t let anyone outside her immediate family know that she is a fox spirit who can shapeshift, she leaves home (a little Binti like, actually!), in search of her brother’s ship and his last known where abouts.
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Dragon Pearl is very fast paced, and in short order Min loses her possessions, is embarrassed to learn exactly why her family doesn’t want their children ever using their fox-spirit magic such as shapeshifting and Charm in public, escapes the gravity well of her impoverished planet, gains a ghost, and ends up having to shape shift to imitate a dead boy who was posted on the same ship as her brother. Speaking of not using her Charm magic in public, I got an absolute kick out of the scenes in the casino.
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What started out as “find out what happened to my brother” has now turned into avoid the scary tiger captain, keep a ghost happy, quickly learn how to be a fifteen year old male cadet, somehow gain access to the planet of the dead (literally. It’s covered in ghosts and when you go there they kill you) and most importantly, don’t get stuck in this physical form forever! Some members of her brother’s ship were on a secret mission to find the Dragon Pearl, and if Min can understand what happened, her dusty, unfinished planet could become a paradise. It sounds very convoluted, doesn’t it? Luckily, Lee is a fantastic writer, so while it is fast paced, it isn’t convoluted at all.
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The Quantum Magician by Derek Künsken
published 2018
Where I got it: purchased new
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Belisarius Arjona gets bored easily. A homo quantus, he’s able to enter a savant trance to access the quantum computing parts of his brain, giving him the ability (and undeniable urge) to understand the patterns of the universe, the mathematical why behind how everything works. His kind were designed by a banking group, determined to create people who could see where the markets would go. He’s as close to a mentat as we’ll ever get.
Uninterested in financial markets, and even less interested in the mostly naval gazing of his peers, Bel keeps himself busy doing easy things that keep his mind distracted. Easy things like confidence schemes. He might be known as “the magician” in crime circles, but even he thinks his new con job is ridiculous: he’s been hired to get twelve warships through a public and very expensive wormhole. Even if he can get the first ship through, by the time the rest start coming through the game will be up and the local defenses will be on super high alert. Why did he take this crazy job again? Well, the pay is pretty good, and there’s also that other thing. . .
In Ocean’s Eleven style, Bel spends a few chapters collecting his team – meeting up with new resources and recruiting old friends. I felt thrown in the deep end the first 20 pages or so, so those handful of slower chapters where Bel is getting the band together were the perfect way for me to learn about the world, the different genetically modified sub-species of humans that we’ve created, the politics of the situation, and Bel’s place in the world. His art gallery suddenly seems so much creepier.
With all the “quantum” being thrown around, I was super nervous that The Quantum Magician was going to read like a Greg Egan, where I couldn’t keep up with the math. Yes, this book is jam packed with physics and biology and quantum mechanics (why didn’t someone tell me before how cool quantum entangled particles are!!), and zero g maneuvers and adjusting for so many atmospheres and triangulation and the insides of wormholes. Here’s the thing – math is the language of the universe, and if presented correctly, it becomes the poetry of the universe. Künsken made math and physics as fun and as beautiful as I know it can be, he made it into the sweeping architecture of a cathedral. Books like The Quantum Magician are why I love hard science fiction – if the math supports it, anything is possible. Even though sometimes it looks like magic.
“The math was comfortingly inescapable”, says Bel. It may be inescapable, but math gives you the blueprints to do anything in the universe. Similarly, the inescapable math tell Belisarius that next time he goes into a deep savant mode known as fugue, he won’t be able to come out of it. The need for knowledge will overwhelm his physical need for survival.
Five for Friday!
Posted on: March 8, 2019
Welcome to a new-ish feature here at Little Red Reviewer, called Five for Friday. The concept is simple – it’s a Friday, and I post a photo of 5 books, and then we chat about them in the comments.
The only things these books have in common are:
– they were on my bookshelf
– I’m interested in your thoughts on them.
Want to join in? Post a picture of 5 random books you own, with the tag #5ForFriday and get your friends talking.
have you read any of these? if yes, did you like them? If you’ve not read them, does the cover make you interested in learning more about the book?
The Nine by Tracy Townsend – I’ve not read this, but I keep hearing really good things about it. Also, this photo doesn’t do it justice, that cover art is freakin’ gorgeous!
Lotus Blue by Cat Sparks – This came highly recommended. I had a slow start, I eventually put it down. I should really give it another try.
Starless by Jacqueline Carey – she did a book signing event at a bookstore near me, so of course I got the book! But I haven’t read it yet.
Inversions by Iain M. Banks – Great book!! If you’ve read any Banks Culture books, you should read Inversions! and if you haven’t read any Culture books but want to try Banks without committing to a big series, read Inversions! it’s the not-a-Culture book that sort of is. This is one I want to reread sometime.
The Moon and the Other by John Kessel – I’ve not read this. I’m worried it’s just going to be on the bookshelf forever, looking pretty.
Five for Friday!
Posted on: March 1, 2019
Welcome to a new-ish feature here at Little Red Reviewer, called Five for Friday. The concept is simple – it’s a Friday, and I post a photo of 5 books, and then we chat about them in the comments.
The only things these books have in common are:
– they were on my bookshelf
– I’m interested in your thoughts on them.
Want to join in? Post a picture of 5 random books you own, with the tag #5ForFriday and get your friends talking.
have you read any of these? if yes, did you like them? If you’ve not read them, does the cover make you interested in learning more about the book?
This week, we have:
City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett (2014) – this is the first novel in one of my favorite fantasy trilogies (review here). If you’re like me, and find yourself burned out on any number of fantasy tropes, Bennett is the writer for you. I can’t say enough good things about this series!
The Habitation of the Blessed by Catherynne Valente (2010) – one of the most beautiful books I have ever had the good fortune to read (review here). And when I reread it? it just got better. I admit to being a little lukewarm on Valente’s newer stuff (maybe it is sensory overload for me? I dunno), but I can’t get enough of some of her older stuff.
The Sharing Knife: Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold (2009) – this has been on my bookshelf forever. Should I read it or give it away? Should I just read more of her Vorkosigan books?
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson (2000) – another one that’s been on my bookshelf forever. Even though his rambling annoys me, I have a soft spot for Stephenson. I’ve picked this book up any number of times, but never actually read it.
Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson (1993) – I’ve read this a few times, but it’s probably been ten years since I last picked it up. I want to reread it, but I’m afraid it will feel dated. in the early 90s, what did KSR think the future would look like?
alright, what looks good to you? If you’ve read any of these books, did you enjoy them? if you haven’t read any of these, which look interesting to you?
Five for Friday!
Posted on: February 22, 2019
Welcome to a new-ish feature here at Little Red Reviewer, called Five for Friday. The concept is simple – it’s a Friday, and I post a photo of 5 books, and then we chat about them in the comments.
The only things these books have in common are:
– they were on my bookshelf
– I’m interested in your thoughts on them.
have you read any of these? if yes, did you like them? If you’ve not read them, does the cover make you interested in learning more about the book?
Woah, I have not read any of these! Any recommendations on where to start? What looks good?
A Turn of Light by Julie Czerneda – I’ve read a bunch of her science fiction fiction, haven’t yet dipped my toes into her fantasy. A friend knew I enjoyed her work, so gifted me with this book. My super lame reason for not having picked this up yet is because it is one helluva door stopper. and I have gotten super spoiled on novellas and short novels lately.
Kabu-Kabu by Nnedi Okorafor – this is short stories, I think? And I loved the first two Binto books. . .
Lex Talionis by R.S.A. Garcia – Someone recommended this to me, so I bought it, and haven’t read it yet.
Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes – Same as the Garcia book – this was recommended, so I bought it, and haven’t read it yet.
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang – ok, so I HAVE read one story in here – The Story of Your Life, that is the short story that the movie Arrival was based on. I read the story in a rush, we were going to see the movie the next day. I don’t think anything in this collection is meant to be read in a rush. Also, I love Arrival.
Have you read any of these books? if yes, what do you recommend?
Not familiar with these books? What looks interesting to you?
Five for Friday!
Posted on: February 15, 2019
- In: fairy tales | fantasy | science fiction
- 3 Comments
Welcome to a new-ish feature here at Little Red Reviewer, called Five for Friday. The concept is simple – it’s a Friday, and I post a photo of 5 books, and then we chat about them in the comments.
The only things these books have in common are:
– they were on my bookshelf
– I’m interested in your thoughts on them.
have you read any of these? if yes, did you like them? If you’ve not read them, does the cover make you interested in learning more about the book?
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman – I have got to be only person left on earth who hasn’t read this book! My friend lent it to me, and I just finished a manga (Silver Spoon #5!), so the timing is perfect for me to finally read this.
The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord – Hard to believe it’s been five years since this came out. This is a quiet book that sneaks up on you, I reviewed it here. Did you like Station Eleven? You’ll like The Best of All Possible Worlds. Totally different plots, but they have a similar, hmm… tone is maybe the right word?
Winterglass by Benjanun Sriduangkaew – I love everything this woman writes. Gorgeous prose, atmospheric writing, vibrant characters, and did I mention the gorgeous prose? And can I say no to a retelling of The Snow Queen? no, I can not. Also, have you seen that beautiful cover art? review is here, if you’re interested.
Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart – Chinese fantasy adventure! This debut novel won the World Fantasy Award and has become a classic. review here. Have you read the sequels? are they good?
The Sun, The Moon, and The Stars by Steven Brust – Gosh, I haven’t read this in ages. I remember a painter and a bunch of artists who share a studio, I remember fairy tale that is told in tiny bits and pieces. I remember the first time I read this, I thought the painter was telling the fairy tale to his artist friends. Yep, I should really reread this.
I totally did not plan it this way, but a bunch of these books involve mythology and fairy tales!
Have you read any of these? what did you think of them?
Which of these look interesting to you?
What are some of your favorite fairy tale / mythology retellings?
The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
published in 1992
where I got it: purchased used
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I’ve read this book before, and I mean that both figuratively, and literally. This is my or second or third time reading The Doomsday Book, and it’s a book about time travel that asks the question “what could possibly go wrong?”, which is a story trope I’ve read before. Not a spoiler, but everything goes wrong. Oh, the name of the book sounds familiar?
And since this book was written in 1992, I don’t feel bad about spoiling certain plot points. Click here for my spoiler-free, original book review of this title. Because this blog post? It rambles. It has mild spoilers. And it gets a little personal.
In late January, I found myself in a reading slump. I had a lot going on, and I was struggling to relax and just fall into a book. I needed a book that would grab me on page 1, throw me about, transport me, allow me to escape into someone else’s life for a few hundred pages, and then not break my heart into a million little pieces at the end, because damnit, i wanted something with a happy ending for once. I did cry at the end of The Doomsday Book, but not from a broken heart.
If you’ve never read this book before, it’s got a lot of death. A lot of people die, a lot of people are helpless in the face of death, some people lose hope. I’m not gonna lie, there is a lot of sadness and a lot of fear of dying in this book. You might cry. But oh, this book is full of so much hope! So many people who are doing everything they can to save their friends, people who refuse to be helpless, people whose compassion knows no bounds, characters who spend every waking moment caring deeply about other people, even if they don’t quite know how to show it. There are scenes that are sad, but this is not a grim book. What is the opposite of grimdark? Hopebright? The Doomsday Book is hopebright.
In the near future, we’ve discovered how to travel into the past. The technology is mostly utilized at universities, and they send historians back in time, with the goal of avoiding the most dangerous times in history. Kivrin will be the first historian at Oxford who is sent to the Middle Ages. She’s been working towards this moment for the last 2 years. Her advisor James Dunworthy has never been so worried in his entire life.
Something I love about this novel is how Willis starts the book when the action starts. There is no preamble, hardly any character introduction, plenty of British banter, and before page twenty you know the characters are anxious about sending a historian back to the thirteen hundreds, you know people are nervous and vulnerable and worried. By page 30 you know something has gone horribly wrong. And that’s when the character development starts – after you’ve been hooked.
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