Speculative Fiction

Hogfather

Leave a comment

by Terry Pratchett
First sentence: “Everything starts somewhere, although many physicists disagree.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Others in the series: It’s part of the Death cycle in Discworld, but you can read it as a standalone.
Content: It’s Terry Pratchett. Do we really need to discuss content? It’s in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section of the bookstore.

It’s Hogswatchnight, and mostly everything is normal in Ankh-Morpork, with celebrations and everything. Except it’s not okay: the Hogfather has gone missing. And in order to save humanity (just go with it), Death has taken over the Hogfather’s duties. (Albeit very awkwardly.) Once Death’s granddaughter Susan realizes things are not right, she embarks on a journey to find out what happened to Hogfather.

I have been meaning to read this for years. I love it whenever I visit Discworld; Pratchett’s humor and observations hit the spot. I giggle, I cry, I am amused and delighted at the characters. It’s a maze of a book; I was sometimes wondering where the plot was going, but I trust Sir Terry and he did not disappoint. I adored Susan, and in the end, Sir Terry pulled off a remarkably delightful book.

Bride

Leave a comment

by Ali Hazelwood
First sentence: “This war of ours, the one between the Vampyres and the Weres, began several centuries ago with brutal escalations of violence, culminated amid flowing torrents of varicolored blood, and ended in a whimper of buttercream cake, on the day I met my husband for the first time.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Release date: February 6, 2024
ARC pilfered from the shelves at my place of employment.
Content: This is very, sweary, very violent, and very, very spicy. Quite a bit of on-screen interspecies sex. It will be in the romance section of the bookstore.

Misery is used to being, well, miserable. Having spent her entire childhood as the Vampyre collateral in the human world, she never really fit in with her people. And because she’s a vampyre, she doesn’t fit in with the humans, even though she’s been “passing” for a few years. And now, as she’s being “given” (generous word; forced? compelled?) to be the bride of the Were alpha, she figures it will just be another place she doesn’t fit in. In fact, the only person she cares about is Serena, her companion in childhood and best friend, who has gone missing. Misery is determined to figure out what happened to Serena, and she won’t let anyone – least of all her Were husband – get in her way.

The only other Ali Hazelwood book I’ve read is her YA Check & Mate, which was cute, so I really don’t have a frame of reference for her books. On the one hand, she’s doing some fascinating things with vampire and werewolf lore. I liked that she leaned into them being different species, and the politics of dealing between the three – humans, vampires, werewolves. I can see where she’s pulling things from – the idea of mates on the Were side, or how vampires drink pre-packaged blood – but I thought she had a fresh take.

The sex scenes were good, although, by the end, I had issues with the direction she was taking them. I just felt that Misery at the beginning was not quite the same character as Misery at the end. The best part of this one, though, was the secondary characters. They were a lot of fun and kept me going through the book. There was a pretty good twist I didn’t see coming, but it didn’t bother me. I thought it was pretty clever. i am guessing it’s going to be a series, based on the ending, and I do have to admit that I’m curious as to where Hazelwood is going to take the story.

Audiobook: Bookshops & Bonedust

Leave a comment

by Travis Baldree
Read by the author
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Others in the series: Legends & Lattes
Content: There is swearing, including many f-bombs, and some violence. It’s in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section of the bookstore.

In this prequel to Legends & Lattes, Viv finds herself injured and unexpectedly laid up due to an injury in the seaside town of Murk. She’s accustomed to being active, so having to convalesce is not something she wants to do. In her wandering around the down, she discovers a run-down bookshop whose owner, Fern, struggles to make ends meet. Viv discovers the benefit of knowing a good bookseller (!) and falls into a friendship with Fern. She also has a sweet summer romance with a baker in town. And, on top of everything, there’s a mysterious man in gray who leaves behind (well – he dies, so kinda) a bag full of bones that turns out to be a homunculus named Satchel.

Like the first one, not much happens in this book. (Granted, more happens in this than in the first one.) But, it’s still sweet, charming, super cozy, and enjoyable. The characters are fun, and the world Baldree has created is clever. I have really come to enjoy his narration as well; it’s incredibly engaging. So, no, there’s not a lot of plot in these, but they are so much fun to listen to. 

Audiobook: Iron Flame

Leave a comment

by Rebecca Yarros
Read by Rebecca Soler & Teddy Hamilton
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Others in the series: Fourth Wing
Content: It’s super sweary, super violent, and lots of on-screen sexytimes. It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Spoilers for Fourth Wing, obviously.

This picks up right after the events of Fourth Wing, with Violet recovering from the venin attack. From there, they go back to Basgaith for graduation and year two. But this year is a lot different. First off, Xaden and his dragon are stationed away from the War college so he and Violet are basically forced to spend their weekends together because of their bonded dragons. Of course, they don’t mind. (#sexytimes) Then there’s the wacked-out, facist new head of the war college, who has it out for Violet – like to the point of nearly killing her several times. And then there’s the whole rebellion and the fact that Navarre is hiding the impending Doom from its citizens. 

On the one hand, Soler is still delightfully unhinged (especially sped up 1.5x) and makes these books enjoyable. Because, there’s so much that is just plot holes. I was actually shouting at the audiobook this time; Violet – nay, all the characters, really – were just slow and not askign the right questions. And there were several WTH moments. And then there was the fact that it was just a LOT. A LOT of violence. A LOT of sex. A LOT of trying to make relationship work. A LOT, period. 

Will I read the next one? Maybe. Probably. They’re still fun, even if this one wasn’t as much fun as Fourth Wing was. 

Audiobook: The Puppets of Spelhorst

Leave a comment

by Kate DiCamillo
Read by Allan Corduner
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: It’s a short book, and there isn’t anything objectionable. It’s in the Beginning Chapter section of the bookstore (grades 1-2) but it could go older.

Once upon a time, there were five puppets: A girl, a boy, a wolf (with very sharp teeth), an owl, and a king. They were happy in the shop of the puppet maker, but they longed to go on adventures. Then one day, an old man saw the face of his lost love in the eyes of the girl puppet, and the toymaker would sell just her, so they all were bought. From there, they had adventures, first at the old man’s house, then with the junk man, after the old man died, and finally in a home with two young girls who put on a play with the puppets.

That’s it for the plot. And yet, because it’s Kate DiCamillo, it’s a lovely fairy tale, one I enjoyed listening to, even as an adult. Much like The Tale of Despereaux or The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, it’s a story to be read aloud, to be enjoyed together. It’s a simple story, but there are profound moments, silly moments, and tender moments. It’s probably not my favorite DiCamillo out there, but it is a lovely one that will delight many children (and their parents/guardians/teachers).

Audiobook: Vengeance of the Pirate Queen

Leave a comment

by Tricia Levenseller
Read by: Krissi Bohn
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Release date: November 7, 2023
Others in the series: Daughter of the Pirate King, Daughter of the Siren Queen
Content: There is a lot of violence, including some that is directed against women. It will be in the YA section of the bookstore.

At the end of my review, for Daughter of the Siren Queen, I mentioned that I wouldn’t mind spending more time with Alosa and her crew. Which is precisely what Levenseller delivered. Sorinda is Alosa’s – who is now the Pirate Queen – assassin, spending her time in the shadows, taking care of the evil men who wish Alosa and her band of woman pirates ill. But, Alosa’s next assignment for Sorinda is different: captain a crew to sail north, looking for spies they haven’t heard from in too long. 

Sorinda reluctantly takes the position – she is much more used to the shadows than the spotlight – and sails north. But what they find is a lot of trouble – first, a beastie that is intent on destroying the ship, and then a hostile people who have been protecting the undead King of the Undersea – who also controls the undead – from being woken for a thousand years. Of course, Sorinda (accidentally) awakens him, after which he is intent on making her his mate. Of course, that won’t happen; Sorinda is much too fiercely independent for such things. But it’s an absolute ride getting there. 

The only real complaint I have about the book is the fact that Sorinda is a Black woman. I get being inclusive, but Levenseller isn’t Black, and even if it’s a fantasy world, it doesn’t mean she gets to write a Black main character. That said, I did like Sorinda as a character: she was fierce and capable, and solved her own problems. The undead king was a LOT for a villain – I thoroughly hated him and was super happy with the end he got. The romance was a bit meh, but I wasn’t reading this book for the romance. Bohn was an excellent narrator, which definitely helped with my enjoyment of this one. 

It’s not a bad continuation of a good series.

Audiobook: Legends & Lattes

Leave a comment

by Travis Baldree
Read by the author
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is some violence. It’s in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section of the bookstore.

Viv, an orc barbarian, is tired of being a hired thief-assassin, and so hangs up her sword (somewhat literally) and opens a coffee shop in the town of Thune. She’s starting from scratch: no one in the town has heard of the gnomish drink, and so she and the group of friends she collects once this project starts set out to create a spot. There are problems including a mafia boss to win over and a former companion who is convinced Viv has something extremely valuable. But, mostly, it’s a book about starting over, making friends, finding love, and a good cup of coffee with an excellent pastry.

The subtitle of this book is “A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes” and that pretty much sums it up. Not much happens. Even the problems don’t amount to much. But, it was delightful to listen to. Baldree did an excellent job narrating his book, and I was delighted to listen as they invented iced drinks, cinnamon rolls, biscotti, and chocolate croissants. So, no, nothing happened. But it was incredibly enjoyable anyway.

Godkiller

1 Comment

by Hannah Kaner
First sentence: “Her father fell in love with a god of the sea.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There is a lot of violence, a lot of swearing (including f-bombs), and some off-screen sex. It’s in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section of the bookstore.

Kissen has spent the past 15 years, since her family was sacrificed to the fire god Hestra and she alone survived, learning how, and actually killing gods. It helps that the king of the country she lives in has banned all worship of gods; it makes her business as a veiga is lucrative. And then one day, a 12-year-old girl, Inara, finds Kissen, asking her to help find a way to split her from the god (of white lies) that she is bonded to. Which means a journey to Blendaren, the home of the Gods. Along the way, they meet a baker-knight, who is on his own quest, and the three of them will face the city of the gods together.

Except this book is a lot more than “a godkiller, a girl, and an errant knight” go on a quest. There’s an exploration of trauma, of duty, of loyalty and honor. But there is also some bad-ass demon kicking and god fighting. I adored the characters, I loved the way they interacted, and the world Kaner built. We’re just beginning to explore the mythology of all the gods and the politics of the world, and I am here for it.

Absolutely worth the hype.

Audiobook: Fourth Wing

Leave a comment

by Rebecca Yarros
Read by Rebecca Soler & Teddy Hamilton
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: It’s super sweary, super violent, and lots of on-screen sexytimes. It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Violet Sorrengail was supposed to be a scribe. But then her father passed away and her mother – who is the general in charge of the flight battle school – has different plans for her. Violet – frail, sickly Violet – is given no choice: she has to join the battle school. The place where you either graduate or die. The book takes place over the first year, as Violet learns to navigate the cruelties of the school, makes – and loses – friends, and finds an unreasonable attraction to the son of an executed rebel leader, Xaden Riorson.

My first reaction when listening to this? It’s not objectively a good book. Like, the writing is not great. But, it’s a lot of fun. I think it helped that Soler was slightly unhinged reading the book. She was chewing through scenery, which honestly, is what this book needed. It’s not a book to be taken seriously at all. That said, Yarros is a good storyteller. There was a lot of action, the battle scenes were pretty intense, and there were some nice surprises as well. I will probably read the second book in the series, just to see where it goes.

So, do I respect this book? No. Will I recommend it? Depends on the person. Do I understand why it’s the Big Thing that it is? Oh yeah. I get it now.

System Collapse

1 Comment

by Martha Wells
First sentence: “Dr. Bharadwaj told me once that she thought I hated planets because of the whole thing with being considered expendable and the possibility of being abandoned.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Others in the series: All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, Exit Strategy, Network Effect
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Release date: November 14, 2023
Content: Like all Murderbot books, there is a lot of violence and swearing (Wells is a master of the artfully placed f-bomb). It will be in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section of the bookstore.

The events of this Murderbot book pick up shortly after those in Network Effect: Murderbot and his humans are trying to help the colony of humans fend off the advances of an unethical corporation that’s trying to take over the planet. Things go badly, of course, and Murderbot has to keep his humans safe. Except there’s something wrong with it [it’s redacted]that is interfering with its ability to do just that. 

I really don’t have much new to say about this one. It’s just as smart, tight, and fun as the rest of the series. I will seriously go anywhere in this world that Wells wants to take me, and happily read every new Murderbot book. I love them so much, and the only problem is having to wait for the net one to come out.