User Profile

Interesting ideas here, but it doesn't pull it all together. Still worth a read.

I know several people who love this series, but it came off as dull and bland to me. I usually like found family stories, but I have to care for the characters first, which I never did in this book. I also couldn't suspend disbelief enough to accept the general premise.

Yet another Ian McDonald book is a 5-star read for me, even though it is something I normally wouldn't enjoy. McDonald has a knack for writing books that are everything I normally hate (slow uneven pacing, not much happening, way too much time spent describing the background and scenery, etc.) but I end up loving. This wasn't quite as good as Hopeland, but still an excellent read.

This was quite similar to A Memory Called Empire, but with a lot more physical action and a protagonist who wasn't enamored with the empire she was pulled into. As a first novel it is a little rough around the edges, and there could have been more support for some of the motivations, but it was still enjoyable. Another positive - If you are striking out when trying to explain microaggressions to someone who just doesn't get it, have them read this book.

I started this last night and so far it has a political setup reminiscent of A Memory Called Empire. This book is the winner of the 2024 Compton Crook Award.

Hench is a lot more serious and deep than you'd expect from some of the flippant descriptions. I went in wanting something as light escapism. That's not what I got, but it was certainly worth a read, and I liked it far more than a few other things I've picked up recently that looked better on the surface.

Winner of the 2024 Compton Crook Award