Reviews and Comments

Will

whami@bookwyrm.social

Joined 3 years, 2 months ago

A numbers geek reading SFF to maintain some hope in this world.

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commented on The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher (The Cinder Spires, #1)

Jim Butcher: The Aeronaut's Windlass (Hardcover, 2015, Roc) 4 stars

Jim Butcher, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Dresden Files and the …

I know that I enjoyed this when I read it in 2016, but other than a few generalities about some characters and the details of one scene, I have almost no memory of it. I do know I was eager to know what happened next. The next book was just released last year and I want to read it, but I think I need a reread of this one first.

Iain M. Banks: The Player of Games (Paperback, 2008, Orbit) 4 stars

The Culture - a human/machine symbiotic society - has thrown up many great Game Players, …

4 Stars A good enough book. My main complaints are that the motivations of characters' actions at points that move the story along are somewhat questionable. There are many ideas here that make the book feel current and new, despite having been released in 1988.

T. Kingfisher: What Feasts at Night (Hardcover, 2024, Tor Nightfire) 4 stars

The follow-up to T. Kingfisher’s bestselling gothic novella, What Moves the Dead .

Retired soldier …

A triumphant sequel

5 stars

Alex Easton is such a great character and I was very happy getting to read more about them. This book is a little less creepy and a lot more Easton than its predecessor.

Djuna, Anton Hur: Counterweight (Hardcover, 2023, Pantheon) 3 stars

On the fictional island of Patusan—and much to the ire of the Patusan natives—the Korean …

Unusual

3 stars

I'm still not really sure about this book. I should probably reread it since I think I went to fast and missed some things. It was definitely interesting, but it seemed like there were too many characters for such a short work. None of the characters or the world itself were given much depth. #SFFBookClub

Francis Spufford: Cahokia Jazz (Hardcover, 2023, Faber & Faber) 5 stars

In a city that never was, in an America that never was, on a snowy …

Stunning

5 stars

An alternative history where the Native American Cahokia Nation was not wiped out by disease from white explorers and settlers, and went on to thrive. It takes place in the 1920s and it's very noir-esque. While it is a detective story that does come together nicely, it is more of a character piece. There are so many well developed characters and the fleshing out of the Cahokia people overall is easily believable.

Michael Mammay: Generation Ship (2023, HarperCollins Publishers) 4 stars

In this riveting, stand-alone novel from Michael Mammay, author of Planetside, the beginning of a …

4.5 Stars

4 stars

The books was extremely well written and it tells a great story, but there were a couple parts where the author just did some handwaving to move the story along. Each of these shattered my suspension of disbelief. I still recommend this and there is a lot of wonderful concepts here, but it's not quite up to the full 5 stars.

Gail Carriger: Divinity 36 (2023, GAIL CARRIGER LLC) 4 stars

New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger brings you a gloriously warm and unique scifi …

Loved by others, but not me

3 stars

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.