Strangely, I’ve been alternating Jemisin’s Inheritance trilogy with Pullman’s Golden Compass/Dark Materials… and it works. There is something interesting about how both deal with spirituality, the impact of the unknown on our lives, and dust… though Jemisin’s dust in Broken Kingdoms takes the form of charcoal, conte crayon, paint, and eventually dried blood. Still, there’s […]
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The great thing about anthologies is that they offer the reader a chance to discover a new author to explore more deeply… and Robots vs. Fairies achieves that. The big names may be the ones that grab your eye… Valente is here telling a wonderfully oddball story of a pro wrestling tournament match between histories […]
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The notion of a “Best Books” list annoys me. How is it possible to have read, reviewed, or be even aware of every book out there? On Goodreads, I reviewed forty-five books this year. That’s a lot of books! In addition, I’ve probably thumbed through a few dozen others for work, research, etc. Still, that […]
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I made it! The morning smells of waffles, cinnamon, and chocolate muffins. Today, for the first time, I wear the mantle of guest of honor. It’s a day of laurels which must be why my breakfast is Continental. I A run of texts and emails waits. There is much to do, but first I must […]
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One really important aspect of being a guest of honor at a science fiction con has nothing to do with the Con itself. It’s making sure the world turns. Luckily, most Cons happen over the weekend and so for most of us the worst that happens is you might lose a Friday of work or […]
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One of the first barriers in a book is how much exposition are you willing to wade through to get to the story. Every book takes a little bit of investment. It’s learning the author’s world, adapting to their writing rhythms, and getting through the set up. Fran Wilde’s first novel Updraft provided 20 pages […]
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