I read a lot of SFF and horror, leaning toward the weird, and I adore a good translation (to English) and small press book. I’m queer and I like to read books about queer people and by queer and otherwise marginalized authors. I tend to avoid things that are marketed strongly as YA.
I’m a former bookseller and I’ve never been able to let go on being way too aware of what’s coming out, so my tbr list is a very active living document (and being realistic, highly aspirational).
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In post-climate disaster Alberta, a woman infected with a mysterious parasite must choose whether to pursue a rare opportunity far …
An impulsive word can start a war. A timely word can stop one. A simple act of friendship can change …
I was enjoying this immensely until
the last section where it suddenly takes a weirdly dark and hopeless turn. But I love the episodic structure, descriptions of the different symptomers interspersed with recounting of the narrator’s life and involvement.
Ropa’s voice is one of the best things about this book, she’s a little punk with a heard of solid gold and from the top where it seems like we’re going to have a fairly straightforward “medium helps a ghost” story through when it gets much darker and stranger, it’s her humor and thoughtfulness that keeps you mindful of the stakes. Really enjoyed this, I can’t wait to see how she tackles her next set of problems.
I love the concept of a novel comprised of interlocking novellas, but I don’t know that that’s really what this was? The stories only brush against each other in the most distant and superficial way, they’re really more about explaining this town and its history. In most short story collections, it’s usually hard to rate the collection as a whole because there are great stories and ok stories (except for Tender by Sofia Samatar which is 100% exquisite). This book it was more like, there were parts of stories I liked a lot but no one story as a whole. A lot of the denouements felt, frankly, a little silly in a horror book? But some imagery, like that of the north woods in the rain, or the weird horrible police officers, or the zookeeper’s dream, were something else.
Think you know the good guys from the bad? Think you understand the strange energy …
A perfect spooky season read, this might become an annual reread
Do you like the sound of a small village murder mystery mixed with ghost stories,
an orphaned protagonist out to uncover what happened to his outcast teenage mother, aided by a brigade of savvy old women who’ve taken up the young hero’s cause?
A standalone novel in the fantastic world of Katherine Addison's award-winning The Goblin Emperor.
When …
The interweaving mysteries placed side-by-side with Celehar’s more mundane and horrible duties was brilliantly done.
The Goblin Emperor is a 2014 fantasy novel written by the American author Sarah Monette …
The fact that this is more or less a straightforward story of an unlikely youngest son from a persecuted ethnic minority unexpectedly being elevated to emperor and having to reconcile with the sort of ruler his father was and he wants to be is in no way to its detriment. That elves and goblins and magic and steampunk machinery are involved just makes it even better. This is definitely a character drama, with characters relatable or detestable in skilled measure. It takes a little work to keep straight the many unfamiliar names that get thrown at you, but I'm sure our protagonist is feeling the same way.
Perfect for fans of court politics, mysteries, and fantasy affectations - did you like Jo Walton's "Tooth and Claw"? Then this one's for you.
I loved this. The structure of the book is that each chapter focuses on a species of these sentient, generally humanoid Beasts that live in the city of Yong’an - their history, their biology, their favorite foods, the industry they work in. But each chapter includes the trials and travails of the writer as well, and they add up to a singular overarching story that is funny and poignant and satisfying.
In the vein of Naomi Novik’s New York Times bestseller Spinning Silver and Katherine Arden’s …
More Eastern European Jewish folklore-inspired fantasy please
For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: …
This was extremely sweet and spicy and the time travel elements had the feeling of an 80s action movie plot, I really enjoyed it.
woman lived where the railway tracks met the saltpan, on the Ahri side of the …
I enjoyed the world building a great deal, the imagery of the different realms and cities, and their different rules, reminded me of fantasists like Moorcock, Barker. Lurid and beautiful. The plot, however, felt almost unnecessary? It was a bit meandering, and I didn’t feel particularly attached to what was going on. I just wanted to see more cities.
