Matthew's Journal

This is the last of the Hugo novel shortlist.

It's a strange and beautiful book; an enigma. Try and read it without spoilers the first time! The narrator lives in the House, a vast labyrinth of halls filled with statues of things that do not otherwise exist in the House. The upper levels are cloud, and the lower levels filled with water. The only other person in the House is the Other, who calls the narrator Piranesi. The narrator is studying the house, trying to learn of its wonders.

This is a book that will reward a re-read, I think, although I don't know whether I will thereafter like it more or less. There's a lot going on here, and the ending felt like it was fair, too (which isn't universal in mystery stories!)

I've read them all now, so time to vote!

I struggled a bit to rank these, but this is where I ended up:

1. Black Sun, Rebecca Roanhorse
2. Piranesi, Susanna Clarke
3. The City We Became, N.K. Jemisin
4. Network Effect, Martha Wells
5. The Relentless Moon, Mary Robinette Kowal
6. Harrow the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir

The voting deadline is 20 November, so I really need to get to the shorter fiction soon!