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I keep meaning to post about my cycling trip last weekend, but in the mean time, here are the books I read while away...
This was cheap in the publishers' ebook sale, and sounded interesting. Two ships get stuck in a strange rift in space, and have to work out where they are and how to get out again. It soon becomes clear that they are from rather different periods of history... This is an engaging read with some well-drawn characters, and we learn a lot more about their past lives in the course of events. There was a reasonably obvious ontological paradox at work here, and that meant I was clear as to the overall narrative structure from quite near the start of the book. Despite that, I enjoyed this book, and some of the twists were neatly executed.
This was suggested by friends in response to my request for "books, by SF authors that I should have read, which aren't giant series or really depressing". The narrator wakes up seriously injured with no memories of what has happened to them, and we join them as they try and find out who (and what) they are, and what happened to them. It's an interesting take on vampire fiction, touching on race, class, and queer relationships; and the narrator is a very engaging character.
From the Hugo shortlist, by the same author as The Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking. This starts in media res thus: "The trees were full of crows and the woods were full of madmen. The pit was full of bones her hands were full of wires." Marra, the main character, is wiring a dog together from bones. This all only starts to make sense after a while, but there's a nice balance of humour and macabre here. It's a fairy tale with a dark edge (but not as bleak as Wayward Children, say), and very readable. The characters are fun, and the plot suitably twisty (although I did spot some of the developments quite far in advance); and there's some well-earned snark about the typical roles of women in fairy stories!
Under Fortunate Stars, Ren Hutchings
This was cheap in the publishers' ebook sale, and sounded interesting. Two ships get stuck in a strange rift in space, and have to work out where they are and how to get out again. It soon becomes clear that they are from rather different periods of history... This is an engaging read with some well-drawn characters, and we learn a lot more about their past lives in the course of events. There was a reasonably obvious ontological paradox at work here, and that meant I was clear as to the overall narrative structure from quite near the start of the book. Despite that, I enjoyed this book, and some of the twists were neatly executed.
Fledgling, Octavia Butler
This was suggested by friends in response to my request for "books, by SF authors that I should have read, which aren't giant series or really depressing". The narrator wakes up seriously injured with no memories of what has happened to them, and we join them as they try and find out who (and what) they are, and what happened to them. It's an interesting take on vampire fiction, touching on race, class, and queer relationships; and the narrator is a very engaging character.
Nettle & Bone, T. Kingfisher
From the Hugo shortlist, by the same author as The Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking. This starts in media res thus: "The trees were full of crows and the woods were full of madmen. The pit was full of bones her hands were full of wires." Marra, the main character, is wiring a dog together from bones. This all only starts to make sense after a while, but there's a nice balance of humour and macabre here. It's a fairy tale with a dark edge (but not as bleak as Wayward Children, say), and very readable. The characters are fun, and the plot suitably twisty (although I did spot some of the developments quite far in advance); and there's some well-earned snark about the typical roles of women in fairy stories!
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