An avid sci-fi and fantasy reader who sometimes does historical fiction or even mainstream.
You might notice that most of my reviews are 5 stars. That's because if I start reading a book that doesn't engage me, I stop reading it. Life is too short. I've realized that it's not fair to review a book I haven't read and nobody really needs to hear why I didn't get into a book especially when they might like it.
My goals with reviews are to be brief and give other potential readers an idea of why they might like the book. I leave it to the marketing people and other reviewers to describe the plots.
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Kevin Hearne: Besieged (2017)
"Atticus O'Sullivan is a Druid who has walked the earth for over 2,000 years--and had …
This is a handy collection for any Iron Druid fans who want to fill in the gaps.
If you like fantasy that is so bleak it makes Game of Thrones seem cheerful, this is for you.
This is apparently autobiography. So, we learn that Ms Dumont went to law school. I always feel sad when I learn that someone went to law school but didn't stay with the law.
But if they're going to write engaging books that let us learn about people we don't learn enough about, I'm just glad that their path took them to where they are.
And get this, she does standup comedy. There's an audio clip at:
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/laughoutloud/dawn-dumont-at-the-turtle-island-too-gala-a-celebration-of-aboriginal-comedy-1.1742517
Emma Donoghue is a guaranteed good read.
What set this one apart for me is
- it had the type of characters you don't see many stories about, and
- the two main characters aren't that nice, but you wind up liking them anyway.
Two time-traveling agents from warring futures, working their way through the past, begin to exchange …
I don't know if this was fantasy or science fiction. It was maybe weirder than I'm ready for.
Ivy Gamble has never wanted to be magic. She is perfectly happy with her life …
I'm not super-big on mysteries, but a I found this story about a non-magic person surrounded by magicians engaging.
Ben Aaronovitch: Foxglove Summer (2014)
When two young girls go missing in rural Herefordshire, police constable and wizard-in-training Peter Grant is sent out of London …
If you're a Yoon Ha Lee fan, you don't need my review to know you have to read this.
If you're a fan of modern science fiction, you have to read Yoon Ha Lee and you should probably start with [b:Ninefox Gambit|26118426|Ninefox Gambit (The Machineries of Empire, #1)|Yoon Ha Lee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1446557461l/26118426.SY75.jpg|46065520].
A fun read where you can feel confident that some surprises are in store but nothing truly awful will happen.
Good goofy fun and set in the world of high pressure modern kitchens without anyone as annoying as that Ramsay guy.
I was almost inclined not to read this because the fairyland our human heroine is navigating is not a fun place to be.
But this is a good story.
This is a handy collection for any Iron Druid fans who want to fill in the gaps.
"Iron Druid Atticus O'Sullivan, hero of Kevin Hearne's epic New York Times bestselling urban fantasy …
Have I mentioned the talking dog in this series? We get a second talking dog!
If you're a Yoon Ha Lee fan, you don't need my review to know you have to read this.
If you're a fan of modern science fiction, you have to read Yoon Ha Lee and you should probably start with [b:Ninefox Gambit|26118426|Ninefox Gambit (The Machineries of Empire, #1)|Yoon Ha Lee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1446557461l/26118426.SY75.jpg|46065520].
These are fun. I'm going to keep going on the series.
