A Marvellous Light is the first installment in Freya Marske’s The Last Binding trilogy, and the author’s debut novel (though, it is not the author’s first published writing, as Marske has published short stories in the past). Honestly, I was not sure about this book at the start; but, by about a third of the way in the characters had grown on me and the intrigue of the plot began to set in. Not to mention the beauty of the prose. Needless to say, I really liked this book.
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Review: Comfort Me With Apples by Catherynne M. Valente
A gloriously weird little novella!
Review: Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo
I have had a copy of Summer Sons in my possession for quite some time, but I was waiting until spooky season to read it. I wanted to ensure I had a few reads ready that would really put me in the mood. All in, from the cover to the story and writing, Summer Sons definitely fits the bill.
Review: Hard Reboot by Django Wexler
I’m typically not a big fan of reading Novellas and prefer longer formats and this month I read 3, and Hard Reboot was a good one. I would have preferred to read this premise in a longer format to get a better picture of the world, characters and main storyline, but Django maintained my interest and kept me turning pages despite the shorter format.
Review: Light Chaser by Peter F. Hamilton and Gareth Powell
For context, and giving no spoilers, the story centers on a Light Chaser, or Amahle, a sort of interplanetary goddess whose responsibility is to travel through a universe packed with planets and gather/provide collars to its habitants to collect memories for a higher power. But this is the setup. Where the story quickly gets interesting is in its enigmatic character that keeps popping up who quickly challenges Amahle’s status quo and therefore sets a series of events that will change everything.
Review: A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot #1) by Becky Chambers
A Psalm for the Wild-Built is a novella and the first in Becky Chambers’ Monk & Robot series. It is a lovely story about a monk and robot who meet under interesting circumstances.
16 New Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Books to Break Your TBR — August 2021
Hello everyone and welcome to this month’s attempt at hawking a pile a books at you! You may be wondering why there are so many on this month’s list. First, thank you for noticing. Reading comprehension, ace. Second, there’s just so many great books releasing this month! Truly, it’s unbelievable how many there are and I’ll have you know that I had to leave a TON of great books off the list in order to pare it down to a (somewhat) reasonable level. This list is all killer, no filler. Take a look.
Author Chat: P. Djèlí Clark (Part Two)
Join Adrian M. Gibson and P. Djèlí Clark for Part Two of their chat, where they dive into his new novel A Master of Djinn: how he built the world, incorporating magic and history, how the novel reflects our own world and much more.
Author Chat: P. Djèlí Clark (Part One)
Join Adrian M. Gibson and P. Djèlí Clark for Part One of their chat about Clark’s childhood, his writing journey, publishing, campy ’80s nostalgia, creative inspiration and much more.
Review: In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu
I found In the Watchful City to be a whimsical, almost poetic account of the relationship between Anima et al, technology, and the humans that inhabit Ora. For a novella, I think this book does a great job of demonstrating how complicated and interconnected these interactions can be.
16 Upcoming Science Fiction and Fantasy Books to be Excited About — June 2021
Hello all and welcome to FanFiAddict’s monthly list of books we think you should be excited about. We’re a little late in posting this month, but we didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to hype you up on some great science fiction and fantasy releases coming your way. So, without further ado, here’s a bunch of books we think you need to check out this month.
Review: Infomocracy (The Centenal Cycle #1) by Malka Older
It’s rare that I get fully engrossed in a fictional political narrative anymore. Sure, the vast number of Tom Clancy novels and movies deliver compelling, high-octane thrill rides, and The Manchurian Candidate (both the 1959 novel as well as the 1962 and 2004 films) still stands as one of the best election stories out there. But, when it comes down to it, the real world of politics (in the United States and elsewhere) is already rife with enough drama, deceit and decadence. Sometimes it’s just so damn tiring—and all of this coming from me, a genuine political junky. (On top of it all, most political stories just aren’t that good.) So, it came as a wonderful surprise when I read Malka Older’s debut novel, Infomocracy, that I found myself invested in a story so distinctly political again.