Book review: We Are the Beasts, by Gigi Griffis
“I love this book. I love the vividness of its prose, from the immediacy of the opening, when Joséphine is trying to save a lamb that fell partway down a cliff, to her simmering anger at a soldier’s eating three days’ worth of lentils at one meal, to the dread invoked by a swarm of butterflies, and much more.”
Thankfulness in tough times
Happy Thanksgiving Day to all who celebrate it in the U.S., and anyone else who needs a bit of cheer! These are tough times for many of us, for many reasons, but that makes it all the more important to celebrate love, community, courage, endurance, and whatever else continues to go right. Today, our three regular reviewers are taking the opportunity to share what makes them thankful and hopeful these days. Daniel Haeusser: Amid difficult times of stress and uncertainty, I am trying to find thankfulness in still being able to take part in things, and support, things that I find valuable for humanity and bring me joy, things like reading, writing, music, and service to organizations whose mission I value. As the world turns more to technology in favor of our brains, the human-made over the natural, and asocial interaction over actual connection, I’m thankful for the opportunity to still pursue alternatives to what I see as destructive. It becomes harder for me to lose all faith and succumb to despair when I become reminded of all that I do have, from basic needs of reliable food, water, and sanitation, to greater spoils available for entertainment and general enjoyment. In terms of genre, I’m particularly thankful these days for the many wonderful small, independent presses that just consistently put out amazing, interesting work, and of course the authors, illustrators, and many others that go into bringing those works to us. Trish Matson: I am thankful for my large and loving family; I realize that a lot of people aren’t as lucky as I am, to have been raised with kindness, generosity, love, laughter, and encouragement, and to still have a small safety net when some things have gone wrong in my life. Sure, there have been points of friction from time to time, but family ties can be wonderful. Found family is also a blessing, as are all types of love. I am incredibly thankful for all the love in my life and in the world.I am thankful for the education I received, not only for the good jobs that has helped me find in the past (and hopefully in the future), but also for how I learned to love the act of learning, and how much my knowledge base helps me to appreciate ingenuity and cultural connections wherever I encounter them. It makes me sad and frustrated when some people denigrate knowledge and education, but it gladdens me when I can share insights with other people and understand the points they’re making, and sometimes even help to elevate the discussions.I am thankful for the speculative fiction community. When people imagine different worlds and ways of life, they’re making room for their readers, viewers, players, and interacters to expand the possibilities here, now, and in the real, living future. I’ve seen some terrible, selfish, close-minded ways of being fans, but I have seen so many more people spreading appreciation, inspiration, and joy! I am thankful for this amazing universe. Truth can indeed be stranger than fiction, and far deeper and broader than our imaginations. I fear for the future of the Earth’s environment and climate, among other things, but I’m sure that if we can get enough people to understand the extraordinary gifts we’ve received just by existing here and now, we can come together, turn things around, and make things better. Paul Weimer: I am thankful for a person in my life. Sadly and tragically, circumstances mandate that I cannot name this wonderful person, but I want to acknowledge her existence and importance. She has lightened, gladdened, lifted and brought warmth and love to my heart. I adore her and I love her deeply and that love has been a balm, a source of strength, temperament and soul.I am thankful to the science fiction community who apparently decided, after the nonsense of last year, that I am good enough dammit, and so I won a Hugo Award. It still does not feel real, it feels like it happened to someone else, but there is photographic evidence of it, so it must have happened. I am thankful to all the people who nominated me, voted for me, and read and care about my genre work.I am thankful for the friends in my life. I don’t have much blood relations left who will talk to me—all I have is found family, and thus, friends. Their presence in my life should not be underestimated. Be they people I’ve driven hours to return a purse, or people on the other side of the world who kindly had me try vegemite with the best of intentions. I am thankful for all of them.Finally, I am thankful for everything that I have been able to see, photograph and visit. Not everyone has had the chances I have had, the adventures and misadventures I’ve had. I am lucky, very lucky and I should not underestimate or downplay that.
Into the Wardrobe: Grimbold’s Other World, by Nicholas Stuart Gray
“… Raised by a farming couple, he’s a dreamer, poet and storyteller who acts as the village goatherd. He is kind and likes to be useful. Sick at home one night, he’s visited by a talking cat who asks for his help, tells him how to ask the fire to cure his cold, and takes him across into the night-world to free another boy who’s trapped in a bad situation. …”
Book Review: Wheel of the Infinite, by Martha Wells
I urge readers who only know Wells for her wonderful Murderbot science fiction novels to give Wheel of the Infinite a try. It features Maskelle, a middle-aged, self-exiled priestess returning to the capital of the Celestial Empire for her Koshan religion’s most important rite.
Book Review: Sleeping Worlds Have No Memory, by Yaroslav Barsukov
What seems like fairly standard science fantasy, combining feudal lives in cities where people walk around open markets with tech like airships and massive building projects, turns into something akin to a trip to a dangerous, mysterious part of the Dreamlands. Back in the this world, things keep getting weirder and more wondrous…
Book Review: Songs for the Shadows: A Sauútiverse Novella, by Cheryl S. Ntumy
“I found the worldbuilding satisfyingly rich and intriguing … What I did find challenging was empathizing with the protagonist, although eventually I found myself at peace with her, as she found her own type of peace.”
