Book Reviews: Ill Met and Well Met
I have to give Leiber a pass on the fridging in Ill Met in Lankhmar. But I don’t have to enjoy it.
One of the many reasons I still love Saber & Shadow is that its women don’t get fridged, because they are the protagonists. Their lovers don’t get fridged, either, because these women are into each other. It’s a joyful romp, albeit with a lot of tense moments, and a few traumatic memories for one character.
Book Review: Vampires of El Norte
I enjoyed reading Vampires of El Norte. The young lovers’ misunderstandings feel natural, not artificially belabored, and the problems they’re dealing with, of trying to negotiate societal and familial expectations and demands to find some degrees of choice, are depicted with understanding, compassion, and warmth. The monsters are scary, the action scenes are exciting, the love story is sweet, and I found the conclusion very satisfying.
Book Review: Silver Nitrate, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Moreno does a great job with the execution of this concept, with the slow build, the worldbuilding and atmosphere, the revelations, and most of all for me, the imperfect yet compelling characters. I loved it!
Book Review: Even Though I Knew the End, by C.L. Polk
I adored C.L. Polk’s Even Though I Knew the End, a sapphic noir novella set in an urban fantasy version of 1941 Chicago. It opens strongly, unwraps the mystery as a relationship drama unfolds, and includes some breathtaking prose along the way.
Review: The Mimicking of Known Successes, by Malka Older
Malka Older’s The Mimicking of Known Successes is a lovely cozy mystery and sapphic romance in a tonally nearish-future SF setting. If, like me, you struggled a bit with author Malka Older’s Centenal Cycle trilogy (I admit I haven’t made it past the first book, Infomocracy), please consider giving this novella a try. It was […]
Book Review: Where Peace Is Lost, by Valerie Valdes
I really enjoyed Valerie Valdes’ Chilling Effect trilogy, so I’ve been eager to check out her new novel,
Where Peace Is Lost, which debuts on Aug. 29. It was every bit as good as I had anticipated, but for
somewhat different reasons:
Although the Chilling Effect books are basically tasty popcorn in the form of
space opera, Where Peace Is Lost feels a little more chewy and substantial.
