Book Review: Sherwood by Meagan Spooner
Lady Marian is left heartbroken when her fiance, Robin of Loxley, is killed in the Crusades. Already feeling constrained by society’s expectations of her as a noblewoman, she finds herself also increasingly struggling against the unjust laws and taxes levied against Robin’s people—her people in all but name. When she sneaks out one night to help the fugitive Will Scarlet evade Guy of Gisborne, she is mistaken for Robin and drawn into a double life. This feminist retelling was everything I could have wanted. Marian doesn’t conform to traditional ideas of femininity. She has Opinions about the injustice she sees around her, but is smart enough not to be too vocal about it; she knows well enough that her voice will be ignored and that there is a limit to what talk will accomplish. She’s also uncommonly tall, is terrible at embroidery, has a head for figures and is a brilliant archer (natch). This makes it sound she’s Not Like Other Girls, and I feel she definitely skirts the line. However, the story belies this by showing how she’s supported by other intelligent women. Some of these women are more traditionally feminine, but, like Marian, are smart enough to know that speaking up will get them ignored (at best). Instead, they act strategically in an effort to support a more just world.
Reading Rangers #9: Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFReadingRangers9MemoryByLoisMcMasterBujold/SandF–Reading_Rangers_9–Memory_by_Lois_McMaster_Bujold.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSHello, Rangers! We’re back with everyone’s favorite Space Nancy Drew in Memory! Did you miss us? This time Paul, Trish, Kate, and Alex are joined by Trish’s lovely twin, Sarah Elkins! If you’ve been reading along, Miles Vorkosigan has been through quite a few ups and downs over the series, but things finally catch up to him and, after being caught in a big lie, Miles must come to terms with who he wants to be, Lord Vorkosigan or Admiral Naismith. The team discuss Bujold’s masterful differentiation between plot and story and how Memory acts as both a valediction and a bridge between the past and the future of the Vorkosiverse. Next time in our journey through the Vorkosigan Adventures, we’ll discuss Komarr! We hope you enjoy the episode!
Book Review: The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley
Kameron Hurley starts 2019 off with a flash of light and a hell of a story. The Light Brigade, releasing March 19, pulls readers into a future where corporations run the world instead of traditional governments, and Mars is an active warzone. To fight against the Martians, soldiers are broken down into light, scattered into atoms and transported to the battlefield, where their powerful weapons and strict training take over. But when Dietz joins up and starts experiencing back drops that don’t match up with the rest of her field team, she begins to get a different picture of the war. One that doesn’t match what the corporations are telling them. A page-turner if I’ve ever seen one, Hurley strikes gold with this one. With a classic yet stunning take on science, love, and loss, The Light Brigade will follow you across the galaxy, and hit you in the gut as many times as it pulls you back to your feet with a (mostly) friendly hand.
Book Review: The Silver Scar by Betsy Dornbusch
Betsy Dornbusch’s The Silver Scar distills her epic fantasy skills into a potent single-volume epic set in a post-apocalypse Colorado. Post-Apocalypse Colorado is a hell of a place. There are Wiccans and Indigos in the mountains, some of whom still engage in eco terrorism. The communities of Denver and Boulder, fortress cities in this fallen age, are bastions of a Christianity that has gained its taste for crusade against the benighted people around. There are slavers who come up from wealthy and powerful Mexico, an additional complication for whose would trade and travel in this fallen world. Technology has somewhat fallen—bullets are expensive, so medieval weaponry and armor are much easier to make. Horses are as common as solar powered motorcycles and trucks (drays).
Interview: S. L. Huang on ZERO SUM GAME
Today, on Skiffy and Fanty, we have an interview with author S.L. Huang. SL Huang is an Amazon-bestselling author whose debut novel, Zero Sum Game, is recently out from Tor. Her short fiction has sold to Strange Horizons, Analog, and The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2016. She is also an MIT graduate, stuntwoman, and firearms expert. She consented to an interview to talk about Zero Sum Game. 1. I’m very excited to see Zero Sum Game come out from Tor. What was the process like in changing and editing it from its original publication to its new release?
Guest Post: Jacey Bedford on completing the Rowankind Trilogy with Winterwood
Jacey Bedford tells us about the experience of completing the Rowankind Trilogy.
