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: 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!
Movie Review: The Congress
The news of the Writer Author’s Guild going on strike, followed by the SAG-AFSTRA Strike, and the desire for studios to use so-called A.I. not only in scripts and writing, but, more crucially, to scan the images of background actors without their knowledge and consent, convinced me that I needed to rewatch this 2013 movie that has proven rather prescient.
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.
BOOK REVIEW: THE UNBALANCING BY R.B. LEMBERG
I felt drawn to the mythology of Lemberg’s Birdverse and was intrigued by the structure of the island society, but most of all, I enjoyed the well-developed characters, their contrasts, and where their interactions led — to a relationship, to magical discoveries, and to a struggle for survival amid upheavals.
Book Review: The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
The Space Between Worlds brings an unexpected post-apocalyptic setting, and a very personally focused narrative story as developments and extensions on the old SF trope of multiverse travel.
