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Book Review: One Level Down, by Mary G. Thompson

Cover of One Level Down by Mary G. Thompson, featuring a stack of cubes with clouds and skies on some sides and circuitry on others, with a little blond girl walking on one of the lower levels.

I found the focused self-control and resilience of the protagonist inspiring, and I was rewarded with a very satisfying conclusion. This is a novella with a compelling character and some really interesting ideas, and I will definitely be looking for more from Thompson.

Book Review: CASUAL, by Koji A. Dae

Cover of Casual, by Koji A. Dae, in tones of brown and yellow, featuring a circuitboard with a stylized canine (a fox) embedded in the circuitry.

Dae does a great job of writing in Valya’s voice (first person, past tense) so that it’s easy to sympathize with the protagonist, without necessarily agreeing with her choices. She clearly cares deeply for “baby-girl” and is trying hard to make good plans and be a good mother-to-be; however, she’s had a hard life…