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Starred Review: Temper by Nicky Drayden

Jul 062018
 

Cover of Temper by Nicky Drayden.Booklist: Drayden’s latest is a dark, riveting tale about two brothers at odds that explores what it truly means to possess virtues, what it truly means to possess vices, and what it truly means to be brothers.

Auben Mutze is a twin. His lesser status as the inferior twin is marked by six brands down his arm, and each brand symbolizes a vice he possesses. In contrast, Auben’s twin brother, Kasim, possesses only one vice. The single vice marks Kasim as the supposedly superior twin. The twins’ different stations in life and Auben’s jealousy morph their brotherly relationship into one steeped in rivalry. Their brotherly bond is threatened to the point of breaking when Auben begins to hear dangerous voices that whisper of evil, heinous deeds, encouraging him to walk a dark path. If Auben doesn’t rid himself of the voices, he could completely lose himself to them.

Drayden (The Prey of Gods, 2017) excels at making every twist and turn of the plot meaningful to the story. Moreover, the world-building is deliciously lush and complex; any possible initial confusion becomes part of the thrill of puzzling this world out.

Review: The Calculating Stars: A Lady Astronaut Novel by Mary Robinette Kowal

Jul 022018
 

Cover of The Calculating Stars: A Lady Astronaut Novel by Mary Robinette Kowal.Locus: So much about how Kowal structures Elma’s journey works, from her early days as a math whiz and the effect it had on her psyche, through her growth as a competent and confident professional. Equally lovely is the supportive and charming relationship between Nathaniel and Elma. You can’t help but root them both on.

The back third of The Calculating Stars is both intellectually and emotionally satisfying – and nicely sets up The Fated Sky, which is the second half of Elma’s story. Just one month after The Calculating Stars’ release, we’ll finally learn exactly how Elma got herself to Mars.

Review: Temper by Nicky Drayden

Jun 272018
 

Cover of Temper by Nicky Drayden.Library Journal: In a richly constructed world that resembles South Africa, everyone is born as a set of twins with seven vices and virtues divided unevenly between them. Those possessing more vices are considered to be the inferior twin, poorer, less respected and successful than their more virtuous sibling. One such twin, Auben Mutze, fights against this destiny—but when a demon possesses him, it may prove he is nothing more than the sum of his vices.

VERDICT: Drayden is an amazing writer and deft plotter. The twists are unexpected and never feel contrived, just as the novel explores real-world issues without sounding preachy.

Starred Review: Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett

Jun 262018
 

Cover of Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett.Publishers Weekly: Bennett’s stunning fantasy, the first in a series, is set in Tevanne, a city-state run by four merchant houses, funded by pillaging nearby lands and powered by scrivers who use sigils to make devices that defy reality.

When talented thief Sancia Grado steals a sentient golden key named Clef, she’s pursued by paladin-like police captain Gregor Dandolo, scion of the Dandolo merchant house. Clef and Sancia are both shocked when they find they can communicate telepathically. This and Sancia’s other abilities—linked to a painful scar on her skull—hint at strange, terrible things in her past.

The endlessly inventive Bennett (the Divine Cities trilogy) brings humor and empathy to his portrayal of Sancia, a dark-skinned woman who bears substantial physical and psychological scars from being enslaved and experimented on, and who deeply resents her unwanted talents. Sancia and Clef’s friendship is poignant, and her journey of self-realization serves as a backbone for nearly nonstop, cleverly choreographed action sequences.

This is a crackling, wonderfully weird blend of science fiction, fantasy, heist adventure, and a pointed commentary on what it means to be human in a culture obsessed with technology, money, and power.

Review: Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

Jun 222018
 

Cover of Artificial Condition by Martha Wells.B&N SFF Blog: Like the first book, this novella’s chief strength is Murderbot’s narration. Snarky, independent, and keen to be left alone, Murderbot is an AI like no other.

Wells has also shown skill writing from an alien point-of-view in her celebrated Raksura fantasy novels (nominated for a Best Series Hugo this year), and she has turned it to good effect with her title character here.

Wells’ has always excelled in creating character relationships with depth.

ARTIFICIAL CONDITION answers key questions about the characters and the world and sets up mysteries to be unpacked in future installments, and how lovely that personal autonomy gives us the freedom to follow Murderbot wherever they go next.

Review: Always Never Yours by Austin Siegemund-Broka and Emily Wibberley

Jun 212018
 

Cover of Always Never Yours by Austin Siegemund-Broka and Emily Wibberley.VOYA: Bold flirt and theatre director Megan prefers to be behind the scenes, but must take one acting credit to get into her dream college. Hoping to get the smallest part in her schools’ performance of Romeo and Juliet, she is stunned to find herself cast as the lead—and Romeo is not only her ex, but also her best friend’s current boyfriend.

Like a modern-day Rosaline, Megan tends to be the girl that guys date right before they find true love. Megan agrees to help budding playwright Owen Okita with his latest play in exchange for his help getting the attention of hot stagehand Will. Time with Owen becomes an increasingly enjoyable respite from school, family, and social stress. With her divorced father’s new family growing, it seems his new life does not include her. Her constant flirting with Owen could turn the newfound friendship into something bigger—but at what cost?

There are plenty of Romeo and Juliet-inspired YA books that only use the device as an initial hook. Always Never Yours, however, entwines the play throughout the plot, the characters, and the settings. It is refreshing to see a female character portrayed as fearless and comfortable with her own physicality. Glimpses into her vulnerability help keep Megan from being over the top. Supporting characters include a realistically diverse group of friends, and their interactions are authentic. Fans of Jenny Han and Kasie West will root for Megan’s happiness

Starred Review: Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett

Jun 192018
 

Cover of Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett.Kirkus: Bennett (City of Miracles, 2017, etc.) inaugurates another series of imaginative, thoroughly idiosyncratic fantasy novels.

Mona Lisa meets The Matrix in Bennett’s introduction to the carefully constructed world of Tevanne, a city-state dominated by four merchant houses—literally. The four big boy…are no match for Sancia Grado, a gamin version of the Tom Cruise of Mission Impossible, if not Spiderman.

Sancia scales walls and penetrates castle keeps with ease, and she’s not above dispatching a guard or two in the pursuit of her work: “She did have her stiletto, and she was an able sneak, and though she was small, she was strong for her size.” Bless her heart, Sancia shows mercy, pulls off the heist she was hired for, then retreats into the teeming, seething world between the walls of those great houses, whose masters have made a killing with a thing called “scriving”—“instructions written upon mindless objects that convinced them to disobey reality in select ways.”

Thus a carriage on a horizontal plane might be commanded to roll as if on a steep slope, removing the need for horses to pull it. But what if some corporate villain were to scrive a person in such a way that he or she might become a soldier impervious to pain or discomfort, an arrow that might travel with the wall-breaking force of a cannonball?

If you accept the notion that the laws of gravity are just suggestions, this makes for a grand entertainment.

Review: Always Never Yours by Austin Siegemund-Broka and Emily Wibberley

Jun 182018
 

Cover of Always Never Yours by Austin Siegemund-Broka and Emily Wibberley.Entertainment Weekly: The book is a love letter to high school drama classes, Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet most especially), the power of friendship, first love, and the empowering act of recognizing one’s own self-worth. Every page bursts with humor, squee-inducing romance, and an abiding sense of the deep love and joy of its two writers.

Designed to induce both heart-warming bursts of happiness and a sense of recognition and pangs of empathy for Megan’s struggles, Always Never Yours is a necessary, feel-good addition to the YA canon.

Review: Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee

Jun 122018
 

Cover of Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee.Locus: Revenant Gun is a fast, gripping story. Its shifting viewpoints – all seeing some part of the picture, none with a complete view or good insight into other people’s motivations – and potential for betrayals make it feel complex and demanding. At base, though, it’s a thriller crossed with a story about learning to live with consequences you didn’t choose.

It’s a story in part about mortality: it holds a contrast between someone who wants to die and someone who wants to never die, and the costs, to oneself or to others, of taking those desires to extremes. Jedao, like Cheris, is an extremely compelling character – as is, somewhat to my surprise, the robot servitor Hemiole, whose naiveté and determination make an interesting comparison with the other, more jaded characters.

I really enjoyed Revenant Gun, and I sincerely hope that Lee has the opportunity to write many more novels. This is excellent space opera, and I wish there were more like it.

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