Books 2016: never enough time
Sep. 6th, 2016 08:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hawkwing_lbBooks 2016: 96-115
96. Nisi Shawl, Everfair. Tor, 2016. Copy via Tor.com.
Read for review for Tor.com. Interesting and meaty and fascinating and magnificent.
97. Marie Brennan, Cold-Forged Flame. Tor.com, 2016. Copy via Tor.com
Read for review for Tor.com. Short and sharp and intense and fun.
98. Pol Robinson, Open Water. Bella Books, 2011. Ebook.
Lesbian romance involving the US women's Olympic rowing team and the Beijing Olympics. Sports romance, I guess? Not half-bad.
99. D. Jordan Redhawk, Broken Trails. Bella Books, 2013. Ebook.
Lesbian romance involving endurance sled racing in Alaska. Pretty fun.
100. D. Jordan Redhawk, Darkstone. Bella Books, 2015. Ebook.
Lesbian fantasy romance involving Los Angeles, music, fated chosen ones on opposite sides, and a magical gate to a realm of elves. It's better than that makes it sound, but it's really more than a little cheesy.
101. D. Jordan Redhawk, Freya's Tears. Bella Books, 2014. Ebook.
Lesbian science fiction romance. The setting and the plot reminded me a little of Firefly, only the setting isn't as well developed -- not that Firefly's setting really was -- and the plot is forgettable, because I can barely remember anything about it. (I'm not even sure if it's actually a romance. I'm guessing so, since all the author's other books tend in that direction.)
102. D. Jordan Redhawk, Lichii Ba'Cho. Bella Books, 2014. Ebook.
If this didn't start life as a Xena fanfic, I will eat my hat. (And I do not own a hat.) Post-apocalyptic biker gangs, really bad cyberpunk. Poorly developed, but the characterisation shows promise.
103. D. Jordan Redhawk, Orphan Maker. Bella Books, 2013. Ebook.
Lesbian romance. Post-disease-apocalypse where everyone post-puberty died. YA feel, somewhat underdeveloped in parts. Strong characterisation.
104. D. Jordan Redhawk, Tiopa Ki Lakota. Bella Books, 2013, originally published 2000. Ebook.
Historical "lesbian" (it may make more sense to read one of the characters as a trans man?) romance set mostly among the Lakota and partly among the white settlers of the American frontier. Pacing is an occasional issue, but the characterisation is great, and so is the cultural stuff.
105. D. Jordan Redhawk, Alaskan Bride. Bella Books, 2016. Ebook.
Lesbian romance set in the 19th century Alaskan frontier. Entertaining, solid characterisation, but there's not really enough there there to make it really work.
106-109. D. Jordan Redhawk, The Strange Path, Beloved Lady Mistress, Inner Sanctuary and Lady Dragon. Bella Books, 2012-2015. Ebook.
It's a YA lesbian not-a-vampire version of The Princess Diaries? I think? With more coming-of-age, murder, reincarnation, and magic. It's far more entertaining that it has any right to be.
110. Sheryl Wright, Don't Let Go. Bella Books, 2016. Ebook.
Lesbian romance involving a family-owned company, secrets, lies, and disability-acquired-through injury. Not half-bad.
111. M. E. Logan, Tempered Steele. Bella Books, 2015. Ebook.
Here's a peculiar beast. It's a collapse-of-society-as-we-know-it economics-of-scarcity novel, with indentured labour and anti-indentured-labour campaigners. (And lesbian relationships.) It's got an odd abuse-recovery and power-imbalance argument going on, and I'm not entirely sure what its emotional and thematic centre is... but it's an entertaining read.
112. Emily Skrutskie, The Abyss Surrounds Us. Flux, 2016.
Do you know how much I wanted to like this novel? I had it described to me as "pirates and seamonsters and lesbians" and I was SOLD. And it's a fun read, but the logic of its worldbuilding -- people train seamonsters to protect industrial shipping from pirates, but the potential for seamonsters as weapons of war is not hardly acknowledged -- is a little off. Plus, our main character trains seamonsters and gets kidnapped by pirates who want her to train one for them -- and she ends up killing joblots of people because she is in love with a teenage pirate whose life is being threatened to make the main character DO THE MURDER.
(Also the main character is more emotionally invested in seamonsters than people.)
So its moral centre is a wee bit off. I don't find killing many to save one all that justifiable.
On the other hand, seamonsters. The seamonsters are pretty great. So is the burgeoning friendship/relationship between Cas, the main character, and Swift, the pirate girl who is basically her permanent guard. The problems of the power imbalance between them are directly addressed and not glossed over, so that's good.
It's only at the novel's climax that it pisses away a really good thing with unexpected a) illogic and b) antiheroics.
113. Mary Robinette Kowal, Ghost Talkers. Tor, 2016. Copy via Tor.com.
WWI. Mediums. Spies. Murder. Death. Spirits of the dead. Ghosts. Hauntings. Explosions.
This is a fun book. The characterisation is a little bland, and the conclusion is a little rushed -- and the dénouement is a little too pat -- but it's fun. (There might be some leaps of logic.)
114-115. Jack Campbell, The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier: Steadfast and The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier: Leviathan. Titan Books, 2014-2015.
Space opera. Just like the other books in Campbell's series. Pretty terrible space opera, but sometimes one wants a honking great space battle and no mistake.
96. Nisi Shawl, Everfair. Tor, 2016. Copy via Tor.com.
Read for review for Tor.com. Interesting and meaty and fascinating and magnificent.
97. Marie Brennan, Cold-Forged Flame. Tor.com, 2016. Copy via Tor.com
Read for review for Tor.com. Short and sharp and intense and fun.
98. Pol Robinson, Open Water. Bella Books, 2011. Ebook.
Lesbian romance involving the US women's Olympic rowing team and the Beijing Olympics. Sports romance, I guess? Not half-bad.
99. D. Jordan Redhawk, Broken Trails. Bella Books, 2013. Ebook.
Lesbian romance involving endurance sled racing in Alaska. Pretty fun.
100. D. Jordan Redhawk, Darkstone. Bella Books, 2015. Ebook.
Lesbian fantasy romance involving Los Angeles, music, fated chosen ones on opposite sides, and a magical gate to a realm of elves. It's better than that makes it sound, but it's really more than a little cheesy.
101. D. Jordan Redhawk, Freya's Tears. Bella Books, 2014. Ebook.
Lesbian science fiction romance. The setting and the plot reminded me a little of Firefly, only the setting isn't as well developed -- not that Firefly's setting really was -- and the plot is forgettable, because I can barely remember anything about it. (I'm not even sure if it's actually a romance. I'm guessing so, since all the author's other books tend in that direction.)
102. D. Jordan Redhawk, Lichii Ba'Cho. Bella Books, 2014. Ebook.
If this didn't start life as a Xena fanfic, I will eat my hat. (And I do not own a hat.) Post-apocalyptic biker gangs, really bad cyberpunk. Poorly developed, but the characterisation shows promise.
103. D. Jordan Redhawk, Orphan Maker. Bella Books, 2013. Ebook.
Lesbian romance. Post-disease-apocalypse where everyone post-puberty died. YA feel, somewhat underdeveloped in parts. Strong characterisation.
104. D. Jordan Redhawk, Tiopa Ki Lakota. Bella Books, 2013, originally published 2000. Ebook.
Historical "lesbian" (it may make more sense to read one of the characters as a trans man?) romance set mostly among the Lakota and partly among the white settlers of the American frontier. Pacing is an occasional issue, but the characterisation is great, and so is the cultural stuff.
105. D. Jordan Redhawk, Alaskan Bride. Bella Books, 2016. Ebook.
Lesbian romance set in the 19th century Alaskan frontier. Entertaining, solid characterisation, but there's not really enough there there to make it really work.
106-109. D. Jordan Redhawk, The Strange Path, Beloved Lady Mistress, Inner Sanctuary and Lady Dragon. Bella Books, 2012-2015. Ebook.
It's a YA lesbian not-a-vampire version of The Princess Diaries? I think? With more coming-of-age, murder, reincarnation, and magic. It's far more entertaining that it has any right to be.
110. Sheryl Wright, Don't Let Go. Bella Books, 2016. Ebook.
Lesbian romance involving a family-owned company, secrets, lies, and disability-acquired-through injury. Not half-bad.
111. M. E. Logan, Tempered Steele. Bella Books, 2015. Ebook.
Here's a peculiar beast. It's a collapse-of-society-as-we-know-it economics-of-scarcity novel, with indentured labour and anti-indentured-labour campaigners. (And lesbian relationships.) It's got an odd abuse-recovery and power-imbalance argument going on, and I'm not entirely sure what its emotional and thematic centre is... but it's an entertaining read.
112. Emily Skrutskie, The Abyss Surrounds Us. Flux, 2016.
Do you know how much I wanted to like this novel? I had it described to me as "pirates and seamonsters and lesbians" and I was SOLD. And it's a fun read, but the logic of its worldbuilding -- people train seamonsters to protect industrial shipping from pirates, but the potential for seamonsters as weapons of war is not hardly acknowledged -- is a little off. Plus, our main character trains seamonsters and gets kidnapped by pirates who want her to train one for them -- and she ends up killing joblots of people because she is in love with a teenage pirate whose life is being threatened to make the main character DO THE MURDER.
(Also the main character is more emotionally invested in seamonsters than people.)
So its moral centre is a wee bit off. I don't find killing many to save one all that justifiable.
On the other hand, seamonsters. The seamonsters are pretty great. So is the burgeoning friendship/relationship between Cas, the main character, and Swift, the pirate girl who is basically her permanent guard. The problems of the power imbalance between them are directly addressed and not glossed over, so that's good.
It's only at the novel's climax that it pisses away a really good thing with unexpected a) illogic and b) antiheroics.
113. Mary Robinette Kowal, Ghost Talkers. Tor, 2016. Copy via Tor.com.
WWI. Mediums. Spies. Murder. Death. Spirits of the dead. Ghosts. Hauntings. Explosions.
This is a fun book. The characterisation is a little bland, and the conclusion is a little rushed -- and the dénouement is a little too pat -- but it's fun. (There might be some leaps of logic.)
114-115. Jack Campbell, The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier: Steadfast and The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier: Leviathan. Titan Books, 2014-2015.
Space opera. Just like the other books in Campbell's series. Pretty terrible space opera, but sometimes one wants a honking great space battle and no mistake.
