Don't Forget to Read a Book!

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Russell Libonati's  Constructors. The Short of It Plot:  Colonization is a difficult enough prospect, but we definitely didn't do enough research on the resident life before we started. Page Count:  203 Worth a read : Yes. Primary Driver:  (Plot,  World, or  Character ) Bechdel Test : Fail Technobabble:  Mild to Moderate Review:  Surprisingly enjoyable and a breeze to read. Humor is executed well without being overwhelming, characters have distinct personalities, dialogue is generally crisp. Relies at some points on tropes, but has enough novel ideas to be worth a read - especially at this length. It's a fun afternoon. Even after reading everything else, it's nice to get a new take on alien life - which is, in its own way, an impressive feat, given just how much SF material exists already. The Medium of It Spoiler Free! This is a straight forward SF romp with enough new bits mixed in to keep things interesting. The feel is akin to t

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Larry Niven's  The Integral Trees. The Short of It Plot:  The Smoke Ring has everything needed for survival - except for ground. Survival itself is a struggle in constant freefall. Page Count:  272 Award:  1985 Hugo ---- None, actually. Wikipedia erroneously says this won in 1985. Worth a read : No Primary Driver:  (Plot,  World , or Character) Bechdel Test : Fail Technobabble:  You betchya. Review:  A fascinating and cleverly constructed world full of unique fauna and striking vistas. Unfortunately it is populated by a bland, interchangeable, and generally uncompelling cast of characters. This is a striking downfall in a survival story; tragedy and difficulty mean little if one is not invested in any of the players involved. Worth skimming at a library for a taste of the world, but that alone does not carry a novel - this felt much longer than its 270 pages. The Medium of It Spoiler Free! The Integral Trees  kicks off with promising material -

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Barry Hughart's  Bridge of Birds. The Short of It Plot:  Number Ten Ox sets out to help his village and ends up wrapped up in a centuries-old conflict. Page Count:  271 Award:  1985 World Fantasy Award Worth a read : Yes. Primary Driver:  ( Plot, World, or Character ) Bechdel Test : Fail Technobabble:  Fantasy Babble - yes Review:  A gem. Excellent writing, charming characters, engaging plot. Many books use Greco-Roman or Norse Mythology and it's a breath of fresh air to see an unrelated mythos and fables in a book. The world as depicted is both complex and fascinating. One of the most fun and novel books I've encountered. I was constantly surprised, but it never felt like cheating. At points heartbreaking, at points laugh-out-loud funny. The Medium of It Spoiler Free! Skip all this nonsense, go find yourself a copy, and give this a read. Like a dejected birdwatcher, you can do it with no egrets. If you're sticking around, though...

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Marion Zimmer Bradley's  The Mists of Avalon. The Short of It Plot: The legend of King Arthur often ignores the importance of the women who put him in power and kept him there. Page Count:  1009. One Thousand and Nine. One one, two zeroes, and a nine, in that order. In binary: 1111110001 Award: 1984 Locus Fantasy  Worth a read : Nope. Primary Driver:  (Plot , World, or Character ) Bechdel Test : Pass Technobabble:  N/A. Review:  For a book that is about the strong women surrounding King Arthur, dang are all the female characters weak. They are almost all motivated by some mix of: love, forbidden love, lust, desire for children, marriage, envy of beauty... every entry on the "women's reasons" list. Characters either blend together or eventually become caricatures of themselves - especially Gwenhwyfar, whose presence makes a scene unbearable. There are some really exceptional moments here, and some genuine surprises. But too few and

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about John Crowley's  Little, Big. The Short of It Plot:  A multigenerational family drama mixed with a healthy dose of magical realism.  Page Count: 627 Award:  1982 World Fantasy Award Worth a read : No Primary Driver:  (Plot,  World , or  Character ) [Charitably] Bechdel Test : Pass Technobabble:  Moderate Fantasy Babble. Review:  I loathed this book. Pacing could be charitably described as dreamy - but more aptly as between lethargic and catatonic. Characters are as plentiful as they are unimaginative and disposable. Plot is not really a feature: all of the standbys for family drama are here, from "You're Not the Father!" through "A Surprise Same-Sex Encounter?!" with a bit of "But She's My Sister!" thrown in for good measure. Quality of writing is decent, but some striking phrasing and evocative images are nowhere near enough to redeem this one. The Medium of It Spoiler Free! She was not much in his mind as

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Michael Shea's  Nifft the Lean.* * I ended up reading  The Incompleat Nifft, which is the original and it's sequel. The Short of It Plot: Nifft is a brilliant thief and an accomplished grifter. He'd probably be rich already, if his luck was a bit better. But the next score will be the big one! Page Count:  576 Award:  1982 World Fantasy Award (Nifft the Lean) Worth a read : Absolutely Primary Driver:  ( Plot ,  World , or  Character ) Bechdel Test : Fail Technobabble:  Minimal to moderate (if we're including fantasy babble). Review:  What an absolute joy to read. It's classic sword and sorcery in the best way. A number of shorter tales linked together throw Nifft all over the globe - and to hell and back - allowing the reader to see all sorts of different things. Pacing is quick, humor lands well. Character tropes are used to good effect, allowing quick 'n' dirty introductions to lots of different players. That said, the

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about John M. Ford's  The Dragon Waiting. The Short of It Plot: Shifting alliances butt heads in this alternate history, including England's Richard III, the Medici, the Byzantine Empire, and also vampires.  Page Count:  368 Award:  1984 World Fantasy Award Worth a read : If there were no other books left on Earth, and I had an unlimited supply of kindling, lighter fluid, and firewood, I'd still burn this.  Primary Driver:  (Plot,  World , or Character) Bechdel Test : Fail. Technobabble:  None. Review:  This book is just well and truly awful. The haughty condescension from the author about how grounded the historical aspects are clashed with some painfully bad attempts at changing the past. Mix in some truly baffling choices as to when to adhere to actual historical events and when to veer away, and you've got yourself a stew. Characters have no traits that aren't explicitly stated, and, in the name of "subterfuge" these cha

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about David Brin's  The Uplift War. The Short of It Plot:  It's all-out war pitting the Earthlings (both human and chimp) and their allies against the Gubru, a race of birdlike aliens... with no sense of humor. Page Count:  638 Award:  1988 Hugo, 1988 Locus SF  Worth a read : Yes Primary Driver:  ( Plot, World, or Character ) Bechdel Test : Pass Technobabble:  Moderate. Review:  Everything that makes the concept of Uplift delightful is still here. This is a good follow up to Startide Rising  - but not a necessary one. Quality of writing is better, but pacing fluctuates, an overwhelming cast of characters can be hard to track, and deuses jump out of machinas frequently. This does add more depth to the mechanics of Uplift, but not to the broader ideas that made Startide Rising so cool. The Medium of It Spoiler Free! Sorta! Spoilers for Startide Rising  might be included. I liked this book. I'm not sad that I read it. But... when compared to Sta