Book Review: Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

The Locked Tomb Trilogy by Tamsyn Muir continues with Harrow the Ninth. This takes place shortly after the events of Gideon the Ninth and quickly starts tackling some of the loose ends left from that book, all while introducing new things to be excited about. Combining science fiction, fantasy, horror, and who knows what else, this book will surprise you.

Read on for my spoiler-free review, but bear in mind that, as a sequel, I consider events from the prior novel fair game.

Book Review: The Last Days of New Paris by China Mieville

I've had The Last Days of New Paris on my to-read list for a while. I'm a fan of China Mieville and enjoyed many of his books, particularly The City and The City and The Scar. This is a novella, so it's much shorter than before and I decided to go ahead and just dive right into it.

Read on for my spoiler-free review.

Book Review: To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

To Say Nothing of the Dog, or, How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last by Connie Willis is the second of her Oxford Time Travel series and came recommended to me from a friend. I was originally going to skip over it, since I had heard such good things about Blackout/All Clear and had enjoyed Doomsday Book, but was encouraged to give this one a try first. And I'm glad I did. It was surprisingly fun and enjoyable up to the last page! This was also my first time getting a book from the library here, which was also a good experience.

Read on for my spoiler-free review.

Book Review: A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

This book has been on my to-read list for a while since, along with Gideon The Ninth, it's received a lot of praise and award nominations. I did have to put a pause while I read a collection of short stories, but that did not detract from my enjoyment. Here's the Goodreads blurb:

Ambassador Mahit Dzmare arrives in the center of the multi-system Teixcalaanli Empire only to discover that her predecessor, the previous ambassador from their small but fiercely independent mining Station, has died. But no one will admit that his death wasn't an accident—or that Mahit might be next to die, during a time of political instability in the highest echelons of the imperial court.

Now, Mahit must discover who is behind the murder, rescue herself, and save her Station from Teixcalaan's unceasing expansion—all while navigating an alien culture that is all too seductive, engaging in intrigues of her own, and hiding a deadly technological secret—one that might spell the end of her Station and her way of life—or rescue it from annihilation.

Read on for my spoiler-free review.

Book Review: The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

I'm a fan of many of N.K. Jemisin's books so when I heard she was working on a fantasy novel about New York I was intrigued. When I read the preview chapter over at Orbit Books, I knew I had to get it. Having lived in New York myself, I was hopping I would get a better appreciation for it and I think I certainly did. Without further ado, here is the Goodreads blurb:

Every city has a soul. Some are as ancient as myths, and others are as new and destructive as children. New York City? She's got five.
But every city also has a dark side. A roiling, ancient evil stirs beneath the earth, threatening to destroy the city and her five protectors unless they can come together and stop it once and for all.

Read on for my spoiler-free review.

Book Review: Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

In light of the current COVID-19 crisis, I thought to entertain myself with some lighthearted, fun books. For fantasy, one of the best examples of this is the Discworld series of novels by Terry Pratchett. I still haven't read most of these, even though I own ebook versions of several. I decided to try out the first in the 'City Watch' sub-series to see what it's all about and it all kicks of with Guards! Guards!

Read on for my full review.

Book Review: Gideon The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

I picked up this book after constantly hearing about it on various social media channels and websites. It's considered one of the best books from 2019 and is a finalist for the Nebula awards. Combining fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and horror with a personal tale of fraught relationships I can see why this book is so well regarded.

Read on for my full review.

Book Review: Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

I had first heard about Connie Willis from a Hugo award she won for Blackout/All Clear. I knew it was time travel novel but never picked it up. A friend from work, however, strongly recommended her books and lent me her copy of Doomsday Book, which won the Hugo and Nebula awards. And what a ride it has been! This book was not what I expected and ended up being a really good read. Here's the blurb:

For Kivrin, preparing an on-site study of one of the deadliest eras in humanity's history was as simple as receiving inoculations against the diseases of the fourteenth century and inventing an alibi for a woman traveling alone. For her instructors in the twenty-first century, it meant painstaking calculations and careful monitoring of the rendezvous location where Kivrin would be received.
But a crisis strangely linking past and future strands Kivrin in a bygone age as her fellows try desperately to rescue her. In a time of superstition and fear, Kivrin -- barely of age herself -- finds she has become an unlikely angel of hope during one of history's darkest hours.
Five years in the writing by one of science fiction's most honored authors, Doomsday Book is a storytelling triumph. Connie Willis draws upon her understanding of the universalities of human nature to explore the ageless issues of evil, suffering and the indomitable will of the human spirit.

Read on for my full review.