Ah, this was great! Winterson's writing is sharp and funny, her characters are well drawn and there is plenty to ponder here about the essence of humaAh, this was great! Winterson's writing is sharp and funny, her characters are well drawn and there is plenty to ponder here about the essence of humanity, identity and love.
I listened to the audiobook which was superb - highly recommend this format....more
Definitely my favourite ever time-travelling serial-killer thriller!! I loved the way Beukes played with different genres in this book, and h4.5 stars
Definitely my favourite ever time-travelling serial-killer thriller!! I loved the way Beukes played with different genres in this book, and her attention to historical and geographical detail was superb. What I found really refreshing was how much backstory each murder victim was given. These were all interesting, vibrant and strong females, and the reader really got a sense of the loss of potential in the way their lives were ended so senselessly. Yes, this was a violent and horrific book in many ways, but never was the violence fetishized and the perpetrator was just a totally revolting man - we never feel any empathy for him.
A recommended read (if you have the stomach for it!!)...more
I read this short story in the anthologySisters of the Revolution: A Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology.Frankly, it is terrifying!! It tells theI read this short story in the anthologySisters of the Revolution: A Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology.Frankly, it is terrifying!! It tells the story of a future world where something seems to be driving men to femicide, and cults are growing up that justify this - for example in America are the Sons of Adam who believe that God is telling them to eliminate women. The growing sense of fear and chaos feels only too realistic, especially considering this is only a short story. I've never read any James Tiptree Jr, but I am keen to do so after reading this....more
Have you ever seen a little girl run so fast she falls down? There's an instant, a fraction of a second before the world catches hold of her again...aHave you ever seen a little girl run so fast she falls down? There's an instant, a fraction of a second before the world catches hold of her again...a moment when she's outrun every doubt and fear she's ever had about herself and she FLIES. In that one moment, EVERY little girl flies. I need to find that again. Like taking a car out into the desert to see how fast it can go, I need to find the edge of me and see where I belong.
I read this book for the read harder challenge task to "read a superhero comic with a female lead". I haven't read much in the way of superhero comics, but I have to say I loved this. The artwork is superb and the story is fun, exciting and intelligent. Captain Marvel is an awesome female lead and I can't wait to read more in this series!...more
This is a really excellent and diverse collection of sci-fi and fantasy stories with a feminist slant. A lot of the stories (as might be expected) areThis is a really excellent and diverse collection of sci-fi and fantasy stories with a feminist slant. A lot of the stories (as might be expected) are dystopian, but not all. There is a good mix of well known and lesser known authors, and there are many stories in translation too. As with any anthology, I enjoyed some stories a lot more than others, but the overall quality was very high and I would recommend this anthology to anyone who enjoys speculative fiction....more
I feel like I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. I loved the whole premise (a space opera where all the characters are women3.5 stars
I feel like I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. I loved the whole premise (a space opera where all the characters are women - yesss!) and the world building was fantastic. However, I found the first part of the book almost painfully slow and very nearly abandoned it, whilst I found the ending a little rushed. For me, the two different first person narrators didn't quite work, especially with one having amnesia and the other having something to hide. It stopped me from really feeling enough of a connection, I think, although I did really enjoy the whole midsection hero(ine)'s quest.
Overall then, I thought it was an interesting enough book, just with not quite the wow factor I was hoping for....more
“The Power” is set in a future where, one day, teenage girls find that they have developed a skein in their neck that gives them the power t3.5 stars.
“The Power” is set in a future where, one day, teenage girls find that they have developed a skein in their neck that gives them the power to hurt and even kill people with an electrical jolt. The world changes overnight and the story of that change is told from four different perspectives.
The book certainly makes you think about issues relating to gender, violence and control, without providing too many easy answers. I did find it a little uneven in how the story was spread between the four characters, and I think it might have benefited from either being a little longer to allow more world building, or for the focus to have been narrowed to two or three viewpoints. I liked the touches of humour and irony throughout.
Given how much hype the book has received, its endorsement by Margaret Atwood and the fact that it won the Baileys Prize, I did feel a little let down that I didn’t love The Power. I did find it entertaining and thought provoking but, as I said, a little uneven and some of the characters seemed rather stereotyped and thinly drawn.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Adjoa Andoh, and would recommend that format. I thought the narration was excellent. ...more
This was quite an enjoyable techno-political dystopian thriller. Occasionally, it felt a bit too much like watching the news - what with the US electiThis was quite an enjoyable techno-political dystopian thriller. Occasionally, it felt a bit too much like watching the news - what with the US elections, Brexit and so on! However, although it was an interesting read, I felt the characters were a little bit flat, and at times I just found it a bit boring (though maybe that comes from feeling a bit politicked-out in real life). I do think it was well written though, especially for a first novel, and I would certainly consider reading more from Malka Ann Older in the future....more
The Book of Phoenix is a beautifully written tale, combining elements of fantasy & mythology with very cool science fiction (Anansi droids, anyone?).The Book of Phoenix is a beautifully written tale, combining elements of fantasy & mythology with very cool science fiction (Anansi droids, anyone?). It is a story of love, death, friendship and a battle for justice/redemption. I really enjoyed this one and can see why it has been nominated for the Arthur C Clarke award - totally deserving....more
I enjoyed this book more than I was expecting to. I had no real idea what was happening, or why, or where it was going but tha3.5 stars, rounded down.
I enjoyed this book more than I was expecting to. I had no real idea what was happening, or why, or where it was going but that didn't stop me from enjoying the ride! I liked Hutchinson's writing style and very dry English wit. The "science fiction" element didn't really kick in until the last fifth of the book, but that aspect was intriguing enough that I'm keen to read the next installment....more
This was a really well written book, with a fascinating premise. I enjoyed all the historical detail. I did find it rather slow paced, but not necessaThis was a really well written book, with a fascinating premise. I enjoyed all the historical detail. I did find it rather slow paced, but not necessarily in a bad way, as the writing was good enough to want to enjoy the journey....more
You need to have some patience to get the most out of Arcadia. There are three separate strands in the book - a future sci-fi dystopia, a me4.5 stars.
You need to have some patience to get the most out of Arcadia. There are three separate strands in the book - a future sci-fi dystopia, a medieval-feeling fantasy world, and 1950s Oxford (not forgetting to throw in a little espionage and romance!) For at least 200 pages, the reader has no idea how the three worlds fit together. However, because the writing is so delightful, that never felt like a problem or a chore, and slowly seeing how everything fitted together was rather lovely. The book is full of literary and cultural references, but these are subtle and playful, rather than self-consciously clever. The characters are well developed and in particular, it was great to have such amazing female characters of different ages.
Overall, I found Aracadia to be an intelligent, funny and utterly charming read. I would recommend to lovers of fantasy, sci-fi, thrillers, historical fiction and romance. That covers pretty much everyone, right?...more
This book was a real treasure - great worldbuilding, fascinating characters, and an immensly satisfying ending.
I listened to the audio version of thisThis book was a real treasure - great worldbuilding, fascinating characters, and an immensly satisfying ending.
I listened to the audio version of this, narrated by J.G.Hertzler, and I think he did a really great job of the different voices, so that each character was completely distinct....more
I feel kind of bad for only giving this book 3 stars. It won loads of awards, and lots of my friends here on Goodreads rate it very highly. I do thinkI feel kind of bad for only giving this book 3 stars. It won loads of awards, and lots of my friends here on Goodreads rate it very highly. I do think it was interesting, intelligent and well written. However, I rate books purely on my enjoyment of them, and for some reason this book just didn't quite resonate with me. Ah well....more
Well, this was fun - in a slightly cheesy 1970s way:-)
Dreamsnake is set in a future post-apocalyptic landscape, but it reads mo3.5 stars, rounded up.
Well, this was fun - in a slightly cheesy 1970s way:-)
Dreamsnake is set in a future post-apocalyptic landscape, but it reads more like fantasy. It was more hopeful and upbeat than most such tales, and I enjoyed that about it. I like snakes, and I liked that they were used in healing work in this story. And the key to breading the "dreamsnakes" was fascinating and delightful. I really couldn't buy the romance aspect of the story, though, it just felt too contrived.
I listened to the audiobook of this - the narrator was OK, but definitely needed speeding up!...more
Entertaining and funny, but Yorick is a bit too irritating to be likeable. Maybe he will grow up a bit over the series...I'll keep going anyway.Entertaining and funny, but Yorick is a bit too irritating to be likeable. Maybe he will grow up a bit over the series...I'll keep going anyway....more
2.5 stars (ie halfway between "it was ok" and "liked it" ). I'm rounding up to 3 because I wonder if my enjoyment suffered slightly from doing this on2.5 stars (ie halfway between "it was ok" and "liked it" ). I'm rounding up to 3 because I wonder if my enjoyment suffered slightly from doing this on audio (the narrator had a very odd & distracting way of saying the last word of each sentence in a lower tone than the rest - I would not recommend this format for this book).
This debut novel from Margeurite Reed had some interesting ideas but I think maybe it suffered from the author trying to include All The Ideas - so we had issues of race, sexuality, grief, genetic manipulation, the ethics of meat eating, colonisation, whether violence can ever be justifiedand more!
I did like that the main protagonist was different from the sci-fi norm. She was a kickass scientist/commander whilst also being (single) mother to a boisterous toddler and those two aspects were explored side by side. I really didn't enjoy the(view spoiler)[ whole sexual tension between Vashti and the Beast - I found it a bit cringeworthy(hide spoiler)].Call me old fashioned, but I found some of this book a bit crude(view spoiler)[ for example where Vashti is trying to kill the Beast and he rips her shirt open, exposing her breasts. What exactly did that achieve? It felt rather gratuitous.(hide spoiler)]
So yeah, slightly mixed feelings about this one. I probably won't continue with the series unless subsequent books get rave reviews!...more
I really enjoyed this book. It had the pace and excitement of a decent thriller, together with a really imaginative alien planet concept. I found theI really enjoyed this book. It had the pace and excitement of a decent thriller, together with a really imaginative alien planet concept. I found the science at times a bit mind-boggling (in a good way!) and also found the moral and ethical questions very thought-provoking. I enjoyed the writing style (or maybe it is the style of the translator, Ken Liu) in as much as it felt like there wasn't a single superfluous word in the book. I notice that the next book has a different translator so it will be interesting to compare.
I would have liked to get to know some of the characters a little bit more - some, I felt, needed a little more fleshing-out - and that was the only thing holding it back from a 5 star rating for me.
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