The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport, by Samit Basu, is a captivating science fiction retelling of the classic Arabian tale of Aladdin. It is set in a futuristic cyberpunk city called Shantiport which was once a focus of culture, trade, and importance. Now the city has become a wasteland, a dumping zone for the universe, and a…
Continue reading ➞ The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport – Rubs You The Right Way
Saint Death’s Daughter, by C.S.E. Cooney, is a complicated book to review. It is a clunker of a story with an almost 700-page count, and it has a strange identity that is going to be very appealing to a small niche of people but will frustrate a broader audience. Ultimately, its biggest point of contention…
Continue reading ➞ Saint Death’s Daughter – Straddling Humor And Drama
The covers of Mike Chen’s books have haunted my Goodreads feed and the genre’s “most anticipated” lists for years. The synopses beckon like a faint siren’s call, but I never found the time to pick one up and dive in. Well, this year I decided to break out of the vicious cycle, and by god…
Continue reading ➞ Light Years From Home – There’s No Warp Speed For Family Drama
I don’t know what’s in the water that some of these newer authors have been drinking, but boy am I jealous. Almost every sequel I’ve read in recent memory has been an absolute treat. Sometimes they just completely blow the debut out of the water, and others continue the legacy of the first, making no…
Continue reading ➞ Memoria — Once Again, With Even More Feeling
I know it’s not exactly the best way to get excited about a book, but I was immediately attracted to Fortuna, by Kristyn Merbeth, when the eighties synthwave cover was revealed. When Orbit threw in a blurb likening the work to that of Becky Chambers, I was done for. No need to complete the chokehold…
Continue reading ➞ Fortuna – It Favors the Bold, Also the Bad (But in a Good Way)
