A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske is utterly delightful and one of the best books I’ve read in 2021. I am blinded by the joy this book brought me, and I can’t help but feel warm and fuzzy all over. I know it’s cliche but Marske’s story is truly magical and conjures all the right…
Making the transition from novella series to a full-fledged novel is not an easy one, but today we have another example of someone who got it right. A Master of Djinn, by P. Djèlí Clark, is the fourth story in the Dead Djinn universe and the first full book. It is set in 1912 in…
Light from Uncommon Stars, by Ryka Aoki, is a very strange book in the best way possible. It’s a story about music, trans individuals, aliens, loneliness, video games, Faustian bargains, San Gabriel Valley, donut shops, and more. It is wholly its own thing, despite the blurb on the back saying it’s Good Omens meets The…
Continue reading ➞ Light From Uncommon Stars – Rare Brilliance
Gangsters, ghosts, and gods. That’s what you’re up against in Black Water Sister by Zen Cho. Be prepared to deal with at least two threats at any given time. And when a god shows up, well, just start praying. Cho’s standalone story is a brilliant blend of reality and the supernatural set against the vibrancy…
It's only as I write this that I realize that I am a complete idiot and the title of this book, She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan, is the mother of all puns. It’s about a woman who rose to fame and fortune by shining brighter than the sun, by pretending to be…
Continue reading ➞ She Who Became The Sun – Hotter Than A Drought
Hello all. As June rolls to a close, and PRIDE content starts to wind down, we compiled a list of some of our favorite representations in the science fiction and fantasy genres as a resource. All of these books and authors are fantastic on their own, but their added dedication to good representation helps them…
If you are in the market for something different, Star Eater by Kerstin Hall has you covered. Set in a grimdark world, the book is about an authoritarian and aristocratic order of nuns that consumes the flesh of their order members to maintain superpowers similar to Spider-man. So, it's certainly different from anything else I…
At a high level, it is really easy to tell if you should read The Witness for the Dead, by Katherine Addison. Have you read Addison’s famous book, The Goblin Emperor? If you have and like it, you will like this book a lot. If you haven’t, well, you should go read Emperor first. I…
Continue reading ➞ The Witness For The Dead – Come Take A Look
Sometimes you read a book, and you’re not entirely sure how you feel about it. It’s hard to put into words how you would recommend it. Over time, you realize your gut feelings are just going to be the way you feel about it for a while. And it’s not necessarily the book’s fault; it’s…
Continue reading ➞ Pale Light In The Black – If Only It Were A Little Brighter
I am very appreciative of Adrian Tchaikovsky continually putting out solid standalone science fiction novels. His latest book, The Doors of Eden, is the next in a long chain of satisfying and meaty stories that are nicely contained in a single novel. Tchaikovsky’s latest novel has cemented him in my mind as a reliable author…
Continue reading ➞ The Doors of Eden – A Window Into What Could Have Been
