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jdhacker's reviews
1422 reviews
Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I never read the Belgariad, or any Eddings, as a kid when these were coming out, so I'm coming to these fresh.
Are they a kind of formulaic early-ish epic fantasy in style of Tolkein or even Jordan? Sure. Is that a style and a formula I loved and still do? Also a yes. Just because we've moved towards a different style and voice in the genre these days, doesn't mean this can't still also be enjoyed, and I very much am. So harken back to an earlier, and yes, less grim-dark, time in fantasy and read this epic.
Are they a kind of formulaic early-ish epic fantasy in style of Tolkein or even Jordan? Sure. Is that a style and a formula I loved and still do? Also a yes. Just because we've moved towards a different style and voice in the genre these days, doesn't mean this can't still also be enjoyed, and I very much am. So harken back to an earlier, and yes, less grim-dark, time in fantasy and read this epic.
The Alien Debt by F.M. Busby
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Amorphous: Breaking the Mold by Steven Burgess
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
As usual, disclosure that this is a review of a free ARC.
While the blurb for Amorphous is factually accurate, it is somewhat misleading. It would imply that there is consistently more action and focus on the mold invasion than actually occurs. Similarly, the 'quirky AI' (which given the rest of the book is a little more irritating than ingratiating) comes in roughly for the last twenty percent of the book, and the journalist so specifically called out gives us relatively limited internal monologue/experiences once the action actually happens.
The book is not badly written exactly, and at least some of the characters are interesting and engaging. Unfortunately, we spend the majority (easily three quarters, if not more) of the book bouncing between these characters perspectives in a progression of 'talking head' scenes. Various groups of our main characters sitting around tables, standing around other places, being in lecture halls, with nothing but protracted dialogue that only vaguely (and eventually...after the fact...) connects to the plot and themes. Its mostly philosophical and political conversations. This continues even in high stress, dangerous situations once the promised invasion actually does start, in a fairly unbelievable and unrealistic way. Because more than anything this philosophical dialogue is the clearly the point, some of the characters do feel more like caricatures of folks embracing certain stereotypical views. There's also a certain good faith nature to how these various folk engage in these discussions that, quite frankly, one does not typically find outside of academia. And while many (one might say, too many) of our characters are essentially academics or come from academic backgrounds, there are those who are most certainly not.
I'm also very confused by the near future world that's been constructed. In some ways it seems to have embraced strong (and one might say necessary) socialist practices, yet somehow still seems to glorify and embrace some of the worst aspects of capitalism and (at least in some areas) alt-right practices. There's really no reason it should be functioning? The characters, despite *all* of the dialogue about philosophy, seem to universally hold no real committed political feelings or leanings, one way or another.
I did particularly like the 'Kickin It' faux new segments the most, even if later the journalists both took real extreme turns in terms of personality that didn't seem accounted for via normal character development.
While the blurb for Amorphous is factually accurate, it is somewhat misleading. It would imply that there is consistently more action and focus on the mold invasion than actually occurs. Similarly, the 'quirky AI' (which given the rest of the book is a little more irritating than ingratiating) comes in roughly for the last twenty percent of the book, and the journalist so specifically called out gives us relatively limited internal monologue/experiences once the action actually happens.
The book is not badly written exactly, and at least some of the characters are interesting and engaging. Unfortunately, we spend the majority (easily three quarters, if not more) of the book bouncing between these characters perspectives in a progression of 'talking head' scenes. Various groups of our main characters sitting around tables, standing around other places, being in lecture halls, with nothing but protracted dialogue that only vaguely (and eventually...after the fact...) connects to the plot and themes. Its mostly philosophical and political conversations. This continues even in high stress, dangerous situations once the promised invasion actually does start, in a fairly unbelievable and unrealistic way. Because more than anything this philosophical dialogue is the clearly the point, some of the characters do feel more like caricatures of folks embracing certain stereotypical views. There's also a certain good faith nature to how these various folk engage in these discussions that, quite frankly, one does not typically find outside of academia. And while many (one might say, too many) of our characters are essentially academics or come from academic backgrounds, there are those who are most certainly not.
I'm also very confused by the near future world that's been constructed. In some ways it seems to have embraced strong (and one might say necessary) socialist practices, yet somehow still seems to glorify and embrace some of the worst aspects of capitalism and (at least in some areas) alt-right practices. There's really no reason it should be functioning? The characters, despite *all* of the dialogue about philosophy, seem to universally hold no real committed political feelings or leanings, one way or another.
I did particularly like the 'Kickin It' faux new segments the most, even if later the journalists both took real extreme turns in terms of personality that didn't seem accounted for via normal character development.
Star Rebel by F.M. Busby
adventurous
dark
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
A return to the shorter form definitely works in Busby's advantage.
This, and the subsequent book, seem to be prequels dealing with Bran Tregare's background and catching us up to where he is when we meet him in Rissa Kerguelen. I'm guessing the deviation from what we've been told of his background previously is supposed to be chalked up to a combination of him spreading misinformation about himself and the inevitable 'telephone' effect of information being relayed across the galaxy with time distortion thrown into the mix.
Its a fun pulpy adventure, and we get *some* more background on the Slaughterhouse, though again I feel like Busby is always shying away from really embracing the horrors of the society that's creating these personalities. If there's a weak point I think its cramming in too many of the characters from 'Rissa' in ways that make it feel artificial and that there should be more closeness and trust between them when we see them united again later.
This, and the subsequent book, seem to be prequels dealing with Bran Tregare's background and catching us up to where he is when we meet him in Rissa Kerguelen. I'm guessing the deviation from what we've been told of his background previously is supposed to be chalked up to a combination of him spreading misinformation about himself and the inevitable 'telephone' effect of information being relayed across the galaxy with time distortion thrown into the mix.
Its a fun pulpy adventure, and we get *some* more background on the Slaughterhouse, though again I feel like Busby is always shying away from really embracing the horrors of the society that's creating these personalities. If there's a weak point I think its cramming in too many of the characters from 'Rissa' in ways that make it feel artificial and that there should be more closeness and trust between them when we see them united again later.
Rissa Kerguelen by F.M. Busby
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This is a collection of three separate novels, much like The Demu Trilogy. After reading the two back to back, I actually think Busby's work suffers from the omnibus format somewhat. Despite all three stories flowing seemlessly into one another with minimal breaks in story, this kind of pulpy story was meant for short punchy action focused stories, not these 500+ page volumes and I think the pacing feels off as a consequence.
This definitely gives a lot more context for the Zelde M'Tana story I read previously. We get a little more direct view early on for just why everyone (including our protagonists) are kind of...I think 'terrible' is the wrong word, but 'hard' or 'ruthless' would be appropriate...people. Even still, we don't get a lot of context for just how awful and dystopian the world has gotten until the latter part of the final 'volume' in the series. And even then, its very after the fact and there are still some real blanks, things only vaguely hinted at rather than shown to us. I know that's not really the point of the books, but I think given just how objectionable the traits of many of our 'heroes' are a better idea of how objectionable the world had become would have been helpful. And some of the reveals of the 'Long View' about how Earth got where it did feel very...topical and relevant to the slope the US political system seems to be on presently.
While we do get a lot more Tregare here as a male protagonist, our main protagonist (and even a lot of the important ancillary characters) is still a woman, Rissa Kerguelen. I think its interesting that Busby's protagonists seem almost exclusively to be strong women, despite the overall misogyny of the pulps and that while they may not be the best written women (I'll leave that judgement up to female readers), they still seem better realized and written characters than his male characters.
This was totally solid pulp space opera, and I'll certainly read the remaining Hulzein Dynasty books I've laying around.
This definitely gives a lot more context for the Zelde M'Tana story I read previously. We get a little more direct view early on for just why everyone (including our protagonists) are kind of...I think 'terrible' is the wrong word, but 'hard' or 'ruthless' would be appropriate...people. Even still, we don't get a lot of context for just how awful and dystopian the world has gotten until the latter part of the final 'volume' in the series. And even then, its very after the fact and there are still some real blanks, things only vaguely hinted at rather than shown to us. I know that's not really the point of the books, but I think given just how objectionable the traits of many of our 'heroes' are a better idea of how objectionable the world had become would have been helpful. And some of the reveals of the 'Long View' about how Earth got where it did feel very...topical and relevant to the slope the US political system seems to be on presently.
While we do get a lot more Tregare here as a male protagonist, our main protagonist (and even a lot of the important ancillary characters) is still a woman, Rissa Kerguelen. I think its interesting that Busby's protagonists seem almost exclusively to be strong women, despite the overall misogyny of the pulps and that while they may not be the best written women (I'll leave that judgement up to female readers), they still seem better realized and written characters than his male characters.
This was totally solid pulp space opera, and I'll certainly read the remaining Hulzein Dynasty books I've laying around.
Demu Trilogy by F.M. Busby
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Another space opera from Busby, though presumably completed unrelated to most of his *other* mostly interconnected space operas. Its pulpy, mostly fast paced, though it does get bogged down in a few points, and has enough Heinlein-y, swinger-y, 70s sex and alien impregnation that a number of modern readers might be turned off (or turned on...).
I can't imagine this spread out over the three very small books it originally was, especially as these flow pretty seamlessly into one another, each picking up immediately where the previous story left off. Over the arc of the narrative we go from a near/alternate future where human's still lack any space travel beyond what we currently possess and no contact with aliens, through first contact via alien abduction, to alliances with multiple races, interbreeding (up to and including re-creating an elder/progenitor race that way) with aliens and settling a bunch of other worlds. All within about a decade! Like I said, fast paced and pulpy. You want some cool ray guns? You got 'em. You want lost civilizations? They're here. We get a little of the sort of questionable protagonists I found in Zelde M'Tana, but definitely more toned down than there.
I can't imagine this spread out over the three very small books it originally was, especially as these flow pretty seamlessly into one another, each picking up immediately where the previous story left off. Over the arc of the narrative we go from a near/alternate future where human's still lack any space travel beyond what we currently possess and no contact with aliens, through first contact via alien abduction, to alliances with multiple races, interbreeding (up to and including re-creating an elder/progenitor race that way) with aliens and settling a bunch of other worlds. All within about a decade! Like I said, fast paced and pulpy. You want some cool ray guns? You got 'em. You want lost civilizations? They're here. We get a little of the sort of questionable protagonists I found in Zelde M'Tana, but definitely more toned down than there.
Zelde M'Tana by F.M. Busby
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
More pulpy scifi from my aunt's house. Also my first F.M. Busby. I realize now I was supposed to read the Rissa Kerguelen stories first (which I also have) as apparently this character features in them at some point later in life and this is somewhat of a prequel. However, this works as a jumping off point too, as we're getting a solid life story here that doesn't seem to require any prior knowledge, Busby is doing a good job of making the world feel 'lived in' without much exposition.
This is interesting reading from a current time lense...Busby was a good friend and contemporary of Heinlein, as well as being very heavily influenced by and sitting firmly in the pulp world. That will give you some idea of what you're in for. We have a protagonist that you're going want to like, she's strong, she's female, she's lgbtqia+, she's a poc that embraces aspects of her appearance...but she's also a pretty terrible person. Though of course this is grounded in the idea that her life has also been pretty terrible, and as know, hurt people hurt people. I've seen quite a bit of criticism of those less than savory aspects of her character, other characters, and Busby's world in general. While I get where its coming from in modern readers, I also think I understand where somewhat of a disconnect is occurring.
Many of us are used to the Star Wars era of Space Opera. Because this is definitely not crunchy, hard, scifi. And in that Star Wars-esque Space Opera, we see a lot of classic tropes of good versus evil, heroes' journey, fable and fairy tale. And none of that is here. This future is a pretty goddamned bleak one. But, unlike something modern like the Expanse, we get only brief glimpses into how bad the world itself really is...Busby is good about showing, not telling, but in this case he 'shows' very minimally. A few brief looks at average conditions on earth and the shantytown on a colony world. Most of setting that's described and explored feels more like a gleaming star trek future, and less like an Alien hellscape. Yet, what we see about actual *people* from rape, slavery, mutinees leading to desperate escapes to other questionable conditions, widespread homelessness, clearly abusive institutions, its definitely not the sort of gleaming future we're used to seeing in space opera. I personally find the juxtaposition of setting to action and behaviors of characters really interesting rather than offputting. Its also fast paced and packed with action as one might expect from pulp era space opera.
I think as long as you go into the story knowing what to expect, and are willing to look at it through a broader lense, there's a lot to enjoy and to find of interest here.
This is interesting reading from a current time lense...Busby was a good friend and contemporary of Heinlein, as well as being very heavily influenced by and sitting firmly in the pulp world. That will give you some idea of what you're in for. We have a protagonist that you're going want to like, she's strong, she's female, she's lgbtqia+, she's a poc that embraces aspects of her appearance...but she's also a pretty terrible person. Though of course this is grounded in the idea that her life has also been pretty terrible, and as know, hurt people hurt people. I've seen quite a bit of criticism of those less than savory aspects of her character, other characters, and Busby's world in general. While I get where its coming from in modern readers, I also think I understand where somewhat of a disconnect is occurring.
Many of us are used to the Star Wars era of Space Opera. Because this is definitely not crunchy, hard, scifi. And in that Star Wars-esque Space Opera, we see a lot of classic tropes of good versus evil, heroes' journey, fable and fairy tale. And none of that is here. This future is a pretty goddamned bleak one. But, unlike something modern like the Expanse, we get only brief glimpses into how bad the world itself really is...Busby is good about showing, not telling, but in this case he 'shows' very minimally. A few brief looks at average conditions on earth and the shantytown on a colony world. Most of setting that's described and explored feels more like a gleaming star trek future, and less like an Alien hellscape. Yet, what we see about actual *people* from rape, slavery, mutinees leading to desperate escapes to other questionable conditions, widespread homelessness, clearly abusive institutions, its definitely not the sort of gleaming future we're used to seeing in space opera. I personally find the juxtaposition of setting to action and behaviors of characters really interesting rather than offputting. Its also fast paced and packed with action as one might expect from pulp era space opera.
I think as long as you go into the story knowing what to expect, and are willing to look at it through a broader lense, there's a lot to enjoy and to find of interest here.
32 White Horses on a Vermillion Hill: Volume Two by Duane Pesice
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Volume two of Planet X Publications fund raising anthology is pretty consistent with volume one. Again we see a few entries that seem thematically linked to the title and cause, but certainly not the majority of stories. Again we have a somewhat uneven distribution of styles and quality throughout. Like the first volume, I really struggled with my focus on some of these stories, some felt too abbreviated as if excerpted from something longer or perhaps ended prematurely for lack of space, and other left me wanting more from that particular author.
Kurt Fawver's "A Plague of the Most Beautiful Finery" feels like one of the best disguised leftist/anticap pieces of fiction I've ever read, and is truly a horror for our time (and fashion). Similarly, Jayaprakash Satyamurthy has what feels like a very topical treatment of the possible horrors of growing old in an overall aging population and the complications arising from the interactions of that and full bodily autonomy in "The Last to Die".
T.M. Morgan's "The Hammer Dulcimer" reminds me a sexier, gender swapped, "Fallen". But I'm a sucker for that movie so I really enjoyed this. And on the subject of well done pastiches, "The City of Xees" by Scott Couturier reads very much like a Dreamlands, Nightlands, or Clark Ashton Smith fragment in style and content. A.P. Sessler's, "The Figurehead" feels a bit like a (good) episode of the Friday the 13th show with its cursed masthead, and Ross T. Byer's "Growth; or, The Transubstantiation of Apartment 3c" feels like a perfect episode of Monsters...if Monsters had been an HBO show.
Brooke Warra's "Fertility" treads the ground of a few different horrors and is ultimately a satisfying meal.
"Zugzwang" by K. H. Vaughn is probably my favorite piece from the this collection. It maintains a steady sense of dread, yet ultimately the only horror we find is that of inter-generational trauma and guilt. Easily the most beautifully crafted and poignant inclusion. Its closely followed by, both in my estimation and spatially, "On a Bed of Bones" by Can Wiggins, a King-esque fantastic coming of age story.
John Paul Smith has a strong, inclusive, 80s in London period slasher/thriller piece in "The Outsider".
Jonathan Mayberry's "We All Make Sacrifices" is a very well done sleazy supernatural detective story that I'm absolutely sure could be spun out into a series that could ride the all too pervasive urban fantasy wave.
There's a really 'stellar' science fiction inclusion by Marguerite Reed in the form of a dystopic, solar system settled future al a The Expense, "Umbriel is the Darkest Moon", that I would love to read more of.
My last honorable mention goes to Andrew Reichart for a fun little fragment "Convince Me Not to Put a Bell on You" which includes no human characters. Instead, we have some undescribed creatures, intimations of some sort of bugs, and cats. And what horror fan isn't a sucker for cats?
Kurt Fawver's "A Plague of the Most Beautiful Finery" feels like one of the best disguised leftist/anticap pieces of fiction I've ever read, and is truly a horror for our time (and fashion). Similarly, Jayaprakash Satyamurthy has what feels like a very topical treatment of the possible horrors of growing old in an overall aging population and the complications arising from the interactions of that and full bodily autonomy in "The Last to Die".
T.M. Morgan's "The Hammer Dulcimer" reminds me a sexier, gender swapped, "Fallen". But I'm a sucker for that movie so I really enjoyed this. And on the subject of well done pastiches, "The City of Xees" by Scott Couturier reads very much like a Dreamlands, Nightlands, or Clark Ashton Smith fragment in style and content. A.P. Sessler's, "The Figurehead" feels a bit like a (good) episode of the Friday the 13th show with its cursed masthead, and Ross T. Byer's "Growth; or, The Transubstantiation of Apartment 3c" feels like a perfect episode of Monsters...if Monsters had been an HBO show.
Brooke Warra's "Fertility" treads the ground of a few different horrors and is ultimately a satisfying meal.
"Zugzwang" by K. H. Vaughn is probably my favorite piece from the this collection. It maintains a steady sense of dread, yet ultimately the only horror we find is that of inter-generational trauma and guilt. Easily the most beautifully crafted and poignant inclusion. Its closely followed by, both in my estimation and spatially, "On a Bed of Bones" by Can Wiggins, a King-esque fantastic coming of age story.
John Paul Smith has a strong, inclusive, 80s in London period slasher/thriller piece in "The Outsider".
Jonathan Mayberry's "We All Make Sacrifices" is a very well done sleazy supernatural detective story that I'm absolutely sure could be spun out into a series that could ride the all too pervasive urban fantasy wave.
There's a really 'stellar' science fiction inclusion by Marguerite Reed in the form of a dystopic, solar system settled future al a The Expense, "Umbriel is the Darkest Moon", that I would love to read more of.
My last honorable mention goes to Andrew Reichart for a fun little fragment "Convince Me Not to Put a Bell on You" which includes no human characters. Instead, we have some undescribed creatures, intimations of some sort of bugs, and cats. And what horror fan isn't a sucker for cats?
Mean Streets by Jim Butcher
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
A brief, okay, collection of relatively fast paced urban fantasy stories featuring four authors long running magical detective protagonists. I'm a little unsure what the goal of the collection was. While some of these novellas serve as reasonably good introductions to the worlds and characters that are otherwise centered in long running series, others are perhaps not the best pick if that was the goal. And I'm reasonably sure they're all available in other collections elsewhere.
Jim Butcher's Dresden novella isn't a bad one, in fact I quite enjoyed it when I read it in one of the two collections of short fiction specifically for Dresden stories. However, it seems like a weak choice for this collection. Its plopped right in the middle of ongoing events in the Dresden series and requires a lot of pre-existing knowledge of long-running characters and relationships to carry much weight.
Interesting, while I'm not a fan of Simon Green's Nightside series, I think the novella here works really well as a stand alone. I wonder if I'd feel the same way in general, that maybe that world works better for me in short form than long? The short form does solve some of the issues of repetitiveness that the full novels suffer from. Just be aware that mileage may vary between this as an introduction to that series, and the series itself, in terms of quality.
I had not read any of Kat Richardson's Greywalker books, but "Little Clay Dog" was a fun and touching introduction to that world that leaves me curious about. Which I would assume is the point.
I'm a little ambivalent about the final story by Sniegoski, both in quality and how well it serves to introduce and entice the reader into a new world they may want to explore.
Overall, I'd say skip this unless you find it cheap, you're a fan of these series already, and are a bit of a completionist. I think there are probably better collections that can serve as exposure if you're curious about these series, or for that matter you could pick up the first book of each, used, for cheap enough to go that route instead.
Jim Butcher's Dresden novella isn't a bad one, in fact I quite enjoyed it when I read it in one of the two collections of short fiction specifically for Dresden stories. However, it seems like a weak choice for this collection. Its plopped right in the middle of ongoing events in the Dresden series and requires a lot of pre-existing knowledge of long-running characters and relationships to carry much weight.
Interesting, while I'm not a fan of Simon Green's Nightside series, I think the novella here works really well as a stand alone. I wonder if I'd feel the same way in general, that maybe that world works better for me in short form than long? The short form does solve some of the issues of repetitiveness that the full novels suffer from. Just be aware that mileage may vary between this as an introduction to that series, and the series itself, in terms of quality.
I had not read any of Kat Richardson's Greywalker books, but "Little Clay Dog" was a fun and touching introduction to that world that leaves me curious about. Which I would assume is the point.
I'm a little ambivalent about the final story by Sniegoski, both in quality and how well it serves to introduce and entice the reader into a new world they may want to explore.
Overall, I'd say skip this unless you find it cheap, you're a fan of these series already, and are a bit of a completionist. I think there are probably better collections that can serve as exposure if you're curious about these series, or for that matter you could pick up the first book of each, used, for cheap enough to go that route instead.