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laurareads87's reviews
563 reviews
The Year's Best African Speculative Fiction (2023) by Chinaza Eziaghighalaby, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I have thusfar read every volume of The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction and, like its predecessors, 2023’s collection is excellent.
I had already previously read and really enjoyed two stories in this collection – Wole Talabi’s, which is also published in his fantastic collection Convergence Problems, and P. Djèlí Clark’s Hugo-nominated “How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub” – but the rest were new to me. Starting the collection knowing that there were two five-star stories in it definitely meant I knew this collection would be strong.
As with any anthology, some stories really stood out to me and were my favourites and others I didn’t care for as much, but overall this is a really excellent collection (as are the other volumes in this series). As always, I’ve found a few new-to-me authors that I really look forward to reading more from. I appreciate the diversity of the stories featured in numerous respects – they include a range of genres (fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and several really genre-defying stories), diverse settings, diverse protagonists, and a breadth of themes – and absolutely recommend this anthology to speculative fiction readers.
Content warnings: violence, gun violence, police brutality, war, death, death of a child, death of a parent, blood, murder, animal cruelty, animal death, self harm, suicide, colonialism, racism, sexism, misogyny, gender based violence, abandonment
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment
The Murders of Molly Southbourne by Tade Thompson
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
What a creepy, creepy premise. There is a lot that's really effective here: consistent pacing, solid character development for a shorter text, some really unsettling scenes. I feel like this book has a lot of thematic undertones and implications that I'll be thinking on for a while; the plot itself is relatively straightforward but there are a lot of possibilities that kind of lurk around the edges of it that make it all the more unsettling. My only gripe with this is that the ending felt really abrupt; I'm not sure that the 'reveal' at the end was quite as effective as it could've been.
Content warnings: blood, gore, body horror, self-harm, murder, violence, death of a parent, death of a child, suicide
Content warnings: blood, gore, body horror, self-harm, murder, violence, death of a parent, death of a child, suicide
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Gore, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
The Sunforge by Sascha Stronach
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
3.5. I like a lot about this series so far - such an interesting world, diverse representation, compelling characters. I also feel like there might be a few too many interesting things going on - time jumps, POV jumps, and aspects to the plot that really complicate the POVs for reasons I won't spoil here... it's a lot.
I think I would've liked this novel a lot better had it included a brief "here's what happened in book 1" or even a list of characters, OR if I had read The Dawnhounds again before starting; reading the two 20-ish months apart definitely impacted my reading experience. This said, I also noted in my review of book 1 that the pacing made me feel like I missed something. There is also way too much I like about this series not to continue, so I'll look forward to book 3 and be sure to come back and read detailed synopses of the first two books before proceeding.
Content warnings: death, war, violence, gun violence, homophobia, medical content, some body horror
I think I would've liked this novel a lot better had it included a brief "here's what happened in book 1" or even a list of characters, OR if I had read The Dawnhounds again before starting; reading the two 20-ish months apart definitely impacted my reading experience. This said, I also noted in my review of book 1 that the pacing made me feel like I missed something. There is also way too much I like about this series not to continue, so I'll look forward to book 3 and be sure to come back and read detailed synopses of the first two books before proceeding.
Content warnings: death, war, violence, gun violence, homophobia, medical content, some body horror
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, and War
Moderate: Body horror and Medical content
Dancing On Our Turtle's Back: Stories of Nishnaabeg Re-Creation, Resurgence, and a New Emergence by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Blood and Mistletoe: The History of the Druids in Britain by Ronald Hutton
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Rigorous, well researched, and thorough - I would recommend Hutton's book to anyone interested in the subject of how the figure of the Druid has been taken up in different ways at different periods in British history. Hutton notes toward the end of the book that he could've just as easily titled it 'Thinking with Druids,' and this is certainly true as he traces the ideas that ancient Druids have inspired and the attitudes that various figures - archaeologists, religious leaders, writers, musicians, contemporary Druidry practitioners, and more - have taken toward them. With very little historical record of ancient Druids to go on (and the little there is to go on being questionable for a host of reasons), the figure of the Druid has meant - and means - many different things to different people. As a practicing Druid, I appreciate the respectful approach Hutton takes.
Content warnings: discussions of racism and colonialism
Content warnings: discussions of racism and colonialism
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism and Colonisation
Lone Women by Victor LaValle
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Lone Women follows Adelaide Henry, a young Black woman from California who comes to Montana to cultivate and eventually claim a plot of land. With her, she carries a steamer trunk tightly locked.
There are multiple layers of horror at work in this book. The setting alone is eerie, with cabins miles away from each other and from the nearest town; this creates a sense of ‘no one around to hear you scream’ type of isolation, and the land – in winter in particular – comes with real dangers. The community (at least most of it) is far from accepting, and Adelaide as a racialized woman must navigate real uncertainty about the motives of those around her. There are, finally, the more ‘supernatural’ aspects. This is my 2nd time reading Victor LaValle and I really enjoyed this.
Content warnings: racism, racial slurs, sexism, misogyny, violence, murder, blood, gore, body horror (relatively minor), injury detail, gun violence, animal death, child abuse, transphobia, deadnaming, xenophobia, colonialism
Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
to wound the autumnal city.
So howled out for the world to give him a name.
The in-dark answered with wind.
...so begins Dhalgren. I don’t know that a star rating can encapsulate my feelings about this book, but will attempt to convey something coherent about it.
Dhalgren follows Kid (or the Kid, or occasionally Kidd), a 27-year old Indigenous man who arrives in Bellona, a large city somewhere in the US where it’s clear some kind of disaster has happened. Kid doesn’t remember his name, but he remembers some aspects of his past. Strange phenomena occur in Bellona – a doubling of the moon, a massive sun, many fires, strange fog – and Kid knows his perception of time is different than others’.
There is a lot that is really compelling about Dhalgren. Delany is an extraordinary writer – his autobiographical writing is some of my favourite – and there are utterly poetic passages throughout the novel. There is a lot of commentary on racism, sexism, and classism; it is hard to read and perhaps a bit rooted in its time (Dhalgren was published in the 1970s) but thought-provoking nonetheless. There are lengthy musings on poetry, art, and the ways news media shape perceptions. There is at least one reference to the author itself and several to mythology, and the unconventional structure of the novel is brilliant, particularly toward the end.
This is also a very challenging book to read, and not just because of its non-linear structure. Kid, the protagonist, is a rapist , and following him around for 801 pages cannot be called pleasant. Sexual violence is a pervasive theme, as is racism and racist violence – these should not be easy things to read about, and they certainly aren’t here. I do not, as a reader, need or want all books I read to leave me comfortable and unchallenged, but I’m also not going to say I think that this book is unproblematic. The book addresses sexual consent as a theme and it becomes a topic of conversation at several points, but I don’t think it’s handled especially well overall.
Content warnings: sexism, misogyny, homophobia, biphobia, racial slurs, racism, antisemitism, ableism, death, murder, violence, child death, fire / fire injury, injury detail, blood, institutionalization, sexual violence, sexual assault, rape, and probably others I’m missing – quite graphic and very hard to read in places.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Reading Parable of the Talents for the second time – in 2024 – is a particular sort of experience. These books, when written in the 1990s, depicted a dystopian near-future that was disturbingly believable. Now, here we are in 2024. Parable of the Talents depicts the election of a president promising to ‘make America great again’ (yes, in those words) whose Christian supremacist thugs engage in every violence imaginable from ‘witch burnings’ to child abduction.
While the Parable books are shelved as science fictional and as dystopian and each of these classifications describe some components of the novels, I don’t think this really captures them in their entirety. I very seldom re-read. These books, I think, almost require re-reading – there is so so much to grapple with here in terms of power relations, activist strategy, spirituality, community-building, and so much more. Absolutely recommend, with the note that the content warnings these books require are extensive. They are not easy reading, but they are brilliant and they are important.
Content warnings: racism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, violence, murder, death, rape, sexual assault, sexual violence, human trafficking, slavery, kidnapping, grief, forcible confinement, physical abuse, emotional abuse, gaslighting, religious bigotry, child death, death of a parent, mental illness, medical content, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, suicide, gun violence, fire / fire injury, injury detail, blood, gore, incest, torture, domestic abuse
While the Parable books are shelved as science fictional and as dystopian and each of these classifications describe some components of the novels, I don’t think this really captures them in their entirety. I very seldom re-read. These books, I think, almost require re-reading – there is so so much to grapple with here in terms of power relations, activist strategy, spirituality, community-building, and so much more. Absolutely recommend, with the note that the content warnings these books require are extensive. They are not easy reading, but they are brilliant and they are important.
Content warnings: racism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, violence, murder, death, rape, sexual assault, sexual violence, human trafficking, slavery, kidnapping, grief, forcible confinement, physical abuse, emotional abuse, gaslighting, religious bigotry, child death, death of a parent, mental illness, medical content, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, suicide, gun violence, fire / fire injury, injury detail, blood, gore, incest, torture, domestic abuse
Echo of Worlds by M.R. Carey
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Wow, what an end to the duology! I have to say, the sequel for me actually outshines the first installment a bit. Carey has really done a lot here: really effective multi-POV storytelling, lots of excitement, meaningful diversity, and thoughtful treatment of ethical and philosophical questions. In the first book I found some POVs more compelling than others, but in this one each finds its place and they all work together well. I feel like everything about this duology feels very deliberate: nothing is filler, nothing is extra, everything works together toward the conclusion and what a conclusion it is. This duology is the first of Carey's work I've read and on this basis, I'll definitely be checking out more.
Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
Content warnings: violence, war, murder, death, gun violence, blood, injury detail, discussion of genocide
Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
Content warnings: violence, war, murder, death, gun violence, blood, injury detail, discussion of genocide
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
The Truth of the Aleke by Moses Ose Utomi
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Truth is a cruel teacher. It does not appease. It does not reconsider. Its lessons vary in delivery--sometimes trickling in over decades, sometimes crashing down all at once--but consistently disregard the desires of the student.
In The Truth of the Aleke, the protagonist is Osi, a junior Peacekeeper keen to rise in the ranks of the City of Truth and defend it against the threat of the Aleke. When the Aleke and its cultists commit a massacre and steal from the city and Osi is witness to the violence, he joins the city's defense earlier and more intensively than anticipated. It turns out the Aleke might not be exactly what he's been taught.
I really liked the first novella in this series, and liked this one even more. Utomi does so much here with some really complex themes - cycles of revenge, ideology - and the characters are multi-faceted and well developed in so few pages. I feel like I'll be thinking about this book for some time, and while I'm not a big re-reader this one is going on my list to revisit later. This is hands down the best novella I've read all year, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series.
Content warnings: violence, war, death, gore, child death, murder, grief
In The Truth of the Aleke, the protagonist is Osi, a junior Peacekeeper keen to rise in the ranks of the City of Truth and defend it against the threat of the Aleke. When the Aleke and its cultists commit a massacre and steal from the city and Osi is witness to the violence, he joins the city's defense earlier and more intensively than anticipated. It turns out the Aleke might not be exactly what he's been taught.
I really liked the first novella in this series, and liked this one even more. Utomi does so much here with some really complex themes - cycles of revenge, ideology - and the characters are multi-faceted and well developed in so few pages. I feel like I'll be thinking about this book for some time, and while I'm not a big re-reader this one is going on my list to revisit later. This is hands down the best novella I've read all year, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series.
Content warnings: violence, war, death, gore, child death, murder, grief
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Murder, and War
Moderate: Child death and Gore