manuphoto's reviews
871 reviews

Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Building on The Curse of Chalion, Bujold sends us back into the world of the Five Gods, this time with Ista at the helm. *Paladin of Souls* is compelling, funny, and interesting but not perfect.

As with other novels by Bujold, her strength lies in the characters. Although I liked Cazaril in The Curse of Chalion, I found him a bit too perfect and straightforward—the perfect knight, but not particularly great or original. Ista is a much more interesting character. She’s flawed, troubled, and brilliant. She’s definitely a great asset to the novel.

The rest of the cast is also well-balanced, with each character having a clear role and some nice twists along the way.

My main gripe comes from the plot and pacing, especially in the middle section of the book. The beginning of the novel feels like an excuse for adventure. Even the other characters are flabbergasted by Ista’s decision to leave for a pilgrimage. Although it’s an excuse, it feels a bit forced. But we go along, as the adventure itself grabs us pretty quickly.

However, once the events of the first part of the book have happened and we get to Castle Porifors, the pace slows down in a peculiar way. Don’t get me wrong; there are compelling story elements here, but the rhythm feels a bit odd. And they stay there for quite a long time, almost the entire middle section of the novel. Part of the problem is me; I’m not much of a fantasy reader, so my patience for showcasing magical concepts is probably too short.

But luckily, things start moving again before it becomes boring. I have to say that Bujold is great at making world-building effortless, something I really appreciate in a fantasy novel. New characters and places are introduced very smoothly. That, plus the well-defined and compelling characters, makes for an easy and enjoyable read when things are moving along.

The third act is quite good, with lots of action. A couple of twists I saw coming a mile away and a couple I didn’t. But the ending is satisfying overall.

I did like this book; I didn’t love it, but I did love some elements in it. Ista is definitely a great character, as are Liss, dy Calbon, and a couple of others. I also appreciated that women are empowered in a smart way by Bujold. She manages to reverse classic gender roles while challenging conservative values—well done.

However, the uneven pacing and relative shallowness of the plot prevent me from loving this book. I had a good time reading it, with Bujold’s easy-to-read prose being a boon, but it won’t really stay with me

The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold

adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Disclaimer: I’m a big fan of Lois McMaster Bujold. I enjoy her writing, her stories and characters. They are not all masterpieces, most aren’t that “great” per se, but they strike a chord I enjoy. They are well paced, delightful to read, with often a fair amount of subtext for the conscientious reader.

Her prose is very clear, to the point, quite beautiful at times, even if she can be a bit repetitive, especially in her dialogues.

The Curse of Chalion is no exception. It’s very readable, with good and consistent pacing, well drawn (if a bit shallow) characters, a compelling plot and some nice humour. I will say that the hero, Cazaril, is a bit boring. He’s too “perfect” and that makes him uninteresting in my book, at least in part. 

That being said, his storyline is quite good and his relationship with other characters keeps making me want to learn more about him. So it’s not all bad at all, let’s just say I’d wished he was more flawed. He does have one big flaw, he’s a 35 year old man lusting on a far younger woman, but this aspect is evoked only once and doesn’t really play into the story, plus he doesn’t act on it at all. I guess Bujold wanted to humanize her perfect knight but wasn’t sure how to go about it.

Her world building is effortless, and I’m usually someone who dislikes world building in fantasy novels. I often find it detrimental to the story, although I recognize it’s actually what many readers find appealing in those novels. Here, it’s done in a very clever way, alongside the story, without ever interfering or slowing it down. Great job Lois!

The book serves as a very good, if not perfect, introduction to the World of the Five Gods. Apparently, the sequel Paladin of Souls is quite superior to Chalion so I’m going to read that right after this novel.

To conclude: an easy reading fantasy novel, with some darker themes mixed with stark humour and good characters. I do recommend it and look forward to reading the next one in the series.

Autour de la Lune by Jules Verne

adventurous medium-paced

3.0

Beyond This Horizon by Robert A. Heinlein

emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

As usual with Heinlein, the novel starts out strong. He grabs you with a very interesting concept and quite good prose. The first characters you meet are interesting, and you quickly get a feeling that there is some depth to them and to the story.

However, as usual with Heinlein, the gender politics are absolutely disastrous. The first female characters we encounter are purely judged on their looks, or are beaten into submission and actually enjoy it! I know this book was written in the 1940s, but still, not every author from that era was so macho and pigheaded!

I did roll my eyes quite a few times. And it’s a shame, really, as I happened to enjoy the plot and the world-building. I usually like Heinlein’s ideas and prose, but his political and social stances are hard to swallow, even for a writer of the 1940s.

Anyhow… the book moves at a fairly good pace (in the first half or so) and touches on themes such as our humanity, societal organization, etc. There is some action too, quite well done actually, and surprisingly violent at times. Heinlein does know how to write a fight, I’ll give him that.

That being said, the second half of the book, where the most far-fetched concepts are explored, is a bit of a mess. It’s like Heinlein wanted to look into racial prejudice, telepathy, and other ideas but had no real plan as to how to go about it. It’s messy, and I actually found myself quite bored in the last 75 pages or so.

It’s classic Heinlein for me. He starts out strong and then he gets drowned in his own story. That plus the awkward social issues with the author himself. The more I read him, the more I find that he’s not an author for me. I like his ideas, his concepts, his action scenes, and his introductions. But boy, he can be boring as hell and is a pig sometimes.

Farmer in the Sky by Robert A. Heinlein

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Heinlein’s older works are definitely better than his later stuff. 'Farmer in the Sky' is definitely oriented towards adolescent boys from 1950, but that doesn’t prevent it from being a good read and a smart novel on many levels.

First, Heinlein nails the emigrant experience. As someone who emigrated from his home country at 9 years old, I could really relate to Billy’s (the main character) experience when preparing to move to Ganymede (length of the trip notwithstanding). Having to choose what to leave behind and what to take with you, anticipating your future life in that strange new place, having to trust your father that it’s the right thing to do. All those elements rang true to me and made me connect with Billy.

Heinlein’s prose also helps. It’s very straightforward with bits of humor here and there, just to keep you on your toes. In that regard, it reminded me a lot of 'Double Star', where Heinlein used the same kind of pacing and humor sprinkling.

Just keep in mind that you’re reading a book from 1950. It’s fairly campy, and the female characters are either hysterical, bossy, or completely flat. At least there are no unnecessary physical descriptions of women; being targeted at a relatively young audience, I guess it wouldn’t have been proper. Once we actually get to Ganymede, the gender roles are very, very traditional. Men work and women cook. They also 'have their ups and downs', as if men don’t have those... ah, Heinlein… you were a conservative SOB, but I’m digressing.

The plot itself is fairly simple but enjoyable, and every step of it felt real, if that makes sense. At least in the first half of the novel. We follow Bill from Earth to Ganymede, including his voyage on a huge spaceship with 6,000 others. I could always easily picture myself in every scene and appreciate what Heinlein was trying to show me, either about the adventure itself or Bill’s character.

Once the farming begins, actually fairly late in the book, it becomes a bit dull at times and repetitive. I guess Heinlein wanted to show the hardship of pioneering, but there is some deus ex machina happening to solve problems, or very handy neighbors to save the day. It never really rang true, not like the first half of the novel.

Of course, things will go south, Bill & co will face the challenges of terraforming, etc. A decent effort for the 1950s, I have to say, although nowhere near the quality of something like the Mars trilogy. It’s also nowhere near as detailed as a Jules Verne story, even though those are much older. Heinlein went for simple and straightforward. I guess he succeeded in that respect.

Altogether, a decent but not stellar novel, fairly uneven in its quality and relevance, but an interesting read given its year of publication and its author’s influence.

The Nemesis from Terra by Leigh Brackett

adventurous fast-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

2.5

This book is an interesting snapshot of 1940’s pulpy science fiction. It reads like a sci-fi/action B movie, with all the tropes that come with it. Sort of Rambo II (with the crapy romance) meets Total Recall, but cheesier. 

It’s a quick and easy read, it does feel like an artifact of a past era in literature. It’s not really engrossing, the characters are very shallow and almost everything is quite predictable. But it’s still interesting given when it was written, plus Brackett’s style and pace makes it quite the page turner. I can see how it inspired other stories afterwards too, albeit much better ones.

It’s also pulpy as hell, with the main character Rick being the Uber macho-man, calling the women “baby” or “kid”, showing off is great musculature and healing from serious wounds like I would a little bobo.. Yeah, definitely a mix of Stallone and Schwarzenegger circa 1985, on steroids. Plus, he has charisma! See:

The novel contains passages like:

• (Rick) we’ll fight the power together!
• (The crowd) We don’t want to!
• (Rick) But I’m saying we can! And I’m me!
• (The crowd) OK, we changed our minds. Lead us to glory or death!

Deep stuff indeed…

Some funny concepts, a very “TV movie” execution, a so-so plot. Glad I read it, it’s off the Hugos list, but that’s about it.

Slan by A.E. van Vogt

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

It’s somewhat dated, it’s pulpy, it contains sexism, but for all these very 1940s faults, Slan is actually a very good sci-fi novel, noticeably better than many works from that era. Van Vogt’s prose is clear and well paced. The whole book is quite the page turner and was enjoyable to read. 

 

The core concept of the book is fairly simple but touches on the themes of  discrimination, racism and even slavery. It does so in a way that I enjoy: rather than telling us what is right or wrong, the author is showing us a speculative future to get his point across. That, to me, is one of the greatest strength of speculative fiction and van Vogt does that very well in this novel. 

 

It’s definitely a very 1940’s book, with an evil global government very akin to a fascist State, ruling over Earth. Van Vogt touches on State-enforced bigotry and racism in an interesting and influential way. It is also presented from various point of views, adding depth and context. 

 

Just be aware, every female character is introduced and often described through their looks. The males will be “handsome” or “fine looking”, but the females will be described in much more… detail. As I said, it’s a book from the 1940’s and some parts are very dated. That being said, the females have more agency than most in other books from that era, so there are some positives here. 

 

It reads like a thriller and Van Vogt was smart enough to be vague around the technology that the characters use, so it doesn’t come across as silly every other page. Yes, they still have phone booths and printed newspapers, but those are minor and forgivable quibbles. It wouldn’t be a 1940’s sci-fi story without some mention of atomic power, so there is some, but it’s not predominant at all, thankfully. 

 

The third act errs a little but I liked the ending, swift and satisfying. Definitely worthy of the Retro Hugo.

Eden Corp by Alain Bismut, Christopher Sebela, Abel Ferry

adventurous emotional fast-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

3.25

Une bande dessinée bien illustrée, quoi que très statique, on n’a jamais une réelle sensation de mouvement même dans les scènes d’action.

L’histoire est assez classique : petit groupe de rebelles contre grande corporation diabolique. Les « twists » de science fiction sont sympa, j’ai aimé l’inclusion d’un ascenseur spatial. Par contre, le livre de perd un peu dans le dernier tier, balloté entre discussion morale et famille Rambo qui combat des ennemis bien plus forts.

Au final, un livre sympa mais pas grandiose.

A Case of Conscience by James Blish

reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This book is a partly excellent study of morality, ethics, culture and religion, at least in the first half of the book. Although fairly short, it touches these deep topics with aplomb and I quite enjoyed the delivery by Blish in the first chapters of the novel.

Just a little “warning”. This book was written in the 1950s and as such, it comports some grotesque sexism and even some racism (a tad indirect, but still, white Christian men are obviously the epitome of “good humans” in Blish’s view). There are also some cute elements, such as the fact that they use films and tapes. Oh, and there is that fascination with everything atomic sooo current in the 50’s, although it’s not the focus of the book.

The core of the story is actually fascinating, even if the novel itself is fairly unequal. I’ve never seen a novel with two halves that are so different. I understand that it was a novella that was later expended but still. It’s a bit unsettling.

Whereas the first half contains a genuinely deep question of religion, economics and even colonialism, the second half loses itself in lesser considerations, even when it tries to circle back to the main topics of the story. For some part, it’s much more akin to a classic tale of seeing our own world through a stranger’s eyes. While this concept can indeed be a good one, it’s not that well used here and results in relatively boring and shallow chapters.

It’s really strange, as if Blish didn’t really care if the two halves of the book failed to make a whole experience. And I find it especially damaging since the first part was so engaging and smart. The first 100 pages or so were page turners with deep

philosophical themes. During the second half, I was sometimes yawning. There were still some good elements, analysis and comments, but they were drowned in irrelevant storylines. Really, really strange.

I can also see how this novel has inspired many others after it. Stranger in a Strange Land comes to mind, as do other stories set in an dystopian future. However, the lack of cohesion between the two halves of the story and the global unevenness of the book made it an OK but not great read for me. Fine, but not highly recommended.

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

An interesting concept, but I’m not a fan of the execution. The world building feels forced, it doesn’t flow well. The characters are OK but often stereotypical and not always well developed.

The plot is fine but it never really becomes engrossing. The writing is also decent, although Bacigalupi throws in too many words in italics to make for a smooth read.

The criticism of colonialism and capitalism is done in a very on the nose manner, with Thai characters literally telling to white guys “you have exploited us for centuries, it made us angry and resentful”. While I agree that these behaviours should be condemned, I prefer a “show don’t tell approach”. Have us see the ill effects instead of having exposition dumps by characters. It just seems lazy to me.

There is also a study of “what it means to be human”, which is a great theme to tackle in science-fiction. But here, again, it’s very on the nose, not subtle at all, and it’s quite superficial. It just doesn’t feel that well thought out, more like a blast of all the negativity that racism, sexism, slavery, colonialism & co. can produce. Yeah, those are bad… but you’re not bringing anything to the table here by just shouting “slavery is bad”. It just seems to me that an author should be able to convey more of the feelings and consequences that such horrible acts provoke.

And I get it, Thailand in the Summer is hot, you don’t need to remind me almost every page (even though the heat is an serious issue for one of the main characters). It’s like setting your story in space and reminding the reader every other paragraph that the characters are floating around and can’t go out without dying. I-get-it.

There are some very good chapters in the second half of the novel, sections that were real page turners. It didn’t make up for the whole novel, but it has to be said.

Despite a couple of hard scenes (including a rape scene at the beginning, be aware), I didn’t find this novel tough to read per se, but it will also not stay with me, despite its important themes. I think it was trying to achieve too many things in one novel and it got lost along the way. The whole thing is intriguing, but incoherent I’m afraid.

This novel certainly didn’t make want to read more from this author; maybe I’ll revisit him in a few years. It’s not terrible, but it’s not great either. I’m surprised it won the Hugo, especially tied with The City & The City.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape