ronpayne's reviews
1142 reviews

The Free People's Village by Sim Kern

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

A story set in an alternate US in which Al Gore won the 2000 election and declared war on climate change. That this turns out not to be the social panacea some might believe it may have been is largely the point of the book. A core group of queer characters defending their warehouse/venue/home from a greenwashing highway project act as a smart foil for examining the value of voting, protest, and staying hopeful in a system violently resistant to change.

Corey Fah Does Social Mobility by Isabel Waidner

emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

A very weird little fever dream of a novel about an author trying to capitalize on winning a literary prize and getting thwarted by a multiverse jumping trophy, an arachnid Bambi, and an eccentric community television production, all of which cause trouble in their relationship. There are lots of extended metaphors going on in here making it feel purposeful, all while being really funny. Recommended for fans of Nino Cipri's Finna.

The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

A really good, genre bending, high fantasy, action/adventure book with rapidly escalating stakes. The real highlight of the story for me was the character dynamic between gentlewoman explorer Vintage de Grazon, and her Eboran (vampire/elf) bodyguard Tormalin as they searched ancient sites for clues about recurring catastrophes. Coincidences drive a lot of the plot in here which is sometimes a big negative for me, but I was having so much fun that I didn't care. 

The Hundred Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi

challenging informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

A necessary reframing of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict as the century-long Zionist colonialist project that it is. This book's best argument is showing how the Palestinian people have been disenfranchised from any part in substantive political negotiations. And in case you think this book presents a too one sided view, Khalidi has plenty of criticism for the failings of Palestinian leadership, and the nihilism of violent extremists. 

The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring reflective tense 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

4.0

Clarke is my favorite of the hard sci-fi authors because, though he very much wrote in service of speculative ideas, he always managed to inject just enough humanity, and avoid getting too bogged down in technical minutiae to avoid being accused of being dry. This book is about the building of a space elevator, a structure which allows cargo an people to get into space without the use of rockets. It won a bunch of awards, and is a good read.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

A historical fantasy set during WWI. A field nurse, recovering at home from injuries, goes back to the front to find her only remaining family, her MIA brother. There are some very good, creepy scenes in here, but I think I would have liked it better if I hadn’t read Arden’s middle grade series first. While this book is decidedly adult, it does share supernatural logic and many story beats from those books, so it just felt too similar to me. 

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

A prequel to Legends & Lattes which finds a young Viv—the Orc warrior series protagonist—convalescing after an injury in a small town, hanging out at a bookshop, and getting involved in a bit of a mystery. I have to say I liked this one a bit more than the first for having an additional layer of plot and action.

The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

The final book in a series about group of young members of the Alexandrian Society, a library which gatekeeps magical knowledge from most of the rest of the world. This book almost wore out my patience for existential musings, which the characters all indulged in from one degree or another, when what I wanted was for them to get on with playing magical Kiss, Marry, Kill, but when it finally did get there in the end, it resolved things in a satisfying way. 

The River of Silver by S.A. Chakraborty

adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective relaxing sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

A collection of short stories from the Daevabad Trilogy that expands on the world some, adds depth to some of the character's motivations, and in a couple of cases gives some additional closure. None of these stories are necessary to a reader of the series, but I enjoyed them just because it was fun to be with these charact in this world again.

What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

The second novella in the Sworn Soldier series following Alex Easton, retired soldier, in their unintentionally creepy Victorian era adventures. This time they travel to their hunting lodge in the fictional country of Gallacia to host the intrepid mycologist, Miss Potter in her search for fungi, only to find the caretaker dead, and supernatural rumors of the cause. I love this character and the story is genuinely spooky. I hope we get more of these.