Letters from Gardner, Lou Antonelli (The Merry Blacksmith Press)
books
2015 Hugo Awards Best Related Work: Reviewing Letters from Gardner
2015 Hugo Awards Best Novel: Reviewing the Goblin Emperor
2015 Hugo Awards Best Graphic Novel: Reviewing Rat Queens
Rat Queens Volume 1: Sass and Sorcery, written by Kurtis J. Weibe, art by Roc Upchurch (Image Comics)
2015 Hugo Awards Best Novel: Reviewing Ancillary Sword
Ancillary Sword, Ann Leckie (Orbit US/Orbit UK)
Book Roundup
Today I might have gotten a little silly with the book purchasing. I bought:
- The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu, Ken Liu (Translator)
- The Affinities by Robert Charles Wilson
- Ballroom Blitz: A Tor.Com Original by Veronica Schanoes (99 cents makes it available on my Nook)
- The Ways of Walls and Words: A Tor.Com Original by Sabrina Vourvoulias (which I immediately read)
Today I also got a book in the mail:
- Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon
Next day edit:
And!
- Nurk: The Strange, Surprising Adventures of a (Somewhat) Brave Shrew by Ursula Vernon
2016 Hugo Award Contenders Short Story: The Ways of Walls and Words
I just finished reading The Ways of Walls and Words by Sabrina Vourvoulias. This was a beautiful lyrical story with subtly of magic interwoven through poetry and friendship. I enjoyed the truth of two different world views, the dance of perspective. Definitely a story I would recommend reading.
2015 Hugo Awards Best Related Work: Reviewing Transhuman and Subhuman
Transhuman and Subhuman: Essays on Science Fiction and Awful Truth, John C. Wright (Castalia House)
2015 Hugo Awards Best Related Work: Reviewing Hot Equations
“The Hot Equations: Thermodynamics and Military SF”, Ken Burnside (Riding the Red Horse, Castalia House)
Reviewing; Meta Post
I took a short break from writing twice a day reviews to have an existential crisis about writing reviews. I’m going to review what I’ve decided I’m reviewing for.
On file770, in the middle of some of the most interesting conversations I’ve had in web site comments, someone brought up the dual ideas of compelling questions and conversational analysis. I’m going to focus on compelling questions because that’s the half that I’ve latched onto.
This goes back to my post about Totaled. It was a good story. Had some interesting ideas. Didn’t do it for me and I think the reason why not has to do with compelling questions. Look at Ancillary Justice and the story is full of compelling questions. Then there’s Mono No Aware.
Cutting for spoilers about Mono No Aware, Totaled, and me.
Review: Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
The short review of this book is it blew my mind and I loved it. Deep, transformative, and complex. The longer review with spoilers comes after the fold. Ancillary Justice won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2014.