My review: I read this book for Banned Books Week, an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. It brings together the entire book community (librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types) in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been targeted for removal or restriction in libraries and schools. By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.
During the year I read many of the book in the list and I am always surprised: in the majority of cases I struggle to understand why people would want to remove them from circulation. This was no exception. Apparently it was censored because it features gay characters, and states went as far as blocking the summer reading program to prevent people from reading it. It is a good reminder that our basic rights, including the freedom to read, should never be taken for granted.
Fun Home is a graphic memoir, where the author, Alison Bechdel, charts her fraught relationship with her late father. Distant and exacting, Bruce Bechdel was an English teacher and director of the town funeral home, which Alison and her family referred to as the Fun Home. It was not until college that Alison, who had recently come out as a lesbian, discovered that her father was also gay. A few weeks after this revelation, he was dead, leaving a legacy of mystery for his daughter to resolve.
This is a really great and touching memoir, and I recommend it to everyone. (★★★★)
Started: Nov 05 2024 Finished: Nov 12 2024

My review: I have read an enjoyed the previous instalment of the series, and I was looking forward reading this latest instalment.
In The Brides of High Hills cleric Chih accompanies a beautiful young bride to her wedding to the aging ruler of a crumbling estate situated at the crossroads of dead empires. The bride's party is welcomed with elaborate courtesies and extravagant banquets, but between the frightened servants and the cryptic warnings of the lord's mad son, they quickly realize that something is haunting the shadowed halls. As Chih and the bride-to-be explore empty rooms and desolate courtyards, they are drawn into the mystery of what became of Lord Guo's previous wives and the dark history of Do Cao itself. But as the wedding night draws to its close, Chih will learn at their peril that not all monsters are to be found in the shadows; some monsters hide in plain sight.
I really enjoyed the book, and I believe it to be among the best in the series. While the book blurb claims the book can be read in any order, I would not do that, I believe some background knowledge offered in the previous ones makes this one more enjoyable. (★★★★)
Started: Nov 07 2024 Finished: Nov 10 2024

My review: I had loved the TV series, and I love and hated the previous instalments of the series so... I decided to go ahead and read the rest of the series. There are many cringeworthy things in the series that really did not age well, but it is also a lightweight and fun story so... why not?
Our small-town cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse has had more than her share of experience with the supernatural in the previous instalments of the series—but in this one it’s really hitting close to home. When Sookie sees her brother Jason’s eyes start to change, she knows he’s about to turn into a were-panther for the first time—a transformation he embraces more readily than most shapeshifters she knows. But her concern becomes cold fear when a sniper sets his deadly sights on the local changeling population, and Jason’s new panther brethren suspect he may be the shooter. Now, Sookie has until the next full moon to find out who’s behind the attacks—unless the killer decides to find her first.
Enjoyable, but it still have a few parts that made me cringe.
(★★★)
Started: Oct 20 2024 Finished: Nov 03 2024

My review: I have read the previous instalment of the series, and while I am not a fan of murder mysteries, even when set on Jupiter, I did enjoy the book and I wanted to see where the story would go next.In this book, investigator Mossa and Scholar Pleiti reunite to solve a brand-new mystery. Mossa has returned to Valdegeld on a missing person’s case, for which she’ll once again need Pleiti’s insight. Seventeen students and staff members have disappeared from Valdegeld University—yet no one has noticed. The answers to this case could be found in the outer reaches of the Jovian system—Mossa’s home—and the history of Jupiter’s original settlements. But Pleiti’s faith in her life’s work as scholar of the past has grown precarious, and this new case threatens to further destabilize her dreams for humanity’s future, as well as her own. (★★★★)
Started: Oct 16 2024 Finished: Oct 27 2024

My review: What an amazing book! This is one of the best book I read in a while.
I read this book for Banned Books Week, an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. It brings together the entire book community (librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types) in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been targeted for removal or restriction in libraries and schools. By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.
During the year I read many of the book in the list and I am always surprised: in the majority of cases I struggle to understand why people would want to remove them from circulation. This was no exception. I had to go search the web to understand why it was challenged, and I feel like I have read a different book than what these "concerned parents" are talking about.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is the kind of book you do not want to spoil in a review, so I will not say much. This is the story of Charlie. He is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But Charlie can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.
This is, as I said, one of the best books I have ever read, and I strongly recommend it to everyone. (★★★★★)
Started: Aug 04 2024 Finished: Oct 20 2024

My review: I previously read and loved other books by this author, and I was curious to read his first foray into YA, even if I am not always crazy about YA literature.
The book is thebeginning of an epic West African and African Diaspora-inspired fantasy adventure about a reluctant apprentice to magic and the stolen villagers she sets out to save. On the day of the Harvest Festival, the old woman who lives in the forest appears in Abeni's village with a terrible message: You ignored my warnings. It’s too late to run. They are coming. Warriors with burning blades storm the village. A man with a cursed flute plays an impossibly alluring song. And everyone Abeni has ever known and loved is captured and marched toward far-off ghost ships set for even more distant lands. But not Abeni. Abeni is magically whisked away by the old woman. In the forest, Abeni begins her unwanted magical apprenticeship, her journey to escape the witch, and her impossible mission to bring her people home. Abeni’s Song is the beginning of a timeless, enchanting fantasy adventure about a reluctant apprentice, a team of spirit kids, and the village they set out to save.
It's a great book, and I loved to have see something different from the usual European folklore inspired fantasy. I am looking forward to reading the next instalments. (★★★)
Started: Sep 01 2024 Finished: Oct 15 2024

My review: I have read and enjoyed the previous instalments of the Wayward Children series, and I was looking forward to read this latest one. I was not disappointed: the series seems to be getting better and better book after book.
This is the story of Antsy. She is the latest student to pass through the doors at Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children.
When her fellow students realize that Antsy's talent for finding absolutely anything may extend to doors, she's forced to flee in the company of a small group of friends, looking for a way back to the Shop Where the Lost Things Go to be sure that Vineta and Hudson are keeping their promise.
Along the way, temptations are dangled, decisions are reinforced, and a departure to a world populated by dinosaurs brings untold dangers and one or two other surprises!
A story that reminds us that finding what you want doesn't always mean finding what you need.
This is definitely enjoyable, I can't wait to read the next one! (★★★★)
Started: Oct 06 2024 Finished: Oct 13 2024

My review: This book is incredibly good, one of the best book I have ever read. I had loved the previous instalment of the series (The Radiant Emperor), but this second one is even better.
This is the story of Zhu Yuanzhang, the Radiant King, riding high after her victory that tore southern China from its Mongol masters. Now she burns with a new desire: to seize the throne and crown herself emperor. But Zhu isn’t the only one with imperial ambitions. Her neighbor in the south, the courtesan Madam Zhang, wants the throne for her husband―and she’s strong enough to wipe Zhu off the map. To stay in the game, Zhu will have to gamble everything on a risky alliance with an old enemy: the talented but unstable eunuch general Ouyang, who has already sacrificed everything for a chance at revenge on his father’s killer, the Great Khan. Unbeknownst to the southerners, a new contender is even closer to the throne. The scorned scholar Wang Baoxiang has maneuvered his way into the capital, and his lethal court games threaten to bring the empire to its knees. For Baoxiang also desires revenge: to become the most degenerate Great Khan in history―and in so doing, make a mockery of every value his Mongol warrior family loved more than him. All the contenders are determined to do whatever it takes to win. But when desire is the size of the world, the price could be too much for even the most ruthless heart to bear…
The genre of the book is hard to define: it's partially historical, part alternative history. It is full of intrigue like Game of Thrones, but with deeper character building and growth. It is also a very interesting reflection on gender. It is really a masterpiece, that I strongly recommend to everyone. (★★★★★)
Started: Mar 29 2024 Finished: Oct 05 2024

My review: Continua la mia lettura della serie delle "novelle napoletane" di Elena Ferrante. Il primo libro mi era piaciuto, ma questo secondo volume raggiunge altezze straordinarie. Non mi stupisce che ben due volumi della quadrilogia siamo finiti sulla lista dei migliori libri del secolo creata dal New York Times, di cui uno in prima posizione!
La Storia del Nuovo Cognome comincia dove L'amica geniale aveva lasciato: Lila ed Elena hanno sedici anni e si sentono entrambe in un vicolo cieco. Lila si è appena sposata ma, nell'assumere il cognome del marito, ha l'impressione di aver perso se stessa. Elena è ormai una studentessa modello ma, proprio durante il matrimonio dell'amica, ha scoperto che non sta bene né nel rione né fuori. Le vicende dell'Amica Geniale riprendono a partire da questo punto e ci trascinano nella vitalissima giovinezza delle due ragazze, dentro il ritmo travolgente con cui si tallonano, si perdono, si ritrovano. Il tutto sullo sfondo id una Napoli, di un'Italia che preparano i connotati allarmanti di oggi.
Non voglio rovinare la lettura parlando della trama, ma non ne rimarrete delusi. Personaggi indimenticabili, veri e vivi, con tumulti, drammi interiori, pensieri e sentimenti. Un ritratto storico della Napoli e dell'Italia del tempo, raccontato non direttamente, ma che emerge dallo sfondo influenzando la vita delle protagoniste, molto indirettamente.
Veramente un bel libro. Non vedo l'ora di leggere il prossimo! (★★★★★)
Started: Feb 16 2024 Finished: Aug 31 2024

My review: Jeanette Ng is a Hugo award winner, possibly the only one to win it back in 2020 with her acceptance speech of a different awards the year before. I heard a lot about her and I wanted to give a try to her fiction, so I gave this one a try.
This is a really short story, telling the history of a wishing tree in Hong Kong and, by necessity, the history of the people and the place. A sweeping story of gods and history told in the style of a bedtime story.
It's good, but too short to really stand out. I'll give the author longer fiction a try next. (★★★)
Started: Aug 31 2024 Finished: Aug 31 2024

My review: Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Novel category. I have not read anything by this author before, and I was quite intrigued by the blurb and title.
This is the first book of a planned trilogy of magic and mayhem on the high seas in this tale of pirates and sorcerers, forbidden artifacts and ancient mysteries, in one woman’s determined quest to seize a final chance at glory—and write her own legend.
This is the sory of Amina al-Sirafi. She should be content. After a storied and scandalous career as one of the Indian Ocean’s most notorious pirates, she’s survived backstabbing rogues, vengeful merchant princes, several husbands, and one actual demon to retire peacefully with her family to a life of piety, motherhood, and absolutely nothing that hints of the supernatural. But when she’s tracked down by the obscenely wealthy mother of a former crewman, she’s offered a job no bandit could refuse: retrieve her comrade’s kidnapped daughter for a kingly sum. The chance to have one last adventure with her crew, do right by an old friend, and win a fortune that will secure her family’s future forever? It seems like such an obvious choice that it must be God’s will. Yet the deeper Amina dives, the more it becomes alarmingly clear there’s more to this job, and the girl’s disappearance, than she was led to believe. For there’s always risk in wanting to become a legend, to seize one last chance at glory, to savor just a bit more power…and the price might be your very soul.
I love fantasy, but I am getting tired of the medieval Europe folklore and legends fantasy is often based on. I always look for something new... and this book is definitely different. It's based on medieval Arab lands, stretching from India to Arabia and East Africa. This was really enjoyable and a worthy finalist for the Hugo. (★★★★)
Started: Jul 07 2024 Finished: Aug 21 2024

My review: I read this book in anticipation of Banned Books Week, an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. It brings together the entire book community (librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types) in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been targeted for removal or restriction in libraries and schools. By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.
During the year I read many of the book in the list and I am always surprised: in the majority of cases I struggle to understand why people would want to remove them from circulation. This was no exception. I had to go search the web to understand why it was challenged (This article covers it well), and I feel like I have read a different book than what these "concerned parents" are talking about.
Set over one school year in 1986, Eleanor & Park is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. Eleanor lives with her mum and step-dad in poverty, in what is definitely an unhealthy household that should receive visit by Child Protective Services. Park is a Korean American raised in a healthier household but that struggles with his mix ancestry in a town where everyone is either of European or African descent. It is YA, quite enjoyable to read, very hard to put down.
I have to say, I am not super crazy about the ending: it is left a little too open to interpretation. (★★★★)
Started: Jul 27 2024 Finished: Aug 03 2024

My review: Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Novel category. I have not read anything by this author before, but I was very intrigued by all the reviews I read. I was not disappointed.
This is a hard book to review. It's the kind of book that makes you think about it, and evades simple explanations. It's the kind of books that stays with you and make you want to discuss it with others, to unearth more meaning from it.
This is the story of Fetter, that was raised to kill, honed as a knife to cut down his sainted father. This gave him plenty to talk about in therapy. He walked among invisible devils and anti-gods that mock the mortal form. He learned a lethal catechism, lost his shadow, and gained a habit for secrecy. After a blood-soaked childhood, Fetter escaped his rural hometown for the big city, and fell into a broader world where divine destinies are a dime a dozen. Everything in Luriat is more than it seems. Group therapy is recruitment for a revolutionary cadre. Junk email hints at the arrival of a god. Every door is laden with potential, and once closed may never open again. The city is scattered with Bright Doors, looming portals through which a cold wind blows. In this unknowable metropolis, Fetter will discover what kind of man he is, and his discovery will rewrite the world.
The Saint of Bright Doors sets the high drama of divine revolutionaries and transcendent cults against the mundane struggles of modern life, resulting in a novel that is revelatory and resonant. It is a strong favorite to win the Hugo this year, and I am definitely looking forward reading more by this author. (★★★★★)
Started: Jun 14 2024 Finished: Jul 23 2024

My review: In a country teetering on the brink of civil war, two young people meet: sensual, fiercely independent Nadia and gentle, restrained Saeed. They embark on a furtive love affair and are soon cloistered in a premature intimacy by the unrest roiling their city. When it explodes, turning familiar streets into a patchwork of checkpoints and bomb blasts, they begin to hear whispers about doors... doors that can whisk people far away, if perilously and for a price. As the violence escalates, Nadia and Saeed decide that they no longer have a choice. Leaving their homeland and their old lives behind, they find a door and step through. Exit West follows these characters as they emerge into an alien and uncertain future, struggling to hold on to each other, to their past, to the very sense of who they are. Profoundly intimate and powerfully inventive, it tells an unforgettable story of love, loyalty, and courage that is both completely of our time and for all time. (★★★★)
Started: Jul 06 2024 Finished: Jul 14 2024

My review: Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Novella category. I have previously read and loved other work by this author, and I was very excited to get to read some more by her.
The story is set in a near future, where AGI has been achieved. In this world, Basit Deniau is a famous dead architect. His houses were haunted. A house embedded with an artificial intelligence is a common thing: a house that is an artificial intelligence, infused in every load-bearing beam and fine marble tile with a thinking creature that is not human? That is something else altogether. But now Deniau’s been dead a year, and Rose House is locked up tight, as commanded by the architect’s will: all his possessions and files and sketches are confined in its archives, and their only keeper is Rose House itself. Rose House, and one other. Dr. Selene Gisil, one of Deniau’s former protégé, is permitted to come into Rose House once a year. She alone may open Rose House’s vaults, look at drawings and art, talk with Rose House’s animating intelligence all she likes. Until this week, Dr. Gisil was the only person whom Rose House spoke to. But even an animate intelligence that haunts a house has some failsafes common to all AIs. For instance: all AIs must report the presence of a dead body to the nearest law enforcement agency. There is a dead person in Rose House. The house says so. It is not Basit Deniau, and it is not Dr. Gisil. It is someone else. Rose House, having completed its duty of care and informed Detective Maritza Smith of the China Lake police precinct that there is in fact a dead person inside it, dead of unnatural causes—has shut up. No one can get inside Rose House, except Dr. Gisil. Dr. Gisil was not in North America when Rose House called the China Lake precinct. But someone did. And someone died there. And someone may be there still.
Mysteries and detective stories are not my cup of tea, but despite that I could not put it down. The author is, as always, incredibly good. I cannot wait to read more by her. (★★★★)
Started: Jul 05 2024 Finished: Jul 07 2024

My review: Goodreads keeps merging the stories into this magazine where they first appeared, hence I give up, and I will merge the reviews here.
Happily Ever After Comes Round by Sarah Rees Brennan.
A very dark retelling of the Hansel and Gretel fairytale, with really little hope (ok none). It is pretty much impossible to review without spoiling it, so I will just say it is a very interesting read, and I am looking forward to reading more by this author.
Score: 3.5 stars (I really liked it).
Loneliness Universe by Eugenia Triantafyllou.
On the surface the story is relatively simple: a young woman (Nefeli) is mysteriously unable to meet up in real life with the people close to her, even if they’re both in the same place at the same time. It all starts when she decides to meet up with her old friend Cara, and they both go to the same bus stop... but they cannot see each other. Nefeli is at the bus stop, but Cara isn’t there, while at the same time Cara is at the bus stop, but Nefeli isn’t there. They can text each other, but their phone calls won’t go through. One take offense, thinking the other has ghosted her. As the story progresses, Nefeli finds this happening to her with more and more people...
There is so much bubbling under the surface, it is such an interesting reflection of our lives, of spending less time with our friends, drifting apart, losing touch with all acquaintances, friends, and even family. How internet chats can have a role in keeping us connected.
This is a really great story, and I plan to nominate it for next year Hugo Awards.
Score: 5 stars (I loved it it).
Average Score: (★★★★)
Started: Jul 05 2024 Finished: Jul 06 2024

My review: Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Short Story category. I have never read anything by this author before, but he is quite famous in China and abroad, and I was looking forward to reading it.
This is a very entertaining and enjoyable short sci-fi story, set in a near future where people can "broadcast" their eating experience, i.e. transmit feelings of eating into someone else's brain. This is not a story that will trigger deep reflection or that will shake you to the core, but it is well written, and perfect for a beach vacation. I am looking forward to reading more by this author. (★★★)
Started: Jul 05 2024 Finished: Jul 05 2024

My review: Adventures in Space collects multiple short stories and novellas that I have read. Goodreads keeps merging them into this book so... I give up, and just merge the various reviews into one.
Life Does Not Allow Us to Meet by He Xi.
Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Novella category. I have never read anything by this author before, and I did not know what to expect.
The story was definitely interesting, but there were a couple of elements that really bothered me. One was the misunderstanding of how quantum entanglement works: quantum entanglement does not enable faster than light communication. Since the work reads a lot like a hard science fiction story, that misunderstanding really bugged me.
It is interesting to see how this story and Cixin Liu's The Dark Forest reflect on the risks of encountering other intelligent life in space. I have read a very small sample of Chinese Sci-Fi to make any generalization, but I start seeing some interesting pattern and differences when compared with Western sci-fi. I find this very interesting and intriguing, I need to read more!
Rating: 2 star (it's ok)
Seeds of Mercury by Wang Jinkang.
Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Novella category. I have never read anything by this author before, and I did not know what to expect.
The story is very enjoyable, fun to read, and very hard to put down. It is the story of a new life form, created by a scientist on Earth, looked after by her businessman nephew, and then taken to a place where it can evolve and thrive by a billionaire with severe deformities. And while at times you may think you may know where it is headed... expect to be surprised!
Rating: 4 star (I liked it a lot)
Answerless Journey by Han Song.
Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Short Story category. I have never read anything by this author before, and I did not know what to expect.
This is the story of two people stuck on a spaceship alone with a complete loss of memory. The solitude, the lack of memories, and the food scarcity brings forward some paranoia and distrust.
The story is enjoyable and interesting, I was a little disappointed about the ending (a little open to interpretation). I won't say more to avoid spoilers.
Rating: 3 star (I liked it)
Average Rating: (★★★)
Started: Jun 30 2024 Finished: Jul 04 2024

My review: This is a review for Signs of Life by Sarah Pinsker. I had previously read and liked stories by this author before, and I am pleased to say this story was remarkably good as well. It does have an interesting fantastic element, but the part that really shines here is the interesting relationship between the two main characters, two estranged sisters, that after a long hiatus, they meet again and try to mend things. The portrait of familiar ties, all the involved feelings, is done masterfully. I would not be surprised if this story ends up getting quite a few awards next year. (★★★★★)
Started: Jul 04 2024 Finished: Jul 04 2024

My review: Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Novelette category. I never read anything by this author before, and I was looking forward to remediating that.
I Am AI is set in a far future where humans have the opportunity to give up humanity for efficiency, mechanical invincibility, and to surpass human limitations through replacing part of their body and soul with robotic components instead. It's a dystopian world, where a few big corporations control almost everything and exploit everyone to death.
In this world, Ai, a poor writer saddled with the inherited debt from his dead family, tries to survive an increasingly harsh and competitive reality. In order to survive she gives away parts of herself, until what is next to give, is her very soul.
It's a great story, I can see why it was selected as a finalist for the Hugo awards. I am looking forward to reading more by this author. (★★★★)
Started: Jun 30 2024 Finished: Jun 30 2024

My review: Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Novel category. I had read and loved all the books every published by this author, including all the previous instalments of this series and... I was quite eager to read this one!
Even if you have not read the previous Imperial Radch books do not worry: it can be enjoyed as a stand alone story.
A mystery of a missing translator sets three lives on a collision course that will have a ripple effect across the stars. Qven was created to be a Presger translator. The pride of their Clade, they always had a clear path before them: learn human ways, and eventually, make a match and serve as an intermediary between the dangerous alien Presger and the human worlds. The realization that they might want something else isn't "optimal behavior". It's the type of behavior that results in elimination. But Qven rebels. And in doing so, their path collides with those of two others. Enae, a reluctant diplomat whose dead grandmaman has left hir an impossible task as an inheritance: hunting down a fugitive who has been missing for over 200 years. And Reet, an adopted mechanic who is increasingly desperate to learn about his genetic roots--or anything that might explain why he operates so differently from those around him. As a Conclave of the various species approaches, and the long-standing treaty between the humans and the Presger is on the line, the decisions of all three will have ripple effects across the stars.
Masterfully merging space adventure and mystery, Translation State is a poignant exploration about relationships and belonging, that I recommend to everyone. (★★★★★)
Started: Jun 16 2024 Finished: Jun 28 2024

My review: Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Novella category. Many years ago I read and enjoyed the Centenal Cycle series by this author, and I was looking forward reading again some good work by this author.
The official blurb defines this story quite accurately as a cozy Holmesian murder mystery and sapphic romance. On a remote, gas-wreathed outpost of a human colony on Jupiter, a man goes missing. The enigmatic Investigator Mossa follows his trail to Valdegeld, home to the colony’s erudite university—and Mossa's former girlfriend, a scholar of Earth's pre-collapse ecosystems. Pleiti has dedicated her research and her career to aiding the larger effort towards a possible return to Earth. When Mossa unexpectedly arrives and requests Pleiti's assistance in her latest investigation, the two of them embark on a twisting path in which the future of life on Earth is at stake—and, perhaps, their futures, together.
I am not a fan of murder mysteries, even when set on Jupiter, but I have to admit it's a well-written story, and I enjoyed reading it. I will probably read the sequels as well. (★★★★)
Started: May 25 2024 Finished: Jun 16 2024

My review: Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Novel category. I had read and loved many sci-fi books by this author, hence I was quite eager to read more by the author... and this time a fantasy book!
This is the story of Kai, a demon in a human body. Kai is having a long day: after being murdered, his consciousness dormant and unaware of the passing of time while confined in an elaborate water trap, Kai wakes to find a lesser mage attempting to harness Kai’s magic to his own advantage. That was never going to go well. But why was Kai imprisoned in the first place? What has changed in the world since his assassination? And why does the Rising World Coalition appear to be growing in influence? Kai will need to pull his allies close and draw on all his pain magic if he is to answer even the least of these questions. He’s not going to like the answers.
While I did not enjoy it as much as the murderbot series, this is a great book, that deserves the many awards it has already won. (★★★★)
Started: May 05 2024 Finished: Jun 12 2024

My review: Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Novel category. I had read pretty much all the fiction books that this author has written so far, and I have consistently liked them. This was no exception.
This is the story of Charlie, a divorced former journalist now substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell. All he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan. Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they're coming after Charlie. His uncle might have been a stand-up, old-fashioned kind of villain, but these are the real thing: rich, soulless predators backed by multinational corporations and venture capital. It's up to Charlie to win the war his uncle started against a league of supervillains. But with unionized dolphins, hyperintelligent talking spy cats, and a terrifying henchperson at his side, going bad is starting to look pretty good.
it has been interesting to see the author evolve over time. I liked his early work as well as his current one, but he is finding particular success for the stories that make fun of the genre and its tropes: from Redshirts (star trek parody) to The Kaiju Preservation Society (kaiju genre parody) and now this book, that is a parody of the Villain genre (think Despicable Me with no Minions but unionized Dolphins instead). It's quite enjoyable, but my favorite books by this author are still the ones in the Old Man's War series. (★★★★)
Started: May 10 2024 Finished: May 24 2024

My review: Wow, the author really upped her game with this fourth volume. I liked the previous instalments quite a lot, but this one is even better. I am glad there are such wonderful books available to this generation of young adult readers. It is very important to have realistic portrayals of adolescence, as diverse as the real world is.
This volume focuses on Charlie's struggles with mental health and he coming to terms with his eating disorder. The issue is portrayed with tremendous empathy, and really powerfully. I hope that readers struggling with similar issues will gain hope, and decide to seek the help they need. And for the rest of us, it will help better understand the problem, and boost our empathy and awareness of the problem. This is a great read, I strongly recommend it. (★★★★★)
Started: Apr 21 2024 Finished: May 05 2024

My review: Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Novel category. I had never read anything by this author before, and I did not know what to expect. It turned out... it was a treat!
While we live, the enemy shall fear us. All her life Kyr has trained for the day she can avenge the murder of planet Earth. Raised in the bowels of Gaea Station alongside the last scraps of humanity, she readies herself to face the Wisdom, the all-powerful, reality-shaping weapon that gave the Majoda their victory over humanity. They are what’s left. They are what must survive. Kyr is one of the best warriors of her generation, the sword of a dead planet. But when [spoilers removed]
This is a thrillingly told space opera about the wreckage of war, the family you find, and who you must become when every choice is stripped from you. Despite its length, the book is hard to put down and keep you on your toes with quite unexpected turns of events. I loved it, and I am looking forward to reading more by this author in the future. (★★★★★)
Started: Apr 13 2024 Finished: May 03 2024

My review: Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Novella category. I have previously read and enjoyed work by this author, hence I was quite eager to read this one.
Thornhedge is a modern fairy tale of a kind-hearted, toad-shaped heroine, a gentle knight, and a mission gone completely sideways. There's a princess trapped in a tower. This isn't her story. Meet Toadling. On the day of her birth, she was stolen from her family by the fairies, but she grew up safe and loved in the warm waters of faerieland. Once an adult though, the fae ask a favor of Toadling: return to the human world and offer a blessing of protection to a newborn child. Simple, right? But nothing with fairies is ever simple. Centuries later, a knight approaches a towering wall of brambles, where the thorns are as thick as your arm and as sharp as swords. He's heard there's a curse here that needs breaking, but it's a curse Toadling will do anything to uphold… (★★★★)
Started: Apr 07 2024 Finished: Apr 16 2024

My review: I read the stories separately at different moment in times, but goodreads keeps merging them into the magazine where they first appeared.

One Man's Treasure by Sarah Pinsker. Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Novelette category. I had previously read and liked a few stories by this author, and I was curious to read this one. It turns out to be the most interesting and enjoyable story by this author I read so far.
One Man's Treasure is set in a world quite like ours, but where magic exists and... it is very expensive. Using this premise the author waves an interesting story that is a reflection of the inequalities of the real world we live in.

How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub by P. Djèlí Clark. Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Short Story category. I had previously read and loved quite a lot work by this author, and I could not wait to read this one. I was not disappointed.
The story is set in the Victorian England, and it features a misogynistic, xenophobic protagonist that unhappy of his unearned wealth, decides to prove his worth without much effort since he believes he is entitled to it. The tone is often funny and light, and that tempers the horrors of colonialism and "white burden" thinking of the era. A great book, one of my favorites among the finalists this year.

Bad Doors by John Wiswell, a finalist for the 2023 Nebula Awards in the Short Story Category.
I previously read some other short fiction by this author, and I really loved his D.I.Y. Hence when I heard he wrote another short story, and that it was short-listed for the Nebula, I could not resist.
The premise of the story is relatively simple is relatively simple: a mysterious door keeps appearing wherever the narrator goes. What makes the story interesting though is the world where it takes place: it is set in the America of Covid-19 pandemic, disinformation, and conspiracy theories. It reads a little like a dystopian story, yet it is 100% the world we did (and still do) live in.
(★★★★)
Started: Mar 17 2024 Finished: Apr 07 2024

My review: This review is for The Year Without Sunshine by Naomi Kritzer. Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Novelette category. I have previously read and enjoyed work by this author, hence I was quite eager to read this one. I was blown away: such a great story.
The story is set in today's U.S.A., where people are going through a semi-apocalyptic event, including pandemic, civil unrests, and a climate event that is taking away the sun. It is a story of how people react and community comes together, with the signature solar optimism of the author.
This is a great story that I recommend to everyone, especially to people that are a little down and needs their faith in humanity to be boosted a little bit. It's, so far, my #1 choice for the Hugo award in this category. (★★★★★)
Started: Apr 06 2024 Finished: Apr 07 2024

My review: This is a review of Introduction to 2181 Overture, Second Edition by Gu Shi. Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Novelette category.
I had never previously read or heard of this author, hence I really did not know what to expect. It turns out this is one of the strongest among the Hugo finalists in the Novelette category, and quite a remarkable story. The story is set in the near future, when a technology has enabled humans to hibernate for long periods of time. The first half is a very hard science fiction exploration of the many legal and ethical implication of the technology. The second part moves away (seamlessly) from hard science fiction to a more emotionally powerful exploration of the implications of the technology on human lives.
This is a great read that I recommend to everyone. I hope more work by this author will be translated into a language I can read. (★★★★★)
Started: Apr 07 2024 Finished: Apr 07 2024

My review: Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Novelette category. I have previously read and enjoyed work by this author, hence I was quite eager to read this one. This turned out to be the sequel to St. Valentine, St. Abigail, St. Brigid, that I had enjoyed quite a lot.
This is set ten or twenty year after the previous instalment: the young girl we met in St. Valentine, St. Abigail, St. Brigid is now grown up and has taken the role that used to be the one of her mother. This time she is the one presented with a mysterious orphaned and powerful girl girl to raise into witchcraft. And the time could not be better, since Hurston Hill is threatened by a suspiciously powerful urban development firm. Miss l'Abielle steps up to protect her community with the help of the new girl.
This is a great story and worthy finalist for the Hugo awards. (★★★★)
Started: Apr 02 2024 Finished: Apr 06 2024

My review: This review is for The Mausoleum’s Children by Aliette de Bodard. Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Short Story category. I read a lot of reviews praising the work of this author, and I read a couple of good short stories by her, so I was quite intrigued to read one more.
The story is part of a series of loosely connected stories, that form a mosaic that strengthen each of them. Unfortunately I have not read any of the other stories, and I am left wondering if I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the previous ones.
Despite that, the story is quite good, an interesting exploration of trauma, and the different ways people deal with it. (★★★)
Started: Apr 02 2024 Finished: Apr 02 2024

My review: I have previously read and enjoyed work by this author, hence I was quite eager to read this short story, the prequel to the 2024 Hugo Award finalist novelette "Ivy, Angelica, Bay". It turns out to be quite good.
The story is set in today's world, but for the fact that magic exists, even if it is rare and common people don't really know about it. The protagonist, a young girl given away by her mother in return to magic, is raised by somebody that does know how to use magic.
But the protagonist will soon learn that all magical requests comes with a price. And a girl with witchcraft, no friends, and only her mother’s bees to confide in will pay whatever’s necessary to keep the girl she loves safe. (★★★★)
Started: Apr 02 2024 Finished: Apr 02 2024

My review: Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Novelette category. I had previously read quite a few stories by this author, so I was thrilled to read one more. I was not disappointed.
In this story a young unnamed narrators find herself running away from justice with some bank robbers. She end up learning the ropes of the job, including how to access the mysterious Fox Road.
The style is beautiful, and both worldbuilding and atmosphere creation are great... but not exactly my cup of tea somehow. I am sure many will love it though. (★★★)
Started: Mar 31 2024 Finished: Apr 01 2024

My review: This review is for The Sound of Children Screaming by Rachel K. Jones. Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Short Story category. I do not believe I had previously read anything written by this author, and I was quite curious to give it a try... and what an incredibly powerful story it ended up being!
Sometimes the most horrifying, scary, and tragic stories do not come from the fantasy of writers, but from the real world. This is the case for mass shooting in schools, that is at the heart of this short story. I will not say more, to avoid spoiling it for you. I will just say it is a deserving finalist for the Hugo and a likely winner.
This is a must-read that I recommend to everyone. (★★★★★)
Started: Mar 31 2024 Finished: Mar 31 2024

My review: This review is for Better Living Through Algorithms by Naomi Kritzer. Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Short Story category. I have read and enjoyed previous work by this author, and I was looking forward this new one. I was not disappointed.
In the near future, a new app become viral. It is a wellness app, that helps you improve your life, and be happier. It sounds too good to be true but... it seems to work? I won't say more to avoid spoiling it, but it is a quite remarkable story, full of the optimism that I learned to expect from this author, even when speaking about the shortcoming in the human nature.
A great story and a strong contender for the award. (★★★★★)
Started: Mar 31 2024 Finished: Mar 31 2024

My review: I had previously read and loved Legends & Lattes, and when I learned there was a prequel I could not wait to get my hands on it. I was not disappointed.
In this prequel Viv is a young orc, and her career with the notorious mercenary company Rackam's Ravens isn't going as planned. Wounded during the hunt for a powerful necromancer, she's packed off against her will to recuperate in the sleepy beach town of Murk—so far from the action that she worries she'll never be able to return to it.
What's a thwarted soldier of fortune to do?
Spending her hours at a beleaguered bookshop in the company of its foul-mouthed proprietor is the last thing Viv would have predicted, but it may be both exactly what she needs and the seed of changes she couldn't possibly imagine.
Still, adventure isn't all that far away. A suspicious traveler in gray, a gnome with a chip on her shoulder, a summer fling, and an improbable number of skeletons prove Murk to be more eventful than Viv could have ever expected.
This was a great book, I do hope the author will take us back to this fictional universe soon! (★★★★★)
Started: Mar 12 2024 Finished: Mar 28 2024

My review: What a sweet and touching story! I am glad there are such wonderful books available to this generation of young adult readers. It is very important to have realistic portrayals of adolescence, as diverse as the real world is.
In this volume Nick and Charlie and their classmates go on a school trip to Paris! Not only are Nick and Charlie navigating a new city, but also telling more people about their relationship AND learning more about the challenges each other are facing in private… Meanwhile Tao and Elle will face their feelings for each other, Tara and Darcy share more about their relationship origin story, and the teachers supervising the trip seem… rather close…?
By Alice Oseman, winner of the YA Book Prize, Heartstopper is about friendship, loyalty and mental illness. It encompasses all the small stories of Nick and Charlie’s lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us. (★★★★★)
Started: Mar 10 2024 Finished: Mar 22 2024

My review: Since I work for a data and metrics driven company, I thought it was healthy to read a book critical to this approach, at least to better understand its limitations and shortcomings.
This book focuses on how the "obsession with quantifying human performance" threatens business, medicine, education, government, and the quality of our lives.
Today, organizations of all kinds are ruled by the belief that the path to success is quantifying human performance, publicizing the results, and dividing up the rewards based on the numbers. But in our zeal to instill the evaluation process with scientific rigor, according to the author we have gone from measuring performance to fixating on measuring itself, and this tyranny of metrics now threatens the quality of our organizations and lives.
Jerry Muller focuses on the damage metrics are causing and shows how we can begin to fix the problem. Filled with examples from business, medicine, education, government, and other fields, the book explains why paying for measured performance doesn't work, why surgical scorecards may increase deaths, and much more. But Muller also shows that, when used as a complement to judgment based on personal experience, metrics can be beneficial, and he includes an invaluable checklist of when and how to use them. The result is an essential corrective to a harmful trend that increasingly affects us all.
It's an interesting book, I found it useful, even if it could have been probably condensed to 1/3 of its length without losing anything. (★★★)
Started: Mar 04 2024 Finished: Mar 11 2024

My review: What a sweet and touching story! I am glad there are such wonderful books available to this generation of young adult readers. It is very important to have realistic portrayals of adolescence, as diverse as the real world is.
Nick and Charlie are best friends. Nick knows Charlie is gay, and Charlie is sure that Nick isn’t.
But love works in surprising ways, and Nick is discovering all kinds of things about his friends, his family … and himself.
By Alice Oseman, winner of the YA Book Prize, Heartstopper is about friendship, loyalty and mental illness. It encompasses all the small stories of Nick and Charlie’s lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us. (★★★★★)
Started: Mar 03 2024 Finished: Mar 09 2024

My review: I had never read anything by this author, and I was quite eager to try given all the good reviews I read about his work. I was not disappointed. What a remarkable book!
From her place in the store, Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change forever, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans. In Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro looks at our rapidly changing modern world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator to explore a fundamental question: what does it mean to love? (★★★★★)
Started: Feb 14 2024 Finished: Mar 03 2024

My review: I heard a lot of good reviews for this graphic novel, hence I decided to give it a try. I really liked it. And the graphics quality is quite remarkable: the artist is able to conjure deep emotions with a very small number of strokes.
This is the story of Charlie, a highly-strung, openly gay over-thinker, and Nick, a cheerful, soft-hearted rugby player. They meet at a British all-boys grammar school. Friendship blooms quickly, but could there be something more...?
Charlie Spring is in Year 10 at Truham Grammar School for Boys. The past year hasn't been too great, but at least he's not being bullied anymore. Nick Nelson is in Year 11 and on the school rugby team. He's heard a little about Charlie - the kid who was outed last year and bullied for a few months - but he's never had the opportunity to talk to him.
They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn't think he has a chance. But love works in surprising ways, and sometimes good things are waiting just around the corner... (★★★★★)
Started: Feb 19 2024 Finished: Feb 21 2024

My review: I had previously read previous work by this author and I was eager to read this one when I heard it came out. I was not disappointed.
Grimace is a homeless man on a holy mission to free Black Americans from emotional slavery. His empty soda cans told him as much. Then he meets Kim, a transgender runaway who joins Grimace on his heroic quest. Is Grimace receiving aluminum missives from the gods, or is he a madman? Kim will find out soon enough on a strange journey they’ve been destined to share. (★★★★)
Started: Feb 12 2024 Finished: Feb 16 2024

My review: A past struggle for racial equity could achieve a profound future victory in this audacious short story about technology, hoodoo, and hope by a Nebula Award–winning author. Burri is a fashion designer and icon with a biochemistry background. Her latest pieces are African inspired and crafted to touch the heart. They enable wearers to absorb nanorobotic memories and recount the stories of Black lives and forgiveness. Wenda doesn't buy it. A protest performance artist, Wenda knows exploitation when she sees it. What she's going to do with Burri's breakthrough technology could, in the right hands, change race relations forever.
This is a great story, even if I believe it would benefit to be extended into a full size novel. (★★★★)
Started: Feb 10 2024 Finished: Feb 12 2024

My review: I have heard about James Baldwin in the context of the struggle for racial equality, but I had never read any of his work. I am ashamed to say I did not realize he wrote fiction (I wrongly assumed his work was focused on non fiction). I read this book thanks to my work book club and... wow what an incredible work of art. He is clearly among the best of the best in American literature.
Go Tell It On The Mountain, first published in 1953, is Baldwin's first major work, a semi-autobiographical novel that has established itself as an American classic. With lyrical precision, psychological directness, resonating symbolic power, and a rage that is at once unrelenting and compassionate, Baldwin chronicles a fourteen-year-old boy's discovery of the terms of his identity as the stepson of the minister of a storefront Pentecostal church in Harlem one Saturday in March of 1935. Baldwin's rendering of his protagonist's spiritual, sexual, and moral struggle of self-invention opened new possibilities in the American language and in the way Americans understand themselves.
I strongly recommend this book to everyone. (★★★★★)
Started: Jan 29 2024 Finished: Feb 11 2024

My review: I had never read anything by this author before, and I am quite glad I did, because he is extremely talented. I need to read more of his work!
The story is set in the future. Two humans are sent to the far side of a star gate... but accident happens sometime at the wrong time: Copilots Msizi and Tariro are testing a newly constructed wormhole jump that presumably leads to unsettled habitable worlds. Then an explosion sends them off course, far from where they started and with little chance of ever making it back. Now they’re stranded on their new home for the diaspora. It’s called Malcolm X-b. But they’re beginning to wonder how many light-years from civilization they really are.
Great book, my only regret is that it's way too short. This should be expanded into a full length novel. (★★★★)
Started: Feb 06 2024 Finished: Feb 08 2024

My review: 2043 is set in a neat feature where African-descended "USians" are obtaining their overdue reparations... underwater. They can get their body modified to live underwater and receive land to develop. Five miles off the South Carolina coast, Darden and Catherina are getting their promised forty acres, all of it undersea. Like every Black “mer,” they’ve been experimentally modified to adapt to their new subaquatic home, and have met with extreme resistance from white supremacists. Darden has an inspired plan for resolution. For both those on land and the webbed bottom-dwellers below, Darden is hoping to change the wave of the future. A good story that I enjoyed quite a bit, but maybe less strong of the other instalment of the Black Stars series. (★★★)
Started: Feb 04 2024 Finished: Feb 06 2024

My review: This review is for Marginalia by Mary Robinette Kowal (goodreads keeps merging the story with the magazine where it was first published, even if it is available separately).
I had previously read and enjoyed this author's sci-fi work, but this is the first time I read one of her fantasy stories. There are clearly some of her signature themes mixed in, for example the exploration of gender roles, but it reads very different from her usual work. It's an enjoyable and good story, with an original "monster". Who needs dragons when you have giant acid snails? (★★★)
Started: Jan 29 2024 Finished: Jan 31 2024

My review: Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story was a finalist in the Novel category a few years back but I did not managed to read the book before the voting deadline, and I am finally catching up now. The book won the award and I heard tons of good reviews about it, hence I was very eager to read it.
Despite some reading trouble along the way (I paused reading the book when I lost my kindle while traveling to Mexico, and resumed when I got my kindle back when it was found more than a month later), I really enjoyed and loved it.
Ambassador Mahit Dzmare arrives in the center of the multi-system Teixcalaanli Empire only to discover that her predecessor, the previous ambassador from their small but fiercely independent mining Station, has died. But no one will admit that his death wasn't an accident—or that Mahit might be next to die, during a time of political instability in the highest echelons of the imperial court. Now, Mahit must discover who is behind the murder, rescue herself, and save her Station from Teixcalaan's unceasing expansion—all while navigating an alien culture that is all too seductive, engaging in intrigues of her own, and hiding a deadly technological secret—one that might spell the end of her Station and her way of life—or rescue it from annihilation.
I strongly recommend this to everyone. (★★★★★)
Started: Nov 23 2023 Finished: Jan 28 2024

My review: I enjoyed every single book I read by this author, but Who Fears Death is the one book that stand out above all other. I was afraid she would never reached the same heights (even iof, as I said, all her books are great), but I did not need to fear: The Black Pages is amazing. I really do hope she expand it into a full length novel, because it's really incredible. It touches religious extremism, colonialist cultural erasure, cultural identity within an original and entertaining story that you cannot put down.
By fate and fire, a being four millennia old is reborn in Mali in a short story of contemporary African life and ancient secrets. Issaka has returned home to Timbouctou and a devastating al-Qaeda raid. His only hope for survival is Faro, a stunning, blue-beaded supernatural entity who rises free from the flames of her imprisoning book as it burns. Compelled to follow Faro, Issaka is opening his eyes to their shared history and the ancestral wisdom of his own past. (★★★★★)
Started: Jan 28 2024 Finished: Jan 28 2024

My review: I really enjoyed the previous instalments of the Murderbot Diaries and I could not wait to read this one. I was not disappointed.
Following the events in Network Effect, the Barish-Estranza corporation has sent rescue ships to a newly-colonized planet in peril, as well as additional SecUnits. But if there’s an ethical corporation out there, Murderbot has yet to find it, and if Barish-Estranza can’t have the planet, they’re sure as hell not leaving without something. If that something just happens to be an entire colony of humans, well, a free workforce is a decent runner-up prize. But there’s something wrong with Murderbot; it isn’t running within normal operational parameters. ART’s crew and the humans from Preservation are doing everything they can to protect the colonists, but with Barish-Estranza’s SecUnit-heavy persuasion teams, they’re going to have to hope Murderbot figures out what’s wrong with itself, and fast. Yeah, this plan is... not going to work. (★★★★)
Started: Jan 10 2024 Finished: Jan 27 2024

My review: I previously read and liked quite a lot We Should All Be Feminists, a non-fiction book on feminisms, written by this author. When I saw she had written a sci-fi short story I knew I had to give it a try. I did not know what to expect.
The premise is simple: the story is set in the current world with a single difference: the genre roles are reversed. Matriarchy is the standard. In this world, two men—old friends—confront the past and future.
One night in Lagos, two former friends reunite. Obinna is a dutiful and unsophisticated stay-at-home husband and father married to a powerful businesswoman. Eze is single, a cautious rebel from his university days whose arrival soon upsets the balance in Obinna’s life. In a world where men are constantly under surveillance and subject to the whims of powerful women, more than Obinna’s ordered and accustomed routine might be on the line.
This is a great short story, that reminded me a lot of The Power. It's quite short, so perfect to read while commuting or during a short break from your chores. (★★★★)
Started: Jan 27 2024 Finished: Jan 27 2024

My review: Despite her numerous awards, I had never read anything by this author, but I came across a lot of good reviews for this book, and I could not resist. The story was described as an epic fantasy fable about the pursuit of obsession at all costs. I enjoyed the book, but probably because of its relatively short length, I would not exactly describe it as epic.
This is the story of Ester. Her family was torn apart when a manticore killed her mother and baby brother, leaving her with nothing but her father’s painful silence and a single, overwhelming need to kill the monsters that took her family. Ester’s path leads her to the King’s Royal Mews, where the giant rocs of legend are flown to hunt manticores by their brave and dedicated ruhkers. Paired with a fledgling roc named Zahra, Ester finds purpose and acclaim by devoting herself to a calling that demands absolute sacrifice and a creature that will never return her love. The terrifying partnership between woman and roc leads Ester not only on the empire’s most dangerous manticore hunt, but on a journey of perseverance and acceptance. (★★★)
Started: Dec 20 2023 Finished: Jan 09 2024

My review: I really liked this author's Machineries of Empire and Thousand Worlds series. I was eager to read this short story by the same author. It was good!
This is the story of Commander Niaja vrau Erezeng, up against an enemy that doesn’t just destroy all the beings, ships, and planets in its path, but also consumes their greatest arts, somehow scratching them from existence everywhere.
It is a fun short read, but if you have not read anything by this author, start somewhere else, this is good, but their other work is even better. (★★★)
Started: Jan 03 2024 Finished: Jan 05 2024