In the Lives of Puppets

 

In the Lives of Puppets by T. J. Klune.  432 pp

Victor lives with his father, Gio, in a series of tree houses in a forest adjacent to a scrap yard.  He enjoys seeing what the scrap yard has to offer, but it is dangerous.  Several machines guard it from outside interference.  He already found a vaccum which he repaired and named "Rambo" and a robot nurse called Nurse Ratched (Ratched is actually the initials for Registered Automaton to Care, Heal, Educate, and Drill).  One day while in the scrap yard, Victor finds an android that seems to still be alive.  Unfortunately, by the time he removes everything on top of it, it is no longer functioning, but he takes it home to his lab to tinker with it.  Eventually, he is able to repair everything but the battery that makes it work.  He takes a heart he made in case his father needs it (Gio is an android, too) and puts a few drops of blood in and the android comes to life.  The android doesn't know who he is or what his purpose is, but he has some initials on his body HAP, so that is what Victor, Rambo, and Nurse Ratched call him.  Nurse Ratched also calls him Hysterically Angry Puppet since he is very grumpy.  When Gio sees what Victor has done, he is upset since Gio built HAP originally as a human destroyer (HARP stands for Human Annihilation Response Protocol) and Victor is a human.  Some government androids realize that HAP is alive and that there may be a human around, so Gio makes everyone go into a safe room.  The government androids take Gio back to the City of Electric Dreams and destroy his heart.  When Victor and his friends emerge from the safe room Gio is gone and the tree houses have been destroyed.  They they go on a quest to rescue Gio.

This is not my usual type of story (not big into Sci Fi), but I had read another T. J. Klune book and wanted to read this.  The robot friends are very funny (shades of MST3K).  Many reviews say this is a modern day Pinocchio.  I can see this as Gio creates Victor (he is already a "real" boy) and there is a workshop/lab for tinkering.  I really enjoyed it.

The Calculating Stars

 The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal  431 pages

Summary from Goodreads: On a cold spring night in 1952, a huge meteorite fell to earth and obliterated much of the east coast of the United States, including Washington D.C. The ensuing climate cataclysm will soon render the earth inhospitable for humanity, as the last such meteorite did for the dinosaurs. This looming threat calls for a radically accelerated effort to colonize space, and requires a much larger share of humanity to take part in the process.

Elma York’s experience as a WASP pilot and mathematician earns her a place in the International Aerospace Coalition’s attempts to put man on the moon, as a calculator. But with so many skilled and experienced women pilots and scientists involved with the program, it doesn’t take long before Elma begins to wonder why they can’t go into space, too.

Elma’s drive to become the first Lady Astronaut is so strong that even the most dearly held conventions of society may not stand a chance against her.

And here's what I thought: I picked up this book for a book group read and really enjoyed it. The premise is interesting and believable, and I liked that the story focused on a woman who is really good at math. Which may sound odd --- but really, it's kind of nice to have a focus on intelligence, rather than what she looks like. Or how bad-ass she is.  Because she is bad-ass --- but it's because she's really smart.

Kowal includes plenty of realistic details, so you could imagine this story really happening.  This is alternate history, but it's so well done that it could be a nonfiction memoir. Definitely looking forward to reading more in this series!

The Last Exit

 The Last Exit by Michael Kaufman  298 pages

Summary from Goodreads: Set in Washington D.C. 20 years from now, climate change has hit hard, fires are burning, unemployment is high, and controversial longevity treatments are only available to the very rich. Enter resourceful young police detective, Jen B. Lu, and her 'partner', Chandler, a SIM implant in her brain and her instant link to the Internet and police records, and a constant voice inside her head. He's an inquisitive tough guy, with a helluva sense of humor and his own ideas about solving crimes.

As a detective in the Elder Abuse unit, Jen is supposed to be investigating kids pushing their aging parents to "exit" so they are eligible to get the longevity drug. But what really has her attention are the persistent rumors about Eden, a black market version of the longevity drug, and the bizarre outbreak of people aging almost overnight, then suddenly dying--is this all connected? Is Big Pharma involved?

When Jen's investigations of Eden take her too close to the truth, she is suspended, Chandler is deactivated, and her boyfriend is freaked out by "the thing inside her brain." This leaves Jen to pursue a very dangerous investigation all by herself.

And here's what I thought: I liked this spin on the near-future with AI. The story is a combination of science fiction and mystery and I thought rhe main characters of Jen and her AI, Chandler were interesting. However, the story often didn't keep my attention and I put it down a few times before finishing it. Jen isn't super-likeable, which doesn't matter too much to me -- but the pacing sometimes lagged and I think that's where I would get stuck. So, interesting book and maybe I'll try it again at some point to see if I can more fully engage with it. 

Storm Front

Storm Front by Jim Butcher, 355 pages    

I've been resisting this series for a while, and now I'm glad I finally relented and gave this a shot! I wasn't sure I was in the mood for complicated explanations of magic and the rules of magic and so forth, but luckily for my short attention span, this jumped right into the action. I very much appreciated that the author did not go into great detail about how the magic was done and how the structure of the magical world worked; instead the book focused on solving a mystery and magic was just one of the tools used.

And the character using the tools is a lot of fun! Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a wizard and you can find him in the phonebook under "Wizards" - he's the only one listed. He is a consultant to the Chicago PD, in a world pretty much exactly like ours except magic is a bit more prevalent. When the police run into something out of the ordinary, they call Harry. Of course there are folks on the police force who don't entirely believe in magic, but who also are too scared to look Harry in the eye or ask a lot of questions about his work and methods.

In this book, the first in a series of currently 17 books (as well as short story collections, graphic novel adaptations, and a short-lived TV show), Harry is called in to investigate a pair of gruesome murders and it quickly gets him involved with a local big-time gangster who doesn't want Harry poking around in his business. Harry's character is accessible and likeable: he might be a wizard, but his work isn't that lucrative so he takes odd jobs to pay the bills (hence the phone book listing), much more like a private investigator than a magician for hire. There are a lot of great jokes about his life and powers, and the side characters are complex and memorable as well. The magic is important to the story, but it doesn't bog down the reader with intricacies and explanations - it's part of the action, but not the main focus. It's possible in future books we'll learn more about how Harry became a wizard and how the White Council, which controls the people who use magic, functions, but it seems like the author will dole this out in small chunks while keeping the story moving.

I finished this book in just a couple of days and it held my attention, which I needed! In these times I'm having a hard time focusing but this book, with plenty of action and solid writing, kept me turning the pages. I will definitely continue with this series.

Post from July 31 - Wanderers

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig  782 pages

"Shana wakes up one morning to discover her little sister in the grip of a strange malady. She appears to be sleepwalking. She cannot talk and cannot be woken up. And she is heading with inexorable determination to a destination that only she knows. But Shana and her sister are not alone. Soon they are joined by a flock of sleepwalkers from across America, on the same mysterious journey. And like Shana, there are other "shepherds" who follow the flock to protect their friends and family on the long dark road ahead."

If you enjoy Stephen King's books, and you don't mind a bit of supernatural mixed in with your science fiction, this is the book for you.  Wendig takes a premise that at first sounds supernatural and then brings in pure science and science fiction. In this near future, a pandemic is starting to sweep across the globe. Wendig makes this especially horrifying by basing it on a disease that already occurs in animals.  The way he thoroughly covers it in the book, it's completely believable and very frightening. Really good character development, and a lot of diversity in characters as well, which I really appreciated.

By the way --- is it just me, or is this new Blogger interface a pain in the butt? My posts are late because the Labels kept locking up . . . 

The Great Zoo of China

The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly   392 pages

It is a secret the Chinese government has been keeping for forty years. They have proven the existence of dragons—a landmark discovery no one could ever believe is real, and a scientific revelation that will amaze the world. Now the Chinese are ready to unveil their astonishing findings within the greatest zoo ever constructed. A small group of VIPs and journalists has been brought to the zoo deep within China to see these fabulous creatures for the first time. The visitors are assured by their Chinese hosts that they will be struck with wonder at these beasts, that the dragons are perfectly safe, and that nothing can go wrong. Of course it can't.

Does this sound familiar? That’s because as much as The Great Zoo of China tries to be something extraordinary, it is Jurassic Park with dragons. Simply changing the country, species, and purpose doesn't make the adventure any less predictable. Not one of the best novels I've read, but it was an easy to read, action-packed experience. This novel would be better appreciated by people who haven't read Jurassic Park. 

Posted by: Regina C.  

The Space Between Worlds

The Space Between Worlds by by Micaiah Johnson   336 pages

Cara has always been quite good at dying, a talent which enables her to move between the multiverse, pulling data and other information for her employer. However, on this visit to a different Earth, Cara discovers that one of her last remaining doppelgangers has died under mysterious circumstances. Now, she is in a new world, but still carrying an old secret and entangled in a plot that could endanger the entire multiverse.

This isn't much a science fiction book as it is a story about the exploration of self, of how far someone will go to help someone they love, and also how far and how deep a secret can be carried. Cara is an intriguing and flawed character, and while I felt the plot sometimes struggled a bit, she is compelling and I wanted to see how the story ended.

His Hideous Heart

His Hideous Heart edited by Dahlia Adler, 480 pages

Whether the stories are familiar to readers or discovered for the first time, readers will revel in Edgar Allan Poe’s classic tales, and how they’ve been brought to life in 13 unique and unforgettable ways.

Contributors include Kendare Blake (reimagining “Metzengerstein”), Rin Chupeco (“The Murders in the Rue Morge”), Lamar Giles (“The Oval Portrait”), Tessa Gratton (“Annabel Lee”), Tiffany D. Jackson (“The Cask of Amontillado”), Stephanie Kuehn (“The Tell-Tale Heart”), Emily Lloyd-Jones (“The Purloined Letter”), Hillary Monahan (“The Masque of the Red Death”), Marieke Nijkamp (“Hop-Frog”), Caleb Roehrig (“The Pit and the Pendulum”), and Fran Wilde (“The Fall of the House of Usher”)

I wish I didn’t have such high expectations for this book going in, or I might have been less disappointed by it. I love Poe’s work so much, so seeing this anthology come-up I was thrilled at the prospect of reimagined tales. Sadly, I felt like the stories included here were just okay. One or two caught my attention, but overall, the feeling was less disturbing, more mildly spooky. Some of the stories just didn’t feel well put-together.

Would I still recommend this book? Yes, because I think it’s important that Poe’s writing is still being talked about and is being brought to new readers in a contemporary way. If you are a major fan of Poe, like me, just don’t go into this book with the bar set high. Give to those who are looking for an introduction into horror and want to start off with something light.

The Future of Another Timeline

The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz   Due out September 2019 - I read a galley  350 pages

Timetravel + feminism + social justice = an unforgettable story.

In 1992, 17 year-old Beth is navigating life with a difficult father, as well as a friend who seems to be going down a dangerous path. Immersed in the punk scene, Beth gets involved in acts of escalating violence, especially when she and her friends realize other girls and women need protection from the harm that threatens them.

In 2022, Tess is determined to help her present by going back and rewriting the timeline. However, it's not as simple as changing one person or event, especially when it comes to the Comstockers, men determined to make sure women have no reproductive rights.  When Tess discovers a way to make an edit in the timeline that will make a huge difference, she encounters a group of dangerous timetravelers who are determined to stop her.

As Tess' time traveling intersects with Beth's timeline, we start to understand how the two women are linked and how their futures depend on each other. With the two perspectives of both characters, it isn't clear right away how they are connected but as the story progresses, things become much clearer. An additional bonus to this story (to me, at least) was the backdrop in Tess' story of the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. The historical details in that timeline and part of her story made the book even more interesting --- and I was already finding it to be a fascinating read.  Definitely a unique take on the time-travel story, and the inclusion in real-life women's issues made it thought-provoking, as well.  Great read!

Artificial Condtion

Artificial Condition  by Martha Wells          Audio Book: 3 hrs., 21 mins.      Hardback Book:  160 pages                  

I found out this was book 2 in the Murderbot series.    I wish books would note when they are a part of a series and what number the book at hand is in such series.   It is one thing if it is the first book in a series but to be out of order and not starting with the first book in the series can be a littles disappointing.    However,  this book could stand alone, the reader just knew there were things that transpired prior to the Murderbots arrival at the location he was in this book, but, that could be explained away by the murderbot main character’s reference to them as being a part of semi-erased memory tapes or the like.     I wanted to like this story.   It had elements that weren’t bad but some of the continuity was off, sometimes the robot’s language didn’t jive, some things seemed off because that far in the future I don’t think robots would cuss, be streetwise, and use slang and or the dropping of the endings off of words.   I was struck with the feeling that this was a first attempt at writing or perhaps a highschooler’s writing assignment.    It did not come across as good writing, but, perhaps something that was done for a class, or an attempt at trying one’s hand at science fiction.   I wanted to like the story, there were parts of it that were o.k. but overall – I would not recommend this one.  It needed some editing before its release that somehow fell through the cracks.   I don’t know about the previous book nor can I speak for any later books in this series but I would not be interested in reading any further on this story.   Not to be judgey just to offer constructive criticism, this book seemed a little 1 dimensional.   No recommendation here.   

 - Shirley J.

Ice

Ice by Anna Kavan, 193 pages

"In this haunting and surreal novel, the narrator and a man known as the warden search for an elusive girl in a frozen, seemingly post-nuclear, apocalyptic landscape. The country has been invaded and is being governed by a secret organization. There is destruction everywhere; great walls of ice overrun the world. Together with the narrator, the reader is swept into a hallucinatory quest for this strange and fragile creature with albino hair. Acclaimed upon its 1967 publication as the best science fiction book of the year, this extraordinary and innovative novel has subsequently been recognized as a major work of literature in its own right." Summary courtesy of Goodreads

There is a plot to the novel but it is loose. In fact, it can be hard to keep track of what is going on because of the hallucinations. But that seems to be the point. It is a psychological examination of destruction and control. It's about what might happen at the end of the world.

It is notable that no characters are named. The prose is beautiful. The forward and afterword help give background and context to the novel. I would recommend this to those like science fiction and those that like literary fiction.

Light from Other Stars

Light from Other Stars by Erika Swyler   304 pages

Nedda Papas is eleven years old and obsessed with becoming an astronaut. Living in a small Florida Space Coast town in 1986, this dream seems within reach. Her father, Theo, is a scientist laid off from NASA and dealing with his own struggles, and her mother, Betheen, has her own obsessions. When Theo turns to experimenting with how he can extend his daughter's childhood a little longer, the result is an invention that alters the fabric of time.

Told between the present and the past, this is a story of a girl pursuing her own dreams while at the same time confronting  her own father and his secrets, and also of how she finds an ally in the mother she never felt she understood.

In the present, Nedda is on a space mission (this isn't a spoiler) and she and her crewmates are faced with a serious crisis; if she can come to terms with  her past, she may hold the key to saving them.

I read a galley of this book, one that I had sitting in my house for weeks and which I hadn't picked up yet.  I haven't read the author's previous book although after reading this one, I'm curious. I can't say that I entirely loved this book, although I certainly found it to be interesting. Some of the details are a little horrifying, and I think that's what put me off a bit a few times. It's definitely an interesting concept, though -- and almost reminded me of a combination of more recent Stephen King + The Martian by Andy Weir.

Lost in the Cosmos

Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book by Walker Percy, 262 pages

Walker Percy begins with a question.  Why is it that you (assuming you are reasonably well-educated by 1983 standards) are likely to identify a picture of Saturn or the Horsehead Nebula with less hesitation than a photo of yourself?  Why is it that distant objects which will never - despite the fantastic imaginings of astrologers and space travel enthusiasts alike - in any meaningful way affect your life are in some way more familiar than your own face?  Why is it that in many ways you are more mysterious to yourself than are the cores of faraway stars?  His answer is that there is an essential difference between yourself and the rest of the cosmos - unlike everything else, you live in an internal world of signs and symbols, related to but not identical with your external environment.  In this internal world it is your self which alone eludes all lasting signification - so far as we know, the human consciousness is "unique in its ability to understand the world but not itself."

Having thus laid out the problem, Percy invites the reader to explore different strategies to resolve it through a series of multiple-choice questions, many of them based on imaginary scenarios.  It is here that Percy's brilliance as a novelist has free play, and his vignettes are both incisive and wickedly funny, directly involving the reader and demanding that he make concrete decisions.

Apex

Apex by Mercedes Lackey, 294 pages

“Being a member of the Elite Hunter Command imperils Joy in more ways than one. In their latest clash with Othersiders, the army of monsters nearly wiped them out. Apex City is safe?for now. But within the city barriers, Joy must wage a different kind of war. The corrupt and powerful PsiCorps is determined to usurp the Hunters as chief defenders of Apex City and Joy is now squarely in their crosshairs. Unused to playing political games, she has very few people she can truly trust-not even Josh, her first friend in Apex City, who broke up with her when it became too dangerous for a Psimon to be dating a Hunter. Then Josh comes to Joy for help. He fears that Abigail Drift, the head of PsiCorps, will soon use him in her twisted experiments designed to empower PsiCorps and render Hunters superfluous--a scheme that's already killed off dozens of Psimons. Joy manages to smuggle Josh to safety, but he cannot evade Drift forever? As Joy faces ever more powerful Othersiders, she is helped by the most surprising ally imaginable---the same Folk Mage she once met in battle on the train to Apex City. But can Joy trust the most cunning and treacherous of all Othersiders? In the thrilling finale to Mercedes Lackey's #1 New York Times bestselling trilogy, Joy must risk everything to end a brutal war?before she loses all she's ever loved.” If I have any complaints about this book it’s that it doesn’t completely feel like the end. 

The Empty Grave

The Empty Grave by Jonathan Stroud, 437 pages

“Five months after the events in THE CREEPING SHADOW, we join Lockwood, Lucy, George, Holly, and their associate Quill Kipps on a perilous night mission: they have broken into the booby-trapped Fittes Mausoleum, where the body of the legendary psychic heroine Marissa Fittes lies. Or does it? This is just one of the many questions to be answered in Book 5 of the Lockwood & Co. series. Will Lockwood ever reveal more about his family's past to Lucy? Will their trip to the Other Side leave Lucy and Lockwood forever changed? Will Penelope Fittes succeed in shutting down their agency forever? The young agents must survive attacks from foes both spectral and human before they can take on their greatest enemy in a climactic and chaotic battle. And to prevail they will have to rely on help from some surprising--and shadowy--allies. Jonathan Stroud once again delivers a rousing adventure full of danger, laughs, twists, and frights. The revelations will send readers back to Book 1 to start the series all over again.” Sadly, this is the last book in the series.  I absolutely love Stroud’s writing and these books are perfect for anyone who likes adventure and supernatural stories with a little humor.  I love to recommend these to teens.

Home

Home by Nnedi Okorafor, 164 pages

It's been a year since Binti and the Meduse Okwu enrolled at Oomza University. A year since Binti was declared a hero for uniting two warring planets. A year since she abandoned her family in the dawn of a new day.And now she must return home to her people, with her friend Okwu by her side, to face her family and her elders. Her experiences off-planet have changed her forever, and Binti will have to discover whether there is still a home for her on Earth. I definitely like Okorafor’s adult books much better than her YA.  This is a very good fantasy novel.  I would definitely recommend it to fans of the genre.

The Owls Have Come to Take Us Away

The Owls Have Come to Take Us Away by Ronald L. Smith     272 pages

From Goodreads:

Twelve-year-old Simon is obsessed with aliens. The ones who take people and do experiments. When he's too worried about them to sleep, he listens to the owls hoot outside. Owls that have the same eyes as aliens—dark and foreboding.

Then something strange happens on a camping trip, and Simon begins to suspect he’s been abducted. But is it real, or just the overactive imagination of a kid who loves fantasy and role-playing games and is the target of bullies and his father’s scorn?

Even readers who don’t believe in UFOs will relate to the universal kid feeling of not being taken seriously by adults that deepens this deliciously scary tale.

Review:

This is a fascinating book that will draw readers in right away. Simon is a character with a lot of heart, curiosity, and spirit. His fear of aliens and his naturally imaginative mind make for a great mix in the narrative, keeping the reader guessing as to what is real and what isn't.

Simon's story that he writes throughout the novel is an interesting parallel that helps show Simon's imagination and creativity. Readers will enjoy Simon's fantasy world just as much as his quest to uncover the truth behind aliens.

The writing is easy and matches Simon's ages well. Young readers will easily see themselves in Simon and will follow along on his journey without needing any prior knowledge of aliens.

The cast of supporting characters are very minimal, but this book is very much about Simon's experience, so not much is felt to be lacking, aside for maybe a stronger counterpart to Simon.

Overall, this is a thrilling, adventurous book and an interesting take on aliens, albeit with a rather abrupt ending that leaves a few questions to be answered.

Scythe

Scythe by Neal Shusterman, 435 pages

“A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life--and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control. Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe--a role that neither wants. These teens must master the "art" of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.”  This was amazing.  I think this may be my favorite book by Shusterman.  Teens who like science fiction dystopian type novels will enjoy this.

The City in the Middle of the Night

The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders  Due out February, 2019. I read a galley   368 pages

"Set on a planet that has fully definitive, never-changing zones of day and night, with ensuing extreme climates of endless, frigid darkness and blinding, relentless light, humankind has somehow continued apace -- though the perils outside the built cities are rife with danger as much as the streets below.

But in a world where time means only what the ruling government proclaims, and the levels of light available are artificially imposed to great consequence, lost souls and disappeared bodies are shadow-bound and savage, and as common as grains of sand. And one such pariah, sacrificed to the night, but borne up by time and a mysterious bond with an enigmatic beast, will rise to take on the entire planet--before it can crumble beneath the weight of human existence."

This is the summary from Goodreads, which I felt would be a much better summary than one I could come up with on my own.  This is a complex story with shifting perspectives, where there's an intricate balance between the storylines and some of the characters. The style of the writing reminded me a little of China Mieville, where you drop into a story where nothing is explained and you just figure it out as you go along. I didn't mind that, but it took me a bit to adjust to it. I kept feeling like I was missing details, only to realize that none had been given --- so if you start out with that mindset, it's a little easier.

I really liked this book and found it interesting and thought-provoking. I found the characters compelling, even when I didn't necessarily like or understand them, and I really liked how Anders creates this planet and then uses that to drive a lot of the culture and how the different cities' people interact with each other. 

The catalog copy for this book reads, "January is a dying planet—divided between a permanently frozen darkness on one side, and blazing endless sunshine on the other. Humanity clings to life, spread across two archaic cities built in the sliver of habitable dusk. And living inside the cities, one flush with anarchy and the other buckling under the stricture of the ruling body, is increasingly just as dangerous as the uninhabitable wastelands outside."  The idea that people are able to have any existence at all on this planet is amazing --- and it's clear that resources are stretched thin.  It's an imaginative way to drive a story, and I found Anders' writing to be fluid and compelling.  I haven't read any of the author's other books, but I'm curious to pick up another now after reading this one.

Stories of Your Life and others

Stories of Your Life and others by Ted Chiang, 10 hrs 23 m, 333 pages

This is a collection of the author's first eight published stories. All of the stories were good but my least favorite was the first one - "Tower of Babylon". It was slow to get going but had a good ending. It was the author's first published story which could be why it wasn't as good.

The title story, Stories of Your Life was the basis for the movie Arrival and it is what drew me to this collection. However, it wasn't my favorite story in the collection. I would say my favorite is a toss up between "Understand" and "Liking What You See: a Documentary".      

"Understand" is about a man who is given a life saving drug that unintentionally makes him more intelligent. After several doses, he is super intelligent and has control over his body. While he is constructing his grand philosophy he finds out there is another like him. He realizes there can only be one of them which leads to a showdown.

"Liking What You See: a Documentary" is set in the future where your ability to tell if people are beautiful or ugly can be turned off. The documentary is of people at a college debating and then voting on whether everyone at the college will be required to have the procedure while they are attending.

I would recommend this book to fans of science fiction and fantasy.