2022 books: 11-14
Aug. 17th, 2022 11:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_siobhanHow the fuck have I only read 14 books?
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The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen A very sweet YA romance between the school misfit and the star of the High School football team. There are supernatural elements in there (super powers are supernatural, right?) but they are only peripheral to the story. I didn't find this out until after reading the book, but apparently it's the background story for two of the characters from Shippen's podcast, which is about a therapist who specializes in super-heroes. She has a few other books about additional characters. The book stands fine on it's own and I liked the book enough that I might check out the podcast. |
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Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson This was a Tor freebie and the first in a series. The world-building in the book is amazing. Magic users pull their powers from alternate dimensions called "warrens" that flicker in and out of existence. Gods are real and meddle in human affairs - and humans can fight right back. There is an alien race that lives on a floating... moon? There are plots and counter-plots and intrigue and there are shit-ton of named characters and it's all very complicated. I ended up feeling like I should have liked this book more than I did. I think perhaps because I was trying to read it at a time when life was entirely more complicated on it's own than I was able to deal with. Maybe I'll try it again later because there was a lot to grab me here. |
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Un Lun Dun by China Miéville Another accidental YA. I think this showed up in the library. Un Lun Dun is UnLondon - a city in an alternate dimension. According to prophecy a girl from London is the chosen one, destined to save UnLondon from the horrible villain The Smog. At the appointed time the chosen one shows up along with her best friend, only The Smog knows the prophecies too and manages to somehow get around them and everything goes horribly wrong. I really enjoyed this book. UnLondon is a demented world based entirely on puns and dad jokes. Great fun. |
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Nostalgia by M G Vassanji Found in the Library. It's the near future and technology allows the very rich to medically extend their lives. The human psyche isn't quite up to the task of maintaining all that history though, so each newly revitalized "generation" is given artificial memories to go along with their new life. The main character is a doctor who has gone through the process himself and who specializes in treating people who experience past memories intruding on their present life. Only one day a patient shows up who he "remembers" and his own fictional life starts to unravel. The writing style is very detached but that works really well for the story of man who is existing in a life that isn't entirely his own. I call it science fiction, but it's only the medical tech in the story that is in any way futuristic. The depiction of a society where resources are hoarded by the wealthy to the point of societal breakdown is... not so very fantastic. |
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Date: 2022-08-18 06:37 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2022-08-18 07:31 pm (UTC)Oooh, China Miéville is on my list for a big study. I've got The City & The City queued up!
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