Yaddith Times

The Five Points Ripper by Larry Correia

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Third in a series of SF police procedural novellas set on Croatoan, a barely useable planet which got settled as a last-ditch effort after the colony ship went astray. Or was that really an accident, after all?

DCI Lutero Cade has been trying to figure this out for a while, now -- for family reasons -- and it's an intriguing mystery. Unfortunately, this novella doesn't get him much closer to the answer. Instead, the listener is swept up in a suspenseful "bug hunt" for a killer who's been leaving a mess on four of the five habitable mountain tops of the colony. There's some excellent world-building, and Cade's hardboiled personality shines through as always with Oliver Wyman's narration. I had no trouble sticking with this one to the end -- but for once, that end came too soon. I wanted more progress on the overall mystery of how Croatoan got settled, which didn't happen.

These novellas are available free on Audible as part of one's membership, which seems a good way to enjoy them. Too short to justify a full credit purchase, at least to me, but I'm hooked on the series and the character. Recommended for listeners who loved movies like Outland or Bladerunner.




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When We Were Real by Daryl Gregory

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


[My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]

When We Were Real is near-near-future SF, or possibly present-day SF in any one of a number of realities. The concept -- we are all living in a simulation, and were made aware of this seven years ago -- is intriguing. A varied cast of characters are on a bus tour organized by Canterbury Trails (two nuns this time, Chaucer lovers!), visiting a series of Impossibles left behind by whoever is actually running the simulation. These sites are all violations of the laws of nature, physics, or both, and the pilgrims themselves are pretty messed up to begin with.

The author's omniscient point of view allows him to shift from character to character, generally one character per chapter, as the story moves forward. This works well most of the time, though it took me a while to get everyone straightened out and keep track of whose personal plotlines were intersecting. The Impossibles themselves (beginning with a Frozen Tornado and progressing in orders of weirdness to the Zipper) are the most obviously sfnal bits of the book. The hard-science explanations of why they're Impossible do tend to bog down the narrative a bit, however

Gregory is a terminally witty writer, and I found myself highlighting numerous lines as I clicked through the chapters. The plot situations become increasingly bizarre, occasionally at the expense of clarity. If you're a fan of surreal, consciously literary work, this isn't likely to bother you. If you're accustomed to more conventionally linear texts, it may.

There's plenty to think about here, and more than enough action (physical and emotional) to keep the pages turning/clicking. The last couple of chapters, however, were a real disappointment to me. Although most plot entanglements get untangled, at least one does so in a brutally random manner. The resolution draws upon several possible endings -- which makes sense within the context of "reality" as a simulation, but leaves a last impression of vagueness. I'd call this a solid four-star read for those seeking SF-flavored Literature -- but for mainstream SF readers like myself, possibly a three.




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The Heartbeat of the Universe: Poems from Asimov’s Science Fiction and Analog Science Fiction and Fact 2012–2022 by Emily Hockaday

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


[Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this anthology, in exchange for an honest review.]

This generously sized anthology collects poems from ten years (2012-2022) of Asimov's Science Fiction and Analog Science Fiction and Fact, as selected by Senior Managing Editor Emily Hockaday. As Hockaday also possesses an MFA in poetry (from NYU), one might expect the selections to be a bit different than the standard run -- if there is such a thing! -- of speculative poetry.

One would not be wrong. To begin with, there are both heavy-hitting SF names -- Jane Yolen and Joe Haldeman among others -- and notable speculative poets like Bruce Boston, Robert Frazier, G.O. Clark, Jessy Randall, Mary Soon Lee, and Jennifer Crow. The poems themselves are organized in five sections ranging from completely science-based themes to hard SF, time travel, space travel, and the complex intersections of human nature and future existence. Overall quality is consistently high, though the science poems in particular may be a little opaque for some (or most) readers. Folks, that's what Wikipedia is for. I resorted to it several times during my reading, and was always rewarded with a deeper understanding of the poem in question.

The multi-layered nature of most of these poems -- even the staunchest hard science ones -- is every bit as evident as it is in modern mainstream verse. And, like modern mainstream anthologies, the lover of formal verse will find very little of it here. This was one of my few complaints about this anthology, however, and primarily a matter of personal taste.

Overall, this anthology is a valuable addition to the libraries of both SF readers and poetry lovers, whether they happen to be both or not. Unless one regularly reads Asimov's or Analog, most of the work here is likely to be unfamiliar. Highly recommended.




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The Future by Naomi Alderman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


[Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

This is possibly one of the most disturbing near-future SF novels I've read in a long time, although it's also one of the more didactic. At times, I felt as though I was reading something by the late lamented Sheri S. Tepper. Like Tepper, Alderman has a gift for tight plotting and three-dimensional characterization. Like her, she also has the occasional tendency to tell rather than show. How much this may bother the individual reader depends on how much the reader agrees with Alderman -- or, perhaps, how willing a reader is to ignore this & keep following the relentlessly twisty plot all the way to the end.

Although the first part of the novel is structured around three tech billionaires -- in charge of companies I kept trying to link to real-world tech empires -- the real viewpoint characters are one level down. Most of these are female, gay, nonbinary, or some combination. These are the people doing the real work (or possibly undoing someone else's work) of changing the future. Some of their detailed backstories are not pretty, and they are interspersed with the ongoing action of the main plot in ways it took me a while to get used to. Few details are extraneous, however. As the apocalyptic story line plays out, most prove to be essential to the reader's understanding.

There are plenty of Big Ideas in this one (sometimes too many), but most examine what happens when people start trusting their technology more than they trust themselves. Alderman offers plenty of quotable observations about this, without slowing the plot down much. She also has a good bit to say about the uses & abuses of social media, and the ways people still manage to create strong relationships within it. There is also quite a lot of religion -- one of the viewpoint characters grew up in a fundamentalist cult -- handled in an unexpectedly balanced way. Religion, like technology, may have its uses as well as its flaws.

There's no quick way to summarize the plot of this one without committing spoiler, so I won't. Readers looking for a multilayered SF thriller with compelling characters won't be disappointed, but the plot's not entirely linear & first few chapters are a slow burn. Recommended for those who don't mind a lecture or two with their thrills, & aren't afraid of thinking




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The Ferryman by Justin Cronin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I suspect the fault may be mine & not the novel's, but I just couldn't warm up to most of the characters in this one. This is capital-L Literary science fiction, & very well written . . . but the people just left me cold. Maybe a little too country club for this native Wyomingite?

Also -- and again, probably me -- the elegantly twisted plotline took rather too long to get where it was going, even given the number of layers this onion turned out to have. This one is generally reviewed as a dystopia, but that turned out to be only one of the layers -- though, for me, one of the most compelling.

However, I have no quibble with the writing, & some of the imagery is stunning. I'd still be inclined to recommend this to folks who are looking for SF-flavored literature rather than literature-flavored SF, & are somewhat more patient with slow-burn plot convolutions.





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The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


First of all: readers who haven't read The Island of Doctor Moreau might wish to do so before starting this novel. It's not strictly necessary, but I found myself appreciating many details of Moreno-Garcia's book more for being familiar with the text that inspired it. The differences are at least as important as the similarities, though I'd be committing spoiler if I explained that statement further.

That said, Daughter . . . is a thoroughly enjoyable riff on Wells' tale. Set in the Yucatan peninsula around 1877, it combines fairly fantasy-flavored SF -- &, to be fair, some romance -- with solid historical underpinnings. The title character's viewpoint alternates with that of Moreau's British assistant (possibly a a combination of at least two characters from the original) to explore the perspectives of women & foreign outsiders in this very different corner of the late Victorian world. Moreau's "hybrids" have voices here, too: rather than being monsters or mistakes, they emerge as real people with serious grievances.

There's a detailed author's note included to help curious readers with the history. Otherwise, it's easy to simply immerse yourself in the rich storytelling. I did figure out one "secret" in the plot a bit too early on, but having read the original novel fairly recently probably helped. Recommended for historical fiction fans willing to walk on the wild side, as well as SF/fantasy readers looking to expand their cultural horizons.



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Lost Planet Homicide by Larry Correia

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This one is pretty much what it says on the label: a noir-flavored, off-world police procedural mystery. It's novella-length (about 2.5 hours?), which felt right until the last 30 minutes or so of what was a fairly intriguing & well-crafted story. Then, unfortunately, it started to feel rushed. All the loose ends were neatly tucked in, but the pacing was (to me) off.

Given the amount of world-building here, I suspect this may be the start of a series, or perhaps a trial piece for a novel. The general flavor will appeal to fans of movies like Outland, or much of the Aliens saga. Since it's offered as part of Audible Plus, it might still be a good choice if SF mystery is what you're in the mood for. Just be aware that there's a lot of plot at the end, & a whiff of sequel in the wings.



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Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This sixth installment of The Murderbot Diaries returns to the more effective (to me) novella length, with Murderbot and his associated humans investigating a mysterious death on Preservation station. Since this particular station doesn't get a lot of mysterious deaths, station security can use all the help it can get -- even the assistance of a rogue SecUnit with an attitude and a mouth to match.

What follows is a well-crafted but rather low-key (until the end!) investigative procedural, limited to the station itself. Murderbot's personality still shines through, and the case itself makes for some interesting worldbuilding, but this one doesn't deliver as much excitement as most previous installments. Also, for whatever reason, Murderbot's penchant for F-bombs approaches carpet-bombing at a few points. (This may be more noticeable on the Audible version.)

I still very much enjoyed Fugitive Telemetry, but I'm hoping for a bit more travel and action next time around. Four stars because Murderbot . . . is still Murderbot, F-bombs and all.





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Actually, it's been up for a couple of weeks, at least -- but this online journal of speculative fiction, reviews, & poetry is always worth a look. Or two.

And this time, Yours Truly has a poem in it! (As part of particularly strong TOC, if I do say so myself. Which, alas, I just did.)

Find the whole issue here : https://www.abyssapexzine.com/

Or get directly to the poetry, here: https://www.abyssapexzine.com/category/poetry/

My villanelle, "Dark Matter Haunts Us," may be found here:

https://www.abyssapexzine.com/2020/09/dark-matter-haunts-us/

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Is this a Native American take on urban (OK, rez) fantasy? Post-apocalypse climate change SF with a side order of monsters & a kick-A female hunter? A slightly YA-flavored adventure with mainly Navajo protagonists & a deep dive into tribal mythology?

Yes.

I've been meaning to listen to this one for some time (it came highly recommended by at least one reviewer I trust on such topics), & I'm glad I didn't put it off any longer. Despite the apocalyptic setting, which may not be what some readers are looking for right now, this is a remarkable SF/F novel of its type.

Maggie Hoskie, the monster hunter, is orders of magnitude more complex than a traditional "slayer." Sure, she's got mysterious fighting skills (clan powers) & an arsenal of her own (including shotgun shells loaded with obsidian & corn pollen, wow), but she also has some all-too -believable personal demons. Rather than being a loner, she is a full part of her community, responsible to it & protective of it -- even when not everyone in that community loves her back.

I hesitated between 4 & 5 stars due to more romance than I'd signed on for, but had to go with 5 for the sheer freshness of the Navajo mythology, & because I am fascinated by all things Southwest. And I'll definitely be reading/listening to Storm of Locusts, the next in this Sixth World series.





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