Yet another month that felt like it overachieved by packing a year's worth of horrors into thirty-one days... Anyway, the month's reviews have been archived and cross-linked on the main Brightdreamer Books site.
Enjoy!
Monday, March 31, 2025
Friday, March 28, 2025
Fundamentals (Frank Wilczek)
Fundamentals: Ten Keys to Reality
Frank Wilczek
Penguin Press
Nonfiction, Science
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: What is the universe? How did it begin? How will it end? What is it made of, and how can we tell? Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek walks the reader through ten fundamental concepts that help explain the world around us, the discoveries that illuminated them, and what further questions remain.
REVIEW: Oh, what a difference a mere few years makes... Published in 2021, Fundamentals at times seems impossibly optimistic as it extols a wonderful potential future for humanity and the sciences, how civilization has only grown more accepting of science and empathy, how AI will soon usher in a golden age for the planet. It was almost painful to listen to in early 2025, in a country whose leaders have openly railed against the "sin of empathy" as a destroyer of Western civilization, that has deported scientists and hacked research off at the knees and cowed universities into submission, that has become almost giddy in its rush to reject the very concept of science and the accumulated intelligence and knowledge of centuries as it elevates the basest and most debunked superstitions to national policy and law, how the AI Wilczek hoped would save the world has become a major destructive force in the hands of greed that is being used to undermine the notion of reality itself... but I digress. Setting aside the stark contrast of the dismal present compared to the author's hoped-for future (which seems rooted in a sadly unrealistic notion of our species, or at least those of our species who have grasped the most power to shape our destinies), this is an interesting, if occasionally overwhelming, exploration of the nature of reality itself, from the smallest subatomic particles and forces to the greater universe at large, from clues about cosmic origins and hints about its future. Along the way, he explains the processes that led to the various discoveries and theories, how everyone can benefit from adopting a more scientific attitude toward life and the unknown, and how science is in no way incompatible with philosophy or even (non-fundamentalist) theology. Though - once again - I was unable to find the promised downloadable supplemental PDF file with this Libby audiobook, I found it intriguing. I just had a very hard time even pretending to share a glimmer of the author's wonder and optimism through the metaphoric stormclouds on the national horizon...
You Might Also Enjoy:
It's Not Rocket Science (Ben Miller) - My Review
Everything All at Once (Bill Nye) - My Review
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry (Neil deGrasse Tyson) - My Review
Frank Wilczek
Penguin Press
Nonfiction, Science
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: What is the universe? How did it begin? How will it end? What is it made of, and how can we tell? Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek walks the reader through ten fundamental concepts that help explain the world around us, the discoveries that illuminated them, and what further questions remain.
REVIEW: Oh, what a difference a mere few years makes... Published in 2021, Fundamentals at times seems impossibly optimistic as it extols a wonderful potential future for humanity and the sciences, how civilization has only grown more accepting of science and empathy, how AI will soon usher in a golden age for the planet. It was almost painful to listen to in early 2025, in a country whose leaders have openly railed against the "sin of empathy" as a destroyer of Western civilization, that has deported scientists and hacked research off at the knees and cowed universities into submission, that has become almost giddy in its rush to reject the very concept of science and the accumulated intelligence and knowledge of centuries as it elevates the basest and most debunked superstitions to national policy and law, how the AI Wilczek hoped would save the world has become a major destructive force in the hands of greed that is being used to undermine the notion of reality itself... but I digress. Setting aside the stark contrast of the dismal present compared to the author's hoped-for future (which seems rooted in a sadly unrealistic notion of our species, or at least those of our species who have grasped the most power to shape our destinies), this is an interesting, if occasionally overwhelming, exploration of the nature of reality itself, from the smallest subatomic particles and forces to the greater universe at large, from clues about cosmic origins and hints about its future. Along the way, he explains the processes that led to the various discoveries and theories, how everyone can benefit from adopting a more scientific attitude toward life and the unknown, and how science is in no way incompatible with philosophy or even (non-fundamentalist) theology. Though - once again - I was unable to find the promised downloadable supplemental PDF file with this Libby audiobook, I found it intriguing. I just had a very hard time even pretending to share a glimmer of the author's wonder and optimism through the metaphoric stormclouds on the national horizon...
You Might Also Enjoy:
It's Not Rocket Science (Ben Miller) - My Review
Everything All at Once (Bill Nye) - My Review
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry (Neil deGrasse Tyson) - My Review
Thursday, March 27, 2025
The Langoliers (Stephen King)
The Langoliers
The Four Past Midnight series, Book 1
Stephen King
Scribner
Fiction, Horror
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: Pilot Brian Engle never meant to be on the redeye from Los Angeles to Boston, especially not so soon after completing another cross-country flight. But this time he's a passenger, rushing back to Boston after his ex-wife's untimely death. Thus, he finds himself on another American Pride jet shortly after departing the cockpit, so exhausted he falls asleep shortly after takeoff... to wake up in a nightmare. The plane is empty save a handful of other passengers, flying on autopilot over an America with no cities, no towns - no life. As the survivors try to figure out what to do and where to go and if they can ever get back to where they came from, they all become aware that a danger is approaching, a danger that takes form in one passenger's childhood tales of all-devouring monsters called the Langoliers.
REVIEW: This novella explores some familiar King themes: an isolated group stranded by an inexplicable Event, a largely-unseen and essentially unstoppable threat, the threat of madness within the group even as the enemy threatens without, and underlying hints of supernatural or psychic phenomena. I thought King explored these ideas a bit better in other stories, but this one does its job and hits its marks, creating ever-rising tension with creepy and memorable imagery, even if the characters sometimes feel a little flat and stereotyped. More than once, I wanted to shake the people to remind them to stop dithering and babbling and taking forever to explain things when the danger is marching relentlessly closer to them, but this isn't the first story where I've felt that urge.
It might have earned a Good rating, save it felt a little weak in spots and the audiobook narration of the edition I checked out from Libby was irritating. The narrator's pitch and volume kept rising and falling, surging and fading, all woven around musical accompaniment that threatened to overwhelm the quieter and lower parts. I kept having to crank up the volume, only to drop it half a minute later when he raised his voice again and nearly blew out my eardrums. It made for a frustrating listening experience that affected my overall enjoyment.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Mist (Stephen King) - My Review
The Hollow Places (T. Kingfisher) - My Review
The Secret Hour (Scott Westerfield) - My Review
The Four Past Midnight series, Book 1
Stephen King
Scribner
Fiction, Horror
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: Pilot Brian Engle never meant to be on the redeye from Los Angeles to Boston, especially not so soon after completing another cross-country flight. But this time he's a passenger, rushing back to Boston after his ex-wife's untimely death. Thus, he finds himself on another American Pride jet shortly after departing the cockpit, so exhausted he falls asleep shortly after takeoff... to wake up in a nightmare. The plane is empty save a handful of other passengers, flying on autopilot over an America with no cities, no towns - no life. As the survivors try to figure out what to do and where to go and if they can ever get back to where they came from, they all become aware that a danger is approaching, a danger that takes form in one passenger's childhood tales of all-devouring monsters called the Langoliers.
REVIEW: This novella explores some familiar King themes: an isolated group stranded by an inexplicable Event, a largely-unseen and essentially unstoppable threat, the threat of madness within the group even as the enemy threatens without, and underlying hints of supernatural or psychic phenomena. I thought King explored these ideas a bit better in other stories, but this one does its job and hits its marks, creating ever-rising tension with creepy and memorable imagery, even if the characters sometimes feel a little flat and stereotyped. More than once, I wanted to shake the people to remind them to stop dithering and babbling and taking forever to explain things when the danger is marching relentlessly closer to them, but this isn't the first story where I've felt that urge.
It might have earned a Good rating, save it felt a little weak in spots and the audiobook narration of the edition I checked out from Libby was irritating. The narrator's pitch and volume kept rising and falling, surging and fading, all woven around musical accompaniment that threatened to overwhelm the quieter and lower parts. I kept having to crank up the volume, only to drop it half a minute later when he raised his voice again and nearly blew out my eardrums. It made for a frustrating listening experience that affected my overall enjoyment.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Mist (Stephen King) - My Review
The Hollow Places (T. Kingfisher) - My Review
The Secret Hour (Scott Westerfield) - My Review
The Guns Above (Robyn Bennis)
The Guns Above
A Signal Airship novel, Book 1
Robyn Bennis
Tor
Fiction, Action/Fantasy/Sci-Fi
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: Josette Dupre never set out to become a war hero. The Garnian military barely tolerates women in lesser roles, even aboard their airships; it was pure chance that she was the highest-ranked officer left alive to perform a daring maneuver that turned the tide of one battle. Now, desperation and politics have combined to land her as the captain - by role if not by official rank - of a new airship, the Mistral. She knows the top brass are salivating for a chance to prove that women have no place in combat, and she intends to prove them wrong... ideally while taking down as many of the enemy as she can. But dreams of vindication and glory soon run head-first into challenges she never anticipated, from the flaws of her new ship's "revolutionary" design to crew morale and a war that's about to take a drastic turn for the worse.
Lord Bernat has never worked a day in his pampered life, cheerfully burning through the family coffers - until one day, instead of more money, his mother sends him to his general uncle. It seems that he's expected to earn his own money via a commission... unless he proves useful in another way, by providing eyewitness proof of Dupre's incompetence to put an end to any progressive notions that might take root in the military. Sure, he's never set foot on an airship before, but Bernat is certain it'll be much easier than actually being a soldier, not to mention the pay offered by his uncle is far better. But what seems like a simple task becomes much more complicated, when the Mistral becomes swept up in audacious new plot by Garnia's enemies. The foppish lord may have arrived on the airship intent on proving Dupre unfit for duty, but she may be the only one who can keep him and the rest of the crew alive.
REVIEW: It's been a bit since I read a steampunk adventure tale, so I figured I'd give this one a try. It offers plenty of action and detailed technical musings on the world's airships, as machines and as tools in greater combat... musings that, along with painstakingly explored battle tactics, threaten to sink the whole story and the characters with it.
The tale starts in the aftermath of Josette's victory, as she and the other survivors of her doomed old ship become part of a bold new idea handed down from Garnia's king that aims to put women in active leadership roles for the first time - in truth, a sign of desperation by a nation that's just plain running out of men and boys to throw into the meat grinder of war. She leverages her experience and skills from years serving in a non-combat role aboard the nation's airships to seize this chance to prove herself (and her gender) capable, but things aren't always easy for her; in a forgotten subplot, it turns out even her second-in-command and best friend secretly thinks women shouldn't be serving. This is not the only forgotten aspect of the story, which often is less about Josette and more about the author explaining to the reader in great detail every possible aspect of Garnia's airships in general and the Mistral in particular. The characters start to feel a bit like placeholders or even caricatures that have to squeeze their interactions, growth, and very existence into the limited spaces around these details, which later spread to encompass blow-by-blows of battles and military tactics. It goes without saying, of course, that Lord Bernat's trial by fire (quite literally) eventually brings him around, but he remains an insufferable twit far longer than he needs to, and his efforts at witty banter tend to fall flat. The action teeters between exciting drama and drawn-out excuses to relate more technical details, eventually leading up to a grand finale and the setup for the second book.
This isn't a bad military steampunk tale, and there are some very good moments. At some point, though, I just got tired of constantly being lectured about the minutiae of Garnian airship schematics and battle plans, and I never felt as engaged or invested as I should have been. I also kept thinking that I'd read the same basic ideas done more effectively elsewhere. Still, if you're looking for a story of soldiers, steampunk, and airships, this is a decent enough choice.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Arabella of Mars (David D. Levine) - My Review
Guns of the Dawn (Adrian Tchaikovsky) - My Review
Leviathan (Scott Westerfield) - My Review
A Signal Airship novel, Book 1
Robyn Bennis
Tor
Fiction, Action/Fantasy/Sci-Fi
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: Josette Dupre never set out to become a war hero. The Garnian military barely tolerates women in lesser roles, even aboard their airships; it was pure chance that she was the highest-ranked officer left alive to perform a daring maneuver that turned the tide of one battle. Now, desperation and politics have combined to land her as the captain - by role if not by official rank - of a new airship, the Mistral. She knows the top brass are salivating for a chance to prove that women have no place in combat, and she intends to prove them wrong... ideally while taking down as many of the enemy as she can. But dreams of vindication and glory soon run head-first into challenges she never anticipated, from the flaws of her new ship's "revolutionary" design to crew morale and a war that's about to take a drastic turn for the worse.
Lord Bernat has never worked a day in his pampered life, cheerfully burning through the family coffers - until one day, instead of more money, his mother sends him to his general uncle. It seems that he's expected to earn his own money via a commission... unless he proves useful in another way, by providing eyewitness proof of Dupre's incompetence to put an end to any progressive notions that might take root in the military. Sure, he's never set foot on an airship before, but Bernat is certain it'll be much easier than actually being a soldier, not to mention the pay offered by his uncle is far better. But what seems like a simple task becomes much more complicated, when the Mistral becomes swept up in audacious new plot by Garnia's enemies. The foppish lord may have arrived on the airship intent on proving Dupre unfit for duty, but she may be the only one who can keep him and the rest of the crew alive.
REVIEW: It's been a bit since I read a steampunk adventure tale, so I figured I'd give this one a try. It offers plenty of action and detailed technical musings on the world's airships, as machines and as tools in greater combat... musings that, along with painstakingly explored battle tactics, threaten to sink the whole story and the characters with it.
The tale starts in the aftermath of Josette's victory, as she and the other survivors of her doomed old ship become part of a bold new idea handed down from Garnia's king that aims to put women in active leadership roles for the first time - in truth, a sign of desperation by a nation that's just plain running out of men and boys to throw into the meat grinder of war. She leverages her experience and skills from years serving in a non-combat role aboard the nation's airships to seize this chance to prove herself (and her gender) capable, but things aren't always easy for her; in a forgotten subplot, it turns out even her second-in-command and best friend secretly thinks women shouldn't be serving. This is not the only forgotten aspect of the story, which often is less about Josette and more about the author explaining to the reader in great detail every possible aspect of Garnia's airships in general and the Mistral in particular. The characters start to feel a bit like placeholders or even caricatures that have to squeeze their interactions, growth, and very existence into the limited spaces around these details, which later spread to encompass blow-by-blows of battles and military tactics. It goes without saying, of course, that Lord Bernat's trial by fire (quite literally) eventually brings him around, but he remains an insufferable twit far longer than he needs to, and his efforts at witty banter tend to fall flat. The action teeters between exciting drama and drawn-out excuses to relate more technical details, eventually leading up to a grand finale and the setup for the second book.
This isn't a bad military steampunk tale, and there are some very good moments. At some point, though, I just got tired of constantly being lectured about the minutiae of Garnian airship schematics and battle plans, and I never felt as engaged or invested as I should have been. I also kept thinking that I'd read the same basic ideas done more effectively elsewhere. Still, if you're looking for a story of soldiers, steampunk, and airships, this is a decent enough choice.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Arabella of Mars (David D. Levine) - My Review
Guns of the Dawn (Adrian Tchaikovsky) - My Review
Leviathan (Scott Westerfield) - My Review
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
The Bakery Dragon (Devin Elle Kurtz)
The Bakery Dragon
Devin Elle Kurtz
Knopf
Fiction, CH Fantasy/Picture Book
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: A dragon is never a proper dragon until they have a hoard of gold, but when little Ember tries following the others, he's too small and clumsy to steal from humans, and is soon left behind. Determined not to return home until he gets his paws on treasure, he stays overnight in a human town... only to discover a new kind of "gold" at the local bakery.
REVIEW: I've been keeping an eye on this one, having followed the artist's works online for a while, but never got a chance to corner the book at work for a read until today. With bright, charming illustrations, author/artist Kurtz tells a simple, warmhearted story of a little misfit finding his own way to succeed. Quite enjoyable, and a nice way to fill some down time at work.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Dragon With a Chocolate Heart (Stephanie Burgis) - My Review
The Truth About Dragons (Julie Leung) - My Review
The Tea Dragon Society (K. O'Neill) - My Review
Devin Elle Kurtz
Knopf
Fiction, CH Fantasy/Picture Book
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: A dragon is never a proper dragon until they have a hoard of gold, but when little Ember tries following the others, he's too small and clumsy to steal from humans, and is soon left behind. Determined not to return home until he gets his paws on treasure, he stays overnight in a human town... only to discover a new kind of "gold" at the local bakery.
REVIEW: I've been keeping an eye on this one, having followed the artist's works online for a while, but never got a chance to corner the book at work for a read until today. With bright, charming illustrations, author/artist Kurtz tells a simple, warmhearted story of a little misfit finding his own way to succeed. Quite enjoyable, and a nice way to fill some down time at work.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Dragon With a Chocolate Heart (Stephanie Burgis) - My Review
The Truth About Dragons (Julie Leung) - My Review
The Tea Dragon Society (K. O'Neill) - My Review
Friday, March 21, 2025
I'd Really Prefer Not to Be Here With You, and Other Stories (Julianna Baggott)
I'd Really Prefer Not to Be Here With You, and Other Stories
Julianna Baggott
Blackstone Publishing
Fiction, Collection/Fantasy/Horror/Sci-Fi
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: A power glitch reveals a terrifying truth about the adults in an idyllic suburban development, a young woman's morphing tattoo demands she confront a traumatic childhood incident, a peculiar pandemic scatters memories to random people, an AI "gaslighter" begins to question its role in manipulating humans... these and more stories by noted author Julianna Baggott are collected in this volume.
REVIEW: As with many short story collections, these tales could be a mixed bag, though I liked them more than I didn't. Many explore themes related to memories, the traumas of childhood (and parenthood), and the need to confront past hurts and unhealthy patterns if one is to have any hope of a better future. There are also some that explore what personhood means, and how we decide who gets to be recognized and who gets to be silenced. A few felt long, a few others felt abbreviated, and sometimes Baggott didn't seem to quite know where or how to end, what final note would make the strongest impact. Overall, though, they explored some interesting ideas without feeling too repetitive.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Anything Box (Zenna Henderson) - My Review
Eyes Like Sky and Coal and Moonlight (Cat Rambo) - My Review
Sister Emily's Lightship and Other Stories (Jane Yolen) - My Review
Julianna Baggott
Blackstone Publishing
Fiction, Collection/Fantasy/Horror/Sci-Fi
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: A power glitch reveals a terrifying truth about the adults in an idyllic suburban development, a young woman's morphing tattoo demands she confront a traumatic childhood incident, a peculiar pandemic scatters memories to random people, an AI "gaslighter" begins to question its role in manipulating humans... these and more stories by noted author Julianna Baggott are collected in this volume.
REVIEW: As with many short story collections, these tales could be a mixed bag, though I liked them more than I didn't. Many explore themes related to memories, the traumas of childhood (and parenthood), and the need to confront past hurts and unhealthy patterns if one is to have any hope of a better future. There are also some that explore what personhood means, and how we decide who gets to be recognized and who gets to be silenced. A few felt long, a few others felt abbreviated, and sometimes Baggott didn't seem to quite know where or how to end, what final note would make the strongest impact. Overall, though, they explored some interesting ideas without feeling too repetitive.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Anything Box (Zenna Henderson) - My Review
Eyes Like Sky and Coal and Moonlight (Cat Rambo) - My Review
Sister Emily's Lightship and Other Stories (Jane Yolen) - My Review
The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water (Zen Cho)
The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water
Zen Cho
Tordotcom
Fiction, Fantasy
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: When the handsome-faced bandit walked into the small coffeehouse, one of many nondescript coffeehouses in a nation slowly being crushed by the heavy boot of a foreign Protectorate, trouble was almost inevitable... especially when that bandit intervenes in a rude customer's ill treatment of the waitress. That should've been the beginning and end of it, a brief incident and crossing of paths - until the waitress, fired by the coffeehouse, tracks down the bandit and insists on joining his small crew. They are reluctant, naturally; not only is she a woman, but she has the shaven head of a former nun of the Order of the Pure Moon, and there are rumors about them dabbling in forbidden magics. But Guet Imm is persistent, and the bandits may turn out to be very much in need of her assistance, as their latest scheme is about to go horribly awry.
REVIEW: Set in an Asian-inspired world where outsiders have turned the nation against itself as soldiers target the heart of the culture and bandits, once the heart of the resistance, degenerate into infighting and thuggery, this novella had many ingredients that were intriguing, though for some reason I never quite found they clicked together as they should have. The characters are all scarred to varying degrees by what's happening to their country; Guet Imm was a nun in seclusion for many years before emerging to find the rest of her Order slaughtered, and is still a bit of an innocent in the ways of the wider world, while the bandits - particularly the jaded second-in-command Tet Sang - have given up their own former idealism to some degree; while they are trying in their own way to preserve what they can of their nation's heritage, doing so requires compromises that largely undermine whatever integrity they try to preserve, and more and more it's about the money rather than the honor. Tet Sang hides further secrets that are endangered by the presence of the former nun, which come out as their scheme is revealed and unravels before their eyes. Despite the terrible things that have happened, Guet Imm remains a devout follower of the Lady, insisting that the goddess still protects Her people and Her faithful and punishes their enemies, all evidence to the contrary... claims which might have a grain of truth behind them as events proceed. For some reason, I never really felt I was drawn into the story, kept a little at arm's length from the world and the people, making the resolution feel less cathartic and satisfactory than it should have been.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Sorcerer to the Crown (Zen Cho) - My Review
Into the Riverlands (Nghi Vo) - My Review
Song of Silver, Flame Like Night (Amélie Wen Zhao) - My Review
Zen Cho
Tordotcom
Fiction, Fantasy
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: When the handsome-faced bandit walked into the small coffeehouse, one of many nondescript coffeehouses in a nation slowly being crushed by the heavy boot of a foreign Protectorate, trouble was almost inevitable... especially when that bandit intervenes in a rude customer's ill treatment of the waitress. That should've been the beginning and end of it, a brief incident and crossing of paths - until the waitress, fired by the coffeehouse, tracks down the bandit and insists on joining his small crew. They are reluctant, naturally; not only is she a woman, but she has the shaven head of a former nun of the Order of the Pure Moon, and there are rumors about them dabbling in forbidden magics. But Guet Imm is persistent, and the bandits may turn out to be very much in need of her assistance, as their latest scheme is about to go horribly awry.
REVIEW: Set in an Asian-inspired world where outsiders have turned the nation against itself as soldiers target the heart of the culture and bandits, once the heart of the resistance, degenerate into infighting and thuggery, this novella had many ingredients that were intriguing, though for some reason I never quite found they clicked together as they should have. The characters are all scarred to varying degrees by what's happening to their country; Guet Imm was a nun in seclusion for many years before emerging to find the rest of her Order slaughtered, and is still a bit of an innocent in the ways of the wider world, while the bandits - particularly the jaded second-in-command Tet Sang - have given up their own former idealism to some degree; while they are trying in their own way to preserve what they can of their nation's heritage, doing so requires compromises that largely undermine whatever integrity they try to preserve, and more and more it's about the money rather than the honor. Tet Sang hides further secrets that are endangered by the presence of the former nun, which come out as their scheme is revealed and unravels before their eyes. Despite the terrible things that have happened, Guet Imm remains a devout follower of the Lady, insisting that the goddess still protects Her people and Her faithful and punishes their enemies, all evidence to the contrary... claims which might have a grain of truth behind them as events proceed. For some reason, I never really felt I was drawn into the story, kept a little at arm's length from the world and the people, making the resolution feel less cathartic and satisfactory than it should have been.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Sorcerer to the Crown (Zen Cho) - My Review
Into the Riverlands (Nghi Vo) - My Review
Song of Silver, Flame Like Night (Amélie Wen Zhao) - My Review
Kingdom of the Wicked (Derek Landy)
Kingdom of the Wicked
The Skulduggery Pleasant series, Book 7
Derek Landy
HarperCollins
Fiction, YA Adventure/Fantasy/Horror/Humor/Mystery
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: Since ancient times, the world's magic users have relied on secrecy to survive among the mundane mortal population - not always by choice, but by necessity, as the ordinary humans outnumber them so significantly. This was why the Sanctuaries were founded, why there are rules about public displays of power, why Valkyrie Cain has to use her own animated mirror reflection to hide her secret life from her mortal family... and why the Irish magical community is thrown into chaos when random people start spontaneously manifesting strange abilities, everything from delusions of flight to the deadly powers deployed by four disaffected teenagers out for vengeance and thrills.
Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie discover a link to a long-imprisoned sorcerer who once had a dream of discovering the source of all magic and sharing it to create a utopian world. Even from captivity, the man may be about to unleash his "gift" on the whole world, not caring about the devastation it would cause. As they investigate, they also have to dodge an international delegation intent on taking over the Irish Sanctuary, as well as a few old enemies and a host of new ones - not to mention occasional trips to a hellish alternate dimension where the long-ago war among the mages went very, very differently.
REVIEW: This series continues to impress, with high stakes, great characters, sharp dialog, and real growth. Picking up about a year after the previous installment, the Irish Sanctuary is still struggling to prove to the rest of the magical world that it can handle its own affairs after numerous high-profile incidents. A bunch of mortals suddenly displaying random, uncontrollable magic powers in full public view is just what nobody needs, especially when some of those mortals quickly embrace the deadlier aspects of their new powers. Teen girl Kitana is the quintessential popular girl, a spoiled bully who rules her small circle of friends with a potent mixture of gaslighting and amoral thrill-seeking... the very last person who should ever be handed godlike abilities. What she and her companions lack in experience or planning, they make up for in sheer instinct and ruthlessness, making the team a very different sort of opponent than the ones Skulduggery and Valkyrie are used to squaring off against and one that bests them more than once. Meanwhile, ongoing series threads develop new twists and turns, keeping the larger arcs from stagnating even as the main story keeps the characters jumping (and diving for cover). An encounter with a dimensional shifter offers a new perspective on the story and the characters, as Valkyrie visits an alternate world where the old mage war went very differently... a world where she may find a weapon that was lost on our Earth but which would come in very handy fighting the newly-created near-gods. The fact that she'd even consider a solo heist against a maniacal sorcerer-king who rules with an iron fist shows how much Skulduggery's independence and recklessness has rubbed off on her. As I've come to expect from the series, it all builds to an explosive finale, followed by a strong hook that all but demands one queue up the next installment right away. There were one or two characters whose stories fell by the wayside, and a little threat of overload with the many threads it juggles, but I'm still loving this series.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Dark World (Henry Kuttner) - My Review
Skulduggery Pleasant (Derek Landy) - My Review
The Amulet of Samarkand (Jonathan Stroud) - My Review
The Skulduggery Pleasant series, Book 7
Derek Landy
HarperCollins
Fiction, YA Adventure/Fantasy/Horror/Humor/Mystery
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: Since ancient times, the world's magic users have relied on secrecy to survive among the mundane mortal population - not always by choice, but by necessity, as the ordinary humans outnumber them so significantly. This was why the Sanctuaries were founded, why there are rules about public displays of power, why Valkyrie Cain has to use her own animated mirror reflection to hide her secret life from her mortal family... and why the Irish magical community is thrown into chaos when random people start spontaneously manifesting strange abilities, everything from delusions of flight to the deadly powers deployed by four disaffected teenagers out for vengeance and thrills.
Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie discover a link to a long-imprisoned sorcerer who once had a dream of discovering the source of all magic and sharing it to create a utopian world. Even from captivity, the man may be about to unleash his "gift" on the whole world, not caring about the devastation it would cause. As they investigate, they also have to dodge an international delegation intent on taking over the Irish Sanctuary, as well as a few old enemies and a host of new ones - not to mention occasional trips to a hellish alternate dimension where the long-ago war among the mages went very, very differently.
REVIEW: This series continues to impress, with high stakes, great characters, sharp dialog, and real growth. Picking up about a year after the previous installment, the Irish Sanctuary is still struggling to prove to the rest of the magical world that it can handle its own affairs after numerous high-profile incidents. A bunch of mortals suddenly displaying random, uncontrollable magic powers in full public view is just what nobody needs, especially when some of those mortals quickly embrace the deadlier aspects of their new powers. Teen girl Kitana is the quintessential popular girl, a spoiled bully who rules her small circle of friends with a potent mixture of gaslighting and amoral thrill-seeking... the very last person who should ever be handed godlike abilities. What she and her companions lack in experience or planning, they make up for in sheer instinct and ruthlessness, making the team a very different sort of opponent than the ones Skulduggery and Valkyrie are used to squaring off against and one that bests them more than once. Meanwhile, ongoing series threads develop new twists and turns, keeping the larger arcs from stagnating even as the main story keeps the characters jumping (and diving for cover). An encounter with a dimensional shifter offers a new perspective on the story and the characters, as Valkyrie visits an alternate world where the old mage war went very differently... a world where she may find a weapon that was lost on our Earth but which would come in very handy fighting the newly-created near-gods. The fact that she'd even consider a solo heist against a maniacal sorcerer-king who rules with an iron fist shows how much Skulduggery's independence and recklessness has rubbed off on her. As I've come to expect from the series, it all builds to an explosive finale, followed by a strong hook that all but demands one queue up the next installment right away. There were one or two characters whose stories fell by the wayside, and a little threat of overload with the many threads it juggles, but I'm still loving this series.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Dark World (Henry Kuttner) - My Review
Skulduggery Pleasant (Derek Landy) - My Review
The Amulet of Samarkand (Jonathan Stroud) - My Review
Friday, March 7, 2025
The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde)
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Oscar Wilde
Blackstone Publishing
Fiction, Horror/Literary Fiction
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: Dorian Gray is the very vision of innocent, aristocratic youth, the perfect muse to the London artist Basil Hallward - and the perfect potential protégé of the decadent Lord Henry, who visits Basil's studio during one of Dorian's sessions. When the lord's offhand comments about the fleeting nature of youth and beauty strike a chord with young Dorian, the man impulsively vows that he'd sell his very soul to remain forever as young and handsome and untouched by sin and time as his painted image. Little do any of them suspect that Dorian's wish has been granted. As Dorian falls further under Henry's corrupting influence, pushing himself to experience fully every impulse, every sensation, every desire and whim and darkness a human can aspire to, he retains the visage of purity and innocence... but the painting begins to change...
REVIEW: Once more, I attempt to experience a work of classic literature, and once more I encounter mixed results. The iconic tale of a young man who finds a way to (temporarily) cheat damnation and avoid consequences for his actions remains interesting and compelling, but once again Wilde drifts and meanders and circles around the story as often as he tells it.
From the start, there is something special about the titular portrait, as the artist Basil laments to his friend Lord Henry that Dorian Gray has become a muse, an ideal, and that consequently Basil has put "too much" of himself into the work. Almost from the moment Henry sets eyes on the young Dorian, though, the lord is determined to corrupt the innocence and beauty he sees there, not out of any particular malice or master plan but more as an experiment by a man bored of his own idle richness (and perhaps a touch of unacknowledged jealousy and resentment, his own days of youth and innocence having long since passed by). Dorian, having been sheltered much of his young life, is too easy a prey to resist, taking Henry's cynical, hedonistic, and often self-contradictory orations as gospel truth and inspiration to live his own life as fully and sensually and extremely as he can manage. He does not set out immediately to taste-test the seven deadly sins, but finds his way there soon enough, galvanized by an ill-advised crush on a low-end actress that takes a tragic turn. It is after this incident that he first notices the change in the painting, first realizes that his impulsive vow of long ago has somehow come true... and first comprehends that the painting might serve as either a guide to keep him on the moral path or a "get out of jail free" card that will allow him to indulge every impulse without consequence. The artist Basil and Lord Henry are the angel and demon on his shoulders respectively, though it's clear from that first day in Basil's studio which voice will ultimately win out over Dorian's conscience. There are a few moments where Dorian is presented with options and a chance to turn around, but he remains too convinced that he'll never have to pay the ever-mounting bill of his ever-more-depraved lifestyle, until a final and fateful reckoning.
As in other Wilde works I've read, the tale is heavily embroidered and padded with long side-trips and scenes that ultimately go nowhere but are full of rich sensory details and/or clever high-brow banter. Much of Dorian's descent is less explicitly stated and more implied and hinted at, with dark rumors and reputations gathering like storm clouds over him despite his eternal good looks and charm, the increasing toll of broken lives in his wake. I am glad I finally got around to this one, and I did enjoy the memorable imagery at several points, though once more I found myself wishing it had encountered a somewhat less timid editor at some point.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald) - My Review
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson) - My Review
Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories (Oscar Wilde) - My Review
Oscar Wilde
Blackstone Publishing
Fiction, Horror/Literary Fiction
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: Dorian Gray is the very vision of innocent, aristocratic youth, the perfect muse to the London artist Basil Hallward - and the perfect potential protégé of the decadent Lord Henry, who visits Basil's studio during one of Dorian's sessions. When the lord's offhand comments about the fleeting nature of youth and beauty strike a chord with young Dorian, the man impulsively vows that he'd sell his very soul to remain forever as young and handsome and untouched by sin and time as his painted image. Little do any of them suspect that Dorian's wish has been granted. As Dorian falls further under Henry's corrupting influence, pushing himself to experience fully every impulse, every sensation, every desire and whim and darkness a human can aspire to, he retains the visage of purity and innocence... but the painting begins to change...
REVIEW: Once more, I attempt to experience a work of classic literature, and once more I encounter mixed results. The iconic tale of a young man who finds a way to (temporarily) cheat damnation and avoid consequences for his actions remains interesting and compelling, but once again Wilde drifts and meanders and circles around the story as often as he tells it.
From the start, there is something special about the titular portrait, as the artist Basil laments to his friend Lord Henry that Dorian Gray has become a muse, an ideal, and that consequently Basil has put "too much" of himself into the work. Almost from the moment Henry sets eyes on the young Dorian, though, the lord is determined to corrupt the innocence and beauty he sees there, not out of any particular malice or master plan but more as an experiment by a man bored of his own idle richness (and perhaps a touch of unacknowledged jealousy and resentment, his own days of youth and innocence having long since passed by). Dorian, having been sheltered much of his young life, is too easy a prey to resist, taking Henry's cynical, hedonistic, and often self-contradictory orations as gospel truth and inspiration to live his own life as fully and sensually and extremely as he can manage. He does not set out immediately to taste-test the seven deadly sins, but finds his way there soon enough, galvanized by an ill-advised crush on a low-end actress that takes a tragic turn. It is after this incident that he first notices the change in the painting, first realizes that his impulsive vow of long ago has somehow come true... and first comprehends that the painting might serve as either a guide to keep him on the moral path or a "get out of jail free" card that will allow him to indulge every impulse without consequence. The artist Basil and Lord Henry are the angel and demon on his shoulders respectively, though it's clear from that first day in Basil's studio which voice will ultimately win out over Dorian's conscience. There are a few moments where Dorian is presented with options and a chance to turn around, but he remains too convinced that he'll never have to pay the ever-mounting bill of his ever-more-depraved lifestyle, until a final and fateful reckoning.
As in other Wilde works I've read, the tale is heavily embroidered and padded with long side-trips and scenes that ultimately go nowhere but are full of rich sensory details and/or clever high-brow banter. Much of Dorian's descent is less explicitly stated and more implied and hinted at, with dark rumors and reputations gathering like storm clouds over him despite his eternal good looks and charm, the increasing toll of broken lives in his wake. I am glad I finally got around to this one, and I did enjoy the memorable imagery at several points, though once more I found myself wishing it had encountered a somewhat less timid editor at some point.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald) - My Review
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson) - My Review
Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories (Oscar Wilde) - My Review
Counterweight (Djuna)
Counterweight
Djuna, translated by Anton Hur
Pantheon
Fiction, Mystery/Sci-Fi
*** (Okay)
DESCRIPTION: For centuries, humanity dreamed of a future in space, but it wasn't until the construction of the world's first and only space elevator by Korean conglomerate LK that the dream became a reality. The recent death of LK's president can't help but send tremors through the company and many individuals within it. Mac in particular, a man with a shady (and manufactured) history, feels his position as head of External Affairs grow more precarious with the man's passing; he only got the job because he saved the late president's life many years ago, and the new leadership is quite likely to see him as a loose end to tidy up once they secure their positions. Fortunately, he's still needed for the time being, when an investigation into anti-LK terrorist activity turns up the name Choi Gangwu. The man is the very definition of a nobody, but a look at his activities raises some red flags, leading Mac into a labyrinthine plot that might bring down LK and, with it, the starfaring future its technology is creating.
REVIEW: The cover and description promised a surreal, noir sci-fi novella. It does, in its favor, deliver on the surreality, the noir aesthetic, and the sci-fi. Unfortunately, what it does not deliver along with those elements is a coherent plot or a single character worth caring at all about.
From the start, the reader is immersed in a techno-dystopian future where humans are often augmented with brain implant "Worms" that feed them information and can even control actions, and where AI is mere decades (if that) away from rendering our species effectively obsolete. Investigating a terrorist plot by the Patusan Liberation Front - a group that deeply resents how the residents of the Indonesian island of Patusa have been displaced and reduced to little more than rubbish at the feet of LK's great elevator and associated city - Mac stumbles across the connection to Choi Gangwu, an unassuming man from an unassuming background whose chief interests appear to be butterflies and the space elevator... himself an unwitting pawn of a greater scheme linked to the late company president, a scheme that has just been set into motion. This is a world where history, facts, and reality itself seem malleable, liable to be overlaid and overwritten as easily as computer code, where everything takes on a certain fever-dream aspect and logic often follows inscrutable rules. Characters are just names thrown at the reader as often as not, the key players too remote and larger than life, tied up in a plot where nothing really seems to matter because the big stuff is all moving at a level so far beyond narrator Mac's level of experience and control that they might as well be the dance of the galaxies through the universe. The blurb promised an exciting race up the space elevator to a secret hidden in the counterweight at the other end of the tether, but that doesn't even happen until the final third or fourth of the novel, and isn't nearly as much a part of the plot as it was hyped to be. By the end, I still was wondering why any of it happened, whether Mac's involvement really was necessary (and why the author chose him as the character to view the tale through), and why exactly I was supposed to care about anything that went on. I give it marks for originality and aesthetic, but this one was just too far out of my wheelhouse for me to begin to appreciate.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Titanium Noir (Nick Harkaway) - My Review
The Darwin Elevator (Jason M. Hough) - My Review
Altered Carbon (Richard K. Morgan) - My Review
Djuna, translated by Anton Hur
Pantheon
Fiction, Mystery/Sci-Fi
*** (Okay)
DESCRIPTION: For centuries, humanity dreamed of a future in space, but it wasn't until the construction of the world's first and only space elevator by Korean conglomerate LK that the dream became a reality. The recent death of LK's president can't help but send tremors through the company and many individuals within it. Mac in particular, a man with a shady (and manufactured) history, feels his position as head of External Affairs grow more precarious with the man's passing; he only got the job because he saved the late president's life many years ago, and the new leadership is quite likely to see him as a loose end to tidy up once they secure their positions. Fortunately, he's still needed for the time being, when an investigation into anti-LK terrorist activity turns up the name Choi Gangwu. The man is the very definition of a nobody, but a look at his activities raises some red flags, leading Mac into a labyrinthine plot that might bring down LK and, with it, the starfaring future its technology is creating.
REVIEW: The cover and description promised a surreal, noir sci-fi novella. It does, in its favor, deliver on the surreality, the noir aesthetic, and the sci-fi. Unfortunately, what it does not deliver along with those elements is a coherent plot or a single character worth caring at all about.
From the start, the reader is immersed in a techno-dystopian future where humans are often augmented with brain implant "Worms" that feed them information and can even control actions, and where AI is mere decades (if that) away from rendering our species effectively obsolete. Investigating a terrorist plot by the Patusan Liberation Front - a group that deeply resents how the residents of the Indonesian island of Patusa have been displaced and reduced to little more than rubbish at the feet of LK's great elevator and associated city - Mac stumbles across the connection to Choi Gangwu, an unassuming man from an unassuming background whose chief interests appear to be butterflies and the space elevator... himself an unwitting pawn of a greater scheme linked to the late company president, a scheme that has just been set into motion. This is a world where history, facts, and reality itself seem malleable, liable to be overlaid and overwritten as easily as computer code, where everything takes on a certain fever-dream aspect and logic often follows inscrutable rules. Characters are just names thrown at the reader as often as not, the key players too remote and larger than life, tied up in a plot where nothing really seems to matter because the big stuff is all moving at a level so far beyond narrator Mac's level of experience and control that they might as well be the dance of the galaxies through the universe. The blurb promised an exciting race up the space elevator to a secret hidden in the counterweight at the other end of the tether, but that doesn't even happen until the final third or fourth of the novel, and isn't nearly as much a part of the plot as it was hyped to be. By the end, I still was wondering why any of it happened, whether Mac's involvement really was necessary (and why the author chose him as the character to view the tale through), and why exactly I was supposed to care about anything that went on. I give it marks for originality and aesthetic, but this one was just too far out of my wheelhouse for me to begin to appreciate.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Titanium Noir (Nick Harkaway) - My Review
The Darwin Elevator (Jason M. Hough) - My Review
Altered Carbon (Richard K. Morgan) - My Review
Thursday, March 6, 2025
A Breath of Mischief (MarcyKate Connolly)
A Breath of Mischief
MarcyKate Connolly
Sourcebooks
Fiction, MG? Fantasy
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: A windling child, the blue-haired girl Aria was raised in a floating castle by the Wind itself. She loves watching the world drift by beneath her, listening to the visiting birds and dragons and other flying beasts, playing with her best friend Gwyn the gryphling, reading books in the castle's great library (for the Wind loves to snatch up books and scrolls and other odds and ends in their travels to bring back to their daughter), and being lulled to sleep every night by the Wind's special, secret lullaby they sing just for her.
One morning, she wakes up to find the castle has drifted to earth, and the Wind is nowhere to be found. Worse, she seems to have lost her magical gifts from the Wind that let her float and drift like a dandelion puff, and the air all around is still and heavy, without so much as a breath of breeze. Aria and Gwyn search, and discover that an alchemist named Worton has the Wind trapped in a great and strange magical machine; he refuses to let her parent go unless the windling brings him three magical artifacts from across the land. She isn't sure she trusts him, but she misses the Wind terribly, and the longer the Wind is away, the more the land itself suffers. Can she solve the riddle and find the items... and, if she does, is she helping free the Wind or enabling something far more terrible?
REVIEW: The cover image looked fun, and the title promised mischief and light adventure. But something about that promise never quite came through, even though A Breath of Mischief has some fun images and ideas.
Aria is an "otherling" chosen by the Wind, an embodiment of the element of moving air. Just what is an "otherling"? The story seems vague on what they are and where they come from, save that they aren't human and don't particularly trust people. I guessed them to be some sort of faerie-like being, but the reader only ever meets a handful, each the adopted "child" of an elemental force who, like her, have been given particular gifts and responsibilities. This thin worldbuilding persists throughout, the sense that ideas, while nice and shiny to look at in the moment, don't always make sense and weren't always thought through and don't necessarily connect in a meaningful or consistent fashion. While many in the target age might not notice, I've read enough middle-grade (and even children's, which this skews toward) fantasy where the worlds felt far more solid to notice that thinness here. In any event, the tale drifts a bit like a seed puff on the breeze before getting to the grounding of the castle and the disappearance of the Wind. Along the way, Aria has her first encounter with another otherling, the waterling boy Bay - the first time she's even considered that other elements might have their own children like herself, and her first real notion that the Wind isn't the only elemental master that's particularly important in the world. She eventually finds her way to a dilapidated keep/mad scientist lair and the alchemist Worton, who tricks her and Gwyn into agreeing to a quest for three suspiciously elemental-based objects. Even for a young and somewhat sheltered protagonist, Aria's choice here is rather hard to swallow, as is her blindness about what Worton is really asking of her - especially when she starts seeing more signs that something's terribly amiss as she and her gryphling best friend pursue the objects. The quest itself is only part of the tale that follows, as Aria and Gwyn deal with several obstacles and a few setbacks, and later a mistake that costs everyone dearly... but this being a tale written for the younger end of the target audience, it's hardly a spoiler that things do work out by the end.
As a read-aloud or read-along with a youngster, A Breath of Mischief might be a decent enough tale. Just don't expect too much from it.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Granted (John David Anderson) - My Review
Endling #1: The Last (Katherine Applegate) - My Review
The Stone Girl's Story (Sarah Beth Durst) - My Review
MarcyKate Connolly
Sourcebooks
Fiction, MG? Fantasy
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: A windling child, the blue-haired girl Aria was raised in a floating castle by the Wind itself. She loves watching the world drift by beneath her, listening to the visiting birds and dragons and other flying beasts, playing with her best friend Gwyn the gryphling, reading books in the castle's great library (for the Wind loves to snatch up books and scrolls and other odds and ends in their travels to bring back to their daughter), and being lulled to sleep every night by the Wind's special, secret lullaby they sing just for her.
One morning, she wakes up to find the castle has drifted to earth, and the Wind is nowhere to be found. Worse, she seems to have lost her magical gifts from the Wind that let her float and drift like a dandelion puff, and the air all around is still and heavy, without so much as a breath of breeze. Aria and Gwyn search, and discover that an alchemist named Worton has the Wind trapped in a great and strange magical machine; he refuses to let her parent go unless the windling brings him three magical artifacts from across the land. She isn't sure she trusts him, but she misses the Wind terribly, and the longer the Wind is away, the more the land itself suffers. Can she solve the riddle and find the items... and, if she does, is she helping free the Wind or enabling something far more terrible?
REVIEW: The cover image looked fun, and the title promised mischief and light adventure. But something about that promise never quite came through, even though A Breath of Mischief has some fun images and ideas.
Aria is an "otherling" chosen by the Wind, an embodiment of the element of moving air. Just what is an "otherling"? The story seems vague on what they are and where they come from, save that they aren't human and don't particularly trust people. I guessed them to be some sort of faerie-like being, but the reader only ever meets a handful, each the adopted "child" of an elemental force who, like her, have been given particular gifts and responsibilities. This thin worldbuilding persists throughout, the sense that ideas, while nice and shiny to look at in the moment, don't always make sense and weren't always thought through and don't necessarily connect in a meaningful or consistent fashion. While many in the target age might not notice, I've read enough middle-grade (and even children's, which this skews toward) fantasy where the worlds felt far more solid to notice that thinness here. In any event, the tale drifts a bit like a seed puff on the breeze before getting to the grounding of the castle and the disappearance of the Wind. Along the way, Aria has her first encounter with another otherling, the waterling boy Bay - the first time she's even considered that other elements might have their own children like herself, and her first real notion that the Wind isn't the only elemental master that's particularly important in the world. She eventually finds her way to a dilapidated keep/mad scientist lair and the alchemist Worton, who tricks her and Gwyn into agreeing to a quest for three suspiciously elemental-based objects. Even for a young and somewhat sheltered protagonist, Aria's choice here is rather hard to swallow, as is her blindness about what Worton is really asking of her - especially when she starts seeing more signs that something's terribly amiss as she and her gryphling best friend pursue the objects. The quest itself is only part of the tale that follows, as Aria and Gwyn deal with several obstacles and a few setbacks, and later a mistake that costs everyone dearly... but this being a tale written for the younger end of the target audience, it's hardly a spoiler that things do work out by the end.
As a read-aloud or read-along with a youngster, A Breath of Mischief might be a decent enough tale. Just don't expect too much from it.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Granted (John David Anderson) - My Review
Endling #1: The Last (Katherine Applegate) - My Review
The Stone Girl's Story (Sarah Beth Durst) - My Review
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
The Husbands (Holly Gramazio)
The Husbands
Holly Gramazio
Doubleday
Fiction, General Fiction/Humor
*** (Okay)
DESCRIPTION: It was late, and Lauren was more than a little tipsy, when she returned home from her friend Elena's bachelorette party to find her husband Michael waiting for her... only Lauren doesn't have a husband, and she's never seen Michael before in her life. But, then, the colors and decor of her London home appear to have changed, and there are pictures on the wall and texts on her phone she doesn't remember, all of which confirm that she is indeed married to this stranger, and has been for some time. She even apparently has a different job, working at some hardware and garden store instead of the local council, with no memory of what exactly she does there. The next day, Michael goes up into the attic to change a light bulb - and a different man comes down, also claiming to be her husband, with yet more changes all around her to accommodate this new, impossible relationship. Lauren never really thought about long-term relationships, or much about her future at all, but now, thanks to some mysterious power in her attic, finds herself living a succession of could-have-been lives with could-have-been spouses, some better matches than others, only lacking the memories of what led the could-have-been hers to make their choices. Can she ever get back to her old, single life, the one she alone remembers? If she can't, can she ever decide which of these men, which of these lives, are her destiny?
REVIEW: Part alternate-reality jaunt, part exploration of relationships and the societal myth/expectation of "soul mates", part the story of a woman forced to examine a life lived too long in neutral, The Husbands has an interesting concept, but doesn't always seem certain what its main character is doing with it.
Lauren starts out not particularly wanting much of anything from life, coasting along in a so-so job with a decent circle of friends, watching from the sidelines as they pursue goals and experience life changes while she hasn't substantially moved ahead in anything but years. She's never wanted a family (a conviction that does not change) and never really felt interested in finding a spouse, so she's as confused as she is frightened to find a stranger in her home who claims to be a husband... and an attic that seems insistent on supplying her with new spouses, along with new lives in which she chose them - some of which are poor choices, including a few potential emotional abusers, at least one clearly picked for the money, and more than one run with an ex which never ends well no matter how many alternate-Laurens apparently thought differently. What triggered this? There's no explanation, but the fact that it all began after her best friend's bachelorette party may hint at some metaphysical manifestation of a subconscious desire for a life partner, or at least some definitive direction or change. In any event, once she figures out what's going on, and that her world shifts with each new husband (time itself does not reset), she starts treating the succession of men almost as disposable home decor or rental cars, trying out lives with them for a few days or weeks before sending them back to the attic from whence they came. She's no more serious about choosing a mate or a future than she was before the strangeness started, dabbling in this or that alternate life without really learning or growing, let alone considering how the circle of people around her are also shifting (albeit unknowingly) into new configurations, not always for the better. When she finally finds one she thinks she might stay with, the American-born Carter, she's heartbroken when he ventures up into the attic himself and disappears... only to discover that Carter still exists in her new life, though he's back in America and they never met. Eventually, she finds an Australian-born man named Bohai coming down the attic stairs... a man who also seems to be skipping through alternate worlds, finding different mates waiting for him. The two quickly realize they're not romantically compatible, but are both relieved to have someone to share notes with, someone they can count on to remember each other even when both skip through new lives. Meeting him makes her start taking the matter a little more seriously, but she still has trouble figuring out what she wants to do, what future she wants to grab before it slips through her fingers via fate or her own indecision. Is there ever a true soul mate waiting to be found, a perfect life that's about to drop out of the sky (or attic) to land at her feet, or does Lauren finally have to take the reins and some responsibility, make some decisions and set some goals, and stop letting her life just happen to her? Is there even some great life lesson to be learned, or is this just a weird glitch in the multiverse that just happens to some people? By the end, there's still a lot of ambiguity, and Lauren may or may not have learned much from her experience.
There's some humor in the story, and some exploration of what it means to make choices and live one's life with intention rather than simply waiting for it to happen. The men often being interchangeable objects is a nice twist on the way women are too often seen as window dressing or commodities in marriages, something to acquire to bolster status or serve a purpose rather than being a human being. There is also some needed deconstruction of the idea of "soul mates" and "the one and only forever", and even the idea of marriage itself as a necessary milestone in life; many of the men who come down from the attic could be perfectly suitable partners for life, and at some point some Lauren obviously considered them all a potential "one and only forever", only no life offers perfect bliss without drawbacks, no relationship immune from trouble either before or after the attic switchover. (She is dismayed to find that she's cheating in more than one alternate life, and also that she apparently did not see or chose to ignore serious moral or even legal failings with her picks.) Lauren, unfortunately, just isn't always an interesting or even necessarily likable character to follow through the multiverse, often frustratingly resistant to seeing the obvious, and long stretches of the tale don't seem to go anywhere. That, plus an ending that felt less punchy or decisive than it should have been, ended up holding the story down in the ratings.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Recursion (Blake Crouch) - My Review
Oona Out of Order (Margarita Montimore) - My Review
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (V. E. Schwab) - My Review
Holly Gramazio
Doubleday
Fiction, General Fiction/Humor
*** (Okay)
DESCRIPTION: It was late, and Lauren was more than a little tipsy, when she returned home from her friend Elena's bachelorette party to find her husband Michael waiting for her... only Lauren doesn't have a husband, and she's never seen Michael before in her life. But, then, the colors and decor of her London home appear to have changed, and there are pictures on the wall and texts on her phone she doesn't remember, all of which confirm that she is indeed married to this stranger, and has been for some time. She even apparently has a different job, working at some hardware and garden store instead of the local council, with no memory of what exactly she does there. The next day, Michael goes up into the attic to change a light bulb - and a different man comes down, also claiming to be her husband, with yet more changes all around her to accommodate this new, impossible relationship. Lauren never really thought about long-term relationships, or much about her future at all, but now, thanks to some mysterious power in her attic, finds herself living a succession of could-have-been lives with could-have-been spouses, some better matches than others, only lacking the memories of what led the could-have-been hers to make their choices. Can she ever get back to her old, single life, the one she alone remembers? If she can't, can she ever decide which of these men, which of these lives, are her destiny?
REVIEW: Part alternate-reality jaunt, part exploration of relationships and the societal myth/expectation of "soul mates", part the story of a woman forced to examine a life lived too long in neutral, The Husbands has an interesting concept, but doesn't always seem certain what its main character is doing with it.
Lauren starts out not particularly wanting much of anything from life, coasting along in a so-so job with a decent circle of friends, watching from the sidelines as they pursue goals and experience life changes while she hasn't substantially moved ahead in anything but years. She's never wanted a family (a conviction that does not change) and never really felt interested in finding a spouse, so she's as confused as she is frightened to find a stranger in her home who claims to be a husband... and an attic that seems insistent on supplying her with new spouses, along with new lives in which she chose them - some of which are poor choices, including a few potential emotional abusers, at least one clearly picked for the money, and more than one run with an ex which never ends well no matter how many alternate-Laurens apparently thought differently. What triggered this? There's no explanation, but the fact that it all began after her best friend's bachelorette party may hint at some metaphysical manifestation of a subconscious desire for a life partner, or at least some definitive direction or change. In any event, once she figures out what's going on, and that her world shifts with each new husband (time itself does not reset), she starts treating the succession of men almost as disposable home decor or rental cars, trying out lives with them for a few days or weeks before sending them back to the attic from whence they came. She's no more serious about choosing a mate or a future than she was before the strangeness started, dabbling in this or that alternate life without really learning or growing, let alone considering how the circle of people around her are also shifting (albeit unknowingly) into new configurations, not always for the better. When she finally finds one she thinks she might stay with, the American-born Carter, she's heartbroken when he ventures up into the attic himself and disappears... only to discover that Carter still exists in her new life, though he's back in America and they never met. Eventually, she finds an Australian-born man named Bohai coming down the attic stairs... a man who also seems to be skipping through alternate worlds, finding different mates waiting for him. The two quickly realize they're not romantically compatible, but are both relieved to have someone to share notes with, someone they can count on to remember each other even when both skip through new lives. Meeting him makes her start taking the matter a little more seriously, but she still has trouble figuring out what she wants to do, what future she wants to grab before it slips through her fingers via fate or her own indecision. Is there ever a true soul mate waiting to be found, a perfect life that's about to drop out of the sky (or attic) to land at her feet, or does Lauren finally have to take the reins and some responsibility, make some decisions and set some goals, and stop letting her life just happen to her? Is there even some great life lesson to be learned, or is this just a weird glitch in the multiverse that just happens to some people? By the end, there's still a lot of ambiguity, and Lauren may or may not have learned much from her experience.
There's some humor in the story, and some exploration of what it means to make choices and live one's life with intention rather than simply waiting for it to happen. The men often being interchangeable objects is a nice twist on the way women are too often seen as window dressing or commodities in marriages, something to acquire to bolster status or serve a purpose rather than being a human being. There is also some needed deconstruction of the idea of "soul mates" and "the one and only forever", and even the idea of marriage itself as a necessary milestone in life; many of the men who come down from the attic could be perfectly suitable partners for life, and at some point some Lauren obviously considered them all a potential "one and only forever", only no life offers perfect bliss without drawbacks, no relationship immune from trouble either before or after the attic switchover. (She is dismayed to find that she's cheating in more than one alternate life, and also that she apparently did not see or chose to ignore serious moral or even legal failings with her picks.) Lauren, unfortunately, just isn't always an interesting or even necessarily likable character to follow through the multiverse, often frustratingly resistant to seeing the obvious, and long stretches of the tale don't seem to go anywhere. That, plus an ending that felt less punchy or decisive than it should have been, ended up holding the story down in the ratings.
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