The Calculating Stars (Mary Robinette Kowal)

The Calculating Stars
The Lady Astronaut series, Book 1
Mary Robinette Kowal
Tor
Fiction, Sci-Fi
**** (Good)

DESCRIPTION: The meteorite struck the east coast of America in 1952, taking with it huge swaths of land, uncounted lives... and, in a matter of years, the future habitability of Earth. With survival on the line, the fledgling NACA space program becomes an international effort, a push to colonize space before a runaway greenhouse effect leads to mass extinctions.
Computer Elma York and her husband, rocket engineer Nathaniel, become key parts of the new push for space. As a WASP pilot who had to outfox enemy planes without even being allowed ammunition, Elma hopes to become an astronaut herself... but it soon becomes clear that white men only need apply. But why? She wrote several of the equations that make orbital flight possible, and she's a better pilot than some of the men selected, plus if the goal really is to colonize space women will have to go up at some point. Despite stubborn politicians and condescending superiors, Elma is determined to get into space, no matter what it takes.

REVIEW: Kowal takes a few minor liberties, but this alternate-history space story relies entirely on real-world physics and possibilities, positing a hastened space program that must prioritize interplanetary colonization over developments like Martian rovers, the space shuttle, or microcomputers. The extinction-level strike moves up the global warming timeline and urgency; even in Kowal's world, there are many who deny the impending cataclysm, even as the climate irrevocably shifts and prediction after prediction plays out true. As the space program fights budget cuts and skeptical politicians and even anti-space terrorists (with justifications ranging from religious fervency to conspiracy theories about corporations and governments inventing a climate crisis), Elma must fight the misogyny of the 1950's and her own crippling anxiety (not to mention anxiety about anxiety; even with doctorates under her belt and a fully supportive husband, she still hears her late mother whispering "What will people think?" whenever she defies gender expectations), a fight that extends to include racial bigotry as she realizes that gender isn't the only basis for discrimination among her colleagues. Surrounding her are friends and allies and enemies, not always clear distinctions, as she inadvertently becomes the face for the movement to create a "lady astronaut" program. Even her worst enemy, the arrogant pilot/astronaut Stetson Parker, becomes more than just a plot enabler. It starts fairly quickly and moves at a decent pace, establishing a strong sense of time and place in both the altered 1950's world and the Apollo-era space program, with the main flaw being that it's clearly just part of a larger story that will (theoretically) conclude with the second novel, The Fated Stars... which I suppose I'll have to add to my holiday wish list at this point. Dang it.
(This book also reminded me that I really need to see and/or read Hidden Figures sooner rather than later; Kowal includes that book in her bibliography at the end, and claims the movie as partial incitement to finish this story, which touches on similar themes, if in a fictional timeline.)

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Jim Henson's Labyrinth Coronation: Volume 1 (Simon Spurrier and Jim Henson)

Jim Henson's Labyrinth Coronation: Volume 1
The Labyrinth Coronation series, Issues 1 - 4
Simon Spurrier and Jim Henson (creator), illustrations by Daniel Bayliss
Archaia
Fiction, YA? Fantasy/Graphic Novel/Media Tie-In
***+ (Okay/Good)

DESCRIPTION: When young Sarah regrets wishing that the goblins would take her baby brother Toby away, Jareth the Goblin King gives her thirteen hours to retrieve him from the castle at the center of his vast, shifting Labyrinth - otherwise, the child will become a goblin. But this is not the first time a stolen baby has been sought by a loved one. Jareth himself was once a human boy not unlike young Toby, and it was his mother Maria who braved the Labyrinth in search of him, defying the wicked Owl King and the child's noble father, Lord Tyton.

REVIEW: Nostalgia's a hot commodity these days; I see graphic novel series revisiting The Dark Crystal and other favorites from childhood, plus there is a manga tale about an older Toby returning to the labyrinth world (which I have not read, but seen at the library.) Given that, a Labyrinth graphic novel revival was almost a given. This is not so much a retelling or a sequel as a prequel about Jareth, memorably played (and sung) by the late David Bowie in Henson's movie. Since I have a fair bit of nostalgia tied up here (I still own and listen to the soundtrack - I am a child of the 80's, after all), it was with some trepidation that I approached this title... and with some inevitable disappointment that I finish.
The framing story here supposedly occurs while Jareth watches Sarah make her way through the Labyrinth; between him and the goblin Beetleglum, the tale of Jareth's own childhood unfolds. There's an immediate issue here, as the graphic novel keeps reminding me of the movie source material, a comparison by which it can't help falling short. It's also obvious that something went horribly wrong with Maria's journey, or Jareth wouldn't be the Goblin King in Sarah's time; at some point, I couldn't help feeling toyed with on this account, especially as this is just Volume 1 of a longer arc and doesn't resolve anything. The Labyrinth itself is a remarkable and imaginative place where nothing is as it seems, though the version encountered by Maria is different than the one Sarah found in the movie; there's some implication that the place's aspect is at least partly in the eye of the beholder. Maria is not the impetuous, immature girl Sarah was at the start of her journey, but a determined and desperate mother willing to move heaven and earth to find her son. Unfortunately, knowing that she fails can't help robbing the story of some tension. The artwork is imaginative, but not quite up to the standard set by Jim Henson and Brian Froud in the film, though the characters definitely feel like they belong in the Labyrinth I grew up knowing and loving. Between (too-frequent) cutaways to Jareth and Beetleglum, the story takes a while to get going, and seems to just be hitting a decent stride by the time it ends, leaving me with mixed feelings.
On the one hand, I admit I'm a little curious about how Maria fails. On the other, if future installments are this riddled with interruptions (and keep reminding me, again, of a movie so deeply rooted in my childhood that it can't help coloring my perception of tie-in material), I'm not sure how far out of my way I'll go to find answers.

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The Magic Misfits (Neil Patrick Harris)

The Magic Misfits
The Magic Misfits series, Book 1
Neil Patrick Harris
Little, Brown Books
Fiction, MG Adventure/General Fiction
**** (Good)

DESCRIPTION: Young Carter never wanted to be part of his uncle's cons, but when a boy's magician parents vanish into thin air, he doesn't have much choice. He doesn't mind doing card tricks or sleight-of-hand illusions, but he vows he will never personally steal, no matter how hard he's pushed - a vow that sees him run out on the old thief and hop a train one night with nothing but empty pockets and his small satchel.
The train takes him to the small town of Mineral Wells. It looks like a picture postcard, the kind a place a boy would love to grow up... but he's hardly off the train before he finds trouble at Mr. Bosso's traveling carnival, a place where the games are rigged, the attractions are fake, and the clowns are burglars. He also meets magician Mr. Vernon and a collection of misfit local kids who, like him, are interested in illusion. Carter's gotten by his whole life by not taking on other people's problems and keeping to himself, but making friends has a way of changing a boy's mind... especially when they learn Mr. Bosso's true caper.

REVIEW: Celebrity-authored books can be hit or miss, but this proves to be a fun middle-grade debut. Carter's a clever boy with a good heart but a hard life; it takes him a while to learn to trust his new friends and realize he has something to contribute to their lives and their town. As with many middle grade titles, there's a certain exaggeration to the characters, especially the bad guys, and the setting; it takes place in a nebulous small-town yesteryear, the sort one usually encounters in old books or classic TV shows. The plot is a little exaggerated as well, but it does the job. Bonus chapters offer lessons in simple magic tricks, and there are hidden messages for those inclined to hunt for them. As for the writing, it's light and lively, and while not quite as sharp or laugh-out-loud hilarious as a few middle-grade writers I've read, Harris certainly entertains without trailing off on excessive tangents (usually.) It's fun and reads quickly (an afternoon for me), and younger readers - especially those interested in stage magic - will eat it up. (I do have to admit that, as a kid, I would've been disappointed at a lack of real, fantasy-caliber magic, though; the tricks here, though not all explained, are stage illusions, which are their own brand of fantasy.)

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Rebel of the Sands (Alwyn Hamilton)

Rebel of the Sands
The Rebel of the Sands series, Book 1
Alwyn Hamilton
Speak
Fiction, YA Fantasy
**** (Good)

DESCRIPTION: Amani's been an outsider in the small desert town of Dustwalk since she was born, her blue eyes betraying outsider parentage. When her mother was hanged for killing an abusive husband, she became even more taboo. Now her cruel uncle is talking about making her another wife, or maybe selling her to some other brute, so now is the time for Amani to escape.
Mother always talked about the capital city where her sister lives as a grand, adventurous place, so she sets her sights on distant Imzan, home of the Sultan. But her plans go awry when she runs into Jin, a stranger with a hidden agenda. Before she knows it, she's accused of treason and on the run, dodging foreign soldiers and the Sultan's forces as she finds herself in the company of rebels, not to mention halfblood children of legendary Djinni and powers that could destroy her desert home, and maybe the world itself.

REVIEW: Rebel of the Sands draws on Middle Eastern traditions with a bit of Wild West thrown into the mix, creating a unique world of sand and fire and elder powers at war with new technology, where tradition and innovation struggle for the future and innocent lives are too often crushed in the middle. Amani's a strong heroine, a sharpshooter with a sharp tongue, fighting cultural and personal oppression in a country where women are less valued than animals; her mixed ancestry places her even lower on the totem pole, as does her refusal to accept the lot in life she's been given. Even her best friend in Dustwalk, also looked down on for his limp, can't understand why she doesn't just become a man's property and find solace in prayer. Jin, whom she meets while disguised as a boy at an illegal shooting contest, is the spark that sends her life and plans up in flames in a relationship that's contentious from the start, both using each other even as they become dependent on one another for survival in a desert crawling with enemies. Fireside stories of First Beings and their descendants - the fading lines of immortal Djinni and Buraqi horses, the monstrous Skinwalkers and Nightmares that prowl the darkness and fear only the touch of iron that makes them mortal - have always been at the fringes of her life (though it's been years since even a stray ghoul wandered into her town, now a factory for the Sultan's firearms), but become central to the story as she ranges further from Dustwalk. Stakes are fairly high for Amani from the start, and only grow higher as she becomes part of a world larger than her small home town; more than once, she's responsible for suffering and even death as events move beyond her control. At times, especially past the halfway mark, the cast feels a little overloaded and events move a little too fast to keep up with, but it wraps up fairly well, even if it obviously leaves enough threads dangling for the second installment of the series. It's an enjoyable, quick read, starting a series I could see myself following (once I've pruned the reading backlog a little more, at least; seriously, the pile is threatening to crush me in my sleep.)

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Embers of War (Gareth L. Powell)

Embers of War
The Embers of War trilogy, Book 1
Gareth L. Powell
Fiction, Sci-Fi
*** (Okay)

DESCRIPTION: The decimation of the sentient forests of Pelapatarn ended the Archipelago War between the Outward and the Conglomeration factions of humanity - but at an inconceivably steep cost that still reverberates though not just the human Generality, but the Multiplicity of alien races. Nobody who was there, soldier or medic or sapient ship, emerged the same. In the aftermath, the war ship Trouble Dog renounced her commission and joined the House of Reclamation, a neutral organization dedicated to interstellar search and rescue. Her captain, Sal Konstanz, still has nightmares about what she saw as a medic on Pelapatarn, and the officer Alva Clay etched her own memories into her skin as tattoos. All hope that saving lives instead of taking them will give them some measure of healing or atonement - but the stars are a dangerous place, and humans still seem determined to make it even more dangerous. The Trouble Dog's latest mission, reaching a downed civilian space liner on the edge of disputed territory, will test them all ways they never dreamed... and lead to discoveries that no one could ever have imagined. In the midst of it all, both ship and crew will learn the hard way that in order to preserve lives, sometimes it's necessary to remember how to kill.

REVIEW: A sapient war ship rejecting war? It sounded like a great concept, and it is... to a point. Unfortunately, Embers of War never quite dives as deep into its situations as I might've hoped, with a tendency to repetition as the characters - including the ship - rehash the same internal arguments and dilemmas, sometimes in the space of the same paragraph. What should be deep, troubled people end up feeling like fairly superficial entities, pushing into caricature more than once (particularly in the case of the new ship medic Preston, who is so green and incapable of coping with life I expected him to actually piss himself, or at least wet the bed, at some point in the book. For that matter, the only other males in the cast lean heavily on masculine stereotype bordering on parody, making me wonder if a Statement was being made or if this was a deliberate hamstringing to make the women look stronger, an unnecessary move that only weakened the characterizations further. But, I digress...) Even the alien mechanic Nod, an almost plantlike entity, seems a little too familiar under the surface, the sort of detached presence I've read and seen a few too many times to find truly, well, alien. The story itself has some nice images and ideas and action sequences - I was particularly intrigued by how the organic brains of the war ships were based not just on human genetics but canine as well, to give them loyalty and tenacity - but once the sheen wears off there's a certain... flatness, for lack of a better word, to those, too.
I liked the Trouble Dog, and it's a passable, fast-reading space opera, but the more I read the less I found myself buying into the story as a whole. By the end, instead of feeling I'd just consumed a satisfying meal, I was pushing scraps around my mental plate and wondering how to politely decline any offers of dessert.

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