Guest Post: “Friendships Between Strong Female Characters” by Karina Sumner-Smith
Posted on December 8, 2014 22 Comments
As you may recall, last month for Sci-Fi November I reviewed Radiant, a brilliant and unique speculative fiction novel debut from Karina Sumner-Smith. What also made this book stand out for me was its focus around a remarkable friendship between Xhea and Shai, two young women from very different walks of life. Hence it is with great honor that we welcome Karina here at the BiblioSanctum today to talk about this very topic!
FRIENDSHIPS BETWEEN STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS
by Karina Sumner-Smith
I say “strong female character”—and you cringe.
It’s okay, I understand the reaction. I think many of us are tired of the cardboard characters presented as “strong”. We all know the type: the attractive, kick-ass girl with a sarcastic comeback for every statement; the one who inevitably catches the eye of nearly every man in the story … and the one who usually ends up needing to be saved, no matter how many guns she’s toting. (Adjust details as required for your genre or medium of choice.)
For me, the idea of a strong female character really means an interesting female character—ideally, a woman who is the protagonist of her own tale, not just a sidekick or a victim or a helpless damsel waiting to be saved. A female character who has her flaws and quirks and bad days, yes, just as she has her intelligence and humor and moments of brilliance.
In other words, a character who reads like a real person.
Yet somewhere along the way, I think the wires got crossed. The typical understanding of a “strong female character” conflates the idea of emotional resilience with physical strength, and autonomy with extreme independence. As frustrating as it is to see the capability for violence stand in as a catch-all symbol for strength, it’s the latter that bothers me most of all.
Why, to be strong, must a female character stand alone? What happened to family and friends? Where are her colleagues and classmates? I wince at the possible subtext: that a smart, capable woman is destined to be alone.
As a reaction to the stereotype of the helpless damsel, or the female character who can’t seem to get anything done without male support, I can understand the appeal of a character who can handle everything just fine on her own, thank you very much. Yet true isolation makes one hurt and brittle, not strong; and collaborating with others, or accepting help when it’s needed (or appreciated), shouldn’t be made into weaknesses.
But if it’s irksome both to have female characters exist and act in isolation, and others who ultimately rely on male help to get the job done, where’s the middle ground? The more I thought about it, the answer seemed simple: not one, but two strong female characters. Women who work together. Women who—dare I say it?—are friends.
When I struggled to find more than a handful of SFF novels with a friendship between women as the story’s core emotional driver, I wrote one. Radiant is about two young women from opposite ends of their society who are thrown together by circumstance and must learn to understand and trust each other if they want to survive.
In many ways, my protagonist, Xhea, is a reaction to that too-independent stereotype. Homeless, desperately poor, and abandoned, Xhea has learned that she can only trust herself. Lacking size and physical strength, her only weapons are her wits, the edge of her too-sharp tongue, and the speed at which she can run away.
Sheltered and gentle and massively powerful, Shai presents a different kind of strength. She is careful and intelligent, and is caught between fear, responsibility, and the creeping realization that she’s been raised to believe a lie. (She also happens to be a ghost—and not even death has saved her from the pursuers on her trail.)
In writing a novel in which the central relationship is not a romance but the development of a friendship between two very different young women, I knew that I was taking a risk. There’s a market for romance, and for kick-ass female loners—but friendship? Never mind a publisher’s marketing team; I wasn’t sure how to connect with the audience for this novel. Who raves and cheers about two women working to trust and understand each other?
Me, I realized. I was that person. I hope that you are too.
* * *
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Karina Sumner-Smith is a fantasy author and freelance writer. Her debut novel, Radiant, was published by Talos/Skyhorse in September 2014, and in audiobook by Audible Studios. The second and third books in the trilogy are scheduled to follow in 2015. Prior to focusing on novel-length work, Karina published a range of fantasy, science fiction and horror short stories, including Nebula Award nominated story “An End to All Things,” and ultra-short story “When the Zombies Win,” which appeared in two Best of the Year anthologies. Visit her at karinasumnersmith.com.
YA Weekend: Talon by Julie Kagawa
Posted on December 6, 2014 16 Comments
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of Talon
Publisher: Harlequin Teen (October 28, 2014)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
I was a bit taken aback by the tepid to cool reviews I’ve been seeing for this one. Not that my own review is all that glowing, I realize, but while Talon probably won’t rank among my favorite Young Adult novels read this year, I had a lot of fun with it. By all means not a bad book. Surprisingly, most of the disappointment appears to be from fans of Julie Kagawa’s other series. I’ve never read anything else by her though, so there’s really nothing for me to compare this to.
But let’s move on to what the book is about. Talon is about dragons…but also not really. If you’re looking for a novel featuring these magnificent creatures in all their winged and scaly fire-breathing glory, you’re not going to find much of that here. What you have instead is a small group of dragonkind who spend most of their time in human form, hoping to infiltrate our society and one day take over the world again. A secret faction of dragon slayers called the Order of St. George is determined not to let that happen, and their members continue to hunt dragons like they have for time immemorial.
The book begins as two young dragon siblings, Ember and Dante Hill travel to California in their human forms to begin training for their future positions to serve their home base of Talon. Ember is fascinated with humankind, and wants nothing more than to enjoy the summer living out the full teenager experience – beaches, arcades, ice cream parlors, the whole shebang. Her brother Dante on the other hand is a lot more disciplined, and does not like it one bit when a rogue dragon shows up in their territory, distracting Ember from her training. Meanwhile, St. George has received the rumors of new dragon recruits in the area, and the young soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian and his partner are tasked to hunt these Talon agents down and kill them.
Encouraged to mingle and blend in with other teenagers, Ember and Dante spend most of this book as humans. But unlike other books with shape-shifting dragons (like Rachel Hartman’s Seraphina for example, which I thought did a really good job developing the culture and world of the draconic characters), it’s difficult to think of the dragons here as anything but human. This is what I meant when I cautioned not to think of Talon too much as a “dragon” book. Despite a few scenes of Ember thinking as a dragon and being a dragon – and they are quite few and far between – the author often seems to put her human persona before her draconic one. Plus, the setting is modern and urban. Ember’s life revolves around surfing, parties, friends and boys. Very little is known about the dragon home of Talon and Kagawa doesn’t really get into it. For those craving a bit more fantasy and world building, I can see how that could cause some frustration.
As such, this ends up being your rather typical contemporary young adult novel with a light fantasy twist, complete with love triangle and just a dash of forbidden love. Despite being exactly what I expected, it was undeniably entertaining.
After reading this, however, I admit to being skeptical of Kagawa’s writing. It’s obvious that she can spin a good yarn, but there were some plot elements that were so illogical and downright silly, it can be difficult to take these characters seriously. First of all, if you can take any form and you’re trying to covertly infiltrate and gain influence in human society, I would not do it as a teenager. Good luck gathering any useful information to bring back to your overlords, unless they’re interested in how your airheaded friend thinks so-and-so is so totally gorgeous and has nice abs. Talon is also so bad at this undercover secret agent stuff, I’m not surprised St. George managed to narrow their search down to Ember and Dante and their group of beach bum friends in like all of two seconds. You’re a dragon spy, and you’re seriously going to stick with Ember for your name? You might as well paint a target on your back and wear a big sign that says “I’M THE DRAGON!” and hang it around your neck. The Order of St. George doesn’t seem that much more competent either. At one point, Garret admits to his partner that he is getting too close to Ember and recommends stepping back from the mission. Instead of allowing Garret to do so, what does his partner do but tell him to take advantage of this new development to go even deeper into the case. Um, no! As soon as one of your soldiers gets emotionally involved and becomes compromised like that, you pull them the hell out. A lot of the problems that St. George experience near the end, they brought most of them on themselves.
These little moments aside, not much else detracted from the experience. Yes, the story is pretty standard but ended up being more interesting than the description made it sound, and it held my attention to the end, which isn’t something I can say for a lot of YA. The next book, predictably called Rogue, looks like it will delve deeper into the both the secret Order of St. George and the dragon organization Talon, so hopefully readers get the world building we want there.
Book Review: All Those Vanished Engines by Paul Park
Posted on December 5, 2014 22 Comments
All Those Vanished Engines by Paul Park
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Tor (July 1, 2014)
Author Information: Website
Mogsy’s Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
All Those Vanished Engines was a real doozy to read and rate, as you would expect of meta-fiction. I admit I’m quite inexperienced when it comes books that use it as a literary device, and my feelings for this book remain rather mixed. On the one hand, the ideas and themes in here intrigued me and I found the execution of those themes to be quite clever. That interest alone fueled me throughout the novel, but on the flip side, I don’t know if I could have soldiered on if the book had been any longer. At a quick 269 pages, I have to confess that was also just about as much as I could take.
Told in three sections, the story first begins in the post-Civil War era. The north is ruled by a Queen, who has negotiated a two-nation settlement after the conflict. The narrator here attempts to reconstruct her past through a series of journal, about a fanciful and bizarre future. The second part is told in an auto-biographical style, taking place somewhere in northern Massachusetts where Park recounts a story about a secret investigation during World War II. Within this section are also elements from a writing project by one of his writing protégés, as well as Park’s own Wizards of the Coast novel that he is working on at the time. The third part finishes things off supposedly in the future, with aliens from history. Again, it’s told in an auto-biographical style, but at this point my perception of these realities have become so frazzled, I’d long given up on teasing out any semblance of a plot or purpose.
In case you couldn’t tell, all of that was my clumsy and very inadequate attempt to recap the book. I found it very difficult to extract a summary from the prose alone, and I had to have help from the book’s own description to fill in some of the blanks for me. This is because all three sections and their characters and stories are jumbled or nestled within one another, making it never really all that clear what “reality” I’m in at any given time. I think the best way I can think of to describe this mind-bending approach is by using the example of the artist M.C. Escher’s Drawing Hands, which as it happens also gets a mention somewhere in the novel. The art piece depicts two hands rising from wrists that remain flat on a sheet of paper, drawing one another into existence. Like the hands, the three sections of All Those Vanished Engines feel as though they are both feeding and taking from one another, all at once and all together. It’s as confusing as it sounds, but I also thought it was original and quite ingenious.
Obviously, this novel is intended for a very niche audience. A lot of readers will no doubt struggle with it, and personally, I’m surprised I was able to read it almost to completion without getting the urge to abandon it. My taste in speculative fiction doesn’t typically run towards the abstract and “weird”, and this book most definitely fits both those labels.
But thanks to some of the reviews I’ve seen for this book, I was prepared to read this with a whole different perspective, and going in fully expecting that I was going to be stepping out of my comfort zone helped me immensely. Knowing what I do about this book now, I probably wouldn’t have picked it up if I had to do it all over again, but I also can’t deny a certain appreciation for particular aspects of it so hence I can’t say the experience was all that unenjoyable. I’d say give this one a shot if you’re into meta-fiction or if you’re feeling brave and hankering to take on something unconventional and way, way, way outside the box.
A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Tor Books!
Tough Traveling: High Priests
Posted on December 4, 2014 18 Comments
The Thursday feature “Tough Traveling” is the brainchild of Nathan ofReview Barn, who has come up with the excellent idea of making a new list each week based on the most common tropes in fantasy, as seen in The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynn Jones. Nathan has invited anyone who is interested to come play along, so be sure to check out the first link for more information.
This week’s tour topic is: High Priests
HIGH PRIEST is nearly always evil, either on his own account or on behalf of the dark lord.
Sword of the Bright Lady by M.C. Planck
Christopher wakes up in a strange world and pledges his service to the Bright Lady, becoming a priest in training. The high priests who have the responsibility of overseeing his progress aren’t the kind who are evil or working under any dark lord, though they do become quite exasperated and vexed by Christopher’s shenanigans.
Age of Iron by Angus Watson
Druids are a priestly caste in the world of Age of Iron. There are all kinds of druids — healers, soothsayers, magicians and more. Some are good, some are bad, but the most bloodthirsty and depraved of them all is Felix, the druid who serves King Zadar, a cruel Dark Lord if there ever was one.
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
There are high priests and there are high priestesses. The Mists of Avalon has both, if you count Taliesin, the Merlin of Britain and old Archdruid of Avalon as a high priest. Then of course you have High Priestess Viviane, the revered Lady of Avalon who is the maternal aunt of Morgaine and Arthur.
A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
The high priest of the Faith of the Seven is known as the High Septon. The qualifications for this job include being a greedy, pompous and corrupt fat fraud, since after the last one died in the riot of King’s Landing, the Queen has been displeased with all his replacements thus far for being much too ethical and good for her liking.
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
It is quite surprising how many High Priests tend to serve a Dark Lord. The corrupt church had Lord Prelan Tevidian at its head, but as one of the chief lieutenants of the Lord Ruler, he was a target of the Steel Inquisitors who wanted to get rid of him and seat Head Inquisitor Kar in the High Priest position instead.
Waiting on Wednesday 12/03/14
Posted on December 3, 2014 16 Comments
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that lets us feature upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!
Mogsy’s Pick:
Owl and the Japanese Circus by Kristi Charish: January 13, 2015 (Pocket Star)
I’ve been seeing this one featured in “Waiting on Wednesday” posts all around the blogosphere, and now it’s my turn! Anything even remotely related to archaeology or fabulous Las Vegas will have my attention. Then I had the pleasure of speaking with Kristi Charish and found out video games and RPG narratives have heavily influenced her writing. An author after my own heart! Gimme this book. Now.
“Fans of Kim Harrison, Jim Butcher, and Linda Hamilton will flock to the kick-ass world of Owl, a modern-day “Indiana Jane” who reluctantly navigates the hidden supernatural world.
Ex-archaeology grad student turned international antiquities thief, Alix—better known now as Owl—has one rule. No supernatural jobs. Ever. Until she crosses paths with Mr. Kurosawa, a red dragon who owns and runs the Japanese Circus Casino in Las Vegas. He insists Owl retrieve an artifact stolen three thousand years ago, and makes her an offer she can’t refuse: he’ll get rid of a pack of vampires that want her dead. A dragon is about the only entity on the planet that can deliver on Owl’s vampire problem – and let’s face it, dragons are known to eat the odd thief.
Owl retraces the steps of Mr. Kurosawa’s ancient thief from Japan to Bali with the help of her best friend, Nadya, and an attractive mercenary. As it turns out though, finding the scroll is the least of her worries. When she figures out one of Mr. Kurosawa’s trusted advisors is orchestrating a plan to use a weapon powerful enough to wipe out a city, things go to hell in a hand basket fast…and Owl has to pick sides.”
Book Review: Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Posted on December 2, 2014 25 Comments
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia
Series: Red Rising Trilogy #1
Publisher: Random House (January 2014)
Author Info: www.pierce-brown.com
Wendy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Darrow is a helldiver, one of the most skilled and daring miners among the Reds who work themselves to death to prepare Mars for the “softer colours” of a dying Earth. The thing is, Mars has been terraformed for centuries, but the Golds who rule above all colours are already there, lolling about on the unknowing backs of the lesser colours.
Darrow learns this the hard way when he becomes involved with the Sons of Aries, a rebel group determined to bring down the ruling Golds — by turning Darrow into one of them.
I avoided the hype on this book, though I did know about The Hunger Games comparison. Initially, I didn’t quite grasp the comparison, but it becomes clear soon enough. Darrow, in his new Gold body, becomes a part of a deadly game of survival against the other Gold hopefuls. But unlike the Hunger Games, these young adults are fighting for a place high in society. The goal isn’t simply to kill the competition, but to conquer, just as the Golds have done for centuries.
One of the things I really liked about this book was the idea that the people at the top of the pyramid live in luxury, but they are far from soft. The society is modeled after Greco-Roman domination, and their tctics are no less ruthless. There most certainly is death within the arena, but there is also political intrigue and a lot of scheming. The Sons of Aries have taught Darrow much, but it his own skills and smarts as a Red and as a Helldiver that really come in handy. Of course.
Of course Darrow ends up more or less on top throughout, though there is ample struggle and betrayal along the way. In fact, there are a lot of things that go on that, after a while, become quite tedious. They all make sense, well enough, but I had so little connection to the characters, including Darrow, that I simply didn’t care. Brown tried to make them real enough, but in actuality, Mustang, Pax, Cassius — they are all fairly two-dimensional, as is Darrow himself, despite the level of depth Brown tries to give through Darrow’s initial tragedies. I got tired of Darrow telling me about his rage.
Also, Darrow is only 16 years old, but I found the characters didn’t often act their age. I initially chalked up Darrow’s more adult actions as due to a life of hardship that forced him to become an adult early in life, but this too was part of the disconnect I felt with the characters. I am not a fan of YA books that feature petulant, idiot teenagers, but this book simply didn’t give me characters with enough depth to classify them as anything more than archetypes.
With YA battle dystopias being all the rage these days, I expect to see REd Rising in the theatres soon enough. While I didn’t enjoy the read, I suspect a movie could potentially give me more of the depth I was looking for.
Book Review: Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix
Posted on December 1, 2014 24 Comments
Genre: Horror
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Quirk (September 23, 2014)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Horrorstör scratched a really great itch. When it comes to the Horror genre, I’m an unabashed fan of ghost stories and books about hauntings. Thing is, because so many of them follow the same formula and use the same familiar tropes, it’s really hard find something that truly stands out. I was therefore quite excited about this novel, which is a memorable and real quirky take on your classic haunted house story.
Protagonist Amy is a disgruntled employee of furniture superstore Orsk, which is essentially a clever parody of our real world IKEA (the author has nailed it all down, everything from the proprietary magic tool to the delicious meatballs in the cafeteria). There’s something strange about this particular Orsk store though. Every morning store partners arrive at work to find damaged and vandalized goods, not to mention the creepy “HELP” messages that randomly shows up on everyone’s cellphones.
To get to the bottom of this mystery once and for all, store manager Basil recruits Amy and fellow employee Ruth Anne for an overnight shift. Expecting to find some innocuous and mundane reason for all the strange things going on, they are totally unprepared for the horrors awaiting them on showroom floor in the dead of night.
I really enjoyed this book, and its story is one that will stay with me for a very long time. After all, how often does one come across a haunted house story that takes place in a big box chain store? Old mansions are typically your go-to settings for these kinds of stories, but before I read this book it has never really occurred to me how creepy a place like your local Best Buy or Home Depot can be after store hours when all the customers have gone home and the lights go off. I certainly wouldn’t want to be locked inside all alone.
And while I’ve had experience in retail, they were all gigs in small businesses or independently owned establishments. I have never worked in a big box chain store so I can’t say I’ve had the pleasure (or misfortune, depending on your outlook) of experiencing that kind of unique environment or culture. Still, I don’t think you have to have worked in that capacity to recognize some of the “retail-speak” that gets poked fun at a lot in this novel (“It’s not just a job, it’s the rest of your life”, “communicate knowledge to visitors with maximum sales competence”, “contribute to an environment where Orsk culture is a strong and living reality” and other such gems), some of which are just downright hilarious especially through Amy’s jaded eye.
I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention one of the core selling points of the physical copy of Horrorstör – the fact that it comes published in the shape and size of a glossy mail order catalog, along with product illustrations and descriptions, “coupons”, order forms and other such documents. Sound like a gimmick? Yeah, probably. But hey, it works. I give this packaging decision 10/10 for presentation and creativity.
Because of how the book looks, along with its spoofy nature, I admit I went into this thinking it would be more humor than horror. My mistake. This is a horror novel through and through. Yes, the story has its lighthearted bits and funny laugh-out-loud moments, but things quickly turn grim and spooky once the plot gets moving. There were parts that seriously gave me the heebie-jeebies and freaked me the hell out. And I confess, I loved being caught off guard like this.
What more can I say, but Horrorstör is a great addition which would add a little fun and eccentricity to any Horror lover’s library. I also think it would make a rather unique gift, especially if the recipient knows nothing about the book beforehand. The whole IKEA catalog look of it will no doubt lead many to believe it’s a joke/humor book, but what a surprise they’ll get when they crack open the cover and give it a read. Definitely a novel that will give you more than you bargained for.
A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Quirk Books!
Sunday Musings: 9:41 Dragon
Posted on November 30, 2014 6 Comments
Home in bed with a cold — but that’s nothing a good book can’t cure!
CURRENTLY READING
I’ve been playing a lot of Dragon Age Inquisition lately. A lot of Dragon Age Inquisition. And recently completed a mission involving the Empress of Orlais. The mission in the game follows up on one of the latest tie-in books, The Masked Empire.
I am a big fan of tie-in material when it comes to my favourite video fandoms, with my particular focus of late being on tie-ins related to video games. Some people shun the concept, but I love the depth they add to the characters and lore. In the case of the BioWare games like Dragon Age and Mass Effect, the events and characters in the books and comics end up being very important to the game itself — though not so important that someone who opts to play the game without partaking of the extras completely misses out.
WRITERY THOUGHTS
So how’s that NaNo-ing going?
BOOKISH THINGS
Reading with our children is so important for so many things, not the least of which is fostering a love of reading.
Lootz: Mogsy’s Book Haul
Posted on November 29, 2014 24 Comments
A few review books have come in that I wanted to feature this week, but it’s been a madhouse around here lately so I’m short on the time to talk about each book in the format like I normally do. Instead I think I’m going to geek out about some of the giveaway books I won this month. For some reason, I had a really lucky November or something.
I was most excited about winning The Relic Guild from a giveaway the author held on Twitter. This is a book from Gollancz that I’ve had my eye on for a looong time but of course there has been no US release date so far! I was a sad panda about that, so imagine my delight. Black Dog is something I won from Goodreads. Yeah, I’d always thought winning anything from there is a myth. I had to look outside to check the skies for flying pigs. Talon and The Immortal Crown are books from the weekly giveaway hosted by Anya at On Starships and Dragonwings, and Shade & Sorceress, The Unmaking, and Bone, Fog, Ash & Star are from The Last Days of Tian Di trilogy that I won from an author giveaway hosted by Tammy at Books, Bones & Buffy. My thanks to all those involved!
And I also went on a bit of an audiobook binge, mainly because of the Audible Buy 4 get $10 promotion they were running for the month of November, so I spent a credit or two, scraped and scrounged around for any Whispersync deals, sales, etc. until I qualified: Endsinger (credit), The Scar ($4.95 sale), Rosemary and Rue, Among Others (Whispersync). Legion: Skin Deep was an Audible FREEBIE (go get it if you haven’t already!) and I couldn’t resist grabbing the Jinn and Juice ebook because it’s $2.99 and the print version won’t even be available until April of next year. I couldn’t pass that up!
#RRSciFiMonth Top 10 Science Fiction Novels Read This Year
Posted on November 28, 2014 21 Comments
As this will likely be my last post for Sci-Fi November, I hope everyone has enjoyed the science fiction related goodies we’ve featured at The BiblioSanctum this month, I also want to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate the Rinn Reads and Oh, The Books! teams for running such a successful event! This was my first year joining in the fun, and I’d love to continue the tradition.
Anyway, I thought to myself, what better to wrap up the month’s event with a Top 10 list of the best Science Fiction novels I’ve read in 2014? It was certainly a tough choice narrowing it down, since I read a lot of books this year, but these are the sci-fi books that really stood out for me and I hope you’ll check them out.
I’ve always been fascinated by stories that explore what it means to be human. This book is set in a future after the world has suffered the effects of a devastating virus. To survive meant genetically modifying almost every new person born on this planet, but in order to repopulate and rebuild, the engineers went further. They created different kinds of genetically modified humans (“Gems”), who were essentially nothing but humanity’s tools. Despite its futuristic setting, Gemsigns is a powerful novel as it is utterly significant and relevant to the world today. Want a great piece of social science fiction? Check this one out. (Read the review…)
I’ve been singing the praises of John Scalzi for along time, as many of his books were my gateway to the sci-fi genre. If you want light, humorous science fiction that’s also accessible and not too overwhelming and heavy-handed with the hi-tech jargon, I really recommend his books. However, Lock In surprised me with its depth and moments of thoughtfulness, and I also feel it is a next step for the author. That being said, it’s still pure Scalzi in terms of being fun and entertaining, with easy prose and plenty of witty, snappy dialogue. (Read the review…)
The popularity of this book blew up this summer, and for good reason. This is one smart book, complete with cool premise and engaging characters. And you don’t have to have a degree in astrophysics to enjoy it, though it does get technical at times. But at its heart, The Martian is an incredible tale of one man’s survival, using only his wits and astounding ingenuity to problem solve his way out of one life-threatening catastrophe at a time. And the most pleasant surprise? It’s humorous. Prepare for lots of laughs along with the tension and suspense. (Read the review…)
Cibola Burn by James S.A. Corey
This is the fourth book of what I think is probably my science fiction series right now. Authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck who make up the team of James S.A. Corey continue to develop the characters and build upon the world of The Expanse, and Cibola Burn is the best installment yet. I’m not surprised that an adaptation of this series is being made and coming soon to TV, as these books are a perfect mix of science fiction chills-and-thrills and the passion and weight of human drama. I’m really looking forward to it. (Read the review…)
Earth Girl takes place in the far-flung future, starring eighteen-year-old Jarra. There are many names for people like her: Handicapped. Throwback. Nean. Ape. All of them mean one thing: that she is among the one in a thousand born with an immune disorder that confines her to earth. Jarra can’t visit any of the multitude of worlds humans have colonized, because she would go into anaphylactic shock in seconds and die. Distinct, unconventional and unique, this book breathed new life into the Young Adult genre for me. Oh, and it has archaeology! (Read the review…)
When you read Defenders, look for the forest, not the trees. Just as you weren’t supposed to pick apart the minutiae of cryogenics in McIntosh’s Love Minus Eighty (another amazing novel), you shouldn’t get too hung up on the logistics of an alien invasion or the ins-and-outs of bio-engineering a whole new warrior race, just to name a couple of main themes in this book. This sci-fi novel isn’t so much about the “science” than it is a thought-provoking social fiction piece exploring how humanity might approach an “us vs. them” situation. Needless to say, if you enjoy “what if” stories, this would be the ideal book for you. (Read the review…)
The Mad Scientist’s Daughter by Cassandra Rose Clarke
This book is a deep analysis and portrayal of Caterina Novak, daughter of a brilliant yet eccentric inventor and cybernetics expert. Cat is five years old when she first meets Finn, the android her father brings home to be her tutor. But as Cat grows, she discovers Finn is different from other androids. With every year that passes their relationship becomes increasingly complicated, as Cat starts to see Finn as someone more than just a tutor and friend. The premise is a cool idea, but the powerful emotions behind it is what made this book stand out for me. Be sure as well to check out the BiblioSanctum interview with Cassandra Rose Clarke to find out more about this fascinating and heartbreaking novel. (Read the review…)
The Paradox Series by Rachel Bach
I’m putting the series as a whole on this list, because all three books have a part in making up this very strong trilogy, which I highly recommend for anyone looking for a fun, fast-paced and action-filled sci-fi read. If there’s one thing to take away from these books it is that Rachel Bach (who also writes as Rachel Aaron) never does things by halves. That’s the beauty of the Paradox series. Everything about it is larger than life, from the in-your-face main character Devi Morris to her sexy and suave love interest Rupert Charkov, or the amazing planets and exotic aliens to the twisty plot filled with adventure and thrills. It’s pure candy for the mind. (Read the reviews…)
The Everness Series by Ian McDonald
The Everness sequence is another series I’d like to feature as a whole on this list. I really wish there were more young adult novels like this out there. Up to three books so far, the latest installment Empress of the Sun was probably my favorite, and it’s always awesome to see when the books are just getting better and better. Because Everness is about alternate dimensions and the Multiverse, you just never know where the story might take you next! When it comes delivering excitement and adventure, Ian McDonald knows his stuff. Absolutely fantabulosa. (Read the reviews…)
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
VanderMeer is best known for his contributions to “New Weird”, a literary genre that’s been hit or miss with me – so that’s why I had my misgivings when I approached this book. But wow, am I glad I decided to give this one a shot. Yes, the story is weird and a bit surreal, but what I didn’t anticipate was how thoroughly atmospheric and intense it was. The book satisfied my appetite for Horror with its strange and unsettling elements, and it also surprised me with the heart-wrenching melancholy and the haunting quality to the narrator’s narration. This was a short read, one that blew by even faster than I expected because I enjoyed it so much. (Read the review…)
Honorable Mentions
I told you I would have a hard time narrowing this down to ten. Too bad this isn’t a top 15 or even top 20 list. The following are books are nonetheless highly recommend:
Astra by Naomi Foyle
Author Naomi Foyle has a remarkable way of giving me all the feels. I have been shocked and disturbed by some of the ideas in her books, but likewise there have been times where the touching beauty of her writing has bought me to tears. Her stories might not necessarily read like heart-pounding thrillers or page-turners, but no matter what, they always pack a powerful punch. That most certainly describes Astra, a bold dystopian tale about a girl growing up in a closed and isolated nature-worshiping community called Is-Land. (Read Mogsy’s and Wendy’s reviews…)
World of Trouble by Ben H. Winters
The stunning conclusion to the awesome Last Policeman trilogy. Imagine a world where everyone has known for the past year that a gigantic killer asteroid is hurtling towards earth, set to impact in just a matter of days. Tsunamis will wipe out the coasts, atmospheric dust will black out the sun, and life as we know it would cease to exist. When the news first dropped, Hank was among the small minority who’d decided to carry on as usual, but now it’s interesting to see how his motivations have changed since the first installment. Doomsday has finally come, and you’ll just have to pick up this series and find out what happens. Believe me, these books are worth the read (Read the review…)
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