Month: February 2021

WWWednesday: February 10, 2021

Matiline Berryman had degrees in mathematics, law and maritime affairs with a concentration in oceanography and sonar engineering. She taught courses on oceanic dynamics and underwater sound at the New Naval Oceanographic Office. Later, she taught at the University of District of Columbia and later served as Chair of the university’s Department of Environmental Services.

Writers, Writing, Reading, Books:

Is this article on POV helpful?

I like this take on world-building, but of course I would because it’s how I introduce world-building into my stories.

February 10th, 2021. Marion Deeds | World Wide Wednesday | no comments |

A History of What Comes Next: Good concept, weak execution

A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel

Sylvain Neuvel’s A History of What Comes Next (2021) has both an intriguing premise and a potentially tense conflict at its core, but due to some issues with structure and style, the execution didn’t allow the book to achieve its potential.

Two women, Sara and her daughter Mia, are sort of Space Race Zeligs (look him up, youngsters), inserting themselves in key times and places to push humanity toward the stars. To that end,

February 10th, 2021. Bill Capossere and Tadiana Jones´s rating: 2.5, 3 | Sylvain Neuvel | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |

Silence of the Soleri: Stopped halfway through

Silence of the Soleri by Michael Johnston

I gave a 2½-star rating for Michael Johnston’s Soleri, and was hoping to see some improvement in the sequel, Silence of the Soleri (2021). Unfortunately, the book tipped in the other direction, so much so that I gave up at the halfway point. As usual with DNF reviews, this will be brief.

The problems here were pretty much the same as I noted in my review of book one.

February 9th, 2021. Bill Capossere´s rating: 0.1 | Michael Johnston | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

Cathedral of Bones: Lovecraftian YA done right

Cathedral of Bones by A.J. Steiger

Young teen Simon Frost has had a rough start to his early life. His twin sister was murdered several years ago, his mother vanished shortly thereafter leaving only a note, his father was expelled from the Foundation amid darkly ominous rumors about his research, and Simon himself has shown so little talent as a Foundation animist not a single mentor will take him on, leaving him relegated to working in the mailroom sorting requests for the Foundation’s aid from citizens and towns/cities. When the Foundation ignores a letter from a small asking for assistance against a dangerous monster,

Sunday Status Update: Feburary 7, 2021

Kat: I read two books by C.J. Cherryh this week: Merchant’s Luck and Forty Thousand in Gehenna. These were released in audio format by Tantor Audio in a combination pack called Alliance Space. Last night I watched all five episodes of Wandavision. I didn’t like the first episode at all but by the time I finished the fifth, I was hooked.

Marion: I finished my ARC of Exiles of Tabat,

February 7th, 2021. Tim Scheidler | Status Update | no comments |

On Fragile Waves: Lyrical, moving, and at times heartrending

On Fragile Waves by E. Lily Yu

In the opening pages of On Fragile Waves (2021), by E. Lily Yu, young Firuzeh, her brother Naur, and their parents are on the start of a long journey from war-torn Kabul to the hope of a better life in Australia. To pass the time on that first leg, Firuzeh’s mother entertains them with a fairy tale. But the novel will be no fairy tale, as the family makes its way through Pakistan to Indonesia to an immigration detention camp on Nauru Island and finally to Australia itself,

Thoughtful Thursday: What’s the best book you read last month?

It’s the first Thursday of the month. Time to report!

What is the best book you read in January 2021 and why did you love it? It doesn’t have to be a newly published book, or even SFF, or even fiction. We just want to share some great reading material.

Feel free to post a full review of the book here, or a link to the review on your blog, or just write a few sentences about why you thought it was awesome.

And don’t forget that we always have plenty more reading recommendations on our Fanlit Faves page and our 5-Star SFF page.

February 4th, 2021. FanLit | Giveaway!, Thoughtful Thursday | 19 comments |

Available Dark: Chills, in more than one sense of the word

Available Dark by Elizabeth Hand

It’s been a few months since the events of Generation Loss, and Cass Neary, strapped for cash, has made a big mistake. In that previous book, she took pictures of someone’s death but told the police she wasn’t at the scene. She never meant to publish any of the photos. Whoops. So, with the police and the dead person’s son asking awkward questions, and Cass in need of money again, it seems like a great time to take a gig that will absent her from the country for a while.

WWWednesday: February 3, 2021

Awards:

The Infected by Art winners are announced. Some very nice stuff here! (Thanks to File770.)

Writers, Reading, Writing, Books:

Read Bill Capposere’s personal essay on the judgments we make, and the things we don’t know.

Paul Weimer, known as Prince Jvstin on Twitter, had his account deleted last week, after right-wing activists filed spurious complaints. The SFF community rallied around and managed to get his account reinstated. Weimer shares more detail on his Patreon page.

This site looks like lots of fun!

February 3rd, 2021. Marion Deeds | World Wide Wednesday | no comments |

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle: Compelling, twisty, sneaky

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

Debut author Stuart Turton’s The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (2018), originally published earlier this year in Great Britain as The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, is an intricately plotted murder mystery, set in an isolated early 20th century English mansion, with a highly imaginative speculative element that is only gradually revealed, as our main character tries to figure out who he really is, and how to solve the mystery of Evelyn Hardcastle’s pending death … or has her death already occurred?

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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