Orphan Black; Echoes premiered last Sunday. The Daily Beast liked it a lot—Variety, not so much. My personal observations, from the most superficial to the relatively less superficial, are: 1) Krystin Ritter is so skinny it’s distracting; 2) what the heck is a 4D printer, and 3) can they convince me the woman scientist is who they say she is?
Yahoo news shares some tidbits and interviews about the new clone show.
Neon Hemlock has a cover reveal for their We’re Here 2023 anthology.
June 26th, 2024. Marion Deeds | SFF Reviews | no comments |
In my first post about Lost, I casually referred to Jacob and his unnamed twin, two characters who appear in Seasons 5 and 6, as “demigods.” After I wrote that, I had some doubts. The traditional definition of “demigods” is the offspring of a deity and a mortal. (Hmmm… so it doesn’t have to be a human, just a “mortal.” There could be demigod rabbits or demigod earthworms or… Oh! Demigod trees!)
But I digress.
There is no mention in the lore of Lost that Jacob and his brother have a divine parent.
June 19th, 2024. Marion Deeds | World Wide Wednesday | no comments |
I chose Blake Crouch’s 2022 novel Upgrade out of curiosity because I’d never read anything of his. He is a popular author whose books are everywhere, and he writes thrillers, usually with a speculative-fiction flavor. I’d heard of him years ago when Fox TV made a show based on his WAYWARD trilogy, and the one or two episodes I saw (Season 1) had a nifty, paranoid, who-can-you-trust vibe. Upgrade shares that vibe.
My plot synopsis may contain mild spoilers.
June 18th, 2024. Marion Deeds´s rating: 3.5 | Blake Crouch | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler
I’ll admit I got Wexler’s 2024 fantasy novel, first in the DARK LORD DAVI series, mostly because of the title, How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying. I couldn’t help noticing that blurbs and reviews both take delight in describing this book as funny and raunchy. I don’t see “raunchy” as a description that much anymore—in this case it is accurate. Davi, our first-person narrator,
June 17th, 2024. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4.5 | Django Wexler | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Tachyon Publications celebrates the 30-year anniversary of Patricia McKillip’s The Book of Atrix Wolfe with a beautiful new edition. McKillip, who passed away in May, 2022, wrote seductive fantasies, filled with engaging characters and prose that sang. Beginning in the 1970s, McKillip filled our lives with magic, mystery and beauty.
We’re happy to reveal the beautiful cover of the new book, and host a giveaway. One commenter will have a choice of a hardcopy ARC or an eARC of The Book of Atrix Wolfe.
“When the White Wolf descends upon the battlefield,
June 12th, 2024. Marion Deeds | Giveaway!, World Wide Wednesday | 10 comments |
Babel by R.F. Huang won the 2024 Xingyun Award for best work in translation. You might remember this book. It was disqualified from the Hugo awards earlier this year for no known reason.
The Bram Stoker Awards were also announced.
Romance Writers of America filed for bankruptcy on May 29. Reasons included a dwindling membership—apparently down from 10,000 members in 2019 to about 2,000 members in 2023–and equally dwindling paid registrations at conventions. The organization itself, according to a Bloomberg headline, blames “DEI,” (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) for its problems.
June 5th, 2024. Marion Deeds | World Wide Wednesday | 2 comments |
Translation State by Ann Leckie
With Translation State, which was nominated for a Best Novel of 2023 Nebula Award, Ann Leckie brings us back to the universe adjacent to the Radchaai Empire, which is still embroiled in a civil war. This book directs its attention to the Presger Translators and their mysterious origin race, the Presger Themselves.
I liked Translation State, and about halfway through, one of the characters was suddenly in such jeopardy I could not put the book down.
June 3rd, 2024. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4 | Ann Leckie | SFF Reviews | no comments |
In Season 2 of Lost, the showrunners hit both the zenith and nadir of characterization, with Ben Linus (Michael Emerson) and Ana Lucia Cortez (Michelle Rodriguez.) They succumbed to the Epic Fail technique of “fridging.” Pop-star character Charlie wrestled with addiction, as Locke did with faith. And as in Season One, lots of people run through the jungle. With Season 2, the show added the dramatic innovation, “running and falling down in the jungle.”
Starting in September, 2005, Season 2 led us through 24 episodes. Storylines include:
the Hatch
the Tail Section Survivors
Walt’s abduction
The Others
Courtesy of Lostpedia,
May 29th, 2024. Marion Deeds | Film / TV | Giveaway!, World Wide Wednesday | 8 comments |
Victor LaValle’s Lone Women (2023) is brilliant. It’s about connections, family, secrets, guilt and love. Yes, there is a monster in it. Yes, it is suspenseful, and yes, it is gory, and those are both horror trademarks, but Lone Women is filled with hidden history and restored triumphs. Is it horror? That depends on your definition of “monster.”
In 1915, Adelaide Henry flees her family farm in Lucerne Valley, California. She leaves behind a burning farmhouse and her two dead parents;
May 27th, 2024. Marion Deeds´s rating: 5 | Victor Lavalle | Horror, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Bird Box, published in 2014, was Josh Malerman’s first novel. Malerman came out of the music scene, breaking into fiction with this moody story of psychological horror. A woman and two four-year-olds take a journey down river, blindfolded, in a world where what you see can literally kill you.
In the opening sentences, Malorie decides that today’s the day. The big house is dark, every window and door covered. Even a trip out to the well,
May 23rd, 2024. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4 | Josh Malerman | Horror | SFF Reviews | no comments |
I had it on my list to reread (which means I looked over at the bookcase one night, saw it…
Marion, I'm saving James (and Orbital) for after my semester ends so I can devote my undivided attention to them.…
Susan, glad you enjoyed. Samuel Jackson should absolutely play him in the movie!
Troy, 100% agreed. Sadly the BBC adaptation is also confused about this. They seem to think Orciny is some kind…
Hey Marion! The weather is the *same* in Ul Qoma and Beszel in the novel. They even have a recurring…