Made of Stardust and Stubbornness – a blog of book reviews and the occasional essay on disability

“No One Will Come Back For Us” Review

Posted on October 26, 2024October 27, 2024 by Jen

“No One Will Come Back For Us” by Premee Mohamed

Here there be gods and monsters – forged from flesh and stone and vengeance – emerging from the icy abyss of deep space, ascending from dark oceans, and prowling strange cities to enter worlds of chaos and wonder, where scientific rigor and human endeavour is tested to the limits. These are cosmic realms and watery domains where old offerings no longer appease the ancient Gods or the new and hungry idols. Deities and beasts. Life and death. Love and hate. Science and magic. And smiling monsters in human skin.

Premee Mohamed’s debut collection of contemporary cosmic horror and dark fantasy heralds the arrival of a new and vibrant voice on the cutting edge of modern speculative fiction.

Review

The seventeen stories in this book are an interesting mix of horror, fantasy and science fiction. Many of them exist within a “gods are real” universe with a more fantasy horror slant while others are general fiction horror with science fiction elements. I enjoyed all of them though I think a couple could have done with a bit more explanation of what was going on and why. I did like that the author included additional information about the various stories at the end of the book.

Below the Kirk, Below the Hill – a woman finds an undead child and struggles to figure out what to do next. I liked the way this one ended because the choices were limited and there wasn’t much that can be done for the child.

Instructions – a set of instructions for British servicemen in a German occupied France. Only it turns out it’s not that simple. As you read through the instructions you slowly figure out the twist to this one. I liked it.

The Evaluator – in which a child has been possessed buy a disturbing entity and all people can do is evaluate the situation. This is another one where there are limited choices but this time the horror is more about being helpless.

At the Hand of Every Beast – a monster in the form of a large cathedral wonders through the area and a small child investigates it. This one was strange but I enjoyed it.

The Adventurer’s Wife – A newspaper reporter is tasked with interviewing a deceased adventurer’s widow. This one has a great twist in the end. Not all is as it seems on multiple fronts. Fun ending.

The General’s Turn – a captured solder is put through a test by the enemy. I’m not entirely sure I understood this one. The explanation from the author helps some.

Sixteen Minutes – a sixteen minute warning comes and a man hides in a bunker abandoning his family in the process. Question is, were bombs really dropped? This one is more about the man who hides in the bunker slowly losing his mind more than anything else. The ending is a little vague on purpose.

Fortunato – a ship lands to rescue the survivors of a failed colony and the crew soon learns the story of what went wrong. Of course the rescue goes about as well as you’d expect. I enjoyed the slow build of horror of this one as things go horribly wrong.

The Honeymakers – Something strange happens with a bee hive and girls who interact with it. This one is a bit confusing but I liked the idea of it.

Four Hours of a Revolution – Many Deaths stalk a group of rebels and solders fighting a revolution…there’s some confusion… This one is interesting to read as death follows everyone as things happen.

For Each of These Miseries – A woman travels to a deep see fortress to help her mother’s friend who is dealing with a monster and a group of soldiers who are slowly succumbing to the pressure of keeping things secret. The ending of this one is interesting.

Everything is Part of Its Infinite Place – a boy grieves the loss of his brother and encounters a double of himself and a series of strange events before making a choice. The ending of this one is a little vague as we know something happened but it’s not clear of it was a good thing or a bad thing.

No One Will Come Back For Us – a visit to a hospital during a epidemic that may have a supernatural cause. I enjoyed reason this one but I think the might have been one where things could have been explained a little more? Or at last the ending as I’m not sure about the narrator’s point of view.

Willing – A farmer’s two cows suffer during birth – one dying one living but birthing a stillborn. A sacrifice is required. I really liked the way this one ended.

Us and Ours – two kids during an invasion of creatures dealing with everything. This one was good – the kids are pretty much used as bait by another group for the creatures. I From the author’s description it seems like the ending is supposed to be a little vague about who actually won. I liked the way it ended though with the two kids driving off to have their own adventures.

The Redoubtables – a young journalist is investigating a disaster to write an article about it. It turns out that the disaster was intentional because a group of scientists destroyed their experiment completely in order to keep it contained. No real explanations are given as to why and that’s the true horror of it all.

Quietus – a young man is being used as test subject – from his point of view he’s fighting several wars. We also get emails exchanged between scientists running the experiment on sleep deprivation and virtual reality. The ending is a little vague but it seems like the right choice to end the experiment is made for the good of all. But whether or not it’s too late is unclear.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “No One Will Come Back For Us”

Book Details

Author’s Website: Premee Mohamed
Publisher / Date: Undertow Publications, May 2023
Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Short Stories
Page Count: 288
Completion Date: October 26, 2024

“A Pale Light in the Black” Review

Posted on October 23, 2024October 25, 2024 by Jen

“A Pale Light in the Black” (NeoG Series No. 1) by K. B. Wagers

For the past year, their close loss in the annual Boarding Games has haunted Interceptor Team: Zuma’s Ghost. With this year’s competition looming, they’re looking forward to some payback—until an unexpected personnel change leaves them reeling. Their best swordsman has been transferred, and a new lieutenant has been assigned in his place.

Maxine Carmichael is trying to carve a place in the world on her own—away from the pressure and influence of her powerful family. The last thing she wants is to cause trouble at her command on Jupiter Station. With her new team in turmoil, Max must overcome her self-doubt and win their trust if she’s going to succeed. Failing is not an option—and would only prove her parents right.

But Max and the team must learn to work together quickly. A routine mission to retrieve a missing ship has suddenly turned dangerous, and now their lives are on the line. Someone is targeting members of Zuma’s Ghost, a mysterious opponent willing to kill to safeguard a secret that could shake society to its core . . . a secret that could lead to their deaths and kill thousands more unless Max and her new team stop them.

Review

I enjoyed this for the most part. I really liked the characters and how they ended up interacting, but it never really felt like there was that much conflict. Many of the events that happened didn’t feel as serious as they should have been. I did enjoy the dual plots of the games while also solving a mystery. I also felt like the family drama with Maxine and her family got a little annoying especially with the various “secrets” going on. There was also more romance/relationship stuff than I was expecting which isn’t a problem exactly. It didn’t do anything to distract from the dual plots for the most part it was just there more than I like. In any case the dual plots were good and I thought it worked well to have both of them in the same story as they were going about their work lives while preparing for and participating in the Games. I will be reading the next book in the series at some point.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “A Pale Light in the Black”

Book Details

A Pale Light in the Black book cover. The background is black with streaks of blue and red and in the center is a large image of Jupiter. In front of the planet are several ships flying away from it above and to the sides. Near the bottom of the cover is a station where the ships are leaving from. The title of the book is across the center of the cover and the authors name at the top.

Author’s Website: K. B. Wagers
Publisher / Date: Harper Voyager, March 2020
Genre: Science Fiction
Page Count: 432
Completion Date: October 21, 2024

“Crip Up the Kitchen” Review

Posted on October 21, 2024October 21, 2024 by Jen

“Crip Up the Kitchen: Tools, Tips, and Recipes for the Disabled Cook” by Jules Sherred

A comprehensive guide and recipe collection that brings the economy and satisfaction of home cooking to disabled and neurodivergent cooks.

cripping / crip up: A term used by disabled disability rights advocates and academia to signal taking back power, to lessen stigma, and to disrupt ableism as to ensure disabled voices are included in all aspects of life.

When Jules Sherred discovered the Instant Pot multicooker, he was thrilled. And incensed. How had no one told him what a gamechanger this could be, for any home cook but in particular for those with disabilities and chronic illness? And so the experimenting―and the evangelizing―began.

The kitchen is the most ableist room in the house. With 50 recipes that make use of three key tools―the electric pressure cooker, air fryer, and bread machine―Jules has set out to make the kitchen accessible and enjoyable. The book includes pantry prep, meal planning, shopping guides, kitchen organization plans, and tips for cooking safely when disabled, all taking into account varying physical abilities and energy levels.

Organized from least to greatest effort (or from 1 to “all your spoons,” for spoonies), beginning with spice blends and bases, Jules presents thorough, tested, inclusive recipes for making favourites like butter chicken, Jules’s Effin’ Good Chili, Thai winter squash soup, roast dinners, matzo balls, pho, samosas, borshch, shortbread, lemon pound cake, and many more.

Jules also provides a step-by-step guide to safe canning and a template for prepping your freezer and pantry for post-surgery. With rich accompanying photography and food histories, complete nutritional information and methods developed specifically for the disabled and neurodivergent cook, Crip Up the Kitchen is at once inviting, comprehensive, and accessible. If you’ve craved the economy and satisfaction of cooking at home but been turned off by the ableist approach of most cookbooks―this one’s for you!

Review

I really enjoyed reading through this cookbook and all the different tips in it. There is a great chapter about different types of disabilities and how the book can help. There are also tips for what items you should by and have available too you, grouped into least expensive to more expensive if you can get it and why these things will be helpful. My favorite chapters are the ones about how to organize your kitchen and pantry areas to make everything easier to work with and the meal planning / meal prep chapters. I think there’s a lot of good information to be had in these sections before even getting to the recipes. As for the recipes I like that there is an introduction chapter for how to use the various equipment (Pressure Cooker/Air Fryer). The recipes themselves are organized well and I really like the details and stories with the recipes – the author includes some good history lessons for many of them.

Book Details

Crip up the Kitchen Book Cover - the cover is black with a spoon that takes up most of the upper right side of the cover. There is some sort of thick liquid on the spoon dripping off of it. The title of the book takes up most of the rest of the cover in yellow with the subtitle in white at the bottom. The author's name is at the top.

Author’s Website: Jules Sherred
Publisher / Date: Touchwood Editions, May 2023
Genre: Guidebook, Cookbook
Page Count: 272
Completion Date: October 10, 2024

“Color Taste Texture” Review

Posted on October 21, 2024October 21, 2024 by Jen

“Color Taste Texture: Recipes for Picky Eaters, Those with Food Aversion, and Anyone Who’s Ever Cringed at Food” by Matthew Broberg-Moffitt

This much-needed cookbook combines tips and techniques with a dash of understanding about food aversion and how to help your kids—and yourself—cook beautiful meals in an empowering way, and is a groundbreaking resource for anyone who has ever been called “picky” or “discerning.” Learn how to alter the texture or taste profile of a dish, or even fit it within a specific palette with a unique color-coded guide. Delicious, nutritious, and easily tailored recipes (including for gluten-free and vegan eaters) include:

the perfect smashed cheeseburger

Italian sausage and potato soup

the best omelet

stuffed focaccia

chocolate pinwheels

and dozens more

Professional chef Matthew Broberg-Moffitt’s advice is broken down by category (The Five Tastes, Texture, Color, Aroma, Presentation, and Plating) in order to address each and every aspect of food aversion, and a Food Preference Profile and Worksheet is included for you and your child to quickly identify and summarize their preferences. Instead of leading to mistrust by disguising or slipping in foods your kids don’t want to eat, this cookbook supports caretakers in a way that maintains a healthy relationship with food, and a joyful, less stressful experience around the table.

Review

I thought this recipe book was really interesting! I don’t have as many food aversions as I used to but I did feel like I learned a few things from the earlier parts of the book about different reasons for aversions – how different colors, tastes and textures can cause the aversions and why. I thought the descriptions were detailed and informative. For example texture is the one area I still have trouble with (often combinations I don’t like) so this was the section I spent the most time looking through. There are tips for making the foods more of a certain texture which seem helpful to me. I also liked the plaiting and environment section too – something people don’t often think about. Where you’re eating can have a lot of impact! For the recipes themselves I liked the breakdown of what colors, tastes and textures each one had – I thought those would be helpful for people looking for something specific.

Book Details

Color Taste Texture book cover. The top third of the book has a picture of cinnamon rolls on the right and chicken figures on the right. The middle contains the title and author's name on a brown textured background. The bottom third is a group of four children setting behind a table filled with all kinds of different foods either eating or drinking the food.

Book Link: “Color Taste Texture” at Bookshop.org
Publisher / Date: Avery Publishing Group, August 2023
Genre: Guidebook, Cookbook
Page Count: 208
Completion Date: October 10, 2024

“Someone You Can Build a Nest In” Review

Posted on October 10, 2024October 13, 2024 by Jen

“Someone You Can Build a Nest In” by John Wiswell

Shesheshen has made a mistake fatal to all monsters: she’s fallen in love.

Shesheshen is a shapeshifter, who happily resides as an amorphous lump at the bottom of a ruined manor. When her rest is interrupted by hunters intent on murdering her, she constructs a body from the remains of past meals: a metal chain for a backbone, borrowed bones for limbs, and a bear trap as an extra mouth.

However, the hunters chase Shesheshen out of her home and off a cliff. Badly hurt, she’s found and nursed back to health by Homily, a warm-hearted human, who has mistaken Shesheshen as a fellow human. Homily is kind and nurturing and would make an excellent co-parent: an ideal place to lay Shesheshen’s eggs so their young could devour Homily from the inside out. But as they grow close, she realizes humans don’t think about love that way.

Shesheshen hates keeping her identity secret from Homily, but just as she’s about to confess, Homily reveals why she’s in the area: she’s hunting a shapeshifting monster that supposedly cursed her family. Has Shesheshen seen it anywhere?

Eating her girlfriend isn’t an option. Shesheshen didn’t curse anyone, but to give herself and Homily a chance at happiness, she has to figure out why Homily’s twisted family thinks she did. As the hunt for the monster becomes increasingly deadly, Shesheshen must unearth the truth quickly, or soon both of their lives will be at risk.

And the bigger challenge remains: surviving her toxic in-laws long enough to learn to build a life with, rather than in, the love of her life.

Review

I read this one for one of my book clubs. It’s described as a queer romance but the “romance” aspect isn’t what many would usually call romance given that Shesheshen is technically a monster and wants to find someone to lay their eggs in… In any case I ended up enjoying it more than I was expecting too. Shesheshen and Homily are great characters. Homily’s family is a lot but it all works out well in the end for everyone. Part of what helps is that Shesheshen isn’t fully knowledgeable about what it means to be what she is. She had no one around to teach her anything so was essentially making it up as she went along. Shesheshen also has a lot of opinions about humans from having observed them for so long and actually seems to understand them better than she understands herself. Homily desperately needs to escape her terrible family but needs to work through a lot stuff first as well.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “Someone You Can Build a Nest In”.

Book Details

Book cover is almost entirely red and black with a person standing near the bottom center holing a lantern. They are surrounded by red tentacles directly behind them and then above them stands a black grinning figure with more tentacles and a long black wig and witch's hat There are multiple other shapes around the cover books and hearts and spices and skulls.

Author’s Website: John Wiswell
Publisher / Date: DAW, April 2024
Genre: Fantasy, Horror
Page Count: 304
Completion Date: October 10, 2024

“The Abbess Rebellion” Review

Posted on October 9, 2024October 9, 2024 by Jen

“The Abbess Rebellion” by Oren Ashkenazi

Twenty-three years ago, Sophie betrayed her family to save her people. She failed.

Once second in line for the imperial throne, Sophie led a rebellion that was crushed by her own grandmother. In the years since her defeat, she has lived in exile at a remote abbey. But her quiet life is interrupted by startling the throne sits empty.

This is no cause to celebrate, for enemies gather to seize her family’s power.

On one side, an ambitious general seeks the imperial purple for himself. If he takes the throne, citizens will become serfs and slaves in their own land. On the other side, the empire’s northern enemies smell weakness and mass their armies to invade. If left unchecked, they will burn their way south and wipe Sophie’s home out of existence.

Against these enemies, Sophie has only the stalwart acolytes of her abbey, a few comrades from her failed uprising, and one dogmatic but loyal senator. From the northern frontier to the imperial capital, Sophie must outwit her political foes and face her enemies in battle. If she fails a second time, the empire will fall.

Written by Mythcreants editor Oren Ashkenazi, this second-world fantasy novel is inspired by Byzantine history and the radical idea that the rich should pay their taxes.

Review

I really enjoyed the book! The characters were great and I liked the way the different groups formed and interacted. I thought it worked well that there were multiple conflicts that had to be resolved before Sophie could take the throne. I can’t decide if the one plot twist was to be expected or not but I liked how it was resolved. The ending did feel a little abrupt but it also works for the story since it’s about Sophie’s rebellion more than anything else. Still I kind of wanted to know more and there were few unanswered questions that even Sophie brought up at the end of the book. I’m hopeful for a sequel someday!

Warnings and additional reviews are available at the author’s website for the book, listed below.

Book Details

Book cover for Abbess Rebellion showing the main character Sophie on horseback with the city burning behind her. The book title is at the top and the author's name at the bottom.

Author’s Website: Oren Ashkenazi
Publisher / Date: Mythcreants, March 2024
Genre: Fantasy
Page Count: 308
Completion Date: October 7, 2024