Fiction Book Reviews – Made of Stardust and Stubbornness

“Power to Yield” Review

Posted on December 15, 2024December 15, 2024 by Jen

“Power to Yield and Other Stories” by Bogi Takács

Power to Yield is a collection of speculative tales exploring gender identity, neurodivergence, and religion from author Bogi Takács, who deftly blends sci-fi, fantasy, and weird fiction.

An AI child discovers Jewish mysticism. A student can give no more blood to their semi-sentient apartment and plans their escape. A candidate is rigorously evaluated for their ability to be a liaison to alien newcomers. A young magician gains perspective from her time as a plant. A neurodivergent woman tries to survive on a planetoid where thoughts shape reality . . .

These are stories about the depth and breadth of the human condition—and beyond—identifying future possibilities of conflict and cooperation, identity and community.

Review

All of the stories in the collection are interesting and I enjoyed reading them a lot. There are multiple concepts explored in each of the stories with a lot of focus on communication and conflict resolution. I really liked the blending of themes (gender identity, neurodivergence, and religion) in the stories and how things fit together in different ways.

I do think it’s important for readers to read the Forward, written by Ada Hoffmann, for additional context about the stories and the author. There are also additional notes from the author about each story at the end.

“FOUR-POINT AFFECTIVE CALIBRATION” – This one is interesting because the narrator is teaching aliens about human emotions through a machine learning system, but they are multiply marginalized. As a result the narrator is concerned about assumptions others have made and will make about them. A the same time though it’s clear the narrator has a good handle on their own thoughts and emotions as they process everything and would just like to meet the aliens.

“AN ERRANT HOLLY SPARK” – The framing device for this story is that the narrator, an AI child, has been kidnapped and is talking to their kidnapper. However it goes much deeper than that as we learn how the narrator was “created” by their mother and all that it means. There’s a lot of Jewish concepts in this story as well. It makes for an interesting story about what it means to be a person. The ending has a good twist because of how things played out with the things the child learned as they grew.

“AND I ENTREATED” – In this story a Jewish woman was transformed into a houseplant for a spy mission but there is a delay in returning her to human form. A translator is provided but there are a lot of complicating factors involved. There’s actually a lot of different things going on in this story but mostly it’s about failure to communicate (even when you should be able to) and figuring out how to fit gender stuff in Jewish tradition.

“FOLDED INTO TENDRIL AND LEAF” – There are two mage students in love, while one is away at war the other is turned into a plant as punishment. Unfortunately their teacher is captured and the first student returns unaware of what has happened. Interesting story told from each student’s point of view.

“THE THIRD EXTENSION” – This one is very short and from the point of view of sapient plants. A story about living on the outskirts of society and trying to blend in and not be noticed. I liked it but would liked to have seen things explored in more depth (but it works as it is).

“ON GOOD FRIDAY THE RAVEN WASHES ITS YOUNG” – An interesting story about someone who is a intersex newcomer, to another colony and ends up finding kinship in an unexpected place. I’m not entirely certain about the ending but I did like the ideas in it.

“VOLATILE PATTERNS” – a group of people try to use magical designs in their clothing not realizing the meaning of the designs. It goes about as well as you’d expect… Good story with interesting concepts. There’s some language barriers involved and things get a little chaotic. I liked how it played out though.

“THE LADYBUG, IN FLIGHT” – a member of a space hive mind speaks with the only survivor of a spaceship disaster. Since it’s entirely from the hive minds point of view they don’t entirely understand what has happened or what it means for the other people that were on the ship. Interesting read though about the hive mind appreciating the contact they have with the survivor and are helping the individual get home.

“THE 1ST INTERSPECIES SOLIDARITY FAIR AND PARADE” – in a post-apocalyptic world where Earth has been invaded by two different alien species and the visited by a third. Trying to get different groups of people to participate in a collaborative proves to be as complicated as it always is even without the need to trust this third set of aliens. Good ending for this one. This story is also a sequel to “Given Sufficient Desperation” which appeared in “Defying Doomsday”.

“A TECHNICAL TERM, LIKE PRIVILEGE” – A person is living in a a blood-sucking sentient housebeast and is struggling provide the needed offerings. Trying to get help from others proves impossible because of perceived privilege. Interesting concepts and I liked how it worked out.

“POWER TO YIELD” – This one is a novella-length story about an individual’s research project turning into a life-long vocation. There’s a few ways to interpret this one because of who the characters are but it makes for an interesting and complex story that speaks to what it means to be able to make your own choices even if others think you shouldn’t. I really enjoyed this one and thought it was a good story to end the collection with.

The author has included warnings for each of the stories at the end of the book. Additional reviews can also be found at the StoryGraph page for “Power to Yield”

Book Details

Author’s Website: Bogi Takács
Publisher / Date: Broken Eye Books, November 2023
Page Coumt: 190 pages
Genre: Science Fiction, Short Stories
Completion Date: December 15, 2024

“Defying Doomsday” Review

Posted on December 15, 2024December 15, 2024 by Jen

“Defying Doomsday” edited by Tsana Dolichva and Holly Kench

Teens form an all-girl band in the face of an impending comet. A woman faces giant spiders to collect silk and protect her family. New friends take their radio show on the road in search of plague survivors. A man seeks love in a fading world. How would you survive the apocalypse?

Defying Doomsday is an anthology of apocalypse fiction featuring disabled and chronically ill protagonists, proving it’s not always the “fittest” who survive – it’s the most tenacious, stubborn, enduring and innovative characters who have the best chance of adapting when everything is lost.

Review

This is a great collection of stories! There aren’t a lot of people with disabilities in most post-apocalyptic stories and when there are they’re often the first to be killed off. Usually because the plot acts as if they can’t possibly cope with the world or will be a burden to others in the group. This collection of stories shows how disabled people can both survive and thrive different scenarios. While there are a few stories where the disabilities have more impact on how things go in general the disabilities are just part of the characters life which I liked.

“And the Rest of Us Wait” by Corinne Duyvis – while staying in a shelter waiting out the results of an impending comet a young woman decides to create a band. This story does a good job of showing what people can be like in a disaster for good and bad. Tensions can increase when it seems as though people are getting different treatment even when it’s made clear that the different treatment is because of disability or illness (upset over different food when one person needs an alternative to what everyone else is getting). Frustrating but true to reality I like the defiance of the main character in this story to just exist as they are.

“To Take Into the Air My Quiet Breath” by Stephanie Gunn – Three siblings struggle to survive with needed medical supplies running out. This one is a bit strange in motivation of the main character. They’re all young of course and making choices adults might not have. I did like it but I wish there was more of an ending for this one. As it stands it feels more like the first chapter of a longer book rather than a short story.

“Something in the Rain” by Seanan McGuire – Something in the rain has killed people and a lone survivor does their best to live. This one gets little dark when another survivor comes along but when that person ends up being a bully and continues to be so I can’t really blame the main character for making the choices they do. Sometimes you really do just want to be left alone in the world.

“Did We Break the End of the World?” by Tansy Rayner Roberts – teens scavenging the best they can and figuring out how to make things work after a pulse shuts down everything. A bit of a strange story as turns out things are more complicated than they seem. Interesting story though. I did wish one plot point hadn’t happened but it made sense given the full context of their reality.

“In the Sky with Diamonds” by Elinor Caiman Sands – a young woman is trying to survive an alien attack and make sure her sister’s ship escapes when a discovery is made about the truth of their attack. This one gets interesting towards the end as thins are figured out. I liked the way the situation was resolved.

“Two Somebodies Go Hunting” by Rivqa Rafael – Two young siblings go out to find food and figure themselves out at the same time. This one is fun, I liked the way it played out with the siblings actually coming to understand each other better but not entirely in the way you’d expect. The ending is really nice.

“Given Sufficient Desperation” by Bogi Takács – aliens are keeping humans in a camp where they are made to describe various objects. This one is a bit strange but enjoyed reading it. It’s not entirely clear what the aliens are trying to do but some assumptions can be made based on the way they react in the end. I liked the idea that it’s resolved because people don’t always follow the rules of behavior.

“Selected Afterimages of the Fading” by John Chu – life in a fading world where if you don’t pay enough attention to object they disappear. It’s further complicated by the main characters perceptions of reality due to illness. It took a bit to figure this one out but it was interesting because of how the main character’s disability seemed to make things more AND less complicated with what is going in the world.

“Five Thousand Squares” by Maree Kimberley – Two families deal with a disaster. I enjoyed this one a lot. There’s some deeper elements involve between the two mothers of the family with their different worldviews but it’s an interesting story.

“Portobello Blind” by Octavia Cade – a young woman is left alone on a island where her father’s research lab was located. I really enjoyed how this one goes. The main character needs to figure out how to survive alone without anyone to help.

“Tea Party” by Lauren E Mitchell – a group from a mental health ward survive the apocalypse together. I really liked the way this one plays out with the main character going to see if they can find more supplies and the way the characters interact on their return. A good found family grouping – and I like how things are being handled too with everyone’s needs being accommodated.

“Giant” by Thoraiya Dyer – a teenager has been left behind on a space station after everyone dies during an alien invasion. The story is more complicated than it seems and I liked the way it played out. The ending is a bit abrupt but I liked the concepts in it.

“Spider-Silk, Strong as Steel” by Samantha Rich – large spiders have taken over the world and one person is able to hunt for spider silk. Good story with a lot of interesting things about it.

“No Shit” by K L Evangelista – Two survivors of a plague find each other and start traveling… Sort of a humorous take a the concept as thing are exaggerated a bit and there’s more silliness thank you’d expect. It’s a fun read though and the ending is great.

“I Will Remember You” by Janet Edwards – an alien invasion story where people are being killed off each day. Interesting story and I liked how it played out.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “Defying Doomsday”

Book Details

The cover of Defying Doomsday shows a young person standing facing the distance where a light is shinning down from the sky to the ground where three figures are walking towards it. It would appear to be two adults and a child. The sky is overcast and dark blue and the ground links like dried cracked mud. The title is at the top left and the editors names are at the bottom.

Publisher / Date / Website: Twelfth Planet Press, May 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction
Page Count: 325
Completion Date: December 14, 2024

“Countess” Review

Posted on December 7, 2024December 7, 2024 by Jen

“Countess” by Suzan Palumbo

A queer, Caribbean, anti-colonial sci-fi novella in which a betrayed captain seeks revenge on the interplanetary empire that subjugated her people for generations.

Virika Sameroo lives in colonized space under the Æcerbot Empire, much like her ancestors before her in the British West Indies. After years of working hard to rise through the ranks of the empire’s merchant marine, she’s finally become first lieutenant on an interstellar cargo vessel.

When her captain dies under suspicious circumstances, Virika is arrested for murder and charged with treason despite her lifelong loyalty to the empire. Her conviction and subsequent imprisonment set her on a path of revenge, determined to take down the evil empire that wronged her, all while the fate of her people hangs in the balance.

Review

I enjoyed this a lot. It does have a slow start that is a little frustrating but it’s worth it once the story picks up speed. Despite being rather short there is a lot going on in the story and with a lot of details and world building. The characters are great too and I really liked how the story flowed and progressed to the ending. The ending makes sense for the larger concepts within the books. The fight for freedom is always an ongoing struggle no matter what happens.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “Countess”

Book Details

The cover for Countess is in shades of purple with black highlights and depict a woman sanding in a desert with a moon behind her. She's wearing a vest tunic with a long cape flowing around her. Her hair is long and partially covering her face which is half in shadow as well. The title is at the top and the author's name is at the bottom

Author’s Website: Suzan Palumbo
Publisher / Date: ECW Press, September 2024
Genre: Science Fiction
Page Count: 163
Completion Date: December 7, 2024

“Friends For Robots” Review

Posted on December 4, 2024December 4, 2024 by Jen

“Friends For Robots: Short Stories” by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor

In this upbeat, positive collection of SFF short stories from Merc Fenn Wolfmoor, author of So You Want to Be A Robot, you’ll find hope, humor, friendship—and of course, robots.

You’ll meet entrepreneurial barbarians, an astronaut making first contact, a boy who might have (accidentally) started Armageddon, magical birds, a bot who wants to tell jokes, and more. Whether you’re a robot or not, come make some new friends.

Review

A great collection of short stories by the author. I enjoyed reading all of them but liked some more than others. I did notice that a few of the stories didn’t actually have robots in them but do still fit the friendship theme. Not really a big deal but the first story I came to without robots threw me off a bit. I also liked how LGBTQIA+ and autistic and/or disabled characters were included in several stories.

THIS COLD RED DUST: Mars has been evacuated and a few people stayed behind. One of those individuals has found an old robotic toy fox and listens to the last several logs of the child who owned it. I liked the hints we get of the reasons why Mars was evacuated even as we learn more about the child who had the toy. It seems some people chose to stay behind but are left with very little to survive with. The ending suggests there’s hope but I did want to know more.

IT ME, UR SMOL: A neural network takes on a life of it’s own when it realizes humans aren’t drinking enough water. This one is really funny in the way the bot keeps trying to get people to drink water as its creators try to take control back of the wayward bot. The implication that this neural network is slowly influencing other AIs is interesting as well.

BEHOLD THE DEEP NEVER SEEN: An AI is sent to the deepest part of the ocean to find out if a deep sea chasm in the sea floor has damaged a mining rig. There it discovers the true source of the damage. This one is great, I loved the ending the choices the AI unit makes. The descriptions of what the AI found were cool.

HOUSEBOT AFTER THE UPRISING: There’s been an uprising among the AIs but one HouseBot doesn’t want to participate until they understand a joke that was made by their user. This one was interesting and I enjoyed how everything worked out.

BRING THE BONES THAT SING: Bird bones are being left on Muriel’s grandmother’s porch. One night Muriel discovers the truth about the bones and her grandmother and goes on an adventure. This one is cool and I really liked how it played out. Muriel is most likely autistic and I liked the way that was used in the story as well.

LONELY ROBOT ON A ROCKET SHIP IN SPACE: A young teen comes out to his parents but in this case he wants to transition to being a robot. It an interesting concept. I have mixed feeling about it though based on other implications in the story (not to a detrimental degree though). However it works well as a coming out story and parents reacting and ultimately being supportive so I like it for that. I liked the way the character was written and how they expressed themselves.

YET SO VAIN IS MAN: Something is found on Mars … and things go badly for everyone. Told in a collection of messages from a research scientist on Mars to another researcher on Earth. This one is pretty short and I really wanted to know more about what happened but it works well as it is. A lot of different ideas of what might happen next.

THE MACHINE IS EXPERIENCING UNCERTAINTY: A cyborg is trapped in a time loop with a useless captain and the ship’s AI. There is an anomaly that seemingly is the cause of the time loop. I really enjoyed this one! It’s a bit dark as the cyborg has been treated badly by the captain so it makes certain choices because of that. I liked how it all worked out for the cyborg and the anomaly.

THE LOINCLOTH AND THE BRADSWORD: A barbarian enters an establishment mistaking it for the local tavern. The owner handles their new costumer well. This was a good story – I liked the way the store owner actually ended up helping their customer out with more than one issue.

HEXPOCOLYPSE: A teen accidentally stars Armageddon. I think this was the longest one in the collection and the length did impact my enjoyment of it. It kind of felt like it rambled on for a bit longer than it needed to. The ending was good though.

STEADYBOI AFTER THE APOCALYPSE: A self-aware mech wanders a wasteland long after a war has ended wishing to not be seen as a weapon any longer. This one was great! I really liked the way it played out with the robot seeing a new purpose and eventually finding one.

THE FREQUENCY OF COMPASSION: A first contact story. This was a great story and a wonderful way to end the collection. I’m glad it was the last story as it’s definitly my favorite.

The author has included their own warnings for each story at the end of the book. Additional reviews can be found on the StoryGraph page for “Friends For Robots”

Book Details

The cover for Friends for Robots is taken up by a large robot facing backwards from view. The robot appears to be standing on a road way with buildings in front of it. At the robot's feet is a small red fox. The title is in the middle of the cover and the authors name at the bottom.

Author’s Website: Merc Fenn Wolfmoor
Publisher / Date: Robot Dinosaur Press, December 2021
Genre: Science Fiction
Page Count: 183
Completion Date: December 4, 2024

“And the Mighty Will Fall” Review

Posted on November 22, 2024 by Jen

“And the Mighty Will Fall” (NeoG No. 4) by K.B. Wagers

The mission of the Near-Earth Orbital Guard is to ensure the peace and security of the solar system. Commander Maxine Carmichael and Lieutenant Commander Saqib Vahid are at the Mars Orbital Station (MOS) to help facilitate the official handover from NeoG to Mars civilian control as part of the ongoing negotiations. Members of the extreme wings of the fight for Martian independence refuse to remain silent, and are willing to resort to violence to make their voices heard; Max and Saqib find themselves fighting for their lives. The attacks both on the MOS and the ground of Mars sets off a chain reaction that could destabilize the last few years of cautious peace.

The leader of Free Mars, Sylvia Moroz, knows better than anyone how fragile harmony is, having seen for decades the Coalition of Human Nations’ inability to negotiate for peace. Without any assurances—and knowing her splintered people all too well—anything less than complete liberation will only lead to more bloodshed. She’s not opposed to fighting, but when there’s an attempt on her life, she finds she must look for help from the NeoG and Commander D’Arcy Montaglione. The pair will have to overcome their past to figure out who they can trust and how to stop the attacks on the ground before more lives are lost.

Trapped inside the station, Carmichael and Vahid are scrambling to not only get to the bottom of the attackers’ motives, but also to simply survive. Because with the rest of the Zuma’s Ghost crew stuck down on Mars, it’s up to them to do what they can to keep the MOS from fully falling into the wrong hands… and keep Mars from descending into all-out war.

Review

I really had fun reading this one. It was an exciting read all the way through. There was a lot going on and sometimes it was hard to keep track but it worked well enough. I liked the way the author wrote Maxine being able to handle a lot of things and get through everything and do what needed to be done. I also liked the way the ending of the book actually deals with the fallout of everything Maxine had to do to survive. I also liked that everyone on the ground was working together to figure out what was going on and help Maxine. I felt like everyone was well written and I liked the way everyone interacted. There were a few interesting twists and turns in the book that kept things exciting.

While this is the fourth book in the NeoG series it’s mostly a standalone so I went ahead and read it before reading the other two books. While, I do think it helps to have at least read the first book in the series, I don’t think it’s a strict requirement. How well it works for someone as a standalone novel is going to depend on how easily one can stand being dropped into a story without everything being explained. It’s like reading one of the Star Trek tie in novels without having seen the show. Naturally there were a couple obviously important details that would have made more sense having read the other books, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the story. If anything it made me want to read the other two books sooner rather than later.

Book Details

Author’s Website: K.B. Wagers
Publisher / Date: Harper Voyager, November 2024
Genre: Science Fiction
Page Count: 464
Completion Date: November 21, 2024

“Thistlefoot” Review

Posted on November 17, 2024November 17, 2024 by Jen

“Thistlefoot” by GennaRose Nethercott

The Yaga siblings—Bellatine, a young woodworker, and Isaac, a wayfaring street performer and con artist—have been estranged since childhood, separated both by resentment and by wide miles of American highway. But when they learn that they are to receive an inheritance, the siblings agree to meet—only to discover that their bequest isn’t land or money, but something far stranger: a sentient house on chicken legs.

Thistlefoot, as the house is called, has arrived from the Yagas’ ancestral home outside Kyiv—but not alone. A sinister figure known only as the Longshadow Man has tracked it to American shores, bearing with him violent secrets from the past: fiery memories that have hidden in Isaac and Bellatine’s blood for generations. As the Yaga siblings embark with Thistlefoot on a final cross-country tour of their family’s traveling theater show, the Longshadow Man follows in relentless pursuit, seeding destruction in his wake. Ultimately, time, magic, and legacy must collide—erupting in a powerful conflagration to determine who gets to remember the past and craft a new future.

An enchanted adventure illuminated by Jewish myth and adorned with lyrical prose as tantalizing and sweet as briar berries, Thistlefoot is a sweeping epic rich in Eastern European folklore: a powerful and poignant exploration of healing from multi-generational trauma told by a bold new talent.

Review

This was a great story. It starts off a bit slow and the personalities of the characters can be a little annoying for opposite reasons but it makes sense for the story and how they’re dealing with everything. There’s a lot of history involved and not just their own personal history but the family history. I like the way the Yaga siblings are basically opposites with how they handle the world, one always running one always needing to be in control. In the end though both are needed to defeat their enemy. Each sibling has their own gifts and both end up being important. I really like the way final confrontation plays out and the way the book ends – which is also a beginning.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “Thistlefoot”

Book Details

Author’s Website: GennaRose Nethercott
Publisher / Date: Anchor, September 2022
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Horror
Page Count: 435
Completion Date: November 17, 2024