Reviews and Comments

Thadd Selden

thadd@bookrastinating.com

Joined 1 year, 4 months ago

Maker, sailor, appreciator of the natural world. I live in Sacramento, CA with my wife, daughter, and house full of pets.


He/Him

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David Wong, Jason Pargin: If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe (2022, St. Martin's Press) 5 stars

If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe is the last (latest?) book in the John Dies at the End universe by Jason Pargin (earlier titles published under the pseudonym David Wong). I've enjoyed all four books and hope that there will be more. The books are all weird and funny and somewhat philosophical but more in the stoner philosophy than the heavier and more important stuff. If you make it through the first few chapters of any of these books and find them engaging then you'll probably like the whole series.

Since I haven't talked about previous books as I read them this comment is covering the whole series but the books are so much alike in both themes and style that my feelings apply to them all.

The books are primarily from the point of view of David Wong, a bit of a loser who through chance …

Cory Doctorow: The Lost Cause (TOR) No rating

It’s thirty years from now. We’re making progress, mitigating climate change, slowly but surely. But …

I really enjoyed @pluralistic@mamot.fr‘s latest #solarpunk book, The Lost Cause. I think one of the things Doctorow does well is to imagine a near future that is entirely plausible and doesn’t rely on new magical technology. This book, set a generation into the future, feels like a very plausible path from here to there and that makes it much more engaging than some similar works.

Like his other near-future novels that I’ve read, Doctorow is realistic about political changes and simply extrapolates out the trends that we’re currently seeing. In his vision of the next generation facing the climate emergency there are still hyper-capitalists trying to “fix” everything by sticking their heads in the sand and assuming technology will save us, arch conservatives who want to undo all the progress and close the doors to their increasingly fragile sanctuaries, idealistic progressives going to the front lines to apply real …

Ken Follett: Armor of Light (2023, Penguin Publishing Group, Viking) No rating

I had to return Armor of Light since it’s a new book and I couldn’t renew it. Also, it’s 750 pages and I only have so much time to read. I’m a little more than half-way through but enjoying it so far. Maybe not as much as other Pillars of the Earth books but I’ll wait to finish it for a full review.

A. J. Hackwith: God of Lost Words (2022, Titan Books Limited) No rating

The God of Lost Words was the final installment in A.J. Hackwith's Hell's Library trilogy. I loved the first book and much of what I liked in the first carried through to the rest of the series. Even though I continued enjoying the overall story, I found myself getting a little tired by the end. There was a lot of purple prose and parts of it felt somewhat preachy and self-important. I thought that those elements were more balanced in the first book but the second and third began to feel like a soapbox extolling the value of stories and libraries where the case was being made by cramming the text full of deep and profound statements in almost every paragraph.

It's somewhat ironic that in an attempt to speak to the importance of stories, these books stopped focusing on the story and instead spent so much effort on the …

Susan Kaye Quinn: Yet You Cry When It Hurts (Paperback) No rating

I just finished reading the last book of @susankayequinn@wandering.shop's solarpunk/hopepunk Nothing is Promised series. I posted a brief review after the first book in the series, but you have to read all four books to get the full arc as the story doesn't resolve between installments. (Aside: I think the divisions of the books make sense, especially since they tend to follow different POV characters in each as the plot plays out, but the books resolve more like chapters of a larger book and don't stand alone. Think LOTR, not Harry Potter. You're taking a breather from the action, not tying things up while setting up a sequel).

Anyway, on with the review. The stories were all very engaging. I found myself eager to keep reading and very eager to pick up the next volume. Quinn did a really good job of drawing you into the POV characters' back …

A.J. Hackwith: The Library of the Unwritten (Paperback, 2019, Ace) 4 stars

I really enjoyed The Library of the Unwritten. It was both exciting and action-packed but really deep and emotional at the same time. I found I couldn’t put the book down and times and found myself in tears at other times. I also really appreciated that despite setting up a sequel really well, it didn’t leave things unfinished or on a cliffhanger.

The story is very reminiscent of Neil Gaiman’s work like American Gods and I actually found it a little challenging to be reading this at the same time we were watching Season 2 of Good Omens on TV given that there were even some common characters between the two. That said, the fantasy elements set the foundation of the story but it’s all very grounded and approachable.

I highly recommend The Library of the Unwritten and will be seeking out more of A.J. Hackwith’s books.

Susan Kaye Quinn: When You Had Power (EBook, Twisted Space LLC) No rating

For better, for worse. In sickness and in health. It’s a legal vow of care …

When You Had Power was just the first book in @susankayequinn@wandering.shop ‘s series Nothing is Promised and the novels are clearly meant to be read together so I can’t really comment on the story as a whole but only first impressions. With that said, I enjoyed what I’ve read so far. The world Quinn describes is intriguing and I’m excited to learn more about it in coming books.

I also enjoyed the characters even though I don’t feel like I know any of them very well yet. The book is short and leaves you wanting to get to know the people better and I’m looking forward to going a little deeper in the rest of the series. What you do see, however, is some interesting insight into the effects of multiple pandemics and displacement and what that does to a person’s sense of home and family. It’s only lightly explored …

Sylvain Neuvel: For the First Time, Again (2023, Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom) 3 stars

"For the First Time, Again" was the final book in the "Take Them to the Stars" trilogy. Overall I quite enjoyed the series and would recommend it. It's not sci-fi in the traditional sense, but uses it to tell an interesting story.

I think the setting and world-building is a little better than they actual story, but it's definitely engaging. While the ending wasn't what I would describe as fulfilling, it still felt appropriate for the story and characters. In a lot of ways, I think this whole series might have felt better and more cohesive as a single book without attempting the theatrical act structure.

All of that said, these books were easy to read and certainly kept my interest. I'd recommend them if you're looking for something new but also somehow familiar.

Sylvain Neuvel: Until the Last of Me (2022, Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom) No rating

Like I often do, I'm withholding a review of Until the Last of Me for when I can finish the next book. I will say that I found the end of this book very unsatisfying and wish that Neuvel had done more to tie things up or at least leave a cliffhanger. Where it stands now, this book feels unfinished; like he wanted to keep writing, but realized he needed to split to a third book so he threw an "ending" chapter in to set up the next one.

I'm hopeful he sticks the landing, but we'll see.

Octavia E. Butler: Wild Seed (Hardcover, 1980, Doubleday Books) 4 stars

Doro is an entity who changes bodies like clothes, killing his hosts by reflex — …

I have to pause on this one a little way through it because my library loan expired and since someone had a hold I couldn’t renew. They don’t have any more copies available so I’ll catch up and finish it as soon as I can get a copy.

Octavia E. Butler: Parable of the Talents (Paperback, 2019, Grand Central Publishing) 5 stars

Environmental devastation and economic chaos have turned America into a land of depravity. Taking advantage …

I think it makes sense to review Parable of the Talents along side Parable of the Sower, especially since Butler says she originally intended them as a single book.

That said, I really enjoyed these. I really think that women authors are far better equipped to write certain genres and topics. One of those is the horrors of life in a dystopian world. The key thing is that they seem better equipped to discuss the trauma and emotional impact of violence without fetishizing it. It makes everything flow better and focuses on the right things.

These books were very engaging and I found myself quickly engrossed. The journal style was reminiscent of The Martian and it makes me wonder if there’s something about that format that I’m drawn to. My only complaint with it is that I often found myself flipping back to find out how much time had passed …

Emily St. John Mandel: Station Eleven (2014, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group) 4 stars

One snowy night Arthur Leander, a famous actor, has a heart attack onstage during a …

I really enjoyed Station Eleven. It told a post-apocalyptic tale without relying on the shock value or gore you so often see in the genre. I loved the way it wove in the stories of the characters leading up to the pandemic that ended civilization. I appreciated the hope and optimism that carries the survivors through.

Strongly recommend this one.

Joseph Heller: Catch-22 (1971, French) 4 stars

Catch-22 is like no other novel. It has its own rationale, its own extraordinary character. …

I may revisit at some point but I'm finding it too absurdist for me for now. It just doesn't catch my interest. This is one that I may pick up again when I want to sit for dedicated blocks of reading time rather than just my usual casual pick up a book during downtime.

finished reading A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L'Engle

Madeleine L'Engle: A WRINKLE IN TIME (Paperback, 1999, Yearling) 4 stars

A Wrinkle in Time is a science fiction fantasy novel by American writer Madeleine L'Engle, …

Content warning Spoilers for A Wrinkle In Time