It’s been a while since the last reading log, and it’s an icky, sticky, wet and wild sort of day outside, so naturally my mind turns to tea and books. While I can’t really justify curling up to read (I have a translation to work on, deadline looming!), I can certainly spare a moment to at least think about reading. Which is very nearly almost the next best thing. Soooo…
Recent Reads: Odd places and alternate settings. And no magic, for once, or does prophecy count?
First up was Susan Boulton’s debut Oracle, a gaslight fantasy novel. Now, I hadn’t read any gaslight before, so this was an interesting ride. I was immediately smitten by Susan’s prose and her character Claire/Oracle. As Oracle, the character blurts out seemingly random snippets of prophecy at deliciously inappropriate moments, and as Claire she struggles to reclaim her past and come to grips with her two sides.
Oracle centers around prophecy, but not the well-ordered prophecy we often see in fantasy. Instead, the messages are disjointed, confusing, often appearing absolutely useless and bizarre. I found myself thinking, over and over, this is what prophecy should look like. Something strange and alien that makes no immediate sense, not even to the one who spouts it.
The plot had lots of twists and turns and a really neat setting. I’ll certainly be keeping an eye open for future novels by the author.
Another great book I read recently was Elizabeth Fama’s Plus One. I was already acquainted with Elizabeth’s work through her nicely spooky mermaid story Monstrous Beauty, so I was looking forward to reading this one. I’m just sorry it took me so long to get around to it!
Plus One is set within an alternate history where, after the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, the USA was divided between night dwellers (called Smudges) and day dwellers (Rays). The setting is fabulous, and this fast-paced thriller is also a beautiful love story.
Main character Soleil Le Coeur is feisty and driven, and the flashbacks woven into the plot do a great job of coloring in her character. It was a quick read (mostly because I couldn’t put it down!) and it’s a pretty accessible YA novel; my preteen is currently devouring it, entranced.
If you want a taste of the worldbuilding, you can read the prequel short story Noma Girl on Tor.com.
Now Reading: I finally got around to Brian Staveley’s The Providence of Fire, which I mentioned in my last book log. Life and all that jazz means that lately my reading has been patchy at best, and all mixed up and back to front. However, I’m really glad that I’m finally reading the sequel to The Emperor’s Blades.
So far, so good; Brian does a great job of easing readers back into his world and reintroducing characters and settings without spelling things out too much. I really like the direction that Adare’s arc is taking her, and I’d missed reading about Valyn’s Kettral wing (there is nothing more awesome than giant battle birds!), although I think Kaden is still my favorite character. Still waters.
I think the beauty of Brian’s work lies in his characters. Yes, his worldbuilding is lovely and highly detailed. But it’s through the three very different siblings – different in personality as well as made different by the hands life has dealt them – that he leads us along the crisscrossing paths of his plot. And this threefold story strand works very nicely indeed.
To Read: Too many words, not enough hours of the day…
My current book pile is getting a little ridiculous. I’m not even talking about the to-read list I keep on my phone. I’m talking about actual physical books sitting on my coffee table. Or in my kindle.
First on the list is Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice, which I’ve heard so much about. Ann gets first dibs on the reading front because this one’s a library book so reasons.
(An aside: much as I’d love to support every single author out there by buying their books, I just can’t afford to. I do buy a lot, more than I should, really. But I’m lucky to have a great library system I can dip into at the same time.)
Anyway, once I’m done with that, next on my list is Peter V. Brett’s The Skull Throne. I read all of his Demon Cycle books pretty much as soon as they came out, so I almost can’t believe I haven’t so much as peeked in this one yet! But that’s okay; I shall continue to savor the anticipation as I stare at the great cover with Renna on it. I like Renna, and I’m so glad she gets a little more of the spotlight this time.
Third on my list (told you it was a pile!) is Max Gladstone’s Three Parts Dead, which I picked up at Boskone in February and haven’t had a chance to even open yet. His world sounds really interesting and this looks like one I’m going to enjoy.
Last up (and cheating, really, because it’s a three-fer) is Veronica Roth‘s Divergent trilogy. My daughter (the same ten-year-old who’s reading Plus One) read the novels and loved them so much she wants to share them with me. Which is pretty darn cool. So I promised her I’d read them so we can talk about the books. Kind of like a mother-daughter book club.
My kid rocks.
Juliana Spink Mills 