Oooh, one last post I need to make before the year ends! Thanks you so much for you chosen book, KatSings! I missed voting for the Hugo awards the year. This went up, so I’m completely missed it. Now I have the opportunity to tackle it in the new year!
Ignore the Marketing on This One—This Is a Different Kind of Dragon-Novel
The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons
Jenn Lyons is back on the dragons again, it would seem. Is she also back with her complexity addiction? Let’s find out! Despite already having a fantasy series tied to dragons, this new book has no link back to that story whatsoever. This is its own new thing; a new kind of story with a new set of dragons. And just what kind of story is The Sky on Fire? Rather than a sprawling fantasy epic, this time we’re dealing with heist! We are also dealing […]
You’ll Be Examining More Than Just the Chicken and the Egg Here
From Darwin to Derrida: Selfish Genes, Social Selves and the Meanings of Life by David Haig
David Haig’s From Darwin to Derrida: Selfish Genes, Social Selves and the Meanings of Life is probably not one of the most accessible books that I could close the year on—which is why I decided to make it my second last and not the last review of the year. David Haig is an Australian biologist and current George Putnam Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. I first came across his work when reading up about genomic imprinting and maternal-fetal conflict. (These subjects are […]
“I am the servant of the sword,” he said. “I obey the will of the—great god, woman, put on some clothes!”
Swordheart by T Kingfisher
In my review of A Sorceress Comes to Call, I mentioned that T Kingfisher has a number of books that have slightly older women as protagonists. Halla in Swordheart might be a little younger than Hester in A Sorceress, but she’s not an ingenue. Halla is in her mid thirties and a widow. The passing of her husband has not freed her from the clutches of her in laws though. This is both a blessing and a curse in some ways; thanks to her basically […]
The Hindu-Buddhist Empire You’ve Never Heard Of.
Majapahit: Intrigue, Betrayal and War in Indonesia's Greatest Empire by Herald van der Linde
I mentioned this one in the best and worst books round up at the end of the year so now I feel obliged to post a review before we actually hit the end of the year. While it’s often said that history is written by the victors, I think reality is a little more complex than that. A great empire celebrated in one era may fade into obscurity in the next. Geopolitical shifts can suppress the stories of past triumphs, and without visible monuments or […]
Keep thinking that I’m just a silly old woman. It will make it easier for me to do whatever I’m going to do to stop you
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
I’m going to confess, I know I’m in for a good time if I pick up a fantasy novel and the protagonist is an older lady with a bit of life experience under the belt. Someone who’s seen some things. One of the very best examples of this is the main character from A Paladin of Souls (Although giving her name might spoil other books in the series), several protagonists in the Divine Cities series, and the of course, T. Kingfisher has made this a […]
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