I give up on writing an intelligent, thoughtful review of this book. It has defeated me for almost two months, and I now take this opportunity to concede. Perhaps eventually I will be able to write coherently and usefully about this series, but for now, I will say that she stuck the landing, she stuck it good, and I will most certainly be revisiting the series as a whole in the future. For now, I will say that I was happy with the ending because it […]
The Clockwork Dynasty
The Clockwork Dynasty alternates between two time lines. In the present day, June Stefanov is a highly specialized anthropologist studying clockwork marvels of the past. What others dismiss as mere toys, June seeks out and researches these amazing automatons that once were showcased in art galleries and the wonder rooms of the rich and powerful. Her life and her research are about to collide in a spectacularly violent way. While studying an automaton hidden away in a church, June learns of a secret group that […]
Avenge me, but more importantly, keep my comics safe
Sami Shah is a Pakistani-Australian comedian and writer. His two-volume series Fire Boy and Earth Boy, aka the Djinn-son Duology, is an immensely entertaining fantasy set in modern day Pakistan and featuring an unlikely hero. Wahid is a nerdy teen who enjoys comic books and playing Dungeons and Dragons with his buddies Hamza and Arif. He’s prepping for exams and maybe going to work up the courage to speak to his pretty classmate Maheen when all hell breaks loose, so to speak. The djinn have […]
An Earworm of an Anthology
When You’re Strange edited by Sarah Vestal and Danne Boyd (2017) – I’m not sure what’s going on with the cover, but the stories in this themed anthology dramatically bring out the differences and similarities in all of us. Whether you’re an Alice tasked with tracking escapees in the real world, a young collector of souls who foolishly believes wars will be over soon, a young water witch marrying a fire warlock, or a trio of friends trapped in a video game, this collection of […]
This book is fun as hell and should be read by one and all
“You haven’t really been anywhere until you’ve got back home.” Step right up, step right up. It’s the sequel to the color of magic. It’s the light fantastic! It’s got your terrible puns: “Rincewind, all the shops have been smashed open, there was a whole bunch of people across the street helping themselves to musical instruments, can you believe that?” “Yeah,” said Rincewind. “Luters, I expect.” It’s got your on the nose social commentary Not for the first time she reflected that there were many […]
In the Land of Memory the time is always Now.
“I think telling stories is like pushing something. Pushing against uncreation itself, maybe. And one day while you were doing that, you felt something pushing back.” I can’t believe I only have one book left in this series! It feels like I’ve been reading it forever, but also no time at all. (I read The Gunslinger last fall, and The Drawing of Three in December, which is when I really fell into Sai King’s world.) What it really feels like being inside this story, I […]