I got this book because it looked a bit steampunky, a genre I like and it seemed like “steampunks on Mars” or something. I sort of bought it based on the cover. So…the tale does start out on Mars, but with a standard “22nd century mining colony with semi-military oversight” trope firmly in place (what, no steam?) The occurrence of a mysterious “Mars quake” (as there is no tectonic activity on Mars, there should be no seismic activity) “shakes things up a bit” and […]
Exit, pursued by a wampa.
This second jaunt into Ian Doescher’s Shakespeare/Star Wars hybrid imaginary universe, entitled William Shakespeare’s The Empire Striketh Back, only solidifies my opinion that these adaptations are more than gags and novelties to be gifted to nerdy friends (although they can be used for that purpose as well). I purposely use the word ‘adaptation’ here because Doescher’s attention to detail and his thoughtful approach to both the story and to Shakespeare’s forms and techniques clearly illustrate that although the results for us as readers may be fun […]
A monster awakens
Eighteenth book reviewed as part of the 130 Challenge. There’s something regal and respectable about Lovecraftian horror. It is not gut-wrenching, disgustingly gory or even scary in the right sense of the word. It does not do what a horror story is expected to do. What it does, and exceedingly well, is to fill you with a feeling of dread and leave you uneasy as you try to comprehend the nature of beings that he has described in his story. Lovecraft doesn’t write about Earthly […]
You Filthy Cockaroaches
I have never met Yu Sasuga. I have never read an interview with Yu Sasuga. I do not presume any knowledge about Yu Sasuga. And so, I will not accuse Yu Sasuga of being a racist. In fact, it’s pretty difficult to levy a strong complaint against Terra Formars as being a racist work. I may be a little bit racist (maybe it’s a fact we all should face) in saying that there has, however, been a certain level of tone-deafness that arises in Japanese pop […]
This is not Zaphod’s ship, but it’s still pretty cool
This is one of those sci-fi/fantasy as social commentary stories that initially had me rolling my eyes (“Oh, racism is BAD? You don’t say!”), but won me over by the strength of its characters. There are three races on whatever planet is hosting the story. The indigo, who are (duh) blue, the gulden, who are gold, and the albinos. The indigo are a supremely matriarchal society – only females can inherit land, grandmothers arrange marriages for their granddaughters, and the men just marry who they’re […]
Space Rapunzel is a socially mal-adjusted hacker and I love her.
“When she was just a child, the witch locked her away in a tower that had neither doors nor stairs.” Guys, I can’t give out another five star rating this year. I just can’t. But I almost did with this anyway. It was THISCLOSE. I’m going with 4.5 stars for now, but I reserve the right to change my mind upon re-read. I just really really enjoyed myself while reading this, probably more than I should have. Cress, the third volume of The Lunar Chronicles, is […]
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