#bookreview: DOSA Files: Tales from the SVR Universe | HL Burke

DOSA Files: Tales from the SVR Universe, Volume 1 by H.L. Burke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved it!

This is a compilation of 10 short stories written by 10 authors in H.L. Burke's supervillain rehabilitation universe. Which means that all these stories feature redemption in some form - whether it's a kid being provided guidance before (or while) they get too deep into trouble, or adults being given a second chance to do the right thing. Orrrr supervillains who "accidentally" do the right thing because at heart they're actually still good human beings deep inside.

There's quite a range of stories here, from sweet romances to slice-of-life, action to... something of a heist so there should be something for every kind of reader. The overarching theme seems to be "everyone can be a hero to someone else, even if you think you/your powers are useless", which, obviously, is a good message to take away.

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#bookreview: Closet Full of Time and Other Dark Tales | Susan Kaye Quinn

Closet Full of Time and Other Dark Tales: by Susan Kaye Quinn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Closet Full of Time and Other Dark Tales is a collection of five short stories about a dark, AI-filled future and its consequences for human livelihoods. In these stories, Susan Kaye Quinn takes you to a future where humans have to sell themselves to the tech overlords for various reasons, or find their realities being distorted by the manipulation of digital archives and records around them.

I've been following Quinn's work for a long time and have loved her recent hopeful climate fiction. This collection feels darker than those, but still has that hopeful - or at least bitter sweet - taste at the end that reminds you that a vital part of our humanity is our ability to band together to make things better for ourselves. (Though, it's usually other humans on the other side who are using AI for nefarious reasons.)

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from the author. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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#Bookreview: Wind in Trees | Arthur M. Doweyko

Wind-In-Trees by Arthur M Doweyko
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After an asteroid strike and viral outbreak that leaves the earth devastated, Henry Wind in Trees may be the only human left alive. And yet... he's not entirely human. In an effort to save him from the virus, Henry's brain was transplanted into a cyborg body. Now, Systems is coming to complete the job and give him a fully artificial brain as well. Wind in Trees is the story of how the last Lakota Sioux native American discovers the truth behind Systems and the apocalypse as he travels through America with his wife's ghost, his robot aide, and an alien.

Overall, Wind in Trees has a bit of a rough start because there are some strange timeline jumps (Chapter 1 should honestly either be deleted or called a prologue) and extended flashbacks, but once you get into the meat (i.e. the actual timeline), it's quite an enjoyable read. It's listed as "sci-fi/action-adventure" on the publisher's page, but honestly, it's a lot of broadly spec fic things at once. The beginning itself has supernatural/horror vibes because of Elizabeth's ghost; yet it's quite dystopic because civilisation as we know it has been destroyed. There's also the interweaving of myth with a Lakota legend forming a core motif: if the old woman (or Elizabeth) ever finishes knitting the blanket, the world will end (again?).

In accordance with the meme that humans will bond with anything, Henry bonds with Seth the robot, often treating it as if it were also human. He also forms a friendship with Anth, even though the alien is part of the advance party that's preparing earth for colonisation. It's these bonds, and his strong relationship with Elizabeth, that provide answers to the many questions and conflicts that Henry faces.

The novel seems to be asking the question, "What would you do if you were the last person on earth?" Dowekyo's answer seems to be "befriend every other living being to not be alone", but I think the true answer should be: Not let your wife finish the blanket, obviously.

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from the author & publisher. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Wind-In Trees can currently be pre-ordered from Amazon or Kallisto Gaia Press.

#Bookreview: Tune in Tomorrow | Randee Dawn

Tune in Tomorrow: The Curious, Calamitous, Cockamamie Story Of Starr Weatherby And The Greatest Mythic Reality Show Ever by Randee Dawn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was pulled into this by the offer of free tea, honest. There I was, half-heartedly browsing books at the Dealers Hall in Glasgow 2024, telling myself I had no money (exchange rate = 6!!!!) or space (the Bag is FULL), when Randee Dawn was like, "here, take some free tea, check out the book later." (or something like that, idk, I was distracted by free tea.) Which are supposed to be deconstituted brownies (of the mythical kind, not the food kind).

Ok, back to the book. (I mean, the brownies are from the book.)

Starr Weatherby is in New York, chasing that elusive dream of stardom. When she unexpectedly gets a job offer from an extremely handsome man with really strange partners, she grabs onto it with both hands. Except Jason Valentine isn't a man. He's a faun. And the Reality Show she's on is filmed beyond the Veil, for the entertainment of the Fae. And their longest, most famous actor on the show, Fiona Ballantine, does NOT want her there. Starr (variously Sam/Samantha) has found what she wants to do in life and she's not going to let anyone get in the way, even a murderer. She just has to figure out what's really going on.

Tune in Tomorrow is a hilariously magical read in the vein of Jasper Fforde and Tom Holt. It's a lot of drama, I mean, it's about drama, but there is DRAMA. There's also a lot of backstabbing and spying going on - all enhanced by magical powers that the long-term actors have accumulated. Then there's Starr trying to piece together the clues of what happened 30 years ago, which involved Fiona being Fiona, a mysterious Joseph and his scripts, and... Amelia, who had mysteriously left/been fired/disappeared/moseyed, so that she can avoid making the same mistake and keep her job.

Some comedic stories get a little too over the top for me, but this one struck a perfect note. Just like the tea is a perfect blend.

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LOOK A SIGNED BOOK!

The tea is from teaandabsinthe.com, and was apparently a limited release in conjunction with Dawn's book launch.

#musicmonday: Battle Belongs | Phil Wickham

 

When all I see is the battle

You see my victory

#bookreview: The Friend Zone Experiment | Zen Cho

The Friend Zone Experiment by Zen Cho

Renee Goh is a successful businesswoman blazing her own trail in London, away from her patriarchal Singaporean family. Then her father offers Renee the one thing she's been hankering after: approval in the form of offering her the chance to take over the family business. But is that what she really wants? (Insert break-up drama, family feuds, old-flame reunion, plus that one skeevy ex.)

I'm trying to figure out what I feel about this one. I do quite like Zen Cho's fantasy works - and I especially love the Malaysiana she brings into her stories. She's especially deft at capturing the Malaysian Auntie Voice.

The usual "not quite my genre, bla bla" comments apply here. This is straight up realistic fiction, not a ghost or supernatural creature in sight! The style feels like a throwback to her earlier short story style, not so much her long-form fantasy style. (I haven't gotten round to Black Water Sister, which may have been the beginnings of the shift?) This isn't a bad thing. I do like that voice and I want to see more of it in fiction. However, I don't think I've read a romance (as the main plot) in a while (if I have ever! haha), so there were bits that felt a little draggy here and there, especially where everyone's keeping secrets and not telling anyone important stuff. Then again, that's also the bits I get annoyed with in all kinds media and without which there would be no story, so, eh.

MAYBE what's throwing me off is the whole, uh, sub-plot that it's wrapped around. It hits very close to real-life happenings in Malaysia. Maybe someone who isn't based here would just read it as fiction (I'm seeing a lot of K-drama references in other reviews) but I'm also going like OH THE SARAWAK REPORT. OH CLARE REWCASTLE-BROWN. OH 1MDB! ALL THE ILLEGAL LOGGING. OBVIOUSLY THEY KIDNAPPED AND KILLED HIM WHAT DID YOU THINK. Which also makes me wonder whether the stuff we read as fiction from other countries hits as hard for their readers in the same way.

Cho brings up the Malaysian/Singaporean family dynamics really, really well - which adds to the ultra-realism of this novel. The family squabbles! The expectations of marriage (and grandchildren)! The fight over who pays for dinner! All that annoying one-upmanship... ugh. Though I can't help but feel that Ket Siong is something of a wish-fulfilment fantasy - he's a little too good to be true.

There's also a lot of corporate drama (and some sexual harassment) going on, plus a heavy dose of family loyalty vs ethics considerations. Do you keep the peace in order to save your family's face/reputation? Do you let yourself love the person whose family has destroyed your own? CAN you put aside your own personal boundaries if that's going to help your family business?

It isn't quite a light read (despite "romcom" being thrown around), but it does have a Happily Ever After. I don't know the genre well enough to say if it'll be a hit for romance readers, but I'd say it's a solid rep of how Malaysian society works (even displaced as they are in London) if you're looking for that.

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from Pan Macmillan via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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If you're looking for a GREAT Zen Cho book to start with, I'll always recommend The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water. (Get it here)

#bookreview: Becoming by Beholding | Lanta Davis

Becoming by Beholding: The Power of the Imagination in Spiritual Formation by Lanta Davis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a fascinating read - there's so much about ancient religious practices that have been lost to time that Davis has laid out here.

It's really very hard to associate art in any form with the church as it is today, especially since the church is so often the most vocal against any form of artistic expression that deviates from "standard painting" or "literary novel" (with the emphasis on must be clean and family-friendly).

I was particularly captured by the potential meaning(s) behind the weird illustrations you often see laughed at in monastic/ancient texts, and how bestiaries were used more as devotionals than actual books about strange animals! It puts a lot of things in to context. As someone who could never get through Paradise Lost, it was also interesting to see the shifts in literature and our understanding of "the seven deadly sins" as opposed to what it was originally intended/written to be.

The only downside of reading this as a digital arc was that the images never made it through, so I had to do some side googling to see what was being talked about. The image descriptions in the book did help though!

This book is potentially a great resource for Christian artists in the current day who are looking to see how other Christians have expressed their faith artistically throughout the years.

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from Baker Academic via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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