Book Review: Writers of the Future Volume 42

L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 42: Illustrated Edition Featuring the Next Generation of Science Fiction & Fantasy by L. Ron Hubbard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Every once in a while I pick up a review copy of Writers of the Future to see what's been going on on that front. Excellent stories, as usual, though this one veered a lot more into time manipulation and body swapping than I prefer, whilst the fantasy stories were... I don't know, not very memorable or not quite to my taste.

Sometimes, I review an anthology by going through the story titles and seeing if I remember them after finishing the book. These are the four that really left an impression:

"Form 14B: Application for Certification of Consciousness Transfer (Post-Mortem)" by Thomas K. Slee - This was an interesting one, based on the concept of the ability to transfer your consciousness into a new body. But how do you prove you are who you say you are when you are a disembodied voice in a tin can?

"Thickly" by Dorothy de Kok - Thickly is supposed to enhance you, give you a little more flesh, make you more seen. But at what cost? This is a dark exploration into how women still feel that they need to perform, whether by maintaining a certain desired "look" or by taking up only as much space as they're allowed.

"As Long as You Both Shall Live" by Mike Strickland - AH THIS ONE! Similar to the first, the characters in this story upload themselves into cyberspace as part of a clinical trial. When tragedy strikes, they enter unchartered territory: Can one be considered alive if their consciousness still exists but their physical body is dead?

"A Girl and Her Dragon: A Life in Four Parts" by Joseph Sidari - Funnily enough, this is the only fantasy story that I like, even though I normally prefer fantasy over sci-fi. My only quibble is that it uses multiple formats (journal entries, newspaper clippings, handwritten notes, tweets, etc) and I think the formatting didn't translate well in this e-ARC. Probably looks better and is less confusing in print.

As much as L. Ron Hubbard has that whole weird scientology thing going on, his essays on writing have usually been pretty spot on. "Artistic Presentation" felt especially relevant, ruminating on how the philosophy of producing art (the effort and effect is the point) is directly opposed to manufacturing & the business world (cheapest and easiest to make the most money).

I'll end this review by leaving you with this quote:

Keep ahead of automation. Keep ahead of do-it-for you. Don't disenfranchise yourself by giving all your work away - to a machine, to a fellow worker.

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

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Book Review: The Silent Appeal | Janice Hallett

The Silent Appeal by Janice Hallett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, that's another exciting mystery set in Lower Lockwood!

I first discovered Hallett's work through an ARC of The Christmas Appeal - I still haven't read the first book, The Appeal. The format was, and still is, innovative - maintaining the same conceit of a Roderick Tanner, a retired KC, sending files to Femi Hassan and Charlotte Holroyd for their review and opinion - and letting you unravel the mystery with them through WhatsApp messages, emails, journals, case notes, as well as Hassan and Holroyd's own summaries. Not so many police transcripts in this one! I suppose a major difference between this novel and the Christmas novella is that in the Christmas one, if I remember correctly, they found a long-dead body and were in fact solving a cold case. Here, the murder just happened a year ago, and they're looking for clues to assist in an upcoming appeal - in the hopes of changing the outcome of a current sentencing. This gives it a little more urgency.

All the different formats makes for difficult - yet light - reading. It's breezy in the sense that you don't have to go through dense text, or filter the mystery through a singular narrator. You can really skim through the emails and messages. And yet, the multiple formats makes it hard to keep track of who's who and what's going on when - especially when the time skips a bit here and there. It's easy to get caught out by missing a crucial date, or a strange name change, because there's a tendency to disregard "unimportant" information like names and time stamps as mere "formatting". There is a list of characters near the start of the book, but it's a bit hard to refer to when you're reading the e-book; I have to say that this book is also best read in print.

One thing I still find very weird (interesting-weird, not bad-weird) about this format is that since you're reading in real time with the "detectives", you don't actually find out who got murdered until about 80% in. I mean, you kinda know there is a murder because it's mentioned at the start, but for the rest of the time until the body is found, it's mostly gossip, jealousy, and affairs (and lots of admin) surrounding The Fairway Player's staging of Agatha Christie's play, The Hollows. The difference this makes is that because you don't know who got murdered, you can't really start forming opinions on who might be the killer until that point!

And there's so much going on between the characters. The Silent Appeal leans heavily on the themes of jealousy. There are various affairs (and accusations of affairs), casting envy, professional (well, as professional as amateur theatre can get) rivalry, as well as the mysterious reappearance of Sarah-Jane's sister, Nicky-Rose. Nicky-Rose is the one who really throws things off kilter, as well as Issy, who's apparently a character from the first book. I thoroughly hated Issy (ugh, so annoying!) and hoped many times that she'd get killed.

Ultimately, I did enjoy reading The Silent Appeal, but it's not a format that I'll especially look forward to for murder mysteries, especially since you don't quite get the murder aspect of the mystery until you're almost at the end.

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from Atria Books via Edelweiss. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Book Review: Wicked Roots: Forgotten Folklore and Ancient Myths of Familiar Plants | Lauren Moss

Wicked Roots: Forgotten Folklore and Ancient Myths of Familiar Plants by Lauren Moss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wicked Roots: Forgotten Folklore and Ancient Myths of Familiar Plants is a lovely book about plants mentioned folklore and mythology, whether the lore is about the origins of the plant or its subsequent use and/or symbolism. It skews very Western/European/Anglocentric in general, though there are several mentions of plants and myths from elsewhere, especially where there is overlap.

Included are also several retellings of the myths. I was rather ambivalent about these as I felt that they gave a little too modern a spin on the original tales.

Overall, it was a casual, light read, rather than anything that you might use for deeper research.

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from Castle Books via Edelweiss. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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#Book Review: Weapons of Worship | Rick Pidcock

Weapons of Worship: How the Songs of Evangelicalism Form the Soundtrack of Extremism by Rick Pidcock
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rick Pidcock's posts have been appearing on several of my social media feeds for a while now. A friend shared a post, I resonated quite a bit with it and read a few more, my clicks fed the algorithm (or however that works) and he just kept appearing after that. So when I found Weapons of Worship while browsing Edelweiss, I snapped it up immediately.

Which is to say that I was probably predisposed to like it and resonate with it anyway.

The recent history of the worship movements that Pidcock tracks were the soundtracks I grew up with, albeit at a distance and a slight delay. Passion's One Day Live was *THE* big album in my teens. (Weird note: I actually don't quite remember that last track, "America", probably because it didn't feel relevant to me.)

Being on the other side of the world (Malaysia), Hillsong Australia and Planetshakers still held a little more sway in the early noughts, but by the time I started leading worship in the main service somewhere around 2007 to 2018, our "top 25" charts were also filled with all the usual suspects: Chris Tomlin, Bethel, Kari Jobe/Gateway, Hillsong. We did like Israel Houghton, but generally decided his songs were too hard to sing in church; we did not have a choir or Black voices.

It's not surprising that there is little variation between worship songs in English-speaking churches in Asia and those in America. Due to colonialism, our faith is a very white-washed one, and Pidcock does address it in context of USA. This quote (of a quote) felt particularly relevant):

Cultural genocide, [George e. Tinker] argues, is "the effective destruction of a people by systematically or systemically (intentionally or unintentionally in order to achieve other goals) destroying, eroding, or undermining the integrity of the culture and system of values that defines a people and gives them life."

At any rate, we have very few local churches that write and produce their own worship songs - in English, at least. (Funnily enough, the book traces how what gets sung in church may actually be influenced by Spotify more than anything else...)

It was not with a little horror that I realised how all these songs - songs that in and of themselves aren't exactly wrong - have culminated in and fed a twisted, unrecognisable brand of Christian Nationalism that is standing proud and ugly in America today. But how, then do churches elsewhere not have the same impact, seeing that we mostly sing the same songs globally? I think part of it is the mindset of the people themselves, as well as the direction coming from their pastors and leaders. It's the context we bring to lyrics that we sing. I wrote about singing victorious songs once, and whilst some of it echoes what Pidcock says American evangelicals are pushing back against, the context and tone is very different. I tend to believe that Malaysia is generally not a war-like country (tendency of running amok aside) so when I think of victory, and of winning, I do not go straight to wars and guns, or somehow subjugating everyone else to prove that God is on my side. I think of going into situations with the peace that whatever the outcome is, God has already dealt with it in the somehow, somewhere, nebulously (probably some back-office talk/nego, strange compulsions, lol) and I don't have to fight for anything.

...also there's the fact that we shouldn't be hypocrites by welcoming the attempt to Christianise America, when we protest and claim oppression when Malaysian politicians try to claim we're a Muslim nation.

All that aside, Weapons of Worship is an extremely eye-opening read for anyone in the church, especially those who are involved in the music ministry in any capacity. If I had any criticism, it's that there is no "what's next" or "how do we fix this?" - but that was never in the scope or premise of the book.

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from Broadleaf Books via Edelweiss. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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I feel like I should write a proper blogpost about this, but I already procrastinated on this review for very long because I couldn't organise my thoughts properly, so that may never come. 

Anyway, BUY THE BOOK.  

Book review: Hunt the Ever Wild | S.E. Kiser

Hunt the Ever Wild by S.E. Kiser
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

King Edgard is offering a great prize to anyone who can catch the elusive phoenix and turn him into a bird, that is, someone who can find the spell to give him eternal life in order to extend his glorious reign over Gescany. Sylas (Sy) Cassirer, spellscribe to the King, jumps at this one chance to pay off his indenture and escape the King's whims. Anya Degen, a skilled huntress, needs to bind the phoenix to the witch in order to escape a curse. Both need the other to navigate Lichtenwald forest, evade other magicians, and capture the phoenix, but neither can actually split the prize, even though they agreed to. At least they're strangers, working together with the knowledge that they will eventually betray each other. Right?

Hunt the Ever Wild is a richly layered dark fairy tale (they use the term gaslamp fantasy, but idk, I'm giving up on genre terms and it does very much read like a fairy tale). Magic is powered by blood and words. The Forest has a will of its own. It feels very much like a story against Empire; not so much post-colonialism, but more of an angry Eat-the-Rich vibe.

Sy is the scholarship student who makes it, but finds himself in an untenable position - with an indenture (student debt) that hardly ever reduces no matter how hard he saves. He makes money from serving the nobility, but also performs "charity" (an act highly looked down on by his peers) by healing the ailments of the poor in the district (slum?) he grew up in. He's made it, but he will never fit in. His relationship with David is confusing at first - self-serving and selfish, amidst genuine care. It isn't until you learn that David, whilst secure in his own social class, is battling bankruptcy that you realise why the two of them, with Bernard (the failed spellscribe) and Sabina (the woman), end up pulling together, even if half the time they need to fight each other to stay afloat in society. Half-friends are better than no friends in a cut-throat society.

Kiser showcases in stark relief the attitudes of the rich nobility towards the poor and unfortunate, especially those who have managed to make something of themselves ("Oh, the poor indenture!"). Much of Sy's posturing is to hide his vulnerability from those who are supposed to be his peers, yet Anya sees them as an affectation put on to mock her. Funnily enough, Anya's secret origins may actually provide the acceptance in high society that Sy can never hope to gain.

The Forest itself is an active character in the book. It doesn't speak, of course, but it acts in subtle ways, changing every person who enters its domain - revealing the darkest secrets of those who came to hunt the phoenix, manipulating the actions of others to achieve its own goals. Even Anya, who has grown up in its shadow and knows how to navigate its whims, gets drawn into its plans without quite realising it. To be fair, she has other concerns on her mind - not just the curse that's transforming her, but her growing affection for and attraction to Sy, whom she knows she must eventually betray.

The slow burn romance between Sy and Anya works for me - a push and pull, a romantic tension that ebbs and flows. How much of it is the influence of the forest? And how much of it is the understanding that grows between two outcasts fighting for their lives? We'll never know, but it doesn't quite matter. What really nailed it for me, in the end, was Sy's intrinsic dignity and honour, the fact that his love was underscored with sacrifice - he accomplished what he meant to do, then he gave it away for her.

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

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Book review: Green City Wars | Adrian Tchaikovsky

Green City Wars by Adrian Tchaikovsky
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Skotch, a freelance raccoon investigator is tasked by his former employers, big corp Uzco, to bring in the fugitive mouse scientist, Dr Meece. The problem is, every single animal faction in the city (and from the country) is also trying to get their hands on Meece. Not necessarily alive. Oh, AND they all think that Skotch knows where he is. What's a raccoon to do to stay alive?

The fun part of this story is obviously the world building. This isn't one of those completely anthropomorphic animal stories like Redwall or the Farthing Wood series where the animals are given human attributes and speech just because.

These animals are artificially engineered by humans to be smart and tasked to run human green cities from the shadows. All the undesirable jobs that are looked down upon? Animals do them, from turtles to rats to mice and racoons. But it's also nature vs artificial intelligence, where sometimes sheer animal instinct overrides the intelligence gifted to them by science (also known as plangent). There are scientific repercussions and rules that govern these societies - the most important of which, Rule Number One, is to not involve the humans.

It's first and foremost, though, a PI story - in a rather old-school, hard-boiled detective noir style. Dark, gritty, with a main protagonist that keeps talking at you. Which, unfortunately, is a style I rather dislike. Still, the plot itself, while simple, unfolds in a complex maze with revelation upon revelation, hooking you again at just the right time to go "hhmmm just a bit more". It also starts off slow, but picks up as more and more factions try to get in on the action. There's a "last stand" scene that reminds me of Colin Dann's Battle for the Park - beautiful and tragic and perfect.

I'd actually recommend this more for noir readers than sci-fi, because whilst the science is important and underpins the whole thing (you cannot actually take out the science worldbuilding and be left with ANY story), it kind of comes second to the tone of the story.

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

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Book Review: Valet: A Novel | J. P. Lacrampe

Valet: A Novel by J.P. Lacrampe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Valet is the sort of book that I would not have picked up on my own. It wouldn't even be on my radar. So imagine my surprise when I got a message on Edelweiss saying I've been granted access to read this... I don't always pick these up if I'm busy, but I had some time and it sounded interesting enough to try. (I did enjoy the rare Wodehouse I read in the past.)

Cy is a VALET, an android tasked to help Grayson St. Claire, his owner's 35-year-old son, start adulting. He's really very much the staff, beholden to his true owner and to his utility score, but Grayson treats him like a friend - or, more accurately, like a human. And, having "grown" up together with Grayson, Cy can read him and his moods the best - even better than his own mother.

Grayson is a mess of a human being, the stereotypical useless rich son who constantly fails at everything he puts his hand to, and yet is charming and kind enough to everyone that you really do want to see him succeed. He's both bumbling and earnest, and it's easy to see why Cy is loyal to him, more than Cy's guilt at stealing the late Mr St. Claire's praise and attention should account for.

Charlotte is exceptional as the competitive younger sister who's trying to prove herself by being the best at everything and looking down on her messed-up older brother. Mrs St. Claire is cold and grieving, and has mostly given up on her son. The other characters are in turns funny and weird, and though at times they seem a little too much, they also fit into the fabric of this future society well enough that you don't find it much more jarring than going "oh, those [rich/hippy/scheming] people..."

It's funny that throughout the novel, the two VALET characters, Cy and Larry, felt the most human in many ways. They worry about their ratings, they dread being made obsolete (which carries the repercussions of being destroyed, not just fired), they try to please the people around them (not just the humans, but the other androids they have to interact with - there's social status to be maintained!) and are most enterprising in how they try to get around the rules that govern them. Most of it is really being in Cy's POV and having insight into how androids fit into the fabric of society and what makes them tick.

But it really does make you think. What does it mean to be human? To be family? Charlotte is human, but she is so cold and calculating, with no sympathy or empathy for her own brother, that she might as well be an android herself. And Cy is very much a member of their family despite not being human - he feels like a butler from those old English movies that knows and keeps all the family secrets, yet remains ever so slightly worried about his position. I was surprised at how angry I was on his behalf when Mrs St. Claire and Charlotte threatened to have him decommissioned!

Overall, Valet was a fun and emotional read. It deals with humanity, family, grief, and love, and grapples with betrayal and jealousy, all while being part of a mad caper.

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from Simon & Schuster via Edelweiss. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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