Reviews and Comments

Tak!

Tak@reading.taks.garden

Joined 3 years ago

I like to read

Non-bookposting: @Tak@glitch.taks.garden

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Mur Lafferty: Station Eternity (Paperback, 2022, Penguin Publishing Group) 4 stars

Amateur detective Mallory Viridian’s talent for solving murders ruined her life on Earth and drove …

Station Eternity

5 stars

I really liked Six Wakes, and Station Eternity makes it clear that it was not a fluke.

I loved the different alien species, the way the plot continually unfolded new dimensions, and the depth and variety of the characters.

I would unreservedly recommend this book to anybody who has any interest in science fiction, mystery thrillers, or just good storytelling.

Mur Lafferty: Station Eternity (Paperback, 2022, Penguin Publishing Group) 4 stars

Amateur detective Mallory Viridian’s talent for solving murders ruined her life on Earth and drove …

Thanks also to Mary Robinette Kowal, steel goddess of kindhearted patience,

Damn, if someone said something like that about me, I'd make sure it got engraved onto my tombstone

Suyi Davies Okungbowa: David Mogo (Paperback, 2019, Abaddon) 3 stars

Nigerian God-Punk - a powerful and atmospheric urban fantasy set in Lagos.

Since the Orisha …

David Mogo: Godhunter

4 stars

In a lot of ways, this reminds me of the Akata series, but for adults - Nigerian setting, making friends and enemies with supernatural entities, Nsibidi script as magic writing, etc. (This is not a criticism of the Akata series, I love them.)

The setting was the best part of this for me - I enjoyed postapocalyptic, god-ravaged Lagos.

I appreciate that David is imperfect and fallible - he makes mistakes, fails, etc., and it has real consequences for him.

The first section (book? sub-book?) was my favorite, followed by the second - as the story progressed, I felt like it kept getting progressively more frantic and less coherent.

Overall, I enjoyed it, though, and I'm looking forward to more.

#SFFBookClub

Robert Jackson Bennett: The Tainted Cup (2024, Del Rey) 5 stars

An eccentric detective and her long-suffering assistant untangle a web of magic, deceit, and murder …

The Tainted Cup

5 stars

The Tainted Cup is very much a fantasy Holmes novel, where a labyrinthine mystery is being solved by an almost supernaturally skilled investigator and their lovable but hapless assistant, through whose viewpoint the story is being presented.

The setting is delightfully weird, much more like Divine Cities than Founders, with elements of existential/apocalyptic threat and imperialism.

I'm looking forward to more in this universe.

Naseem Jamnia: The Bruising of Qilwa (2022, Tachyon Publications) 4 stars

In this intricate debut fantasy introducing a queernormative Persian-inspired world, a nonbinary refugee practitioner of …

Content warning big plot spoilers

Naseem Jamnia: The Bruising of Qilwa (2022, Tachyon Publications) 4 stars

In this intricate debut fantasy introducing a queernormative Persian-inspired world, a nonbinary refugee practitioner of …

The Bruising of Qilwa

4 stars

A fantasy thriller in a unique setting with nuanced takes on colonialism, gender, and poverty.

I'll be looking forward to upcoming books in this universe or by Naseem Jamnia

Veo Corva: The Old Goat and the Alien 5 stars

Avari keeps to themself. They're a goat-shape cosmoran, a member of the Cleaners' Union, and …

Yet another V banger

5 stars

V is excellent as always.

Going in blindish, I expected a bit more scifi based on the title - instead, I got a wonderful, wholesome space fantasy.

True to form, the characters really shine, and there's a lot for me to identify with in Avari. It was fun to explore a new setting, and although this time the plot didn't have the epic scope of The Beautiful Decay, I was thoroughly invested in the outcome.

Go read The Old Goat and the Alien!