Tag Archives: ebook

March 10, 2024 · 1:59 pm

The Tangleroot Palace & other stories

Collection of fantasy short stories and a novella

This was a set book for my fantasy book club. I hadn’t heard of this author before so I was keen to dip my toes into her work.

Image is of “The Tangleroot Palace & other stories” by Marjorie Liu. The eBook cover is of a gnarled tree and roots with no leaves save on only two small twigs against a midnight blue background.

“The Tangleroot Palace & other stories” by Marjorie Liu is a collection of six speculative fiction short stories and a novella. Sympathy for the Bones examines the witch-apprentice dynamic and how much those who raise us own our futures. The Briar and the Rose is a reimagination of Sleeping Beauty. The Light and the Fury revisits colonialism in the Pacific with an alternative history. The Last Dignity of Man is a character study of Superman’s Lex Luthor. Where the Heart Lives draws inspiration from Irish folklore. After the Blood is a dystopian story about Amish vampires. Finally, the eponymous novella, Tangleroot Palace, is a take on the princess fairytale genre.

This is a well-written collection of stories that take on well-known themes and present them with a modern lens. Liu subverts the tropes of this genre through queer relationships, grey morality, feminist characters and alternative pasts and futures. Liu includes little author’s notes at the end of each story which help to contextualise them. My favourite was The Light and the Fury as it was the most original and had a really unique undersea setting.

Unfortunately, however, I just didn’t find any of the stories especially memorable, and even though I only read this book a couple of months ago, I was struggling to recall what they were about. Many of the stories are retellings; either of well-known stories like Sleeping Beauty and Superman, or of well-known fairy-tale archetypes like witches and princesses. I think because there isn’t much novelty in the stories, they blur a bit into the fantasy canon and fail to stand out.

A fun collection but one that apart from applying contemporary themes to familiar stories, doesn’t introduce anything groundbreaking.

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January 17, 2024 · 8:56 pm

He Who Drowned the World

Queer Imperial Chinese fantasy and sequel to “She Who Became the Sun”

I received a copy of this eBook courtesy of the publisher.

Image is of “He Who Drowned the World” by Shelley Parker-Chan. The eBook cover is of sailing ships in yellow and blue sailing on a wavy yellow sea with a large blue moon at the top of the cover.

“He Who Drowned the World” by Shelley Parker-Chan is the sequel to “She Who Became the Sun” and the final book in “The Radiant Emperor” duology. The book picks up shortly after the events of the first book with the newly renamed Zhu Yuanzhang exultant as the Radiant King. However, Zhu’s ambitions don’t stop there and are now fixed firmly on the emperor’s throne together with other ambitious players. Meanwhile, her old enemy the haunted eunuch Ouyang may be the key ally to achieving her ambitions, but is Zhu willing to pay the price?

This is a powerful finale to the duology with an enormous amount of character development that builds on the very firm setting of the first book. The first book was an incredible novel exploring motivations like unfettered ambition and revenge, with the characters making decisions often seemingly against their own interests to pursue their ultimate goals. This book is a significant gear shift, and the decisions that the characters made in the first book begin to catch up on them. Zhu’s cheerful certainty against all odds, however, remains infectious. I also really enjoyed the character Wang Baoxiang who was equal parts pitiful and brilliant, and also willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals.

I really enjoyed this book and that it took the characters in a different direction, however it didn’t always have the same punchiness and surprises of the first book. I also felt that sex in this book was treated in a very challenging way: never for mutual enjoyment or love, but always either transactional or non-consensual.

A strong finish to the duology with great character development, if not quite as spectacular as the first.

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January 12, 2024 · 2:47 pm

The Saint of Bright Doors

Fantasy novel about complicated families, displacement, fanaticism and persecution

I received a copy of this eBook courtesy of the publisher.

Image is of “The Saint of Bright Doors” by Vajra Chandrasekera. The eBook cover is of an elaborately designed double door in the centre of a cover of midnight blue and bright yellow. In the corners are shards of broken pottery.

“The Saint of Bright Doors” by Vajra Chandrasekera is a fantasy novel about a shadowless young man called Fetter who was raised by his mother to assassinate his father and destroy everything he stands for. However, Fetter doesn’t want the life his mother has chosen for him, and eventually flees his hometown for the bigger city of Luriat. Reasonably welcoming to refugees, Fetter joins group therapy, helps people navigate complicated bureaucracy and forms relationships all while keeping his parentage quiet. However, Luriat is a dynamic city and with visiting gods, laws in flux and mysterious Bright Doors, Fetter has to work out who he is, and who he wants to be.

This was an incredibly creative and layered story that subverts typical fantasy subgenres to create something fresh and relevant. The city of Luriat is both familiar and foreign. I really enjoyed Chandrasekera’s inclusion of modern features like emails and apartments, while maintaining subtle speculative elements. Fetter is a great character who, having tried to shed his past, tries to live as gentle a life as possible while remaining true to his loyalties. The constantly changing rules and shifting sentiments of the city evoked the kind of unstable regimes we experience here in the real world, and the scenes set in vast refugee camps were among the most hard-hitting in the book. There was some great commentary throughout this book about how quickly changes become the status quo, and how things considered ancient history may not be as distant as we believe.

The only challenge I had with this book was that with so much subterfuge, changes to the city and contested history it did at times feel like I was standing on shifting sands. While I appreciate this is reflective of many nations, especially those that persecute minorities, the additional magical elements meant that at times the logic of the book felt inconsistent.

Nevertheless, a highly original book with compelling characters and incisive messages.

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December 28, 2023 · 1:11 pm

The Secret Book of Flora Lea

Historical fiction novel about losing family and finding self

I received a copy of this eBook courtesy of the author.

Image is of “The Secret Book of Flora Lea” by Patti Callahan Henry. The eBook cover is of a forest in dark green overlaid with gold border of plants and animals in a stylised silhouette.

“The Secret Book of Flora Lea” by Patti Callahan Henry is a historical fiction novel about two sisters, Hazel and Flora, who are evacuated from London to the English countryside during World War II. Hazel, nine years older than her little sister, tries her best to keep Flora happy and entertained by telling her stories about a made-up land called Whisperwood. However, when Flora goes missing near the river, Hazel blames herself. Twenty years later, considering her next career move in the book industry, all the memories come rushing back when she unwraps a parcel containing a book called Whisperwood and the River of Stars. Could Flora still be alive?

This is a gentle mystery novel that sensitively tackles the issue of a missing child by exploring the way people are impacted by grief and guilt years after the event. The arrival of the Whisperwood book was an interesting way to enliven the mystery again for Hazel as an adult, and serves as a great catalyst for her to reconnect with people she knew from her time as an evacuee. I also enjoyed Hazel’s romantic entanglements and thought that they complimented the main story nicely.

As readable as this book is, I didn’t find the plot especially surprising and did feel that things were all tied up a little too neatly at the end. Unfortunately, long-term missing persons cases rarely are resolved so neatly and while some people may find the ending satisfying, I found it all a bit too convenient. While I appreciated that the character Peggy needed some impetus to escape her situation, I didn’t find her romance especially compelling.

An enjoyable and readable, if not surprising, mystery.

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March 8, 2023 · 12:04 am

Limberlost

Contemplative novel about independence, masculinity and growing up

I received a copy of this eBook courtesy of the author.

Image is of “Limberlost” by Robbie Arnott. The eBook cover is an impressionistic painting of a yellow boat and a white tree with yellow leaves. There is greenery throughout the background and yellow stripes give the impression of the boat’s reflection.

“Limberlost” by Robbie Arnott is a bildungsroman novel about Ned, a fifteen year old boy who lives in regional Tasmania. His two older brothers are away at war and Ned, his sister and his father are alone on their apple orchard Limberlost without news. A quiet young man, Ned spends his summer shooting rabbits and saving money for a secret goal. Despite the stifled wartime atmosphere, Ned builds quiet connections with people in his family and his community and, with only the memory of his brothers to guide him, begins to find his own way to becoming a man.

This is an introspectively lyrical book about a young man who, despite a rich inner life full of dreams and worries, struggles to communicate with those around him. Although Arnott puts it to the reader to decide how much of Ned’s quietness is his personality or a product of his circumstances, one thing I really enjoyed about this book was how much effort his family and community put into listening to him. There were some very poignant moments scattered throughout this book and one of the highlights was the way Arnott engaged with the Tasmanian landscape and wildlife. Ned’s experience with a whale resonates throughout the book, re-examined through different lenses of memory and emotion. At the heart of the book was the tension caused by secretly helping an injured animal and Ned’s longing for a boat, and I loved the way all the characters reacted and interacted with Ned around his decisions. The innate warmth of the characters and their actions contrasts strikingly against their stiffness and outwardly suppressed emotions.

While I was entranced by Ned quietly navigating his way towards adulthood, I found the other chapters of him as an older man less compelling. While there were some interesting insights, I felt that Ned’s summer shooting rabbits was so perfectly self-contained as a story that I would have been satisfied had it been left with that.

A beautiful and gentle story and I look forward to reading more of Arnott’s work.

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March 6, 2023 · 12:20 am

The Genesis of Misery

Epic science fiction novel about faith, war and moral righteousness

Content warning: war, torture, abuse

I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher.

Image is of “The Genesis of Misery” by Neon Yang. The eBook cover is of a person in a green unitard and jacket with bobbed orange hair floating or falling through space. Behind them is a large pearlescent creature with four arms and a humanoid head, and an eclipsing planet.

“The Genesis of Misery” by Neon Yang is a science fiction novel about Misery, a petty criminal from a backwater planet, who has found themselves in hot water again. Misery has the power to manipulate certain types of stones, but is all too aware that this means they will likely die of voidmadness like their mother did. In fact Misery has already begun hearing voices. However, when the voice starts giving more and more specific suggestions, Misery begins to listen and is catapulted from marauder to messiah. Misery’s abilities find themself immersed in an ideological war. Increasingly extremist, is Misery’s war truly righteous or have they become the villain?

This was a really interesting story with an incredible amount of character development. I think this book is a fascinating study on the progression of extremism and the corruptibility of people with power. At the beginning of the book, Misery is fiery, logical and caught up in the goal of escaping their troubled background. However, as she listens more to the voice and leans into her powers, her moral compass begins to shift towards a completely different direction. This is also a really compelling book on the morality of war, and Yang uses a really unique third person omniscient perspective. As a reader, you feel really immersed in Misery’s thoughts and in the beginning, you feel really aligned with Misery. With great subtlety and effectiveness, Yang makes us question our continued alliance with this protagonist. This book embeds the use of preferred pronouns, building on Yang’s previous work, and makes living your authentic self an unquestioned part of Misery’s society.

However, I think that at times the book struggled in terms of readibility. A lot of the worldbuilding felt like broad brushstrokes and apart from some of the nuance of the religious war, I came away from the book feeling like I didn’t have much of a sense of the setting whether it was planetside, in a spaceship or in a giant mecha.

A thought-provoking example of science fiction that didn’t always bring the reader along with it.

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December 10, 2022 · 12:43 am

The First Binding

South Asian-inspired Epic Fantasy Novel

I received a copy of this eBook courtesy of the publisher.

Image is of “The First Binding” by R. R. Virdi. The eBook cover is of a person with dark skin, long hair and a ragged red cloak facing mountains and a city in the distance.

“The First Binding” by R. R. Virdi is an epic fantasy novel about a storyteller called Ari. After arriving at a tavern and providing a memorable performance, Ari meets a mysterious young woman with whom he forms an instant connection. As they navigate politics and danger in a foreign land, Ari shares the most personal story of all: how he overcame adversity to become a legend and The Storyteller.

This story has all the elements required for epic fantasy: orphan child, early mentor, street urchins, selective magic school and a journey to prove oneself. The book is set against a stunning South Asian backdrop and weaving in captivating mythologies and cultural elements to create rich, unique worldbuilding. I think my favourite part of the book was actually the interlude chapters set in the nation of Etaynia where Ari must navigate dangerous political games, though I did enjoy the competitive kite flying chapters as well.

However, this was not an easy book to read. It is over 800 pages long and it had a very slow start. Virdi has an overly descriptive style and I wish I was exaggerating but the book spent 30 pages describing a bench in a tavern. There were pages and pages of unnecessary descriptions of banal items: candles, cutlery and benchtops. The story really only felt like it began to get moving at page 375, well over a third of the way through. I actually feel like the editors did this book a bit of a disservice by not paring it back much, much more.

Ari is supposed to be an expert storyteller but I didn’t feel like the excellence of his storytelling was self-evident. Instead, there was a lot of reliance on audience reaction rather than having the stories shine in their own right. I also found the magic quite laborious. I understand that mastering the idea of folds took years and was very difficult, but the magic system took a long time to explain for something that did not inherently appear to be particularly complex. I also understand that Ari had gone through some things that perhaps made the magic much more difficult to execute in the earlier chapters however again, it seemed like there was a lot of time spent describing and not really that much magic to show for it which, as a reader, I found very frustrating. I also found the love interest quite cliched with a lot of batting eyelashes and a lot of male gaze. I think I could have forgiven quite a lot of these issues had the premise (rather than the setting) been more original.

There was some lovely worldbuilding in this book but you could have cut it in half without sacrificing the key parts of the story.

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August 6, 2022 · 11:52 pm

The City Inside

Science fiction novel set in futuristic India

I received a copy of this eBook courtesy of the publisher.

Image is the of “The City Inside” by Samit Basu. The eBook is a stylised, futuristic version of a city with colourful rooftops, digital icons of people and a temple in the far background against a night sky.

“The City Inside” by Samit Basu is a science fiction novel set in Delhi, India in a not-too-distant future. The story is primarily about Joey, a young woman who has an extremely successful job as a reality controller: managing and editing the livestream content of her influencer ex-boyfriend Indi. However, her personal life pales in comparison; despite having a luxury apartment, she spends most of her free time sleeping at her parents’ house where her family carefully avoid saying anything controversial. Meanwhile, Rudra, the estranged son of a wealthy man who has been living incognito among struggling migrants, reconnects with his family at his father’s funeral. Avoiding his brother’s attempts to join the family business, when he bumps into Joey who offers him a job, he accepts. However, as Indi’s ambitions grow bigger and Rudra’s family interests begin to reveal their true nature, Joey and Rudra realise that corporate power and sinister conspiracies run much deeper than either of them could have possibly realised.

This was a richly conceived book with exceptional and completely plausible worldbuilding. Basu draws on contemporary sources of power and influence and imagines how they may have evolved a decade from now. Influencers have merged with reality TV: carefully curated content with fictionalised storylines and strategic advertising placements. Airborne-illnesses, increasing temperatures and air pollution have normalised mask wearing, filtered air and avoiding the outside. The setting in Delhi brings further layers of complexity and nuance; drawing on ethnic tensions, historical protests and political influence to create a conflicted present still grappling with caste, wealth and freedom of speech.

Joey was a really interesting character whose personality at work and personality at home seem almost completely incompatible, raising questions about how much her memory is influenced, and by whom. Joey is politically engaged enough and fluent enough in progressive discourse to be aware of her own moral shortcomings, and tries to make what little difference she can through her work. In contrast, Rudra’s attempts to completely distance himself from his family prove to be inadequate in counteracting the harm they are causing to society. However, any kind of political action is dangerous, and Basu pushes the reader to make up their own mind about what is right, what is wrong and what is understandable.

While I really enjoyed the setting and the character development, I did find the plot a little confusing. The book draws on cyberpunk traditions in science fiction and using digital spaces, avatars and social media to create and recreate reality, social connections and even business deals. However, between a meeting in one of these digital spaces, subject to surveillance on multiple levels, and the action really kicking off, I found it hard to keep track of exactly what was happening. Basu is quite a subtle writer, leaving a lot to the reader to interpret themselves, but when crucial plot items were happening I found that I was hoping for a little more clarity and a little less like scenes whipping by me in a speeding train carriage.

An intricate and highly original premise that conveys a lot but becomes a bit muddied towards the end.

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June 4, 2022 · 10:47 pm

The Bone Orchard

Gothic fantasy novel about identity, ethics and murder

Content warning: sexual assault, gendered violence, facial difference, suicide

I received a copy of this eBook courtesy of the publisher.

Image is of “The Bone Orchard” by Sara A. Mueller. The eBook cover is of a skeleton’s hand with its fingers crossed, rising up from fresh pink flowers. There is fungi growing from some of the joints and a greenish smoke between the fingers.

“The Bone Orchard” by Sara A. Mueller is a gothic fantasy novel set predominantly in a brothel called Orchard House in the land of Borenguard. Mistress of the house is Charm who manages the other young women she has created: boneghosts called Shame, Justice, Desire, Pride and Pain. Throughout the week Orchard House is open to Borenguard’s elite who do business, socialise and enjoy the company of Charm’s young women. Except, that is, on Tuesdays when Orchard House is closed and Charm fulfils her duties as the mistress of the Emperor. However when Charm is summoned to the Emperor’s palace and asked to solve an unthinkable mystery, it soon becomes clear that there is more than just Orchard House and the empire at stake. Sometimes, Charm is not actually Charm; sometimes she is the Lady. With the mindlock that keeps Charm and many other denizens of Borenguard under strict control loosened, the Lady is no longer relegated to the backseat. The careful management Charm has over Orchard House is beginning to fray and the Lady and the boneghosts have their own ideas about what to do next.

This is a book with a really interesting premise with a strong focus on character and worldbuilding. Unlike many fantasy novels, the world remains quite small with only Pain venturing out regularly from Orchard House. Mueller instead focuses on the intricate relationships between Charm and her boneghosts, and the people who visit them in Orchard House. I think the most compelling thing about this book is the self-actualisation of the boneghosts and how Charm reacts to them developing their own feelings and desires that do not always align with hers. There are lots of examples of unexpected relationships and friendships in this book and Mueller has a particular strength in fleshing out alliances and enmities. I also really enjoyed the descriptions of each of the boneghosts and some of my favourite moments in the book are the quiet observation of their interactions with one another. I found it really interesting that each of them has a disability or facial difference of some kind and how Mueller explains this as part of the plot.

While many parts of the book were very compelling, there were some parts that felt muddier. Magic is something to be strictly controlled in this world, and what happens to those with certain magical abilities is a pivotal part of the story. However, when it came to understanding exactly how Charm and the Lady’s magic worked, I felt that Mueller skipped over the detail somewhat which left the scenes in the laboratory perplexing rather than mysterious. The creation of the boneghosts is really the heart and soul of this story and I was left feeling like I had plenty of what but only some why and not nearly enough how. I also found the murder mystery plot to be a little underwhelming. This is really a fantasy novel with some court intrigue rather than a crime or mystery novel, and any suspense about who the perpetrator is was thoroughly diluted by a backdrop of somewhat incomprehensible war and a lack of viable red herrings.

An enjoyable and thought-provoking book with plenty of questions about morality and individuality.

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April 7, 2022 · 12:30 am

Flyaway

Modern fairy tale novella inspired by rural Australia

It has been a bit of a topsy turvy year, and I’ve noticed that one thing that hasn’t been as regular lately as in years gone past is book clubs. However, after the second half of last year grinding to a halt due to new and emerging COVID-19 variants, my fantasy book club finally managed to meet to discuss a book in February.

Image is of “Flyaway” by Kathleen Jennings. The eBook cover is a black heart against a cream background with a tangle of vines growing out of the arteries. There are red fruits and black crows.

“Flyaway” by Kathleen Jennings is a modern fairy tale novella set in rural district in Australia called Inglewell. There are several plotlines interwoven together with interludes of different background stories and tales about the region, but the main story is about a young woman called Bettina who lives with her mother in a town called Runagate. Bettina’s mother is very concerned about keeping up appearances, and Bettina does as she is told: looking after the garden, dressing appropriately and avoiding undesirable neighbours. However, when a young man called Gary accuses her of being a coward, and she receives a mysterious note, Bettina decides to disobey her mother and try to find her missing brothers and learn what happened to their father.

For a short book, this is a surprisingly complex and intricate story with many layers. Jennings is a writer of considerable subtlety, and many seemingly innocuous events or characters become incredibly significant later on in the story. I really loved some of the little side stories, and my favourites were Linda’s Story: Turncoat and Gwenda’s Story: The School in the Wilderness. They really added to the overall plot while giving the reader interesting background information, and while getting the balance right can be challenging, I think Jennings struck a good balance. Jennings also did something that I haven’t seen many white fantasy authors in Australia do: she did an acknowledgement of country in the acknowledgements section of the book and recommended some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors that readers may also wish to read. I think settlers writing fantasy based in Australia will always be a bit fraught, but acknowledging traditional stories and knowledge in some way seems like a really good step.

However, there were points at which where I thought the stories did get a little tangled. We spent a long time at book club discussing this book not because of how much we liked it or the themes that it engaged, but because we all found it challenging to determine exactly what happened in the book. I felt like the two scenes that were the most obfuscating were when ‘Jack’ goes to help Uncle Davy retrieve some bottles, and the final showdown at the end. I have gone back several times to puzzle out what happened and while I think that Jennings should be commended for her cleverness, you don’t want to be so clever as to be confusing.

A short book with surprising depth and enjoyable worldbuilding; Inglewell definitely leaves the reader with a lingering sense of unease.

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