Fiction Book Reviews Archives - Page 7 of 21 - Made of Stardust and Stubbornness

“Artificial Condition” Review

Posted on August 30, 2024October 8, 2024 by Jen

“Artificial Condition” (The Murderbot Diaries No. 2) by Martha Wells

It has a dark past–one in which a number of humans were killed. A past that caused it to christen itself “Murderbot”. But it has only vague memories of the massacre that spawned that title, and it wants to know more.

Teaming up with a Research Transport vessel named ART (you don’t want to know what the “A” stands for), Murderbot heads to the mining facility where it went rogue. What it discovers will forever change the way it thinks…

Review

Note: Murdebot refers to itself with it/its pronouns so I will use those when referring to Murderbot. It does not consider itself human and does not want to be considered a person.

I enjoyed this one as much as the previous story. I really liked the sort of friendship Murderbot develops with ART – I don’t think Murderbot would call it a friendship but it approaches that level. Murderbot does a lot to help ART figure things out by sharing the media it has watched and ART ends up helping Murderbot figure out what happened in the past. I also enjoyed how Murderbot ends up helping the group of humans it encounters while traveling back to where the massacre occurred to do its research to find out what happened to it in the past. There’s a lot to be said about Murderbot learning from its past and how it interacts with people and other AIs.

As much as I’ve enjoyed the first two books I have to say I have mixed feelings with the way intelligence is talked about in these books, and I had some addtional thoughts written here that I’m moved to another post called Additional Thoughts About Murderbot if you would like to read it.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “Artificial Condition”.

Book Details

Murderbot is depicted on the cover and is in the shape of a human with grayish armor that covers it entirely including a helmet with face shield. It is standing on the edge of something that looks like a metal platform with yellow and brown clouds behind it. Above is spaceship mostly hidden in the clouds but visible. The author's name is at the top of the cover with the title at the bottom.

Author’s Website: Martha Wells
Publisher / Date: Tor.com, May 2018
Genre: Science Fiction
Page Count: 117
Completion Date: August 29, 2024

“All Systems Red” Review

Posted on August 28, 2024October 8, 2024 by Jen

“All Systems Red” (The Murderbot Diaries No. 1) by Martha Wells

In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.

But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.

On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid — a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot”. Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.

But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it’s up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.

Review

I really enjoyed this novella. Murderbot is a very interesting character and I liked the way they things developed over the course of the story. I liked what we learned about Murderbot along with the humans it was protecting. There are some world building details that I wish had been explained in more depth, but it’s not a dealbreaker. The ending is a little abrupt, but not a surprising choice by Murderbot given their new found freedom to make that choice. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “All Systems Red”.

Book Details

Murderbot is depicted on the cover and is in the shape of a human with grayish armor that covers it entirely including a helmet with face shield. In the background are rows of trees on either side and above are what looks like the rings of a planet. The author's name is at the bottom along with the title.

Author’s Website: Martha Wells
Publisher / Date: Tor.com, May 2017
Genre: Science Fiction
Page Count: 150
Completion Date: August 27, 2024

“Beacon 23” Review

Posted on August 25, 2024October 8, 2024 by Jen

“Beacon 23” by Hugh Howey

For centuries, men and women have manned lighthouses to ensure the safe passage of ships. It is a lonely job, and a thankless one for the most part. Until something goes wrong. Until a ship is in distress.

In the 23rd century, this job has moved into outer space. A network of beacons allows ships to travel across the Milky Way at many times the speed of light. These beacons are built to be robust. They never break down. They never fail.

At least, they aren’t supposed to.

Review

This was an interesting read. It starts out as one type of story but slowly expands into something else. The main character is complicated as he deals with combat related PTSD and the loneliness of being on the beacon without anyone nearby. As a result it’s not always clear if the things that are happening are real or not. The reader is in his head for the story so really just has to go along for the ride and hopefully understand everything that the story is about in the end. The book was originally published as 5 short stories and then collected into one novel. Each story does its own thing but continues the overall plot of the main character being in charge of running the beacon. There is a vague ending and then an epilogue that concludes what happened. I believe I prefer the vague ending because it fit better with the overall concept of figuring out what is really going on.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “Beacon 23”.

Book Details

The background of the cover is the vastness of space with many stars showing in the distance. In the center of the cover is a red circle possibly a view port with the figure of a person looking outwards. The book title is at the top with the authors name at the bottom.

Author’s Website: Hugh Howey
Publisher / Date: NLA Digital, December 2015
Genre: Science Fiction
Page Count: 258
Completion Date: August 25, 2024

“Elatsoe” Updated Review

Posted on August 16, 2024October 8, 2024 by Jen

“Elatsoe” by Darcie Little Badger

Imagine an America very similar to our own. It’s got homework, best friends, and pistachio ice cream.

There are some differences. This America been shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Some of these forces are charmingly everyday, like the ability to make an orb of light appear or travel across the world through rings of fungi. But other forces are less charming and should never see the light of day.

Elatsoe lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered, in a town that wants no prying eyes. But she is going to do more than pry. The picture-perfect facade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family.

Review

When I read this last year I wasn’t in the best mood about books that had kids saving the world while adults are useless. I also must not have been as open to urban fantasy as I should have been, which resulted in an unfair review at the time. I decided to re-read it after reading “Sheine Lende” which is a prequel to “Elatsoe”.

I really enjoyed reading the book for the second time. The characters are great. And I do think the adults around Elatsoe are great too even though she does all the investigative work with her friend and solves the case. Her parents are very supportive of her gifts and how she uses them. I think I also failed to realize she’s actually seventeen the first time I read the book, so actually closer to being an adult than a child. For some reason I thought she as younger the first time around.

The setting is really interesting and the word building made more sense this time. I think in some places the details could have been explained a little more but there’s also a sense that things are secret as part of the cultures involved. There are a couple places where Elatsoe was thinking of her Sixth-Great Grandmother and the scene shifts right into a story about her. I think those instances could have been separated a little more. Especially in once case there is something serious happening to Elatsoe and story switches POV before returning to solving the initial situation Elatsoe is in.

It’s still a bit annoying that Elatsoe does almost all the work to solve everything. Her mother has the same gifts she does but can’t use them as well for some reason. I don’t know if that was explained or not? I might have missed that explanation like I missed why her father suddenly disappears after driving her to her cousins house. There’s actually a line in the book about how he needs to go back to work, but that wasn’t entirely clear after all his talk of believing her and wanting to help her find out what had happened. None of this impacts my overall feelings of enjoying the book and I’m glad I read it again.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “Elatsoe”.

Book Details

The cover is covered with white cloudy shapes of dogs with a young girl standing on the right side of the cover near the top. She is wearing a red coat and black pants and has long hair. The title is written out across one of the dogs.

Author’s Website: Darcie Little Badger
Publisher / Date: Levine Querido, August 2020
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Page Count: 362 pages
Completion Date: Originally – August 4, 2023 / Re-Read – August 15, 2024

“Sheine Lende” Review

Posted on August 16, 2024October 8, 2024 by Jen

“Sheine Lende” by Darcie Little Badger

Shane works with her mother and their ghost dogs, tracking down missing persons even when their families can’t afford to pay. Their own family was displaced from their traditional home years ago following a devastating flood – and the loss of Shane’s father and her grandparents. They don’t think they’ll ever get their home back.

Then Shane’s mother and a local boy go missing, after a strange interaction with a fairy ring. Shane, her brother, her friends, and her lone, surviving grandparent – who isn’t to be trusted – set off on the road to find them. But they may not be anywhere in this world – or this place in time.

Nevertheless, Shane is going to find them.

Review

I really enjoyed this book and the characters. I thought this one worked a bit better than “Elatsoe” for which this is a prequel. The main thing that makes this one work better for me is that Shane isn’t surrounded by adults who know as much as she does or more. She actually is the only one with the specific type of training for how to find people the way her mother does. The primary adults in this book are grandparents of those who are missing and her own grandparent who isn’t as helpful as he should be, and then a few additional teenagers she knows. In general I think this book just feels like it works better in the sense of being a book where a younger person solves the day while adults can’t help.

I also felt like the world building was a little better in this book. A lot of things were explained more, or if not it as acknowledged that information was not available. The mimic rings are unknown to everyone in this situation as no one really knows why the exist. So Shane has to do the work of finding out what is going on and who might have the information. I really like how she handles everything while also looking after her little brother. I also like the friendships she has and develops along the way.

I really liked the resolution of everything with what had happened to her mother and also another person that disappeared years ago. The clues are there to be had, and while the solution was little more whimsical than I’d usually enjoy, it totally worked for this book.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “Sheine Lende”.

Book Details

Author’s Website: Darcie Little Badger
Publisher / Date: Levine Querido, April 2024
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Page Count: 368
Completion Date: August 13, 2024

“The Jovian Madrigals” Review

Posted on August 11, 2024October 7, 2024 by Jen

“The Jovian Madrigals” by Janneke de Beer

At the edge of forever, we will not recognize ourselves.

It’s 2193, almost a century since scientists on Callisto discovered immortality. Every year, the Party sends a group of Earth’s best and brightest to receive this immortality. No one ever comes back.

Four people are making the journey to Callisto to receive immortality. Padraig, a brilliant physicist, dying of cancer. Cassandra, an orphan from the irradiated ruins of New York. Jocasta, a veteran of the Yugoslav Wars. Gautier, whose presence on Callisto no one will adequately explain. Immortality is meant to change them for the better. But once they’re on Callisto, what happens when they just want to go home?

Review

In general I enjoyed this book – the characters and world building were interesting. I liked the way the stories of the four characters were mostly independent which seemed to work well for the book. A character in the book describes a madrigal as “four voices, each singing their own song, intertwining occasionally” and that’s exactly how the book went. Though, I have to say the blurb for the book only gives a small part of what the book is about. The plot was complex and full of additional details that I was not expecting. I did feel some things were more confusing than they needed to be. While many events had answers in the end others seemingly did not. I also wasn’t entirely sure about the motivations of some of the characters, with Cassandra’s story line being the most confusing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Owlish Publishing and Janneke de Beer for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Details

Author’s Website: Janneke de Beer
Publisher / Date: Owlish Publishing October 15, 2024
Genre: Science Fiction
Page Count: 438
Completion Date: August 11, 2024