S. Qiouyi Lu’s debut novella, In the Watchful City, came across my radar in late summer and immediately caught my attention with the unusual combination of (1) a few glowing reviews from other readers who significantly overlap my tastes, (2) a perfect fit for a bingo square I hadn’t hit (2021 debut), and (3) easily… Continue reading Fantasy Novella Review: In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu
If you’re not on the fantasy subreddit, or if you’re not a follower of the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off, you may not know the story of Senlin Ascends, a book that languished in obscurity for years before a last-ditch entry in SPFBO sparked a chain of events that turned it into something of a cult classic… Continue reading Fantasy Series Review: The Books of Babel by Josiah Bancroft
My read of Lobizona is another triumph of fantasy Bingo. Although I had a blogger friend raving about Romina Garber’s new YA series, I saw little buzz elsewhere in my fantasy spaces, and it would’ve likely passed me by entirely if I hadn’t been seeking options for the Latin American Author square. And, as the… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: Lobizona by Romina Garber
Our journey through the 2021 Hugo Awards ballot finishes with the most prestigious of categories: Best Novel. A final six consisting of five Hugo winning-authors and a sequel to a Hugo finalist might’ve disappointed those hoping for some new blood, but it’s hard to complain too much about a category with this kind of quality… Continue reading 2021 Hugo Ballot: Best Novel
We continue the journey through the Hugo Award ballot with the Astounding Award for Best New Writer. Unlike the other categories, these nominations do not rely on any one particular work (a debut novel, for instance) but rather an author’s body of work in the first year or two of their career. Because I have… Continue reading 2021 Hugo Ballot: Astounding Award for Best New Writer
This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reader Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Elder Race will be released on November 16, 2021. I knew absolutely nothing about Elder Race when I saw it come available on NetGalley, but I liked Children of Time enough to give… Continue reading Sci-fi/Fantasy Novella Review: Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky
As the voting period winds down, I am continuing my series of posts giving my ballot and reasoning for various Hugo Award categories. Back in the spring, I explored Best Short Story and Best Novelette; earlier this week, I examined Best Novella; and today, I’ll be looking at the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult… Continue reading 2021 Hugo Ballot: Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Novel
After months of reading, I’m finally ready to finalize my first Hugo Awards ballot for a category that isn’t meant for reading in a single sitting. And I have to say that after really enjoying the finalists for Best Short Story and Best Novelette, I found the Best Novella finalists to be a disappointing group.… Continue reading 2021 Hugo Ballot: Best Novella
This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reader Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Far from the Light of Heaven will be released on October 26, 2021. Earlier this year, I read my first book from Tade Thompson, the Nommo Award-winning Rosewater (full review). While it didn’t click… Continue reading Sci-fi Novel Review: Far from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson
Mary Robinette Kowal won a Hugo in 2019 with the excellent The Calculating Stars, an alternate history space race with plenty of hypercompetent women pressing against social prejudice (it spends more time on gender than race, but I’d recommend this for fans of Hidden Figures). But The Calculating Stars was itself a prequel to her… Continue reading Sci-fi Novel Review: The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal
