jay wants to read The Incandescent by Emily Tesh
"Look at you, eating magic like you're one of us."
Doctor Walden is the …
Reviews and Comments
Contains brainfog. I admire people who have a clear definition for what each number of stars means, but I give them out purely intuitively.
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jay wants to read The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein
The Steerswoman is the first novel in the Steerswoman series. Steerswomen, and a very few …
jay reviewed Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie (Imperial Radch, #2)
Seeking atonement for past crimes, Breq takes on a mission as captain of a troublesome …
Ancillary Sword
3 stars
I found this a bit weaker than the first. Maybe because as a middle book in a series, the plot resolution wasn't as satisfying as in the first. Still, suspense and pacing were good.
Also I found the critique of colonialism a bit too on the nose, and even going wrong sometimes.
(I wish I had more to say about it, but I listened to this on low spoons/bad brain days.)
I found this a bit weaker than the first. Maybe because as a middle book in a series, the plot resolution wasn't as satisfying as in the first. Still, suspense and pacing were good.
Also I found the critique of colonialism a bit too on the nose, and even going wrong sometimes.
(I wish I had more to say about it, but I listened to this on low spoons/bad brain days.)
jay reviewed Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing …
Ancillary Justice, some meta
4 stars
The transhumanism treatment was interesting and well done, might have carried the book for me more than the plot even.
A year and change ago, reading the Terra Ignota tetralogy, watching Foundation S1 and reading the Teixcalaan duology got me really fed up with reading about empires and emperors and the equivalence of both. I was happy to discover that, even though it does have an empire and an emperor in important roles, this book didn't hit the same notes at all.
(I'd like to have more to say about it, but I listened to this and the sequel on low spoons/bad brain days.)
The transhumanism treatment was interesting and well done, might have carried the book for me more than the plot even.
A year and change ago, reading the Terra Ignota tetralogy, watching Foundation S1 and reading the Teixcalaan duology got me really fed up with reading about empires and emperors and the equivalence of both. I was happy to discover that, even though it does have an empire and an emperor in important roles, this book didn't hit the same notes at all.
(I'd like to have more to say about it, but I listened to this and the sequel on low spoons/bad brain days.)
jay wants to read Bite back! by Lia Becker
Queere und trans Stimmen fehlen in aktuellen linken Diskussionen über Klasse und Identität, in Diskussionen …
jay reviewed Fantastic erotica by Cecilia Tan
Fantastic Erotica
4 stars
Some real gems in there. For example the one by N.K. Jemisin.
jay wants to read Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky
They looked into the darkness and the darkness looked back…
New planets are fair …
jay wants to read Die wahre Geschichte der Germanen by Karl Banghard
Vom Varusgate zum Gotensturm – ein germanisches Roadmovie
Noch immer gelten die Germanen vielen …
jay wants to read Cinder House by Freya Marske
Sparks fly and lovers dance in this gorgeous, yearning Cinderella retelling from bestselling author Freya …
jay commented on The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal (Lady Astronaut, #1)
On a cold spring night in 1952, a huge meteorite fell to Earth and obliterated …
jay wants to read Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
Stories of Your Life and Others is a collection of short stories by American writer …
My sister lent this to me (in German). Probably going to read it soon, I enjoyed reading a physical book for a change with The mercy of gods.
jay reviewed Orsinian Tales by Ursula K. Le Guin
An die Musik
4 stars
jay wants to read Dinosaurs by Darren Naish
Darren Naish: Dinosaurs (2016)
Dinosaurs are one of the most spectacular groups of animals that have ever existed. Many …
jay reviewed A Season of Monstrous Conceptions by Lina Rather
Lina Rather's A Season of Monstrous Conceptions is an eldritch historical fantasy of midwifery, monstrosity, …
A Season of Monstrous Conceptions
5 stars
Novellas are inherently short on characterizaton, but in my opinion the characterizaton of London/English lilfe of this time is well done here, it made quite the impression. I also really liked the descriptions of the supernatural happenings; concise and impressive always, grand and awe-inspiring where appropriate.
(I started it in the afternoon and stayed up very late to finish it.)
September 2025 #SFFBookClub