Raven Stratagem, by Yoon Ha Lee

Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am with many others in liking Raven Stratagem much better than Ninefox Gambit. It could be that I'm just a bit more used to his highly tongue-in-cheek style, but this book is just a lot more focused and less hinky. Granted, the ideas are still a stretch and it is challenging to read in places, but really it is better all the way through. I especially loved the ending, there's a definite sense of progress but he's got a lot of possible directions to take the series. Shuos Jedao is a character he can wring a lot of side stories out of. Calendrical technologies are still central to the story and not very clear, so I'm hoping he can do more with how calendar observances enable advanced technology. But this time he really centers the experiences of people in high places and lower ones trying to get by in an empire that is becoming increasingly dysfunctional. I was only mildly enthused about reading this one after Ninefox Gambit, but I'm definitely looking forward to the next one.


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Walkaway, by Cory Doctorow

Walkaway by Cory Doctorow

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a book of ideas, in some ways a throwback to older science fiction in that the ideas are front and center, and the characters are mostly mouthpieces for them. I do not think of this as a bad thing, and thoroughly enjoyed the book. It made me think all the way through. Yes, the premise is a bit contrived, that cheap fabrication and smart design render both ownership and expertise somewhat optional (though he has to take the latter back a bit in the second half of the book, as we get immortality and warfare). But he's not the first person to imagine post-scarcity communalism, the idea that we will have more than enough for everyone if we stop hoarding. I'm thinking of B. F. Skinner's Walden II. Yes it's preachy, because what you are getting is Doctorow's analysis of current events and a prediction about how it would go if a critical mass of people started to try some really radical solutions. It's possible he didn't spend enough time motivating the dystopia--the system has become even more transparently rigged than it is now, we have company towns and indenture making a comeback. My main critique would be that he set it too far in the future. We could be doing this in 30 years. Not a perfect novel, but the story often grabbed me so I think it worked.



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Come See the Living Dryad, by Theodora Goss

Come See the Living Dryad by Theodora Goss

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is one of those SF stories that justifies the name Speculative Fiction, rather than science fiction or fantasy. It's based on a real condition a real person, but not as depicted in the story. The back-and-forth between the present and the past is handled pretty well. I couldn't quite give it four stars just based on feeling--it feels sort of ephemeral or not quite satisfying, like a tasty broth without quite enough body. That's a pretty non-specific critique, but it's how I felt at the end. Overall it was a good read, and probably worth its nomination for a Locus award.



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Autonomous, by Annalee Newitz

Autonomous by Annalee Newitz

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Overall I liked this book, but I have to say that other reviewers have made me consider some problematic aspects of it. I'm not going to change my impression, but there's a lot to think about, and much of it is troubling.

As a novel, it's pretty sophisticated. We have four points of view--Jack the pharmaceutical pirate (with a submarine!), Eliaz the law enforcement agent with a twisted conscience, his partner bot Paladin, and Med the lab bot. All pretty well represented. The story flows along really well, and stays open right to the end.

The characters are troubling, sometimes within the story and sometimes because of how they are presented. Eliaz and Paladin are pretty cold blooded killers, even as they develop a sexual relationship. That's got its own issues, and offends some LGBT readers. I can see it. (view spoiler)[Paladin starts off as a He, because it is a combat robot with obvious weaponry and armor. Eliaz develops an attraction to it for exactly this reason. Eliaz later finds out that Paladin's human brain (something of an accessory) is female, and imposes the female pronoun on Paladin. Paladin goes along with this. We have an interesting exploration of Paladin's inner monologue on whether he (now she) has any choice but to go along. (hide spoiler)]

I believe that the author is trying to say some important things about gender and sexuality, but there's a more dominating aspect of the inevitability of social decay that makes the style actually get in the way of these points. This is very much a millennial voice--the best that the characters fighting a highly rigged system can hope for is a partial, temporary pushback. Corporatism crushes pretty much all of the relationship stories, and I believe this is deliberate.

Great as a library read. More problematic as a purchase, but I'm overall glad I read it. There's a lot going on.



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The Lamentation of Their Women, by Kai Ashante Wilson

The Lamentation of Their Women by Kai Ashante Wilson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


OK, so I'm not exactly sure what to say here. I think the Goodreads summary is misleading--the Devil never appears in the story, and it's the protagonist 'Nisha who tells us that the weapons in the story are from the Prince of Darkness (that phrase also does not appear). It's an extremely well written revenge fantasy, with the deliciousness of the violence front and center and the way the Devil will twist it and the price to be paid later in the background. Probably gets the Sad Puppies and the rest of the Fox News crowd all in a twist, but it was nominated for the Locus Award rather than the Hugo, so may not be on their radar. Good stuff, actually, in its horrific way--Wilson is making it as clear as he can how we got to where we are.



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