Review: The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow

I recognized this book as Arthuriana within pages, even though the word “Arthur” never appears in its pages.

(I have to admit that I found the fact that the protagonist smokes “Lucky Stars” distracting. It and a few other bits of worldbuilding felt a little half-assed to be).

I also spent some time wondering why, if it was genderbent Arthuriana, Harrow had not simply written it as such. I suspect she wanted a bit more freedom.

Or, perhaps, when the queen turned out to be…well. Let’s just say, I do know some Arthuriana fans who would be mad.

All Arthuriana is fan fiction, though.

Harrow plays with gender in the characterization of Owen and Una (who’s real name is never revealed). Yes, they’re a man and a woman in a heterosexual relationship, but that doesn’t mean their gender is straightforward. Far from it. Owen is feminine and Una masculine, they change roles…and there might be a bit of kink in there too.

But like most of Harrow’s work this is, ultimately a fairy tale. It’s also a story of time travel, but not in the traditional sense. Everything is bound up in the yew tree. The narrative plays too…much of the book is written in second person, but the target is not the reader, but the other character. This is the kind of use of “you” that I like.

So, yes, I enjoyed it overall, even if “Lucky Stars” did annoy me out of all proportion (just call them cigarettes? I don’t know. I know what she was trying to invoke, but…)

The horse is also a fun character. If anyone’s wondering about his name, “Hen” means “hill” in Welsh, a quite appropriate name for a very large horse. Don’t know if that’s what Harrow was thinking, but it’s what I was thinking and it worked.

Recommended for people who understand that Arthuriana is, in fact, fan fiction.

I received a copy of this book for award consideration purposes.

Review: Old Man’s War by John Scalzi

Sometimes you just…don’t get around to reading a classic until somebody gives you an excuse. I kind of had Old Man’s War filed as a book I should read at some point, but with my to be read pile…

Then the series got nominated for a Hugo and I finally had my excuse.

I’m not generally huge on Scalzi. I actually agree that this is one of his better books, though. It’s military science fiction that leaves you questioning why the fight is even happening. We’re the bad guys. We’re definitely the bad guys.

The issue is that so are the people we’re fighting. There are no good guys in war, Scalzi seems to be saying. Maybe at the individual level, but our protagonist, John Perry, is a very human individual fighting for his squad mates.

And then there’s the conceit that they recruit 75-year-olds and transfer their consciousness to superhuman bodies. It makes a certain amount of sense.

But remember, we’re definitely the bad guys.

It’s also, yes, a love story, an odd one. Nature? Nurture? What’s in our DNA? Where does a soul rest? Scalzi asks all of these questions and more.

Definitely glad I got around to it.

I received a copy of this book for award consideration purposes.