Novels and Hugo Thoughts
Just a couple today, then some quick thoughts on my Hugo reading so far.
Review: Starter Villain by John Scalzi
This book is vintage Scalzi. You pretty much know when you pick up a Scalzi what you’re going to get…and I know Scalzi fans got a kick out of this one.
I personally got a kick out of all the James Bond and classic spy fi references, but I have never quite managed to be a Scalzi fan.
After his uncle dies, our unfortunate protagonist is told he has to be a supervillain now…assisted by an uplifted cat (or two) and an aide. The cat is probably the best person in the book, by the way, and she’s a cat ;).
Okay, our protagonist isn’t a bad person, but he’s not a hero either.
Oh, and I got a kick out of the Marxist dolphins, too. Dolphins are kind of assholes, but Scalzi had way too much fun with just how these dolphins were assholes…
Recommended to fans of spy fi.
Review: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty
I have an unfair disappointment. Somehow I got the impression the protagonist of this novel was gay when she is, in fact, relentlessly heterosexual.
She is, however, the kind of female character who comes equipped with what are normally considered particularly masculine vices…she may be a recovered alcoholic, and she is a serial monogamist who insists on marrying her lovers because religion, but doesn’t have any objection whatsoever to a swift divorce once she tires of them.
And she’s a pirate. This story is in the tradition of the tales of Sinbad and the Arabian Nights, but written with a modern style and sensibility. And did I mention pirates.
I’m all for pirates. I’m even more for pirates in places other than the Caribbean, and this book explores the Indian Ocean at about the time of the crusades. Oh, and there’s only one named white character. The bad guy. (Not that there aren’t some other unpleasant individuals). Which makes sense, because most of the white guys likely to show up in that time and place would be crusaders…not exactly the most pleasant of people.
I also loved the fact that she invented a new artifact and used it in place of the honestly, at this point, rather tired Seal of Solomon.
And I’m always a fan of older protagonists too. So my disappointment is slight...this book has everything else I might want!
Recommended.
Hugo Thoughts So Far
So, I’ve actually got through all of best novel, which isn’t reflected in reviews because some of them were re-reads.
My pick: Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
My prediction: Translation State by Ann Leckie
All of them deserve to win. They can’t all win.
I’ve also got through novella.
My pick: Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher for a fantastic take on Sleeping Beauty.
My prediction: Rose/House by Arkady Martine. A science fiction classic haunted house story.
I was a little disappointed in both of the Chinese novellas, in a very similar way that leaves me inclined to think the problem is the translator.
Novelette, I think we have a standout and all of them deserved to win.
My pick: I Am AI by Ai Jiang
My prediction: I Am AI by Ai Jiang.
I could also maybe see “The Year Without Sunshine.” I Am AI is definitely going to win the Nebula, though.
Short fiction is the last category I’ve finished.
My pick: “Better Living Through Algorithms” by Naomi Kritzer
My prediction: How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub by P. Djeli Clark
Another great selection. My favorite out of the Chinese nominees in translation is “Tasting the Future Delicacy Three Times.” It’s a VR story. It’s almost horror. I bet it’s even better in the original
Unfortunately, I don’t read Mandarin, so I’m slightly stuck there!