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Review of _Code and Codex_ by Yoon Ha Lee

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Image from Simon and Schuster  If you loved Ninefox Gambit , you might enjoy Code and Codex . Instead of reality being manipulated by calendars, reality here is manipulated by language (which is an interesting metaphor). I actually like the way the book moves back and forth between the past and the present, and I like the narrator's voice, when we actually see it.  Valentina, who was purchased from her parents as a companion for Aurelia, is a trusted retainer of now Emperor Aurelia. An interesting aspect of Valentina is that, for some reason, and by some unexplained method, Valentina changes biological sex according to Aurelia's whim. There is no notable change in Valentina's character when this happens: neither voice nor actions change. Granted that I am looking at this through the lens of a 21st century American woman, but it seems that the experience of being a man or a woman would change *something*. Like Ninefox Gambit , Code and Codex  features a very old and except...
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Review of _As You Wake, Break the Shell_ by Becky Chambers

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Cover image of As You Wake, Break the Shell  As You Wake, Break the Shell is very much a Becky Chambers book. I've read many of here books, with my favorite being the Monk & Robot series. I always appreciate Chambers' world building and the gentle, sympathetic way that she develops her characters. I very much enjoyed the non-linear storytelling and the characters. I do wish some of the plot had been more developed.  Rating: 4/5 
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Review: Daggerbound by T. Kingfisher

I've enjoyed everything I've ever read by T. Kingfisher, and Daggerbound was no exception. This book, like Swordheart , features a warrior trapped inside a weapon. This weapon is found by a monk who is rethinking his vocation, but is finishing one last mission. Instead of completing his mission, though, he finds a warrior who needs his help. Unlike some cozy romances, this one is sweet, but not cloying, and avoids a lot of the toxic behavior I see in other romances. I liked it a lot. Is it her best? No. It is not Nettle and Bone, but it is a lot of fun that doesn't take too much work.  4 stars
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Death of the Author by Okorafor

Discussion Questions for  Death of the Author  by Okorafor Characters:  Zelu Chinvere Msizi Ankara    Discussion questions focused on the first half of Nnedi Okorafor’s Death of the Author , diving into themes of disability, technology, Africanfuturism, and authorial agency. I. Body, Disability, and the Act of Creation 1. The Physical Cost of Art: How does Zelu's experience with physical disability and pain shape her drive to write? How does the novel portray the physical and emotional toll that storytelling takes on her body in the opening chapters? 2. Assistive Technology as an Extension of Self: How does the text frame the technology (e.g., neural/dictation tools, assistive interfaces) Zelu/Ankara use to write? Is technology presented purely as an empowering tool, or does it carry an underlying friction? 3. Physical Space vs. Mind Space: In the first half, how does the contrast between the protagonist’s physical confinement/limitations and the expansive n...
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Review: The Tinder Box by M. R. Carey

 I love M.R. Carey's writing, but this one kind of misses the mark for me. It is a retelling of the fairy tale "The Tinder Box." Mag, a soldier whose wounds have sent him home, goes to work for a widow, Jannae Mirchella. Mag discovers that Jannae is no ordinary widow when a demon falls from the sky and she badgers him to empty the demon's pockets. As directed, Mag hands over MOST of the artifacts from the body of the demon, but he keeps one item for himself-- a magical tinderbox that grants wishes. Jannae, as one might imagine, is most distressed by Mag's duplicity.   
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Review: Everybody's Perfect by Jo Walton

 Each chapter in Jo Walton's Everybody's Perfect is told from a different perspective. Some of the events overlap and some are unique to the teller.  The setting is Venice, but not the Venice we know. Instead, this Venice is connected to the Serenissima, which serves as a way station and a connector between worlds. Here, we meet Tiry, a laborer who has an incurable skin condition that is treated (but not cured) via magic that is dispensed at a support group. The action begins when Tiry dreams that Serenissima will soon have an administrator (called a doge) who will marry the sea. Each teller encounters this information and does something different with it. The way Walton tells the story forces the reader to think about what "truth" means and how that truth varies according to who holds it. 
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Review: Radient Star by Ann Leckie

Set in the Imperial Radch universe, Radiant Star by Ann Leckie does not disappoint. The Imperial Radch have sent a new governor to  Aaa. And right after that, trade was cut off due to other conflicts. So we begin with a society in disarray. And in this society, there are two major religious factions that overlap, but each thinks they have the correct way of viewing the world. The conflict between the religious factions and the Radch and the residents of Ooioiaa, the capital of Aaa are the driving forces of the novel. But set against this backdrop, we have Jonr, the son of one of the important persons in one of the factions. Jonr was supposed to have been sent to a far off world to work, but was instead placed into suspended animation. In the time the novel is set, Jonr has been in suspended animation for 30 years, but is now awakened. I know this sounds complex, and it is, but the threads all end up working together and this novel is top-notch.   
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