Book #150 of 2017: The Name of God is Mercy by Pope Francis A short but powerful tract from Pope Francis on the merciful aspect of God’s nature, especially as interpreted through Catholic doctrine. His Holiness explains, with citations to scripture and centuries of church scholarship, how God is eternally forgiving of people’s shortcomings and …
Continue reading “Book Review: The Name of God is Mercy by Pope Francis”
Book #265 of 2017: Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft (The Books of Babel #1) There are some definite rough spots in this steampunk Tower of Babel story, but I like how its protagonist steadily grows from a fussy schoolteacher into someone braver and more capable over the course of the novel. The Tower itself is …
Continue reading “Book Review: Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft”
Book #264 of 2017: Doctor Who: The Legends of Ashildr by James Goss, David Llewellyn, Jenny T. Colgan, and Justin Richards Four generally unrelated short stories about the immortal Doctor Who character memorably played by Maisie Williams in 2015, all set between her first two appearances there (The Girl Who Died and The Woman Who …
Book #263 of 2017: New Boy by Tracy Chevalier Othello is my favorite Shakespeare play, and I love the idea of retelling its story in a 1970s schoolyard. The new setting leaps off the page, as the son of a Ghanaian diplomat newly posted to Washington, D.C. joins an otherwise all-white sixth grade class and …
Book #262 of 2017: Binti by Nnedi Okorafor (Binti #1) There are not enough black heroines in science fiction, and Binti is a welcome addition to their ranks. I especially liked how her people’s cultural traditions played an integral role in this character’s journey, and how she ended up as something of an alien ambassador …
Book #261 of 2017: Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff Jim Crow was a time of horror for black Americans, which makes it a natural fit for this novel about an extended black family coming up against the sorts of cosmic nightmares written about by H.P. Lovecraft. (Lovecraft himself was also an infamous racist, so there’s …
Continue reading “Book Review: Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff”
Book #260 of 2017: The Waste Lands by Stephen King (The Dark Tower #3) This third book in my reread of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series is just as great as I had remembered. If Book 1 mostly serves to introduce the weird world of this story, and Book 2 serves to recruit the supporting …
Continue reading “Book Review: The Waste Lands by Stephen King”
Book #259 of 2017: Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold (Vorkosigan Saga #1) This space opera skewed a little close to a romance novel, which is not really my genre of choice. (Two enemy soldiers essentially fall in love at first sight, with the protagonist feeling overcome by her counterpart’s rugged manliness.) If you …
Continue reading “Book Review: Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold”
Book #258 of 2017: How to Set a Fire and Why by Jesse Ball The troubled teenage anarchist (and budding arsonist) at the heart of this story got under my skin in the best way. She’s so well-drawn in her roughness and her vulnerabilities, with her darkly biting perspective on life immediately distinctive and unforgettable. …
Continue reading “Book Review: How to Set a Fire and Why by Jesse Ball”
Book #257 of 2017: Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (Southern Reach #1) This was an unsettling sci-fi tale of delirium and paranoia, but there was a bit too much unresolved ambiguity for me to truly love it. The narrator is exploring an environment that’s known to warp perception and impede clear thinking, and that’s even before …
Continue reading “Book Review: Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer”
The Lesser Joke: book reviews and more