Critiques et Commentaires

First a disclaimer: at this point I think a Becky Chambers book would have to be pretty terrible to get a bad review from me.

This is very clearly a novella, and continues Chamber's trend away from plot driven fiction as seen in the later Wayfarer books. So, not much happens, but deep themes are explored.

The solarpunk aspect has been remarked elsewhere, but I didn't expect was how much it seemed like a reflection on the (privileged) human condition. As a fellow privileged human, I recognized some of Sibling Dex's disquiet.

It's a solid enough adventure story, and queer positive (which maybe I've become a little blasé about, but could make it very affirming for the right young adult). On the other hand the world of Expanse + Spells didn't really grab me. Maybe that's just me, but I want to be lied to a little bit, and have your magic pretend to be weird science.

Cassie Maddox is sucked back into undercover work by the freakish coincidence of a murder victim that looks just like her. Most of the book is Cassie impersonating the victim to her housemates. There is lots of interesting characterization of Cassie, the housemates, and the victim.

While "Into the woods" kindof sucker-punched me with the ending, this was less traumatic. The ending of this book is a bit more conventional (even using some police procedural trope, slightly twisted).

You should definitely read "Into the woods first", this book references it quite often. It does switch points of view a bit startlingly compared to the previous book.

Although these days I don't read many graphical novels, because they are not great on a phone, and not audiobooks. (Not gen-Z, just play one on the internet)

I've stalled a bit reading this book, I think because it is almost too suspenseful, and I haven't been in the right mood. Likeable characters making bad choices, and waiting for the consequences...

Still thinking about magic as a plot device in space opera. It does allow characters to act directly on other humans in fairly arbitrary ways without some technobabble back story like "she hacked my implants". It also seems to provide a crude kind of character shorthand (like character class in a role playing game). I guess the success of stories like Star Wars has proven that there is an audience for sword and sorcery novels set in the future.

It's sucking me in. Hopefully it isn't going to punch me in the gut as bad as the previous one.

Oops. Another magic+technology book. Not sure that's my thing.

Good, although maybe closer to Douglas Adams / Gaiman-Pratchett than Becky Chambers.

I thought I had read this, but actually I read book 2, "Vera Kelly is not a mystery". The latter I found worth the $5 I paid for the audiobook.

Based on reading "The prey of gods" a while ago.

The first three books definitely need a fourth to resolve the plot.

I read the first 3 books back to back while traveling. They are fun, although the central romance seems not completely healthy to me.

Read it directly after tram car 105, so I must have been impressed.