The Moon and the Sun / Vonda N. McIntyre

 

3.25 out of 5 stars 

Book 25 of the 2025 Read Your Hoard Challenge

I like Vonda McIntyre’s writing and I could see why this novel won a Nebula award. It was crowded with ideas, many of which could be boiled down to who is recognized as fully human. The main character, Marie-Josephe de la Croix, is a woman from the Indies in the court of the Sun King Louis XIV. The stratigraphy of society could not be more clearer. His Highness is the ultimate authority—what he says goes, even if you are the Pope. Marie-Josephe is very low in the court hierarchy and she must fulfill the expectations of her sponsors if she is to survive there. She is an intelligent woman who prefers natural history, mathematics, or music to court life, and her time in a convent has left her naïve about the true nature of the courtiers who surround her.

When Marie-Josephe’s brother, Yves, returns to court with two sea monsters (one dead, one alive) it falls to her to feed and train the living specimen. His return also reunites Marie-Josephe with her Turkish slave, Odelette. While Marie-Josephe is made to feel her own unworthiness, she cannot help but acknowledge the intelligence and emotions of both Odelette and the sea creature. She is not comfortable with the court's dismissal of the basic rights of thinking beings.

This is alternate history, so there are many real historical figures represented here. McIntyre obviously did a ton of research to get the details of the period correct. Unfortunately, many of the people with titles have at least two names, their given names plus their titles. This can be a bit overwhelming in the beginning. It was an interesting idea, to introduce a mermaid-like person to the King's court and to set an innocent young woman in opposition to the most powerful man in Europe.

Nevertheless, from time to time I found the going difficult. Marie-Joseph could have been a bit more sophisticated in my opinion. Her completely misguided ideas about sex got tiresome quickly and they prevented her from effectively using what little influence she had. Still, I'm not unhappy to have read this book and will read more of McIntyre’s work eventually.

Silver and Lead / Seanan McGuire

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Nineteen books into this series and October Daye is still going strong! The character October (better known as Toby) has come a long way since the first volume, Rosemary and Rue. Toby has gained confidence in herself and her abilities. She has acquired a fleet of friends and a house full of chosen family. She has often regretted the rift between her eldest daughter, Gillian, and herself, as written in earlier installments, but she has happily housed and fed a coterie of teenagers who have become like her own. Now, she and her new husband Tybalt are welcoming another babe into their household.

At the book's beginning, Tybalt is stuck in overprotective mode. Mind you, he has reason, as Toby, who is after all a Hero of Faerie, tends to charge into action impulsively. In the opening chapter, Toby is trying to heed everyone else's desires to keep her safe, but feels like she is under house arrest and dying of boredom. When her Queen requests her assistance, Toby jumps at the chance to do something. But this is Toby we're talking about, so you know that things will go spectacularly wrong!

As always, I love McGuire's use of fairy lore and her alternative reality of Faerie anchored in the Western United States. (And that her squire, Quentin, is from a Canadian royal family.) Her “rules" are consistent, if very different from our own conventions and they make for interesting complications. While I may not be quite as enthusiastic about fantasy including Fae characters as I was five years ago, I still make room for Toby in my reading life because of the strength of McGuire's world building.

I don't know what McGuire's plans are for Toby and company, but there remain unanswered questions at this book's end, so I can plan reasonably surely to read at least one more volume in the future. No doubt Toby will be risking herself once more, to Tybalt's dismay. But who knows? Perhaps motherhood will temper her impulsive nature (not that I believe it will). I’ll anticipate the next book with pleasure.

They're All Named Poppy / Sarah L. Pratt

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Book 24 of the 2025 Read Your Hoard Challenge

I should state up front that Sarah Pratt is a friendly acquaintance of mine. She is the dungeon master of my mystery book club and we both attend a local writers conference each August. I had heard her read from this work on two occasions and bought it on that basis. I had the advantage of hearing her voice in my mind's ear as I read Poppy. Humour is a very personal taste, but I understand and appreciate Sarah's.

Dana is a pharmacist, but that seems to be secondary to her gravitational attraction for eccentric people. It soon becomes apparent that she has oddities of her own. Sarah produces a varied assortment of characters. Despite the brevity of this novella, I found them well described. There's Ben, the hypochondriac who frequents Dana's pharmacy. Then we meet Louise with a prosthetic foot and a belligerent attitude. And Porky, so called because he wears a tee shirt but no pants. He a nudist but sensitive about his belly. Eventually we meet Constable Ted Partridge who may complicate life for all of them.

As I said, Dana has her own kinks. She haunts a hookup app for serial one night stands. As soon as the deed is done, she barely has time to get dressed before she is compelled to get away. The descriptions of her carnal encounters were amusing, to say the least.

At one of the readings that I attended, Sarah told us a bit about the dream that started this writing project. I wish my subconscious was half so creative or that I could remember my dreams at all. Dream on, Sarah!

Ribbon Dance / Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

 

4.25 out of 5 stars 

Book 23 of the 2025 Read Your Hoard Challenge and Book number 539 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project

I adore the Liaden Universe. The characters are tough, smart, optimistic, and oh so polite! Master Trader Shan yos'Galen and his daughter, Trader Padi, have been sent by their Delm to establish new, profitable trade routes to replenish the family coffers. They have set up offices on the planet of Colemeno, one of the places which has recently re-emerged from the Dust. They suspect that permanence and profit are possible, but there will be a lot of work to be done to determine that.

On planet, they are faced with the Ambient, a condition on Colemeno which wears on those with Gifts. Gradually, they learn to eat frequently to replenish their energy. The ubiquity of cake moves from being a joke of the trade team to being a necessity. This is not their only obstacle—Colemeno has a segregated society, consisting of the Civilized (those with controlled psychic talent), the Haosa (wild talents), and those known as Deaf, who are vanilla humans with no psychic talent. Needless to say, wherever there are three chimpanzees or three humans, there are politics. Both the Civilized and the Deaf live in the city, under the Grid, protecting them from the full power of the Ambient.

Young Padi's Gifts shine too brightly to be clearly viewed and quantified. She has at least learned not to bottle them up, but she would much rather concentrate on trade. Colemeno may not allow her a choice, but has given her the comfort of a member of the Haosa as a possible life companion. Padi is part of the third generation of Clan Korval that these novels have encompassed and I find myself just as entranced as I was with their elders.

In her Afterword, Sharon Lee states her intention to continue to write, working with ideas that she and her partner Steve Miller had planned out before his death. His name will continue to grace the covers, as his contributions are part of the basis of the Universe. I follow Ms. Lee on social media and must confess that I look forward to future volumes with great pleasure.

The Year of the Flood / Margaret Atwood

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Book number 538 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project

I picked this up on the day before Margaret Atwood's 86th birthday. I have always enjoyed her take on the world, even if it's a dystopian one like this. Maybe especially if it's dystopian. I had just recently heard a radio interview she did while promoting her new memoir and the old gal is still feisty. (Former interviewers have advised to do your research, have your questions, but ignore that script and follow where Atwood leads you. Never assume that you'll be driving the car.)

In this novel, we get to know God's Gardeners from the inside. Toby is rescued by them at the behest of one of her former coworkers and feels obliged to be useful and to try her best. Much to her surprise, Toby rises to the top tier of this organization. At this point, she discovers that the Gardeners are more than just gentle, earnest environmentalists. I wonder if members of environmental organizations in our world have similar realizations as they become more involved? I have always felt, from my experience volunteering for environmental causes, that the movement has the devotion of a religion. Not a bad thing, just an observation as a part-time acolyte.

Atwood has created an uncannily real-feeling cult for her post-apocalyptic world. Of course the elders are referred to as Adams and Eves. In my opinion, Atwood is a keen observer of human behaviour. She writes her characters with all the foibles that we are liable to display. There's Zeb, the Gardener who still enjoys eating meat and going on missions into the pleeblands. There's also Burt the Knob who is known for grabbing the young women and ends up arrested for running a cannabis grow-op under the Gardeners' noses. The young men who drink the discarded booze they find instead of bringing it to the vinegar workshop. And yet, the Gardeners mostly manage to live a life of restraint, living lightly on the planet, following vegan diets, and upcycling what others throw away.

I think Atwood's childhood spent in the Canadian wilderness with her entomologist father provides a basis for her obvious love of science and keeping abreast of the latest research. One of the reasons that she has resisted the label of science fiction is because she states that everything she writes is possible with current technology and, in her mind, sci fi involves currently impossible things. She seems more comfortable with the term speculative fiction to describe her work. I think she is just basically resistant to being labelled in general. Her insistence on sticking to real world technology and events often makes her novels appear prophetic.

Atwood's talent as a poet is displayed in the hymns that she showcases at the beginning of each section of the book. I loved their natural history references and commentary on human society. In this world the corporations have taken over the power positions (at least until the Dry Flood). It is reminiscent of C.J. Cherryh's Company Wars series or the ruthless corporates of Martha Wells’ Murderbot. In short, there's a lot going on plus lots to think about with the many layers built into the tale.

”Let us forgive the killers of the Elephant, and the exterminators of the Tiger; and those that slaughtered the Bear for its gall bladder, and the Shark for its cartilage, and the Rhinoceros for its horn. May we forgive them freely, as we may hope to be forgiven by God, who holds our frail Cosmos in His hand, and keeps it safe through His endless Love.”

The Treasure Hunters Club / Tom Ryan

 

3.5 out of 5 stars 

The beginning of this book is a new twist on the old gothic mystery. Usually it's a young woman, down on her luck and with only grasping relatives, who inherits a big old house and finds herself in the middle of a dangerous mystery. Tom Ryan flips the script by placing Peter Barnett, a gay man, in the traditionally female role. He is contacted by a woman claiming to be his grandmother and urged to come join her in Maple Bay, Nova Scotia. Will he leave his dirty, shared apartment and dismal call centre job to go live in a mansion? You bet!

This would have been a perfect Nova Scotia book for my summer Murder Across Canada project. Maple Bay is a typical small Canadian town. There are beloved small businesses, there's a hierarchy of influential people, there's a gossip hotline, and there's history, both of the town and personal. I really liked the multi-generational nature of the cast of characters. Ranging in age from 15 year old Dandy to Mirabel in her 90s and several folks in between. It reminded me of the rural community that I grew up in, knowing people of all ages.

One bouquet and one quibble. I was completely sold on the red herrings that Ryan designed into the plot. I wasn't sure which of two or three people it was, but I ignored all other clues. Well done. But. But. I didn't think anyone could have solved the mystery. The solution came out of left field. I kind of enjoyed it, but I didn't feel like I'd been treated fairly. I would have to carefully reread the entire novel to fairly evaluate my feelings, which I won't be doing. But I will be going to book club to discuss it and I am sure there will be opinions on the matter!

The House on Watch Hill / Karen Marie Moning

 

3 out of 5 stars 

I was unsure what to expect of this novel. Years ago I read the first five books of Moning's Fever series and had very conflicting feelings about them. The main character, MacKayla, started out shallow and fluffy, but keep maturing and growing as the books progressed. I came to like her. However her love interest, Barrons, was a jerk. Moning perhaps meant for him to be an “alpha" but he turned out to be what I consider to be an insufferable ass. So I approached this novel with caution.

A couple of aspects of this novel remind me of those previous books. Like MacKayla, Zo Grey has a powerful heritage and she has been kept in complete ignorance of its ramifications. This is not unusual in urban fantasy, but Moning really leans into it. Zo is a bomb walking around the town of Divinity. Secondly, her “mentor", Mr. Balfour, is an older male lawyer who is bound by the arcane provisions of the will of Zo's predecessor, Juniper Cameron. So, just like Barrons in the Fever books, Balfour doesn't answer questions and then gets annoyed when Zo screws up. How can she avoid making mistakes when she knows nothing about witchcraft and no one will spill the tea?

That said, Zo has very little judgment. Yes, her mother spent a lot of energy suppressing Zo's talent and emotions, but once free of that influence Zo makes very little effort to control herself. I know how difficult it is to take advice on trust. I'm sure I would be antsy to get on with my education too, but Zo doesn't seem very good at seeing any point of view but her own. Her best friend Este tries her damnedest to give Zo useful information, so why does Zo refuse to read the notes that Este and her mother wrote especially for her? She claims to want knowledge but she won't apply herself. When the stakes are so high why is she unable to contain herself for two weeks?

Well, of course the answer to that conundrum is that sensible Zo would not provide the dramatic tension that wildly impulsive Zo does. And the book ends on an uber dramatic cliffhanger. I do have to admire the surprise involved in the ending. I have to admit that I really don't want to read the next book and that despite that I may find myself with it in my hand some day. I have no idea how to rate this thing. 3 frustrated stars.

Accomplice to the Villain

 

3.25 out of 5 stars 

Cute, campy fun. I'd say fluffy, but Fluffy is the dragon. The author takes all the romance and high fantasy tropes and exaggerates them to ridiculous proportions, very amusing if you're into that kind of thing. I know I didn't plan to read any further in this series, but my library acquired this book three and I found myself hitting the “place hold" button against my better judgement.

There is plenty of family drama, the kingdom still needs saving, Prince Alexander Kingsley is still a frog, and Evie and Trystan are still gazing longingly at each other. In this book, though, they are not alone in their pining. Maehrer is setting up couples among many of the Villain's inner circle. So there's plenty of love in the air and it's distracting people from more important matters. Or maybe vice versa.

The pace is rather frantic, as befits a farce. Evie and Trystan don't have much free time to agonize over their relationship status, but they somehow manage to multitask—stage rescues while admiring one another, for example. Maehrer gives the whole set up a firm twist in the final chapters, turning my ideas of where things were going on their head. Apparently she has one more volume planned, but as she states in the last line: “You never know with these nincompoops.”

Nemesis / Agatha Christie

 

3.75 out of 5 stars 

I would recommend reading A Caribbean Mystery before tackling Nemesis. In the former, Miss Marple makes the acquaintance of a very rich man, Mr. Rafiel. Far from the people who know her reputation, Miss M must prevail on Rafiel to help her prevent a murder, as everyone listens to a rich man. Now, in this novel, Mr. Rafiel has succumbed to his health problems and has left Jane Marple some money in his will if she will take on a problem for him.

Things progress slowly in the beginning, as Rafiel gives no details of the matter in his final letter to Jane and she flounders a bit as she tries to find a string to pull on to find out what she is meant to investigate. She artfully arranges a meeting with Rafiel's former secretary which leads nowhere. Just as Jane is getting resigned to failure, she is contacted by a tour company with news of a ticket booked for her by her benefactor. Despite her physical limitations (which she is willing to exaggerate if necessary), Jane packs her bag and gets on the tour bus.

Without any written instructions, Rafiel aims her at his last problem and, from beyond the grave, sends people to intercept and assist her along the way. For once, I was on the correct track with my reasoning! It was fun to watch the plot unfold and watch the people around Jane realize who they are dealing with—a woman who hides her sharp observations under fluffy pink wool.

I really wish Christie had devoted more books to Miss Marple. Don't get me wrong, I also love Ariadne Oliver and if you want her you must also take Hercule Poirot. Tommy and Tuppence are fun too, but Miss Jane Marple is my absolute favourite Christie character.

Blackout / Mira Grant

 

3.5 out of 5 stars 

Book number 537 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project

Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire, what were your parents like? I have to wonder, after the depiction of Shaun and Georgia’s adoptive parents, the Masons, in this trilogy plus the many dysfunctional families in your Wayward Children series.

As zombie stories go, I like this series better than most. The science felt believable, like something that could actually happen. I suppose conspiracy theories are the bane of our times. Everyone seems to be suspicious of everything nowadays. I’m a little fatigued with those assumptions, for the record. The ironic part is that I’m pretty sure that, under the current American administration, I don’t trust anything coming from the CDC. It’s like reality has started to imitate fiction and not in a good way.

The biggest suspension of disbelief required in this third volume is Georgia Mason’s resurrection as Clone 7c. That was quite the bolus to swallow, but Grant managed to sell it to me. Once convinced, I was ready to roll with it, just as Shaun was. I was somewhat taken aback when the nature of Shaun and Georgia’s relationship emerged. (It reminded me strongly of Charlaine Harris’ Harper Connelly series.)

I liked part of the ending a lot. Mahir is back in his very civilised UK, cuddling his sweet little daughter and threatening to turn his wife loose on persistent phone calls from journalists. Perfect for the foreign civilian on the Mason team. I was a little less happy with the assumption that everything in the United States was going to work out eventually and that the people in charge could be relied on. Grant shut down the novel quickly at that point, leaving readers to hope that it’s true. Someone recently told me that American readers demand that everything tie up in a neat bow at the end of a book or series. So perhaps it’s my non-Americanness that leads me to seeing many uncertainties in the final pages.

I admit to preferring the author’s Seanan McGuire books to her Mira Grant offerings. I’ll be heading back to October Daye now!

Automatic Noodle / Annalee Newitz

 

4.24 out of 5 stars 

This book grabbed me on the very first page! I loved the vibes of both Murderbot and Legends & Lattes that I picked up. The uncertain state of intelligent machines in California society made me think of Martha Wells' creation, as did the group chats among the bots. The despair felt by Hands and the reluctance of Staybehind also reminded me of Murderbot and Art. The desire of Hands and Cayenne to make, sell, and benefit from delicious food recalled Viv's coffee shop in Baldree's novel.

Most of all I loved the “all for one and one for all" nature of the bots' relationship. Just like my favourite urban fantasy novels, it's about friendship and found family. If bots can have emotions, there's nothing preventing them from feeling affection (or, unfortunately, anxiety). They may start out catering to human tastes, but they find ways to include their bot brethren in their ventures, too.

In short, I loved this warm little novella and I have noticed at least one other title by this author that I'd like to peruse. Now I must go look for a spicy noodle recipe!

Replaceable You / Mary Roach

 

4 out of 5 stars 

In my opinion, this is a slightly less entertaining book by Mary Roach. She still glories in the oddities of her chosen subject, but there seem to be fewer occasions for it. I was pleased to learn that Roach has a friend, Steph, who seems to be willing to drop everything and fly to Tbilisi to attempt to interview a surgeon who has used a cancer patient's finger to replace his penis. Steph makes smart-alec comments just like Mary. Everyone needs a friend like this.

Roach is so much more adventurous than I. I find myself wishing that I had her chutzpah. She interviews surgeons, witnesses their procedures, learns about entubation with an anesthesiologist, gets in an iron lung to experience what a polio victim did, treks to Mongolia with an ophthalmic team, and visits a practitioner in Mexico who does butt lifts, among other activities.

Having finished the book, I must confess that I am confirmed in my aversion to ever undergoing another surgery. I am profoundly thankful for the procedures I have benefited from, but I will have to do some serious forgetting before willingly having a joint replacement, despite my gimpy knee. If I never go under anesthetic again, it will be too soon. I discovered that I am more squeamish than I believed about surgery. I've undergone cataract surgery and bless it, but reading about it was difficult. The description of cosmetic surgery, including breast implants, was distressing for two reasons: the blatant disregard for women's health and comfort; and the also blatant assumptions of the male surgeons deciding what is attractive and/or necessary for their female patients. Roach spent time with a surgeon who performs transgender surgeries and who seemed to belong to a minority of doctors who actually asked the client what they wanted and then believed them. For example, when a trans woman tells you that she won't be needing a functional vagina, there's no reason to spend time and resources to create one.

The footnotes along the way are worth the price of admission. Roach is a magpie with an eye for a shiny fact and she remembers very obscure details. I can't imagine how she spends her spare time, but I like to imagine that she reads esoteric journals and rare books. I also am heartened by the number of researchers and physicians who are willing to take time out of their schedules to answer questions, discuss theories, lead tours, and speculate about the future. Their bravery to share their expertise is inspiring.

I maintain my stance that I would love to have coffee with Ms. Roach. I know this is an impossible wish, but boy would it be fun.

Secondhand Spirits / Juliet Blackwood

 

3.5 out of 5 stars 

I forget how this novel came to my attention, but it's been lingering on my TBR since 2021. This was a cozy witchy mystery which should have suited me perfectly, but somehow missed the bull’s eye. I have an uneasy relationship with cozies to begin with--there's such a wide range in writing skill in this genre. Blackwell is a decent writer, so I had no desire to put the book aside, but it suffered by comparison with the romantasy that I finished just before this book.

I felt like I was getting mixed signals about who Lily was. Was she an incompletely trained talent or was she a powerful practitioner? Is it possible to be both? Why, as a newcomer, was she immediately willing to stick her nose into the middle of things before building some good will? By halfway through the book, I realized that this was the big issue for Lily, to learn to make friends, accept help, and allow people into her life. Once I grasped this, I was much more comfortable with the story.

As a result, I wouldn't be opposed to reading further in the series, but it will have wait. I have other fish to fry right now.

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy / Brigitte Knightley

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Ms. Knightley’s author blurb describes her novels as “enemies-to-lovers romances that put the unresolved back in Unresolved Sexual Tension. Her work is enjoyed by fans of slow burns, tongue-in-cheek rom-coms, and suffering.”

This pretty much perfectly describes what I am looking for in a romance novel. Her sense of humour is just ideal for me as well. It is great fun to watch assassin Osric deal with goody two shoes Aurienne during the course of the story. Osric's seith, his magical ability, is malfunctioning and Aurienne is the most talented seith healer in her Order. Osric has decided to bribe or kidnap only the best.

Regular healing has no cures for Osric's disease, but he has heard of a suggestion that Aurienne made as an undergraduate about Old Magic ways of doing things. She tries dutifully to explain that there is no proof of such things and that she no longer believes in their usefulness. Osric, facing death, is willing to try anything and twists her arm. This begins a series of surreptitious meetings and travels where the two snipe at each other. It was highly entertaining.

I love the series title, Dearly Beloathed. Very little is resolved by the end of this first volume and I devoutly hope that my library acquires the second book next year. In tone, it reminds me a lot of Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer, although it is slightly more adult in tone. Each magic practitioner has a Deofol, a spiritual familiar that can be sent on errands. They resembled the Daemons of Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass. All in all, it was funny and engaging.