Books: Ninefox Gambit, Winged Histories, Giant Days 1

John Allison and Lissa Treiman — Giant Days, Volume 1 (comics)

(colors by Whitney Cogar, lettering by Jim Campbell)

Jan 10

As of volume 1, I think this series is still finding its feet, but it's still pretty good! A cute li'l comic about college kids being friends. Treiman's art is delish, all lanky and fulla sleepy flourishes and twirls. Shout-out also to Cogar's colors, which are Correct.

Each of Allison's Tackleford-universe series seems to have its own slightly different set of rules for what constitutes reality. This one is closest to Bobbins, with nothing particularly supernatural going on.

So far I prefer Bad Machinery, but it's new John Allison, obviously I'll read it.

Sofia Samatar — The Winged Histories

Jan 18

An obstinate, strange book. I loved it.

In a way, it's several books. One of them was almost like a more sympathetic (and thus more horrific) portrait of Vorbis from Terry Pratchett's Small Gods. Another one was a lover's quarrel, or a season's worth of quarrels digested into song. Every one of them holds things back, elides things, refuses.

You should probably read A Stranger in Olondria first, although I don't know that I can properly call this a sequel.

There's a certain family resemblance to Laurie J. Marks' Elemental Logic books, although I think they have different strategies for traversing the same desert.

Hey, what's your take: Did Siski have control over her own segment's narration? I thought she hadn't, and was troubled by it, but now I'm rethinking whether that dissociated voice could have been hers after all.

Yoon Ha Lee — Ninefox Gambit

Jan 25

Holy crow, this book was the best kind of bugfuck bonkers. A military space opera in a setting where state-of-the-art tech and weapons are based on "exotic effects" (read: anti-physics) derived from your society's calendar system? What??? Also, wild-ass premises aside, this is a real solid military siege thriller, with memorable characters and page-turning pacing.

Basically, this book has everything I read Yoon Ha Lee stories for, but with the amplitude cranked way up past the safety limits. I loved it. If you haven't been prepared by Lee's short fiction, hoo boy, you're in for a treat. >:]