I was thinking earlier this year that maybe I should cover other awards, after all, the Hugos aren't everything. But doing both the regular and retro Hugos this year has shown me why that is not a good idea; there is so much to review, and so many other things to read. Thankfully all the …
Author: Jayde Holmes
Review – The Uninvited
The Uninvited By Dorothy Macardle Published 1942 Score: 9/10 A ghost story set in England during the 1940s. It read like a period drama and as I started reading I really did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. The writing is beautifully descriptive, the characters are amazing people to go …
Reviews: The Collapsing Empire and Six Wakes
The Collapsing Empire and Six Wakes Finished the two Hugo Nominees I haven't reviewed yet. I'd been meaning to read both of them earlier, but The Collapsing Empire I never got around to, and Six Wakes seems to have not made it to my country yet. Couldn't find it on the Australian Kindle store or in Australian shops. I …
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Review – Beyond This Horizon
Beyond This Horizon By Robert A. Heinlein (Writing as Anson McDonald) Published 1942 Score: 6.5 I’m still thinking about how I feel about this one. I have read Heinlein years ago and enjoyed stories like Time Enough for Love, Job: A Comedy of Justice, and Stranger in a Strange Land but the last Heinlein …
Review – The Darkness and the Light
The Darkness and the Light By Olaf Stapledon Published 1942 Score: 8 I’ll be reading the Retro Hugos this year. Or at least, all the ones I can find. Let’s start with The Darkness and the Light, an examination of two futures for humanity: one a utopia that has enough issues to remain interesting, …
Review – Nova
Nova By Samuel R. Delany Published January 1968 (Doubleday) Score: 9.5/10 Wow, I knew this book would be a fun read, but I didn’t realise I would be coming across a hidden gem. If I had done some research I would have known what I was reading. Algis Budrys once said: “Samuel R. Delany, …
The Left Hand of Darkness + The Wind’s Twelve Quarters Vol. 2
The Left Hand of Darkness By Ursula K. Le Guin Published 1969 Score: 9/10 Alright, now I understand why Ursula K Le Guin was such a giant in the field. The Left Hand of Darkness isn’t the first thing I’ve read by her, but this is the novel that made me go ‘ahh, I …
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Hugo 2018 and Retro Hugo 1943 Finalists Announced
I am excited to report that the finalists for this year’s Hugo and Retro Hugo Awards have been announced. Yes, I will actually look into the Retro Hugos this year. I think I’ll have time. For a full list of Finalists for 2018, see here (and the 1943 finalists can be found here I’ll be …
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Review – Frankenstein in Baghdad
Frankenstein in Baghdad By Ahmed Saadawi English Translation Published January 2018 (Penguin) (original March 2013) Score: 6.5/10 I’m still trying to decide how I feel about this one. Frankenstein in Baghdad feels a lot more like literary fiction than genre fiction, and has won the International Prize for Arab Fiction. It is exactly what …
Keeping Busy
So, there is an embroidery machine in my house at the moment. My partner borrowed it from a friend to make Monster Hunter-related patches. The monster designs are still a work in progress, but whilst he was working out how to work the machine he asked me if there were any designs I would like …
Jayde Holmes 