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 …
Review – American Gods
American Gods By Neil Gaiman Published August 2017 (Del Rey) Score: 8/10 I started off 2018 with a big book that has been sitting on my shelf for way too long. American Gods won the 2002 Hugo for Best Novel and was partly chosen because of my goal of reading more Hugo winners, but …
Jayde Holmes 