Book Review: The Book of Phoenix

The Book of Phoenix by Nnedi Okorafor

Who Fears Death Prequel

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Book of Phoenix is the prequel to Nnedi Okorafor's World Fantasy Award-winning novel,  Who Fears Death.


Rarely do I read a prequel that surpasses the novel, but that is exactly what Nnedi Okorafor has done with The Book of Phoenix. This book is magical, it is a story tellers story.






Details:
Series: Who Fears Death
Published May 5th 2015 by DAW


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Nnedi Okorafor

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2013 Nebula Nominees Announced

Women Authors of Science Fiction and Fantasy Swept the Fiction Awards this year.

All of the fiction awards for 2013 were awarded to amazing women authors of Fantasy and Science Fiction. The Nebula Awards have for several years recognized women and authors of color. It is a great sign of the pendulums swing, I now am looking forward to the day that this is not actually news, and we can move beyond the need to point out how amazing this is.

2013 Nebula Awards

Novel 

Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie (Orbit US; Orbit UK)  

Nominees:

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Karen Joy Fowler (Marian Wood)
The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Neil Gaiman (Morrow; Headline Review)
Fire with Fire, Charles E. Gannon (Baen)
Hild, Nicola Griffith (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
The Red: First Light, Linda Nagata (Mythic Island)
A Stranger in Olondria, Sofia Samatar (Small Beer)
The Golem and the Jinni, Helene Wecker (Harper)

Novella

The Weight of the Sunrise, Vylar Kaftan (Asimov’s 2/13)   

In her compelling new novella about the Incan empire, Vylar treats us to an alternate look at the history of the New World.
 Read Free Online Version

Nominees:

Wakulla Springs, Andy Duncan & Ellen Klages (Tor.com 10/2/13)
Annabel Lee, Nancy Kress (New Under the Sun, Arc Manor/Phoenix Pick)
Burning Girls, Veronica Schanoes (Tor.com 6/19/13)
Trial of the Century, Lawrence M. Schoen (lawrencemschoen.com, 8/13; World Jumping)
Six-Gun Snow White, Catherynne M. Valente (Subterranean)

Novelette

The Waiting Stars, Aliette de Bodard (The Other Half of the Sky) 

Nominees:

Paranormal Romance, Christopher Barzak (Lightspeed 6/13)
They Shall Salt the Earth with Seeds of Glass, Alaya Dawn Johnson (Asimov’s 1/13)
Pearl Rehabilitative Colony for Ungrateful Daughters, Henry Lien (Asimov’s 12/13)
The Litigation Master and the Monkey King, Ken Liu (Lightspeed 8/13)
In Joy, Knowing the Abyss Behind, Sarah Pinsker (Strange Horizons 7/1 – 7/8/13)

Short Story

If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love, Rachel Swirsky (Apex 3/13) 

Nominees:

The Sounds of Old Earth, Matthew Kressel (Lightspeed 1/13)
Selkie Stories Are for Losers, Sofia Samatar (Strange Horizons 1/7/13)
Selected Program Notes from the Retrospective Exhibition of Theresa Rosenberg Latimer, Kenneth Schneyer (Clockwork Phoenix 4)
Alive, Alive Oh, Sylvia Spruck Wrigley (Lightspeed 6/13)

Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation

Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón, director; Alfonso Cuarón & Jonás Cuarón, writers) (Warner Bros.)

Nominees:

Doctor Who: ‘‘The Day of the Doctor’’, (Nick Hurran, director; Steven Moffat, writer) (BBC Wales)
Europa Report (Sebastián Cordero, director; Philip Gelatt, writer) (Start Motion Pictures)
Her (Spike Jonze, director; Spike Jonze, writer) (Warner Bros.)
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Francis Lawrence, director; Simon Beaufoy & Michael deBruyn, writers) (Lionsgate)
Pacific Rim (Guillermo del Toro, director; Travis Beacham & Guillermo del Toro, writers) (Warner Bros.)

Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy

Sister Mine, Nalo Hopkinson (Grand Central)  

Nominees:

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, Holly Black (Little, Brown; Indigo)
When We Wake, Karen Healey (Allen & Unwin; Little, Brown)
The Summer Prince, Alaya Dawn Johnson (Levine)
Hero, Alethea Kontis (Harcourt)
September Girls, Bennett Madison (Harper Teen)
A Corner of White, Jaclyn Moriarty (Levine)

Damon Knight Grand Master Award: Samuel R. Delany
Special Guest: Frank M. Robinson

Links:

SFWA : 2013 Nebula Awards Winners Announced

Book Review: How Green This Land, How Blue This Sea by Mira Grant

How Green This Land, How Blue This Sea by Mira Grant
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Though this novella could stand alone I recommend that it be read only after reading the entire trilogy, since there are key spoilers to the trilogy and much that would not be understood as well without the background.

In this Newsflesh Novella set a few years after the ending of the main Newsflesh Trilogy Mira Grant takes her world building and examination of the evolution of society after the apocalypse to Australia. Where the difference in cultural attitudes present a different evolution of the post-apocalyptic society.

In many ways once again Grant has used her location more as a stage. Forget the zombies, forget the apocalypse or even that this is in Australia and this is an examination on a possible evolution of society between 'civilization' and wilderness; and the different survival mentalities when fear is not the controlling factor.

Mahir's reactions and fears in this wild environment are similar to reactions you might get if you were to take anyone raised exclusively in suburban or urban area's separate from nature environment and take them into the remaining true wilderness areas that exist today. Grant in true science fiction fashion pulls from many of today's environmental debates, controversies and challenges and examines them in her fantastic world.

This novella is a fun read for anyone wanting just a little more of the NewsFlesh world, but the story really does not feel like a full Novella, but more of an extended intro to a new book or series, there was no resolution, more questions were asked and issues raised than answered.

Visit the authors website: http://miragrant.com/index.php

How Green This Land, How Blue This Sea

by Mira Grant

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Book Review: Feed by Mira Grant

Feed by Mira Grant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Feed is the first book in the award winning zombie apocalypse Newsflesh Trilogy by Mira Grant, pseudonym for New York Times bestselling author Seanan McGuire.

Though Feed is basically a near future zombie apocalypse book, it is not really a story about zombies. The zombie apocalypse is just the stage that Mira Grant has set through believable and fantastic worldbulding. This is a story of the evolution of society. This is a biological terror thriller, and a story of humanity both at our best and our worst.

With a seamless twining of cultural, historical and scientific accuracy, in an eerily realistic evolution of society this Science Fiction story depicts an all too real view of human nature. Drawing from all aspects of science, historical events; and current societal trends and issues Grant in true science fiction fashion asks whats next? and what if?

Unlike some thriller, apocalyptic or dystopian stories in Feed Grant avoids the often narrow or flat apocalyptic world by not focusing on any one thing but an intricately woven tapestry with direct connections to society and issues today.
From the loss freedoms of a post 911 world, and the politics of fear. To the changing roles of Network News Media, Bloggers and the internet and the information privacy wars. Throw in a little bit of the threats of corporate and governmental powers, corruption and greed, and the scary stuff that is coming out of true scientific 'advances' today. When you add all of that to a well developed plot, likable developed characters and the obvious research and attention to worldbuilding, you get a great story!

The only flaws I was able to see was that I would have liked to have seen more character growth over time, and a little less info dumping, though the use of blogging and news dumps to accomplish this was done extremely well, and since the main protagonists were news bloggers I am not sure how you can really avoid the show and don't tell.

I highly recommend this book (and series) to anyone looking for an intelligent biological/conspiracy/science thriller or an apocalyptic science fiction.

If you are looking for a standard Zombie Apocalypse or typical horror movie zombies you maybe disappointed, because Feed is much much more than that.

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Book Review: The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter

The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett

The Long Earth Series book 1

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I wavered on the rating on this one, I went with 3 because the concept and idea were interesting, and new, and in Science fiction the Idea is always important. But as for plot, story and characters this book missed the mark, so much more could have been done.

Author Sites: Terry Pratchett
Stephen Baxter
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Book Review: Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi

Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My general opinion on the updating or re-writing of classics is why mess with a good thing, usually that opinion bears out in new works failing badly. In this case I am wrong.
Scalzi has successfully managed to modernize and re-tell H. Beam Piper's story of little fuzzy and make this classic tale more relevant to a current audience, while staying true to the original story.

In some ways he not only succeeded in capturing all of the impact, charm and story of the original, but was able to surpass it.

"Fuzzy Nation" has earned it's spot on my shelf next to my much read copies of "Little Fuzzy", "Fuzzy Sapiens" and "Fuzzies and Other People".

Visit John Scalzi's award winning Blog Whatever.


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Book Review: So Long Been Dreaming: Postcolonial Science Fiction and Fantasy

So Long Been Dreaming: Postcolonial Science Fiction and Fantasy by Nalo Hopkinson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nalo Hopkinson (Editor), Uppinder Mehan (Editor), Karin Lowachee, Devorah Major, Nnedi Okorafor, Eden Robinson, Opal Palmer Adisa, Celu Amberstone, Wayde Compton, Andrea Hairston, Maya Khankhoje

I really enjoyed reading "So Long Been Dreaming" many stories in this anthology push the boundaries of what we are familiar with in a fantasy or Science Fiction world, the authors have taken risks in exploring the issues raised, and in the fascinating look at colonizing, colonized, and colonizers.

Like any anthology some stories in this collection were fantastic, some were great, and many were good. Some of the stories felt like they ended to soon,or were rushed, and perhaps they are snippets of fuller stories to come by these amazing authors.

Though I am a life long Sci-Fi Fantasy, speculative fiction reader it is a treat to be introduced to a wide range of writers looking at SF/F from a different viewpoint.
It is always a treat to read new authors I have not discovered yet. I will be adding many of the authors from this anthology to my to-read list.

Links:
Nalo Hopkinson
Nnedi Okorafor

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