Lucas Blogs About Books

  Hey! It's this book again! So, what's this boo—oh it's another of Ursula K. LeGuin's Hainish novels ! That it is. This one is called City of Illusions . Okay, but what's its deal? All right, so this one takes place on Earth, or Terra (I have to admit that I'm irrationally annoyed when science fiction novels treat "Terra" as a more universal alternative to "Earth," but that has nothing to do with this book).  A young woman named Parth comes across a naked amnesiac with cat-like yellow eyes (like so amnesiac that he doesn't even remember how to talk). Over time, the amnesiac, Falk, learns the customs of Parth's people, including learning the new strain of Taoism that has been passed down through the centuries. Eventually, Falk decides that he needs to learn where he comes from, so he sets off for the mysterious city of Es Toch where the Shing rule the Earth with lies and illusions. Who are the Shing? No one rightly knows except that...

Yes, I did buy the sequel in hardcover instead of waiting a few months for the paperback version. Don't judge me. So, what's this book's de—wait, is this the sequel to the book you blogged about last week ? It is. This is Harrow the Ninth  by Tamsyn Muir. I'll try to avoid TEH SPOILARZ  for this book, but anything from Gideon the Ninth  is fair game. Okay. Anyway, so remember how in the last book, Harrowhark and Gideon are at Canaan House to figure out how exactly a necromancer can become a Lyctor? And by Lyctor you mean one of the saints of the God-Emperor the Necrolord Prime? I do. It turns out that the secret is to kill your cavalier and absorb their soul. But before we get into that, let's say a little bit about the ending of the first book. So, instead of anyone solving the mystery, the killer reveals herself to be Cytherea the First, one of the Emperor's original Lyctors. See she's not so keen on serving the Emperor any more and has decided to kill all...

"The most fun you'll ever have with a skeleton" is a pretty bold claim, especially once you realize that you do everything with a skeleton.   So, what's this book's deal? It's about lesbian necromancers . . . IN  SPAAAAAAAAAAACE! I see. Well, that's the elevator pitch version anyway. Gideon the Ninth  by Tamsyn Muir, is a sci-fi/fantasy novel about Gideon Nav. Who is Gideon Nav? A hard-headed, acid-tongued teenager who wants nothing more than to escape her childhood home of the Ninth House and join the Imperial Cohort. Oh no, this is gonna be one of those blogs where you have to preface the synopsis with a massive paragraph of exposition, isn't it? I'll try and make it quick. Ten thousand years ago the solar system of the nine houses (which is almost definitely our solar system) died, and the Emperor (who is revered as a god-king) revived it with necromancy. Subsequently, necromancy is a pretty big deal, and each house (headquartered on a different...

I So what's this book's deal? Oh, this is The Obelisk Gate , it's the second entry in N.K. Jemison's Broken Earth trilogy. Wait, did you blog about the first book  without me? I did. And you expect me to be able to keep up? I mean, I can write you however I like. Maybe you read the first book but haven't read the second and I don't need to fill you in. Well, maybe you could just give me a quick recap of the story so far. Okay. So on this continent called the Stillness there are people called orogenes who can control seismic activity. They are feared and oppressed. An annoying feature of life on the Stillness are Fifth Seasons which are seismic catastrophes leading to conditions not unlike nuclear winter. The main character is Essun, an orogene who tried to escape and live a normal life until her husband, Jija, learned the truth, murdered their son, Uche, and ran off with their daughter, Nassun. All of this happens against the backdrop of a Fifth Season that is p...

So, what's this book's deal? Well, the deal with Apocalyptigirl: An Aria for the End Times  is that it's the project Andrew MacLean worked on before he wrote and drew Head Lopper . As one might guess from the title, it's a post-apocalyptic sci-fi adventure comic. That does sound like a thing you would enjoy, Lucas. I did enjoy it, so let's talk about it. The protagonist, Aria— Wait, the word "Aria" in the title is a pun? Yep! Anyway, Aria is a young woman who's been sent to Earth27 to recover the Grand Photon, an energy source — and potential weapon — which was used to bring about the cataclysm which lead to the collapse of society. The thing is that Aria's mission was supposed to last a few months but it's already been several years. She's not completely alone, she's got her cat Jelly Beans, and the broken down mech she's been trying to repair, which she's named Gus, but neither of them is much of a conversationalist. Nor are...

Remember Cowboys and Aliens ? No? Me neither.   So, what's this book's deal? I thought you'd never ask, Hypothetical Reader. The deal with Lake of Fire  is that it's a comic book written, colored, and lettered by Nathan Fairbairn and drawn by Matt Smith. The pithy synopsis is that it's crusaders vs. aliens. Perhaps a less pithy synopsis is in order. Yeah, okay, have you heard of the Albigensian Crusade ? You mean the twenty year campaign of extermination against the Cathars in the Languedoc region of France in the early 13th Century? Yes, that Albigensian Crusade. Lake of Fire  takes place in 1220, about halfway through. After a couple of pages showing a spaceship crashing, we cut to Theo and Hugh, two teenage boys who have set off to join the crusade before the campaigning season is over. However, when they arrive they discover that a family friend, Count Henry, has been dispatched to bring them home and has overtaken them on the road. Sensing an opportunity to get...

As cool as the picture is, no such scene occurs in the book. So, what's this book's dea—wait a minute! Is that a regular book? What do you mean by that? You know what I mean, a book that isn't a comic or The Canterbury Tales ? Oh. . . yeah. I still read some of those sometimes. Anyway, the deal with this particular book is that it's a novella by Becky Chambers and it's called To Be Taught if Fortunate . In spite of the person floating in space without a helmet, it's what you might call hard science fiction. Oh was it difficult to get through? What? Oh I see, you're pretending to not know about the distinction between "hard" and "soft" science fiction so that I can explain it. Does pointing out the purpose of a rhetorical device render the whole thing moot? Maybe. But generally the dividing line between hard and soft science fiction is whether the story generally comports with the current scientific understanding of what is possible. Also,...

Minimizing the screen reflection on the glossy cover was Ruff.   So, what's this book's deal? You're serious? It was recently adapted as an HBO series. Lucas, you don't even have basic cable, let alone HBO. Right you are, Hypothetical Reader. Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff is a novel, kind of, that uses the tropes of pulp literature to explore issues relating to racism (both on an individual and systemic level) in America and in the kinds of literature that inspired it. How can something be "kind of" a novel. Well, it's really more a collection of inter-connected short stories that coalesce into a larger narrative. But I'm splitting hairs. It's a novel, it's just got a more specific form. But let's talk about that later. It's 1954, and Atticus Turner, a Black Korean War veteran is on his way to Chicago to visit his father, Montrose. However, when he arrives he finds out that Montrose isn't there and has left behind a note for Atticu...

A 2000s sci-fi period piece you say? Tell me more.   So, what's this book's dea—Wait a minute, it's by Lindsay Ellis, the YouTuber? Yes, that Lindsay Ellis. She wrote a book? She wrote a book. I like her video essays. As do I. In fact, that's how I found out that she wrote a book. Wanna talk about the book? Yeah. Okay. So it's 2007, and Nils Ortega has just leaked a government memo detailing the fact that the US government has been hiding a group of aliens for decades, and that scientists have made no progress in attempting to communicate with them. Enter Nils's estranged daughter Cora Sabino who's just trying to get by at a temp job after dropping out of UCI, when she finds herself under surveillance by the FBI following both the release of the Fremda document and the Ampersand Incident. Ampersand Incident? It's the codename for a recent meteorite strike in Southern California. In light of the recent leaks and the fact that the government is being parti...

Yep, more Le Guin ! So, what's this book's deal? As you can see, it's another of Ursula K. Le Guin's Hainish novels. This time it's Planet of Exile  which, like Rocanon's World ,  includes both fantasy and science fiction tropes. Though it certainly does lean more into the science fiction side of the premise. The premise being? So, remember how the League of All Worlds is at war with some other unnamed faction? Vaguely. Well, that's still going on. However, it hasn't directly affected the planet of Werel, where this story takes place. Only indirectly? Yeah. See, the League has established a colony there, which is currently at relative peace with the local population. And by local population you mean who exactly. Well, the human settlers call them HILFs. Humanoids I'd Like to Fu— No! It stands for Highly Intelligent Life Forms. But yes, they are humanoid (again due to the spread of the ancient Hainish civilization) and yes, some of the settlers and so...

I could have waited until evening to take this photo, but I didn't. So, what's this book's deal? This is the first entry in Abby Howard's young reader paleontology comic series Earth Before Us, it's called Dinosaur Empire . Wait a minute, is this one of those books that tricks kids into learning by presenting educational material with a loose narrative? Yep! It follows Ronnie, an elementary school student who recently received a zero on her dinosaur quiz and is freaking out about her future academic prospects. This attracts the attention of her neighbor, Miss Lernin, who is hanging out in a recycling bin for reasons that are "not important." In any case, Miss Lernin uses science magic to take Ronnie back in time to the Mesozoic era so that she can learn all about dinosaurs and ace her make-up quiz. So . . . it's kinda like The Magic School Bus ? Yeah, but without Lily Tomlin. You know that The Magic School Bus  was a serie...

Now Pictured: Me holding a copy of  Frankenstein  in front of my face. Somehow while looking for my grounded outlet adapter, I came across my copy of the book somewhere in my house. I don't regret my previous laziness. Not Pictured: Me holding a copy of Frankenstein  in front of my face. Somehow between finishing the book and getting ready to post this, I misplaced my copy of the book somewhere in my house. I'm too lazy to look for it. So, what's this book's de—OH! You read Frankenstein  again! I read Frankenstein again! Oh, man! Frankenstein is so good! I know, right? End of blog. You're the worst, Lucas. J/K LOL! Deffo the worst! But seriously, Hypothetical Reader, do you wanna talk about Frankenstein ? You know I do! Then let's talk about Frankenstein ! Oh, and I don't think it's possible to SPOIL  a book that's been in print for over two hundred years. However, if you are operating under that misapprehension, consider this yo...