Thursday 7 March 2024

Fugitive Telemetry - Book Review (repost/reread)

 



Fugitive Telemetry (The Murderbot Diaries #6)
by Martha Wells 

What is it about:
No, I didn’t kill the dead human. If I had, I wouldn’t dump the body in the station mall.

When Murderbot discovers a dead body on Preservation Station, it knows it is going to have to assist station security to determine who the body is (was), how they were killed (that should be relatively straightforward, at least), and why (because apparently that matters to a lot of people—who knew?)

Yes, the unthinkable is about to happen: Murderbot must voluntarily speak to humans!

What did I think of it:
Although this is book 6 in the series it is set before the events in book 5 as far as I can tell. Also: it is sort of a standalone in so far that it's not connected to events in the other books.

And with that we have the only 'flaw' in this novella. I missed the connection to the overall story arc of this series.

Other than that this novella is just as awesome as the other books. Murderbot is cynical and sarcastic as ever, and tries hard to keep the humans from doing stupid things. I was hooked from the start and read the book in one sitting, it was that engaging.

There were appearances of some of my favorite characters, as well as new characters who seemed intriguing. The story is a whodunnit in space and it was set up really well in my opinion. All in all well worth the wait.

Why should you read it:
Because Murderbot is awesome!


Wednesday 6 March 2024

Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory - Quick Book Review (reread/repost)

 


Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory (The Murderbot Diaries #4.5)
by Martha Wells


What is it about:
A short story set in the Murderbot Diaries series from the viewpoint of Dr. Mensah.

What did I think of it:
This is a great short story. It is from the viewpoint of Dr. Mensah and I loved seeing Murderbot through her eyes for once. As with all good short stories though, it was much too short in my opinion.

I greatly recommend fans of the Murderbot Diaries to read this story. It's now available to read here

Tuesday 5 March 2024

Teaser Tuesdays - Redshirts

 

"That this whole place is one big fucking code violation?"
"The killer machines kind of gave that part away," Dahl said.

(15% into kindle version, Redshirts John Scalzi)
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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, previously hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their  TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


Thursday 29 February 2024

Disappearing Nightly - Book Review

 

Disappearing Nightly (Esther Diamond #1)
by Laura Resnick

What is it about:
“I’m not a heroine; I just play heroines. Also psychotics, orphans, vamps, hookers, and housewives.”

When bizarre magical disappearances disrupt performances in the Big Apple, struggling actress Esther Diamond receives a cryptic warning not to appear in an Off-Broadway musical because “there is Evil among us.”

Since the show much go on, Esther teams up with a conjuring cowboy, a banker with stage aspirations, and a group of drag queens. They’re led in their efforts by Esther’s new BFF, Dr. Maximillian Zadok, a 350-year-old mage whose day job is protecting New York from Evil. Also on the case is Detective Connor Lopez, a sexy cop who fears that Max and Esther may be a bigger problem than the vanishing performers.

Boldly facing down an enraged producer, a hungry tiger, and other deadly obstacles, Esther, Max, and their friends pursue Evil to its lair in their fearless determination to find the missing performers and restore harmony to their city.

What did I think of it:
This is a really enjoyable read.

I liked Esther and several of the characters she encounters along the way. The writing is pleasant and I was curious to see what exactly was going on. I didn't much care for the love interest, but what else is new? 

Resnick is generous with clues, and at one point it's clear who the bad guy was. From there on out it felt like the story dragged a bit in it resolve, but that might have been my mood. Still the story was fun enough to keep me entertained. I got hold of the next three books and will pick up book 2 soon.

Why should you read it:
It's a fun and enjoyable UF read.


Wednesday 28 February 2024

The Stars That We Steal From the Night Sky - Book Review

 

The Stars That We Steal From the Night Sky (Karma Marx #2)
by Katie MacAlister

What is it about:
There are other worlds with mysteries to solve.
Worlds where not all of the suspects are technically alive.
That’s when Karma kicks in.

Stripped of her position, facing an unsure relationship with potential boyfriend Adam, and still foster mom to an emo sixteen year old poltergeist named Pixie, ghost transporter Karma Marx thought she’d seen it all…and then she is sent on a train ride across Europe to save a woman from her abusive spouse.

The situation, people, and even residents of the train aren’t what they appear to be, and while Karma is trying to find the target of her trip, she struggles to separate deception from truth. When she comes to close to figuring it all out, everything dear to her is put at risk.

Charged with murder, and with the entire Akashic League against her, Karma is desperate to do three things: clear her name, punish the guilty, and finally get Adam into bed. She just has to survive the first two in order to tackle the third…

What did I think of it:
I enjoyed the first book even if it did have some flaws, so put this book on my wish list. I got it as a present from Melliane.

It turned out to be a nice enough read. I liked the setting and some of the characters were interesting. Pixie was more annoying than in the first book, but it could be I just reached my limits on how much Pixie antics I could take.

The story was a bit predictable, but that might be because it felt  like MacAlister is  using the same story telling tricks she used in book one.

Overall an enjoyable, but forgettable read.

Why should you read it:
It's a nice UF read


Tuesday 27 February 2024

Teaser Tuesdays - That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon

 

If we really used to live alongside demons, then Myra couldn't be a goddess. She'd be a monster.

(page 36, That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming)
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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, previously hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their  TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


Friday 23 February 2024

Exit Strategy - Book Review (Reread/Repost)

 


Exit Strategy (The Murderbot Diaries #4)
by Martha Wells


What is it about:
Murderbot wasn’t programmed to care. So, its decision to help the only human who ever showed it respect must be a system glitch, right?

Having traveled the width of the galaxy to unearth details of its own murderous transgressions, as well as those of the GrayCris Corporation, Murderbot is heading home to help Dr. Mensah—its former owner (protector? friend?)—submit evidence that could prevent GrayCris from destroying more colonists in its never-ending quest for profit.

But who’s going to believe a SecUnit gone rogue?

And what will become of it when it’s caught?


What did I think of it:
Until I read this novella Artificial Condition was my favorite of these novellas (ART!), but now it will have to share first place with Exit Strategy.

Murderbot has answers to several of its questions and is on its way to Dr. Mensah, who bought Murderbot from its corporation and thereby giving Murderbot its freedom. But things have happened while Murderbot was gone, and soon it is in the middle of dangerous politics and games.

Once again there is lots of action while Murderbot tries to save the day. There are returning characters as well, and I loved catching up with them. I read this novella in one sitting, because it was just too suspenseful to put down. I needed to know if all my favorite characters would survive.

All in all another awesome read. I'm hooked on this series!

Why should you read it:
It's a really cool SF novella


buy from amazon