James’ Rapid Review Roundup May 2022
I have decided to write up seven "brief and breezy" reviews of some recent reads.
speculative fiction
The Sisters Sputnik: A Novel, by Terri Favro
Ingenious, smoothly written, and funny, at times bitingly so, Terri Favro's The Sisters Sputnik is well worth a read.
The Quiet is Loud by Samantha Garner
The Quiet Is Loud is an intergenerational tale of familial love and betrayal, and what happens when we refuse to let others tell our stories for us.
Lucy and Bonbon: A Novel, by Don LePan
Lucy and Bonbon is the story of mother and child, and of the controversy that swirls around them over the course of the child’s first fourteen years. It is a story of freedom and captivity, of love and friendship, of borders and of border crossings, and of what it means to be a human animal.
The Sick Box by Matthew Fries
In Matthew Fries' novel The Sick Box, wanna-be advice columnist, Ben Matthews, is faced with a ridiculous problem that even he can offer no explanation for.
Dream Signs: Stories by Melanie Bell
Dream Signs is a collection of short stories that takes you on multiple journeys through multiple worlds, all unified by the common cause of realizing one's dreams.
Matters of Time: An Outliers Anthology
Five years after their initial meeting at a Lindsay coffee shop, a writing group known as The Outliers has released an anthology of their work, Matters of Time. This mixed-genre collection draws on an array of fantastically complex characters, drops them in strange and unusual places, and gives them free rein to explore Time.
Natural Selection by Diane McGyver
The year is 2051. Almost three decades have passed since the Devastation destroyed civilization. Only the strong and wise survived; the weak and intellects perished. New societies emerged, forging a future with skills from the distant past.
Shapers of Worlds Volume II Edited by Edward Willett
Featuring a wide range of authors and settings, Shapers of Worlds Volume II performs the function of a speculative fiction sampler, offering a taste of different styles and themes.
Insatiable Machine by Zoë Robertson
of the new Spring 2018 releases from Roseway Publishing (an imprint of Fernwood Publishing) is the “speculative” fiction/sci-fi thriller Insatiable Machine. Roseway kindly sent me an ARC to review in advance of its upcoming release. Speculative fiction relies less … Continue reading