the washington post

December 1, 2022

Powerful and poetic, R. B. Lemberg’s THE UNBALANCING is one of the best novels of the year

Rick Klaw blog Charlie Jane Anders, runalong the shelves, SmallPressBigStories, the four profound weaves, the middle shelf, the unbalancing, the washington post, to other worlds, what we've been reading

Accolades for R. B. Lemberg’s THE UNBALANCING keep arriving with Charlie Jane Anders in The Washington Post naming the title as one of the 9 best science fiction and fantasy novels of 2022. At The Middle Shelf as part of the SmallPressBigStories series in their introduction to a brief interview with Tachyon Publicity Manager Rick Klaw, they mention the book as one of their favorite novels of the year (Klaw looks at some of the 2023 titles). THE UNBALANCING receives favorable notices from both Runalong the Shelves and To Other Worlds. Oddly, What We’ve Been Reading includes Lemberg’s previous Birdverse book THE FOUR PROFOUND WEAVES in “A book with a skeleton or bones on the cover”.

What could have been a clear-cut apocalyptic thrill ride becomes something much more thoughtful in the hands of Lemberg, who weaves together a gentle romance and an examination of what holds people together. Lemberg’s characters — an unlikely couple facing the death of their city — wield both social and magical power, and the difference between the two adds spice to a beautiful story about saving what you can.
The Washington Post

They have published one of my favourite novels of 2022, THE UNBALANCING and I’ve been consistently impressed by their novels and novellas I’ve read.
The Middle Shelf

THE UNBALANCING is a powerful and poetic read. Lemberg’s use of language and storytelling is a delight to savour and combined with the themes and overall approach make this twenty-first century fantasy that should stand attention. It is brilliant and a tale many readers will never forget. Strongly recommended!
Runalong the Shelves

If you’re up for a short, dense, but still quick read with lots of queerness and neurodivergence and magic and people trying their best, very much recommended.

Enjoyment: 4.5/5
Execution: 4/5
To Other Worlds

Cover by Elizabeth Story based on initial concepts by Francesca Myman

This is a real rarity in the fantasy genre – the protagonists are both elderly and queer. I think many readers will find it possibly didactic, but this is clearly intentional and not really cis-het facing? One of the characters has very, very recently transitioned, so his mind is very much on this topic and the changes in his social life, in particular. Even though transition in this book is magical and from a physical standpoint, simple and easy, it still isn’t as straightforward as it might seem it should be, and that’s a wonderfully nuanced approach to transition in a fantasy setting.
What We’ve Been Reading

October 18, 2022

R. B. Lemberg’s best-selling THE UNBALANCING is one of the best books of the fall

Rick Klaw blog book hub, Charlie Jane Anders, jeff somers, r. b. lemberg, the lawrence times, the raven bookstore, the unbalancing, the washington post

Praise for R. B. Lemberg’s THE UNBALANCING hits new extremes as Jeff Somers at Book Hub includes the title among The 19 Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels of Fall 2022, for The Washington Post, Charlie Jane Anders discusses it in 4 science fiction and fantasy books mine a real issue: Climate change, and The Lawrence Times lists the title among The Raven Book Store’s bestsellers.

Nebula, Locus, and Ignyte finalist R. B. Lemberg delivers a beautiful tale about a world where 12 stars slumber throughout the world.
The 19 Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels of Fall 2022

There’s so much to cherish in THE UNBALANCING, a stand-alone novel in Lemberg’s Birdverse series. The relationship between Lilún and Ranra beautifully captures the spikiness and tenderness of a new connection that could turn into something beautiful. The world-building is full of deep lore and casual queerness, and Lemberg’s magic system is appropriately wild and poetic. But most of all, the noveloffers lessons in survival when complex, barely understood systems begin to fall apart.
4 science fiction and fantasy books mine a real issue: Climate change

Sarah Kendzior, They Knew: How a Culture of Conspiracy Keeps America Complacent
R. B. Lemberg, THE UNBALANCING: A Birdverse Novel
Danny Caine, How to Resist Amazon and Why (Second Edition)
Lucas Bessire, Running Out: In Search of Water on the High Plains
Jennette McCurdy, I’m Glad My Mom Died
Louise Erdrich, The Sentence
Richard Osman, The Bullet That Missed: A Thursday Murder Club Mystery
Nina Totenberg, Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships
Nabil Ayers, My Life in the Sunshine: Searching for My Father and Discovering My Family
Megan Bannen, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

The Raven Book Store

December 9, 2020

NUCLEATION by Kimberly Unger and THE FOUR PROFOUND WEAVES by R. B. Lemberg make excellent gifts

Rick Klaw blog kimberly unger, lavie tidhar, nucleation, r. b. lemberg, the four profound weaves, the washington post 0

For THE WASHINGTON POST, Lavie Tidhar recommends both R. B. Lemberg’s THE FOUR PROFOUND WEAVES and Kimberly Unger’s NUCLEATION in A gift guide for the fans of science fiction, fantasy and horror books in your life. (Both titles, along with all the rest of the 2020 titles, are currently 20% off with free media mail shipping on the Tachyon site)

THE FOUR PROFOUND WEAVES by R.B. Lemberg — a haunting literary fantasy about the fluidity of gender and much else — comes in a handy paperback.

[…]

And for the science fiction fans, here’s a trio of debuts worth checking out: Micaiah Johnson’s tale of parallel universes, “The Space Between Worlds”; Essa Hansen’s space opera “Nophek Gloss”; and Kimberly Unger’s First Contact novel NUCLEATION, all showing that new voices continue to expand the genre.

August 31, 2020

Daniel Pinkwater’s forthcoming ADVENTURES OF A DWERGISH GIRL is a good read, especially for pizza lovers!

Rick Klaw blog adventures of a dwergish girl, daniel pinkwater, magic and dust, mi book reviews, michael dirda, review, tachyon publications channel, the washington post, yo, you tube 0

Coming your way September 30th, Daniel Pinkwater’s forthcoming ADVENTURES OF A DWERGISH GIRL (available for pre-order from your favorite bookseller or direct from Tachyon and for reviewers via EDELWEISS and NETGALLEY) generates interest.

Cover by Aaron Renier
Design by Elizabeth Story

For THE WASHINGTON POST, Micheal Dirda in expresses excitement for both Pinkwater and the forthcoming book.

While Daniel Pinkwater has produced classics for all ages — from that paean to nonconformity, “The Big Orange Splot,” to the Sherlockian pastiche “The Snarkout Boys & the Avocado of Death” — I’m fondest of “Alan Mendelsohn, The Boy From Mars.” In it, the two young heroes acquire the Samuel Klugarsh Mind Control System and discover that it really works. Happily, Pinkwater still works, too: Next month Tachyon Books will bring out ADVENTURES OF A DWERGISH GIRL.

MAGIC AND DUST enjoys the adventure.

When I first saw ADVENTURES OF A DWERGISH GIRL, I was struck with the cover, then I read the description and struck again. A Dwergish girl gets bored with her dull life and what lays in her future and decides to leave her in-forest-home for the city? And her family just lets her? And supports her? Just give me that.

It is amazing what a cover and just a little bit of information can do to a reader…

[…]

It is a good read and pizza lovers will feel an elevated love for this book. I also hope that this is a beginning of series as the end of the book suggests.

Rating ★★★★

MI BOOK REVIEWS feels much the same.

The plot itself was slow and meandering, but in a way that made it feel fleshed out and one that allowed for cute jokes to happen. The ending was one that mostly made sense. I feel like it was left open a bit for a sequel, but the only questions I have are about what that sequel would be which is a wonderful change from a huge plot point not being explained just to set up a sequel. I liked the ending. It was quick, no huge surprises that annoyed me, and it fit perfectly with the pace of the story and the world that was built. So at least one of the chapters I wanted to erase before really is necessary.

Overall, it was a cute story and my first Pinkwater book.

ADVENTURES OF A DWERGISH GIRL book trailer premiered on the Tachyon Publications YouTube Channel. After you finish with the trailer, be sure to check out the other Tachyon goodies on the channel.

May 5, 2020

Patricia A. McKillip’s THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD is the perfect quarantine read!

Rick Klaw blog a siegel, dragon babies, lavie tidhar, patricia a mckillip, review, sarah waites, the forgotten beasts of eld, the washington post, tor.com 0

In THE WASHINGTON POST article “‘The Princess Bride’ and other fantastical novels to help you escape reality,” Lavie Tidhar recommends THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD by Patricia McKillip.

More recently, I read McKillip’s strange, enchanting stand-alone fantasy THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD for the first time, as it has been reissued. It follows Sybel, a woman with strange powers who collects fabulous beasts, whose power draws the attention of forces battling each other out in the world. Sybel must use her talent — but will she win, or lose, herself? The novel won the World Fantasy Award and the writing is simply beautiful.

Episode 65 of DRAGON BABIES podcast is all about the classic novel.

We’ve found the perfect quarantine reread! A lyrical, masterful meditation on solitude, power and the glory of big cats and magical boars, THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD by Patricia A. McKillip is a delight. Grace and Madeleine discuss the appeal of going it alone in your crystal wizard dome vs. the more realistic outcome of heading to Sirle to get married. Whether you’re in total isolation or holed up with your foster son, riddle master boar and insatiable yearning for the Liralen, we think you’ll enjoy this one.

Sarah Waites at TOR.COM includes the book among Got Series Fatigue? Try These 10 Standalone Fantasy Novels!

Sadly, I had never read this fantasy classic until last year. THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD tells the tale of Sybel, an isolated wizard who lives alone with her menagerie of powerful and magical creatures. Then Sybel finds herself raising the secret son of a king, and her quiet life collides with the world of powerful men. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld explores themes of forgiveness, revenge, love, and power. It’s also exquisitely written and has the feel of an original fairy tale, with all the emotional strength of the very best fables and legends.

In a 5/5 review, A. Siegel, on their eponymous site, feels much the same.

McKillip has written a deep and real character that is Sybel, a complicated woman who learns about herself, even in the midst of the worst experiences a woman could have. She writes a mythology that I want to delve deeper into, and I hope that it exists further in her other novels. The writing is slow and contemplative, and, while the lack of action may deter some readers, I found the story to be wonderfully meditative and atmospheric.

October 10, 2019

With an atmosphere of menace, Lavie Tidhar’s THE VIOLENT CENTURY is admirably plotted and well paced

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized hagay hacohen, jack deighton, lavie tidar, masato hisa, review, sarah anne langton, silvia moreno-garcia, tel aviv review of books, the washington post, unholy land, venus in bloom, violent century

Jack Deighton is puzzled about the lack of award attention toward Lavie Tidhar’s THE VIOLENT CENTURY.

THE VIOLENT CENTURY is admirably plotted and well paced, with
an atmosphere of menace throughout, I’m puzzled as to why this wasn’t
on any award shortlist for its year.

In THE TEL AVIV REVIEW OF BOOKS, Hagay HaCohen mentions Lavie Tidhar’s UNHOLY LAND in their joint review of Zion’s Fiction: A Treasury of Israeli Speculative Literature and Palestine + 100: Stories from a Century after the Nakba.

An example of this is Lavie Tidhar, an award-winning Israeli sci-fi writer, who published UNHOLY LAND
in 2018—in which the Jewish State was created in Uganda, riffing on the
Uganda Scheme, a British proposal from the early 1900s to turn a
portion of East Africa into a Jewish state. Few readers in Israel,
though, seemed to take interest. Imagine the interest that might be
shown if the book is made into a Netflix series or an Amazon Studios
production!

Tidhar, featured in Zion’s Fiction
and mentioned in Professor Gary K. Wolfe’s course as an exemplar of the
genre’s expansion in recent years, is a multiple award winning writer
who is fairly unknown in Israel by people other than hard-core fans of
sci-fi—meaning most of the population.

Cover art by Masato Hisa

Lavie Tidhar announces his new Japanese short story collection 金星は花に満ちて (Venus in Bloom).

Venus In Bloom collects five of my stories,
including an introduction and story notes. It is available as a slim
paperback, illustrated by Masato Hisa, who was my fellow Guest of Honour
at Hal-Con this year, and who also designs the monsters for the
Japanese Power Rangers! Which is about as cool as it comes. (I also have
one of his original pieces at home now, which I got at a secret room
auction… err, don’t ask).

The book includes:

Venus in Bloom
Earthrise
Talking To Ghosts At The Edge of the World
Neom
Terminal

Tidhar, alongside Silvia Moreno-Garcia, is the new science fiction book columnist for The Washington Post.

Even
10 years ago, the fields of science fiction and fantasy were still
overwhelmingly American and white. And, if you grew up speaking Spanish
in Mexico City, (as I, Silvia, did), or Hebrew on a small kibbutz in
Israel (as I, Lavie, did), it meant that the world of science fiction,
filtered through translation, was as remote and alien as the other side
of the moon. The very idea we could be writing novels like these seemed,
well, fantastical.

Yet,
somehow, here we are. The past decade has seen the science-fiction
world change as more international voices enthusiastically jumped into
the fray. Now, wonderful writers including Malaysian Zen Cho can write
smart, funny fantasies such as “Sorcerer to the Crown”; after years of
struggle, Nigerian Tade Thompson’s ambitious Africa-set novel,
“Rosewater,” was published to wide acclaim and recently won the
prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award; and Chinese author Liu Cixin’s “The
Three-Body Problem,” translated by Ken Liu, has become a bestseller and
even has a recommendation from former president Barack Obama.

In
our new column, we hope to highlight some of the fresh, exciting, weird
and wacky science fiction and fantasy from around the world and also
look back at some underappreciated gems from the past.

For more info about THE VIOLENT CENTURY, visit the Tachyon page.

For more info on UNHOLY LAND, visit the Tachyon page.

Covers by Sarah Anne Langton

June 26, 2018

Peter Watts’ irresistible THE FREEZE-FRAME REVOLUTION is compelling science fiction with heart

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized ama, bluchickenninja, chicago tribune, elizabeth story, everdeen mason, foreword reviews, gary k wolfe, l'épaule d'orion, nisi shawl, peter dabbene, Peter Watts, reddit, review, the freeze frame revolution, the seattle review of books, the washington post

Reviews for Peter Watts’ entertaining and provocative THE FREEZE-FRAME REVOLUTION keep flooding in.

At FOREWORD REVIEWS, Peter Dabbene praises the work.

Hard science fiction that reads like a first-person parable, Peter Watts’s THE FREEZE-FRAME REVOLUTION is thoughtful, suspenseful, and unforgettable.

<snip>

Watts, a former marine biologist, deftly weaves hard science, both actual and theoretical, into the book. Those familiar with cutting-edge ideas like Boltzmann Bodies or the Stefan-Boltzmann law and the Alcubierre warp drive will come away satisfied, but the science is so fully ingrained into the narrative that it doesn’t draw attention to itself—a high compliment indeed.

Sophisticated enough for hard science-fiction purists, the book is nevertheless intimately written in a conversational style, as Sunday relates the happenings aboard ship and her interactions with Chimp and the others. There are many examples of Watts’s inventive writing, perhaps most noticeably the use of the gender-neutral pronouns “se” and “hir” throughout the book.

The story’s massive time span invites intriguing questions, as when Sunday asks a crewmate, “How do you tell the difference between going extinct and just, you know, changing into something else?”

The result of all this is an epic of epochs; entertaining and provocative, brilliant and ambitious, FREEZE-FRAME REVOLUTION is compelling science fiction with heart.

Nisi Shawl in THE SEATTLE REVIEW OF BOOKS enjoys the novella.

THE FREEZE-FRAME REVOLUTION (Tachyon), the shortest and latest novel from Canadian Peter Watts, is as brilliant and enticingly acute as any of his earlier and longer work.

<snip>

The mission, after millions and millions and millions of years, goes on under the implacable and inescapable eye of an artificial intelligence tasked with keeping the crew’s nose to an eternal grindstone. How can its favorite human Sunday Ahzmundin and a few thousand others possibly manage to rebel against their superhuman supervisor? With skin-creeping tension, sharply realistic detail, and action moving fast as thought, Watts shows us.

Everdeen Mason of THE WASHINGTON POST declares the tale as one of the month’s top reads.

THE FREEZE-FRAME REVOLUTION (Tachyon), by Peter Watts, is a delicious morsel of hard science fiction. The short novel follows the crew of a construction ship who have spent 66 million years traveling across the galaxy building interstellar wormhole gates for humanity. The group is held in suspended animation, awakened for brief periods by Chimp, the AI that runs the ship.

<snip>

The setup of the book is irresistible, and the science is high-concept, but the story is driven by Sunday’s relationships and her conviction in herself and her companions.

Watts participated in a REDDIT AMA.

Vermilion-Sands

1 point·

10 days ago

Hello. Huge fan….Blindsight is the only book (besides Stan Robinson’s Red Mars ) that I’ve re-read in the last 10 years. Anyway, my question…… What is your recommended reading order of the SUNFLOWER CYCLE ? Can it truly be the publication order?! Thank you in advance.

The-Squidnapper

AMA Author

1 point·

10 days ago

Chronologically, the order is “Hotshot”; “The Freeze-Frame Revolution”; “Giants”; and “The Island”. But each was designed to be understandable whether or not you’ve read any of the others, and Sunday doesn’t even appear in all of them, so go wild.

Duke_Paul

1026 points·

12 days ago

Please, elaborate on your relationship with raccoons and your opinion on the raccoon that climbed a skyscraper yesterday. Also maybe I guess why use tumblrspeak or whatever when referring to yourself as a terrorist…

The-Squidnapper

AMA Author

9 points·

12 days ago

·edited 11 days ago

There is an Ancient Compact Between Squid And Raccoon: I feed them unlimited kibble on the porch every night, and in return they don’t tear the shit out of our organics bin on Recycling Night. Unfortunately there is a loophole;nothing in the compact forbids them from tearing the shit out of our roof. Although I think they may have done so as a retaliatory tariff against the new “raccoon-proof” bins the city has been rolling out. It’s always the innocents that get caught in the middle.

MPRRaccoon is a North American Hero, just as much as little Timmy who fell down the well in that old episode of The Simpsons. Oh, and this just in from The BUG:

‘Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn even went so far as to offer a $1,000 charity donation to “anyone who saves this raccoon. I can’t handle this. Poor dude.”’

https://www.blogto.com/city/2018/06/toronto-sends-thoughts-and-prayers-raccoon-minnesota/

Excuse me for a moment while I wipe myself, and go put on my Rocket t-shirt.

Gary K. Wolfe for CHICAGO TRIBUNE reviews the book.

Sometimes sheer magnitude of scale can lend an epic scope to stories which, at the human level, remain fairly intimate. Peter Watts’s episodic tale mostly concerns efforts by a few crew members to rebel against the artificial intelligence that controls their spaceship, and whose motives they have come to distrust.

<snip>

The real question she faces, however, and what gives Watts’s tale surprising depth, is what it means to be human on an endless mission in an uncaring universe.

BLUCHICKENNINJA highly recommends THE FREEZE-FRAME REVOLUTION.

THE FREEZE-FRAME REVOLUTION is a story about humans living in an unbearable situation. And I think the human character aspect is what Peter Watts has excelled at. The other short stories start involving aliens and they lack something because of this.

This is a hard science-fiction story, if you like books such as Seveneves by Neal Stephenson I would recommend this. It also has elements of artificial intelligence, and the problems which comes from having an all-knowing AI in control of a ship. In some ways it is also similar to The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.

I would highly recommend this book to any reader who enjoys locked room puzzles, political intrigue, and human stories in science fiction settings.

The French L’ÉPAULE D’ORION lauds the narrative and its hidden text.

THE FREEZE-FRAME REVOLUTION is a short narrative that offers a relatively simple and classic scenario, without the philosophical depth that Peter Watts has been able to accustom us in the past. Although it is very far from reaching the heights of Blind Vision, the text offers a certain sense of wonder in view of the extent of what it gives to imagine, but which comes more from its frame than from the scenario itself. even. It is also very accessible for a hard-SF novel and this is undoubtedly its highest quality. The scientific side, always very elaborate at Watts, never disturbs the story.

That being said, you will need to be attentive during your reading as the main text contains a hidden text, and if you find it, you will be rewarded with a revelation that is even more interesting than the main text itself. I would almost be tempted to give him 3 stars just for that. He’s teasing Peter Watts.

(Translation from French courtesy of Google)

For more info on THE FREEZE-FRAME REVOLUTION, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover and design by Elizabeth Story

October 6, 2017

Carmen Maria Machado’s HER BODY AND OTHER PARTIES deserves attention

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized camille andre, carmen maria machado, elizabeth story, her body and other parties, jacob weisman, kirkus prize, national book award, nicole y chung, parul sehgal, peter s beagle, the husband stitch, the new voices of fantasy, the new york times, the washington post

Carmen Maria Machado’s first collection HER BODY AND OTHER PARTIES is garnering amazing acclaim.

Carmen Maria Machado follows up being honored as a finalist for The Kirkus Prize with being similarly honored for the prestigious National Book Award.

Kirkus Prize Fiction FINALISTS:

WHAT IT MEANS WHEN A
MAN FALLS FROM THE SKY: STORIES by Lesley Nneka Arimah

EXIT WEST by Mohsin
Hamid

WHITE TEARS by Hari
Kunzru

THE NINTH HOUR by
Alice McDermott

HER BODY AND OTHER
PARTIES: STORIES by Carmen Maria Machado

SING, UNBURIED, SING
by Jesmyn Ward

National Book Award Fiction FINALISTS:

Elliot Ackerman,
DARK AT THE CROSSING

Lisa Ko, THE LEAVERS

Min Jin Lee,
PACHINKO

Carmen Maria
Machado, HER BODY AND OTHER PARTIES: STORIES

Jesmyn Ward, SING,
UNBURIED, SING

Congratulations to all the finalists.

For THE NEW YORK TIMES, Parul Sehgal praises the work.

“Her Body and Other Parties,” by Carmen Maria Machado, is a love letter to an obstinate genre that won’t be gentrified. It’s a wild thing, this book, covered in sequins and scales, blazing with the influence of fabulists from Angela Carter to Kelly Link and Helen Oyeyemi, and borrowing from science fiction, queer theory and horror.

Published just this week, “Her Body and Other Parties” was released in the wake of its success: It’s been named a finalist for the National Book Award and for the Kirkus Prize, and its publisher, Graywolf, has already gone back for a third printing. Not since Karen Russell’s “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves,” in 2006, has a debut collection of short stories from a relatively unknown author garnered such attention, or deserved it more.

Sehgal gives special attention to “The Husband Stitch,” which also appears in Peter S. Beagle and Jacob Weisman‘s acclaimed anthology THE NEW VOICES OF FANTASY.

The strongest and scariest story here, “The Husband Stitch” — look up the term if you dare — follows a character through marriage, childbirth and childrearing. Running parallel are the gossip and ghost stories she hears about unlucky brides, unlucky pregnant women, women who got in the wrong car, who trusted the wrong doctor, married the wrong man, married the right man. “Stories have this way of running together like raindrops in a pond,” the narrator thinks. “Each is borne from the clouds separate, but once they have come together, there is no way to tell them apart.”

In the old myths, women were fenced in by forests, towers, spells. In Machado’s work, cautionary tales are all that’s required. Fear keeps women in line. Their own minds act in the place of moats.

Fairy tales were meant to inoculate us against dread, or so the theory goes; to offer children controlled exposure to frightening things — to jealousy, to adult sexuality. Terror in doses. Even Angela Carter, who claimed with characteristic relish that her work “cuts like a steel blade at the base of a man’s penis,” wrote some joyous endings. In her telling, Red Riding Hood and the wolf make the loveliest couple.

Machado offers a more complicated solace. She doesn’t contain our terror, she stokes it and teaches us about it.

Nicole Y. Chung in THE WASHINGTON POST includes the book among 9 short-story collections we can’t wait to read this fall.

Blending science fiction, comedy and fantasy, Machado explores violent acts committed against women. From a wife refusing to let her husband control her body to a woman attracting unwanted attention after weight-loss surgery, Machado’s stories inspire horror as well as sympathy. Longlisted for the National Book Award in fiction and a finalist for the Kirkus Prize.

For more info about THE NEW VOICES OF FANTASY, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Camille André

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

October 14, 2016

With SUMMERLONG, Peter S. Beagle captures seasonal warmth here, beautifully, magically

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized elizabeth story, magdalena korzeniewska, mirabile dictu, n. k. jemisin, nancy hightower, peter s beagle, reviews, summerlong, Tad Williams, tea leaves, the new york times, the washington post

Four fresh reviews of Peter Beagle’s brilliant SUMMERLONG.

In THE NEW YORK TIMES, N. K. Jemsin praises the novel.

The hook here is Beagle’s realism, which so ably captures the satisfactions and frustrations of these “people of a certain age,” as well as those of the more restless Lily. By turns of phrase, Seattle’s brief summer becomes a character here too, as Lioness’s presence causes any number of peculiar disruptions to the natural and social order. A baby orca nearly beaches itself in what might be homage; the most charismatic people at a dinner party are shown up in their pettiness; and the smell of a summer meadow manifests in the oddest of places. Lioness herself is too much of an archetype to feel as real as Joanna and Abe and Lily, but this is probably intentional, since it’s fairly clear early on that she’s Not From Around Here. The mystery of her true identity — which, again, feels intentionally non-mysterious past Chapter 2 or so — is secondary, probably because the story is really about how ordinary people change, and are changed by, the numinous.

It’s a rare story of summer that feels like the summer — like dreamy intense passions rising and arcing and then spinning away; like beauty underlaid with a tinge of sadness because it is ephemeral. Beagle has captured that seasonal warmth here, beautifully, magically.

Nancy Hightower for THE WASHINGTON POST lauds the book.

But someone is hunting the young woman, too, and Abe and his family realize that they are caught up in a much bigger story of love, desire and a long-ago promise. Beagle uses an ancient myth as a backdrop, creating a brilliant stage to explore the personal dynamic of Abe and Joanna’s vibrant yet deteriorating relationship.

Peter S. Beagle (right) in discussion with Tad Williams at Kepler’s Books on Thursday, Oct 6 (photo: Rina Weisman)

TEA LEAVES recommends the fantasy.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A reader can always count on Peter S. Beagle to create a clear and gentle setting, one that the reader wishes she could escape to. In this case, it’s an island off the coast of Seattle, with clear waters for kayaking, a long-established diner, and a long-established, older couple, settled into comfortable patterns. Abe writes scholarly books and works on perfecting his harmonica skills. Del is a flight attendant whose senses and sensibilities seem to provide clarity. Into this setting drops an enigma – an ethereally lovely young woman named Lioness – and the patterns slowly unravel as everyone falls in love with her. Even Nature seems to fall in love with her, as flowers grow wild and breezes stay balmy.

<snip>

Beagle’s descriptions are golden, as always, and a certain wistfulness pervades, as always. The reader might not be happy with the outcome of this novel, but myths don’t always end well, do they?

Highly recommended.

MIRABILE DICTU enjoys SUMMERLONG.

This book is very slight but lovely. Occasionally Abe and Joanna’s encounters with the gods are jarring, but the blurring of boundaries between the triangle of gods and humans is very sophisticated. I think this is worth a second read. I am adding it to my collection of retold fairy tales and myths.

For more info on SUMMERLONG, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Magdalena Korzeniewska

Design by Elizabeth Story

August 23, 2016

The stories in Michael Swanwick’s NOT SO MUCH, SAID THE CAT are wistful and weird

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized booklist, craig clark, elizabeth story, michael swanwick, nancy hightower, not so much said the cat, recommendations, review, the washington post

Reviews and recommendations for Michael Swanwick’s recently released collection NOT SO MUCH, SAID THE CAT keep tumbling in.

At THE WASHINGTON POST, Nancy Hightower recommends the collection.

Michael Swanwick shows his extraordinary range in NOT SO MUCH, SAID THE CAT (Tachyon) The 17 stories here blend and bend the science fiction and fantasy genres. “From Babel’s Fall’n Glory We Fled . . .”, a Hugo nominee, is narrated by Rosamund, a space suit A.I. Her lover, Quivera, is sent to an alien city of giant millipedes in an effort to form an alliance. The alien planet is attacked, and Quivera flees with a case he believes is their library, but soon he discovers it holds something even more important. “Goblin Lake” places us at the end of the Thirty Years War in 1646, when a young soldier named Jack discovers the magical world beneath the surface of a lake where people live as self-aware characters in fiction. Jack is given a difficult choice to make: live in messy reality with all of its tragedy and loss, or stay in a fictional one that would grant him eternal life. “The Man in Grey” plays with a similar theme as a young woman is saved from an accidental death only to discover her life is created, in part, by stagehands and props. Swanwick’s stories are wistful and weird, at times tragic yet still hopeful as the mythic and scientific intertwine.

Craig Clark at BOOKLIST praises the book.

Swanwick excels at satisfying conclusions
that cause readers to take pause and consider the actions of the characters. Thoughtful, witty, and, at times,
disturbing, this collection will appeal to those who enjoy short fiction, no matter the genre.

READCOMMENDATIONS reviews NOT SO MUCH, SAID THE CAT.

Wow, this man really knows how to write short fiction! Each story is exquisite, the perfect density of plot, carefully crafted, beautifully executed. I love these self contained universes that seem to extend beyond the small glimpse we see here, making me feel like I am both content with that I was given and yet dreaming of reading a full novel.

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The author frequently returns to the theme of colonization (which is why some of his fiction reminds of of Bradbury, I think). In quite a few stories, we are either colonizing or have been colonized: we’re either living with the colonists, or being them ourselves, for better or for worse. Not everyone is always happy with the outcome, and sometimes revenge can take years to emerge. I loved how the author presented so many facets of this heavy problem.

All in all, a fantastic collection. Some are more memorable than others, and some will stay with you forever. Definitely a fantastic read.

For more information on NOT SO MUCH, SAID THE CAT, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

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