The Diverse Books Tag!

I'm super excited to take part in this tag created by Naz @ Read Diverse Books!

I'm making this whole thing into a TBR pile enhancer. So none of these books are books I've read before (and yes, it's extremely painful to not shout about some of my favs!).

My mission in this tag was to find an SFF book for every single challenge. And I wanted to see if I could do it without adding YA SFF (which is really doing amazing things now! Seriously I would find like 3 diverse YA books to every 1 adult book when I was hunting around). Adult SFF is my favorite genre. Doing this tag has really helped me diversify my TBR pile in ways I didn't realize it was lacking before!

I decided to avoid short stories and novellas, and have as many #ownvoices authors as I could find.

I think I succeeded pretty well! I found a lot of books that sound amazing. Overall I'm glad I decided to only list books I haven't read before--now my TBR is exploding!

If you've read one or more of the books on this list, let me know what you thought!

1. Find a book starring a lesbian character.

• Here I found 2 awesome scifi books that I just couldn't pick between! The main characters of both just sound SO badass.

 

 

The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie

 

For Cassandra Leung, bossing around sea monsters is just the family business. She’s been a Reckoner trainer-in-training ever since she could walk, raising the genetically-engineered beasts to defend ships as they cross the pirate-infested NeoPacific. But when the pirate queen Santa Elena swoops in on Cas’s first solo mission and snatches her from the bloodstained decks, Cas’s dream of being a full-time trainer seems dead in the water.

There’s no time to mourn. Waiting for her on the pirate ship is an unhatched Reckoner pup. Santa Elena wants to take back the seas with a monster of her own, and she needs a proper trainer to do it. She orders Cas to raise the pup, make sure he imprints on her ship, and, when the time comes, teach him to fight for the pirates. If Cas fails, her blood will be the next to paint the sea.

But Cas has fought pirates her entire life. And she's not about to stop.

 

   Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi 

Alana Quick is the best damned sky surgeon in Heliodor City, but repairing starship engines barely pays the bills. When the desperate crew of a cargo vessel stops by her shipyard looking for her spiritually advanced sister Nova, Alana stows away. Maybe her boldness will land her a long-term gig on the crew. But the Tangled Axon proves to be more than star-watching and plasma coils. The chief engineer thinks he's a wolf. The pilot fades in and out of existence. The captain is all blond hair, boots, and ego . . . and Alana can't keep her eyes off her. But there's little time for romance: Nova's in danger and someone will do anything--even destroying planets--to get their hands on her.

2. Find a book with a Muslim protagonist.

• Okay, this sounds AMAZING. Super different than a lot of fantasy I've read before!
• I would have loved to find more Islamic Scifi, but I found it difficult to find books with good rep. Would love some suggestions!

 

 

Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed

 

The Crescent Moon Kingdoms, home to djenn and ghuls, holy warriors and heretics, are at the boiling point of a power struggle between the iron-fisted Khalif and the mysterious master thief known as the Falcon Prince. In the midst of this brewing rebellion a series of brutal supernatural murders strikes at the heart of the Kingdoms. It is up to a handful of heroes to learn the truth behind these killings.

Doctor Adoulla Makhslood, “the last real ghul hunter in the great city of Dhamsawaat,” just wants a quiet cup of tea. Three score and more years old, he has grown weary of hunting monsters and saving lives, and is more than ready to retire from his dangerous and demanding vocation. But when an old flame’s family is murdered, Adoulla is drawn back to the hunter’s path.

Raseed bas Raseed, Adoulla’s young assistant, is a hidebound holy warrior whose prowess is matched only by his piety. But even as Raseed’s sword is tested by ghuls and manjackals, his soul is tested when he and Adoulla cross paths with the tribeswoman Zamia.

Zamia Badawi, Protector of the Band, has been gifted with the near-mythical power of the lion-shape, but shunned by her people for daring to take up a man’s title. She lives only to avenge her father’s death. Until she learns that Adoulla and his allies also hunt her father’s killer. Until she meets Raseed.

When they learn that the murders and the Falcon Prince’s brewing revolution are connected, the companions must race against time—and struggle against their own misgivings—to save the life of a vicious despot. In so doing they discover a plot for the Throne of the Crescent Moon that threatens to turn Dhamsawaat, and the world itself, into a blood-soaked ruin.

3. Find a book set in Latin America.

• This category was difficult for me ... I wanted to stay away from magical realism, which is a rich and well-known genre, and see if I could find some pure SFF books. So I've got two books here, one a fantasy based on the Aztec Empire, and the second a collection of SFF short stories by Latin American writers!

 

Servant of the Underworld by Aliette De Bodard

 

Year One-Knife, Tenochtitlan the capital of the Aztecs. The end of the world is kept at bay only by the magic of human sacrifice. A Priestess disappears from an empty room drenched in blood. Acatl, High Priest, must find her, or break the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead.

Cosmos Latinos: An Anthology of Science Fiction from Latin America and Spain - See more at: http://www.blackpast.org/bibliography/cosmos-latinos-anthology-science-fiction-latin-america-and-spain#sthash.vtns4aaB.dpuf

Cosmos Latinos: An Anthology of Science Fiction from Latin America and Spain - See more at: http://www.blackpast.org/bibliography/cosmos-latinos-anthology-science-fiction-latin-america-and-spain#sthash.vtns4aaB.dpuf

Cosmos Latinos: An Anthology of Science Fiction from Latin America and Spain - See more at: http://www.blackpast.org/bibliography/cosmos-latinos-anthology-science-fiction-latin-america-and-spain#sthash.vtns4aaB.dpuf

Cosmos Latinos: An Anthology of Science Fiction from Latin America and Spain - See more at: http://www.blackpast.org/bibliography/cosmos-latinos-anthology-science-fiction-latin-america-and-spain#sthash.vtns4aaB.dpuf

 

Cosmos Latinos edited by Andrea L. Bell & Yolanda Molina-Gavilan

Opening a window onto a fascinating new world for English-speaking readers, this anthology offers popular and influential stories from over ten countries, chronologically ranging from 1862 to the present. Latin American and Spanish science fiction shares many thematic and stylistic elements with anglophone science fiction, but there are important differences: many downplay scientific plausibility, and others show the influence of the region's celebrated literary fantastic. In the 27 stories included in this anthology, a 16th-century conquistador is re-envisioned as a cosmonaut, Mexican factory workers receive pleasure-giving bio-implants, and warring bands of terrorists travel through time attempting to reverse the outcome of historical events. 

The introduction examines the ways the genre has developed in Latin America and Spain since the 1700s and studies science fiction as a means of defamiliarizing, and then critiquing, regional culture, history and politics--especially in times of censorship and political repression. The volume also includes a brief introduction to each story and its author, and an extensive bibliography of primary and secondary works. Cosmos Latinos is a critical contribution to Latin American, Spanish, popular culture and science fiction studies and will be stimulating reading for anyone who likes a good story.

4. Find a book about a person with a disability.

• I definitely didn't want to have a book here which "fixes" the protagonist's disability with magic/advanced tech/etc. And it's painfully difficult to find one where the protagonist isn't "fixed" in some way. I would love more recommendations for this category!

 

 

 

The Ill-Made Mute by Cecilia Dart-Thornton

 

This first title in a new trilogy, set in a world of legendary creatures, introduces the least of the lowly--a mute, scarred foundling, unaware of who she is or why she is wandering the dangerous landscape. Fortunately, an old female servant takes her in and protects her. As she grows, she finds friends in this strange land, and together, they set out to find her name, her past, and her future.

5. Find a Science-Fiction or Fantasy book with a POC protagonist.

• Oh hell yes, my favorite genre plus PoC protags! I couldn't pick (again), so here are two books I've been DYING to read!

 

 

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

 

This is the way the world ends. Again.

Three terrible things happen in a single day. Essun, a woman living an ordinary life in a small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Meanwhile, mighty Sanze -- the world-spanning empire whose innovations have been civilization's bedrock for a thousand years -- collapses as most of its citizens are murdered to serve a madman's vengeance. And worst of all, across the heart of the vast continent known as the Stillness, a great red rift has been torn into the heart of the earth, spewing ash enough to darken the sky for years. Or centuries.

Now Essun must pursue the wreckage of her family through a deadly, dying land. Without sunlight, clean water, or arable land, and with limited stockpiles of supplies, there will be war all across the Stillness: a battle royale of nations not for power or territory, but simply for the basic resources necessary to get through the long dark night. Essun does not care if the world falls apart around her. She'll break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter.

 

 

The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu

Two men rebel together against tyranny—and then become rivals—in this first sweeping book of an epic fantasy series from Ken Liu, recipient of Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards.

Wily, charming Kuni Garu, a bandit, and stern, fearless Mata Zyndu, the son of a deposed duke, seem like polar opposites. Yet, in the uprising against the emperor, the two quickly become the best of friends after a series of adventures fighting against vast conscripted armies, silk-draped airships, and shapeshifting gods. Once the emperor has been overthrown, however, they each find themselves the leader of separate factions—two sides with very different ideas about how the world should be run and the meaning of justice.

Fans of intrigue, intimate plots, and action will find a new series to embrace in the Dandelion Dynasty.

6. Find a book set in (or about) any country in Africa.

• Nnedi Okorafor is one of my favorite authors. Her novel Lagoon was my introduction to Afrofuturism and non-Euro scifi. Here's one of her books I've been meaning to read for a while.  I need to get my hands on Binti too!
  

 

  

Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor

In a far future, post-nuclear-holocaust Africa, genocide plagues one region. The aggressors, the Nuru, have decided to follow the Great Book and exterminate the Okeke. But when the only surviving member of a slain Okeke village is brutally raped, she manages to escape, wandering farther into the desert. She gives birth to a baby girl with hair and skin the color of sand and instinctively knows that her daughter is different. She names her daughter Onyesonwu, which means "Who Fears Death?" in an ancient African tongue.

Reared under the tutelage of a mysterious and traditional shaman, Onyesonwu discovers her magical destiny--to end the genocide of her people. The journey to fulfill her destiny will force her to grapple with nature, tradition, history, true love, the spiritual mysteries of her culture-and eventually death itself.

7. Find a book written by an Indigenous or Native author.

• OK, this has to be one of the best gems I've found as part of this tag. What an original look at vampires!

 

 

The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez

 

The winner of two Lambda Literary Awards (fiction and science fiction) The Gilda Stories is a very American odyssey. Escaping from slavery in the 1850s Gilda's longing for kinship and community grows over two hundred years. Her induction into a family of benevolent vampires takes her on an adventurous and dangerous journey full of loud laughter and subtle terror.

8. Find a book set in South Asia (Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, etc.).

• Again, I had quite a bit of difficulty here because I was determined to find an #ownvoices author and stay far away from non-#ownvoices books which use South Asian religions and culture as an exotic backdrop, and don't really connect with the setting. This was infuriatingly difficult, though I did find a LOT of amazing short stories. 

 

 

The Simoqin Prophecies by Samit Basu 

 

The Simoqin Prophecies marks the debut of an assured new voice. Written with consummate ease and brimming with wit and allusion, it is at once classic SFF and subtle spoof, featuring scantily clad centauresses, flying carpets, pink trolls, belly dancers and homicidal rabbits. Monty Python meets the Ramayana, Alice in Wonderland meets The Lord of the Rings and Robin Hood meets The Arabian Nights in this novel-a breathtaking ride through a world peopled by different races and cultures from mythology and history. 

9. Find a book with a biracial protagonist. 

• A book I've been meaning to get to for a long time since I saw it explode on twitter! The female main character is half-Indian. Can't wait to read this!

 

 

Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho

At his wit’s end, Zacharias Wythe, freed slave, eminently proficient magician, and Sorcerer Royal of the Unnatural Philosophers—one of the most respected organizations throughout all of Britain—ventures to the border of Fairyland to discover why England’s magical stocks are drying up.

But when his adventure brings him in contact with a most unusual comrade, a woman with immense power and an unfathomable gift, he sets on a path which will alter the nature of sorcery in all of Britain—and the world at large…

10. Find a book starring a transgender character or about transgender issues. 

• Again, significant difficulties! But here I've managed to find two fantasy books which feature trans* characters. The first one features an extremely diverse cast and sounds absolutely amazing. The second is a book I've seen around, but I didn't know it touched on trans* issues until I read some reviews. An interesting take on a Chosen One tale!

  

Chameleon Moon by RoAnna Sylver 

The city of Parole is burning. Like Venice slips into the sea, Parole crumbles into fire. And trapped inside is an entire population of people with bizarre, beautiful and terrifying abilities - people who really should not have them. When Regan, an anxiety-ridden hitman with the peeling skin of a lizard meets Evelyn, singer, revolutionary, and unofficial superhero, it’s up to them to get to the heart of the mystery of Parole and its quarantined inhabitants. Along with a diverse group of superpowered friends, they will evade a deadly totalitarian police force, discover the truth about their entwining pasts, and together find the strength to survive a cataclysmic disaster.

Chameleon Moon is the first in three books planned for the series. Book 1 sets up the explosive, sweeping story of Parole and the strange, wonderful people who call it home.

 

The Bone Doll's Twin by Lynn Flewelling

 

For three centuries a divine prophecy and a line of warrior queens protected Skala. But the people grew complacent and Erius, a usurper king, claimed his young half sister’s throne.

Now plague and drought stalk the land, war with Skala’s ancient rival Plenimar drains the country’s lifeblood, and to be born female into the royal line has become a death sentence as the king fights to ensure the succession of his only heir, a son. For King Erius the greatest threat comes from his own line — and from Illior’s faithful, who spread the Oracle’s words to a doubting populace.

As noblewomen young and old perish mysteriously, the king’s nephew — his sister’s only child — grows toward manhood. But unbeknownst to the king or the boy, strange, haunted Tobin is the princess’s daughter, given male form by a dark magic to protect her until she can claim her rightful destiny.

Only Tobin’s noble father, two wizards of Illior, and an outlawed forest witch know the truth. Only they can protect young Tobin from a king’s wrath, a mother’s madness, and the terrifying rage of her brother’s demon spirit, determined to avenge his brutal murder....

 

Whew! What a great exercise! I tried to make as many of these #ownvoices as possible but if you've got a great suggestion please let me know. 

If you enjoyed this list, check out #DiverseBookBloggers on twitter, where all the fun started!

With the powers invested in me, I hereby tag:

Ryan @ unbookly

Dos Twinjas @ Twinja Book Reviews

Amal @ The Misfortune of Knowing

 

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll just be over here adding hella books to my Goodreads.

Why aren't there more girls in CS?

Someone on twitter suggested that perhaps the reason girls aren't as pervasive in CS is because they're not cut out for the math: Most girls just can't code.

As a programmer who happens to be a woman, I have a few thoughts on this topic. 

Currently Reading

*coughs apologetically*

Well, given the rather impressive lapse of time between "I'm Not Dead Yet" and this post, I wouldn't be surprised if anyone thought I HAD died.

WELL I HAVEN'T.

I've been extremely busy with full time work, Camp NaNo (don't ask me about my wordcount PLEASE), an academic publication (!!!), and, oh, getting into graduate school.

Which I HAVE, so WOOHOO! I've signed off the next 4-7 years of my life to attempting to elucidate a tiny corner of Biology for: a truly minuscule amount of pay, frighteningly low-end living conditions, and an unspecified but undoubtedly insane workload! Fuck yeah SCIENCE!

Giggling? ME? Why no, I am the SOUL of decorum. *snorts*

(I really am super pleased though.)

Now let's talk about books.

Of all things, going on an insane number of graduate school interviews actually was the spark that got me reading at a high velocity again. Blame the planes (I truly hate them). Here's some stuff I've recently read and enjoyed.

Men At Arms by Terry Pratchett

I've always enjoyed Pratchett and he's one of the few fantasy humorists whose books I happily re-read. And yes, my favorite books of his are in Ankh-Morpork. I love the Guilds (Assassins of course, this is Si who is talking). I love the Night Watch and all the strange characters Pratchett throws in. I like the deftness with which he paints in social problems in a setting which the reader has already engaged in. His original world that still pokes fun at the traditional fantasy we all know and love. A+ would read again.

The Rook by Daniel O'Malley

Y'all, this has SPIES. And AMNESIA. And STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS. Yes it's another "supernatural shit goes down in London"-type but it's so delightfully weird that I didn't feel it hit that trope too hard. Nothing wrong with the trope but generally you have to be better than Parasol Protectorate to get me to read it, else I'll just go read Parasol Protectorate.

This book, like I exuberantly yelled on twitter, makes Bureaucracy look badass. It has some very original ideas for "people with weird magical talents" that don't feel overdone (Gestalt for example. Very unnerving). It does flashbacks and explanatory letters without being boring. I like the sense of roughly equal men and women in positions of power, and the way the main character is forced to navigate her amnesia while not letting anyone else know about it. I like that she doesn't always succeed. I like that she has faults and strengths and human emotions.

Something about the portrayal felt just slightly off--I will have to think about it further. I did get a slight sense of "male writer trying to write female character"--or perhaps trying too hard. It's not bad, but I was faintly reminded of what a good friend once told her brother who asked her how to write female characters:

"Think of an awesome character. Then make the character a girl."

It feels a bit like the author was attempting to include a lot of woman-specific experiences but laid it on a little heavy. Perhaps that's only me, though. It didn't feel disrespectful or off-putting.

Mostly I enjoyed the whole "bureaucracy made badass" aspect. Quiet people FTW.

Highly recommended. Also I just saw Nafiza of The Book Wars is reading Book 2 which I must run out and get IMMEDIATELY.

Various Agatha Christie Novels

Murder on the Orient Express. Death on the Nile. Cards on the Table. And more.

If you like murder mysteries and whodunits and haven't read Christie IDK what's wrong with you. Besides writing the most brilliant twisted puzzle plots ever, Christie has a distinct voice and ability to turn her dead bodies and Suspects into People. Despite the fact that the reader goes in expecting to focus on Clues and Motives, Christie manages to give every character a distinctly human and individual personality. And she does it masterfully, in barely a few lines. When I think of that idea of "painting a subject in a few broad strokes" I think of Christie. I think she's extremely valuable to study if you're trying to write a character-centered novel (as I often have trouble with).

Banewreaker and Godslayer by Jacqueline Carey

MY HEART IS STILL BROKEN FROM THESE BOOKS OKAY. *throws self on couch and weeps forever*

Imagine Lord of the Rings told from Mordor's point of view. That exactly describes these books. Take cliche fantasy and turn it on its head. Ask: is it really moral for the Chosen One & Co to run over to the Evil Lands, start slaughtering the Evil OrcThings, and attempt to murder the Dark Lord? Are their motives REALLY pure? How would YOU feel if a Prophecy was put about spelling your destruction?

Written with the poignant pen of Carey, whose Kushiel novels remain among my absolute favorite EVER, this duology inspires so many feels I can't write coherently because the ending was just TOO PAINFUL. Even though you KNOW what's coming the entire series because obviously. This is a twist on cliche epic fantasy and must follow the formula. But ah! When you turn the POV to the other side it becomes a tragic tale of slow, crushing, pointless destruction, rather than a hopeful story of innocence triumphing over evil. "History is written by the victors" indeed.

Also it makes the Elves seem SUPER irritating and hypocritical. Which they are. Especially when their moral platitudes call for your doom.

In Other News ...

I've also been getting back into writing lately, by performing a major cull on my Many Ideas and re-discovering the joys of snarky literary agent blogs. So if you happen to know of any blogs in the vein of the most excellent Miss Snark of the bygone era, please comment with a link.

What have YOU been reading lately?

(My Goodreads needs a serious update.)

I'm not dead yet.

DEAL WITH IT.

So, we meet again.

It's certainly been ages since I've written a post on this meme-obsessed little internet outpost of mine. The Wheel of Time turns, the ages come and go ...

(Sorry.)

I've not become the next Chosen One, nor indoctrinated into a secret assassin cult. My reasons for vanishing are rather less exciting, and can be summed up succinctly in one word:

Applications.

The less said the better.

But the year's end has come and everyone is making grand resolutions for the New Year, so I guess I'll guiltily slide back in so I don't end 2015 too badly over here.

The best thing about 2015. Go NASA!

In 2015 ... 

• I finally got a Goodreads account. 
• I joined Twitter and found it to be quite to my liking.
• I read books! Maybe not as many as I'd liked, but I READ SOME DAMMIT.
• I discovered YA is actually pretty awesome, even though my steadfast love will always be adult fantasy (1000+ pg tomes FTW!).
• I wrote some words (~5k for NaNo, so not MANY words), but more importantly I jumped out of my comfort zone and met up with writers IRL! For the first time!
• I wrote a decent number of posts on this blog, by which I mean I actually wrote posts on this blog.
• Um actually I think I also started this blog in 2015. Yay!
• I finally switched to a pure window manager and thus levelled up my Linux geek stat.
• I forced helpfully assisted several people to learn coding. Apparently my programming enthusiasm is terrifying inspiring.
• I started a real science job. 
• I met quite a few like-minded people (mostly through Twitter) and had some excellent conversations in this lovely weird messed up Internet 'verse.
• I finished watching all 3 seasons of Miss Fisher. *weeps quietly*
• I can't even remember what else I did. This year was a blur. 

WHAT NOW.

Going forward into 2016 ...

• I want to tape a post-it note to my forehead which has the words "BE CONCISE" written in bright red sharpie. Some of my 2k+ BOOK REVIEWS will amply provide the reason.
• I would love to write every day, at least 200 words. So yes, I'm signing up for WriYe again. (JOIN ME.)
• I want to read way, way more. Somewhere in the last few years I got the nasty idea that reading was Wasting Time stuck in my head, like I should be doing chores or learning statistics instead of just taking a moment to relax. This has always ended in a guilt-stress-INTERNET cycle. Which not only got nothing Productive done, but also wasted time I could have been READING. So in 2016 I want to get more of a handle on this nonsense and kick it out the door.
• I want to establish a monthly budget which is a) sensible and b) has a designated % for charity. The world this year has been an awful, awful place, and I'm tired of feeling utterly useless. 
• I want to finish a damn knitting project. I am SLOW.
• I want to be better about joining things and sticking to them. And more organized. Organization would be good.

 

More specifically for the blog, here are some things to look forward to in 2016!

 

• The Books of Pellinor reread! Pellinor (The Naming, The Riddle, The Crow, The Singing) by Alison Croggon is literally my favorite YA series ever and probably one of the very first fantasy series I read. I'm participating in a great long buddy read with Nafiza of The Book Wars, and a bunch of other readers! It is my intention to post short reviews/in-progress flailings as I make my way back through them. JOIN US. 
• More science, more tech. Namely, I really want to do a series of science (mainly biology) explanations for fantasy/scifi authors. And I REALLY want to do a post series on the genetics of sex determination, because it is INSANE. Also I'd love to do a beginner's intro to programming series, because MORE CODING.
• Shorter reviews. That way I actually write them ...
• More in-progress book/opinion posts on whatever comes to my mind. I have THOUGHTS about books, and I want to write them out in a less formal style (aka shorter). Though how anyone could call my posting style "formal" is really beyond me.

They look like zombies to me.

I'll be back in 2016! Now excuse my while I go weep over Guy Gavriel Kay's beautiful, tragically incredible Lions of Al-Rassan ...

The last memes of 2015.

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters who read!

It's a Top Ten Tuesday ... on Wednesday! *adjusts hipster glasses*

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish blog!

Woohoo! I love it when characters reflect my intense love of reading. Sometimes they read out of necessity, sometimes merely out of love, but I enjoy it when the author takes a moment to pause the headlong race of plot to give us a moment for the character and the reader to appreciate books together. It's rather meta, in a way.

Here are my top ten characters that READ!

This is rather an eclectic mix of SFF books, with adult, YA, and children's in an effort not to repeat my favorite series over and over again. 

1. Celaena from Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

One thing I LOVED about Celaena (Review forthcoming! I have a LOT of thoughts on Throne of Glass) was her ability to be BOTH an assassin AND a fully-realized person who had likes, dislikes, and depth that didn't just align with her occupation. When she's not training for a fight to death or sassing nobles, she spends ALL her time reading voraciously, just because she likes it. I was amused when she specifically flirts with the Prince to get access to his library. And she reads everything--to the great surprise of her companions/guards/employers, who don't expect the greatest assassin of their time to be into fluffly romance novels.

2. Jean from Gentlemen Bastards by Scott Lynch

Jean Tannen is a tough guy, an all-around bruiser, a man who won't back down from any fight. He's also absolutely obsessed with old timey romances, old philosophers, and poetry. Scott Lynch is one of the best at interweaving scenes of intense action with scenes of character development and I deeply enjoyed every one of Locke's and Jean's disagreements on the value of fiction (Locke taking the standpoint of "if it's not useful I don't care" and Jean patiently defending his romances). It even helps Jean court a dashing pirate lieutenant--Ezri, one of my favorite characters, who finds common ground with Jean while she's efficiently tying him up and bantering quotes from old literature at the same time. I'm quite certain they seduce each other entirely through philosophy quotes.

3. Raistlin from Dragonlance by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis

Raist the Mage! Okay, Dragonlance as a whole is a bit of a guilty pleasure, but I've always liked Raistlin the angsty, traitorous mage who cares for no one and is unfailingly pessimistic. As part of his magic, Raist must insult everyone in close conta--I mean, read over old spells over and over and OVER again to fix them in his mind. He cares more for spellbooks than he does his own brother. He happily betrays all just to get his hand on a book. Books and magic mean literally everything to him, and he has no qualms about sacrificing everything just to get his hands on another.

4. Phedre from Kushiel by Jacqueline Carey

Phedre is one of my favorite characters of all time. She's a courtesan who's also a spy who's also a damn good scholar. She knows more languages than ANYONE would suspect (and certainly not her patrons). And she knows the power of knowledge. "All knowledge is worth having."--says her teacher Delaunay, and Phedre takes this to heart as she encounters deep-rooted plots, schemes, and manipulations though her seemingly innocent work as a high demand and highly specialized courtesan. The majority of the revelations of the extremely complicated political plot happen when Phedre is in the library, or when she and her fellow apprentice Alcuin put there heads together. All throughout the novels, knowledge and the discovery of it is a common theme. Seldom do you have a character whose deep respect for knowledge drives and unveils the plot. I love these books.

5. Maerad from Pellinor by Alison Croggon

Ah, Pellinor. This was the series of my youth (*shakes cane at young'uns*). This was--and remains--my favorite YA ever. Maerad starts off as a slave in a mountain keep. When she escapes with the help of her soon-to-be-mentor Cadvan, she's taken to a magical city of the Bards where she finds acceptance, kindness, and magic. I remember Maerad reveling in the wealth of knowledge around her--books of wisdom and magic, words of power. The entire series is an ode to the spoken word. Alison Croggon is a poet, and she absolutely writes like it. Maerad's transition from miserable servitude to sudden respect, from a crude world of pain to one of beauty and high thoughts, is one of the best written such transitions I've come across. Really lovely.

6. Nathaniel from Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathon Stroud

Another mage! Nathaniel is a young magician's apprentice who has disgraced himself horribly, and now finds his studies proceeding at the pace of a glacier thanks to the lost trust of his cut-rate master. Not to be held back, Nathaniel takes to books in intensive and secretive self-study, abandoning flesh-and-blood masters who've failed him for the masters of the past. Nathaniel's tale is that of vengeance of the introvert--believed to be inconsequential, he turns his ambitions to extreme self-improvement and makes himself a brilliant sorcerer by the power of books alone. Best of all, these books feature one of the most hilarious smartass characters I've ever read: Bartimaeus. My FAVORITE children's series.

7. Jaenelle from Black Jewels by Anne Bishop

Following with a series that is distinctly NOT children's ... Jaenelle is a young witch of unheard-of power, residing in the comfortable residence of Hell while she slowly recovers from betrayal by her blood family. Believed to be Witch, the prophesized avenging spirit who has the power to save the Three Realms from the powers of a malicious usurper, she's isolated and alone because of her potential--even the High Lord of Hell himself fears her, sometimes. Jaenelle buries herself in novels as a way to bridge the gap between herself and others of the Blood. By sharing books, she learns to trust and make friends with others who would have been scared off by her power--in return, they learn to trust her, and see her as a person, and not only Witch.

8. Irulan from Dune by Frank Herbert

 I'll admit it, I only read Dune and Dune Messiah, and I consider Dune to be the start and the END of the series because of the dissapointment in following books. That said, Irulan the Princess and Bene Gesserit hardly makes an appearence in Dune. How we know her is through the chapter headings, usually featuring excerpts from her books about Paul-Muad'dib. Irulan's strength lies in research and literature. As one of many daughters of the Padishah Emperor, she is trained in observation and mental strength. Despite the fact that she only physically appears at the very end, we learn a lot about Irulan through her writing and research. And, of course, in the end she only has the comfort of her books. Nothing more.

9. Flavia from the Flavia de Luce Mysteries by Alan Bradley

11 yr old mad scientist, detective, and A+ sister botherer! I love the Flavia de Luce mysteries because they are so FUN, and Flavia with her obsession with poisons is the best. Flavia discovers her passion in old, dusty books of Chemistry that she finds in her rambling house. Living with 2 sisters and a distant but affectionate father, she immerses herself in the sciences to occupy her mind and finds that she's actually quite brilliant at it. Flavia's obsession is a story of science and love of books--love of information imparted by old masters, whose word lives on. It's also quite useful in solving a number of strange cases that arise in the sleepy town that they live.

10.  All right ... I'm stumped. I could swear that there's a Malazan character who fits this list but it's been so long that I can't remember. (Speaking of which, I NEED to get on Toll the Hounds). Who's YOUR favorite character who reads?

REVIEW: The Martian by Andy Weir

Star Rating: ***** 5/5

Basics

 

The Martian by Andy Weir
Genre: Science Fiction
Subgenre: Hard scifi
Review by Silicon.

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him & forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded & completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—& even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—& a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

Plot 

The plot of The Martian is simultaneously so simple and so unique that I wonder why it hasn't been done a thousand times before. It's one of those situations that makes you think "DUH--why didn't I think of that?"

Mark Watney wakes up alone on the surface of Mars, with no companions and only a jumble of forgotten and abandoned equipment to work with. His fellow astronauts, believing him dead, have fled the planet in the only escape vehicle available. Now, bereft of any communication with Earth or chance of assistance, Mark must find a way to survive on Mars--alone--until someone notices he's still alive.

This could have become boring very fast. This could have become unbelievable even faster. It could have been simple deus ex machina. But what really makes the book incredible is that it is hard scifi. Incredibly hard scifi. Many scifi authors use handwaving to get out of the difficult mechanical realities of space travel--Weir uses these difficulties to create the plot. Every step of the way, Mark is facing believable engineering obstacles in his quest to stay alive. Every time, he uses ingenuity and knowledge to deal with these seemingly impossible difficulties. If you're like me, watching Watney THINK and show you every step of the way WHY his solution may work, give you the justification, give you the MATH, makes this a unique and thrilling book.

This is a high-tension story with periods of hopefulness and success. It definitely feels like a race against time.

Many people think of engineering like following a manual--where's the interest in that? This book puts the true spirit of engineering back into engineering--the ability to invent and use things in ways unimagined by the creators--to go off the books and build things from whatever resources you have.

Things are constantly going wrong for Watney--human error, limitations of materials, the nature of Mars itself. There's tension the whole time--you feel the impossibility of the situation every time Watney does. He's no genius, but he's forced into a situation where he has to perform at his best, just to stay alive.

The story also switches back to the control center back on Earth. You get to watch NASA operate and executives interact, and there's real tension there too. I won't give spoilers, but you watch the drama unfold from BOTH sides--how a crisis can make a varied group of people, not all of them friendly, suddenly work together.

Caveat, however: If you have 0 interest in engineering, this is not the book for you. I couldn't get enough of Watney's careful schemes to work around the latest equipment failure, but if you're looking for a human conflict-centered book, it's not this one. This is VERY man vs nature.

Characters 

Like any book that focuses on a single character in isolation, a LOT depends on how well that character is realized. Fortunately, Watney is both likable and very human. He's not some kind of engineering god, and he knows that. He's not even the most important person on the Mars mission. But he's self-reliant, inventive, a joker, and relentlessly forward-thinking. He has moments of utter despair (illustrated by a stream of colorful profanities--like I said, very human), but he gets up off his feet and goes to fix those problems.

I would have expected a bit more introspective conflict--certainly Watney is a good deal more optimistic than I'd ever have been in that situation--but the book's focus is very much a man vs nature, not man vs himself. Which I also appreciated--Watney never angsts. He gets up and does shit. 

The other characters, such as the headquarters back on Earth, and Watney's crewmates, are also written very realistically, and without flair. The reactions--especially that of Watney's crewmates--to shocking, and disturbing news is very realistic. I LOVED the way that everything came together in the final drama--it's definitely the most emotional part of the book, but it doesn't sacrifice that dispassionate mental ingenuity that the entire book is built on.

I loved that the characters were varied and different--no clones here. Everyone, no matter how briefly they were on stage, was a character. The minimal character sketches--mainly shown through actions, and reactions--were well done and gave you a sense of the person while still focusing on what they were doing.

My favorite characters were Watney (of course!) and his former crewmates, whose willingness to go against The Rules at considerable risk to themselves made them heroic.

This book doesn't spend too long on characterization but it's there, quietly informing the decisions of the characters. Understated, and well done.

Setting

Was it unique? Was it relevant? Well-portrayed? Was it interesting?

Mars! Mars as a fully realized alien planet, a world well-studied yet fraught with difficulties. Let me repeat that this book is VERY. Hard. Scifi. It felt extremely well-researched and believable, which really made the conflicts of the book feel real. We can trust the author on the setting and technology, which is a MUST for immersion into scifi that is relatively close to our time.

The Martian is set in the future, but it's not a FAR future. Space missions have been to Mars before but we haven't fully explored it--it feels like our current knowledge of the Moon, almost. The technology, while it is advanced, is still close enough to current Earth technology that it doesn't feel like it's being made up. It's perfectly understandable to anyone who takes an interest in tech, and is explained well enough by Watney that few readers should feel lost. While being a novel focusing on engineering-based solutions to conflict, it doesn't drown you in tech-speak like many books do when they're trying to impress you.

I loved learning the details of the space missions and of Mars itself.

Writing Style

The Martian has several POVs, the main one being Watney's own journal. Yes, this is a diary-format book. YES, IT'S SUCCESSFUL.

The diary format means that we learn about Watney's successes and failures after the fact--but it loses none of the excitement and tension for this. It allows the author to keep the pacing up--a convenient way of skipping over boring and tedious realities of building up rovers, while still making us feel like we're experiencing everything with Watney. The best part of the diary format is, of course, watching Watney think out loud--the figuring out of the solution is always the most exciting part.

The other POVs are fairly standard third-limited from a variety of executives, programmers, workers, and policy makers back on Earth, and the POVs of Watney's crewmates on their space station.

The writing style is very understated, I would say--the most emotion comes from the reactions of people, not their descriptions. And Watney's colorful entries, of course.

The writing style was very effective for the novel.

Other Considerations

In a tech-based novel like this, it's very easy to make everything a "guy's-world" and only have token diversity and representation. It's exceedingly common for this to happen in similar hard scifi. I was expecting it, and resigned to finding only one or two very minor female characters, to say nothing of diversity.

However, The Martian pleasantly surprised me with a VARIETY of diverse characters that made the book seem perfectly REAL. Here was no artificially white male tech world! Watney's crew is splendidly diverse, with people of multiple nationalities and ethnicities at coming together to complete a historic Mars mission--as it would be. The crew leader is a woman, as is the programmer which I thought was an excellent touch (whether or not it was intended to make a point, I felt enormously satisfied that it didn't conform to the usual All-Male Programmer trope that is so painfully common even in tech novels that purport a little more gender diversity). The control back on Earth has high ethnic and gender diversity as well. And best of all, it's all done with no fuss. No one freaks out about a woman astrophysicist, a woman Space Mission crew leader. There's mutual respect among the ethnically diverse groups shown--no cheap shots or unfunny jokes. It just is. Which is the best way to have a diverse cast.

In Personal Bias news, this was one of the lowest-romance books, highest-plot-focus books I've read ever--hurray! Human drama exists but the REAL problem is the Mars situation--again, hurray! No, I'm not saying everyone gets along perfectly For The Love of Engineering--the inter-department and interpersonal conflict expected certainly exists and causes problems (and it's not totally devoid of romance), but it's not the main conflict. It's not the main focus. You know how all those medical drama shows end up talking more about relationships than they do about diagnoses--THIS IS NOT THAT KIND OF STORY. 

Comparisons

Actually, I haven't read any book like The Martian.

Do you like abandoned-on-a-deserted-island stories?

Do you like high tension and race-against-time plots?

Do you actually care about the nitty-gritty of tech problems and solutions?

Read this book.

 

Final Remarks

You guys should be proud of me for not incoherently flailing during this entire review. If it's not obvious yet, know that I REALLY LOVED THIS BOOK. SO MUCH. It's one of those rare books that caters to the scientifically-minded without being dry and niche-y. It's accessible yet doesn't dumb down everything. It is the best hard scifi I've read so far.

READ THIS BOOK.

Top Ten Tuesday: Diversity (in fantasy)!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish blog!

The topic for this week's Top Ten Tuesday is: books that celebrate diversity/diverse characters!

I'm choosing to focus on the adult fantasy genre, and I'm aiming more at representation of diverse characters, and normalization thereof. You'd think that in the fantasy genre--where almost anything goes, including fairies, wizards, nonhuman entities, talking trees--we'd see a shit ton more diverse characters. AND YET. It's actually quite difficult to find books with good representation of diverse characters--books that show diverse people as normal, ordinary people.

So here are 5 books/series that stood out to me for normalizing diversities. After that, I'll list 5 diverse books I'm really interested in reading.

Many of these are series(es?) so I'll use the first book as the picture.

1. Gentlemen Bastards by Scott Lynch

Women! In equal positions of power as men! Unquestioned female leadership! Unquestioned acceptance of women in gangs, armies, nobility, magic--you name it. Gentlemen Bastards is one of the few series that doesn't reproduce old, tired tales of women who are always lesser than men. And it challenges this very quietly. It's simply there--the equality. No one questions it. No one has impassioned speeches about uppity females. And Lynch doesn't make that old mistake of claiming to have diversity in gender, yet pushing the women to the background. They are important characters, they affect the progression of the plot, they are undeniably present and important. It was refreshing.

2. Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson

Malazan does an excellent job of having tribal societies--many kinds of societies--and not having them be exceptional, weird, or out-of-place. I'd say that Malazan has one of the most diverse religions in fantasy--by which I mean it's NOT just a totallyNot of a European religion, with the more stereotypical aspects of other world religions thrown in for flavor. Malazan doesn't just have one tribal society, it has many--and they're not bizzare savages, they're just as legitimate as many of the non-tribal societies. They're important. And there's LOTS OF THEM. I love the way that Malazan doesn't differentiate between very different societies in terms of their threat to the Malazan Empire--they're all a threat. They're all dangerous. And none are considered "lesser" because of some real-world cultural bias.

3. Kushiel by Jacqueline Carey

I can't express how much I love these novels, and how sad it is that ALMOST NO ONE I KNOW has read them. Okay fine, they're very explicit. STILL. Brilliant novels.

Kushiel is a society where any kind of non-heterosexual orientation is absolutely and completely normal. There's no fuss over characters that prefer one gender over another, and the main character is clearly bisexual. It's so normal that Phedre has both male and female contracts (she's a courtesan). It's so normal that several important characters are gay. It even plays a major part in the extremely complicated (and fucking brilliant) political plot. This is a beautiful book that is fundamentally about Love--the tragedies, the manipulations, the ecstacy, and the loyalty of love. And it doesn't give a fig about how our society likes to divide love based on the genders of the lovers. It absolutely does not care. And that's really, really beautiful.

(Kushiel also remains one of the ONLY BOOKS that is stuffed with romance that I ABSOLUTELY LOVED. I'm a weird person who usually can't stand romance, relationships, and the drama within in novels--I usually just endure it and wait for the real plot to start. Man, was Kushiel an exception. Literally the entire theme of the book is love. You NEED to read this.)

4.  Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear

If you've been following me on Twitter, you know that as soon as I finished this book I immediately went into a rant of epic proportions of HOW MUCH I LOVED IT.

Karen Memory is set in the American West during the Gold Rush, but it's a steampunk alt/weird West. And it's more exciting for the fact that it easily includes people of multiple ethnicities (Chinese, Black, and Indian--literally the first fantasy book I've read that actually has Indian characters), in a time that is, all too often, whitewashed.

I appreciated the way the author also normalizes the relationship between Priya and Karen, who are both women. Like Kushiel, it's accepted by other characters just the same way a heterosexual relationship would be. One of the most beloved characters in Madame's house is a trans MtF character, who is unquestioningly accepted by all to be a woman--it's just not a big deal. Most of all, I loved the way that she had multiple characters of multiple diversities--and intersectional diversity!--that were just there.

Though the book is clearly steampunk fantasy, it paints a much more accurate picture of the American West than many history books do. Which is amazing, or sad, depending on the way you think about it.

5. Acacia by David Anthony Durham

This is a brilliant series based entirely on African culture, which I loved. I haven't read any other novels which have such an immersive, well-developed, respectful African-based culture as Acacia and I really appreciated the way the society affected the characters, the plot, and the conflicts of the book. Remember all those books where the Good Pale People are battling those Weird Dark Savages, with their strange gods, unknowable customs, and undeniably backward culture? It's a theme that fantasy repeats OVER and OVER and OVER again, to the extreme distaste of many. Acacia undoes this by making the African-based culture the main one, and removing the European-based culture to the outskirts. It's a neat reversal which I wish I saw more of. I haven't finished the book yet, but I'm really enjoying it.

And now for the 5 TBR diverse books! Here's some stuff I'm looking forward to.

6. Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone

A god has died, and it’s up to Tara, first-year associate in the international necromantic firm of Kelethres, Albrecht, and Ao, to bring Him back to life before His city falls apart.

Her client is Kos, recently deceased fire god of the city of Alt Coulumb. Without Him, the metropolis’s steam generators will shut down, its trains will cease running, and its four million citizens will riot.

Tara’s job: resurrect Kos before chaos sets in. Her only help: Abelard, a chain-smoking priest of the dead god, who’s having an understandable crisis of faith.

When Tara and Abelard discover that Kos was murdered, they have to make a case in Alt Coulumb’s courts—and their quest for the truth endangers their partnership, their lives, and Alt Coulumb’s slim hope of survival.

Set in a phenomenally built world in which justice is a collective force bestowed on a few, craftsmen fly on lightning bolts, and gargoyles can rule cities, Three Parts Dead introduces readers to an ethical landscape in which the line between right and wrong blurs. 

7. A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham

The city-state of Saraykeht dominates the Summer Cities. Its wealth is beyond measure; its port is open to all the merchants of the world, and its ruler, the Khai Saraykeht, commands forces to rival the Gods. Commerce and trade fill the streets with a hundred languages, and the coffers of the wealthy with jewels and gold. Any desire, however exotic or base, can be satisfied in its soft quarter. Blissfully ignorant of the forces that fuel their prosperity, the people live and work secure in the knowledge that their city is a bastion of progress in a harsh world. It would be a tragedy if it fell.

Saraykeht is poised on the knife-edge of disaster.

At the heart of the city's influence are the poet-sorcerer Heshai and the captive spirit, Seedless, whom he controls. For all his power, Heshai is weak, haunted by memories of shame and humiliation. A man faced with constant reminders of his responsibilities and his failures, he is the linchpin and the most vulnerable point in Saraykeht's greatness.

Far to the west, the armies of Galt have conquered many lands. To take Saraykeht, they must first destroy the trade upon which its prosperity is based. Marchat Wilsin, head of Galt's trading house in the city, is planning a terrible crime against Heshai and Seedless. If he succeeds, Saraykeht will fall.

Amat, House Wilsin's business manager, is a woman who rose from the slums to wield the power that Marchat Wilsin would use to destroy her city. Through accidents of fate and circumstance Amat, her apprentice Liat, and two young men from the farthest reaches of their society stand alone against the dangers that threaten the city.

 

8. Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler

Doro is an entity who changes bodies like clothes, killing his hosts by reflex or design. He fears no one until he meets Anyanwu. Anyanwu is a shapeshifter who can absorb bullets and heal with a kiss and savage anyone who threatens her. She fears no one until she meets Doro. Together they weave a pattern of destiny (from Africa to the New World) unimaginable to mortals.

9. Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor

In a far future, post-nuclear-holocaust Africa, genocide plagues one region. The aggressors, the Nuru, have decided to follow the Great Book and exterminate the Okeke. But when the only surviving member of a slain Okeke village is brutally raped, she manages to escape, wandering farther into the desert. She gives birth to a baby girl with hair and skin the color of sand and instinctively knows that her daughter is different. She names her daughter Onyesonwu, which means "Who Fears Death?" in an ancient African tongue.

Reared under the tutelage of a mysterious and traditional shaman, Onyesonwu discovers her magical destiny--to end the genocide of her people. The journey to fulfill her destiny will force her to grapple with nature, tradition, history, true love, the spiritual mysteries of her culture-and eventually death itself. 

10. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin

A groundbreaking work of science fiction, The Left Hand of Darkness tells the story of a lone human emissary to Winter, an alien world whose inhabitants can choose -and change - their gender. His goal is to facilitate Winter's inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the completely dissimilar culture that he encounters.

Embracing the aspects of psychology, society, and human emotion on an alien world, The Left Hand of Darkness stands as a landmark achievement in the annals of intellectual science fiction.

(I should also mention Le Guin's Earthsea, which I have read, which is amazing, and which also has a "reversal" with regards to what you expect the main character to look like. Bonus!)

Tell me your favorite diverse fantasy!