This entry in The Murderbot Diaries comes directly after book five and is, once again, much too short for my liking. However, I can't come up with a pThis entry in The Murderbot Diaries comes directly after book five and is, once again, much too short for my liking. However, I can't come up with a page number that would satisfy my longing for more wit and charm (yes, a bot can be charming if you overlook some elements of their personality) from this SecUnit. Hmm, 500 pages of Murderbot? Give it to me Ms Wells and let me test it out. Anyway, just so you will not be surprised, this offering is approximately 176 pages long and it fairly flies by.
SecUnit is on the spot when a dead human is found on Preservation Station. Our main characters are all still here (from story #5) keeping Dr. Mensah safe from GrayCris. The question now is whether this dead human could have any connection to GrayCris agents trying to kill Mensah. Preservation Station Security doesn't want to work with a SecUnit because, well, who does, but they have no choice in the matter so Murderbot begins his own semi-private investigation while working with security and promising he won't do anything to hinder either the Station or their security department. All of this and no chance for him to download media; a SecUnit could become very cranky from all these distractions.
This story is a good mystery puzzle and I think it would work well as a full length book if it had a little more meat on its bones. Murderbot is back to making astringent comments about humans and their abilities but always speaking to himself so nobody gets their feelings hurt. He also doesn't have to kill too many humans when things do go into action mode so the Security Department head for Preservation Station begins to accept his abilities and rely on him. I loved it and sincerely advise you to read all the stories in order so you will understand why so many other readers love him just as much as I do.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge Tordotcom for an e-galley of this story....more
I will admit right up front that I approached this book with mixed feelings. I was curious to see how four authors could write novella length stories I will admit right up front that I approached this book with mixed feelings. I was curious to see how four authors could write novella length stories and keep the connection with an inanimate object, in this case a pocket watch. The watch is cursed and the curse follows the watch through time; 1733, (Weapon of Choice by Susanna Kearsley); 1831, (In a Fevered Hour: A Lady Darby Novella by Anna Lee Huber); 1870, (A Pocketful of Death by Christine Trent); 1944, (Siren's Call by C. S. Harris). I need not have worried because the cursed watch itself holds a place as a character in all four stories and that commonality keeps each of the stories interesting. Even more interesting is how each author managed to keep me entertained when I discovered the characters would not overlap. Not even a manor to keep them connected, just the watch.
For me three of the stories were quite good with one being slightly weaker but I'm not going to say which one that was because the difference really was almost too minor to even mention. If you don't believe in the power of a curse, you might find yourself having a moment of indecision about this one; the writing to include the watch is really quite good. If you already believe in the power of a curse, this will be right up your alley.
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an e-galley of this collection of novellas....more
I didn't know quite what to expect when I requested this novella through NetGalley, but I enjoy the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch so muchI didn't know quite what to expect when I requested this novella through NetGalley, but I enjoy the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch so much I knew I wouldn't be sorry if I was approved for the galley. Coming in at 216 pages this is a long-ish novella but Aaronovitch packs it with a lot of detail about Tobias Winter and the case of magic he's investigating in Trier, Germany. A dead body has been found beside a river bordering a vineyard and the cause of death definitely has magical implications.
This new story (noted as being #7.5) has the same basic premise of crime, rivers and magic as the stories that take place in Britain but this time the focus is on the way the crime is investigated in Germany. The location is wonderfully depicted and the characters all have the right feeling to put your imagination right there in Germany as you read. Nightingale and Peter Grant are mentioned several times with a little bit of an us-versus-them attitude but mostly as major crime unit comparisons, Tobias and members of the German KDA (Komplexe und diffuse Angelegenheiten) don't seem to have met the English magic fighters.
I enjoyed this quite a bit and it definitely has a German feel to it. Congratulations to Aaronovitch for getting that just right. It will be interesting to see if these two countries partner up to solve a crime together.
Thank you to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for an eGalley of this novella. ...more
So this is what it feels like to know there isn't another novella about Murderbot waiting for me to read. Hmm, I don't think I like this sensation verSo this is what it feels like to know there isn't another novella about Murderbot waiting for me to read. Hmm, I don't think I like this sensation very much. It's a really good thing Martha Wells already has a full length novel in the works so those of us who have formed an addiction to the adventures of our favorite SecUnit can wait (im)patiently for our next indulgence.
The final episode in getting Murderbot back to its humans so it can help them take down that nasty GrayCris corporation is every bit as interesting, imaginative, and exciting as the previous three have been. Murderbot is having a sort of crisis trying to figure out where it belongs. Or even who it belongs to, if anybody. I am having a sort of crisis trying to refrain from attaching a gender to Murderbot and thinking of it as human. Did I almost see Murderbot show some emotion or was that just me imagining things? Doesn't matter. My next pleasure will be reading all four novellas in order to get the full experience as if they had appeared in novel form. By that time the next great adventure might be ready for all of us who are (im)patiently waiting. I hope. ...more
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Tor/Forge for a digital galley of this book.
If you are thinking about starting to read this series of novellas, IThank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Tor/Forge for a digital galley of this book.
If you are thinking about starting to read this series of novellas, I would advise you to try to read the first two before you get going with this one. This is entry three in the four part Murderbot Diaries and the author has been expanding the interactions this SecUnit has with humans and its reactions to their all too messy human emotions. Each book has the SecUnit interfacing with an AI developed to perform a specific type of task and this book features Miki, a robot that has formed almost human feelings and loyalties to the humans she is around. Murderbot doesn't do emotions so its having to suppress how it feels when it watches Miki and her human "friends". The big problem is that Murderbot needs to hijack the feeds coming through Miki so it has to put up with lots of the "human friends" stuff.
The first part of this story has Murderbot acting as onboard security on a transport ship in order to hitch a ride to make a connection with another ship. Just the idea of Murderbot mediating disputes like the weighty problem of who left the cracker wrapper in the galley restroom sink had me smiling like I was slightly off my rocker. This unit is a killing machine and all of those talents for ending arguments instantly (and permanently) had to be subjugated so it could get closer to its destination. The snarky, sarcastic comments keep on coming from this main non-humanoid character and the author does a wonderful job of giving a depth and dimension hard to accomplish in such a short piece of fiction. I've loved each episode as it has been released, I'll looking forward to the final release in this series. I was absolutely delighted to read in a Tor.com newsletter that Martha Wells is working on a full length novel featuring Murderbot. No release date was mentioned but that's okay, I'll wait. ...more
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian-Tor/Forge for a digital galley of this collection.
This is a collection of two novellas by Sarah Gailey, River ofThank you to NetGalley and Macmillian-Tor/Forge for a digital galley of this collection.
This is a collection of two novellas by Sarah Gailey, River of Teeth and Taste of Marrow. If you read the novellas when they were released you will find the only new items here are two very short stories using the same characters from the novellas. First is Winslow's Problem where Winslow Remington Houndstooth has just committed a robbery and needs to make a getaway on his hippo, Ruby, but she just won't get up. Whatever shall Winslow do? The remaining story is called Nine and a Half where Houndstooth and Archie are involved in robbing a bank while carrying on with the running joke about how many times Archie has saved Winslow's life.
These stories are quite good entertainment with Gailey writing with humor about the life of hoppers who ranch hippos in the South for an alternative meat source. You get all the trappings of a story out of the American West with hoppers instead of cowboys and con artists, lawmen, gamblers, riverboats, the Mississippi River and people who maybe aren't exactly people as we know them. Hero is always referred to as they, them, their so I spent lots of time trying to work out exactly what I thought Hero looked like. Gailey lets the reader use their own imagination for some things but spells them out for others. I had already read River of Teeth so the remaining novella and the two short stories were new for me and I enjoyed them a lot. Looking forward to more fantasy work from this talented writer....more
This second story in The Voidwitch Saga is every bit as good as the first was except with even more violence and destruction. It is amazing to read thThis second story in The Voidwitch Saga is every bit as good as the first was except with even more violence and destruction. It is amazing to read the psychic powers the author has given Mariam Xi (Mars). At the end of the first story Mookie has been taken into custody by MEPHISTO and moved to a military prison to be court marshaled for desertion. Mars feels responsible for his capture so she is hunting for the prison. If she can find it, she can get inside and rescue Mookie.
A great space saga featuring a voidwitch trained with psychic powers even stronger than those medical scientists who developed her had expected, Mariam Xi is the epitome of contrasts. She thinks and feels nothing when causing the deaths of thousands but wears a cape with a hood so her cat can snuggle up close to be with her all the time. The amount of death and grisly details concerning scientific experiments is quite a bit higher in this story so you might want to watch out for that. Luckily the author is adding new characters to the story as it goes along because it's a pretty dangerous place to be if you are close to Mars when she starts using her powers....more
This novella reminded me of going to a full-on fancy dress party and being presented with an appetizer. The chef lets the guests know that all the ingThis novella reminded me of going to a full-on fancy dress party and being presented with an appetizer. The chef lets the guests know that all the ingredients from dinner are present in the appetizer, but he expects everyone to have to work hard to figure out what they are. So let the tasting begin.
I could say the same thing about this debut offering from Corey J. White. He tells us Mars (officially known as Mariam Xi when she was sold by her father for use in augmentation experimentation) is a space pirate who travels from one end of space to another with her only companion, Seven. (Later we will learn more about Seven but I want to pet her/it? right now.) Mars is rescued from her crippled spaceship by the three person crew of another ship and they will definitely pay dearly for that act of kindness. Two of those rescuers are pretty easy to understand but I think we have to wait for the novel - which simply MUST be coming - to fully understand Squid. I think I get it but maybe what I'm thinking is way too easy. Okay, back to Mars.
So why has Briggs waited until now to decide he wants Mariam back? Mars knows how dangerous she is because Briggs and his "home" made her that way. She does have some little surprises up her sleeve, though, because she has made a few little changes in her abilities which come in handy when Briggs kidnaps her three rescuers and she has to find him and get them out of his evil clutches. (Cue creepy laugh and music.)
Lots and lots of ingredients partially revealed in these 176 pages. Mental abilities used by Mars which literally blow your mind (and body) away so lots and lots of bloodshed. Is Mars a Voidwitch? What is a Voidwitch? Lots and lots of questions left unanswered that will have to be addressed in a novel. Or it could be a second novella. With Corey J. White, how the heck can you ever be sure? Combine good writing with a large dose of violence and an occasional soft side for Mars thrown in and you get one buckle-up-your-seatbelt space adventure....more
An excellent story with a level of characterization difficult to achieve in only 160 pages. Murderbot was a well developed character with traits whichAn excellent story with a level of characterization difficult to achieve in only 160 pages. Murderbot was a well developed character with traits which quickly made me interested in finding out how it was going to handle the situation it was in. Very engaging to watch it become more aware of its humans on their space exploration mission. I got a good chuckle to find that Murderbot withdrew from the noisy, emotional, overwhelming world of the humans by watching feeds of entertainment programs.
The ending for this segment was a very good setup for more stories to come. I was a little apprehensive about the length of the story because I have been disappointed by short stories and novellas in the past because they never fully engaged my emotions. I didn't need to worry about that with this story by Martha Wells and I am definitely looking forward to reading the continuing adventures of this Imitative Human Bot Unit....more
I received an e-ARC of this story through NetGalley and Macmillan Tor/Forge.
This is the second novella in the Lychford village series by Paul Cornell.I received an e-ARC of this story through NetGalley and Macmillan Tor/Forge.
This is the second novella in the Lychford village series by Paul Cornell. I would hesitate to recommend that someone begin with this second story. So much happened and was explained in the first story, Witches of Lychford, and that is very important information which is not as clearly presented in this second episode. I must confess to being surprised that this was another short story of less than 150 pages; I had made the assumption that Witches of Lychford released in September 2015 was an introduction to what would be a full length novel. Things didn't turn out that way.
Judith (the witch) and Autumn (the witch apprentice) are once again joined by the Reverend Lizzie Blackmore who has been given some of the same gifts of sight as her two friends. Now Judith, who loves to give the appearance of being anti-social, is working in the magic shop owned by Autumn. Lizzie is tied up with the preparations for Christmas. All three friends begin to feel that all is not right with the boundaries they are charged to maintain between their world and the "other". When the lost child begins to appear before Lizzie her feelings of dread and helplessness take on startling manifestations. Unfortunately her friends are fighting battles of their own and cannot help her. So who will protect Lychford?
I did enjoy this story, but this is one of the few times I think the story would have truly suffered if I had not already read the first novella. They are both so short I would advise readers new to this Lychford witches series to take the time to read the first story before moving on to this one. I think it will make you appreciate this one much more. I've now read two short stories about these characters and their fantasy/paranormal world. I'm ready for a full length novel. ...more
This short collection consists of around 130 pages with the following content:
Introduction to Brayan’s Gold by Peter Brett Brayan’s Gold Introduction toThis short collection consists of around 130 pages with the following content:
Introduction to Brayan’s Gold by Peter Brett Brayan’s Gold Introduction to The Great Bazaar by Peter Brett The Great Bazaar Deleted Scenes Arlen Brianne Beaten Krasian Dictionary Ward Grimoire About the Author
If you think you have previously read this collection, you just might be right. It seems to have been published in similar forms in both 2011 and 2014. For someone thinking about starting this series, which consists of four books at this point, this sampling might be a good way to get a taste for The Demon Cycle world before you invest in longer novels. This way you can see if you think it will interest you enough to begin investing your time. For those of us who have been with Arlen through his entire journey it offers a chance to understand the author more than the character. At least that’s the way it played out to me.
I liked getting to know the author better. I agree with his editor that the Arlen prologue would not have added anything to the novel (The Warded Man) that wasn’t covered later and was best left out. I’m glad Brett loves the Brianne Beaten scene, but, once again, it did not fill out the character of Leesha Paper in any way that wasn’t accomplished in other ways.
The main thing I came away with from reading this collection is that the final book in the series (The Core) is expected to be out in 2017. That’s a long time to wait.
I received an e-ARC of this novella collection through NetGalley....more
Loading...
