Classic 5+/5
The new government of Aka uniquely allows Sutty, an observer from Earth, beyond the planet’s economically-driven cultural repressions to learn about the Indigenous peoples’ culture, but is her freedom to do this real or an illusion? The structures of plot work here to drive story, but that’s not why you would read this book: it’s haunting writing and philosophical musings were what captivated me.
Just got home from a 5-day writers’ retreat which was super productive, but it was all editing past work, so no new words. However, I’m poised to jump into the next project, which will likely be Book 4 of my Addicted to Heaven series, though there’s no rush on that: I already have a draft to edit, and it’s not coming out until (likely) 2025, so I’ll probably be doing some other projects as well. I do have 2 and possibly 3 editing gigs upcoming…but until the authors send me their work, I can’t start. We’ll see.
Fantasy 4+/5
Claire, a nurse returning from service after World War II, is transported back in time to 1743 Scotland where she finds a love deeper than what she had for her husband, complicated by historical upheaval. Loved the beautiful writing, characters, settings, dilemmas, sex scenes, politics, and action! The book went on a bit too long for me, though.
Submitted a short story to Zombies Need Brains, and a novel query for the Shadow Spy’s Daughter. Wednesday I go on a six-day writers’ retreat and I plan to do another novel’s revision and edit.
Classic 4+/5
Okay, I can’t summarize this one. Sorry. The central character, Case, lives in the underbelly of a hugely corrupt dystopian world, is recruited to do something that involves linking his brain to a computer, and I think he won in the end, but maybe not. I have to admit, I listened to this one on audiobook, mostly while driving, so I didn’t even try to follow the plot. It was very cool, and a prime example of cyberpunk, which is an important influence in SF. I’ve read a couple of other cyberpunk books, such as Snowcrash, and found the genre a lot like noir: very dark, very twisty, and ultimately depressing.
