Fen Stories (by Daisy Johnson) = 4/5 Daisy Johnson's debut book, Fen Stories, is a marvelous collection of weird magical realism inspired by England's fenlands. Johnson's prose is intense and passionate, and it yanks you into each story as if you were swimming and someone suddenly reached up from below and pulled you under the … Continue reading Review: Fen Stories
Review: V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta (by Alan Moore & David Lloyd) = 4/5 V for Vendetta is a graphic novel set in a bleak near-future (to late 1980s) totalitarian British society that features extensive propaganda, ubiquitous surveillance, pervasive public corruption, no art or "culture", no non-whites or LGBTQ+ people, and concentration camps. It is not a happy … Continue reading Review: V for Vendetta
Review: The Water Knife
The Water Knife (by Pablo Bacigalupi) = 5/5 If you've ever wondered what the U.S. southwest could look like when water runs out, The Water Knife is the sci-fi book for you. Set during a regional struggle between California, Nevada, and Arizona for water rights, the third-person narrative focuses on 3 primary characters: Angel (a … Continue reading Review: The Water Knife
Review: Too Like the Lightning
Too Like the Lightning (by Ada Palmer) = 4/5 Too Like the Lightning is a sweeping science fiction epic mystery set in the utopian society of the 2400s. It is a fascinating future, where the planetary government is split across different Hives, which in turn have their own rules and social mores within the territories … Continue reading Review: Too Like the Lightning
Review: The Keeper of Isis Light
The Keeper of Isis Light (by Monica Hughes) = 4/5 The Keeper of Isis Light (KIL) introduces readers to Olwen, an orphaned teenage girl who has been raised by the Guardian in solitude on the remote, colonial outpost planet Isis. She loves to explore the planet, reveling in climbing mountains and playing with her pet … Continue reading Review: The Keeper of Isis Light
Review: Julius Caeser
Julius Caeser (by Shakespeare) = 3/5 I'm pretty tired, so this will be short. The story is pretty self-explanatory; it's Shakespeare's depiction of the circumstances leading up to, during, and after Caeser's assassination. I found the overall plot a bit dry, but that's probably because I was reading the script of a piece meant to … Continue reading Review: Julius Caeser
Review: The March trilogy
The March trilogy, by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, + Nate Powell = 5/5 Split across three volumes, The March is the illustrated autobiography of now-Congressman John Lewis and his experiences as a leader of the US Civil Rights movement in the early 1960s. Interspersed throughout the narrative are more recent recollections of his thoughts and … Continue reading Review: The March trilogy
Review: Protector of the Small Quartet
Protector of the Small Quartet (First Test, Page, Squire, and Lady Knight) by Tamora Pierce = 4/5 [Yes, you read that correctly, this is a review for 4 books at once.] The Protector of the Small Quartet (PSQ) tells the story of Keladry of Mindalen, a noble-born girl living in the fantasy realm of Tortall … Continue reading Review: Protector of the Small Quartet
Writing Goals
Greetings! One of my goals this year is to shop around more of my work to writing markets. I have a few stories that I've been sending out for a while, but I have even more that are 1) languishing for lack of editing; 2) awaiting the transition from paper to computer screen; or 3) … Continue reading Writing Goals
Review: Jingo
Jingo (by Terry Pratchett) = 4/5 Set on Pratchett's Discworld, Jingo follows the inter-cultural tensions that arise when a fabled island, Leshp, rises out of the sea and is immediately claimed by rival fishermen and their sons in the names of Ankh-Morpork and Klatch. At home in their respective lands, Klatchians and Ankh-Morporkians both work … Continue reading Review: Jingo
MOLO WRITES 