EVERY BOOK REVIEW COUNTS!!!
Image acquired from the Internet Hive Mind
Category: Book Review
Book Review: Six Wakes
Amazon Cover
BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON
In this Hugo nominated science fiction thriller by Mur Lafferty, a crew of clones awakens aboard a space ship to find they’re being hunted-and any one of them could be the killer.
Maria Arena awakens in a cloning vat streaked with drying blood. She has no memory of how she died. This is new; before, when she had awakened as a new clone, her first memory was of how she died.
Maria’s vat is one of seven, each one holding the clone of a crew member of the starship Dormire, each clone waiting for its previous incarnation to die so it can awaken. And Maria isn’t the only one to die recently. . .
Unlock the bold new science fiction thriller that Corey Doctorow calls Mur’s “breakout book”.
MY REVIEW
In a world when cloning gives effective immortality to the clone elite, murder varies between horrific permanency for the humans on their first go round without the rights of clones (but with the privilege of reproduction) to a minor inconvenience when attending parties (because clones backup their mindmaps before attending in case of corporate assassinations). A group of clones wake up on a spaceship in the middle of a bloodbath, their previous bodies floating around stabbed, poisoned, and strangled. Only problem, the bodies are twenty-five years older than their memories.
What has happened in the last 25 years? And who killed them?
The mystery unfolds revealing a tangled web which only immortal gods can rival. Over a thousand years of combined history, revenge, loves, beliefs, paranoia, and missing years assembled in six people (some over 200 years old) in a small spaceship pressure cooker complete with a not-so-helpful-or-obedient AI over two decades led to the explosive killing fields they woke up to. Now can they find the vent before the pressure cooker kills them all again, this time for real as no extra clone bodies are available?
About mid-way through I was positive I would be rereading this book to catch all the nuisances and character traits of the mystery. Tightly written, with complicated characters, you are never sure who is the murderer(s?) until the end, discovering information alongside the victim-killers. This is not your mother’s cozy mystery, but a solid mix of science fiction and murder investigation in a closed room scenario.
Book Review (SERIES): The Kane Chronicles
You likely have heard about Rick Riordan and his Percy Jackson series (I even reviewed Percy Jackson and the Olympians series back in November 2024). But what you may not know is Mr. Riordan has written several other series set in other mythologies. Today I’m going to review the core books of the Kane Chronicles (books 1-3). I have loved Egyptian mythology since watching The Secrets of Isis as a child (on television 1975-1976 plus reruns thereafter – come, on, of course I watched the first regular superhero-type show to star a female lead), so I jumped on reading this middle-grade series once I knew it existed.
The Kane Chronicles
Book 1: The Red Pyramid
Book 2: The Throne of Fire
Book 3: The Serpent’s Shadow
All books checked out and read through my local library system. These are extremely popular and are likely in your local library too.
Amazon Cover
BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON for THE RED PYRAMID
The bestselling author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians takes on ancient Egypt in the first book of a trilogy that offers a modern-day portal into a rich fantastical world of ancient myth.
Since their mother’s death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother has traveled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane.
One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings together for a “research experiment” at the British Museum, where he hopes to set things right for his family. Instead, he unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives.
Soon, Sadie and Carter discover that the gods of Egypt are waking, and the worst of them–Set–has his sights on the Kanes. To stop him, the siblings embark on a dangerous journey across the globe — a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family, and their links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.
MY REVIEW for THE RED PYRAMID
The Kane Chronicles is no Percy Jackson and the Olympiads, and that is just fine.
What is the same:
Children between the ages of 10 and 14 doing their best to survive in a world where parents (apparently – but, not really) have made bad choices.
Parent bad choices are based on tradition and history and complications of relationships – where sometimes the choices they faced were bad or worse. The parents choose the horrible ones that would at least let their children grow up.
A historical mythology is taken, obviously well-researched, and adjusted by worldbuilding to a rare tightly woven tapestry.
What is different:
Egyptian mythology (instead of Greek) with its layers of dynasties and changes over the millenniums; and Mr. Riordan integrates the fabric of multiple dynasties into a coherent whole.
Sibling dynamics instead of friendship dynamics.
More female power roles. – Not to say Annabeth isn’t a powerhouse on her own, but in the end she is the Main Character’s (Percy Jackson’s) girlfriend. Sadie, sharing the title of “The Kane Chronicles,” is even more important to the story, standing equal to her brother. Their “chaperone” isn’t a satyr (male), centaur (male), or camp head-god (male), but female (cat-goddess). Their strongest ally in the enemy camp is also female.
Parent bonds are with the Father instead of the Mother.
Overall, the pacing is slower than the breakneck speed of Percy, but I appreciated the time to breathe between attacks. (The monsters are JUST as fascinating.) The humor is dialed back a notch, but then both Carter’s and Sadie’s upbringing were more restrictive than Percy’s. Meanwhile the world-hopping wonder we previously experienced in Percy is cranked up to eleven here, with the entire globe a playground for the Egyptian magicians. I look forward to what other connections Mr. Riordan make between Egyptian architecture linking locations around the sphere we call Earth, or Geb’s rolling landscape.
Not the same, because that would be boring. But not too different either.
Bonus diversity points – (1) stronger women characters; (2) the melanin and cultural differences of the world stage play a stronger role than the more USA-centric focus of Percy.
Amazon Cover
BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON for THE THRONE OF FIRE
Ever since the gods of ancient Egypt were unleashed in the modern world, Carter Kane and his sister, Sadie, have been in trouble.
As descendants of the House of Life, the Kanes have some powers at their command, but the devious gods haven’t given them time to master their skills at Brooklyn House, a training ground for young magicians.
And now their most threatening enemy yet—the Chaos snake, Apophis—is rising. If they don’t prevent him from breaking free in a few days’ time, the world will end. In other words, it’s a typical week for the Kane family.
To have any chance of battling the forces of Chaos, the Kanes must revive the sun god, Ra. But that would be a feat more difficult than any magician has ever accomplished. First they have to search the world for the Book of Ra, then they have to learn how to chant its spells. Oh, and did we mention that no one knows where Ra is, exactly?
Narrated by two different wisecracking voices, featuring a large cast of new and unforgettable characters, and with adventures spanning the globe, this second installment of the Kane Chronicles is nothing short of a thrill ride.
MY REVIEW for THE THRONE OF FIRE
I continue to love the worldbuilding of all the places Egyptian relics have been moved or copied throughout the world. If I had the money, I would LOVE to do a trip to hit everything in the Kane Chronicles in America and around the world.
This is a fun world-spanning adventure. The tension is diffused often, keeping the “scary” down to middle-grade levels (in fact, it could be much higher without a problem) – for example the “ticking” clock keeps fast forwarding, stopping, and going backward. A thriller ticking clock should be clear and as you go through a book, tightening from days to hours to seconds. This book begs this mechanism from the first moment of the countdown to the end of the world, but never really delivers on it.
Other than that, great character, great adventures, great battles, creative magic use, worldbuilding galore. Perfect in every way (aside from the thriller not being allowed its timebomb tension).
Amazon Cover
BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON for THE SERPENT’S SHADOW
He’s b-a-a-ack! Despite their best efforts, Carter and Sadie Kane can’t seem to keep Apophis, the chaos snake, down.
Now Apophis is threatening to plunge the world into eternal darkness, and the Kanes are faced with the impossible task of having to destroy him once and for all.
Unfortunately, the magicians of the House of Life are on the brink of civil war, the gods are divided, and the young initiates of Brooklyn House stand almost alone against the forces of chaos.
The Kanes’ only hope is an ancient spell that might turn the serpent’s own shadow into a weapon, but the magic has been lost for a millennia. To find the answer they need, the Kanes must rely on the murderous ghost of a powerful magician who might be able to lead them to the serpent’s shadow . . . or might lead them to their deaths in the depths of the underworld.
Nothing less than the mortal world is at stake when the Kane family fulfills its destiny in this thrilling conclusion to the Kane Chronicles.
MY REVIEW for THE SERPENT’S SHADOW
The exciting conclusion of the Kane Chronicles delivers in The Serpent’s Shadow. Complicated teenage love, stealing the shadow of chaos, and the sun being swallowed all add layers to the exploits of our favorite Egyptian magicians. This is what middle-grade books should be like. Real children problem-solving to the edge of reality and beyond.
While not as fun as the Percy Jackson storyline, the Kane Chronicles have their own hieroglyphic charm. Times two, because of the sister-brother team.
(Also enjoy the Easter Eggs as House Aphrodite participate in the school dance.)
Book Review: Strange Fruit
Amazon Cover
Strange Fruit, Volume I: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History by Joel Christian Gill
BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON
Strange Fruit Volume I is a collection of stories from early African American history that represent the oddity of success in the face of great adversity. Each of the nine illustrated chapters chronicles an uncelebrated African American hero or event. From the adventures of lawman Bass Reeves, to Henry “Box” Brown’s daring escape from slavery.
MY REVIEW
Strange Fruit was a poem written by Abel Meeropol and sung by Billie Holiday. One of the cultural memories of Black American History which white America lacks but needs to become aware of.
Ever read a comic book with a bibliography? Strange Fruits is a graphic novel by Joel Christian Gill about nine tales of black folks (researched and pulled from obscurity). Some of them are traditional hero winning the day, but others like Theophilus Thomas, chess master, ends with questions or heartbreak.
White America cuts tales short so winning leaves a high, a success, an accomplishment – no need to seek further justice as the winning was won. Black tales witness the temporary achievements, but leave no doubt that the system hasn’t been completely fixed. The war isn’t over, and may never be over. Battles need to be fought every generation.
Mr. Gill starts with “Henry ‘Box’ Brown” – an upbeat traditional tale, followed by a glimpse of people overcoming with “Harry ‘Bucky’ Lew” and Richard Potter’s Greatest Illusion. The tales then twist and turn, like your gut when faced with the triumph and question of “Theophilus Thompson” and the complete destructive heartbreak of “The Shame” and “The Noyes Academy.” The creator of the graphic novels returns to the triumphs and questions with Marshall Taylor and Spottswood Rice. And finally Bass Reeves, another hero traditional tale, but ends with giving a hint of appropriation. – It’s not enough to outlaw reading and writing, and destroying communities and education systems, Jim Crow and his ilk need to take the few stories saved and make them their own. It’s time to claim the tales back.
A great series of stories shaped together into a single, satisfying narrative.
Book Review (SERIES): The Forever Desert
The Forever Desert by Moses Ose Utomi (He also has a young adult series out, which I haven’t read yet.)
Book 1: The Lies of the Ajungo
Book 2: The Truth of the Aleke
Book 3: The Memory of the Ogisi
This quote from the final novella of the series is the reason why we need to read other voices:
The cruelty of forgotten transgressions. The cruelty of children absolved of the sins of their parents but never disinherited from their plunder. The cruelty was an evil inscribed into history, so that those who came afterward would know nothing else.
Amazon Cover
BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON for THE LIES OF THE AJUNGO
Moses Ose Utomi’s debut novella, The Lies of the Ajungo, follows one boy’s epic quest to bring water back to his city and save his mother’s life. Prepare to enter the Forever Desert.
They say there is no water in the City of Lies. They say there are no heroes in the City of Lies. They say there are no friends beyond the City of Lies. But would you believe what they say in the City of Lies?
In the City of Lies, they cut out your tongue when you turn thirteen, to appease the terrifying Ajungo Empire and make sure it continues sending water. Tutu will be thirteen in three days, but his parched mother won’t last that long. So Tutu goes to his oba and makes a deal: she provides water for his mother, and in exchange he will travel out into the desert and bring back water for the city. Thus begins Tutu’s quest for the salvation of his mother, his city, and himself.
The Lies of the Ajungo opens the curtains on a tremendous world, and begins the epic fable of the Forever Desert.
MY REVIEW for THE LIES OF THE AJUNGO
When you live in the City of Lies, there are no heroes nor is there water. One thirteen-year-old male (not a boy … and this is not a YA science fiction story) leaves to find water. But is there truth, heroes, or water beyond the City of Lies?
The Lies of the Ajungo is a very good science fiction / fantasy story.
Ebook read through the local library system.
Amazon Cover
BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON for THE TRUTH OF THE ALEKE
Moses Ose Utomi returns to his Forever Desert series with The Truth of the Aleke, continuing his epic fable about truth, falsehood, and the shackles of history.
The Aleke is cruel. The Aleke is clever. The Aleke is coming.
Five hundred years after the events of The Lies of the Ajungo, the City of Truth stands as the last remaining free city of the Forever Desert. A bastion of freedom and peace, the city has successfully weathered near-constant attacks from the Cult of Tutu, who have besieged it for three centuries, attempting to destroy its warriors and subjugate its people.
Seventeen-year-old Osi is a Junior Peacekeeper in the City. When the mysterious leader of the Cult, known only as the Aleke, commits a massacre in the capitol and steals the sacred God’s Eyes, Osi steps forward to valiantly defend his home. For his bravery he is tasked with a tremendous responsibility―destroy the Cult of Tutu, bring back the God’s Eyes, and discover the truth of the Aleke.
MY REVIEW for THE TRUTH OF THE ALEKE
Five hundred years have history remembered differently. (Note in normal life, history can be remembered differently in months (example, how many people remember the Suez Canal being blocked for six days in 2021) – 500 years is overkill. See below in spoilers for editing comments on that.)
Anyway, back to the review. Much more complicated than The Lies, The Truth has layers of gray rarely seen under the bright sun of the Forever Desert harsh light. One of the differences I have found in BIPoC stories vs. typical dominate culture mainstream narratives is easy answers are not always available. Survival vs right vs wrong vs growth vs family vs culture vs power vs hope, all mix together into a messy reality.
The Truth of the Aleke is uncomfortably messy and worth the short read a novella gives. Comparing and contrasting The Lies against The Truth would make a great book club discussion.
Ebook read through my local library.
SPOILERS: As is often the case with science fiction and fantasy, the time for things to change is SEVERALLY overestimated. America is ONLY 250 years old – four generations or less if the oldest of a generation is shaking hands with the youngest of the next. History is being rewritten daily. Entire nations are blended and erased in 200 years. Climate changes from snow higher than houses and missing summers to glaciers melting. The fact that the Forever Desert doesn’t change, but three hundred years of active war is a thing doesn’t make sense except in a fantasy setting. Fantasy keeps breaking this out and it just bothers me.
Addition comment. I always dislike the use of foreshadowing at the end of chapters to create a false tension. Stuff like “If he knew what would happen, he would have run” (not a quote from this book). It just feels cheesy to me and is a personal preference.
Amazon Cover
BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON for THE MEMORY OF THE OGISI
The epic conclusion to Moses Ose Utomi’s critically-acclaimed Forever Desert series, The Memory of the Ogisi shatters every truth, interrogates every lie, and is a story of oppression you’ll never forget.
Even deserts have a beginning. Even gardens have an end. Even water has a story.
The City of a Thousand Stories stands resolute on the edge of the Forever Desert. It is a lush metropolis, where water flows into every mouth that thirsts and knowledge sprouts in every mind that craves it. Yet despite their prosperity, no one can remember how the city began. It is a dire state of affairs: a people who do not learn their past cannot chart their future.
Ethike is an Ogisi, one of the City’s many historians, who has devoted his life to studying a little-known figure named Osi. He believes Osi to be the key to the city’s origins, but his years of research have only raised more questions about Osi’s identity. Until, one day, he believes he has found the answer.
Spurred by his love for his city and his family, Ethike ventures into the Forever Desert in search of the Lost Tomb of Osi. If he can find it, he will finally be able to prove his worth to the City’s Elders and cement Osi’s role in history. But history is a story told by the powerful. What Ethike uncovers beneath the sand is a power far beyond anything he could have expected…and it wants vengeance.
MY REVIEW for THE MEMORY OF THE OGISI
“Evil didn’t change. The evil of yesteryear was no different from the evil of today, … History was a story with no ending.”
The third and final installment of The Forever Desert trilogy continues the masterful cadence of oral storytelling in prose form. While the weakest of the three narratives, The Memory still is powerful. The power of the tongue, ears, and eyes continues to be controlled for political purposes; a means to control the narrative of the people, because, as the first book says “an untongued people cannot tell their story.” When stories cannot be shared, when they are banned, when they are erased from existence, history is also removed.
History removed is history without ending, and the cycles of the past will continue into the future.
Monsters, heroes, magic, desert, all play their role. Even water has a story. And Cities lie.
Hardback book checked out through the local library. Keep history honest and known, support your local library.