keegan_leech's reviews
51 reviews

To get the obvious out of the way, it's hard to recommend the first part of a two part series which will never be finished. Unfortunately, Stars in My Pocket... does not feel finished. There is clearly a lot being set up for resolution in the sequel, which simply won't come.

That said, the book is a fascinating experience. It's wonderfully creative. I was reminded often of The Left Hand of Darkness in part because (like Le Guin in that book) Delany uses gender in interesting ways. But also because of the way Delany uses his far-future multi-planetary setting to play with culture in really unusual ways.

On the one hand, if you don't enjoy novels heavy on world-building then this is almost certainly not for you. The book is dense with unusual cultural and technological concepts. It's introducing new ideas pretty much all the way up until the epilogue, and doesn't tend to explain them directly. This is another thing that makes more sense considering it was meant to be a part one. But as an exploration of culture, totally aside from its use as world-building, this is one of the novel's strengths. I never found myself bored or disappointed with Delany's ideas. Thick as the world-building comes, it's always inventive and unusual enough that I found it thought-provoking, even when it did little to advance the plot.

Partway through, I looked up the book, and learned not only that the sequel was never written, but that Stars in My Pocket was written before the AIDS crisis. The sequel was abandoned in part because AIDS changed how Delany felt he could write about queerness. My first thought though was, "Oh, that explains something about the tone of the book". There is a tone to the novel that is hard to place, and which tends to be absent from other older queer writing. I wouldn't call it "optimism" or "naivete", because neither one fits. But there is a kind of uncomplicated, queer hope which in other early queer writing tends to be understandably overshadowed by a tragedy like the AIDS pandemic. The uniqueness of the book is really something though. For all that it's hard to recommend, Stars in My Pocket is a unique and fascinating experience. I found the ending particularly moving, despite it being clearly a set up for more to come, and I can certainly say that I've never read anything quite like it.

If you would like something more complete though, and which touches on at least some of the same themes, The Left Hand of Darkness will scratch some of that same itch.

Binti is really dang good. Especially because the book flies by so quickly (I listened to an audiobook version but I get the feeling the physical novella would also be a quick read) I'd recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest.

It's an excellent showcase of what makes Okorafor's writing unique and encompasses far more than its length would suggest. Despite all that, it's a very quiet, straightforward book and not as complex as a novel like Who Fears Death (perhaps my favourite of Okorafor's work). This is a strength—there's absolutely no fluff or filler—but if you're looking for a novel to luxuriate in and take your time with, just be warned that this isn't it. It's a very efficient sort of storytelling.

Thematically, I found it wonderful to see science-fiction about migration, culture shock, colonialism, and conflict that treats all of these themes with appropriate seriousness without being pessimistic or miserable. Like the best sci-fi, Binti presents a situation which reflects real-world conflicts and histories with complexity and depth. Democratic solutions don't come off as naïve everyone-sang-kumbaya moments, but as difficult and important moments which require empathy and critical thought. Similarly, none of the conflicts in the story are between a species of "evil" aliens and plucky human enemies, or some variation on the theme.

Binti isn't unique in any individual aspects, but something about it feels fresh, exciting, and different. I hope to read many more books which have that same feeling to them, and once again I'd recommend it to everyone who gets the chance to try it.

A stunning book. Jemisin's writing is always and her characters feel alive. The story is a clever take on community, humanity, and HP Lovecraft's racism. Best of all, it feels honest and grounded. I really felt for the characters and there were moments when I wished everything would just work out already so I'd get to see them safe and happy. But the novel avoids trite, easy solutions. Every moment of danger or despair feels real, and the moments of lightness and hope feel all the more satisfying because of it.

That said, I was a little disappointed by the novel. It felt a little unfinished. I understand that this is the first in a series, but it felt like to many plot threads were left hanging. And rather than feeling drawn into the sequel, I just felt unsatisfied. The novel also doesn't manage to overcome the feeling that it is a novel for New Yorkers, and not really anyone else. Which isn't a bad thing, I certainly learned a lot about New York, but I don't think it resonated as strongly as it would have if I actually knew the city.

Mr Penumbra's biggest flaw is that it's dated. It's written with a kind of early '10s Silicon Valley utopianism which just doesn't hold up today. The novel is much better than "The Da VincI Code by way of Ready Player One" would imply, but it's not unfair to say that the comparison is accurate.

I would still recommend it if a fun, optimistic mystery story about strange bookstores, fonts, and Google. You just have to be willing to look past a style of writing that is extremely of its era. That era being the overly-optimistic, very white straight nerd bro internet of the early 2010s. It's written for a time when Google was known better as "The cool search engine company that has nap pods and skate parks in its offices" rather than "The surveillance capitalists who buy up their competition and shutter any project that doesn't immediately turn a profit".

Fun jaunt? Yes. But its charms are dull and I doubt that time will polish them.

Not a terrible book, but I just can't see a reason to recommend it. I'm sure anyone who wants a good murder mystery could pick up any one of a number of other books, or a number of more noteworthy Agatha Christie books

There's something satisfying about the way the mystery spreads out before you over the course of the novel and then wraps itself up again by the end. But as already noted, there's plenty of other books that would give the same satisfaction. The plot itself is plain and with nothing much to say, the characters are all rather flat, and while the writing is fine it's also not a draw. The events of the novel play out in a very straightforward, predictable way, and Hercule Poirot's clue gathering becomes more than a little dull and repetitive by the end.

Ultimately, a decent book to pick up for next to nothing second-hand and spend some carefree time with, but not one to seek out for any reason.

Impossible not to recommend Terry Pratchett to everyone all the time. Beneath his lighthearted, funny style, there's such an incredible depth of thought that goes into each character, and every book.

A perfect place to introduce yourself to the Discworld, and I particularly recommend it to anyone who likes the sound of a funny detective noir story about the shortcomings of "hero of destiny" tropes.

This was a re-read and it's still an absolute favourite book of mine. Despite its flaws, which were more noticeable the second time around, it remains stunning for that rare quality in a book to fundamentally change the way you think about the world. It presents both trees and the broader environmental crisis in a rare way and does it persuasively.

I think some readers might find it at times too saccharine, or—depending on how closely you agree with the novel's assessment of humanity's prospects­—either overly bleak or wildly optimistic. But whatever you think of it, it's a book to provoke and change you. I certainly think about it constantly, and for that alone I'd recommend it to everyone.

The characters, prose, and structure of the novel are all good enough that it manages to walk the knife's edge of being a book I'd recommend to everyone, but there's no doubt that they are supports for the themes and content of the novel more than  selling points in themselves.

I'd recommend it, even if all my criticisms sound off-putting. If you think there's any part of you that would like to marvel at trees and growing things, or  wonder at the connections between living things, then please read this book.

I was surprised by how funny this book is. Even in its bleaker narrative moments, there is a sharp, shining wit to it that made me laugh out loud. Only being familiar with Winterson's much more sombre Written on the Body, I wasn't expecting so many lighthearted moments. That isn't to say that Oranges is only a funny or lighthearted book. It is sombre in its own ways, and the darkly-comic vein which runs through the book gives it a life and depth that most other books about religious bigotry and sexual awakenings would be hard-pressed to match.

I think a few people might be put off by the more experimental aspects of the writing—such as the moments where the narrative is told through reinterpretations of Arthurian grail legends—but the book is a fantastic and genuinely funny exploration of romantic love, religion, family, and being. If you are in the mood for something that's meditative, original, and thought-provoking while also being a delightful, witty read all the way through then you can't get better than this.

I constantly alternated as I read Beautiful World between thinking that it was Rooney's best writing and her worst. It certainly seems to be her most experimental, and her most direct, and there's no question that it's very well written in general. So I'd recommend it to fans of her other work, because at worst you'll find the differences interesting, if not an improvement.

I feel a bit like I could write a whole essay on the book without giving it a worthwhile review, so it's hard to say whether people who aren't familiar with Rooney would like it. Like her other work, it's heavily character driven and has some exceptionally well-written personal moments. Like her other work, these moments slow together so well that any given sentence or paragraph feels incomplete without the chapter's worth of context before and after it.

I think for that kind of writing alone, it's probably worth picking up. But there were other moments where I felt let down. At some points the novel is especially direct in its themes, almost to the point of being didactic, and it's unclear whether Rooney is directly expressing her own thoughts, or illustrating something about the characters'. This isn't an issue in itself. These moments are well justified by the novel, this sort of artistic experimentation is presumably the point, and there is no reason to expect Rooney to separate herself and her characters. But I couldn't help feeling that these moments broke up the otherwise seamless flow of the novel in a jarring way. Almost between chapters, the novel can flip between subtle, understated, personal moments and broad, didactic, metaphysical musings. If it were two novels instead of one, I think I would have adored both, but the combination was awkward.

Rooney's a good enough writer that I enjoyed the whole experience, but her style can be divisive at the best of times, and I get the feeling Beautiful World will get a mixed reception even among fans.

A very engaging, and brilliantly written book. It's rare that this kind of non-fiction is written so engagingly or so thoroughly. The topic is also one that is often ignored, and I found myself hoping that Ngwane's work inspires similar writing, or that he publishes more in the future.

If you're at all interested in South African democracy, this is a fascinating look at an aspect of it that doesn't get a lot of attention. Easy reading with enough context and history that you don't need any background in order to enjoy the book, but with enough depth (and brilliant analysis) that anyone could learn from it.