ghosthermione's reviews
297 reviews

The Vacuum of Space by Julia Huni

3.5

I enjoyed the romance part. That said, the mystery resolution felt less "ooooh THAT'S it!" and more out of left field. I don't always find the murderer but I do expect clues to lead me to them or at least make sense afterwards. This felt a bit too random here.

Judgement Dave by Si Clarke

fast-paced

5.0

You have 5 days to evacuate a bunch of disaster (*cough* climate *cough*) denialists who do not believe an asteroid is about to strike, despite it looming for years. They haven't even begun packing. What passes for government figures since they pay you, they don't have to lift a finger to help - but sure can berate you for just how slow you are. Oh, also, did I mention theyre a bunch of cat people whose idea of evacuation is asking to go out, then asking to go back in, and out again, on a loop?
It's tragic and infuriatingly familiar but also very funny.

But, oh, did we mention the cats' "pets" are actually a sentient species who are held as slaves, and considered stupid because... they use sign language instead of speaking? and your new cat friends, um, that is, employers, would rather leave them to die on the planet than have to recognize them as people? less funny bow, uh?

This book goes much, much deeper into the whole "the wider universe is an inclusive place" than the first book had gone. And tackles some very serious issues in a light way, riddled with jokes and references while never belittling the issues in question. That much a mix of comedic and serious is honestly on a level with Terry Pratchett - except perhaps more caustic.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Genocide, Child abuse, Slavery, and Kidnapping

Consider Pegasus by Si Clarke

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced

5.0

I burned through all 3 books in this series in under a week. Absolutely adore it. it's as whacky as Hitchhikers Guide to the galaxy, full of nerdy references to all your faves (highlights include Star Trek, Doctor Who, and Hitchhikers but there are maaaaany). It's also one of the deepest, most inclusive and most moving scifi I've read in a long time. All those whacky characters - the horse person, Big Bird, the grumpy robot who can't swear, the aurora borealis personification, and Spot the Dog - get more and more touching the further you get in the series. And if the 2nd book was very much a metaphor about human rights (refugee rights, and anti slavery and racism mainly - a strange contrast to The Fourth Time, We Drowned that i am reading concurrently), this one is a deep dive into ableism, saneism and institutionalisation, conversion therapy and the kind of procedures intersex people have to undergo. It is not subtle. It doesn't have to be. It manages to make its point very clear while also remaining a funny, whacky scifi story about a nonbinary person and her dog having adventures in space with her unicorn friend. Those two things can be true at the same time, but not all authors would manage it. 
I'll definitely jump on any further books in this series in an instant.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Violence, and Medical content

The spoilers above are the main subject of the book, in a more or less allegorical fashion Note they are all explicitly condemned, however they are described in some level of detail

Death Comes to Kurland Hall by Catherine Lloyd

mysterious

3.5

I've been enjoying this series and the will they won't they, but im finding Major Kurland's behaviour to be going further from "irritated because disabled and in pain" and more and more into "machist and sexist" in a way that can't really be brushed off. And yet I think I'm still supposed to root for them. Within 3 books he has had no character development and will probably complain til his last breath about "managing females" and that rather detracts from my enjoyment of the mystery. Too bad, because it was refreshing to have a disabled main character, with chronic pain.
 

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

challenging dark emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

As always, amazing book by T. Kingfisher. Very creepy, and I loved how the underlying topics, around the backstory for the character being there and her relationship with her grandmother, being discussed in stark detail and sarcasm, but with a lot of love for the main character.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Fatphobia

fatphobia coming from other characters towards the main character; past psychological child abuse being discussed, and current psychological abuse on the page.

The Dinosaur Hunters by Patrick Samphire

adventurous tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

Enjoyable read but it felt a bit too superficial - the mystery was too easily solved and the universe is too much "all the myths are true" for my taste (19th century napoleonic era space travel, living dinosaurs, life on mars... a bit much all at once)

Embedded by Dan Abnett
Did not finish book. Stopped at 4%.

Thought I'd give it a good 10% to see if I was into it, but then i had to stop at "She was a she too, a long-wheelbase Amazon compared to the portable, compact Tedders." No thank you.

Invaders: 22 Tales from the Outer Limits of Literature by W.P. Kinsella, Ben Loory, Jim Shepard, Amiri Baraka, Jacob Weisman, Max Apple, Steven Millhauser

3.0

Some very good stories in there but for the most part I would have enjoyed, firstly, a more balanced mix of male and female writers, and secondly, less stories centred around sex in crude/gross terms, and less fatphobia.

The Jewel and Her Lapidary by Fran Wilde

3.0

I felt like this could have been longer and the ending could have been more developed. Sadly feels unfinished.

The Third Bear by Jeff VanderMeer

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

1.0

I skipped ahead a lot, I did not see a point to most of these stories.