Book Review: The Scarab Path

The war with the Wasp Empire has ended in a bitter stalemate, and Collegium has nothing to show for it but wounded veterans. Cheerwell Maker finds herself crippled in ways no doctor can mend, haunted by ghosts of the past that she cannot appease and seeking meaning in a city that no longer feels like home.

The Empress Seda is regaining control over those imperial cities that refused to bow the knee to her, but she draws her power from something more sinister than mere armies and war machines. Only her consort, the former spymaster Thalric, knows the truth, and now the assassins are coming and he finds his life and his loyalties under threat once again.

Out beyond the desert of the Nem the ancient city of Khanaphes awaits them both, with a terrible secret entombed beneath its stones.

Summary: The Scarab Path by Adrian Tchaikovsky is a great new start to the next arc of the Shadows of the Apt series. With a slightly narrowed focus, a couple of big mysteries, and who’d have guessed it, another siege, Tchaikovsky plays to his strengths and sets the stage to come without losing sight of a great experience.

Weekly Roundup

This week I’ve finished one book, started one more and managed to put out my top books read in 2021! Read on to find out more!

Mini Reviews: Inside-man and Reaper

Sometimes I don’t have a whole lot to say in a review. When that happens, I bundle two smaller reviews together. Below are my reviews for Inside Man by K.J. Parker and Reaper by Will Wight.

Top Ten Books Read This Year (2021)

It’s been a pretty great year for me reading wise, even taking into account a couple of reading slumps. I’ve discovered a lot of great new-to-me authors, read some excellent follow-ups and some really great quality debuts. So read on below for my top ten favourite books read this year.

Weekly Roundup

This week I’ve finished two books, started three more and sort of read one story from The Big Book of Modern Fantasy. I’ve also finally posted two reviews in a week after a long period of only posting one. I’ve decided to remove the Movie/TV thoughts section from the Weekly Roundup, as my heart wasn’t really in it. Read on to find out more!

Book Review: The Old Drift

On the banks of the Zambezi River, a few miles from the majestic Victoria Falls, there was once a colonial settlement called The Old Drift. Here begins the story of a small African nation, told by a swarm-like chorus that calls itself man’s greatest nemesis.

In 1904, in a smoky room at the hotel across the river, an Old Drifter named Percy M. Clark, foggy with fever, makes a mistake that entangles the fates of an Italian hotelier and an African busboy. This sets off a cycle of unwitting retribution between three Zambian families (black, white, brown) as they collide and converge over the course of the century, into the present and beyond. As the generations pass, their lives – their triumphs, errors, losses and hopes – form a symphony about what it means to be human.

From a woman covered with hair and another plagued with endless tears, to forbidden love affairs and fiery political ones, to homegrown technological marvels like Afronauts, microdrones and viral vaccines – this novel sweeps over the years and the globe.

Summary: The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell is a bold familial epic, building intertwining narratives in Zambia throughout generations to touch on themes in a myriad of ways. It missed the mark a little for me, but I can see why others love it.

Collection Review: Spoils of War

Tales of the Apt is a companion series to the best-selling decalogy Shadows of the Apt (Tor UK), gathering together short stories from disparate places and supplementing them with a wealth of new tales written especially for the series. Together, they combine to provide a different perspective, an alternative history that parallels and unfolds alongside the familiar one, filling in the gaps and revealing intriguing backstories for many established characters. A must read for any fan of the Shadows of the Apt books, where epic fantasy meets steampunk and so much more.

Summary: Spoils of War by Adrian Tchaikovsky is a solid collection of short stories set in the world of Shadows of the Apt. Few stories stand out, but every one is enjoyable, and all add new aspects to the world.

Weekly Roundup

This week I’ve finished four books, started three more, and read one story from The Big Book of Modern Fantasy. Read on to find out more!

Book Review: The Outside

Autistic scientist Yasira Shien has developed a radical new energy drive that could change the future of humanity. But when she activates it, reality warps, destroying the space station and everyone aboard. The AI Gods who rule the galaxy declare her work heretical, and Yasira is abducted by their agents. Instead of simply executing her, they offer mercy – if she’ll help them hunt down a bigger target: her own mysterious, vanished mentor. With her homeworld’s fate in the balance, Yasira must choose who to trust: the gods and their ruthless post-human angels, or the rebel scientist whose unorthodox mathematics could turn her world inside out.

Summary: The Outside by Ada Hoffmann is a fascinating sci-fi that pulls on Lovecraftian elements to craft a unique galaxy with a superb neuro-atypical protagonist.

Weekly Roundup

This week I’ve finished one book, started one more, and read one story from The Big Book of Modern Fantasy. Read on to find out more!