Ex Libris December 2014

This month has been surprisingly good for my reading, perhaps because it's been too damn cold to venture outside and do a lot, and most of my days off have been spent cuddled up with kindle or book. Of course all my other hobbies have fallen off a little in the wake, so there's always that balance.
Only one completed anthology this month, Zombies vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier A bizarre and not entirely cohesive idea for an anthology, not particularly helped by the editors' commentary between stories. However I found a few gems, in particular Bougainvillea by Carrie Ryan.

Novels/Novellas:
God's War, Infidel (The Bel Dame Apocrypha) by Kameron Hurley
The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley
Kameron Hurley has been pretty much a cornerstone of the month as I've leapt from one book of hers to another, with a few novellas and short stories in the waiting list. I still can't decide where I stand on the Bel Dame Apocrypha, except that it kept reminding me of a quote from an interview with Natalie Dormer about what kind of heroes women get to be. God's War has some of the best worldbuilding I've ever come across, with the plot leaving this kind of film-noir-western atmosphere over a humid, claustrophobic desert planet.
The Mirror Empire is a complete surprise after total immersion in the Apocrypha - what seems like a standard fantasy romp, that separates into political intrigues, family ties and an incredibly compelling magic system. I'll be pursuing both series with interest.

The Six Gun Tarot by J.S. Belcher

Symbiont by Mira Grant
Suffered a little from second-novel syndrome with this one. Too many big reveals and then stationary plotlines. Hopefully it will read better with the release of the third book in the trilogy.

The Crescent Throne by Saladin Ahmed
 A change of scenery, if a stale plot from Saladin Ahmed, a shame, because I loved his collection of short stories, but I probably won't pursue this trilogy.

The Executioness by Tobias S. Buckell and The Alchemist by Paolo Baciagalupi
I have always loved Paolo Baciagalupi's world building and his combined efforts with Buckell hint at something great. I think both stories were far too constrained by the short format - each reading like the prologue to something much bigger. The Alchemist is my favoured of the two, the story just feels more cohesive and less bog-standard Middle European fantasy. Any other forays into this world would be welcomed!

Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind
I think I read this before, a long, long time ago, maybe? It was just that memorable obviously, and I'm afraid I'm not moved to be kinder to it now. I get the feeling I might be reading this at the wrong age, or in the wrong era, or maybe I'm just spoiled by the amazing fantasy fiction on offer but this feels like 80s wish fulfillment.

Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel
I feel like I should like Station Eleven more than I actually like it - it certainly picked up some critical acclaim this year. I felt it lacked development on what I would have made the central conceit - the graphic novel within the novel. Instead I was left with the sense of something being incomplete, barely started if we're honest. Just imagine this book, epigraphed with quotes from Coriolanus and King Lear, interspersed with sheets from the fictional comic, the escape that the characters are supposed to hunger for... Still, I love this take on life after the apocalypse, and no matter what else, I cannot help but be in love with the idea of a post-apocalyptic troupe of performers.
Survival is not enough. Indeed.

Mogworld and Jam - Yahtzee Croshaw
Two Croshaw novels, the first better than the last. I did find my eyes skimming paragraphs in Jam - the premise was good but the characters were too flat to hold attention. One thing that did stand out - in Jam all the women die - although I would be hard pushed to remember their names, let alone anything about their characters that would make them worthy of mourning.

Alif The Unseen by G. Willow Wilson
Alif The Unseen might be my favourite book I've read this month. It felt like Little Brother by Cory Doctorow but without the latter's tendency to infodump smugly down your throat. The injections of fantasy left me hungering for more of that mythology, but two of the three main female characters felt... unfairly done by. A sequel would certainly be appreciated.

Short Stories:
Now Dress Me In My Finest Suit, And Lay Me In My Casket. M. Bennardo. Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 99, December 2014.
Griefbunny. Brooke Juliet Wonders. Apex Magazine, Issue 67, December 2014.

Comics:
Harley Quinn Vol. 1 - Hot In The City