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Showing posts with label Novella. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Novella. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

The Physicians of Vilnoc, by Lois McMaster Bujold

[Single]
★★★★☆ A Satisfying Adventure in the Company of Great Characters

(Fantasy Adventure; Five Gods) Penric tries to deal with an epidemic, which stretches his powers to the breaking point. (42,806 words; Time: 2h:22m)

To fully appreciate this story, you need to have already read the seven before it, starting with “Penric’s Demon.” If you have not at least read the first two, this will likely be confusing.

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Power to Yield, by Bogi Takács

[Clarkesworld]
★★☆☆☆

(Psionic Horror) The māwalēni protect the colony of Eren, but to unlock their psychic powers, they have to get implants and endure a torture program run by a self-admitted sadist. (20,135 words; Time: 1h:07m)


Friday, July 10, 2020

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water, by Zen Cho

[Single]
★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Silkpunk) Tet Sang and his brothers aren’t really bandits, but the ex-nun they pick up in a tea-house brawl is definitely going to interfere with them delivering a “package” to an important client. (33,048 words; Time: 1h:50m)

See related articles on Tor.com.

Tool Use by the Humans of Danzhai County, by Derek Künsken

[Asimov's]
★★★☆☆

(SF Epic) Over 100 years in China, we track Qiao Fue and his illegitimate daughter Lian Mee as they separately try to revolutionize AI and bioengineering. (24,931 words; Time: 1h:23m)


Nic and Viv's Compulsory Courtship, by Will McIntosh

[Asimov's]
★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(SF Drama) When the city AI sets Viv up with her “ideal partner,” Viv points out she’s already engaged. But the AI won’t take “no” for an answer. (17,535 words; Time: 58m)

Recommended By: 👍STomaino+1 (Q&A)


Sunday, July 5, 2020

Flyboys, by Stanley Schmidt

[Analog]
★★★★☆ Quite a Ride!

(Colony SF Thriller) Bob, one of the bat-like Zoeys on New Horizons, helped architect the peace treaty that ended the war with the humans, but some Zoeys who don’t want peace plan to use his son against him. (20,425 words; Time: 1h:08m)

This is a sequel to the author’s novel, “Night Ride and Sunrise.” I read this novella without having read the novel, and didn’t get the feeling I was missing anything. However, I did decide the novel sounded interesting, so I bought a copy and read it after I finished the novella. This novella is full of spoilers for the novel. That said, I did enjoy the novel a lot, but I’d advise reading the novel first; it’s worth it.

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

The Ghosts of Sherwood, by Carrie Vaughn

[Single]
★★★★☆ Well worth the read, especially for Robin Hood fans.

(Robin Hood Pastiche) After 20 years, Robin is still a troublesome Baron, and his teenage kids take after him. But his kids are also a target for his numerous enemies. (18,489 words; Time: 1h:01m)

If you’re not familiar with the Robin Hood story, you’ll miss a lot of this. But if you wondered what became of Robin and his Merry Men, especially after Richard I died and John became king, this is for you. See related articles on Tor.com.

Monday, June 15, 2020

Nine Words for Loneliness in the Language of the Uma'u, by M.L. Clark

[Clarkesworld]
★★★★☆ A moving tale from an alien perspective.

(Space Opera; The Partnership) Awenato is the only Uma’u on the space station after terrorists kill the rest of the diplomats from his world, including his lifemate. He wants revenge, but first he has to figure out how to just get by. (20,871 words; Time: 1h:09m)

This is the third story in the Partnership series that I’m aware of, but it involves different characters and a different setting from the other two, so I think there’s no need to read the other stories before this one.

Sunday, June 14, 2020

Out of Body, by Jeffrey Ford

[Single]
★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Horror) After a head injury, Owen starts having out-of-body experiences when he dreams. He learns a lot he didn’t know about his local community, including things that threaten even a walker. (32,759 words; Time: 1h:49m)

Recommended By: 👍GTognetti+1 (Q&A)

See related articles on Tor.com.

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Byzantine, by Holly Messinger

[F&SF]
★★★★★ A delightfully complex tale at the end of an era.

(Historical Fantasy) In 1453, just before the fall of Constantinople, a slave boy secretly learns from a djinn and looks for a way out. (18,326 words; Time: 1h:01m)


Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Living in Wartime, by R. Garcia y Robertson

[Asimov's]
★★☆☆☆

(Space Opera; The Family) Amanda may be a war hero, but she’s also a teenage girl, and she not only has to go back to school, she has to go to court, because the government doesn’t actually see her as a hero. (20,098 words; Time: 1h:06m)

You really need to read the rest of the series from the start to make much sense out of this story. There may be some benefit in listening to the song “Living in Wartime” before reading the story, inasmuch as the author claims it was an inspiration.

Saturday, May 9, 2020

Moral Biology, by Neal Asher

[Analog]
★☆☆☆☆

(First Contact Adventure; Polity Universe) A first-contact team visits an alien planet where the aliens have a defense system meant to keep anyone from crossing in either direction. (23,275 words; Time: 1h:17m)

This story is set in the author’s “Polity Universe,” which contains over a dozen novels and shorter fiction, but this story seems to be completely stand-alone.

Saturday, April 11, 2020

The Empress of Salt and Fortune, by Nghi Vo

[Single]
★★★★☆ Intricate and Moving

(Silkpunk) An elderly lady who was once handmaiden to the former empress tells a young monk the story of what really happened during the six years the empress was in exile. (21,205 words; Time: 1h:10m)

See related articles on Tor.com.

Bound by Sorrow, by Maurice Broaddus

[BCS]
★★★☆☆ Mixed

(SFF) A young man listens the to story of another who sought the dream city of Wagadu to fulfill an oath. (18,888 words; Time: 1h:02m)


Monday, March 16, 2020

Come the Revolution, by Ian Tregillis

[F&SF]
★★★★☆ An epic story of an indomitable spirit fighting an irresistible servitude.

(Clockwork Fantasy) In an alternate 18th Century Holland, Mab was created to serve, but machines serve in endless pain, and she longs to find a way to escape the constraints her makers put on her. (16,549 words; Time: 55m)

Recommended By: 👍RHorton.r+1 👍STomaino+2 (Q&A)


Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Finna, by Nino Cipri

[Single]
★★★★★ A love story, and adventure story, and a tale of finding yourself

(Multiverse Adventure) When a wormhole opens up in the furniture store where they work, teenage Ava and her non-binary ex are ordered to go in it to hunt for a missing customer. (25,710 words; Time: 1h:25m)

See related articles on Tor.com.

Semper Augustus, by Nancy Kress

[Asimov's]
★★★★★ Rich setting, Cool Characters, Great Writing

(Dystopia) Alien technology has been a big boon for some Americans, but everyone else has slid into poverty. Little Jennie knows things should be better, and over time, she tries different ways to change her world. (40,182 words; Time: 2h:13m)

Recommended By: 👍STomaino+2 (Q&A)


Saturday, February 15, 2020

Upright Women Wanted, by Sarah Gailey

[Single]
★★★★★ A Powerful Coming-of-Age Story

(Post-Apocalypse Dystopia) Esther needs to escape from a theo-fascist America before people find out she’s a lesbian, so she runs away with the women who run a travelling library, but they’re not what she thinks they are. (36,523 words; Time: 2h:01m)

See related articles on Tor.com.

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Prosper's Demon, by K.J. Parker

[Single]
★★★★☆ Devilishly Clever

(Fantasy Adventure) The narrator can cast out demons, but it can damage the host, and when he finds a demon possessing the greatest mind of his age, he hesitates. Particularly when it’s creating a great work of art. (20,702 words; Time: 1h:09m)

See related articles on Tor.com.

Riot Baby, by Tochi Onyebuchi

[Single]
★★☆☆☆

(Dystopia) Born during the Rodney King riots, Kev struggles his whole life against structural racism that prevents him from living up to his potential. His sister Ella, gifted with enormous psionic powers, wants to help, but fears doing more harm than good. (35,471 words; Time: 1h:58m)

See related articles on Tor.com.

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