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Have you heard that ‘Mikey 7’ is getting a film adaptation starring Robert Paterson yet? I’ve had this book on my wishlist for ages – better hop to it and get it read before the movie comes out.

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A great sci-fi comedy series with a POC protagonist. This book has me not only looking up Spanish-to-English translations, but researching astronomy as well!

Book Review – ‘Unearthed’ (#1 Unearthed) by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Teens hunting for space treasure!

Genre: YA, Science Fiction

No. of pages: 331

When Earth intercepts a message from a long-extinct alien race, it seems like the solution the planet has been waiting for. The Undying’s advanced technology has the potential to undo environmental damage and turn lives around, and Gaia, their former home planet, is a treasure trove waiting to be uncovered.

For Jules Addison and his fellow scholars, the discovery of an alien culture offers unprecedented opportunity for study … as long as scavengers like Amelia Radcliffe don’t loot everything first.

Mia and Jules’ different reasons for smuggling themselves onto Gaia put them immediately at odds, but after escaping a dangerous confrontation with other scavvers, they form a fragile alliance. In order to penetrate the Undying temple and reach the tech and information hidden within, the two must decode the ancient race’s secrets and survive their traps. But the more they learn about the Undying, the more their presence in the temple seems to be part of a grand design that could spell the end of the human race …

Space archaeology and scavenging for alien technology – sounds like a fantastic adventure to me! That’s exactly what ‘Unearthed’ is, an action packed quest with highly motivated teen protagonists.

There is so much to love about ‘Unearthed,’ it delighted the child inside me, and reads like any movie sci-fi adventure. The action picks up in the first chapter and does not let up until the last word. With alternating chapters between our protagonists; Jules, daring to travel to an alien planet and prove his father’s life’s work is not the makings of a crazy zealot… and in the process save all life on Earth; and then there’s the witty Mia, a scavver (scavenger) who’s grown up in the slums and had to fight and work hard for everything she’s got. And she’s snuck her way onto the alien planet in hopes to strike it rich with finding some alien technology to sell and rescue her (illegal) sister from a nefarious work contract. They both are compelling characters and clash repeatedly bringing joy and interest to me as a reader. In the first chapter Mia saves Jules from other scavvers with her sassy attitude and street smarts, and it just gets better from there.

The pacing is steady all the way through, and I did not want to put the book down, but I do feel the pacing could have been a touch faster – especially for YA sci-fi – because we get a lot of detail, some flashbacks that could have been more succinct to really drive the plot forward at a cracking pace. But that is just me being a nit-picker, ‘Unearthed’ was such a compelling read.

The plot felt predictable, I guessed the twist at the end in chapter two. I think there were too many obvious conversations between Jules and Mia that gave it away far too early on. Besides that, the pair are always scrambling, running, desperate to get out of danger… which had me investing in their plight, because they were not always entirely successful.

I loved the writing style of Kaufman and Spooner. It’s embellished enough to create tone and ambience without being pretentious or moving ‘Unearthed’ away from its target demographic. Reading this book was effortless. But that is no surprise to those who have followed my reviews – I’ve felt the same from any other novels I’ve read penned by these authors.

This is a great family-friendly space adventure with high stakes that I would happily recommend to those searching for a light-hearted romp on an alien planet. Hardcore sci-fi fans may find this a little simplistic, but this is YA, so you need to take ‘Unearthed’ in the context in which it is written. For me this is a winner!

Overall feeling: Captivating!

© Casey Carlisle 2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Casey Carlisle with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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I’ve always achieved the greatest things when I’m conquering a fear. Sometimes its warning us about danger, sometimes its holding us back.

#bookporn #coverlove

I have been waiting for what feels like forever for the next instalment to find out what challenges Myfawny faces. And big ups for fellow Aussie author Daniel O’Malley for being able to mash paranormal mystery with a MI6 organisation together with a loveable protagonist.

Book Review – ‘This Is How You Lose The Time War’ by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

A trippy love story through the ages…

Genre: Science Fiction

No. of pages: 224

Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.

Except the discovery of their bond would mean death for each of them. There’s still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win that war.

This was beautiful and quaint. Packed with story and subtext. Told in alternating perspectives, Blue and Red are epyphonous creatures and hard to pin down, as is the mulit-verse and multi-dimensional landscape in which they travel. While romantic and full of colourful, this ethereal tone did make it hard for me to truly connect with the characters and the world. Everything is so changeable, malleable. While brilliant and a masterstroke in storytelling it did leave me feeling like I wasn’t quite grounded in the story. I struggled at the start to find my footing. To make sense of it all. But war is messy (not to mention jumping around in different points of time) so I guess the chaotic nature of battle marries the format of the novella.

Some may find this hard to get into. It is a dense read. There’s a lot to decipher in story and subtext. Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mothar’s writing style is embellished, melodic, and a little pretentious. It didn’t flow easily for me… I had to really concentrate to work out who each character was and who they are in relevance to the world at large – I think this may isolate some readers (depending on your reading level.)

The romance at the heart of the book is gorgeous, visceral, and all encompassing. I really enjoyed it, but at times the flowery language had me skipping forward. And I felt like I wanted more story. More exploration of strange new world’s that held symbolism or secondary storylines. 

There is a lot to unpack ‘This is How You Lose the Time War’ is a weighted read. I loved the allegory of the Mobius strip, the symbolism of the seed… but I still grapple with questions of who/what are red and blue? Who/what are Garden and Commandant and why are they at war? What is there to gain? I understand it’s to control the time line, but to what end? So many questions but all we get is a snapshot (a millennia long) of a part of Blue and Red’s budding relationship and covert measures. 

I love the concept more than the writing style. I can see this isolating some readers. It’s like reading mid-century poetry… hidden meanings and symbolism, subtext, and needing to look up the definition of words. For some this will be a roadblock, but for more experienced readers this will feel melodic and whimsical.

Overall feeling: kaleidoscopic

© Casey Carlisle 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Casey Carlisle with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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Glad I got to re-visit the universe of the initial Legend trilogy. This time we follow Day/Daniel and is little brother Eden. A great addition to the franchise.

This quote resounds with so much truth – I love anything that challenges toxic masculinity.

#bookporn #coverlove

I’ve loved the books I’ve read from Blake Crouch in the past so I had to add another to my collection. I think he is going to be another auto-buy author!

Book Review – ‘The Galaxy and the Ground Within’ (#4 Wayfarers) by Becky Chambers

A gorgeous tale of embracing diversity that humans could take a note from.

Genre: YA, Science Fiction,

No. of pages: 336

With no water, no air, and no native life, the planet Gora is unremarkable. The only thing it has going for it is a chance proximity to more popular worlds, making it a decent stopover for ships traveling between the wormholes that keep the Galactic Commons connected. If deep space is a highway, Gora is just your average truck stop.

At the Five-Hop One-Stop, long-haul spacers can stretch their legs (if they have legs, that is), and get fuel, transit permits, and assorted supplies. The Five-Hop is run by an enterprising alien and her sometimes helpful child, who work hard to provide a little piece of home to everyone passing through.

When a freak technological failure halts all traffic to and from Gora, three strangers—all different species with different aims—are thrown together at the Five-Hop. Grounded, with nothing to do but wait, the trio—an exiled artist with an appointment to keep, a cargo runner at a personal crossroads, and a mysterious individual doing her best to help those on the fringes—are compelled to confront where they’ve been, where they might go, and what they are, or could be, to each other.

The final instalment in the Wayfarers collection by Becky Chambers, ‘The Galaxy, and the Ground Within’ follows an all alien cast as they are isolated on a recreational way-station due to a wormhole glitch. It’s a clash of culture and politics that really shines a light on perspective and identity. It creates an atmosphere that discusses the debate on the pronoun issue popular in today’s society and how accommodating someone’s differences is about building community, friendship, and trust because exclusionary habits only lead to war and stagnant progress of society.

The pacing is quite slow because this is not a narrative about reaching a certain goal; it’s about relating to others – alien others – and to the self. It is a great exploration in identity and the core values that any individual faces regardless of race, culture, and politics. It is providing a poignant observation on today’s society around gender identity and social constructs. Because we are dealing with alien races and not human beings it really drives to the heart of the issues without the messy homo sapien culture getting in the way.

The plot is very simple but ‘The Galaxy, and the Ground Within’ is not about plot, and it is about the individuals within. We meet Pei again; who was the love interest of one of the crew of the Wayfarer from the debut in this series ‘A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet’ along with many of the other species of alien we have encountered throughout the novels. We get more background into their stories, origins, and culture.

I love the perspectives and the issues discussed in this novel, but the pacing did feel a little slow – but I’ve found that with all of these novels – a lot of care an attention has been given to the characters their motivations and their interacting identities. It just highlights that my personal preference tends towards a faster paced story. But ‘The Galaxy, and the Ground Within’ is atmospheric. Becky Chambers expertly builds worlds (and cultures) so that the way-station is practically a character in of itself. There is also that intangible element she crafts of community and the hope that different individuals have to connect and interact. Living in a rural environment, this concept translates because we are so isolated you really have to relate to and rely on the kindness of your neighbours at times. It forces you to forge relationships.

I think this last book in the series has surprised me the most and been the heaviest to impact me personally – just in my approach to preconceived ideas identity gender and sexuality. If our society was more a blend of alien species rather than a mish-mash of races, religion, and identities, maybe our attitudes would change.

Another strong recommendation from me. A fantastic blend of science fiction and character driven narrative.

Overall feeling: Beautifully crafted

© Casey Carlisle 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Casey Carlisle with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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I glimpsed back at some of the books I was obsessed with 10-15 years ago, some of them still stand up, some of them are cringe, and some feel very tone deaf… how do you feel writing has changed in the last ten years, and how has your reading tastes changed?