stephbookshine's review
4.0
Fans of chaotic, mind-bending comic scifi-fantasy – think Tom Holt’s later works (particularly Falling Sideways), Douglas Adams, Robert Rankin – will find Jamie Brindle’s Storystream a rich new source of surreality.
I rather foolishly read this book BEFORE the story called Chaos Born, then spent a large part of that book saying, “Ahhhhh!” in lightbulb tones, so I would suggest you read at least that one first (reading order here). However, this did work as a stand-alone until I read the earlier book, so really, you do you!
The whole basis of the Storystream universe is a world which runs on narrative possibilities, rather than logic or physics, and so anything goes. In this case, we have Matt and Charlotte who find themselves separated on their honeymoon and adventuring with NotCharlotte and NotMatt respectively, as well as their cat, EB, and a whole planet-full of sentient and murderous frogs, including bad-old Head Frog 127 (see my note about previous books for his backstory) and the angry academic, Philip Frogmore (ditto).
What follows is a time-travelling, universe hopping, story-bending space opera, in which the plot can be confusing, but the characters and worldbuilding carry you through [pause to stan EB].
I’m already a big fan of this author’s writing, and will continue to follow the Storystream’s development with interest.
I rather foolishly read this book BEFORE the story called Chaos Born, then spent a large part of that book saying, “Ahhhhh!” in lightbulb tones, so I would suggest you read at least that one first (reading order here). However, this did work as a stand-alone until I read the earlier book, so really, you do you!
The whole basis of the Storystream universe is a world which runs on narrative possibilities, rather than logic or physics, and so anything goes. In this case, we have Matt and Charlotte who find themselves separated on their honeymoon and adventuring with NotCharlotte and NotMatt respectively, as well as their cat, EB, and a whole planet-full of sentient and murderous frogs, including bad-old Head Frog 127 (see my note about previous books for his backstory) and the angry academic, Philip Frogmore (ditto).
What follows is a time-travelling, universe hopping, story-bending space opera, in which the plot can be confusing, but the characters and worldbuilding carry you through [pause to stan EB].
I’m already a big fan of this author’s writing, and will continue to follow the Storystream’s development with interest.
mfletcher's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
5.0
If this sounds like a solidly weird sci-fi/fantasy novel to you, you'd be correct, but boy does it wear it well.
Matt and Charlotte, are young, vivacious, and just married. They haven't started to hate each other yet. Waking up the morning after their very normal wedding, they each wake up to find a not-quite-right version of the other. Oh, and Charlotte's somehow managed to get on a space ship, with a humanoid creature that seems a lot like her very normal cat to boot. Everything is decidedly strange and the not-quite-right versions of their partner are even stranger, babbling of stories and sentient frogs.
Full review here: https://practicallyuntitled.blogspot.com/2020/05/sentientfrogs.html
Matt and Charlotte, are young, vivacious, and just married. They haven't started to hate each other yet. Waking up the morning after their very normal wedding, they each wake up to find a not-quite-right version of the other. Oh, and Charlotte's somehow managed to get on a space ship, with a humanoid creature that seems a lot like her very normal cat to boot. Everything is decidedly strange and the not-quite-right versions of their partner are even stranger, babbling of stories and sentient frogs.
Full review here: https://practicallyuntitled.blogspot.com/2020/05/sentientfrogs.html
More...