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justkyliep's reviews
654 reviews
The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
New Adventures in Space Opera by Jonathan Strahan
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The Collection Overall:
New Adventures is, in my opinion, an unusually strong collection of short stories. I found I really liked the way that this collection was balanced and organized--there wasn't really that collection-typical inclusion of something very long and literary and boring by an acclaimed author that can't be ignored. Instead, each story was refreshing and entertaining and did a decently good job of highlighting the new era of space opera this collection was centered on. I especially enjoyed the balance of voices, giving a good mix of serious and epic tones versus more comedic and "low-brow" narrators.
My only complaint is that a Few too many of these stories consisted of the same generic introductory premise (usually a Queen, usually named after some sort of flower or nature, usually with an elaborate court of Space Rituals...) that did not quite distinguish themselves. I think one or two of these could have been weeded and replaced with something that could expand on the themes of the collection in a more unique way.
Individual Story Reviews:
Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance
⭐⭐⭐⭐
It took me several tries to get into this story, but once I finally it was wonderful. My favorite concept for machine intelligence is the SOMA question. This story brought such an interesting and character-full twist to that dilemma.
Extracurricular Activities
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I love a good fast-talking improbably-indestructible special ops with a certain je ne sais quoi. And this did not fail to deliver! Despite a pretty simple premise and mystery, it was thoroughly entertaining all the way through on the merits of its very charming cast.
All The Colors You Thought Were Kings
⭐⭐⭐⭐
This piece has some of the best tension I've ever read, and I love how it builds and breaks and rebuilds again. The complexity of these characters' relationships are truly impressive for such a short story. I only wish the glimpses of the greater picture had been a *tad* bit clearer, for the stakes felt a little flat.
Belladonna Nights
⭐⭐⭐
Hm. I liked the tone and concept of this piece, but it felt quite empty. I didn't connect with the characters or their grief in any meaningful way, which made their situation quite… uneventful. That said, the ending was compelling in its quietness—good for Gentians.
Metal Like Blood in the Dark
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I’m quite fond of the fairy tale voice of this story. I like when sci-fi, especially mecha sci-fi or similarly big and metal and math-y sci-fi, puts on the trimmings of a more magical genre. I did, however, think the opera of it all was missing. Just a bit too quiet and hidden to really feel genre appropriate.
A Temporary Embarrassment in Spacetime
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Now this is a space opera, and a fun one. I have a great fondness for slapdash and silly worlds, where the world building is mostly based on what would be hilarious. I think this story did a great job of combining that with genuinely sympathetic and interesting characters. It was the perfect length and pace, too.
Immersion
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I really loved this story a lot, despite finding the pacing a little clunky and the writing a touch too forthright. I think this is one of the most successful examples of capturing the Imperial part of the space opera and its effect on the characters. I would love to see this expanded.
Morrigan in the Sunflare
DNF
I don't like Seth Dickinson. I find his writing to be particularly pretentious and overwrought, and that his choice in main characters always ends in him sticking his nose into places he doesn't belong. I'm not wasting any more of my time on him.
Old Dispensation
⭐
I found this world dense and annoying, in the sense that it approaches an almost techno-babble attitude to the politics and zealotry at work here. It was difficult to work through and not truly a text that I found necessary, at this political moment, to spend much time on at all.
A Good Heretic
⭐⭐⭐⭐
This world was fairly limited, but I loved to experience it through this character's eyes. In contrast to the last story, the blasphemy Mas faces was clear, despite the alien world. Her inner conflict feels grounded and relatable, making Mas herself quite a sympathetic character.
A Voyage to Queensthroat
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was a spectacular world-building job. The scope of the empire and the weight of history were so well crafted, despite never leaving a town too small for a name. I really loved these characters and the beliefs they carried.
The Justified
⭐⭐⭐
This one started out a bit underwhelming as this collection has a Lot of space operas with a very similar voice and premise, but I really liked the way the story developed. I think I would have liked this better earlier in the collection, when I was less burnt out on this type of opera.
Planetstuck
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Oh, lovely. This was a masterclass in short story world-building—plucky and entertaining, but full enough that it felt like the plot reached far beyond just this snippet. I loved the characters and the simplicity at the heart of the conflict. Really, really excellent.
The Last Voyage of Skidbladnir
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I have always thought that peaceful relationships with living ships were a bit unrealistic, so I loved that aspect of this story. I also really enjoyed the connections to the space exploration TV show and how it shaped Saga’s opinions and decisions about her ship. It was an interesting, quiet space opera.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tachyon Publications for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
New Adventures is, in my opinion, an unusually strong collection of short stories. I found I really liked the way that this collection was balanced and organized--there wasn't really that collection-typical inclusion of something very long and literary and boring by an acclaimed author that can't be ignored. Instead, each story was refreshing and entertaining and did a decently good job of highlighting the new era of space opera this collection was centered on. I especially enjoyed the balance of voices, giving a good mix of serious and epic tones versus more comedic and "low-brow" narrators.
My only complaint is that a Few too many of these stories consisted of the same generic introductory premise (usually a Queen, usually named after some sort of flower or nature, usually with an elaborate court of Space Rituals...) that did not quite distinguish themselves. I think one or two of these could have been weeded and replaced with something that could expand on the themes of the collection in a more unique way.
Individual Story Reviews:
Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance
⭐⭐⭐⭐
It took me several tries to get into this story, but once I finally it was wonderful. My favorite concept for machine intelligence is the SOMA question. This story brought such an interesting and character-full twist to that dilemma.
Extracurricular Activities
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I love a good fast-talking improbably-indestructible special ops with a certain je ne sais quoi. And this did not fail to deliver! Despite a pretty simple premise and mystery, it was thoroughly entertaining all the way through on the merits of its very charming cast.
All The Colors You Thought Were Kings
⭐⭐⭐⭐
This piece has some of the best tension I've ever read, and I love how it builds and breaks and rebuilds again. The complexity of these characters' relationships are truly impressive for such a short story. I only wish the glimpses of the greater picture had been a *tad* bit clearer, for the stakes felt a little flat.
Belladonna Nights
⭐⭐⭐
Hm. I liked the tone and concept of this piece, but it felt quite empty. I didn't connect with the characters or their grief in any meaningful way, which made their situation quite… uneventful. That said, the ending was compelling in its quietness—good for Gentians.
Metal Like Blood in the Dark
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I’m quite fond of the fairy tale voice of this story. I like when sci-fi, especially mecha sci-fi or similarly big and metal and math-y sci-fi, puts on the trimmings of a more magical genre. I did, however, think the opera of it all was missing. Just a bit too quiet and hidden to really feel genre appropriate.
A Temporary Embarrassment in Spacetime
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Now this is a space opera, and a fun one. I have a great fondness for slapdash and silly worlds, where the world building is mostly based on what would be hilarious. I think this story did a great job of combining that with genuinely sympathetic and interesting characters. It was the perfect length and pace, too.
Immersion
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I really loved this story a lot, despite finding the pacing a little clunky and the writing a touch too forthright. I think this is one of the most successful examples of capturing the Imperial part of the space opera and its effect on the characters. I would love to see this expanded.
Morrigan in the Sunflare
DNF
I don't like Seth Dickinson. I find his writing to be particularly pretentious and overwrought, and that his choice in main characters always ends in him sticking his nose into places he doesn't belong. I'm not wasting any more of my time on him.
Old Dispensation
⭐
I found this world dense and annoying, in the sense that it approaches an almost techno-babble attitude to the politics and zealotry at work here. It was difficult to work through and not truly a text that I found necessary, at this political moment, to spend much time on at all.
A Good Heretic
⭐⭐⭐⭐
This world was fairly limited, but I loved to experience it through this character's eyes. In contrast to the last story, the blasphemy Mas faces was clear, despite the alien world. Her inner conflict feels grounded and relatable, making Mas herself quite a sympathetic character.
A Voyage to Queensthroat
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was a spectacular world-building job. The scope of the empire and the weight of history were so well crafted, despite never leaving a town too small for a name. I really loved these characters and the beliefs they carried.
The Justified
⭐⭐⭐
This one started out a bit underwhelming as this collection has a Lot of space operas with a very similar voice and premise, but I really liked the way the story developed. I think I would have liked this better earlier in the collection, when I was less burnt out on this type of opera.
Planetstuck
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Oh, lovely. This was a masterclass in short story world-building—plucky and entertaining, but full enough that it felt like the plot reached far beyond just this snippet. I loved the characters and the simplicity at the heart of the conflict. Really, really excellent.
The Last Voyage of Skidbladnir
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I have always thought that peaceful relationships with living ships were a bit unrealistic, so I loved that aspect of this story. I also really enjoyed the connections to the space exploration TV show and how it shaped Saga’s opinions and decisions about her ship. It was an interesting, quiet space opera.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tachyon Publications for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport by Samit Basu
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5