rivkat: Wonder Woman reading comic (wonder woman reading comic)
( Jul. 28th, 2024 01:08 pm)
Yes, IWTV is great! While waiting for the next season, might you consider Evil? The show follows a hot Catholic priest-in-training, the hot atheist shrink to whom he is desperately attracted, and their hot lapsed Muslim tech guy as they investigate and try to prove/disprove demonic possessions. It is incredibly, delightfully unhinged. Part of it is that the show started on network TV, then moved to streaming in its second season, leading to the absolute best evolution where characters who were reasonably well-behaved start spouting "fuck" at the drop of a hat in S2, including a delightful nearly silent episode that was actually filmed while they still thought they'd be on network, so after filming they replaced the "thought dialogue" onscreen that the actor thought he was filming with a stream of "fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck," to hilarious effect. There's body horror, Catholic guilt, an amazingly toxic mother (Christine Lahti, having the time of her life), four kids who have clearly been instructed to just yammer every time they are on screen together--making them more realistic than 80% of TV kids from the get-go--examination of misogyny and anti-Blackness, critiques of modern internet culture, and the occasional Wallace Shawn. Also, the tech guy is Aasif Mandvi and the hot priest is Mike Colter (Jessica Jones/Luke Cage). And the bad guy is Michael Emerson (Harold Finch), chewing scenery like he only gets paid by how much debris is left when he’s done.

Shorter rec: What if Hannibal and The X-Files had a deeply online baby? My one caveat is that this is a cynical show, which feels a little like watching Cabaret: It's a sick culture and the show is not interested in fixing it, only in displaying it pinned open on a table so we can poke at the nastiest parts.

Chuck Tingle, Bury Your Gaysqueer joy/horror )
R. A. Sinn, A Second Chance for Yesterdaytime travel romance )
Joy Demorra, Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites: Fluff and Fangs Editionwerewolf/vampire romance )
Stephen King, You Like It Darker: Storiesbecause they can )
Austin Grossman, Fight Mecynical former supervillains )

Thomas Olde Heuvelt, Oraclehorror and spycraft )
rivkat: Dean reading (dean reading)
( Dec. 27th, 2023 02:15 pm)
It's been a while! I've been busy with classes; didn't even manage to pick up a Yuletide pinch hit this year, sadly. I've been listening to Kesha on repeat (and Dessa and Taylor Swift with her cat chorus). And I just saw either a very large mouse or a small rat poke its head out of our basement closet, which was very unpleasant. While I wait for the pest control to call me back, have some fiction!

Alix E. Harrow, Starling Housesouthern gothic )
Jason Pargin, Zoey Ashe Is Too Drunk for This Dystopiabook three )
Christopher Golden & Amber Benson, Slayers: A Buffyverse Story: Good to hear the familiar voices, but the writing was sadly not good.

Seth Dickinson, Exordiahighly recommended )
Alexis Hall, 10 Things that Never Happenedromcom )
Martha Wells, System CollapseMurderbot! )
Rebecca Kuang, The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2023: Isabel J. Kim’s Termination Stories for the Cyberpunk Dystopia Protagonist, starring Cool and Sexy Asian Girl, is great. The others were fine but I don't really have anything to say about them.

Terry Pratchett, A Stroke of the Pennon-Discworld )
Emily Tesh, Some Desperate Gloryfascist deradicalization )
John Scalzi, Starter Villaineh )
Tobias S. Buckell, A Stranger in the Citadelbanned books )
Richard Kadrey & Cassandra Khaw, The Dead Take the A-TrainWolfram & Hart in NYC )
Shelley Parker-Chan, He Who Drowned the World:accepting self, gaining empire )
Christopher Rowe, The Navigating Foxoneiric fantasy )
Best of British Science Fiction 2022, Donna Bond, ed.: AI & environmental collapse )
Stephen King, HollyCovid horror ) Ben Aaronovitch, Winter's Giftsside quest )
rivkat: Dean reading (dean reading)
( Mar. 1st, 2023 12:27 pm)
Sorry I've been gone so long. I'm not sure I even posted my Yuletide pitch hit story, a Severance fic focusing on Helly.

Hernan Diaz, Trustit's a pun )
Ann Leckie, Translation Stateback to the universe of the Radchhai )
P.B. Rainey, Why Don’t You Love Me?Graphic novel with sad parents )
M.A. Carrick, The Liar’s Knotgood palace intrigue )
Sequoia Nagamatsu, How High We Go in the DarkPandemic sf )
Sarah Monette, Somewhere Beneath Those Wavesshort stories )
John Scalzi, Travel by BulletMore Dispatcher )
Ben H. Winters, Self HelpWinters goes for AI horror )
R.B. Lemberg, The Four Profound Weaves:trans fantasy )
Everina Maxwell, Ocean’s Echomind meld sf; not super tropey )
Leigh Bardugo, Hell BentAlex Stern continues at Yale )
Adrian Tchaikovsky, Cage of Soulsa dying city on a dying world )
Lawrence Block, John Ferris, & Stephen King, Transgressions: Terror's Echo: Three Novellasnot so good )
Karin Tidbeck, Amatkacommunist SF! )
A. K. Larkwood, The Thousand Eyes:fantasy palace intrigue, always a pleasure )



rivkat: Dean reading (dean reading)
( Sep. 26th, 2022 02:49 pm)
Tamsyn Muir, Nona the NinthFairly vague but still possibly spoilery? )
Stephen King, Fairy TaleVery Stephen King )
Kai Butler, More San Amaro Investigations )

Charlie Adhara, Pack of Lieswerewolf m/m murder mystery )
Rebecca Roanhorse, Tread of Angelslots of world, not a lot of building )
Best of British Science Fiction 2021, ed. Donna Bond: fine but unremarkable )
rivkat: Dean reading (dean reading)
( Sep. 20th, 2021 02:04 pm)
Laura Sebastian, Castles in Their Bonesyou had me at the title )
Tade Thompson, Far from the Light of Heavenlocked room spaceship mystery )
Tochi Onyebuchi, Riot Babypowers of the oppressed )
T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Strength (The Saint of Steel Book 2)bear shifter! )
Alex Lubertozzi, Any Other World Will Dono better worlds )
Olivia Atwater, Half a Soul: Regency Faerie Tales, #1neuroatypical because of fairies )
Harlan Ellison, Ellison Wonderlandsigh )
Waubgeshig Rice, Moon of the Crusted Snowthe apocalypse continues )
Stephen King, Billy Summers:writer for hire )
Rachel Neumeier, Death's Lady gets a psychiatrist )

Adrian Tchaikovsky, Shards of Earthspace opera with palace politics )
C.S. Pacat, Dark RiseChosen One ... maybe? )
Charles Stross, Glasshousestuffed with ideas; don't throw stones )
Rainbow Rowell, Any Way the Wind BlowsSimon Snow's arc concludes )
Claire O’Dell, A Study in Honor: A Novel (The Janet Watson Chronicles): Holmes/Watson with cyborg arms and the Second Civil War )
Beforeigners is an HBO show set in Norway, 7 years after people from earlier time periods started appearing in numbers. Meret turned me on to it and it is amazing. Not only are there a ton of witty details about what life would be like, it also has a charismatic lead and some interesting things to say both about (1) immigration/anti-immigrant sentiment and (2) how people get inured to previously unbelievable and you-would-have-thought-intolerable situations, which has obvious relevance to the current situation. People are arriving from a thousand years ago! Ugh, is that still happening? The female lead was a Viking (but we don't use that term any more) shieldmaiden, and warriors aren't supposed to become police officers, so she just told them she was a farmwife, and they had no idea how to evaluate that claim so they believed her. Does have police work, but not US police work, so I hope it's tolerable?

My daughter and I also powered through the new She-Ra, which was great (though I think I still like Steven Universe better). Next up: new season of Lucifer, then probably Legend of Korra.


Veronica Roth, The Chosen Onesafter the victory )
K.M. Szpara, Docileslavefic )
T. Kingfisher, A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Bakingweaponized dough )
Stephen King, If It Bleedsstory collection/more Holly Gibney )
The Year’s Best Science Fiction 2019, ed. Jonathan Strahan. Good stuff )
Tasha Suri, Empire of Sanddesert magic )
Edited By, ed. Ellen Datlow: prolific editor )
Best of British Fantasy 2019horror creeps into fantasy )
K.B. Wagers, A Pale Light in the Blackspace adventure with games )
K.B. Wagers, After the Crown:gunrunner turned Empress )
Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez, Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft:mysterious keys )
rivkat: Dean reading (dean reading)
( Oct. 10th, 2019 05:03 pm)
Julie Czernada, The Gossamer Mage: language fantasy )

Rivers Solomon, Daveed Diggs, Jonathan Snipes, and William Hutson, The Deep: not as positive a review as I wanted to leave )

Stephen King, The Institute: you'll like it if you like this kind of thing )

Django Wexler, Ship of Smoke and Steel: worldbuilding, shipbuilding )

Best of British SF 2018, ed. Donna Scott: the future is fantastic )

Ginn Hale, Master of Restless Shadows: palace politics )

Margaret Owen, The Merciful Crow: life and death fantasy )

Max Gladstone, Empress of Forever: future shock )

rivkat: Dean reading (dean reading)
( Jun. 6th, 2018 02:41 pm)
Mallory Ortberg, The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday HorrorDisturbingly good )
Stephen King, The Outsidersupernatural serial killer )
Jacqueline Lichtenberg et al., The Sime-Gen Minipackaged badly )
Tansy Roberts, Musketeer SpaceMusketeers ... in ... Spaaaace )
Jake Bible, Z-Burbiazombies )
Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planetragtag band )

Connie Willis, I Met a Traveller in an Antique Landnovella )
John Scalzi, Head Onthreep repeat )
rivkat: Dean reading (dean reading)
( Mar. 23rd, 2018 09:21 pm)
Mishell Baker, Impostor Syndromeis she going to run out of diagnoses? )
Maggie Shen King, An Excess Malefascinating debut )

Compostela: Tesseracts Twenty, ed. Spider Robinson & James Alan Gardner: Canadian sf/spec fic/poetry )
Kim Stanley Robinson, 2140future imperfect )
Tracy Townsend, The NineEpic fantasy, nice debut )
rivkat: Dean reading (dean reading)
( Dec. 31st, 2017 04:37 pm)
I got a great little iZombie story for Yuletide, in which Ravi accidentally becomes a zombie health blogger (not a zombie).

Ada Palmer, Too Like the LightningEh )
Stephen King & Owen King, Sleeping BeautiesI don't think we're in Maine any more )
April Daniels, Sovereign: Nemesis – Book TwoThe saga continues )
Sharon Shinn & Molly Knox Ostertag, Shattered WarriorGood combo )
rivkat: Dean reading (dean reading)
( May. 25th, 2017 06:56 am)
Stephen King/Richard Chizmar )

Madeline Ashby, Company TownFuture work )
Genevieve Cogman, The Burning PageMore Library shenanigans )
James S.A. Corey )

Mishell Baker, Phantom Pains:fantasy sequel )
Laurie Penny, Everything Belongs to the FutureSo many ideas )
Joe Haldeman & Jack C. Haldeman, There Is No Darknessold school )
Ben Aaronovich, The Furthest Stationnovella )
Max Gladstone et al., BookburnersAre libraries the new zombies in fantasy? )
rivkat: Dean reading (dean reading)
( Feb. 9th, 2016 08:53 am)
Have you been reading Strong Female Protagonist? Today’s panel has a great one-liner about superpowers that highlights just how much handwaving we usually do for them, even accepting their existence. But start from the beginning!  It's really good.

Holmes and con games )

John G. Sprankling, Property Law Simulations: What it says on the tin—short explanations of various bits of property law, plus problems to work through, usually in the context of a negotiation. Interesting scenarios!

Ben Horowitz, The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Advice about how to run a successful business from a venture capitalist. Kind of interesting just to get his worldview, which includes a fair amount of advice about transitioning from small to big, and occasionally about firing the people who worked well for a smaller firm and not so well for a bigger firm. He’s a big proponent of committing to a strategy, even if it means a complete reorientation and getting rid of people who did a lot for the old version of the firm.

Rabin's assassination, Montgomery bus boycott, history of Rome )
.

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