Shelly's Book Shelf

I Am Pilgrim

2026-10-16T13:52:08.385-04:00

TITLE: I Am Pilgrim

AUTHOR: Terry Hayes

Written a dozen years go, this novel about a bioterrorist feels relevant today, and even more plausible. The narrator is a one-time top operative for the US government who has been brought back to hunt down the terrorist he dubs the Saracen.

The book opens with what appears to be a perfect murder, then switches to the past to fill in the narrator's backstory, and then details everything learned about the bioterrorist, with the many elements in the book coming together in predictable and not so predictable ways. Overall, the plotting is well done, though I do wonder how the narrator learned some of the details he relates about the Saracen.

The writing is smooth, and highly detailed -- in one instance, rather than a single sentence saying the terrorist filled a syringe, we get a 5-6 sentence paragraph detailing the process of filling the syringe -- which adds to the substantial page count. The straightforward style and steady pacing kept my interest throughout.

Reading an older book gives the advantage of a lot of reviews to look at. As has become my habit, I checked reviews on Library Thing and GoodReads and found many 5-star and 1- and 2-star reviews but almost none in the middle. The negative reviews mostly cited stereotypical characters and descriptions, and I can see that. The Saracen is an Arab born in Saudi Arabia, female characters are mostly described as stunning, and so on, and if that sort of thing bothers you, you might want to pass on this, but that's a small part of the book which has a compelling story to tell.

The People's Library

2026-09-11T13:14:20.251-04:00

TITLE: The People's Library

AUTHOR: Veronica G. Henry

This was disappointing. I really wanted to love it. The premise is very appealing: a library where people can check out virtual recreations of historic individuals, or, as the blub says: "a digital collection of human consciousness." The protagonist is the head librarian of the People's Library, and that's where the novel's problems begin. Echo London is a bit of a cliche, someone more comfortable with books than people. She keeps herself closed off from others, including her colleagues. She has no real friends. Her life revolves around her job. Echo is boring.

Set in the near future, the story feels padded. There was a tech rebellion and then things got better but now the anti-tech movement is back, but we never see much of that part of the story because the book sticks with Echo, except for an info dump chapter near the end to fill in the back story of the antagonist. The prose is bland, with cliched descriptions, phrasing, metaphors, and similes. The plot revolves around Echo's growing attachment to the virtual people she checks out for conversations and most of the short chapters have a repetitive feeling, and by the end, it all feels so predictable. A Postlude serves as a caution that AI poses more of a threat than people think, but it reads like a lecture. A couple of ominous paragraphs would've better served the story.

I kept waiting for something interesting to happen, but it never did.

Beautyland

2026-08-11T19:39:29.945-04:00

TITLE: Beautyland

AUTHOR: Marie-Helen Bertino

I chose this book to read under the impression it's science fiction, a label supported by kudos on the back cover. By my standards for science fiction, the book fails on that account. That doesn't, however, negate the emotional impact of the story.

Adina Giorno, born in Philadelphia in 1977, is, as the premise states, is an alien from a far distant planet, sent to Earth to report on humans. Adina sends her brief accounts via a fax machine she and her single mother somehow acquire. How the fax works, why the aliens answer in English, isn't made clear. When she sleeps, she enters the "night classroom," where her superiors instruct her. Why they don't take her reports then is never considered as I can recall. Other than her instructions from the aliens and their brief, often cryptic replies to her faxes, the book could very well be a simple coming-of-age tale of an alienated girl trying to fit in and failing.

The book is written in a series of vignettes, covering four decades, with Adina's reports reading like diary entries at times. Her observations of human behavior are incisive and poetic. And when one of her few friends discovers the faxes and talks her into getting them published, Adina finally goes public with her true self.

Ultimately, I believe, the truth of who or what Adina is is up to each reader's interpretation, no matter what Bertino intended. This is a beautiful, simply told story about someone who doesn't fit society's expectations, but it isn't science fiction by most definitions.

When We Were Real

2026-07-20T18:29:30.074-04:00

TITLE: When We Were Real

AUTHOR: Daryl Gregory

This is the third book by Daryl Gregory that I've read, and as with the other two (Devil's Alphabet and Spoonbenders), this is both entertaining and thought-provoking, and populated with wonderful characters who seem fully realized, which is somewhat ironic given the premise of the novel: Seven years before the story begins, an Announcement informed everyone on Earth that they're living in a simulation/virtual reality, with annual reminders to make sure no one forgets.

As expected, everyone reacts in their own way to this news. Some commit suicide, seeing no reason to keep living. Others become convinced that most everyone besides them is a NPC (Non-Playing Character). Yet others spend time wondering what the point is of existence and can life have meaning.

The story focuses on a group of people on a cross-country bus tour of the US to see the Impossibles, phenomena that sprang up after the Announcement and have no basis in the laws of physics that anyone can find. Each person on the bus has their own reason to be on the tour, some clear to the reader at the start and others revealed slowly as the story progresses. There's also an unknown narrator who starts things off by introducing the tourists.

There are Dulin (the comic book writer) and his best friend JP (engineer, dying of a brain tumor) taking one last road trip, two nuns and a rabbi, a nurse and her wheelchair-bound mother, a pregnant young influencer, a podcaster (who wants to prove the Impossibles are a scam) and his teenage son, the tour guide on her first day on the job, the veteran driver, and a few others. The wild card is the professor who joins the group mid-tour while on the run from a group calling themselves the Protagonists who want to kill her because they believe she's a 'bot.

The character development is exceptional, and there's a good balance between action and philosophizing, humor and seriousness, that makes the book move at a nice pace. The ending is a bit ambiguous, though one that might hit readers differently; for me, I think that's kind of the point. I might prefer authors tie things up neatly, but I appreciate being left with questions to ponder.

Centroeuropa

2026-06-07T13:31:53.018-04:00

TITLE: Centroeuropa

AUTHOR: Vicente Luis Mora

TRANSLATOR: Rahul Bery

In the early 1800s, Repo Hauptshammer, newly widowed, arrives in a Prussian village to start a new life of a farmer. Feudalism is in decline and Repo is in possession of documents ceding a small plot of land to him, where he hopes to plant sugar beets. But first, he needs to bury his beloved wife Odra, and that's when the trouble starts. The first hole he digs yields the perfectly preserved body of a soldier. His second attempt is worse, revealing two more corpses from an earlier time. Enlisting the aid of a friendly neighbor, Repo uncovers yet more bodies, some dressed in unknown uniforms, with futuristic weapons at hand. The local authorities are at a loss as to what to do with the bodies, and while they consider the matter, Repo grows increasingly frustrated in his efforts to bury his wife and to make his farm profitable.

Repo also has a secret he alludes to in his narrative, which is the form this book takes: his memoir, written in a non-linear style, giving the reader hints and details until a full -- or near enough -- picture emerges.

For a slim volume, there is a lot of substance here, including the discussions Repo has with his new friend, Jakob, a historian, about politics and philosophy. It's always a treat to read a book that is both thought-provoking and entertaining, and this one definitely meets that standard.

The Keeper

2026-05-16T01:18:25.609-04:00

TITLE: The Keeper

AUTHOR: Tana French

I love Tana French's books, especially the Dublin Murder Squad. Her standalone books and this third book featuring Cal Hooper, a retired American cop who moved to a small town in Ireland are more suspense than mystery, with a focus on character rather than plot.

This one has a slower start than the previous two and is probably more for people who love these characters, like me. After catching up with the main characters, the actual story gets underway when a local girl goes missing. When her body is found in the river, an accident is suspected, but an autopsy points to suicide. In trying to discover the truth, Cal and his fiancee Lena slowly dig into the secrets planted deep into the town's inhabitants and way of life. Other than some not-very-surprising plot twists, there isn't much going on, but the ending is satisfying. Since I know what to expect from this series, I'd welcome another addition.

Outlaw Planet

2026-04-11T13:43:00.003-04:00

TITLE: Outlaw Planet

AUTHOR: M. R. Carey

I loved this book. A continuation of Carey's Pandominion duology, it's very much its own thing, a futuristic western. And at his center is an unforgettable character, Elizabeth Indigo Sandpiper, who came to be known as the outlaw Dog-Bitch Bess.

It probably isn't necessary to have read the first two books before reading this, but it would help a lot, especially in understanding the various sentient species that share this particular planet. The Pandominion worlds are essentially alternate Earths, each with its own dominate sentient species.

Bess leaves her home in the north for a teaching job in a small southern city, where she is when war breaks out, a parallel of the US's Civil War. Tragic events sent Bess hunting for revenge, aided by a high-tech, AI-powered gun known as Wakeful Slim that dates from the planet's distant past. The backstory unfolds slowly as Bess comes to learn the truth of her world's origins.

Carey is a wonderful writer and he keeps the story moving at a compelling pace, building suspense to the satisfying climax and conclusion. I felt almost as if I was sitting at a campfire while someone told me the story of Dog-Bitch Bess. I hope Carey continues to write in this universe.

Daughter of Genoa

2026-03-24T14:12:00.004-04:00

TITLE: Daughter of Genoa

AUTHOR: Kat Devereaux

I'm a sucker for a good historical novel and this did not disappoint. Set in Italy during a few months in 1944, this story captures the desperation and bravery of people trapped in a war that's all too relevant today. Based on the real-life Italian resistance organization DELASEM -- the Delegation for the Assistance of Jewish Emigrants -- the story is told through the perspectives of two characters: Anna, a Jewish woman living in hiding who assists DELASEM by forging identity cards, and Vittorio, a Jesuit priest working with DELASEM who rescues Anna when her home is destroyed during a bombing raid and finds her a safehouse where she can stay. A third character, Massimo Teglio, known as Mister X, is a real-life Jew whose work with DELASEM helped save most of Italy's Jewish population.

At the heart of this fictional story is an emotionally fraught love triangle that forms between Anna and the two men, complicated by Vittorio's vows and past histories that haunt all three characters. The prose is simple yet compelling and drew me in from the first page.

Midnight Taxi

2026-02-23T15:34:00.004-05:00

TITLE: The Midnight Taxi

AUTHOR: Yosha Gunasekera

A nice cover and a good review in Publishers Weekly convinced me to try this debut mystery set in present-day NYC. Siriwathi Perera, who immigrated to the US with her parents and brother from Sri Lanka when she was a young girl, drives a cab to support her family while trying to find her purpose in life. Listening to true crime podcasts while cruising the city, looking for fares, has given her a slanted view of the criminal justice system that is put too the test when she's arrested for murder of her most recent passenger who was stabbed in the back seat of her cab. An earlier chance meeting with a fellow Sri Lankan proves fortuitous because the woman is a public defender. Together, they set out to find the actual killer.

This is a breezy, fast-reading book, with a chatty narrator who gets a bit repetitious and there's a lot of New York City trivia, which normally wouldn't bother me, but in a book with not much actual action and story, it feels like filler at times. There are some nifty plot twists, though most didn't really surprise me.

Overall, this is a pleasant mystery with appealing characters, and judging by the excerpt of a forthcoming book by the author, it's the first of a series. I'll probably read that when it's published.

Improvisers

2026-01-31T15:50:00.000-05:00

TITLE: The Improvisers: A Murder and Magic Novel

AUTHOR: Nicole Glover

I've been trying to read more widely and diversely, so I'm including more fantasy. Since this book is also historical, a fiction category I enjoy, and the protagonist -- Velma Frye -- is a Black woman inspired by Bessie Coleman, a real-life aviator, this book ticked a few boxes for me.

Set in 1931, the book takes place years after two others that I haven't read, and while characters from those books appear, this works fine as a standalone. Velma is continuing her family's tradition of solving magic-related mysteries and murders while working for the Magnolia Muses, magic rights organization. When people start acting oddly, even violently, Velma discovers the cause is magic-infused artifacts, sending her across the country in her plane to find and retrieve more of these dangerous objects.

A murder complicates Velma's investigation, as does the continued presence of Dillon Harris, a very persistent reporter investigating a mystery organization that may be connected to Velma's case.

It took me a couple of chapters to get into the rhythm of the book which is written in simple, straightforward prose. At times, it felt like I was reading a Nancy Drew book for adults, which isn't a bad thing. Regular readers of fantasy might see all the plot twists coming, but I was surprised by a few of them. I'm undecided about reading the earlier "Murder and Magic" books, but I would definitely read a sequel to this. Velma is a wonderful character and I came to care a lot about her, and her family and friends.

To Be Read

2025-12-20T17:17:00.000-05:00

I've never made a TBR stack before. Sometimes I pick my next book before finishing my current one, but mostly I choose what I'm in the mood for from the 100 or so unread books I own. For the 1st time, I'm committing to read at least these books I've recently bought.

Seven stacked books, top to bottom: The Ganymedan, Daughter of Genoa, The Improvisors, I Am Pilgrim, Outlaw Planet, un-a-bridged, and Gilt Frame

I have two more print books on pre-order and a digital book available from Bookshop.org to add to this stack.

Nickel and Dimed

2025-10-27T19:33:00.004-04:00

TITLE: Nickel and Dimed: (On (Not) Getting By in America

AUTHOR: Barbara Ehrenreich

I've been working my way through old books. I'd thought I'd read this years ago, but no. Despite reading it so many years after it was published (in 2001), it still feels current (minus the out-of-date statistics).

The author spent the better part of a year working in low-income jobs and paying for her expenses with her earnings only. She waitressed in Florida, cleaned houses in Maine while working weekends at a nursing home, and was sales "associate" at a Wal-Mart in Minnesota.

Ehrenreich has a way with words, making for an entertaining read while educating readers about the issues faced by the working poor, a situation that still stymies upward mobility and financial security of this economic class. Well worth reading.

Death at the Sign of the Rook

2025-10-09T14:10:00.000-04:00

TITLE: Death at the Sign of the Rook

AUTHOR: Kate Atkinson

It's been a tough year for me for reading, but hopefully, I'm now back on track.

Kate Atkinson is one of my favorite authors and her PI character, Jackson Brodie, is one of my favorite fictional creations. This latest installment in the series is a complete delight. The mystery -- possibly connected art thefts -- is almost beside the point, serving mainly to bring Jackson and the rest of the main characters together for a murder mystery weekend at a mansion/hotel during a blizzard. Jackson is merely one character in the quirky cast and the alternating points of view bring them all to life, so much so that some of them deserve their own novels. This is a compulsive, delightful read.

Girls of Tender Age

2025-02-04T17:39:00.004-05:00

TITLE: Girls of Tender Age

AUTHOR: Mary-Ann Tirone Smith

My goal of reading older books I've accumulated over many years continues with this memoir/true crime book. Tirone Smith grew up in Connecticut during the 1950s, a time when people had no fear of leaving their doors unlocked. Her prose is very readable and full of humor, and her choice of using present tense gives her story a timeless feel.

Two things make this more than a simple memoir. First is the challenge of living with an autistic brother at a time when the condition was poorly understood. Second is the murder of her fifth grade classmate at the hands of a pedophile and the lasting effect that horror had on Tirone Smith's life. Together, these two things elevate a story of childhood innocence into something more memorable. I'm glad I finally got around to reading it.

The Hunter

2025-02-02T16:16:00.002-05:00

TITLE: The Hunter

AUTHOR: Tana French

A sequel to The Searcher, this book picks up two years later. Retired Chicago cop Cal Hooper has settled into small town life in Ireland where he is mostly accepted by the locals, especially Lena Dunne with whom he has a comfortable relationship. They both care about fifteen-year-old Trey Reddy who, with their guidance has begun changing from a near-feral kid into a good kid with a good future. So, when Trey's absentee father returns from London with a wealthy investor in tow, Cal senses trouble.

Slowly, Johnny Reddy's great plan -- to dig for gold in the fields and nearby mountain -- is revealed. Local investors are needed and Cal smells a scam. He wants to protect Trey from her father's scheming, but Trey has plans of her own.

French's prose is compelling and the way she uses the town as a character helps build the suspense. This isn't much of a mystery, but it is a well-written story about characters I've come to love.

Two Novellas

2025-01-06T22:37:00.000-05:00

These two novellas were my last reads of 2024:

This World is not Yours by Kemi Ashing-Giwa

As Many Ships as Stars by Weyodi OldBear

Both were well reviewed by "Publishers Weekly," so I decided to give them a shot. I've been trying to read more diverse books, especially in science fiction and these two sounded perfect.

They both were enjoyable, but they reminded me of how much I dislike reading short stories. They're too short, and read in places like a synopsis. The character development is basic and I found it hard to care about what happens to most of them, especially those in This World is not Yours. Both had places where I wanted to know more, but there was no more.

This World is not Yours is a bit of a horror story in a work of science fiction. Two women in a romantic relationship and their male friend are part of a team colonizing a remote planet that features something they call the Gray, something that the planet produces to violently remove anything it perceives as a threat. I understand the importance of diverse characters so readers of all ethnic groups and sexual orientation, but I felt like those characters could've been anyone and the story would've worked pretty much un changed.

As Many Ships as Stars is more ambitious, covering 30,000 Earth years, with a few time jumps that had me wishing for more. A work of Indigenous Futurism, the story focuses on Leia, a Comanche woman working as an engineer on the spaceships that will take the richest families off a dying Earth (due to climate change), while knowing people like her will be left behind. So she decides to steal one of the ships.

The first third of the book shows how tough life is for her and her people, but the scenes felt too similar and I almost stopped reading because nothing much was happening. The book finally takes off pun intended, when she and her family and friends launch the spacecraft. Things get interesting, and the cultures of the Indigenous spacefarers come into play. But after the slow moving opening section, the rest feels rushed. I'd love this to have been at least twice as long. One quibble: the typesetting is awful, with words being split at the right margin in weird places with not a hyphen in sight. I do hope OldBear tries her hand at novels.

Two Memoirs

2024-11-18T21:06:00.000-05:00

I hadn't planned to read these actor memoirs one after the other, preferring to mix things up, but here we are.

Damn Glad to Meet You: My Seven Decades in the Hollywood Trenches by Tim Matheson, an actor whose work I've enjoyed over the years, is a fast, easy read, covering his time as a kid actor to the present. Probably best known for playing Otter in "Animal House," he takes the reader through the good and bad times a working actor/director faces. He writes a lot about needing to reinvent himself as he outgrows certain types of roles while wanting to improve his performances and break out of typecasting. Peppered through the book is acting advice, something not relevant for me but enjoyable none the less.

The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir by Griffin Dunne is a more serious book, though also very readable. I had a hard time putting it down. Dunne brings his well-known family to life, including his father, Hollywood producer and writer Dominick Dunne; his uncle, writer John Gregory Dunne; and aunt, author Joan Didion, as well as his indominable mother. There is no glossing over family dysfunction and addictions, but the murder of his sister, actress Dominique Dunne, by her former boyfriend hangs over the lives of Griffin and his family. The opening chapter covers Dunne's mother getting a visit late at night by a police officer there to give her the awful news; the last section deals with the aftermath, with the court case and the emotional toll on Griffin and his family, making this more than a typical actor's memoir

Echo of Worlds

2024-07-08T22:49:00.002-04:00

TITLE: Echo of Worlds

AUTHOR: M. R. Carey

The sequel to Infinity Gate. This seemed to have more techy info dumps and I had trouble with some of the science, but that didn't hurt my enjoyment of this fast-moving story of AI versus organics across the infinite Earths of the multiverse. The war between the Pandominion (sentient organics, including humans) and the Ansurrection (AIs) has ratcheted up and the Pandominion has a plan to destroy the machines. Rupshe, a powerful AI on a non-affiliated Earth that suffered a decimating war a decade ago has its own plan, along with a small team of organics and AIs to help.

Aside from my poor job of summarizing the plot, this is a immensely readable book, with memorable characters, especially Paz, a teenaged girl from Ut, a version of Earth where the main sentient species evolved from rabbits instead of apes. Paz, with her digital implants (including part of her brain as part of a life-saving surgery), becomes the key to ending the war. This is a story with a lot of heart.

Translation State

2024-06-10T13:27:00.002-04:00

TITLE: Translation State

AUTHOR: Ann Leckie

Set in the universe of Leckie's Ancillary/Radch books, which I loved, this is a standalone novel that explores identity issues while also exploring the nature of the alien Presger aliens, specifically the Presger Translators. Told in three alternating POVs, the main characters come to life, and despite their differences, they each want to be their authentic selves.

Enae, on her own for the first time since her grandmother's death, takes on a diplomatic job and is tasked with finding a fugitive missing for two centuries. Reet, a mechanic adopted as a baby by a human couple, longs to find any info about his birth parents, discovers more than he bargained for. And Qven, the only one of the three who has a first person pov in their chapters, is a rebellious would-be Presger Translator who wants a different life than the one they were created for. It's no surprise that these three characters cross each other's path, leading to a confrontation that puts the treaty between the Presger and humans at risk.

The story is fairly basic, especially when compared to the Imperial Radch trilogy. But the usage of a wide variety of personal pronouns, along with a discourse on what it means to be human, as well as three likable protagonists, elevates the story. I hope Leckie continues to write in this universe.

Downloaded

2024-06-03T13:38:00.004-04:00

TITLE: The Downloaded

AUTHOR: Robert J. Sawyer

In 2059, the crew of a starship scheduled to travel to a planet in a different star system, have their consciousness uploaded to a quantum computer and their bodies placed in cryosleep for the long journey. Also uploaded in the same Canadian facility are a group of convicts who chose to serve their sentences in a virtual prison. When something goes horribly wrong, everyone is downloaded to their waking body500 years in the future. While the facility is intact, the outside shows signs of a plent-wide disaster. The astronauts and ex-cons must learn how to work together in order to survive.

This short novel is a quick read, told in alternating points of view. The narrative gimmick has many of the characters answer questions from an unnamed interviewer. The characters are all interesting, though at times, their voices seem a bit too similar. But the keep the story moving forward and there's a real sense of them as people just trying to deal with the unexpected reality in which they find themselves.

Wings Upon Her Back

2024-05-29T12:44:00.005-04:00

TITLE: The Wings Upon Her Back

AUTHOR: Samantha Mills

In a city divided into districts devoted to one of the five gods, fourteen-year-old Zenya, born to scholars who worship the Scholar God, longs to fly. Her ambition means leaving her home and family for the warriors who worship the Mecha God. Chosen by the great warrior Vodaya to join her team, Zenya devotes all her energy to be everything Vodaya wants. But now, after 26 years of doing anything Vodaya commands of her, Zenya, now Winged Zemolai, commits an act of mercy that leads to the loss of her wings and banishment. The past, showing how Zenya earned her wings is told in alternating chapters.

Zemolai is a fully developed character, and her fall from grace is well-told, including her gradual disillusionment especially when it comes to her charismatic leader, Vodaya.

The books makes for a quick read, one I enjoyed. However, the glowing reviews had me expecting something greater, something more complex or profound. It's a good book, just not the great one I'd been expecting.

Coffee Trader

2023-11-14T23:50:00.003-05:00

TITLE: The Coffee Trader

AUTHOR: David Liss

This book is a prequel of sorts to the author's first book, A Conspiracy of Paper. The main character, Miguel Lienzo, having escaped Spain and the Inquisition, is the trader of the title and an ancestor of the protagonist in the aforementioned first book. Living in Amsterdam, in 1659, with other displaced Jews, he is now able to practice his religion. To ply his trade, he often crosses lines set by the Ma'amad, the group of elected leaders in the Jewish community who set lifestyle rules and protect the community from anyone wishing to do them harm.

Having lost his funds and ruined his reputation in a deal gone wrong, Miguel is forced to live in his brother's flood-prone basement, a bad situation made worse by the enmity between the brothers and by Miguel's growing affection for his brother's wife. So, when a Dutch widow he's befriended wants to partner with him in a scheme to make a fortune in trading the new drink made from coffee berries, Miguel agrees, setting in motion a twisty endeavor full of intrigue and betrayal.

I haven't really read historical fiction set in this time period, so it made for an interesting read. And Lisss's pacing and plot twists kept me turning pages.

Conspiracy of Paper

2023-09-09T13:20:00.001-04:00

TITLE: A Conspiracy of Paper

AUTHOR: David Liss

It's a bit embarrassing to say I've had this book for two decades, but I have and now I'm trying to read my older books along with the newer ones.

The narrator/protagonist, Benjamin Weaver, is a former boxer now chasing down debtors and thieves for well-to-do clients in 1719 London. A Jew, he is estranged from his family, but when a new client hires him to investigate the suicide of his father and the accidental death of Ben's wealthy stock-jobber father, Ben is forced to make peace with his uncle in order to learn more about his father's activities.

Ben knows next to nothing about the fairly new stock market, so there is a fair amount of explanations and info-dumping in this story written in formal English to fit the time period. The more Ben learns, the more he realizes he doesn't know, but attempts on his life convince him to keep pushing for answers. The are enough plot twists, some I saw coming and a couple that surprised me, to keep the story moving and like Ben, I wasn't sure who could be trusted. With its attention to period detail, this historical novel is worth reading.

Books for Maui

2023-08-23T20:02:00.001-04:00

Books for Maui is a bookish auction to help Hawaii recover from the storm that wiped out the historic town of Lahaina on Maui.

Infinity Gate

2023-07-28T17:22:00.007-04:00

TITLE: Infinity Gate

AUTHOR: M. R. Carey

This reads as it is, the first book in a trilogy. I enjoyed it immensely, but have given it only 4 of 5 stars due to its incompleteness. Some opening volumes for trilogies end on a more definite point, the immediate threat ended, or the main isue resolved, with hints of trouble ahead. This ends more like a first chapter in a very long novel, its main function being to gather together the main characters for the story to come.

The premise is deceptively simple. Scientist Hadiz Tambuwal, in trying to find a way to save her dying Earth from out-of-control climate change, stumbles upon the discovery of the multiverse, and the Step technology that can take her to and from any of the millions of alternate Earths. Unbeknownst to her as she explores multiple Earths, seeking a solution for her Earth's dilemma, she comes to the attention of the Pandominion, a political and trade alliance of multiple Earths that maintains order through its military force: the Cielo.

The prose is very accessible, except for some early techno talk, and there is a fascinating variety in the multiverse, with many, many Earths where simians were not the species that evolved to become the dominant lifeform. There is also a nice variety of AIs to deal with. The characters all seem real, and my favorite is Topaz Tourmaline FiveHills, an adolescent rabbit who I hope plays an even larger role in book 2, due to be published in 2024. I am eagerly looking forward to reading how the rest of the story plays out.