John Scalzi's Redshirts is a sometimes smart, mostly fun, and occasionally critically interesting novel that sits rightfully, and awkwardly, at the center of recent debates about the origin, aesthetics, and political value of so-called "squeecore" genre fiction.
Category: Reading…
Reading “Shadowdale” by Richard Awlinson [Scott Ciencin] (Forgotten Realms / Avatar 1)
The Forgotten Realms novel Shadowdale marks the beginning of a major event in the franchise's storyworld and, despite it being somewhat of an eye-rolling chore to read, it offers some promising elements for the rest of the series.
Reading “Juniper” by Monica Furlong (Doran 1)
Monica Furlong's Juniper is a beautiful, powerful novel of girlhood and community in ancient Cornwall that transcends its position as middle-grade fiction and demonstrates why Furlong's magical fictions of the ancient Celtic world, told from the perspective of women's experiences, deserve another look.
Reading “Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey” by Gordon Doherty
Gordon Doherty's novelization of the Assassin's Creed: Odyssey video game wonderfully demonstrates everything aesthetically and narratively wrong with so much franchise fiction.
Reading “The Captive” by Skomantas (Tales from the Baltic 1)
The first in an obscure 1990s Lithuanian historical fiction series published in English, The Captive proves mildly interesting, poorly written, and narratively simple, but might be worth a look if you're interested in the pre-Christian Baltic.
Reading “The Blue Fox” by Sjón
Sjón's The Blue Fox is a compelling English translation of the Icelandic original, a magical realist historical fantasy that brings Icelandic folklore to life in a rural 19th century setting and features a rare representation of a character with Down syndrome.
Genre Fantasies 