mar's reviews
394 reviews

Termush by Sven Holm

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dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

a curious novella from the 60s that definitely still resonates. the dry and clinical writing style just really didn't work for me, though.
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A Door into Ocean by Joan Slonczewski

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hopeful slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

hm. an interesting piece of classic sci-fi; despite a premise that could've easily turned into "women good, men bad" it does a pretty good job not succumbing to gender essentialism. still, personally i can't help but feel rather critical of its framing of nonviolent resistance as the only true and correct way of opposing colonialism (though i suppose it's not exactly a surprising sentiment to find in an explicitly pacifist book).
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The Powerbook by Jeanette Winterson

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emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.0

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Patternmaster by Octavia E. Butler

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  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

All the bleakness and themes of power and control of the Xenogenesis trilogy, but lacking in the complexity that made Xenogenesis so compelling. i'm curious if i'd have felt differently if i'd chosen to read the series in chronological rather than publishing order; on its own, without the context of the later prequels, I found this to be a frustratingly sparse read. (then again, I did kind of start at the end of the story, and I've heard it is the weakest in the series, so I'm looking forward to reading the remaining books and seeing how the world of Pattermaster came to be.)
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The Lotus Empire by Tasha Suri

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emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden

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emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

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dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Your Art Will Save Your Life by Beth Pickens

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2.0

The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov

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mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

a decently entertaining read, if you can tolerate some casual 50s sexism. definitely a product of its time in that respect - it's annoying, but i've also read way more recent scifi classics that were way more egregious about how they treated women.

i wish daneel didn't spend half of this book offpage locked in a room though. i'm here for the robot detective!!!!!
The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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