Sunday Salon: Spell the Month in Books - March

 

Reviews From the Stacks

For 2025 I have decided to have a go at Spell the Month in Books which is hosted at Reviews From the Stacks. The link party opens on the first Saturday of the month, but I won't be posting until after that as I already have other things scheduled every Saturday and for the first two Sundays of the month.

The idea is that you use the title of books to spell the month name. There is also a theme each month, with the theme for March being Sci Fi. I am not going to lie. I thought I was really going to struggle with sticking to the theme, but this was actually the easiest one so far!

The Martian by Andy Weir - This is one of my favourite movies, and I loved the audiobook of it too.

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness - It's funny. I was thinking about using a different Patrick Ness book for something else the other day, and then I needed an A and here this one was! This is the second book in the Chaos Walking series.

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells - I love the Murderbot series. They aren't my normal genre, but they are fun and irreverent, a bit violent but oh so good!

Cordelia's Honor  by Lois McMaster Bujold - Somewhat strangely these are a combined issue of books 1 and 7 in the Vorkisagan series. 

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir  - I have read the first book in this series, Gideon the Ninth, but haven't read this one yet

Much easier than I expected! 

The April theme is Animal on the Cover or in the Title.

I am sharing this post with Sunday Salon hosted by Readerbuzz.

Falling Free and Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold

When I signed up for the Sci-fi Experience for this year, the plan was to read at least a couple of the Miles Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold, and I am pleased to say that I did so having finished both Falling Free and Shards of Honor. One thing that I find interesting about these books is that although these are the first two books of the series chronologically, they weren't published in that same order.

The first book in the series, chronologically speaking is Falling Free, but it was published a couple of years after the initial trilogy.

Leo Graf was just your average highly efficient engineer: mind your own business, fix what's wrong and move on to the next job. Everything neat and according to spec, just the way her liked it. But that all changed on his assignment to the Cay Habitat. Could you just stand there and allow the exploitation of hundreds of helpless children merely to enhance the bottom line of a heartless mega-corporation?

Leo Graf adopted 1000 quaddies - now all he had to do was teach them to be free.

When Leo Graf is deployed to the Cay Habitat, he is ill prepared for what he will find. The Habitat has, in effect, been used for a breeding experiment, where the desired outcome is a quaddie - instead of a human with two arms and two legs, the children have been bred with four arms which makes them perfectly adapted for the space environment that they live in. The experiment has been going long enough that there are now young adults who are having their own children, but everything is carefully controlled, even down to who they will procreate with.

However, time for the Habitat is running out, and there doesn't seem to be many viable options for the future of the quaddies. Leo finds himself in a position of leading them, trying to work out where the ship full of quaddies can go, without having to kill off all the human staff.

I have previously read the Sharing Knife series by Lois McMaster Bujold, so it wasn't my introduction to her writing, but it was my first exposure to her science fiction, and I wasn't disappointed. I enjoyed the interactions, the premise and the action that definitely got the blood pumping a little bit.

Having now read the second book in the series, what I can't quite figure out is where this story about the quaddies fits into the Vorkosigan world. I suspect it will become clearer in due course, but for the moment, it isn't all that clear. It was however a good introduction to the series in terms of the types of worlds we will see!

Rating 4/5

It was the wrong war....

In the wrong place, at the wrong time, for the wrong reasons. She even wore the wrong uniform; Cordelia Naismith,  Betan Expeditionary Force, had been hurried into battle still wearing her old tan Astronomical Survey fatigues.

Now, captain of a throwaway ship on a mission of deception, she convoys a weapon of wicked subtlety to entrap and destroy an enemy armada.

But Cordelia will discover deception within deception, treachery within treachery, until finally she is forced into a separate peace with her chief opponent, Lord Vorkosigan. It is a peace that earns her only ignominy - even though it foreshadows a new beginning, for herself, her lover, and both their peoples.

While I really liked Falling Free, it was at the end of this book that I closed the book and thought....now I get it! I get why this series has loads of fans and continues to be very popular more than 20 years after it was originally published.

Cordelia Naismith is a member of the Betan Expeditionary Force sent to a new planet as the leader of a scientific mission. Things go badly, and she is left behind by her crew on her instructions, but soon she is taken prisoner by Aral Vorkosigan, Barrayan commander, who has a fearsome reputation as evidenced by his nickname of The Butcher of Komarr. Vorkosigan is, however, not completely in control of their surroundings either. Not only must they deal with the strange (and scary) creatures that populate the planet, but he is also dealing with a situation with his crew - some of whom may or may not be loyal to him.

By necessity, Cordelia, one of her injured crew members, and Aral must hike to a supply point which is some miles away and along the way they come to each other better, not only as individuals, but also in terms of the differences between their two societies which are very distrustful of each other, for good reason.

The Barrayan society is very masculine, very formal with many rules regarding who can rule, who cannot, with the leaders willing to sacrifice their people for a good enough cause. Arranged marriages are very common in the ruling classes. In comparison, the Betan society seems to be much more relaxed and much more equal when it comes to the relationship between men and women - something that is a little strange to the Barrayan.

Quote from page 58

"I..." he began and trailed off. "You're not what I expected a female officer to be."

"Oh? Well, you're not what I expected a Barrayan officer to be, either, so I guess that makes two of us." She added curiously, "What did you expect?"

"I'm - not sure. You're as professional as any officer I've ever served with, without once trying to be an, an imitation man. It's extraordinary."

"There's nothing extraordinary about me," she denied.

"Beta Colony must be a very unusual place, then."

"It's home. Nothing special. Lousy climate."

What they do find is that they actually do have some common ground - both have a very strong sense of personal honor and integrity, even if others might not always see their actions in that light. There is also a strong attraction between them.

This is only the beginning of the adventures that Cordelia and Aral have together, as they try to fathom how they can maintain their loyalties to their respective countries without losing the relationship that they are building. Cordelia proves time and time again that she is smart, capable and resourceful, but that doesn't mean that she can't break.

Given that most of the future books in the series focus on Miles Vorkosigan, this book is in effect a prelude - how his parents met and fell in love and also sets up the next book in the series where Aral takes on a very public, high profile role which I suspect will influence Miles in future books.

As a science fiction novel it totally worked, but it also worked as a story with strong romantic elements.

I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series! I now own all of them except for one as ebooks. Now I just need to make sure that I fit the next book into the reading schedule somewhere!

Rating 4.5/5

Grimspace by Ann Aguirre

By all accounts, Sirantha Jax should have burned out years ago…

As the carrier of a rare gene, Jax has the ability to jump ships through grimspace—a talent which cuts into her life expectancy, but makes her a highly prized navigator for the Corp. But then the ship she’s navigating crash-lands, and she’s accused of killing everyone on board. It’s hard for Jax to defend herself: she has no memory of the crash.

Now imprisoned and the subject of a ruthless interrogation, Jax is on the verge of madness. Then a mysterious man breaks into her cell, offering her freedom—for a price. March needs Jax to help his small band of rogue fighters break the Corp monopoly on interstellar travel—and establish a new breed of jumper.

Jax is only good at one thing—grimspace—and it will eventually kill her. So she may as well have some fun in the meantime…

I first heard about this book over at Ramblings on Romance just about a year ago, and even though I knew that it would be something very different for me, I bought the book. Since then the book has languished on my bookshelf waiting for the right moment to be discovered!

That moment came when I needed to nominate a book to read for the Sci-fi Experience. With the cross genre combination of sci fi and romance, it seemed to be a perfect fit. Since reading this book I have bought another sci-fi romance novel by Susan Grant, so it is a good thing that I enjoyed this one!

Sirantha Jax is a jumper, or at least she was, and she thinks she still is. At the opening of the book she is being held prisoner by her employer, with interrogators trying to find out what happened during the fatal crash that killed many people, including some dignitaries and her co pilot and lover Kai. When a group of mercenaries, led by the enigmatic March, break Jax out of her captivity, she has no idea what they want from her other than her skills as a jumper. She soon finds herself drawn into a plot against the government, and one that has her travelling from one world to another.

Jax is a complex character. She can be harsh and bitchy, emotionally brittle, but she is also intelligent, strong and very entertaining. She is a woman who has been pushed to the edge of her limits and has managed to hang on. She is also someone who at first is being forced to move on from a past that she is not yet ready to let go of.

As a hero, March is pretty darned good! He is dark and broody, damaged and aloof and yet highly principled and prepared to do what it takes to firstly get the job done but on his terms, and also to provide as much support for Jax as she is willing to accept, always knowing when not to push her too far. This is a delicate balance because the relationship between jumper and pilot has a much higher degree of intimacy than just crew member to crew member would normally entail.

I loved the secondary characters, particularly with the introduction of Velith towards the end. The action moves through several different worlds, and there was enough information to be able to separately identify the worlds and their individual dangers without there being an info dump in terms of descriptions of worlds and aliens.

The end of the book was wrapped up very neatly, but I am sufficiently engaged to want to read the next one! I should also point out that Aguirre has the first book in a new series coming out soon, called Blue Diablo, and you can see the ticker in my side bar!

Rating 4/5

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.

Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves-Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel that will bring a vast new readership to one of the most compelling writers of our time.

Late last year when I was reading the Twilight saga, I noticed that Stephenie Meyer had added a new book to her website which she was saying was Sci Fi for those people who don't read Sci Fi. I must confess to being very intrigued by the cover, but more than a little sceptical because I am one of those people who doesn't really read much science fiction, although I did read another book in this genre earlier this year when I participated in the Sci-Fi Experience that Carl hosted.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book really was excellent. Not that I didn't already know that Stephenie Meyer knows how to write a story, but simply because normally the whole alien body snatcher aspects really wouldn't do very much for me.

Our story opens when our alien (soul), who is known as Wanderer, is being transplanted in Melanie Stryder, her new host. Her species are almost symbiotic in that they come to a new planet and then slowly take over by being transplanted into the home species and then improve life. For Earth those improvements have meant the end of wars, to illness, to violence. Not all their changes have been improvements. For example, because the aliens don't appreciate or even understand competitiveness in sport due to their passive nature, a game of basketball has become a game of apologies and of the opposing team trying to politely give the other team the ball when it goes out of court.

Wanderer is somewhat unusual amongst her race, because she has lived on many different planets. Where most of the souls find a home for themselves within one or two planets, Wanderer has lived on 8 planets, and in as many different body types but is yet to find the world where she truly feels at home.

What should happen when a soul is implanted in a new host, is that the host's personality disappears and the soul takes over every aspect of their life including their memories. When Wanderer is implanted within Melanie things don't quite go to plan because Melanie just won't go away. Part of the reason why Wanderer was chosen to host Melanie was that the Seekers wanted to use Melanie's memories to track down a group of human rebels but Melanie is strong enough to block her memories thus protecting her younger brother, her lover Jared, and the other humans who are hiding out in the desert.

Slowly but surely, Wanderer and Melanie get to know each other, and begin to like each other, enough for Wanderer to begin to give some thought as to what it must be like for Mel. Eventually she agrees to help Mel try to find out what happened to her loved ones, leading Wanderer away from everything that she knows, and into a strange and hostile environment.

For me, the real strength of this novel is in the relationships, and the fact that Meyer successfully manages to negotiate what could have been very difficult is testament to her skill. Not only is there the relationship between Mel and Wanderer, but also Mel's individual relationships with Jamie and Jared (her brother and lover), and Wanderer's relationship with them, and her growing friendship with Ian (my favourite I think!), who is one of the other human rebels. There is also interesting dissection of the nature of acceptance when Wanderer does meet up with the rebels. In the beginning the reception is very hostile and threatening, but gradually the barriers begin to break down as Wanderer (who becomes known as Wanda) interacts with the people within the compound, and gradually strives to become an integral part of the group, but not without plenty of opposition.

Another strength of this book is the world building. Whilst the novel's setting is Earth, and as such doesn't require a lot of world building, Meyer hasn't taken the easy way out and left it at that. The rules of the soul's society are complex, and she allows us to see glimpses of the other very strange and different worlds that the souls have taken over both in her thoughts, and through the talks that Wanda shares with the group.

As I was getting closer to the end of the book, I admit that I was a bit concerned about how the author was going to manage to bring all the loose ends together in a satisfactory way, but she completed managed to do so.

Whilst I knew I would like this book, I was surprised that I enjoyed it so much. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I graded it 4.75/5, but given that I don't do the quarter grades, I rounded it up to 5 out of 5 - my first for the year (but not my last!)


Other Blogger's Thoughts

Book Binge
Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-a-holic
Kailana's Written World
The Bluestocking Society
Rachel Reads
Maw Books
So Many Books, So Little Time
Savvy Verse and Wit
Books and Musings from Downunder
Katrina Reads
Melissa's Bookshelf
Hey Lady! Watcha Readin'?



If you have reviewed this book, leave a comment and I will link to your review.

Island in the Sea of Time by S M Stirling

During a perfect spring evening on Nantucket a violent storm erupts and a dome of crawling, colored fire blankets the island. When the howling winds subside and the night skies clear, the stars appear to have shifted. The mainland has become a wilderness of unbroken forest, where tools of bronze and stone litter the beaches, and primitive natives scatter in terror.

A startling phenomenon has occurred: The island of Nantucket has been swept into the long-ago past. With its inhabitants adrift in the year 1250 B.C., there is only question to be answered: Can they survive?

A provocative and endlessly inventive spin on the classic adventure story. Island in the Sea of Time takes you on a journey of wonder, discovery and imagination.

I first heard about this book on one of the forums that I frequent, when some members started talking about the trilogy, and I thought I would give them a go even though science fiction/alternative history is not really my thing. I don't mind a bit of time travel occasionally though, although travel sort of indicates to me that there is some kind of onward (or return) journey after the initial travel, which for the characters there really isn't in terms of time at least.

My decision to request this book from the library was sort of endorsed when not long after Carl V announced The Sci-Fi Experience and I decided to participate by reading this book.


So I'll start by talking about my experience. I will confess that I struggled a little bit with the reading of this book. At 600 pages long it is a chunkster and so it would have normally taken me at least 4 days to get through at the best of times, but this time it took me well over a week. I think part of the reason for that is that this was a book that had lots of technical jargon and descriptions within the text. It wasn't too bad first thing in the morning when I was awake, but in the afternoons coming home on the train, I really struggled to get through certain sections within the book. I kept on losing track and getting distracted from reading, which doesn't happen all that often.

I do now find myself wondering what my sci-fi experience would have been like had I read a book by a female author, because to me, as I read this book, it was very obvious to me that this was a book written by a man. There are three main romantic relationships that happen within the book, and all of those were practically instantaneous developments. There was also lots of description about creating usable weapons and salvaging items from the 2oth century and making them usable in the new now, body armour and the like, lots of martial arts talk and plenty of battles. Not that you don't get those things in books by female authors, just that maybe the ratio of time spent describing those things would be different.

One of the things that I did find myself wondering is about how book genres are decided. This book, for example, hinges on one event that is completely unexplainable at this point in the series (so is that what makes it sci-fi?) but then for the most part it seemed to me to be something of an alternate history, a story of human endurance and flexibility in terms of being able to survive, and exploration (albeit made easy by the fact that the characters had 3000 years of history at their fingertips). So was it the time travel element that made this sci-fi, and if so does that mean that time travel romances are sci-fi, or perhaps time travel is only one aspect and it really depends on what else is in the book.

The whole premise of the book hinges on the fact that one night there was some kind of unusual electrical storm and suddenly the whole island of Nantucket plus some of the waters around it, is thrown back in time to 1250BC. Luckily there is an astrologer on the island who is able to calculate this for them, along with a Professor of Classical history and just the right people with handy hobbies that will definitely help the marooned island to survive and eventually maybe to prosper. The chief of police quickly becomes the leader, with the role of military leader taken over by the captain of the US Coast Guard who was caught up in the Event as well. As time passes a rudimentary governing system must be agreed on and implemented with more solid hierarchical structures required later to enhance the stability of the economy and the relationships within island life.

When a flight over to the mainland confirms that where the city of Boston should be there is nothing but forest, people on the island begin to comprehend what has happened to them. Their most immediate concern is how to survive - how to produce food and keep whatever resources they have available to them (like fuel and electricity) going for as long as possible.

Once it becomes clear that there is no way known that the island can support all the people on it, the leaders know that they are going to have to start trading and that they are also going to need to do things like start outposts in some far off places so that they can get what they need - for example, they know that in order to have salt that they are going to have to have people harvesting natural salt flats in Central America as there is no way to get any from the island itself.

One of the major issues though is that any exposure to other peoples brings major risk - exposure to 20th century diseases that could wipe out single tribes in a matter of days, difficulties in communicating in unknown languages that could lead to war as easily as friendship, and how does everything they do affect the history that has already been but not already been....if you know what I mean.

Within the group of island people there is inevitably dissent for whatever reasons, and there are also people who want to take certain steps for their own purposes. After the Americans manage to do some trading with some people in what is now Southern England, one of the more ambitious and morally suspect members of the crew decides that he wants to set himself up as a kind of warlord, using the advantages that he has in terms of 20th century technology that can be applied to various aspects of life, most particular in the way the tribes of the area fight wars, and much of the drama in the novel is based around the confrontation between good and bad.

There are moments of genuine fun sprinkled throughout the novel - at one point as he rides into battle, the bad guy breaks into a chorus of Bad to the Bone - completely nonsensical to all the tribesman around him, with the exception of those of the modern day characters that followed him to the dark side, willingly or otherwise.

A lot of the characters are somewhat two-dimensional, and some of the relationships are a little cliched, but overall it's an interesting exercise in the what-if line of conjecture.

I am planning to read the next book in the trilogy, so perhaps my summary should be something along the lines of reading this book didn't make me want to say I am never reading sci-fi again, so that's a positive thing right?

The Sci-Fi Experience 2008

Carl from Stainless Steel Droppings has come up with a great idea - the Sci-Fi Experience 2008. As the title suggests, it involves reading Sci-fi. I think it is a pretty fair bet to say that I haven't read any sci-fi at all in the last, maybe 8-10 years! That's right....years!

I do however have one out from the library at the moment! And so, I am signing up for just one book, which fortunately is well within the rules for the challenge! My challenge book is going to be ..... Island in the Sea of Time by SM Stirling. It is a book that was highly recommended by someone in a group I am in, and I thought I would give it a go and see if I liked it too!

Click on the link above to read more about the experience!