Books I’m Reading (and you should be reading too)

Here’s the latest roundup of what I’m (perpetually) reading:

Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi

There’s been some buzz about this one in the circles I follow, and for good reason. Complex, fascinating heroine (she has a chronic illness!) running around a space-opera-ish universe. I’ve heard the book likened to really good Firefly fanfic, and that’s not a bad thing. There are badass women running around doing badass things and falling in love with each other and with starships, and I’m totally down with that.

 

 

No Return by Zachary Jernigan

Yes, I’ve been reading this one a long time, and you should be too. I even went out and bought the hardcover in addition to the ebook, because the world was so lush and the language so intoxicating that I wanted to have it in hardcover. Yeah, there are some strange structural issues, but I could give a shit. Don’t let the cover fool you – it’s a hypnotic sort of read the evokes a lot of the same awe and wonder I felt reading Gene Wolfe’s stuff; the Elizabeth Hand blurb tells you all you need to know. If you love the shock and awe of science-fantasy and don’t care much for paint-by-numbers plots, pick this up.

 

 

Necessary Evil by Ian Tregillis

Another book I’ve been reading for a long time, because it’s the last in an incredible series that I really, really don’t want to end. Tregillis comes across as one of those writers who just sits down and effortlessly writes out a brilliant, clean book. He makes this shit look easy. His characters are heartbreaking and creepy and Gretel in particular will stick with you a long time. Be sure to start with the first in the series, Bitter Seeds, which is epic gold in itself but even more epically golden if you’re a military history-loving SF/F nut like me.