Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Murderbot is not OK but the reason why is [redacted]

System Collapse by Martha Wells

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CBR16 Bingo: Rage (The Murderbot Diaries are all the rage all over the bookish internet, in addition, there’s a lot of rage-inducing behaviour from the evil corporation in the book) Spoiler warning! This is book 7 in the series, and absolutely not the place to start reading. This book will not make as much sense if it’s your first encounter with Murderbot. You should have read at least All Systems Red, Artificial Condition and the previous novel, Network Effect to have the requisite backstory for […]

So much promise, yet so bland

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older

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Bingo 24: Celestial The Mimicking of Known Successes takes place at some point in the future when humanity has left Earth (maybe hopes to go back) and largely now lives on Jupiter. By virtue of setting, discussed in some detail, this is a cosmic setting with some cosmic questions about the future of planet Earth and humanity and other species. This novella is marketed as a sapphic romance (there’s a little), a murder investigation (also a little), gaslamp (kinda), and maybe a few other things […]

Some Minds are Better Off Not Read

The Journey by Isobelle Carmody

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What a perfect pick for the ‘And Also…’ bingo  square. I started bingo this year with the ‘Part 1’  because I decided to re-read the Obernewtyn Chronicles, and it really helped me get out of a rut.  Now as part of my re-read, I’ve leant about a very short Obernewtyn prequel story available on Audible and now I guess I have a new ‘Part 1’ to review? The Journey is set before the Great White and it gives us a glimpse of  what the world was […]

Intriguing, but Confusing

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton

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The story: A small group of villagers on an island are the last survivors on Earth after a deadly fog wiped out most of humanity. The residents of the village include regular villagers as well as three “elders,” who are scientists that work to keep the fog at bay thanks to a complex security system and lead the island. One morning the villagers awake to discover that one of the scientists has been murdered, and this murder has triggered a change in the security system. […]

This whole race of aliens forgot how to have children. CBRBINGO – Celestial

The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei

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This was really good! So much better—and different—than the author’s first book. If you want a fun space opera with some adventure packed in, I have a book for you. Maya Hashimoto used to be the Robin Hood of art thieves–stealing from the rich and their museums, and giving back to the alien civilizations where they were stolen from. Maya lives in a world where First Contact happened ages ago, humans still kind of ruined the planet, but also moved out to colonize the stars. […]

“Big Jim’s eyeball fell out. Like, fell the fuck out of his head. It rolled onto the grass, and to be honest, Big Jim and I were both taken aback.”

Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton

Feral Creature by Kira Jane Buxton

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CBR16 Bingo: Earth Day – This series revolves around how the natural world starts asserting itself upon the planet when the human race dies out in a pseudo-zombie apocalypse. Hollow Kingdom – 4 stars ST, a domesticated crow, finds himself unexpectedly in the midst of the extinction of the human race, and must make the best of it. I am an animal lover, and so I loved this book. As a pet owner, I found myself fascinated by the exploration of what may become of […]



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