Or, at the very least, they are the future in M.R. Carey’s book, The Girl With All the Gifts. The book is about Melanie, zombie child extraordinaire. She’s being held, along with several other (albeit less extraordinary) zombie children, at a research facility in England. At the facility, they attend classes, eat grubs and occasionally get dissected, all in the name of science. Dr. Caldwell does the dissecting, and Helen Justineau does the teaching. Below is a song I “wrote” about their adventures (please to […]
Arena
“Arena” is the debut novel by Holly Jennings, another subscription pick by my bookstore. “Arena” sat on my bookshelf for several months after coming home from the bookstore. The opening blurb on the inside cover reads, “EVERY WEEK, KALI LING FIGHTS TO THE DEATH ON NATIONAL TV. SHE’S DIED HUNDREDS OF TIMES. AND IT NEVER GETS EASIER…..”. After it stops shouting, you are informed how she is part of a Virtual Gaming League, competing in the premier tournament of the season. “And though their weapons and […]
I know the birds were supposed to be important because the title said so
All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders is a perfectly cromulent novel. But there’s nothing about it that set my soul on fire. To be perfectly honest, I’m not really sure why it won the Emperor Norton award. It’s a fine novel, but I didn’t see anything that would be “extraordinary invention and creativity unhindered by the constraints of paltry reason.” in the novel. The plot follows Patricia and Lawrence from childhood through adulthood. Lawrence is a science geek and an inventor. […]
Growing up is a miracle
The Age of Miracles is a coming of age story against the backdrop of a celestial/environmental disaster. Rather than going into great detail about the science behind the event, the novel focuses on how the seemingly mundane aspects of life are affected by our actions when we no longer can take the stability of the world around us for granted. Goodreads summary: “On a seemingly ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, 11-year-old Julia and her family awake to discover, along with the rest of the […]


