Category: Swords and Spaceships

Happy Friday, banshees and bounty hunters! This week, I’ve got reviews of Hunger Makes the Wolf by Alex Wells and Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn, plus Afrofuturism, YA sci-fi, time travel, queer reads, and more.

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This newsletter is sponsored by Flatiron Books and Legendary by Stephanie Garber.

After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister Scarlett from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and the time to repay the debt has come.

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Reminder: you’ve got til June 21 to enter our $500 bookstore gift card giveaway, right here.

Where is the YA sci-fi? That’s what Fonda Lee wants to know, in this piece discussing the publication process for Exo and Cross Fire. It’s an interesting question; as she notes, there are plenty being published, but anecdotally, they’re definitely not getting the same amount of public recognition. I checked my reading spreadsheet, and I’m reading at least double the amount of YA fantasy as YA sci-fi.

When I get around to fixing that ratio, here’s where I’m going to start: 100 Must-Read YA Sci-Fi!

For time travel fans: Jess has assembled a list of time travel romances, to scratch that Outlander/The Time Traveler’s Wife itch. I confess that time travel stories (specifically ones with time loops) frequently drive me batty, and yet I can’t stop reading them…

A reading pathway for a movie director: That’s right! You can read your way into Guillermo Del Toro’s work, not just watch it.

“Breathtaking” is admittedly a wiggly category, but Martin Cahill makes his case for five SF/F novels. One of these days I really need to read Max Gladstone.

Did Black Panther leave you wanting more Afrofuturism? I made you a list of options!

Are you reading along with Tor’s QUILTBAG book club? Here’s the latest book review, for Sea, Swallow Me and Other Stories.

Today in reviews, I give you space motorcycle gangs and an even weirder San Francisco, with bonus fire powers!

Hunger Makes the Wolf by Alex Wells

I picked this book up both because it is by a Book Riot contributor (oh hey!) and because it won a Golden Tentacle for Debut (I adore the Kitchies). You should pick it up immediately, for those reasons and also because it’s one of the most fun, most unexpected additions to the Weird Space Western genre I’ve read in a long while.

Set on the dusty, arid planet called Tanegawa’s World, it follows several characters as they navigate an increasingly overlapping tangle of personal and political crises. Hob, part of a mercenary biker gang, is still working her way up the hierarchy from a huge error in judgement a few years back. She gets no special treatment being the adopted daughter of the leader — if anything, the opposite. Her former best friend, Mags, is supposed to be headed off-world for a chance at a better life, away from the corporation that controls life on their world, but her father is murdered and Mags herself disappears under strange circumstances. There are a few others, but I’ll leave you to discover them on your own. Suffice it to say that Wells tosses the narrative back and forth with ease and great timing, unfolding both the backstory of Tanegawa’s World and the characters while balancing it nicely with action.

And there is action aplenty — train heists, miner strikes, gun battles, covert operations, undercover hijinks, backstabbing, murder, mayhem, you name it. There’s also a hefty dose of magic that reminded me of nothing so much as the earth-shifting powers from the Earth 2 series (oh, ’90s sci-fi), in the best way. If you’re craving an inclusive found family story that’s also an outerspace Western, and/or a new read in the vein of Becky Chambers’ Wayfarer series, Felix Gilman’s The Half-Made World, and Firefly, you need this on your shelf. Bonus: the sequel, Blood Binds the Pack, is out now!

Heroine Complex (Heroine Complex #1) by Sarah Kuhn

This book features demon cupcakes, quirky super powers, friendships and sibling shenanigans, a romance, and an alternate San Fransisco. Some of you have already TBR’d it; for the rest of you, let me tell you a bit more.

Evie Tanaka is the personal assistant to a highly strung crime-fighting diva called Aveda Jupiter, and she’s great at her job. She’s also been best friends with Aveda since they were little, which is why she puts up with all the drama. That, and Evie has a secret, one that means she needs a secure, steady, predictable job to keep her calm. One wouldn’t think that chasing around after a demon-killing superhero would work for that, but it does for Evie. That is, until Aveda gets injured and Evie has to pose as her until she’s better. All bets are suddenly off, and Evie has to contend with her own secrets, her changing friend status with Aveda, a sudden attraction for a geeky and infuriating scientist, her rebellious younger sister, and, of course, the ever-present demon infestation.

This book is an absolute delight, and I inhaled it from start to finish. Evie is a snarky and entertaining narrator, the relationships among the characters are both drama-filled and beautifully complex, and the plot moves along at a brisk pace. This is a perfect summer read — take it to a cabin or a beach or a pool, make sure you have some cupcakes handy, and dive in.

And that’s a wrap! You can find all of the books recommended in this newsletter on a handy Goodreads shelf. If you’re interested in more science fiction and fantasy talk, you can catch me and my co-host Sharifah on the SFF Yeah! podcast. For many many more book recommendations you can find me on the Get Booked podcast with the inimitable Amanda.

Peace favor your sword,
Jenn

Happy Friday, you hoopy froods, and happy Towel Day! Today we’re talking MEM by Bethany C. Morrow and The Queen of Sorrow by Sarah Beth Durst, young Aragorn, the Nebulas, and more.

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This newsletter is sponsored by Penguin Teen.

Unforgivable betrayals, devious motives, and forbidden love collide in the first installment of internationally bestselling author Sally Green’s epic new fantasy series, perfect for Game of Thrones fans.

In a land tinged with magic and a bustling trade in an illicit supernatural substance, destiny will intertwine the fates of five players:
A visionary princess determined to forge her own path.
An idealistic soldier whose heart is at odds with his duty.
A streetwise hunter tracking the most dangerous prey.
A charming thief with a powerful hidden identity.
A loyal servant on a quest to avenge his kingdom.
All are driven by ambition, honor, and desperation on the cusp of war. But who will be left standing when the smoke clears?

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The Nebulas have been awarded! Huge congratulations to the winners — there are a lot of personal and Book Riot favorites in here, and I talked about Rebecca Roanhorse’s “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience TM” in the Short Fiction episode of SFF Yeah.

Elementary, my dear Watson: Along with the many in the mystery/thriller genre, here are a few speculative takes on Sherlock Holmes. (I’m a huge fan of that Aliette de Bodard series as well!)

There’s been no official statement yet, but rumors abound that Amazon’s new Lord of the Rings TV series will follow Aragorn. This sounds at least plausible to me (although I have to say that if I had my druthers we would get the Adventures of Galadriel).

Let’s get steamy: Need more erotic fantasy and sci-fi in your life? Here’s a list. There are some classics on there, as well as a few surprises.

Emo zombies! It’s a thing. This headline made me laugh so hard, and then I actually read the piece, and can’t really argue with any of their recommendations. I will add, however, that if you need a “cozy” zombie movie to chase all those feelings (BECAUSE THAT ALSO EXISTS), may I recommend Fido?

Because you don’t have enough nerdy swag, here are some very excellent further options. I need the Octavia Butler AND the Ursula Le Guin shirts, to round out my collection (which already includes this one).

Today’s reviews include got extracted memories and tree spirits.

MEM by Bethany C. Morrow

What if you could pull a memory from someone’s mind? Set in Montreal in an alternate 1900s, MEM plays with identity, personhood, and medical ethics. In the process of playing with these concepts, Morrow delivers a thought-provoking and page-turning novel.

The inventors of the procedure specifically wanted to help their patients heal from trauma — and what better way than to just remove the trauma entirely? A human can undergo the treatment up to three times in their lives, and many of those able to afford the procedure do just that. The resulting Mems are embodied, zombie-esque creatures, stuck in the loop of the memory that created them until they die. All except for Elsie, a.k.a. Dolores Extract #3, who has survived for decades as a fully functioning being. While she’s not exactly granted full personhood, and remains the property of the original Dolores, she is granted a certain level of freedom. But then she’s recalled to the Vault; procedures are going awry, Dolores is in failing health, and the scientists think Elsie holds the information they need to make things work again.

As Elsie learns more about both herself and the science that created her, she’s also thrown into interactions with new people that shake up the life she’s known. What does it mean to be a person? What makes one memory different from another? What makes Elsie so special? The answers are connected in MEM, and the journey to them is an excellent one.

Atmospheric, beautifully detailed, and thought-provoking, MEM is a strong debut, and I can’t wait to see Morrow’s next works.

The Queen of Sorrow (Queens of Renthia #3) by Sarah Beth Durst 

Last June, I reviewed Books 1 and 2 in the Queens of Renthia series, and I can’t believe it’s been almost a year since. I said it then and I’ll say it again now: this is a great summer reading series, full of blood, magic, intrigue, and heroines you can’t help root (ahem) for.

Daleina, Naelin, and their friends and family survived the invasion of Renthia and are focused on rebuilding. It should be fine: there are two queens now, working together. What could go wrong? Naelin’s children getting kidnapped, that’s what. As Naelin struggles to control her emotions and do what’s best for her family as well as her country, Daleina has to try to out-think her former best friend, now her greatest threat.

The main plot alone would make this a good third book; the expansion of the world makes it a great one. As Daleina and Naelin head out on their adventures, they dig deeper into the origins of Renthia and the neighboring countries. Why are the spirits the way they are? What if there was another way to co-exist? And just what is Baen anyway? Durst deepens her world-building as she expands the scope of the story, with the result that while I’m content with how the current story arc has tied up, I need MORE. Thankfully, in the afterword she mentions she’s working on a companion story; hopefully we won’t have too long to wait.

And that’s a wrap! You can find all of the books recommended in this newsletter on a handy Goodreads shelf. If you’re interested in more science fiction and fantasy talk, you can catch me and my co-host Sharifah on the SFF Yeah! podcast. For many many more book recommendations you can find me on the Get Booked podcast with the inimitable Amanda.

Always know where your towel is,
Jenn

Happy Friday, outriders and oracles! Today’s newsletter includes reviews of Foz Meadows’ An Accident of Stars and Jason Mott’s The Crossing, plus AAPI reads, exciting news from Earthsea, awards news, and more.

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This newsletter is sponsored by Vault Comics.

NYT best-selling author Kevin J. Anderson and TV writer-producer Steven L. Sears collaborate with artist Mike Ratera to bring to life this sci-fi story about space exploration, aliens, and war. Joe Human is taken to a harsh P.O.W. camp on a distant planet where he will be examined, tortured, and forced to endure experiments that rip into his very mind, as the alien Krael seek to answer the question: What is human? At 192 pages, this full-length hardback graphic novel also offers an original novella written by Anderson and Sears with art by Nathan Gooden.

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May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and this list of books by Asian women that should be movies is the perfect way to celebrate. Also, I have read most of these books and extremely cosign.

When everything is awful, why not read about OTHER things that are awful? Here’s a list of 15 dystopias that might make you feel better about life — and at the least, will provide some nice distraction.

ALERT ALERT, the illustrated edition of Ursula Le Guin’s The Books of Earthsea finally has a release date! Please join me in drooling over the beauty of Charles Vess’s work.

Did your favorite SF/F show make it? A slew of shows got cancelled last week, including Syfy’s The Expanse (although many are holding out hope that another network will pick it up). While this doesn’t necessarily help with that, I was delighted to see that Lost in Space is getting a second season (it is better than it has any right to be, y’all) and 3%, Netflix’s Brazilian dystopia that I have mentioned before, has a second season available now.

And speaking of James S.A. Corey, the writing team has announced a new series! They cite both Left Hand of Darkness and Dune as inspirations; you have my attention, sirs.

In genre-bendey sort-of-SFF news, the Shirley Jackson award nominees for this year have been announced! Big congrats to The Changeling by Victor LaValle, which is also the only book of the batch that I’ve read. The Jackson awards specifically honor “psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic,” and these are a great starting point if that’s a wheelhouse you want to explore.

Today’s reviews have nothing in common other than that I read them recently and they gave me Thoughts.

An Accident of Stars by Foz Meadows

In the opening book of this series, Foz Meadows asks us to consider something that, as a white reader, I had not put much thought into. When a person from Earth goes through a portal to a fantasy land, that person is more than just a fish out of water; they’re also a person bringing all their Earthy moral, ethical, and political baggage with them. Which, for example, means that a young white teenager from Australia who gets ported into a kingdom inhabited mostly by brown people will indeed have to reckon with internalized racism, as well as learn to ride a two-legged beastie and undergo magical trials.

Portal fantasy is a favorite subgenre of mine, partly because there’s still the 10-year-old kid in me who thinks it could happen and checks every coat closet, and partly because it can play with received wisdom in interesting ways. Meadows offers up a fully fledged, detailed world-building experience, but also makes explicit the baggage that a (Western, white, cis) reader might grapple with alongside an adventure. She balances it out with alternating POVs; we’re treated to multiple characters, both Earth-citizens and inhabitants of Kena. Political intrigue, magic, heretical sects, dragons, and tangled family alliances all come together in a high-stakes adventure that ends on a “So help me I will throw this book across the room, HOW DARE YOU, now I must get Book 2” plot point. It is also, as one reviewer put it, “hella queer” and thoroughly delightful.

I realize I haven’t told you much about the actual plot (here’s a link for that). I did very much enjoy the plot, but it’s the meta-examination of portal fantasy that Meadows has worked into the text that made this book so thought-provoking. In a genre where I frequently read for escapism, it was a welcome nudge to think through the implications of a favorite trope.

The Crossing by Jason Mott

As I mentioned on this week’s episode of All the Books, I’m new to Jason Mott’s work — and The Crossing will definitely be the start of a dive into his backlist. It’s a thinky, slow-burn of a near-future novel about war, grief, and family above all.

Teenaged twins Virginia and Tommy are on a road-trip, but not the fun kind. Tommy has received a draft notice for a war long made pointless by an epidemic that is sweeping the globe, and Virginia is determined to get to Cape Canaveral, to see a rocket launch — probably the last ever launch. They run away from their foster home, and as their adventure unfolds we also learn about their past. Orphaned at the age of 5, they’ve only had each other to lean on. Their sibling bond is made more intense by Virginia’s perfect memory and Tommy’s forgetfulness. As we learn about their world and their lives, this seemingly simple story acquires layer after layer. With the clock ticking down on both the characters and humanity as a whole, this book asks us to consider the importance of identity and the push-me, pull-you bonds of family.

If speculative fiction that focuses more on character than plot is your jam; if you love sibling stories; if a tour through a very possible, but still strange, new world appeals to you; if you love warped road-trip novels; if you want clean, crisp prose that nevertheless meanders along the way; this book is for you.

And that’s a wrap! You can find all of the books recommended in this newsletter on a handy Goodreads shelf. If you’re interested in more science fiction and fantasy talk, you can catch me and my co-host Sharifah on the SFF Yeah! podcast. For many many more book recommendations you can find me on the Get Booked podcast with the inimitable Amanda.

Don’t panic,
Jenn

Happy Friday, monsters and marauders! Today in reviews we’re looking at the Dark Matter anthology and Seth Dickinson’s The Traitor Baru Cormorant, plus adaptation news, WakandaCon, animal sidekicks, and more.

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This newsletter is sponsored by The Unblemished Trilogy by Sara Ella.

Sara Ella masterfully takes readers to new worlds in the jaw-dropping finale to the Unblemished trilogy, as Eliyana fights to save everything—and everyone—she loves.

With the fate of the Reflections at stake, Eliyana must destroy the void… but at what cost? Traversing the realms of fantasy and reality through a labyrinth of plot twists, Unbreakable delivers a thrilling conclusion to Sara Ella’s Unblemished Trilogy. Sara Ella continues to examine real world issues young women face every day regarding their own self-worth, strength, and confidence to define themselves in a complicated, mixed-up world that doesn’t always make sense.

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Wakanda Forever, as well as this August in Chicago: Alert! This is not a drill! You can attend WakandaCon this summer! If you do go, please tell me about it and send pictures!!

Frankenstein turns 200 this year, and you may have noticed the abundance of coverage. There’s also a film opening later this May, starring Elle Fanning as Mary Godwin Shelley. In honor of the original horror/sci-fi writer, here are two favorite related posts. This one is a round-up of women writing in horror today, and here’s my favorite unpacking of the concept of motherhood in Frankenstein.

Need less capes in your comics? If you too are tapped out on superheroes, we’ve got a list of comics with plenty of SF/F adventures and zero characters bit by radioactive spiders.

Updates on The Passage‘s TV adaptation: Back in February, the adaptation underwent reshoots and entirely removed Alicia’s character. Earlier this week, Fox gave it the greenlight. I love the casting for Amy and Wolgast (and the continued career renaissance of Mark-Paul Gosselaar, who was fantastic in Pitch), but I cannot believe they took out Alicia. What plot changes have they made alongside character changes, I wonder? I suppose we’ll have to stay tuned.

Looking for climate-related fiction? I’m on the record as hating the term “cli-fi” (JUST CALL IT “near future” WHY DOES IT NEED A SPECIAL NAME), but others disagree and here’s a primer about the sub-genre if you are one of them.

Need some help selecting Star Wars reads? Our contributors have put together a list of their favorites.

What would your animal sidekick be? This quiz will tell you! I got unicorn and I am DELIGHTED.

Today’s reviews cover some backlist titles worth moving to the top of your TBR stack.

Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora, edited by Sheree R. Thomas

Trigger warnings: issues with consent, gender identity, and sexuality

When I fell down the rabbit-hole of trying to find “books like Black Panther” for various askers, this was one of the ones that made it to my library holds list — and I’m here to tell you, it should definitely be on yours.

With 31 works by names that range from familiar (Octavia Butler, Samuel Delaney, Walter Mosley) to potentially surprising (W.E.B. DuBois) to personal favorites (Nalo Hopkinson, Tananarive Due, Nisi Shawl) to less well-known (Akua Lezli Hope, Evie Evie Shockley), this collection is both a revelation and an affirmation of the lengthy history of black writers in sci-fi and fantasy. Reading these stories one after another both builds on their power and contextualizes them. Rather than arrange them in chronological order, Thomas has chosen to move around in both time and space, and they flow beautifully from one to the next.

While all these stories envision fictional (often future) spaces, they are also clearly products of their respective times. But just as it’s helpful to envision where we wish to go next, it’s important to see where we’ve been, and these authors all had powerful visions. If you’re looking for more black authors in speculative fiction; if you love anthologies; if you’re curious about the roots of Afrofuturism; if you want to see what today’s authors are building on; you should pick up this collection post-haste.

The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

Trigger warnings: institutionalized homophobia, torture

I read this book for our “Lady Vengeance”-themed SFF Yeah! episode, but it was too engrossing not to talk about it here as well. I also want to be sure that I adequately warn readers about the “this book will stomp on your heart” nature of The Traitor Baru Cormorant: seriously, consider yourself warned.

Baru is an anti-heroine, and how. When the Empire of Masks arrive on her isolated island, ostensibly just to trade, her parents are wary. And they are right to be wary: the Empire starts with economic dominance, and ends with the decimation of Baru’s culture, society, and her own family. Using her incredible mental talent for numbers and her sheer stubbornness, she attends one of the Empire’s schools with one goal: to achieve enough power to free her people from its grip.

When her first posting is to an actively rebellious province, Baru has to decide if her own quest for freedom outweigh that of others. Will she join the rebels, or will she help to crush them? Will the woman she wants but can’t have be her downfall, or will she keep up her pretenses? The answers Baru finds are hard, so very hard. The world of the novel is huge, complex, and diverse, and the plot grapples with colonization, war, sexuality, and morality. If you had told me that a fantasy novel about an accountant would punch me in the gut and then rip my heart out of my chest, I would have laughed, but that’s exactly what this book did.

If you’re feeling strong and enjoy watching characters make terrible mistakes for complicated reasons, this is the book for you. Bonus: the sequel, The Monster Baru Cormorant, comes out October 30th.

And that’s a wrap! You can find all of the books recommended in this newsletter on a handy Goodreads shelf. If you’re interested in more science fiction and fantasy talk, you can catch me and my co-host Sharifah on the SFF Yeah! podcast. For many many more book recommendations you can find me on the Get Booked podcast with the inimitable Amanda.

Never give up, never surrender,
Jenn

Happy Friday, archers and astral travelers! Today in reviews I’m looking at works by Rebecca Roanhorse and R.F. Kuang, and then there are fairytale retellings, awards finalists, book club picks, and more.

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This newsletter is sponsored by Reborn, the first book in the Android Chronicles by Lance Erlick.

Synthia Cross is a state-of-the-art masterwork— the most perfect synthetic human ever created has been programmed to obey every directive. But Synthia is also showing signs of emergent behavior she’s not wired to understand. Repeatedly wiped of her history, she’s struggling to answer crucial questions about her past. And when her creator’s true intentions are called into question, Synthia knows it’s time to go beyond her limits—because Dr. Machten’s fervor to create the perfect A.I. is concealing a vengeful and deadly personal agenda.

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Do you love fairytale retellings? Like, REALLY love them? Here are 100 we recommend, you’re welcome.

Bound by fate: It’s a thing, and here’s a post rounding up a few duos. I am particularly delighted to see my favorite half-insane gods Itempas and Nahadoth (from The Inheritance Trilogy) listed — their push-pull relationship lasts three excellent books, if you’re looking for extended, delicious, world-shaking melodrama.

Trying to convince your book club to read more sci-fi/fantasy? Unbound Worlds has some suggestions for you. If they won’t read any of these, you might just need to start a new group.

Want to get international with your horror reads? We’ve got a beginner’s primer on Japanese horror! I’ll be over here hiding under my pillow-fort.

And here’s some awards news! The Arthur C. Clarke Award posted its shortlist; the Locus Award posted its finalists; and the NOMMO Awards announced their nominees.

Get yer cheap ebooks: Becky Chambers’ much-loved The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit are on sale from Amazon for $2.99 — if “cozy, character-driven sci-fi” sounds like a thing you want, jump on these.

And now for reviews! We’ve got ghosts in the machine (so to speak) and an epic new fantasy.

“Welcome To Your Authentic Indian Experience (TM)” by Rebecca Roanhorse

Read it online courtesy of Apex Magazine.

I know weʼve had a spate of short stories in this newsletter; hereʼs another! While weʼre all eagerly awaiting Roanhorseʼs fantasy novel debut, Trail of Lightning, you can read this award-winning piece.

Set in a near future in which virtual reality is commonplace, the story follows — well, you, since it’s told in second person. Your name is Jesse Turnblatt, and you’re a Vision Quest guide, making your living fulfilling the dreams of tourists (white ones in particular) by guiding them through an Authentic Indian Experience. When a customer shows up one day who wonʼt follow the script, you find that more than just your job is on the line.

Roanhorse packs a mean punch in a small package, tackling appropriation, identity, and the long-reaching consequences of colonialism with gallows humor and scalpel-sharp prose. If this is any indication of what Trail of Lightning will be like, I absolutely cannot wait.

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

Occasionally a book comes along that is so surprising, it takes time to process what you just read. The Poppy War is one of those books. It starts off feeling like a pre-Industrial silkpunk fantasy, similar to Dao’s Forest of a Thousand Lanterns or Liu’s The Grace of Kings; it becomes a somewhat wry underdog story set in a military academy; and then suddenly you are reading a drug-addled, supernaturally-twisted meditation on the horrors of war and prejudice. Iʼm still recovering from the emotional whiplash, but I cannot wait for the next installment in the series.

Rin is a war orphan, raised by abusive foster parents who want to sell her off into a loveless marriage. She takes matters into her own hands when she decides to take the Keju, a nation-wide test that can send her to school and give her a shot at a future of her own choosing. Her stubborn determination sees her through and she receives a scholarship to the prestigious military academy of Sinegard. If she can hack it there, sheʼll become a general in the Empressʼs army, and sheʼs determined to hack it — at any cost. And when war comes to Nikara, Rin is forced to face the darkest parts of both humanity and herself.

Kuang has noted in interviews that she was inspired by Chinaʼs history including the Song Dynasty and the Sino-Japanese Wars, as well as other military sf/f like Enderʼs Game and The Grace of Kings, and I found that this context was key to processing the book. While you donʼt need to know anything about any of that to read it, a work this multilayered and intense benefits from some research (or at least some judicious Googling) after you turn the last page. The grisliest parts of the novel were based on actual historical events, which gives The Poppy War even greater impact. Fans of silkpunk, grimdark, anti-heroes, madcap twists and turns, and fantasy that holds up a mirror to the parts of reality we would rather ignore will want to grab this one ASAP.

And that’s a wrap! You can find all of the books recommended in this newsletter on a handy Goodreads shelf. If you’re interested in more science fiction and fantasy talk, you can catch me and my co-host Sharifah on the SFF Yeah! podcast. For many many more book recommendations you can find me on the Get Booked podcast with the inimitable Amanda.

Live long and prosper,
Jenn

Happy Friday, archivists and archangels! Today includes reviews of Not So Stories and Before Mars, book news from Jacqueline Carey and George R.R. Martin, a djinn round-up, theoretical ancient civilations, and more.

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This newsletter is sponsored by The City of Lost Fortunes by Bryan Camp.

Jude has been lying low since the storm, hiding from his own power, his divine former employer, and a debt owed to the Fortune god of New Orleans. But his six-year retirement ends abruptly when the Fortune god is murdered and Jude is drawn back into the world he tried so desperately to leave behind. A world where he must find out who is responsible for the Fortune god’s death, uncover the plot that threatens the city’s soul, and discover what his talent for lost things has always been trying to show him: what it means to be his father’s son.

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In continued ASoIaF news, we won’t be getting Winds of Winter this year, but we WILL get a prequel about the Targaryens.

Where my Joscelin fans at: Jacqueline Carey has announced that she’ll be writing a retelling of Kushiel’s Dart from the perspective of everyone’s favorite Casseline. Sharifah and I talked about my fan-feelings on this week’s SFF Yeah! episode if you’re curious.

Wish fulfilled: I finally wrote that djinn book round-up I promised! You’ve already seen reviews of some of these in this newsletter, but there might be a few I hadn’t gushed about already. While there are others out there (and definitely leave your thoughts in the comments!), these were my top favorites.

QUILTBAG classics update: The on-going Tor.com series is talking Jewelle Gomez’s The Gilda Stories.

Haven’t dived into the McGuire/Grant universes yet? We’ve got a reading pathway for Seanan McGuire a.k.a. Mira Grant! For what it’s worth, I started with Into the Drowning Deep and regret nothing.

If there were earlier civiliations on Earth, would we be able to tell? I love this thought-experiment from NASA director Gavin Schmidt, especially since it ties into the solarpunk discussions I’ve been following. Someone write me a Paleocene sustainable high-tech novel please!

Reminder time: We’re doing a mystery book giveaway! You could also win Lit Chat (which is an a+ bookish card game if we do say so ourselves). And last but not least, you can get a two-week free trial to Book Riot Insiders until April 30th.

And now, reviews! This week, it’s folktales and space tales.

Not So Stories, edited by David Thomas Moore

A whole short story collection dedicated to decolonizing Kipling, you say? Sign me up! I was incredibly excited to see this book announced, in large part because I went through an enormous Kipling phase as a teen. I (like many kids) was gifted Just So stories, and read Kim several times over. It would take me til college to really understand the problems inherent in Kipling’s framing of India and other lands east. I’ve since read a lot of great works of folktales from indigenous authors, but to see a book that acknowledges Kipling’s work while reframing and deconstructing it makes my heart sing.

And the stories are so good! While each author takes a slightly different angle on the prompt, there are some through-lines, particularly the use of “Best Beloved” to address the reader. Some stories stick with the folktale structure, while others are set at specific moments in history. The opening story, “How the Spider Got Her Legs” by Cassandra Khaw, sets the tone beautifully — it’s a beautifully done origin myth, dark and brimming over with righteous anger. Other favorites include “Best Beloved” by Wayne Santos and “Serpent, Crocodile, Tiger” by Zedeck Siew, but it’s hard to pick — each story has its own particular strengths.

While I would not recommend this to actual children (under a mature 12, let’s say), I definitely want to give it to teenagers and other adults who grew up on Kipling. I do think it’s most effective if you have some familiarity with his work, but if you have somehow managed to escape school without reading “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi,” I also believe it stands on its own.

Before Mars by Emma Newman

Every now and then I will see a galley up for grabs and neglect to check if it’s part of a series or not, and that’s what happened here. I’d been hearing buzz about Emma Newman, I saw a galley available, and I clicked. I was a third into the book when I realized it was #3 in the Planetfall series. Woops! But I’m here to tell you that it stands alone just fine, and did indeed make me want to go back to read the first two. So if a copy falls in your lap, feel free to dive in.

Anna Kubrin is a geologist and artist, and both of those things have put her on a flight to Mars. Contracted by the colonizing corporation to both expand the previous geological surveys and to produce one-of-a-kind paintings (to be sold for jillions of dollars of course, since this is a private enterprise), she arrives shaken and disoriented from months of solo space travel. The experience of deja vu she has is surely just from that — but then she finds a note in her new room, written in her own handwriting, telling her not to trust the colony psychologist. What follows is both a psychological thriller — who is sane and who is lying? — and an exploration of what private space enterprise might look like. Newman also looks at the difficulties of motherhood and post-partum depression, rocky marriages, and healing from family trauma. If that sounds like a lot that’s because it is, but Newman handles it all with a fairly light touch.

I’ve been thinking more about these psychologically oriented, private enterprise space stories — recent others include The Wanderers by Meg Howrey and Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty. The concerns of current sci-fi writers are moving in an interesting direction, and I’m curious to see where else this trend takes us. In the meantime, I’ll be backtracking to read the other Planetfall books, which have promised me cults in space.

And that’s a wrap! You can find all of the books recommended in this newsletter on a handy Goodreads shelf. If you’re interested in more science fiction and fantasy talk, you can catch me and my co-host Sharifah on the SFF Yeah! podcast. For many many more book recommendations you can find me on the Get Booked podcast with the inimitable Amanda.

Long days and pleasant nights,
Jenn

Happy Friday, my fellow booknerds! Today in reviews I give you The Unquiet and Her Body and Other Parties, and in news we’ve got adaptations, a Middle Earth sorting hat, and a variety of punks.

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This newsletter is sponsored by Tor.

Three Queens. One crown. All out war.

The king’s erratic decisions have drained Innis Lear of its magic, leaving behind a trail of barren crops and despondent subjects. Enemy nations circle the isle, sensing its growing vulnerability.

The king’s three daughters know the realm’s only chance is to crown a new sovereign. But their father won’t choose an heir until the longest night of the year, when prophecies align.

Refusing to leave their future in the hands of blind faith, the daughters of Innis Lear prepare for war—but regardless of who wins the crown, the shores of Innis will weep the blood of a house divided.

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I talked about reading Samuel Delaney on the SFF Yeah! podcast, and heard from a number of folks that they weren’t familiar with his work and didn’t know where to start. Here’s a reading pathway to fix that!

We built a LOTR Sorting Hat thanks to comics writer Greg Pak’s A+ suggestion, and here it is. I got Rohirrim which is super correct, so can attest to its accuracy.

How punk is cornpunk? Are we running away with ourselves naming subgenres of SF/F? Maybe, but I confess that I’m kind of enjoying it.

Alert alert alert! Ann Leckie is writing a fantasy novel! I have so enjoyed seeing her play with the tropes of science fiction and breathe fresh air into the vacuum of space (see what I did there), and I can’t wait to see what she’ll do with fantasy.

In equally exciting news, Ken Liu’s short story “The Hidden Girl” (collected in The Book of Swords) is getting an adaptation. I live in hopes of this getting developed and picked up by anyone other than Amazon (who are snapping up SF properties voraciously).

Reminders! We’re doing a crazy awesome mystery giveaway and you should enter. And if you’re not already a Book Riot Insider, you can get a 2-week free trial!

And now: child assassins and even more short stories.

The Unquiet by Mikaela Everett

Trigger warning: eating disorders, harm to children

This dark, strange YA novel has stuck in my brain and won’t be shaken out. “I liked it” feels like the wrong phrasing — I was drawn in by it, provoked by it, a little confused but also compelled by it.

We first meet Lirael when she’s very young, being trained in a cottage alongside other children her own age. As we quickly learn, they’re being trained to kill. There are two Earths, one a mirror of the other; while they used to have friendly and positive diplomatic relations, including people corresponding via satellite with their doppelgangers, things have broken down. One Earth is dying, and it’s secretly sending its inhabitants to the other to take over. When Lirael comes of age and passes her final test, she’ll be sent out to find her duplicate, kill her, and take over her life without anyone knowing.

The methods by which these children are trained are, inevitably, inhumane and traumatizing. Lirael knows that she’s being used, but she also is fully committed to fulfilling her duties as part of this underground army — mostly because it’s the only thing she knows how to do, and the consequences of failure are grim. She in turn damages herself, restricting her eating and separating herself from those who might befriend her. And as the secret war escalates, Lirael has to choose again and again where her loyalties lie.

When I put this book down, I had to sit for a minute. It’s not about the triumph of good over evil, or about choosing to stand up for what’s right at any cost; it’s more of a meditation about how trauma and programming shape us, and how impossible it can be to feel like we have choices. If that’s an exploration that appeals to you, pick it up — we can have thoughts together.

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

Trigger warnings: body horror, violence against women including rape and domestic violence

I talked about this recently on SFF Yeah!, but I need to talk about it some more, so here we are. BECAUSE WOW. The collection has been getting rave reviews, it was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction, and it won the National Book Critic’s Circle John Leonard Prize. Clearly you don’t need me to tell you that it’s good, but I’m going to tell you so anyway. It’s really good.

What makes it good? For a start, the range of styles and genres Machado is utilizing. Magical realism would apply, as would horror, dystopia, and fairytales. Alongside bashing through genre boundaries, Machado is also exploring sexuality and feminism. What does a wife and mother owe, and what is she owed? How do our beliefs about our bodies haunt us? How do we grapple with the narratives that others try to sell us? What powers our fascination with violence against women in pop culture? How can we recover from trauma?

“Especially Heinous,” which riffs on Law & Order: SVU, is one of the most frequently mentioned stories. But I am a person who cannot watch crime procedurals with any regularity, and while I appreciated the brilliance of that novella, it was “Inventory” (which you can read here, courtesy of Strange Horizons) that was my favorite. The way that Machado is playing with the therapeutic techniques of anxiety, coupled with a dystopia story and a woman’s contemplation of her sex life, absolutely blew me away. The whole collection is stunning; get it, read it, tell your friends.

And that’s a wrap! You can find all of the books recommended in this newsletter on a handy Goodreads shelf. If you’re interested in more science fiction and fantasy talk, you can catch me and my co-host Sharifah on the SFF Yeah! podcast. For many many more book recommendations you can find me on the Get Booked podcast with the inimitable Amanda.

Your fellow booknerd,
Jenn

Happy Friday, sirens and Cylons! Today I’ve got two novellas for you, Waiting on a Bright Moon and A Dead Djinn in Cairo, plus queer classics, disability in science fiction, a new Tolkien book, and more.

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This newsletter is sponsored by Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi.

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.

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Need some queer classics? I’m looking forward to this post series on QUILTBAG+ Speculative Fiction, and the first book to be discussed — Jewelle Gomez’s Gilda Stories — has long been on my radar. Time to bump it up!

Remember Beren and Lúthien? We’re getting another “new” Tolkien book in August, this one called The Fall of Gondolin. As far as I can tell from the details released it will be a similar format — various drafts of an unfinished work, annotated/edited by Christopher Tolkien. Excited? Meh? I can’t quite decide yet.

The Kitchies Winners have been announced! You can find the full winner list here. Shout out to Book Riot contributor Alex Acks, who won for ze’s debut novel Hunger Makes the Wolf!

I am here for all your Octavia Butler pieces, and this one is great because it delves into her life and work in ways that are interesting both for longtime fans and those new to her work. Bonus for Janelle Monae mentions!

Speaking of contributor Alex AND of Octavia Butler! Here’s the latest pairings of SF/F books and beers, and it has some of my favorites of each included.

Alas, poor Yorick: An adaptation of Y: The Last Man has been in the works for. ev. er, but it looks like it’s finally moving forward; FX has ordered a pilot episode!

Speaking of adaptations! If you’re in the UK, the mini-series of China Mieville’s City and the City should already be on the air. And if you are in the UK and have watched it, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

The SF/F version of Dear Abby: Daniel Mallory Ortberg did an advice column for Tor.com and it is GOLD.

Let’s talk about disability in SF/F, specifically in the Vorkosigan Saga. There’s a lot of great food for thought here, and I’m specifically thankful for the way Grace discusses the range of representation within one series.

Today in reviews, we’ve got a space story with magic and a supernatural story with clockwork. Both happen to be from Tor.com, who are killing it in the short fiction game.

Waiting on a Bright Moon by JY Yang

Read it online.

You might recall me gushing about Yang’s Tensorate novellas and I’ve been on a short story/novella kick lately, so it was with great pleasure I stumbled across “Waiting on a Bright Moon.”

Set on an outlying colony of a far-flung interstellar empire, the story follows Xin, a human ansible. Using her magical talents and syncing via music, Xin opens transport portals with the rest of her cluster, each located on a different world. When a dead body comes through, it ruins her day; when it appears that the body is connected to an underground rebellion, it could ruin her life. As Xin contemplates her past and present, she’s also becoming closer to an intimidating starmage named Suqing.

Yang is exploring colonization, queerness, and magic, and doing it in 40-odd digital pages, and this is one of those stories that feels much bigger on the inside. I would happily read a series of books set in this world, but I also found it satisfying as a stand-alone. It’s a beautiful, tiny gem of a story, and I continue to follow Yang’s career with interest.

A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djeli Clark

Read it online.

In the course of doing research for a djinn/jinn/genie stories round up (that I will link to as soon as it’s up online), I stumbled across this novella and fell in love. An alt-history story set in Cairo in 1912, it’s both a supernatural story, a romance, and a police procedural.

Special Investigator Fatma gets called in on an odd case: a djinn has committed suicide under very strange circumstances. Unfamiliar glyphs are carved on the site, and there’s no blood at all. The only witness is a prostitute who doesn’t want to talk to law enforcement. As Fatma starts to peel back the layers surrounding the incident, she finds herself working with an enigmatic woman named Siti who seems as likely to be a foe as a friend. On top of it all, she’s navigating gender politics alongside local political alliances.

Creatures abound, and the humans aren’t all that trustworthy either. Then there’s the clockwork technology laced through-out, which mixes and melds with the magic in interesting new ways. Clark’s vision of a Cairo teeming with magic and mayhem is compelling, and this is one of those stories that leaves me craving a sequel — I definitely need more of Fatma’s adventures.

And that’s a wrap! You can find all of the books recommended in this newsletter on a handy Goodreads shelf. If you’re interested in more science fiction and fantasy talk, you can catch me and my co-host Sharifah on the SFF Yeah! podcast. For many many more book recommendations you can find me on the Get Booked podcast with the inimitable Amanda.

May the odds be ever in your favor,
Jenn

Happy Friday, friends! This week I’m reviewing Company Town and Heart Forger, and we’re talking about the Hugo Award nominees, time travel, adaptation news, and more.

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This newsletter is sponsored by Shattered Roads, first in a brand-new series from Alice Henderson.

In a future laid waste by environmental catastrophe H124 has one job: dead body removal. She keeps her head down and does as she’s told, until one night H124’s routine leads her into the underground ruins of an ancient university. Buried within it is an alarm set up generations ago sharing a terrifying warning of an extinction-level asteroid hurtling toward Earth.

But H124’s warning is not only ignored, it’s considered treason. H124 is hunted—and sent fleeing beyond the shield of her walled metropolis. In the weather-ravaged unknown, her only hope lies with a rebellious faction of survivors. She has no other choice: the end of the world is near.

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The Hugos are coming! Or rather, the finalists have been announced. You’ll recognize a lot of the titles from the Nebula nominees. And this could be the award season that makes SF/F history! The first and second books in NK Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy won Hugo Awards for Best Novel in 2016 and 2017, respectively. If The Stone Sky wins this year’s award, it will make Jemisin the first author in history to win the Hugo Award for Best Novel three years in a row. I probably don’t have to tell you that I’m rooting for this, for so many reasons but most of all because The Stone Sky is one of the best third books in a trilogy I’ve ever read.

Neil Gaiman adapting Mervyn Peake: Gormenghast is coming to TV! I still have not read these. Adding it to the pile of SF/F books being adapted that I will get around to when I have a chance…

Let’s talk about time travel. I really enjoyed this explainer video that explores the different mechanisms in SF/F, including Time-Turners and Back to the Future.

Did you see A Wrinkle in Time? Many of BR’s contributors did, and they’ve got feelings about it. I also saw it and while I have some quibbles, I really enjoyed it overall — and if there’s any justice in this world, Storm Reid will be the next Emma Watson.

Today in tabletop gaming: I’m only familiar with Critical Role from the many gifs of it I’ve seen on Tumblr, but this post might finally push me to watch it.

Looking for good and cheap ebooks? The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula Le Guin, my personal favorite starting point for her work, is on sale for $3.99 this month. Also on sale for $2.99 is Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, which Robin Sloan memorably declared America’s great sci-fi novel on Recommended.

Today in reviews, we’ve got serial killers and necromancy, but thankfully not at the same time.

Company Town by Madeline Ashby

Company Town was my first introduction to Ashby’s work; consider me intrigued. It’s a dense, multi-layered, action-packed novel with a near-future premise that feels completely possible as well as original. I originally picked it up because it was a Locus Award finalist in 2017, and I can see why.

The book follows Hwa, one of the last people in the community living on an offshore oil rig to remain genetically unaltered. She was born with a syndrome that has disfigured her face and left her with a large birthmark and a seizure disorder, and while bio-modification might benefit her she has turned it into an asset. Her lack of engineering means that she’s basically invisible to her city’s surveillance systems, which grants her certain advantages. She works as a bodyguard to the sex-workers in the community, until a corporation purchases the rig and hires her to protect the owner’s teenaged son Joel. Not only is Joel in danger, but someone is murdering her old clients.

Company Town is both a whodunnit, an exploration of vulnerable and marginalized populations, and a science fiction story that gets stranger as it goes along. Months after reading I’m still trying to decide how I feel about the ending, and I’m not the only one; if you look up reviews, you’ll see that everyone has thoughts. It’s an ambitious novel, and one that I wish I had read with a group; maybe try to talk your book club into reading it along with you.

The Heart Forger (The Bone Witch #2) by Rin Chupeco

You might recall my gushing about The Bone Witch when it came out last year; I’ve been eagerly awaiting the next installment, and I am here to tell you that I was not disappointed.

Tea is a necromancer in a world that both needs and fears her, and The Bone Witch inhabited two timelines: Tea’s present attempts to build an undead army of demonic creatures, and the road to how she got there. The Heart Forger continues with this structure, as Tea takes her army on the road and begins to reveal her plans. While we’re still finding out exactly how things have come to this point, the alternating chapters play off each other in new and interesting ways. Heart Forger also continues the world-building of Bone Witch a bit but focuses primarily on plot, and the pacing moves along much more quickly. Those who loved Bone Witch for its lush details may miss the exposition; those who wanted more action will get it, and how.

There were a few bits of character and plot development that left me scratching my head, but overall the series continues to be inclusive, compelling, and readable. And while a few major questions are finally answered, there are miles to go before we get to the end. So now I’m left hungrily awaiting Shadowglass; join me, won’t you?

And that’s a wrap! You can find all of the books recommended in this newsletter on a handy Goodreads shelf. If you’re interested in more science fiction and fantasy talk, you can catch me and my co-host Sharifah on the SFF Yeah! podcast. For many many more book recommendations you can find me on the Get Booked podcast with the inimitable Amanda.

Your fellow booknerd,
Jenn

Happy Friday, Ents and aeronauts! Today we’ve got reviews of My Soul to Keep and The Merry Spinster, plus scary stories, elves, Ready Player One looks, and more.

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This newsletter is sponsored by Baker Publishing Group.

Vulnerable and weakened by grief after a terrible loss, Hyam has been struck by a mysterious illness that threatens to claim his life. Seeking to help Hyam and restore the realm, Queen Shona travels to Hyam’s remote hometown to find answers.

Dally has always had abilities far beyond those of a normal human—far-seeing and magic come naturally to her. Before the arrival of Shona and her army, Dally had always kept her abilities secret. But with an ancient evil bearing down on her village and the fate of the realm hanging in the balance, the orphaned servant girl steps forward to do what no one else can. Will the battle claim more than Dally is willing to give?

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Happy 50th birthday, Saga! Or more correctly, happy 50th issue. I am just one of many readers for whom Saga marked a return to reading comics, particularly in issues. And while I’m not currently caught up, this is a good reminder to pick up where I left off and continue the rollercoaster that is Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples f***ing with our emotions.

Put it in the freezer! Or, if you like horror, take it out — here are nine SF/F books to scare you. Despite being a total horror wimp, I have read most of these and can cosign their inclusion.

Let’s talk about elfpunk. Is it a thing? Abby makes a strong case, and I too can remember the desperate library searches for anything similar to War for the Oaks. And to be quite frank, I’m a fan of any list that includes that bonkers Gael Baudino cover.

Ready for Ready Player One? I myself have very mixed feelings about it (and this Vox article does a great job breaking them down), but I know lots of fans of the book. And for you, I give you this round-up of gear to get ready for the movie!

I did not know when the Gondorian New Year was before reading this post but now I definitely want to make this A Thing.

And last but not least I absolutely ADORE this post about what a wizarding school in South Florida would be like.

And now, onto the reviews. They are both dark and twisty, just like this spring’s weather. Heyo!

My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due

Trigger warning: harm to children

I have finally read my first Due! And through the grace of “this one is available from the library now,” I managed to pick the perfect one for me. My Soul to Keep is hard to classify — a little horror (it opens with a murder and goes on from there), a little science fiction, a little fantasy. Paranormal is probably the label that fits it best, but you can decide for yourself. Regardless of where you shelve it, it belongs on your bookcase.

My Soul to Keep follows Jessica, a reporter who is also a wife and a mother, and her husband David, who happens to be a millenias-old immortal. Not that she’d know! They met when she was in college and he was just her Spanish professor. She knows that he’s a devoted husband and father; almost too devoted, always wanting more of her time. She thinks her biggest problem is balancing her work ambitions with the demands of family life; little does she know! A series of murders surrounding Jessica attract the attention of other immortals, and she starts to learn the truth about her marriage. David, in the meantime, has to decide what he can and can’t tell her — and what he’s going to do next.

My Soul to Keep plays with many of the same questions as the previously reviewed Eternal Life by Dara Horn: how do you reconcile immortality with religion? What does family mean to an immortal? But Due is also examining what it looks like to be a black man who cannot die, who lives through slavery, through the rise and fall of empires. She also injects a hefty does of action and gore. This book is a page-turner and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next in the series (although you could read it as a stand-alone).

The Merry Spinster by Mallory Ortberg

Note: Ortberg has recently announced his transition to Daniel, but the book is published under Mallory. 

If you’re a fan of retold fairytales, twisted fairytales, the Brothers Grimm, Ortberg’s “Children’s Stories Made Horrific” series, Kelly Link, Karin Tidbeck, or all of the above, you need to pick up The Merry Spinster immediately. With stories that reference everything from The Bible to The Velveteen Rabbit to Donald Barthelme (with a helpful guide in the back!), Ortberg takes us to dark and twisty places that some of us might prefer not to visit, but that are so worth it.

I say they’re dark, and I mean it — I had to skim “The Rabbit”, because body horror is really and truly not my jam. But they’re also slyly funny, and very heartfelt. “Fear Not: An Incident Log” which is based on the book of Genesis had me laughing out loud. Her take on The Little Mermaid made me want to stand up and applaud, and “Good Fences Make Good Neighbors” had me tearing up. Ortberg is also exploring sexuality, gender and gender roles, love, family, abuse, gaslighting, obligation, and friendship. There’s a lot going on here, and in less than 200 pages, which means there’s a lot to love.

And that’s a wrap! You can find all of the books recommended in this newsletter on a handy Goodreads shelf. If you’re interested in more science fiction and fantasy talk, you can catch me and my co-host Sharifah on the SFF Yeah! podcast. For many many more book recommendations you can find me on the Get Booked podcast with the inimitable Amanda.

These might be the droids you’re looking for,
Jenn