Tag: Book Reviews
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What I’ve Been Reading: Books by Women
Time for an update of what I’ve been reading lately: three recent publications by women writers that are each, in their own way, unusual and engrossing reads. First up: The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, her first novel since The Night Circus, which was a favorite of mine. With The Starless Sea, Morgenstern has written a deeply felt and…
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My Review of The Dispossessed by Ursula K Le Guin on SF Mistressworks
The Dispossessed, Ursula K Le Guin (1974) Review by Shannon Turlington You shall not go down twice to the same river, nor can you go home again. That he knew; indeed it was the basis of his view of the world. Yet from that acceptance of transience he evolved his vast theory, wherein what is…
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My Review of The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell on SF Mistressworks
The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell (1996) Review by Shannon Turlington It’s hard to describe the exhilarating sense of emotion I felt while reading this book. I don’t consider myself a religious person, and this book is unquestionably about religion and our relationship with God. I am a spiritual seeker, though, and I found this novel…
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My Review of Worlds of Exile and Illusion by Ursula K Le Guin on SF Mistressworks
Worlds of Exile and Illusion, Ursula K Le Guin (1996) Review by Shannon Turlington How can you tell the legend from the fact on these worlds that lie so many years away? – planets without names, called by their people simply The World, planets without history, where the past is a matter of myth, and…
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My Review of Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress on SF Mistressworks
Beggars in Spain, Nancy Kress (1991) Review by Shannon Turlington “A man’s worth to society and to himself doesn’t rest on what he thinks other people should do or be or feel, but on himself. On what he can actually do, and do well. People trade what they do well, and everyone benefits. The basic…
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My Review of The Snow Queen by Joan D Vinge on SF Mistressworks
The Snow Queen, Joan D Vinge (1980) Review by Shannon Turlington The Snow Queen is an epic story set on a distant planet, about the fall of one queen and the rise of another. The novel is based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson and tackles such weighty themes as immortality and the…
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My Review of Lilith’s Brood by Octavia E Butler on SF Mistressworks
Lilith’s Brood (Dawn, Adulthood Rites and Imago), Octavia E Butler (1989) Review by Shannon Turlington Octavia Butler’s Xenogenesis novels were first compiled into one volume in 1989, but that compilation is now out of print. As with Seed to Harvest, Grand Central Publishing has reissued the compilation in an attractive trade paperback to capture new…
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My review of The Children of Men by PD James on SF Mistressworks
SF Mistressworks has graciously reposted my review of The Children of Men by P.D. James. I hope you will go read it and support this terrific blog reviewing science fiction written by women.
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My Review of The Kids Will Be Fine by Daisy Waugh
The Kids Will Be Fine: Guilt-Free Motherhood for Thoroughly Modern Women by Daisy Waugh I just received this book and started reading it. It has already won me over by liberal use of terms like “bullshit” and “piss,” the assertion–one that I have always agreed with–that in this modern age there is no reason in…
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My review of Into the Forest by Jean Hegland on SF Mistressworks
Into the Forest, Jean Hegland (1996) Review by Shannon Turlington “People have been around for at least 100,000 years. And how long have we had electricity?” “Well, Edison invented the incandescent lamp in 1879.” “See? All this,” and she swung her arm to encircle the rooms of the only house I’d ever know, “was only…
Shannon Turlington 