It’s Friday! Is it me or has it been a long week? It hasn’t necessarily been a bad week or anything (at least for me), but it’s just been... thorough. I’d be glad it’s the weekend except one of my classes meets on Sunday so eh, that’s not something I love, but what can you do?
Anyway, there are some pretty neat-looking books on sale (including one of the lesser known novels by Donna Tartt!), so be sure to have a look! I also included Caroline Alexander’s Iliad translation because I personally really like it and it was on sale, so what better reason? :P I hope you all have a wonderful day and weekend!
Today’s Deals:
The Little Friend by Donna Tartt - https://amzn.to/2Rsfldp
Congo: The Epic History of a People by David Van Reybrouck - https://amzn.to/2Txr0uf
The Riddle of the Labyrinth by Margalit Fox - https://amzn.to/3akRDIM
The Evolution of Beauty by Richard O. Prum - https://amzn.to/30u5Bn6
This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson - https://amzn.to/361ljYa
Killing Gravity (The Voidwitch Saga Bk. 1) by Corey J. White - https://amzn.to/2TtJImu
Void Black Shadow (The Voidwitch Saga Bk. 2) by Corey J. White - https://amzn.to/2G00ce1
Static Ruin (The Voidwitch Saga Bk. 3) by Corey J. White - https://amzn.to/30FDZf3
A Friend of the Family by Lauren Grodstein - https://amzn.to/2NQA9KT
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - https://amzn.to/2R137to
The Iliad by Homer, trans. Caroline Alexander - https://amzn.to/2R1oECc
The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley - https://amzn.to/2R3SfLp
NOTE: I am categorizing these book deals posts under the tag #bookdeals, so if you don’t want to see them then just block that tag and you should be good. I am an Amazon affiliate in addition to a Book Depository affiliate and will receive a small (but very much needed!) commission on any purchase made through these links.
Meet a deadly voidwitch on the run in this excerpt from Corey J. White's Killing Gravity.
Mars Xi can kill you with her mind, but she'll need more than psychic powers to save her in Killing Gravity, the thrilling science fiction space adventure debut by Corey J. White.
Before she escaped in a bloody coup, MEPHISTO transformed Mariam Xi into a deadly voidwitch. Their training left her with terrifying capabilities, a fierce sense of independence, a deficit of trust, and an experimental pet named Seven. She’s spent her life on the run, but the boogeymen from her past are catching up with her. An encounter with a bounty hunter has left her hanging helpless in a dying spaceship, dependent on the mercy of strangers.
Penned in on all sides, Mariam chases rumors to find the one who sold her out. To discover the truth and defeat her pursuers, she’ll have to stare into the abyss and find the secrets of her past, her future, and her terrifying potential.
The Quote: I'm a spacewitch, I'm a goddess of death and destruction, and I start to laugh thinking of the look on Brigg's face. You think you know what you did to me? You don't know the half of it. — Mars
I picked up Killing Gravity on impulse at my local library while looking for a book to fit the adventure prompt for a reading challenge. I'm so glad I did. I personally found Mariam 'Mars' Xi to be a protagonist. She is angry, ruthless and powerful loyal while maintaining some traditionally feminine caring and empathetic characteristics. Honestly, I got strong Wu Zetian (Iron Widow) vibes at times. I found the plot to be an engaging and enjoyable ride. I wanted to know where it was going. I wanted to know what happened to these characters. The included violence and vengeance feels right. The universe Corey J. White has created for his characters is brutal. Especially the situations Mars came from.
The support cast is larger than I was expecting for a novella, it's not huge but there is diversity. It's queer and quirky and I adore it. Props to White for giving women the strength and control though. Because one of the other support characters, Trix, an amputee who we first meet in an exoskeleton and the Nova's main defender. The Nova is the ship that saves Mars from her critically damaged ship. The captain of that ship is so endearing to me. Squid is an enby but they feel like a bit of an anomaly. They are all soft power, meditation, near anti-gun and yet the captain, respected with ease by both Trix and Mookie. I get the feeling there is a terrifying spine to Squid we are yet to see. Mookie and Trix are poly or at least more than willing to share their bed. I can't really explain Mookie, he makes me smile. You'll get it if you read Killing Gravity. I really like computer AIs Waren and Einri. I looked up the name Einri, dual meanings Intelligent (from the Teutonic) and Rules the home (from the Irish). Can we acknowledge that Eirni is one of the best names for ship AI? Waren means Loyal (from the German). Given the arrangement Mars has with Waren that is important. Probably should mention Seven. Seven is Mars's pet (?), companion (?). From the descriptions, she kind of feels like part cat, part sugar glider. But she was a science experiment that Mars has had for most of her life. Loyal almost to a fault and but so, so adorable.
A random dump of thoughts and quotes.
I appreciate the explanation of the Wormhole physics. Fairly standard but it's nice to have a reminder now and then.
Mars talks to the reader, not breaking the fourth wall, she isn't aware she is fictional, but something close.
Ring One is where my people live. Well, not my people, but the closest thing I want to find: the freaks, the runaways, the perpetual wanderers, the organized crime, the genehackers, the bodychoppers, the digital-wannabes, the loose, the inebreated, the ones with the no common sense, no career and no desire for one, the fed up the fucked up and flamed out. The whole place is like a dangerous chemical concoction. You never know what might set off a reaction, and the threat of violence hangs in the air thick as the smell. — I just find this an appealing description of a group of people, the downtrodden and it definitely tells you whom Mars has lines herself with. That she is a survivor through and through, you don't get to consider these your people without that kind of survival trait. (Mars, p.37-8)
His chest is covered in tattoos—maroon and black ink, the tragically loyal fuck — You can almost hear the tone that belongs here. Okay, and I like the phrase tragically loyal fuck. (Mars, p.59)
"Smart-ass."
"I thought Einri was sans personality."
"No, just sans voice mod. I don't want some artificial voice construct convincing me Einri is a person. It's not a person, it's a ship. Without a voice mod it sounds like a ship I like things to be clear, you see?" — I find this quote interesting. I appreciate Squid's idea of delineation (because Einri really does have a personality). But that last line is kinda counter to part of their personality. They respected Mas' privacy and didn't push her to give answers. They have more sides than they admit. (Squid and Mars, p.70)
Euphemisms gain strength by hiding truth. Nothing is truth, nothing is reality, my mind contains multitudes, it contains universes, I contain multitudes. I am Mariam, I am Sera, I am every caretaker that ever had a hand in molding me, I am mold growing across every surface of Ergot. — I'm not sure why this appeals to me so much it's part of a whole section that has some really pretty phrasing that suits Mars' state at the time. (Mars, p.106)
Killing Gravity by @cjwhite #bookreview #scifi 5*!
Title: Killing Gravity | Series: Voidwitch Saga #1 | Author: Corey J White |Publisher: Tor.com | Pub. Date: 2017-5-9 | Pages: 176 | ASIN: B01MYM808E | Genre: Science Fiction | Language: English | Triggers: None | Rating: 5 out of 5 | Source: Self-purchased | Purchase on Amazon Killing Gravity Mariam Xi can kill you with her mind. She escaped the MEPHISTO lab where she was raised as a psychic…
This is Sci-Fi, Issue 10: Killing Gravity, Mars, Blade Runner
This is Sci-Fi, Issue 10: Killing Gravity, Mars, Blade Runner
This is Sci-Fi is a sampling of science fiction news across the mediums. From movies to books, to real life, and any bits in between that I can think of to list. This is by no means a comprehensive list of what’s happening, but it should whet your appetite! This is Sci-Fi’s Quote to Consider “Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally…
