#touchstone trilogy

[courageous-pages]

I love you. I should have said it a thousand times.

Andrea K Host, Caszandra

[nellasbookplanet]

I recently reread some of my favorite books, the Touchstone trilogy by Andrea K. Höst, and fell in love all over again. It has wormholes and psychic space ninjas what more can you want

[kinasecrystal]

I first read the Touchstone series 9 years ago, and I still reread it frequently. And I just now realized that Kaoren Ruuel’s name is most likely a Tolkien reference: John Ronald Reuel Tolkien.

Höst even mentioned Samwise Gamgee in the text directly!

So fun

[ladyherenya]

Books read in September

There’s a bit of a theme going on with these covers: black and dark blue with splashes of red or gold. 

My reading highlight of the month was not technically book (although reading it felt just like reading one). Pyeongchang and Prejudice is a Pride and Prejudice Winter Olympics AU fanfic which deftly and cleverly follows the narrative beats of Austen’s novel while simultaneously telling its own story with its own context, themes and surprises. Totally engrossing!

(Longer reviews and ratings are on LibraryThing. And also my Dreamwidth blog.)

Beauty and the Beast by Elizabeth Rudnick: A novelisation of the 2017 live-action Disney film. I only finished this because it was short. The film’s strengths lie in the songs, visuals and actors’ delivery, which do not translate easily to a book. When the book fills in gaps with what characters think and feel, it relies too much on obvious observations, unnecessarily simplistic language and telling rather than showing. This is aimed at younger readers, but it should still be possible to convey nuance and complex ideas! If readers are expected to understand “intricately carved with reliefs”, then they can deal with a larger vocabulary for emotions.

Stray and Lab Rat One by Andrea K. Höst: Originally read in 2014, last reread in 2016. I love these. The first time, they were utterly gripping; as rereads, they’re comfortably satisfying. Cass is walking home from school when she abruptly finds herself in an uninhabited forest on an abandoned, post-apocalyptic alien planet. She’s eventually rescued by “psychic space ninjas”. Confronted with a new language, advanced technology, unfamiliar dangers and a military organisation determined to make use of Cass’s strange abilities, Cass finds ways to retain her agency, privacy and identity. I particularly like the worldbuilding; the cross-cultural issues; the friendships and teamwork; Cass's perspective, resourcefulness and sense of humour; and the believability of her diary. 

Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett (narrated by Stephen Briggs): The penultimate Discworld book is about developing a railway system. After a meandering beginning, this picks up speed. It’s amusing, and sharply observant about people and progress. It features Moist von Lipwig, but he’s more a facilitator of other people’s goals than a protagonist. The political context follows on from the later City Watch books and since there aren’t any more of those, this was unexpected and satisfying. Vimes! If I were a relative newcomer to Ankh-Morpork, this installment might have felt lacking. But as the last book about Ankh-Morpokians working for Vetinari, it was a very fitting conclusion.

Valley Girls by Sarah Nicole Lemon:  After 17 year old Rilla gets into trouble, she is sent to live with her sister, a park ranger at Yosemite National Park. Rilla is unhappy about this until she falls in love with rock climbing. Lemon effectively conveys the process of climbing and its emotional appeal: camaraderie, achievement and stunning landscapes. Rilla desperately needs purpose, supportive female friendships and a physical outlet for emotional turmoil. These things don’t magically fix her problems, but provide opportunities for her to learn about trust, relationships, perseverance, resilience -- and herself. I really liked how this is a story about mistakes and second chances.

The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo (narrated by Dylan Baker): Rob has a list of things he doesn’t want to think about: his mother, the rash on his legs and the bullies on the school bus. But then he discovers a caged tiger in the woods and a new girl gets on the bus. I borrowed this because the audiobook was available. For a short book, it really packs a punch -- I wasn’t expecting it to be so achingly sad! But I liked the prose, I liked that his friendship with Sistine Bailey was not easy and how, underneath the grief, it’s obvious how much his father loves him. 

Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers: The Exodan Fleet was designed to transport the Earth’s last inhabitants and their descendants to a new planet, but remains home to a permanent community. This is a multi-generational story about community, culture and change. Exploring these themes from different perspectives allows for more nuance -- acknowledgement that there isn’t always one right answer, one right way of living. It is touching, inclusive, hopeful and focused on personal matters: home, relationships, finding your place, finding meaning in what you do. I really liked this and was fascinated by its ideas of how a space-born community might be organised. 

Shadows of the Master by Emily Rodda: The first in the Star of Deltora quartet. Britta of Del wants to become an apprentice to the Trader Rosalyn and sail on the ship which once belonged to her father. But to do so, she will have to compete against other candidates and keep her father’s identity a secret. I was expecting slightly more from a CBCA Honours book, but this is a solid beginning to a story about a teenage girl on a journey with other girls. I’m hopeful, judging from this book, that some of them will become friends and not just rivals.

Dragonfly Song by Wendy Orr: A Bronze-Age historical fantasy told in prose and verse about life on an island which sends a yearly tribute to the Bull King, a tribute which includes two thirteen year olds for his bull dances. When the snake priestess’s daughter is born with extra thumbs, it’s seen as an omen that she cannot be her mother’s successor. Aissa is smuggled away to a farming family, but a few years later, she’s separated from them by a raider attack and becomes a lowly, nameless servant in the priestess’s household. This is intriguing and poignant.

Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace (narrated by Abby Craden): As Archivist, Wasp’s position is isolated and difficult: she captures, studies and destroys ghosts for the Catchkeep-priest and has to kill her would-be successors to stay alive. But then she meets a ghost who not only can talk to her but wants her help. This is darker and more violent than I’d prefer. Probably not a good choice for me for an audiobook. But it’s an intense, sharply-written post-apocalyptic mystery about trust, teamwork and being caught in a terrible world. I was intrigued as well as horrified, and became invested in the story’s few characters. I’m curious about the sequel.

[ladyherenya]

I blame Doctor Who. Mr Spock. The Scooby Gang: both the ones in the Mystery Machine and the ones with the stakes. I’ve spent my life with stories of people who don’t walk away, who go back for their friends, who make that last stand. I’ve been brainwashed by Samwise Gamgee.

Stray (The Touchstone Trilogy) by Andrea K. Höst

[bronze-gravy-word-things]

for your consideration: Kaoren Ruuel, Winter Soldier.

(just, a Sight-Sighted Winter Soldier!!! aaaagh!!! but also KAOREN)

Bronze came up with it while gravy was explaining a recent massive-multicrossover-headcanon epiphany and gravy couldn’t not put it up as bait to see if there’s anyone else around here who has read the Touchstone Trilogy and would like to come sit in our little fandom of two and play with crossovers. It is surprisingly easy and rewarding to cross the Touchstone Trilogy world-mechanics with your favorite other canon. (Enhanced humans! Science fiction technology! Fighting inexplicable monsters! Space travel! Weird alternate universes built right in! Teamfeels! do you like literally any of these? they’re here.)

Also, the first book is FREE via Kindle. Please come play. We have tea and pictures of Godfrey Gao.

[ladyherenya]

When I was delivered back to my box today I drew a rat on all my clothes and wrote "Lab Rat One" underneath it, making a little logo for my official designation on this world [...] Strange how going around wearing my lab rat logo makes me feel so much better. This morning's session with Zan went well because I felt less like I was helplessly doing what I was told, and was, well, doing what I was told while wearing an ironic comment about it.

from Stray by Andrea K. Höst

[countv0ncunt]

Last night I dreamed that there was going to be a movie for Stray, but then I realized I had been looking at a trailer for a movie with a little girl. And Ys (and the others, but I thought it was Ys) was not in book one. And everyone was white or a verrryyyy pale Hispanic. Disappointment everywhere. I really want movies for the Touchstone trilogy.