James Reid – Geek Dilettante – Things I write about what I like?

Hugo Awards Extravaganza 2023 – Novella

October 29, 2023October 29, 2023 James Leave a comment

Works in the Hugo Novella category are almost always short novels (17500-40000 words).

In 2019 I wrote that this category had been revitalised by digital publishing and it continues to be true – novellas seem more accessible to consumers and more vital than ever, and the quality of this section has in previous rounds been exceptional. I’m really looking forward to this category as it is a mixture of authors I am extremely familiar with (McGuire, Tchaikovsky, and to a lesser extend Kingfisher) and some new (to me) faces.

Hugo Awards Extravaganza 2023 – Novelette

October 23, 2023October 23, 2023 James Leave a comment

Hugo novelettes tend to be long short stories (7500-17500 words). I used to bag on this category as slightly too long short stories, and that’s certainly true for the bulk of nominees, but for the last few rounds I’ve reviewed, the top stories have been really excellent; the best entries are super short stories that benefit from the extra space while still being compact and not overstaying their welcome.
Reviews of the Novelette Nominees.

Hugo Awards Extravaganza 2023 – Short Story

October 22, 2023October 22, 2023 James Leave a comment

I really look forward to the short story category – it’s a good chance to find new authors, and often has the biggest return on my reading time. This year I was particularly enthusiastic as I don’t think I’ve read anything from any of the authors.
Reviews for all of the Short Story Nominees.

Hugo Awards Extravaganza 2023 – Introduction

October 1, 2023October 1, 2023 James Leave a comment

It’s been a while since I’ve done this, (2019) so I hope I’m not too rusty. As is my want, I’ll stick to the Fiction categories, prioritising Novel, Novella, Novelette and Short Story (the last two generally being my favourite categories), then if I have time hit Series, Graphic Novel, New Writer, and Young Adult (the last two technically not being Hugos). I’ll also dip my toes into the presentation categories if I’ve already covered off most of the entrants.

Review – Blitz by Daniel O’Malley

March 23, 2023March 23, 2023 James Leave a comment

Two parallel stories, one about an understandable, but impetuous act during World War 2 with potentially devastating personal and political consequences for all involved, and the other about a 30 something librarian who suddenly finds themselves enmeshed in the hidden bureaucracy of the supernatural come together in some excellent world building.

I Aten’t Dead

January 2, 2022January 2, 2022 James Leave a comment

This blog has been dead for exactly two years (last post 1 January 2020). I didn’t mean to stop writing, but between things going on in my personal life and Covid (mainly Covid), I’ve been focused inwards, not outwards….I’ve reached a point where I need to get back to a new normal, and putting up stuff here is going to be part of that.

Series Review – October Daye by Seanan McGuire

January 1, 2020January 1, 2020 James Leave a comment

October Daye is an urban fantasy series starring a PI who bridges the gap between fairy and humans. On its face, there is nothing to distinguish it from any of the other long running series like Dresden/The Hollows (PI), True Blood/Mary Gentry (fairies), etc, except it is a perennial best series nominee for the Hugos. Indeed, I’ve read and briefly reviewed the October Daye series not once, but twice before, putting them in the middle of my Hugo Series ballot in both 2017 and 2019. After the last round I praised them as “weapons grade escapism”, but given I enjoyed them enough this year to reread the series, they deserve a bit more than that. In particular, it misses what is the key strength of the series – a family of characters that I want to hang out with each instalment, the lexical equivalent of a great sitcom or procedural.

Series Review – October Daye Short Fiction

December 23, 2019December 23, 2019 James 2 Comments

In addition to more than a dozen novels, McGuire has published nearly as many short works in the October Daye Universe. These break broadly into two categories: interstitials between the novels, which were eventually just included in her later books; and prequel works spanning both major cast members as well as minor or historic characters. […]

Capsule Review – Storm of Locusts

November 26, 2019November 26, 2019 James Leave a comment

She imprisoned a god, but her work’s not done…I liked Trail of Lightning, quite a bit, but Storm of Locusts feels like the full realisation of Roanhorse’s vision. By taking us out of Navajo territory, we gain perspective on both the safety and austerity afforded by the four walls, and the translocation of Diné gods into more conventional settings makes the world bigger by quelling any idea that they might be genius loci, rather than world spanning deities. Indeed, while fundamentally built on the monster of the week format, Storm of Locusts puts meat on it, with both interesting tangents and a strong plot, expanding upon Trail of Lighting in almost every aspect.A stronger sequel to an already good book.

Series Review – October Daye Books 8-12

September 10, 2019September 10, 2019 James Leave a comment

In for a penny, in for a pound. I reread an October Daye book and posted old reviews for the first seven books, and I’ve ended up rereading the series and figured I would fill out the rest. Obviously once you get to book 8 of a series, the only people reading are the hard core fans, so assume that you should go back and read the earlier books before getting to these ones, and that later reviews might contain spoilers for earlier books. Thanks to The Unkindest Tide being overdue, this completes the current run of novels, and just leaves the short fiction to review…