Sakerfalcon reads on in 2026 Pt 2
This is a continuation of the topic Sakerfalcon reads on in 2026.
Talk The Green Dragon
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1Sakerfalcon
Hello again! The old thread had over 200 posts, and it's now July so we're half way through the year and I thought that meant it was a good time to start a new thread.
Here are the reviews of some recent reads.
Sadly I didn't find Startup Hell to be as engaging or enjoyable as Rozakis' previous two novels. The afterword says that she found this a struggle to write, and I think it shows. Morgan isn't as interesting or well-drawn character as previous protagonists, and the plot development and pacing is uneven. The story opens when Morgan, who is the mundane daughter of senior figures in the magical world, finds her colleague dead, and the demon he'd summoned left stranded in our world. This was where my first niggle appeared - Morgan is instantly attracted to the purple, scaly, horned demon, which I found highly implausible . Morgan impulsively decides to keep the demon safe - not least from her demon hunter mother - until she can find a way to dispatch him back to the infernal plane. It turns out that Lucareoth is in a similar low-level marketing job to Morgan, only his is literally soul-destroying. Both of them need to hit their targets, and decide to team up to help each other out. The corporate satire is mostly well-done and fun, although some of the humour is overdone. There are only so many times that outrageous requests from an obnoxious boss to the demon are funny. Morgan is realistically young and unsure of what she wants from life, but it feels like that vagueness comes from the author not knowing what she wants her to do or be. I didn't feel any romantic chemistry where I was supposed to, and found that whole part of the plot underwhelming. Morgan's relationship with her mother is well-developed though, and the book is intermittently funny. I hope Rozakis can find her mojo again for the next book.
On kindle I was reading a collection of mostly dystopian short stories about the future of health and wellbeing, called Take us to a better place. The few reviews for this seemed disappointed that the Martha Wells story wasn't a Murderbot tale and thus marked the whole collection down. Their comments about finding most of the stories to be bleak are fair, but then there are plenty of signs around us that the future could indeed be bleak, with climate changes, surveillance, and increased wealth inequality. But I found the different scenarios that were imagined to be very interesting, from a plague that is spreading worldwide and the race to find a cure for it, to a future where AI manipulates public opinion, to a journalist trying to get justice for the underprivileged victims of a flu virus.
I've also read the first two novellas in the Singing Hills series. These are the only ones I currently own, but I'll hope to acquire more. This Asian-influenced world of priests, empresses, animal spirits and mammoths is fascinating and I enjoyed exploring it and its history through the eyes of Chih, a traveling cleric. I can see why this series is so beloved here; I think it would appeal to someone who enjoys Katherine Addison's Celehar tales.
One of the women in my choir and I were discussing a children's book writer whose work we both enjoy, Michelle Magorian. She's best known for Goodnight Mister Tom, and all her books are set during and after WWII. My friend lent me one that I didn't have, Just Henry, about the titular teenage boy, whose father was killed in the war and mother has married again, giving Henry a stepfather and half-sister. His father's mother lives with them and is Henry's only ally, encouraging him to remember his father and reject his new family. Henry is mad on films, and this passion leads him to make new friends, recognise and confront his prejudices, and make a discovery that will shatter everything he believes about himself. There are some characters who are real villains, others who seem too good to be true, but Henry and his peers are convincing in their hopes, fears, friendships and quarrels. As an adult one can predict some of the plot points ahead of time, but the suspense is in finding out how Henry will react to them and the effect they might have on his opinions and behaviour. The period details are spot-on - preparing to leave school at 15, having to find an adult to take one to see an A rated film, the bombsites and derelict houses, the film and photography details, the cruel attitudes and judgement of those deemed to have broken social codes. Once I started reading this I couldn't put it down, and read it in a day, although it's quite a long book. Highly recommended.
I'm still reading and enjoying Force of circumstance. I'm interspersing it with a YA/New Adult dark academia book, Whispers most foul, which is set in a magic academy with a main character who is unable to cast spells. But her mother is headmistress, so she has to do as she's told. It took me a while to get into it, but I'm mostly enjoying it now. I'm also reading a new literary SF novel, Earth 7, which is set in a future where the population has crashed and the earth has been ravaged by climate change. It's about two very different young women and how they live hopefully at the end of the world. And I'm also reading a book by a Dominican-American author that is based on her mother's experiences as an immigrant to NYC, Dominicana. Ana is married at 15 to an older man who will take her from the poverty of Dominica to glittering New York. Ana's mother pushed her into the marriage in the hope that she could then bring the whole family to the States. The expected luxury and wealth in America does not materialise though, and Ana has to try and make the best of her loveless marriage and the dangers of 1960s New York. Ana is an engaging character and I'm really enjoying the book so far.
Here are the reviews of some recent reads.
Sadly I didn't find Startup Hell to be as engaging or enjoyable as Rozakis' previous two novels. The afterword says that she found this a struggle to write, and I think it shows. Morgan isn't as interesting or well-drawn character as previous protagonists, and the plot development and pacing is uneven. The story opens when Morgan, who is the mundane daughter of senior figures in the magical world, finds her colleague dead, and the demon he'd summoned left stranded in our world. This was where my first niggle appeared -
On kindle I was reading a collection of mostly dystopian short stories about the future of health and wellbeing, called Take us to a better place. The few reviews for this seemed disappointed that the Martha Wells story wasn't a Murderbot tale and thus marked the whole collection down. Their comments about finding most of the stories to be bleak are fair, but then there are plenty of signs around us that the future could indeed be bleak, with climate changes, surveillance, and increased wealth inequality. But I found the different scenarios that were imagined to be very interesting, from a plague that is spreading worldwide and the race to find a cure for it, to a future where AI manipulates public opinion, to a journalist trying to get justice for the underprivileged victims of a flu virus.
I've also read the first two novellas in the Singing Hills series. These are the only ones I currently own, but I'll hope to acquire more. This Asian-influenced world of priests, empresses, animal spirits and mammoths is fascinating and I enjoyed exploring it and its history through the eyes of Chih, a traveling cleric. I can see why this series is so beloved here; I think it would appeal to someone who enjoys Katherine Addison's Celehar tales.
One of the women in my choir and I were discussing a children's book writer whose work we both enjoy, Michelle Magorian. She's best known for Goodnight Mister Tom, and all her books are set during and after WWII. My friend lent me one that I didn't have, Just Henry, about the titular teenage boy, whose father was killed in the war and mother has married again, giving Henry a stepfather and half-sister. His father's mother lives with them and is Henry's only ally, encouraging him to remember his father and reject his new family. Henry is mad on films, and this passion leads him to make new friends, recognise and confront his prejudices, and make a discovery that will shatter everything he believes about himself. There are some characters who are real villains, others who seem too good to be true, but Henry and his peers are convincing in their hopes, fears, friendships and quarrels. As an adult one can predict some of the plot points ahead of time, but the suspense is in finding out how Henry will react to them and the effect they might have on his opinions and behaviour. The period details are spot-on - preparing to leave school at 15, having to find an adult to take one to see an A rated film, the bombsites and derelict houses, the film and photography details, the cruel attitudes and judgement of those deemed to have broken social codes. Once I started reading this I couldn't put it down, and read it in a day, although it's quite a long book. Highly recommended.
I'm still reading and enjoying Force of circumstance. I'm interspersing it with a YA/New Adult dark academia book, Whispers most foul, which is set in a magic academy with a main character who is unable to cast spells. But her mother is headmistress, so she has to do as she's told. It took me a while to get into it, but I'm mostly enjoying it now. I'm also reading a new literary SF novel, Earth 7, which is set in a future where the population has crashed and the earth has been ravaged by climate change. It's about two very different young women and how they live hopefully at the end of the world. And I'm also reading a book by a Dominican-American author that is based on her mother's experiences as an immigrant to NYC, Dominicana. Ana is married at 15 to an older man who will take her from the poverty of Dominica to glittering New York. Ana's mother pushed her into the marriage in the hope that she could then bring the whole family to the States. The expected luxury and wealth in America does not materialise though, and Ana has to try and make the best of her loveless marriage and the dangers of 1960s New York. Ana is an engaging character and I'm really enjoying the book so far.
3jillmwo
>1 Sakerfalcon: Happy new thread!! As always you offer up an eclectic set of recommendations. Just Henry sounds wonderful, although it's sadly not readily available here in the States. Maybe I'll check Waterstones since they are reasonable about shipping to the U.S.
4Alexandra_book_life
>1 Sakerfalcon: Happy New Thread!
I am very happy that you have met Chih of the Singing Hills series :) The following novellas are just as excellent, imo.
I am very happy that you have met Chih of the Singing Hills series :) The following novellas are just as excellent, imo.
5elkiedee
Just Henry is actually #3 in a series of 4 books about different members of the Hollis family - they're less well known than her other books but they are excellent.
7haydninvienna
Happy new thread!
9libraryperilous
Oh, the Magorian sounds like my jam!
Happy second thread!
Happy second thread!
11Sakerfalcon
Thank you everyone!
>5 elkiedee: As the only link to the Hollis family is a passing mention of Ralph, and a couple of scenes where his partner Jessica appears, I wouldn't let that put anyone off reading Just Henry if they haven't read the first two books. Although they are indeed excellent and worth tracking down. I have Impossible! somewhere and need to find it now I'm in the mood for more Magorian.
>5 elkiedee: As the only link to the Hollis family is a passing mention of Ralph, and a couple of scenes where his partner Jessica appears, I wouldn't let that put anyone off reading Just Henry if they haven't read the first two books. Although they are indeed excellent and worth tracking down. I have Impossible! somewhere and need to find it now I'm in the mood for more Magorian.
