Since my last update here I've been reading mostly fairly short works (aside from
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood, that we're
discussing over in the book club).
The Breath of Heaven and Other Stories by Nancy Fulda. A sampler of 3 short fantasy stories that I enjoyed very much. The eponymous
The Breath of Heaven was a particular delight, with it's slightly different perspective on AIs taking over from humans. 4/5.
A Fist of Permutations in Lightning and Wildflowers by Alyssa Wong. Great title, but I found this short fantasy too deliberately stylistic; the story got lost in the flood of imagery. 2/5.
Wakulla Springs by Andy Duncan and Ellen Klages. The novella gave a few hints toward fantasy here and there, but these never amounted to anything (despite the book being classified as SF/Fantasy). It tells of three generations living around Wakulla Springs in Florida. It's a fascinating setting and I liked the characters (and Johnny Weissmuller gets a part) and the writing ... but there was no story as such. By the end I really wasn't sure what to make of it. I was never bored, but I like a bit more purpose to my books. 3/5.
The Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters (aka Barbara Mertz). Second Amelia Peabody. This novel was good fun but I must say that a much of the last 50 or so pages felt like filler. It still gets a 4/5 for a fun ride.
Passing Strange by Ellen Klages. I enjoy the writing style of Ellen Klages (she has written some wonderful SF short stories), so picked up this novella. The first part got me very intrigued, and then it steps back to a romance in 1940 San Francisco and I was wishing the author would make up her mind what it was about. But by the end it all wraps up very neatly into a lesbian romance with a touch of magic and some well researched historical perspective. 4/5.