REBECCA LANGHAM
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REVIEW: The Seeds of Dissolution by William C. Tracy

21/2/2018

1 Comment

 
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REVIEWED BY ANONYMOUS​

Genre: science fantasy 


Pairings: m/m/f


Queer Representation: bisexual, gender fluid, nonbinary, agender, third gender


Warnings: none--but so many enbies you might have to fan yourself


Rating: five stars





Review

After watching his parents die in a freak storm as a child, Sam's anxiety has kept him from leaving his house. When another inexplicable force of nature drags him out of his house, across space, and into the Nether--a place outside our universe--Sam must learn how to live with his anxiety amongst aliens while also discovering the magic that lives inside himself. 
 
Plot

At it's most basic, yes, this is a 'white boy goes on a journey' story. But it is so much more than that. At 400 pages, this is a high fantasy story (science fantasy, mind) with multiple POVs, a well-defined magic system (music!), and a relatable, flawed MC. The world is rich and lush, well described but never ad nauseum, the characters well rounded, and the species distinct and colorful. Tension builds steadily throughout, the ending is satisfying, and narration is easy to read. Bonus - the cover art and interior illustrations are gorgeous. I was also really pleased that Sam (our MC) does not get over his mental illness, but instead, learns coping mechanism throughout the story that help him interact more with his friends. Even at the end Sam is still gripped by his anxiety, but is able to do his part to save the day. It's rare to find books that do not treat mental illness as something to get over, but rather, allow for it to simply be a part of a character.
 
Relationship

The main relationship is a polyamorous one, between Sam and Inas (male) and his twin sister Enos. Sam is on-page bisexual (an argument could be made for pansexual, as one line notes Sam is interested in the twins for their personalities, not their forms). He is not closeted at the start, and as his interests unfold there is no mental turmoil about being attracted to another male, or being attracted to two people at once. This was all very refreshing, and it was nice to see not only aliens being fine with canon queerness, but an actual human being okay with it, too. 
 
Enbies. Enbies everywhere

I want to do a special callout to the gender representation in this book. It seems ridiculous that this is so rare in SFF, as any time you deal with new species there should never be an inherent assumption of a gender binary. And yet, SFF, especially science fiction, is rife with the strict male/female dynamic. Tracy presents species with genders of all variants, from agender, to third gender, to straight up uncategorized nonbinary, to a gender fluid main character (and no one, no one, freaking cares that they have to pronoun check every so often for this character!). None of the POV characters were outside the binary, but the world was so rich with enby characters I didn't even mind. It felt nice, for once, to be 'included' in a SFF narrative without being the reason for the narrative existing, if that makes sense. Sometimes the most useful way to show your support for a group of people is to make them everyday players, and this book does just that. 
 
The joy of self publishing
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This book is a great example of why self-publishing can be a wonderful thing. Books like this, which walk right between science fiction and fantasy, which have a YA-aged protagonist mixed with much older POV characters, and which have a high word count (book is right at 400 pages), can be a very hard sell to agents and publishers. SEEDS is exceptionally well written, avoids the pitfalls I see with many self-pubbed books (lack of editing, unattractive cover art, lack of act structure and/or through line) and delivers a quality story. The interior art, as well, is a hallmark of Tracy's stories and really adds the finishing touch to this novel. 
 
Overall, this book should appeal to readers across science fiction and fantasy, as well as YA and adult readers. Queer readers, especially those outside the gender binary, will feel right at home in the Nether, and there is plenty of 'standard' fantasy fare to keep general readers interested. I'm very much looking forward to the next installment!

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DALI - Reviewed by Kaelan

5/11/2017

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BLURB

Dalí Tamareia has everything—a young family and a promising career as an Ambassador in the Sol Fed Diplomatic Corps. Dalí’s path as a peacemaker seems clear, but when their loved ones are killed in a terrorist attack, grief sends the genderfluid changeling into a spiral of self-destruction.

Fragile Sol Fed balances on the brink of war with a plundering alien race. Their skills with galactic relations are desperately needed to broker a protective alliance, but in mourning, Dalí no longer cares, seeking oblivion at the bottom of a bottle, in the arms of a faceless lover, or at the end of a knife.

The New Puritan Movement is rising to power within the government, preaching strict genetic counseling and galactic isolation to ensure survival of the endangered human race. Third gender citizens like Dalí don’t fit the mold of this perfect plan, and the NPM will stop at nothing to make their vision become reality. When Dalí stumbles into a plot threatening changelings like them, a shadow organization called the Penumbra recruits them for a rescue mission full of danger, sex, and intrigue, giving Dalí purpose again.

Risky liaisons with a sexy, charismatic pirate lord could be Dalí’s undoing—and the only way to prevent another deadly act of domestic terrorism.

REVIEW

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book. Wow.

Y'all know by now that I am picky AF about reading. I work hard at my craft (both the writing part and the editing part) so when I want to stand on top of a rooftop and jump up and down shouting BUY THIS BOOK!?

You know it really impressed me.

1st. Genderfluid & third gender Main Character(MC). Can I just say I want to be like Dalí and leave it at that? No? Well. I adore how Dalí could just be their neutral self or more male presenting or more female depending on need or desire. It's just fantastic and handled so beautifully that it speaks to me on my deepest non-binary levels. It's so gorgeous. I needed this book and didn't know I needed it until I read it.

2nd. Princess Bride references. Anyone who loves one of my fav movies this much is worth reading. Anything else is inconceivable. I laughed so hard at some of the references. The author made it believable within the story line of a futuristic space opera too.

3rd. Pacing. I think maybe four books have kept me up past my bedtime in 2017. This is number four and ugh, I dropped my tablet on my face so many times I actually lost count. I really am going to break my nose (again) one of these days.

4th. Bisexual Representation!!! On PAGE. And it's not a story of angst or acceptance or of finding oneself. Those are great stories, but Dalí is Bi, already, and it's normal and beautiful and perfect. I adore it.

5th. Worldbuilding and awesome characters. I really loved the different alien races, and bemoaned the fact that I can't draw well enough to capture them all so I can do fan-art. (I really wish I could draw) the world is believably futuristic and could so easily come out of where we are now.

6th. Dalí is mixed-race. I'm mixed race, I've rarely seen it in fiction (I can count on the fingers of one hand things I've read that aren't my own writing with mixed-race characters.) I did kinda cringe at the one use of 'almond-eyed' but it's commonly used and it didn't ruin the experience for me.

Basically, just go buy this book and read it. I loved it so much and I really hope there's more to come with these characters.

SCORES

Readability: 5/5 star-1586412_1920 I stayed up until 5am when I had to work the next day. I kept saying to myself... just get to a stopping place, then stop for the night. EVERY time I thought I'd gotten to a stopping place, another plot twist smacked me in the face and I HAD TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED! Arcs: 5/5 star-1586412_1920I did feel a little sad about how things went between Dalí and their later relationship in the story, but it works so perfectly for the book that there's really no other way it could've gone. The character arcs, friendship (you so rarely see friendship!) and story arcs are all well done.

Craft: 5/5 star-1586412_1920(I need more stars) I caught three errors through the whole book. One doubled word, two typos. Two instances of passive voice that I think were intentional for cadence. It's freaking excellent and one of those books I'm so happy to read because I can JUST READ. My editor brain stayed asleep. It's such a gift to have that these days.

Go, buy, do the thing.

If youbuy from the publisher directly, the author and the publisher get more money and they can keep providing you with more books like this one.

Or from Amazon.

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Book Review: Dalí by E.M. Hamill

4/10/2017

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​Dalí is a beautifully written exploration of ethics, gender, grief, and SPACE! 5 Stars.

I won't use up space recounting the basic plot, as you can click the GoodReads link above to see that for yourself. Instead, I'll focus on what I loved about this novel and some of the thoughts it left with me when I'd finished. Below, however, you can see the book information provided by the publisher. You can buy the ebook here.
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Author: E.M. Hamill
Release Date: August 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-947139-57-2
Format: ePub, Mobi, PDF
Cover Artist: Natasha Snow
Category: Literary/Genre Fiction
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Word Count: 85200
Pages: 253
Sex Content: Explicit
Orientation: Pansexual
Identity: Genderqueer
Warning: Depictions of violent death
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Between space rescues, ship battles, gladiatorial bouts, and the sexually charged hand-to-hand-combat scenes, if you're after adventure and action, this book won't disappoint. 
Dalí is a little more action-packed than what I'd normally read, but it worked well for me.

The writing is fabulous and the world-building is even better. Rich, complex, and totally believable, the galaxy of the future mirrors many of the political and social concerns of our own time -- which is always the case with good science fiction. I highly recommend this novel for fans of science fiction and/or adventure. 

This novel works beautifully as a stand alone story, but I can also see how it would easily become a series if the author has that in mind. 
The rest of my review contains spoilers - delving into aspects of the novel that I wanted to  discuss. 

SPOILERS AHEAD
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This book is definitely not a romance, which is not a comment I make as a negative, but something to be aware of. That's part of why this novel is great - it doesn't follow the same old formula that quite a lot of traditional LGBTIQ+ tends to abide by. Anyone who has read my previous reviews knows that I'm not a fan of sci-fi being background for a romance plot. A sci-fi romance is a great story (heck - it's what I myself tend to write) but the genre elements shouldn't be, in my opinion, a convenient backdrop for a story that could've been set anywhere or anytime. That isn't the case with Dalí. 

The relationships were interesting - particularly between the main character and the other changelings - Kai and Dru.  Something about Dru really got to me and I found myself hoping she'd get something of a satisfactory ending to her kidnapping journey. 

My favourite relationship - and this is totally subjective - was between Dalí and Tella Sharpe. I felt that Tella was the only character Dalí slept with who didn't expect them to be whatever sex or gender suited her, unlike the other people Dalí slept with - who wanted them to be only either male or female. I definitely understood why they became so frustrated with Tella and felt so betrayed, given her role in kidnapping the changelings, but I was surprised by how deep that animosity seemed to go.  
Dalí questioned Rhix's ethics, but continued to (mostly) trust him and kept sleeping with him after knowing he traded in goods that could facilitate mass murder, yet they remained so angry with Tella, whose crimes were pretty awful, but also much smaller scale than Rhix's.  Again, this is not a criticism! Humans are like that - we aren't logical in who we do or do not tolerate or forgive.

The complexity of these relationships is still on my mind well after I've finished reading the book. I love books that make me keep thinking, and even make it hard to start the next book I want to read.


On a totally inane note, I loved the Princess Bride references, and surely that comment about "My mother is a lizard" has to be a reference to another 80s cult classic, Willow, right? My only comment here, though, is that I did question characters who were living so far in the future being that obsessed with such films. It felt a bit like Tom's fascination with the 20th Century on Star Trek - Voyager...more of a way for someone on the crew to explore their own love of cars and music? It was harmless, though, and even though my amusement about the references had worn off by about the mid-way point, as a fan of the movie who can quote the whole thing, it was a little bit of fun, even if I did think they didn't suit the context. 

So if the only less-than-positive thing I have to say is about inter-textual references, that's definite nit-picking! I'm really pleased that books like this are being written and published. 
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    ABOUT C.B.

    CURRENTLY ON HIATUS FOR UNIVERSITY STUDY AND WORK. 

    Book reviews, Author Q&As and more as shared by an Australian lesbian. My core interests lie in genre fiction: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror etc.
    ​
    My aim is to help provide more exposure to those books that  may not fit neatly into the usual "lesfic" boxes (EG: pansexual women who engage with different aspects of their sexuality, non-binary characters, books with very little romance etc.) or books that don't conform to the most popular tropes that tend to dominate the LGBTIQ+ publishing world.

    That said, I'll put up pretty much any review that I'd like to share. Most will have some sort of rainbow content, but not all. I am a reader who likes to talk about books -- that's really what this little corner of the web is for, to talk about books.

    ​Email: celestialbooks [AT] rebeccalangham.com.au


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