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inkandplasma
Full series review available here from 1st February 2021: https://inkandplasma.com/2021/02/01/the-forward-collection/
This was a poignant story, though it did hurt my feelings thoroughly at the end. I loved the way that this story took the usually heartbreaking idea of an Earth-destroying apocalypse and turned it into something powerful and beautiful, about exploration and the power of human survival. I loved the plant samples idea, that humans were taking samples and tokens of Earth flora and fauna into the future with them - a lot of sci-fi I've read involves humans abandoning Earth without a look back.
This was a poignant story, though it did hurt my feelings thoroughly at the end. I loved the way that this story took the usually heartbreaking idea of an Earth-destroying apocalypse and turned it into something powerful and beautiful, about exploration and the power of human survival. I loved the plant samples idea, that humans were taking samples and tokens of Earth flora and fauna into the future with them - a lot of sci-fi I've read involves humans abandoning Earth without a look back.
Full series review available here from 1st February 2021: https://inkandplasma.com/2021/02/01/the-forward-collection/
This novella built like a volcano. It started off mildly interesting, with a super intelligent AI behaving in ways that were never expected. And I never expected the way that the novella ended. It was a rug pull of a story, wonderous in its messy complexity. For such a short piece, there was so much packed into this story and by the end of it I was listening with breathless anticipation for the disaster I was sure was incoming. If you like AIs and a building, chilling kind of horror, this is the perfect story for you.
This novella built like a volcano. It started off mildly interesting, with a super intelligent AI behaving in ways that were never expected. And I never expected the way that the novella ended. It was a rug pull of a story, wonderous in its messy complexity. For such a short piece, there was so much packed into this story and by the end of it I was listening with breathless anticipation for the disaster I was sure was incoming. If you like AIs and a building, chilling kind of horror, this is the perfect story for you.
Full series review available here from 1st February 2021: https://inkandplasma.com/2021/02/01/the-forward-collection/
Emergency Skin is hard to review. It was a wonderfully strange piece challenging white supremacy and the illogical beliefs that come along with it with an incredible and voicey piece of writing. Those who left the abandoned and damaged Earth, unsurprisingly the white and rich and powerful, sent a soldier back to the graveyard world to find something essential for their survival. The soldier sent back encounters unbeautiful savages - an affront to the eugenics obsessed culture of those who left. This is written in a fantastic second person perspective, as the narrator speaks directly to the listener as he handles the mission.
Emergency Skin is hard to review. It was a wonderfully strange piece challenging white supremacy and the illogical beliefs that come along with it with an incredible and voicey piece of writing. Those who left the abandoned and damaged Earth, unsurprisingly the white and rich and powerful, sent a soldier back to the graveyard world to find something essential for their survival. The soldier sent back encounters unbeautiful savages - an affront to the eugenics obsessed culture of those who left. This is written in a fantastic second person perspective, as the narrator speaks directly to the listener as he handles the mission.
Full series review available here from 1st February 2021: https://inkandplasma.com/2021/02/01/the-forward-collection/
This was chilling, honestly. It started out pretty tame, with a character going to a modern day fertility lab to see an experimental treatment where a child's life can be predicted nearly in its entirety before conception. The way that it developed was amazing and made me feel deeply unnerved. It was brilliantly put together, packing a surprisingly complicated story into its few pages.
This was chilling, honestly. It started out pretty tame, with a character going to a modern day fertility lab to see an experimental treatment where a child's life can be predicted nearly in its entirety before conception. The way that it developed was amazing and made me feel deeply unnerved. It was brilliantly put together, packing a surprisingly complicated story into its few pages.
Full series review available here from 1st February 2021: https://inkandplasma.com/2021/02/01/the-forward-collection/
I was a little confused by this one, which is the only reason it got three stars instead of four. The prose was interesting and well written, and the pacing for such a short novella was fantastic. The concept was brilliant and mostly well executed, but I got a little lost in the middle before it picked up at the end. I think perhaps this one is better read than listened to, but still a very good story indeed.
I was a little confused by this one, which is the only reason it got three stars instead of four. The prose was interesting and well written, and the pacing for such a short novella was fantastic. The concept was brilliant and mostly well executed, but I got a little lost in the middle before it picked up at the end. I think perhaps this one is better read than listened to, but still a very good story indeed.
Full series review available here from 1st February 2021: https://inkandplasma.com/2021/02/01/the-forward-collection/
I love Andy Weir's writing, so I was looking forward to this one a lot, but it wasn't as strong as the other entries in the series. The characterisation was excellent and the way that it developed was interesting, but the plot itself wasn't as wild and adventurous as the rest of the series and it paled a little in comparison. If I'd read this first, I might have enjoyed it more, but it was still a good and quick read.
I love Andy Weir's writing, so I was looking forward to this one a lot, but it wasn't as strong as the other entries in the series. The characterisation was excellent and the way that it developed was interesting, but the plot itself wasn't as wild and adventurous as the rest of the series and it paled a little in comparison. If I'd read this first, I might have enjoyed it more, but it was still a good and quick read.
Full review available on my blog from 4th February 2021: https://inkandplasma.com/2021/02/04/the-rise-of-kyoshi/
Trigger Warnings: violence, death, murder, grief.
I had heard all the hype about this book, with the entirety of sapphic book twitter collectively going wild for it last year, and I finally got hold of it for Christmas. And hot damn, everyone was right about this book. I absolutely adored it. I was a little worried that I might be lost as it’s been a few years since I last watched Avatar: The Last Airbender, but it was easy to get straight into the story. The information you need is very clearly laid out, so you only need the most basic knowledge of the Avatar world to thoroughly enjoy this book.
Kyoshi is a wonder in this book. I absolutely adore her. She’s different from Aang in almost every possible way. She’s also a giant bisexual disaster. In The Rise of Kyoshi, initially nobody believes that Kyoshi is the Avatar, and then she has to flee for various reasons that I won’t explain – spoilers – and it leads her on this secretive sprint through the Earth Kingdom to avoid someone who is out to get her. And the people she finds on this sprint? If you love found family vibes, you’ll love them. The relationship between Rangi and Kyoshi is flawless and I cannot express enough how much their first kiss made me scream.
I love the way that this book is written. The action is incredibly visual and powerful, even with my aphantasia I felt like I could see each of the fight scenes and the way they’d look on screen. The war fans in particular were a fantastic touch, and I loved dust-stepping and all its visuals. It’s darker than the TV show, but still firmly YA in my opinion, and I would recommend it for any fans of the show or newcomers alike. It explores ethics and morality in a really interesting way, particularly for YA. In the show we just see Kyoshi, the adored Avatar, and seeing how she started out as a young and ignored servant girl and rose into her power makes me want to shriek. I just adore it. And I absolutely adore the way that the daofei are portrayed, and the commitment that Kyoshi displays to her vows. When it comes to this Avatar’s companions, it’s be gay, do crime all the way.
Trigger Warnings: violence, death, murder, grief.
I had heard all the hype about this book, with the entirety of sapphic book twitter collectively going wild for it last year, and I finally got hold of it for Christmas. And hot damn, everyone was right about this book. I absolutely adored it. I was a little worried that I might be lost as it’s been a few years since I last watched Avatar: The Last Airbender, but it was easy to get straight into the story. The information you need is very clearly laid out, so you only need the most basic knowledge of the Avatar world to thoroughly enjoy this book.
Kyoshi is a wonder in this book. I absolutely adore her. She’s different from Aang in almost every possible way. She’s also a giant bisexual disaster. In The Rise of Kyoshi, initially nobody believes that Kyoshi is the Avatar, and then she has to flee for various reasons that I won’t explain – spoilers – and it leads her on this secretive sprint through the Earth Kingdom to avoid someone who is out to get her. And the people she finds on this sprint? If you love found family vibes, you’ll love them. The relationship between Rangi and Kyoshi is flawless and I cannot express enough how much their first kiss made me scream.
I love the way that this book is written. The action is incredibly visual and powerful, even with my aphantasia I felt like I could see each of the fight scenes and the way they’d look on screen. The war fans in particular were a fantastic touch, and I loved dust-stepping and all its visuals. It’s darker than the TV show, but still firmly YA in my opinion, and I would recommend it for any fans of the show or newcomers alike. It explores ethics and morality in a really interesting way, particularly for YA. In the show we just see Kyoshi, the adored Avatar, and seeing how she started out as a young and ignored servant girl and rose into her power makes me want to shriek. I just adore it. And I absolutely adore the way that the daofei are portrayed, and the commitment that Kyoshi displays to her vows. When it comes to this Avatar’s companions, it’s be gay, do crime all the way.
Full review available on my blog from 8th February 2021: https://inkandplasma.com/2021/02/08/the-hollow-places
Trigger Warnings: body horror, death.
This book was so readable. I picked it up before bed, intending to put my bookmark in it ready for the next day and I ended up reading 90 pages then and there, before waking up the next day and reading the whole of the rest of the book. It’s incredibly engaging and easy to read with fantastic prose and a character voice that I fell for instantly. The tone of this book was balanced really well between horror and humour, and I found myself laughing out loud at some points (brain goblins) only to be white-knuckle gripping the book a few pages later. Kara had so much personality and all of that showed in the prose, and I loved the way it was written. I’m desperate to hear an audiobook of this novel because I think it’d be a fantastic way to consume this story.
Part of what made this book both readable and lovable was the characters. Uncle Earl was a delight, though not a main character, but Kara (Carrot) and Simon were just the best. I loved them both, loved their dynamic and the sibling-like camaraderie they had. They were a really good balance for each other, urging each other forward and keeping each other safe in equal measure. I loved them both, and their friendship was an incredible part of this story. All of their actions felt realistic to me, two characters caught in a situation they were wholly unprepared for and with no idea what to do. It made them relatable, and made the atmospheric horror even more impactful because I could see myself in the awful events. And my other favourite ‘character’ was the Wonder Museum itself. Not quite a character, but with so much personality that it felt like one. The Museum was the perfect setting. Full of oddities and mysteries of its own, the hole felt like it fit right in there and created the perfect setting for Carrot and Simon to be primed to see Something Weird. I’d love to visit the Wonder Museum, and I found myself googling the exhibits mentioned to add to the really visual feel this novel had.
The atmosphere in this book was so chilling. I read the middle section of this book in the dark and it was honestly unnerving. I know I’m easily spooked, but oof. The universe that Kingfisher wrote about built from harmless into terrifying so swiftly and powerfully that I know I’ll be thinking about it for a long time. The idea of ‘Them’ was executed so well. Nothing scares me more than something unseen and unknowable, and They can triangulate by thought which is deeply terrifying. It made for a creepy book that built up to a fantastic, action packed climax and I loved the way that it resolved.
Trigger Warnings: body horror, death.
This book was so readable. I picked it up before bed, intending to put my bookmark in it ready for the next day and I ended up reading 90 pages then and there, before waking up the next day and reading the whole of the rest of the book. It’s incredibly engaging and easy to read with fantastic prose and a character voice that I fell for instantly. The tone of this book was balanced really well between horror and humour, and I found myself laughing out loud at some points (brain goblins) only to be white-knuckle gripping the book a few pages later. Kara had so much personality and all of that showed in the prose, and I loved the way it was written. I’m desperate to hear an audiobook of this novel because I think it’d be a fantastic way to consume this story.
Part of what made this book both readable and lovable was the characters. Uncle Earl was a delight, though not a main character, but Kara (Carrot) and Simon were just the best. I loved them both, loved their dynamic and the sibling-like camaraderie they had. They were a really good balance for each other, urging each other forward and keeping each other safe in equal measure. I loved them both, and their friendship was an incredible part of this story. All of their actions felt realistic to me, two characters caught in a situation they were wholly unprepared for and with no idea what to do. It made them relatable, and made the atmospheric horror even more impactful because I could see myself in the awful events. And my other favourite ‘character’ was the Wonder Museum itself. Not quite a character, but with so much personality that it felt like one. The Museum was the perfect setting. Full of oddities and mysteries of its own, the hole felt like it fit right in there and created the perfect setting for Carrot and Simon to be primed to see Something Weird. I’d love to visit the Wonder Museum, and I found myself googling the exhibits mentioned to add to the really visual feel this novel had.
The atmosphere in this book was so chilling. I read the middle section of this book in the dark and it was honestly unnerving. I know I’m easily spooked, but oof. The universe that Kingfisher wrote about built from harmless into terrifying so swiftly and powerfully that I know I’ll be thinking about it for a long time. The idea of ‘Them’ was executed so well. Nothing scares me more than something unseen and unknowable, and They can triangulate by thought which is deeply terrifying. It made for a creepy book that built up to a fantastic, action packed climax and I loved the way that it resolved.
