Been about a month, and I'm procrastinating...
Recently Read SF/F:
The Summer Tree (Book 1 of the Fionavar Tapestry trilogy, Guy Gavriel Kay, Fantasy, paperback): Five college students are transported to the "first of worlds," Fionavar, where they become entangled in world-shaping events as an ancient evil finally breaks free of its centuries-long imprisonment.
It's considered a classic, an epic with a Celtic/Arthurian flavor and shades of Tolkien in world-building depth (and deep-rooted themes of religion and sacrifice), but ultimately it wasn't my cup of cocoa. The characters fell too easily into archetype roles, never really seeming human or relateable, particularly in their lack of overall sense of wonder at being in another world. I also had my hackles up at events toward the end. Some nice descriptions, though, once I got used to Kay's rather stiff and formal (clearly Tolkien-inspired) style.
Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 (Book 1 of The Mouse Guard series, David Petersen, Fantasy/Graphic Novel, Nook via Hoopla): For generations, the elite ranks of the Mouse Guard have protected the hidden mouse cities from predators and scouted safe routes, but the routine search for a missing grain merchant unearths evidence of a plot against Lockhaven, the citadel of the Guards.
Sort of like Redwall without some of the tedium and sexism, I enjoyed this adventure in the mouse world. Nice illustrations, and the story moved at a decent clip. I expect I'll read more installments.
Charismagic #0 (Issue 0 of the Charismagic series, Vincent Hernandez, Fantasy/Graphic Novel, Nook via Hoopla): For centuries, magic has hidden from the world of humans, but a dangerous enemy is about to break free of the Void dimension where he was imprisoned - and the time for hiding is over, a shift that will change the world and the lives of many people, including stage magician Hank.
Intriguing setup - but that's literally all it was, a magical character in a cafe talking about the enemy, with a touch of "as you know, Bob" as she's telling this to two other magical beings. Hank is just glimpsed at the end briefly, with no connection. Then there's some extra material that meant nothing to me, as I haven't read the book. It was like someone gathering TV ads together and selling as a separate movie in a franchise - all tease, no substance. Decent art, but no real story. It made me wonder why it was marketed separately at all; the only people who might find it interesting presumably have already read the series, and there's nothing here that couldn't have been included with an actual story arc. Sorta left a sour taste in my mouth, though I might investigate the series proper... assuming it, too, isn't just toying with me.
Emilie and the Hollow World (Book 1 of the Emilie series, Martha Wells, YA Adventure/Fantasy, paperback): 16-year-old Emilie just wanted to run away from home, but a mishap leads her to stowing away aboard a strange vessel in the harbor... a vessel that takes off on a voyage through the aetheric currents to the unexplored center of the hollow world, on an adventure of wonder, danger, betral, and magic wilder than anything she's read about in any of her books.
This is a strange tale in many ways. It's a definite throwback to the sorts of yarns spun by Jules Verne or Edgar Rice Burroughs, leaning more toward the latter (shades of Pellucidar, perhaps.) But the plots in those old yarns weren't always that compelling, and the characters could be flat... faults that appear in this tale, too, under the very imaginative setting. Emilie's age suggests it's pitched at the young adult crowd, but the story frankly feels more like young middle grade, and even they would probably expect a little more character depth or complexity. I never really bought the contrived reason she ran away; it seemed overly convoluted for a character who really didn't have that much to her, save acting as a proxy for the reader - having a wild adventure among real-live grown-ups and getting to be a heroine, as so many young readers secretly might wish themselves to be. Her world, particularly the upper world, feels flat, too. The magic tends to be convenient to the story. That said, there's some nice mind's eye candy in the Hollow World that Emilie gets to explore, and I can definitely say I've read worse. An intriguing misfire, but a misfire nonetheless.
Currently Reading SF/F:
Starfire: A Red Peace (Book 1 of the Starfire trilogy, Spencer Ellsworth, SF, Kindle): The Revolution has succeeded, the enslaved vat-grown crossbreeds overthrowing the ruling powers of the starways, but their leader is not content with mere victory over the human bluebloods. His next step is extermination... not just of the ruling bluebloods, but all humans...
So far, it's a fast-paced, intriguing space opera with some very nice ideas and a refreshing aesthetic - definitely not a bubble-wrapped fluffy-bunny tale. Still getting the feel of the universe and characters, but I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out.
I'm between hardcopy books, but have a wide array of SF/F titles aching to be read... and some non-SF/F. Will probably pick one to try tonight or tomorrow night; most of my physical book reading tends to be before bed these days.