I began the month with a Terry Pratchett book, because why the hell not.
The Fifth Elephant is the companion book to Carpe Jugulum. It’s the other Uberwald book, with vampires and werewolves up to no good, but instead of Granny Weatherwax, the plotters and fascists have to deal with Sam Grimes, who has been ambassadored by Veterini
Loved it. Not quite as much as I loved CJ, but loved it all the same.
My next book was a library book. I love sf / fantasy / horror. My local library has lots of crime, thrillers, romance and historical novels. So, when I spotted a folk horror book on the shelf, I grabbed it.
Andrew Michael Hurley’s ‘Starveacre’ is an interesting folk horror story, obliquely told.
I was still feeling in need of comfort, so I went back to the Pratchett shelf and grabbed ‘Monstrous Regiment’.
This was a lovely warm read with fire at the very heart of it. When Polly Perks pretends that she’s a boy and joins the army to search for her vulnerable big brother, she finds herself in the company of the very best and the very worst that the army has to offer.
In a country that has lost everything, she finds friends and allies, kicks the enemy in the goolies, and in the space of a week, she helps to change an entire nation.
Very much and always recommended.
My last book of November was the fifth book in Joan Slonczewski’s ‘Door Into Ocean’ series. ‘Minds In Transit’.
An interesting fifth book in the ‘Door into Ocean’ series that further explores two main themes. The first is personhood, and the rights of sentient beings. The second is more interesting, contrasting the right to breed and multiply against the right of the environment not to be exploited. This is a particularly interesting theme when the environment itself is a sentient person.
At times, the story moves slowly, and I admit that this book took me a while longer to finish than most, but it was a satisfying and enjoyable story.
