J.S. Fields

Author & Scientist

Review: The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers

Genre: science fiction: space opera

Pairings: none

Queer Representation: nonbinary of many different flavors

Warnings: none

Review

The planet Gora is a desolate world with no real atmosphere, no water, no resources. Situated between two major jump points however, it has transformed over the years into a bustling commercial hub. Numerous species have made their homes there as well, most in the tourism industry.

With that much traffic and space infrastructure comes the inevitable malfunction. Spaceships are grounded, communications are cut from planet to space, and all travelers are stuck until the powers that be can fix things.

THE GALAXY AND THE GROUND WITHIN focuses on a group of diverse travelers stuck at the Five-Hop One-Stop bed and breakfast sort of establishment for the duration of the emergency. In Chambers’ fashion, the book doesn’t have an overarching plot and instead works more as an extended coffeeshop fanfic. Readers of Chambers’ previous books will be very familiar with this style of writing. Newcomers may bounce off hard while looking for some sort of established sci fi structure.

Structure is not what this book is about.

Instead, Chambers delivers intimate looks at a number of different alien species, giving the reader deep dives into culture, anatomy, politics, and love. The story focuses on three main aliens, the alien host, and the host’s adolescent child:

Roveg (a Quelin): an exiled video game designer with a warm personality and a heart of gold who will miss his child’s coming of age ceremony if the emergency goes on too long

Speaker: a methane breather without functional legs. One half of a twin set (her sister being named ‘Tracker.’) Speaker is an Akarak and while she has nowhere to be that is time sensitive, the emergency traps her away from her sister, without communication

Pei: a military cargo runner with a secret human love interest whom she will miss seeing if the emergency goes on too long. Pei, an Aeulon, featured in the first book THE LONG WAY TO A SMALL, ANGRY PLANET.

Ouloo (a Laru): is the owner of the Five-Hop One-Stop and deeply devoted to her child, as well as her guest’s comfort and needs.

Tupo: Ouloo’s adolescent child who has not yet decided xyr gender, and who is both deeply endearing and deeply awkward, as teenagers tend to be.

Awaiting him at the airlock entrance was a Laru–a large child, too young to have chosen a gender yet, comprised of angles that didn’t look comfortable and feet that didn’t match xyr body. Xyr fur looked halfway groomed, and was too long for xyr face. It hung listlessly over xyr large black eyes in a helpless manner that suggested it didn’t know why it was still growing but didn’t know what else to do.

Roveg and Tupo do have a number of fun exchanges, especially during Roveg’s visit to Typo’s natural history museum which is definitely not a geology museum.

And that’s…pretty much it. The characters spend the book slowly getting to know one another, gaining trust, and seeing each other’s ‘humanity.’ The strongest story line by far was Pei’s, who gets a lesson in agency and learns to exercise said agency by the end of the book. I was deeply engaged with all of her chapters.

Four tendays. Pei had four tendays to get this egg fathered. After that point, the window would close the egg would break down and be reabsorbed, and…that would be that. Opportunity lost. For most would-be mothers, there was only the one chance. This was Pei’s, apparently. She closed her eyes and pushed out what felt like every breath she’d ever taken.

Why now?

—

‘I trusted her. I liked her. I don’t always say that about doctors. But everything she proposed seemed safe and above board.’

‘But you didn’t do it.’

‘No, I didn’t.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because I didn’t want to,’ Speaker said simply.

‘But why?’

‘Because I didn’t want to. And when it comes to a person’s body, that is all the reason there ever needs to be. Doesn’t matter if it’s a decision about a new pair of legs or how you like to trim your claws or–‘ she gave Pei a piercing look ‘–what to do about an egg. I didn’t want to. You don’t want to. That’s it.’

 

The other chapters, honestly, I frequently had to skim. The only other stand out character was Tupo, who did not really have a POV, but whose adolescent bumbling became deeply endearing.

Ouloo swung her long neck out into the room and saw that the sleeping alcove across from hers was empty. ‘Typo?’ she called. It wasn’t like her child to be awake this early. Every morning in recent memory had begun with a prepubescent war, each more tedious than the last. Ouloo felt a faint glimmer of hope arise, a fantastical fancy in which Tupo had gotten up on xyr own, started xyr chores, perhaps even cooked.

Ouloo nearly laughed at herself. There was no chance of that.

 

With even less plot than the previous WAFAIR installments, GALAXY is either a very weak ending, or a very Chambers’ ending, and I can’t decide which fits better. Fanfic readers will absolutely delight in the gentle, positive, hopeful atmosphere of the book. Those looking for the quintessential space opera space battles and intergalactic politics will want to skip this one.

Be the only human at the Five-Hop One-Stop by purchasing a copy here.

 

P.S. This is another book with cheese jokes

Review: The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley

Genre: science fiction: space opera / military sci fi mix

Pairings: f/f, f/m

Queer Representation: cis bisexual

Warnings: none

Review

~

I would like to tell you I knew what I was going to do, before that. But I had not seen the true measure of the destruction that the corporations were willing to wreak to consolidate their power.

I wanted to be brave. To be a hero. To carry out orders like a paladin would. I did those things even knowing what the outcome was going to be. I wanted so badly to be the good guy.

But it truly was not until that moment, after I had destroyed everything still good in this world, that I realized I wasn’t a hero…I was just another villain for the empire.

~

Who needs FTL drives when you can just become light? Humans have gone and destroyed Earth (of course) and a handful of mega corporations control the remaining population. Citizenship must be earned, so the poor remain poor unless they earn citizenship, usually through military service to their corporation. Early colonization of Mars went horribly wrong, and now the Martians have returned, and are threatening the tenuous corporate control of Earth.

Dietz is a fresh new recruit in the battle against Mars. Her ‘drops’ don’t take her to new places so much as new times, and she quickly finds herself seeing the war in different locations, with different squads, and across different parts of her own (somewhat fluid) timeline. The book focuses on her emotional journey of understanding, from complete devotion to her corporation (driven by extreme poverty and no other options), to discovering the truth of Mars, to taking control of her drops and movement in time, to saving humanity.

Out of all of Hurley’s books, THE LIGHT BRIGADE is probably the easiest to follow despite the time travel. With only one POV character (and first person!) the narrative is fairly easy to follow. Dietz is a surly character, but the political climate of the book closely mirrors the current situation in the real world, making it very easy to empathize with her views.

“They aren’t our people,” Andria said, but her heart wasn’t in it. “Most are paid protestors. We’re doing a job, just like they are. They were told to disperse or face force. They know what’s coming.”

“They aren’t even armed,” Omalas said.

“Some may be,” Andria said.

 

In Hurley fashion, Dietz has a primary interest in women, though she does hook up with a man as well during the course of the book (also in Hurley fashion, genders outside the binary are completely absent). She mostly moves through the book alone, watching most of her friends and colleagues die gruesome deaths from drop accidents, artillery, etc.

The strength of the book is really in Dietz’s journey to understanding the ‘sides’ of the war, and who is really fighting whom.

I wanted to punch him. Scream at him. Because in that moment I had no idea who “us” was.

“I’m here to fight the bad guys,” I said.

“Then you’re with us,” he said, and marched me to the cafeteria with the others.

 

And of course, there are some great one-liners:
“You know you’ll have to fight the aliens,” I said, before Frankie could get a word out, “not just fuck them.”

 

Muñoz perked up. “You have a girlfriend, Dietz?”

“Not anymore.”

“Does she know that?” Muñoz said.

 

THE LIGHT BRIGADE is pretty quintessential space opera/military sci fi. Much stronger on the political messaging than other Hurley books, this one is also a lot easier to follow. Good solid sci fi, though heavy handed enough in places that it likely won’t be a reread classic.

You can try your own drop and see if you can join the Light Brigade here.

 

 

Review: Peacemaker by E.M. Hamill

This is a review for the second book in a series. You can read the review for the first book here.

Genre: science fiction: space opera

Pairings: nonbinary/f, nonbinary/m

Queer Representation: nonbinary

Warnings: violence, gore

Review

The attack did not stop at nightfall. The sunset truce lay shattered, the hour of the goddess defiled.

Dalí is once again tapped to play negotiator in this action-packed sequel to DALÍ. Recalled from their undercover op by the Remoliad security council, Dalí is asked to look into events related to Ursetu’s emergency petition to join the Reoliad. Their crown princess has died, leaving only the queen and grandson alive. Her death is deemed an attack by the Shontavians–genetically engineered mercenaries considered nonsentient by their creators.

Was it a directed killing or a botched group assignation? Was the Shontavian breeding and engineering facility attacked as well, or did the creatures plan their own escape? Either way, Shontavians are on the loose, a monarchy’s line of ascension is in trouble, and Dalí seems to the only negotiator anyone can agree on.

Dalí, unfortunately, is still battling personal demons. They’re back on their addictive vape, which almost cost a friend their life. They’re still haunted by the murder of their husband and wife. Rage comes so, so easily to them, as does passion. But compassion, both to themself and those around them, is a skill Dalí must learn if they are to negotiate for the royal line and the Shontavian, who are much, much more than they seem.

Fans of sci-fi action, bio-engineering morality questions, and fast pacing will enjoy PEACEMAKER. Readers are thrust directly into the action that does not let up until the end, journeying from mines to addition, to violent fights, to passionate alley sex.

Although technically a space opera, the book paces more as military sci fi, with little time spent on character development (relying on book one’s work) and focusing almost solely on plot. It is for this reason that I failed to connect as deeply with PEACEMAKER as I did with DALÍ. There’s action, yes, and politics, yes, but the heart seemed to be missing that had so entranced me in book one. Dalí doesn’t connect so much as they fight–everything–which is plot relevant but also not a strong way to hook readers looking for sympathetic protagonists.

The biggest emotional connections come from the Shontavians and the complexity of their bioengineering. Their development, history, and mythology are breathtaking both in simplicity and effect. Their training will crush you. Their dreams will destroy you. How Dalí negotiates for them, and their eventual solution, is both perfect and deeply moving.

E.M. Hamill’s trademark humor is still present in PEACEMAKER, though somewhat more buried:

“You get off on this, don’t you?” I accused her.

“I want your body. For experiments, anyway. Shut up and close your eyes.”

And of course, the representation presented by Dalí, of a blend between intersex and nonbinary (Dalí can change their sexual anatomy and hormone profile at will, which drags their gender along with it. This makes them both gender fluid and sex fluid, though Dalí identifies as third gender, and defaults to a sexless state when among friends) is very well done:

In the warmth and vibration, I shuddered as the last of the physical characteristics I’d adapted to pass as male shifted back into my neutral, sexless state. My crewmates didn’t expect me to assume a gender, something for which I remained grateful. Without hormone stimulation to drive the change, the process was more painful, and my shoulders complained against the grind of bone and muscle.

As an intersex person with hormone fluctuations that physically impact how my body showcases my secondary (and sometimes primary) sex characteristics, I found Dalí’s explanations of the hormone surges and accompanying body changes very relatable (though of course extended out for sci fi), and appreciated how the mental gender moved but didn’t necessarily change as a result. For that reason alone, this book is an excellent read. Representation matters, and there is too little in the intersex world, especially at the intersection of intersex and nonbinary.

You can pick yourself a nice genital set and decide some intergalactic ethics in paperback here or ebook here.

Review: Space Unicorn Blues by T.J. Berry

Genre: science fiction: space opera

Pairings: f/f

Queer Representation: cis lesbian, trans woman, asexuality

Warnings: murder unicorns

Review

There was also a healthy contingent of planet bound xenophobes who had never made peaces with the fact that the first aliens humans had encountered were an envoy of talking unicorns who offered to teach them farming.

—

Survey a thousand cultures from throughout the universe and each would have terrifying stories about thin grey aliens with huge black eyes who visited their planet to poke at them. The Pymmie were only a meter tall, but able to control space, time, and matter with alarming proficiency. You could see the intelligence behind their murky eyes, but also a horrifying indifference. They simply went about their grand experiment without concerning themselves with trivial matters like suffering. The Pymmie were not particularly  clandestine with their experiments, the same way that an entomologist would not bother to conceal her presence from an ant.

It’s been one hundred years since the god-like Pymmie brokered a peace between humanity and the Bala–a wide array of fantasy creatures that turned out (surprise!) to be real. The Pymmie promised to return and check in on things right at the one hundred year mark.

That’s only a few days away, and humanity has really, really screwed things up.

Gary is a half unicorn man (unicorns are magical and born in stars. Don’t get gross) fresh out of prison. Jenny is a decorated Reason officer who once held Gary captive and dug into his skull to harvest his horn to power her spaceship. Her wife is also a dryad. It’s complicated.

Unfortunately for all of them, the Sisters of the Supersymmetrical Axiom have had a vision that involves Jenny, Garry, Cowboy Jim (lover of grilled cheese sandwiches and deeply morally grey), and Ricky Tang (morally grey but in a different way, hunter of fortune, trans woman with a killer sense for suckers). Together they have to get a stoneship to the Summit to meet the Pymmie at exactly the appointed date and time, while being chased by Reason officers who want to harvest Gary for parts and trying to rescue Jenny’s wife. In order to engage the FTL, however, they need unicorn horn, and Gary isn’t too keen on letting Jenny back at his skull.

SPACE UNICORN BLUES is the perfect space opera, blending fantasy elements (literally–the Bala are all mythological creatures from Earth’s history, like hippogryphs, angels, unicorns, fauns, etc.) and future tech into a fantastic colonial comeuppance story. In some places grim, in many places hilarious (elf sperm is a natural glamor if you rub it all over your body!), every word packs a punch.

In an interesting style, many parts of the book function like a recap from a previous book (this is, in fact, book one), recounting the history of Jenny and Gary that the reader never gets to see. However, this recap pushes the plot faster than an FTL drive, allowing for sufficient backstory for the character to grow and evolve from the first page.

SPACE UNICORN BLUES shines in the representation department, too: no white default with skin tones, a disabled lead who is not cured (and is fine with it), and queer representation all over the place:

“If you mean Miss Tang, then she’s hosting the game table,”…

“The last time I was here, Ricky was a-“

“A charming host who you will find at the game table,” finished the bartender firmly.

—

Ricky’s face froze. “Oh. Are the legends really true? Unicorns are asexual? My apologies.”

It also gives a soldi study to male privilege, hilarious showcased in an example below:

Ondre launched into a detailed explanation of stoneship control mechanisms. Jenny had learned that while blasting your way out of situations worked middlingly well, the best way to extract yourself from under a man’s control was to pretend you needed his expertise. You could stall for hours with a few well-timed uniformed questions.

White privilege is also called out:

It was interesting to Gary that though the three nations that had come together to form the Reason were ostensibly equal, the officers were almost always pink people.

And, of course, there are quality sex jokes:

“Hey, since you mentioned weather forecasters, what do you call oral sex with a meteorologist who has a vagina?”

“What?” Cheryl Ann looked genuinely curious.

“Cumulolingus,” said Jenny.

and puns! (the one below is a Sister yelling at a birch dryad)

“Move it, birch, or I’ll weave a basket from your limbs,” said one Sister.

There is no reason to not buy this book. None. Adventure, romance, lesbians, unicorns, elf semen… there really is nothing else a reader could want. Grab a piece of unicorn horn and watch humanity get spanked in paperback here and ebook here. Also available in audio!

Review: The Solstice Pudding by Angel Martinez

Genre: science fiction: space opera, novella

Pairings: f/f

Queer Representation: lesbian

Warnings: none

 

 

Review

Space stations. They’re all fun and adventure in concept, but the reality is that someone has to work customs. Intergalactic flora and fauna aren’t going to police themselves, after all.

But like, what if you just wanted to really make an impression on the cute quarantine officer? Maybe give her a little something for solstice? You could bend the import rules just one, right? Especially for something as cute and clearly harmless as ussi that is definitely not going to grow a hundred times its size and try to eat the station.

Nope. Definitely not.

Shandi Leavenworth is the chief engineer for Onwa Station and definitely has a thing for the ladies. Well, one lady in particular. Major Sur has seen a bit too much battle and just wants a quiet secondary career as an inspection agent for station imports of the living variety. They keep meeting up and having broken conversation in the mess, with all the awkward lesbian flirting one would expect. In an effort to get things moving, Shandi wants to give Tyra a gift, but not just any gift. A cute pet would be great. A cute exotic pet, even better. And Shandi knows just the (probably not super legal) person to ask.

This book is the third in Martinez’s f/f holiday shorts, and delivers as much sweet romance and fun spec fiction action as her previous two installments SAFETY PROTOCOLS FOR HUMAN HOLIDAYS and YULE PLANET. As always, Martinez provides solid worldbuilding in a tight package, and manages to build a solid, relatable courtship without sacrificing pacing or plot. The holiday theme is, as always, a delightful addition.

Alas, there weren’t any dinosaurs in this one, but there was a giant, trainable poot (see: MY TEACHER FRIED MY BRAINS– a favorite book of mine in grade school). Another +5 for mention of a lathe (“No, it’s okay. Accident when I was little. The whole don’t go near the auto-lathe while it’s running translating into three-year-old me definitely needing to see it up close.”). +10 for the station having pronoun confirmation protocols.

You can buy THE SOLSTICE PUDDING in ebook here and paperback here.

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