laurareads87's reviews
536 reviews

In his introduction to this collection, Wole Talabi writes that in mathematical modelling, convergence is “bringing an approximate (simplified) solution close enough to a true solution, within a given tolerance during an iterative procedure;” he notes that while this is often needed, “there are often difficulties in converging to a solution.” Convergence Problems, then, is a collection of stories about problems that arise in imagined futures, even apparently desirable ones; Talabi notes that such problems are not always bad and can “expose poor logic or inconsistent assumptions.” 

Inevitably with a short story collection, some stories will stand out to each reader more than others. For me, “Saturday’s Song,” “An Arc of Electric Skin,” “Abeokuta52,” and “A Dream of Electric Mothers” are all standouts, but there is no filler here – this is a fantastic, thoughtful, wide ranging collection. I averaged out the star ratings I gave to each individual story and came out with a number over four, and I’m more than happy to round up. The inclusion of Author Notes at the end situating the influences and publication of each story is a nice inclusion. I definitely recommend this collection. 

Content warnings: homophobia, war, violence, gun violence, accidental injury, fire injury, classism, terminal illness, suicide attempt, death, murder 

The Grub Hunter is a novel within a novel... within a novel.  The plot follows Abdullah Harfash aka Abdullah Farfar, a former security services agent forced into retirement by an accident in which he loses his leg; observing that many others from a range of professional backgrounds have decided to write novels, he decides to write one too even though he's never read one and has only ever written surveillance reports.  What follows is a funny, thoughtful look at what it takes to write creatively, the blending of imagination and reality, and the surveillance of 'creative types' who might just be up to something suspicious.  Thoroughly enjoyed this.

Content warnings: some sexist and racially based stereotypical comments made by characters.

3.5.  I appreciate a lot about this book: it covers a wide range of interconnecting themes, it is written in a trauma-informed way (with, for instance, specific attention to ways that survivors can take care of themselves while exploring being present in our bodies), and Taylor's tone is encouraging and familiar and friendly (books like this that are addressed directly to the reader often read as a bit condescending to me, but this one definitely doesn't).  Inevitably some sections will be more relevant to each reader than others (I don't really use social media, so a day without it isn't the revolutionary activity for me that requires reflection on how I feel about it).  I wouldn't say that the content is groundbreaking right now, but I find Taylor's concepts and explanations useful and her connections between self and community valuable, and there were a few activities I found quite impactful and really appreciated.

I do think that ultimately I got more out of the book itself than I did this accompanying workbook, so if I had to suggest one of the two, I'd suggest the book over this.

<i>Content warnings:</i> this workbook invites the reader to consider a lot of challenging topics - body image, trauma, health, internalized oppressions.  I have no 'content warnings' per se but the work this book asks the reader to do will absolutely bring up some things if done thoroughly.

3.5  The Final Strife is an impressive, epic debut fantasy novel & I’m looking forward to the sequel.  There were some aspects that didn’t really work for me, but I did like a lot about it and will happily read more by El-Arifi based on this novel.

What worked for me: The novel’s magic system is interesting, and the pacing was slow enough to allow for world- & character-building but moved enough to hold my interest.  I definitely felt invested in the outcomes for some of the characters and at times couldn’t put the book down.  I feel like the representation of the protagonist’s addiction struggle was well done overall. There were some compelling secondary characters and a few twists I genuinely didn’t expect.

What didn’t work for me: I feel like this book is somewhere between adult (in some of the world-building and themes) and YA (in the interpersonal relationships and, unfortunately, the politics). For some readers this may be an asset (as having adult/YA crossover appeal) but to me all the romance being omitted might’ve made the book better.  It felt frustrating to read characters who were so incredibly naive about how political repression functions proceeding as though one person who ‘wants things to be better’ can obtain a powerful position within a violently oppressive colonial state and thereby revolutionize the whole rotten structure from within.  There were definite opportunities to contrast radically different perspectives on revolutionary change here, but there wasn’t much depth in these aspects of the plot.  

Content warnings: violence, colonialism, mutilation, confinement, addiction, death, blood, enslavement, child abuse, torture, classism, ableism, kidnapping, injury detail, mention of sexual assault, body shaming & fatphobic comments

"Mermaid. A word that demonstrates the ineptitude of human language, and the species' predisposition for ingantalizing the unknown. ... [P]alatability is prized over accuracy. It is easier to market a nymph than a viperfish."

The Salt Grows Heavy is a horror/fantasy novella of a murderous mermaid and a gender non-conforming plague doctor travelling through a near-dead kingdom, each with a traumatic past to contend with.  Very well written, though it's hard to say 'beautifully written' when the subject matter is, very often, viscera.  Heed the content warnings on this one - not for the faint of heart.

Content warnings: graphic gore & body horror throughout. Cannibalism is on page & described in detail. Blood, death, deaths of children, murder, violence, medical content, medical experimentation, misogyny, sexism, abuse, spousal abuse, rape (not on-page or described in any detail), kidnapping, mass murder, cult violence / religiously motivated abuse.

Void follows Ace, a janitor on a luxury cruise spaceship, as she is tasked with solving a murder with a very short list of suspects. I liked a lot about this; the dynamics of the ship (class, passengers vs. crew) are well developed for such a short story and the characters feel multi-dimensional. The mystery was a bit simplistic but I would very happily read more Veronica Roth based on this short story.

Content warnings: murder (off page, not in any way graphic), blood, suicidal thoughts

Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire is a collection of writings by Palestinian authors.  It is extraordinarily diverse in terms of genre, including scholarly essays, poetry, first-person autobiographical narratives, and more. Informative, deeply impactful, and urgent. Reading this book right now - in early 2024, so soon after the murder of contributing author Refaat Alareer - is devastating.

As the introduction notes, this book "is an attempt to put into words certain aspects of the Palestinian experience in and around Gaza that have been ignored, underrepresented, and dismissed" as well as an "attempt to break the intellectual blockade and the political exclusion of Palestinian voices."  Thank you Haymarket Books for making this collection freely available.

Content warnings: colonialism, violence, racism, war, grief, police brutality, murder, forcible confinement, gun violence

In Just Out of Jupiter's Reach, a group of seven humans are each genetically paired with a sentient, organic space ship and sent on a journey of exploration; the rules of the study severely limit their ability to interact with each other, and for much of the journey they are alone with their pets and ships.  These individuals are not astronauts, but rather individuals from various walks of life chosen because of their genetic compatibility with the ships and their having signed up to be considered.

I like a lot about this - the overall narrative tone, the worldbuilding, the entire premise of the organic ships and ship/human pairings.  I've read quite a few of Okorafor's books and her worldbuilding in a small number of pages is always impressive.  In this story, my struggle is that I loved the setup and the premise but the story ended up too focused on interpersnal relationships that, in many ways, could've played out in any number of other settings besides the very compelling setting of this particular story.

I feel like one of the characters

cooking and eating another character's pet

then very shortly afterward becoming the love interest of the narrator was pretty awful and kind of ruined things for me.

Content warnings: suicide, death, violence, gun violence, confinement / isolation, animal cruelty, animal death, grief

2.5.  Falling Bodies follows Ira, a human man who was orphaned as a child and taken and raised by one of earth's alien oppressors in a kind of social experiment. In this story, Ira has grown up and has gone to college, seeking to blend in and avoid being recognized while navigating a newfound 'freedom' that isn't entirely free.

I wanted to like this story more. For me there was a disjuncture between the seriousness of the subject matter and the comparative lack of seriousness in the tone of the narration. I appreciate that there is only so much one can cover in a short story, but this didn't feel like a very nuanced consideration of the impacts of colonization. The ending was abrupt and unsatisfying.

Content warnings: suicide (on page), gun violence, mass shooting, colonialism

My first five star fiction of 2024 is He Who Drowned The World, the sequel to the excellent She Who Became the Sun. Set in mid-1300s China, this book picks up where its predecessor left off (and, helpfully, includes a very brief overview of where the previous book left the main characters).  The book follows several characters vying for the imperial throne and, with it, the ability to shape the future in which they all live.  The plot moves quickly, but for me the character work is what really shines here; the characters are multi-faceted and complex and the subtleties of their shifting motivations and relationships are extraordinarily well developed.  Themes of cisnormativity and heteronormativity - particularly how their ideologies are internalized and wielded by those they most harm - are handled so skillfully; this was an emotional read, and is the kind of queer historical fantasy I want to read.

In comparison, to the first book, the sequel is definitely heavier in tone; I would also say that the fantasy elements figure more prominently.  Having read the first book is vital to reading this one.

Content warnings: War, violence, murder, blood, injury detail, ableism, internalized homophobia, sexism/misogyny, death of a child, drowning, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, torture, rape (several instances, in one case described in some detail on-page), animal cruelty & death. This book is not easy reading.  It is not the most graphic by any means, but violence is absolutely pervasive throughout and the author's skill means that the content is deeply impactful.