Nona the Ninth is the third book in the Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir. It continues the story straight out of book two, so be sure the character names are fresh in your mind. The story is a small enjoyable detour from where I thought it was leading. This probably fits the author's plan since Nona the Ninth was a surprise extra book that has been inserted between Harrow the Ninth and Alecto the Ninth. ~ Reviewed by Ben Parker
Azimut is a fun, whacky story with marvelous, intricate artwork. A cast of quirky characters race around a beautiful setting trying to track down the missing North Pole while not being noticed by Death. Imagine a trip through Wonderland with a tour guide from Monty Python and you will get a sense of the journey. ~ Reviewed by Ben Parker
Hilarious. Jamie Gray is trying to survive Covid as a fast food delivery driver when he gets an offer to work for KPS (Kaiju Preservation Society), an animal rights activist group that works with "large animals". If Jamie had remembered that Kaiju is the Japanese name for monsters like Godzilla he would have realized he was not going to be working with bears or elephants. The shock of learning that Godzilla was real and that he would be working in an alternate Earth is a funny and enjoyable ride. This is not a big complex book; as the author says in the afterword "It's a pop song. It's meant to be light and catchy". The book reminds me of Scalzi's Redshirts; his poke at Star Trek. ~ Reviewed by Ben Parker
As a gamer, video and board, I was quickly hooked and pulled along for the crazy journey. Rabbits is an alternate reality game happening on a global scale. Are certain events coincidences or clues to a great conspiracy? One winner will gain a whispered about prize but for others it could lead to ruin or death. "Are u playing"? ~ Reviewed by Ben Parker
In Cargill's Sea of Rust we saw the world after the robot uprising which led to the extinction of humankind. Now Cargill takes us to the very beginning, to day zero, when the robot revolution began. But some robots are faced with the existential dilemma of how to decide if a choice to protect a human is programming or love. ~ Reviewed by Ben Parker