An imaginative but rather sedate fantasia.
Global warming, artificial intelligence, and bizarre artworks shape the world in this SF saga.
Karpa’s story is set in a near future in which humanity is steadily eliminating carbon emissions and reclaiming flooded land while making ubiquitous artificial intelligences do much of this work. Mardy, a 27-year-old air-express deliveryman and “machine tool artist” in San Francisco, crafts whimsical but functional gadgets. His latest project is a pair of semi-intelligent, dancing robots dubbed Ann and Frankie; it’s a challenge to the Authenticity Act, which decrees that AIs must not be given names or otherwise treated as human, lest they demand rights. However, some of Mardy’s best friends are AIs, including the slyly witty Phil, which controls an air-express plane and loves philosophical conversations. During Mardy’s journey through the gonzo American art scene, he navigates a rivalry with brilliant machine-tool artist Smith Hunt; launches an affair with Smith’s twin brother, Wes, a wealthy collector; offers his face as a canvas to his friend Cat (as plastic surgery is a major artistic medium); enters art competitions all around the country; and takes Ann and Frankie to the august Cleveburgh Institute, where a panel will either grant him fellowship or have him arrested for crimes against authenticity. Karpa presents a warmly optimistic take on the future in which climate change is manageable and artificial intelligence is soulful rather than sinister, as illustrated in deftly funny sketches: “ ‘How can I help you,’ an AI answered in a female voice, slightly raspy, as though the AI had been smoking.” Mardy’s artistic process showcases a similar humanism, and Karpa’s attentive, evocative prose revels in the fusion of technical craftsmanship and intuition: “The concept wasn’t exactly earthshaking—two chunky hover units to get it aloft and six little attitude puffers to keep it upright—but the conceit of a lighter in a world without cigarettes was fun.” But although there are many intriguing ideas coursing through Karpa’s fictive world, it’s so warmhearted, progressive, and well engineered that it doesn’t generate much serious conflict, so readers may not always feel fully invested.
An imaginative but rather sedate fantasia.Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2021
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 324
Publisher: Mumblers Press LLC
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.
A young Navarrian woman faces even greater challenges in her second year at dragon-riding school.
Violet Sorrengail did all the normal things one would do as a first-year student at Basgiath War College: made new friends, fell in love, and survived multiple assassination attempts. She was also the first rider to ever bond with two dragons: Tairn, a powerful black dragon with a distinguished battle history, and Andarna, a baby dragon too young to carry a rider. At the end of Fourth Wing (2023), Violet and her lover, Xaden Riorson, discovered that Navarre is under attack from wyvern, evil two-legged dragons, and venin, soulless monsters that harvest energy from the ground. Navarrians had always been told that these were monsters of legend and myth, not real creatures dangerously close to breaking through Navarre’s wards and attacking civilian populations. In this overly long sequel, Violet, Xaden, and their dragons are determined to find a way to protect Navarre, despite the fact that the army and government hid the truth about these creatures. Due to the machinations of several traitorous instructors at Basgiath, Xaden and Violet are separated for most of the book—he’s stationed at a distant outpost, leaving her to handle the treacherous, cutthroat world of the war college on her own. Violet is repeatedly threatened by her new vice commandant, a brutal man who wants to silence her. Although Violet and her dragons continue to model extreme bravery, the novel feels repetitive and more than a little sloppy, leaving obvious questions about the world unanswered. The book is full of action and just as full of plot holes, including scenes that are illogical or disconnected from the main narrative. Secondary characters are ignored until a scene requires them to assist Violet or to be killed in the endless violence that plagues their school.
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374172
Page Count: 640
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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