Demigod 12
by Gail Carriger
I enjoyed the first in Gail Carriger’s Tinkered Starsong series, Divinity 36 so was curious to see the next chapter in Phex and his friend’s adventures. The series plays with the idea that the godsong (music, movement, and imagery) that they create is not just metaphorically, but actually the equivalent of a religious experience thanks to the special domes it is performed in. Demigod 12 takes inspiration for what it would like to be an up and coming act on tour including integrating with an older already established group of “gods” and finding their own sound and identity.
There is also a spark of romance between Phex and a member of the older established act. Carriger provides Phex’s love interest with a gentle and whimsical persona which give a sweetness to the romance which could have been more predatory with the power imbalance handled differently. While the last book felt like a meditation on family, this book feels more focused on the idea of love both romantic and platonic. The idea that fans might become so overcome, that the “fixed” will try and harm the members shows the darker side of celebrity and the way obsession can become toxic.
Second books in trilogies can be tricky often feeling like simply a bridge between the other two, but the novel manages to feel satisfying on its own while still peaking my interest for the third and last book in the series which will be available at the beginning of October. If you are looking for more rock gods as music metaphors in speculative fiction before then check out Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames, which I had previously blogged about.
Binti
by Nnedi Okorafor
I had previously read Nnedi Okorafor’s fantasy novel, Akata Witch with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Discussion Group which was inspired by African cultures so I was curious to see how a similar inspiration would play out in her Sci-Fi Novella, Binti.
Binti is a member of the Himba, a group who are tech savy and master mathematicians, but rarely leave their homeland. When she is offered a chance to study at the Oomza University, the best institution for learning in all the Galaxy she will be the first of her people to do so and one of the few to experience space travel. As she makes the trip, she is confronted with other students who find her customs, such as adorning herself with the dried mud of her homeland, strange and off-putting, but it will take all of Binti’s heritage and diplomatic training to stay alive when the tentacled Meduse take over the ship.
Robin Miles gives a powerful performance with the first person narration for the 2 1/2 hour audiobook version. The story continues in Home and The Night Masquerade.
Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager
Hoboken Library Staff Picks 