Dust Cover Dust-Up 2017: Round One, Part Three

 

Round One Continues!

Bye #3 - The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu

Unexpected Stories by Octavia Butler vs. Waistcoats and Weaponry by Gail Carriger

I am a huge Octavia Butler fan, and like to talk about the five books of hers that I've read as often as I can gracefully  haul them into conversation (or ungracefully, I'm not really a subtle person). So I was delighted to pick up this collection of two previously unpublished short stories. The second shorter one is the real gem, but there is no doubt that this is going to win out over Waistcoats and Weaponry. I liked this Gail Carriger more than I did her -less series, but it's fluff. Nothing wrong with fluff, but that can't come anywhere near Butler's chops.

Winner: Unexpected Stories

 First Person Peculiar by Mike Resnick vs. The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon 

This is an oddly difficult choice. I think I gave Elizabeth Moon's book four stars when I initially rated it on Goodreads, and definitely my review was more favourable than my one for First Person Peculiar, which I found distressing in a few ways. But as I've sat with The Speed of Dark, my discomfort has grown, and so this is one of those cases where the space between reading and considering it in this competition hasn't cemented a book in my favour. Still, there are a whole lot fewer (read: none) dead prostitutes in The Speed of Dark. But don't count on it sticking around in the competition for long.

Winner: The Speed of Dark

A God In Ruins by Kate Atkinson vs. The Hidden Family by Charles Stross

In very general terms, I like Charles Stross a lot, and I think he's had at least one book on my top ten list in the last few years. That being said, this is not my favourite series of his - it's very early and his writing skills are not as developed as they will be. And in this battle, it's up against Kate Atkinson, whose Life After Life (a related book to this one) just destroyed me. I might not have been quite as intensely affected by A God in Ruins, but it's so good, and so difficult. 

Winner: A God In Ruins

 Bye #4 - The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

Cereus Blooms at Night by Shani Mootoo vs. The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

Oof, this is one of those cases where I barely remember one of the books. I think I remember a few of the specifics of the plot of Cereus Blooms at Night, but since I read it earlier this year, it has left barely a ripple on my consciousness. In contrast, Holly Black's book wasn't high literature, but it was solid YA with a fairy tale tinge, which everyone knows is one of my favourite subgenres.

Winner: The Darkest Part of the Forest

The Enemy Stars by Poul Anderson vs. Greenglass House by Kate Mitford

I have, in general, enjoyed the Poul Anderson books I've read to date. This is very, very early Anderson, and it shows. It's...not great. Really not. In the other corner, we have a book that I enjoyed a great deal more than I expected to. I liked the integration of roleplaying into the story, and was comforted by the warmth running through the whole book. This is a great one for kids and almost-young-adults.

Winner: Greenglass House