Shannon Chakraborty: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi #1)

The next Hugo-nominated book is set around the Indian Ocean in the late Middle Ages. Amina al-Sirafi, a former female pirate captain, has withdrawn from the seas to live a quiet life in hiding whilst raising her daughter. She is almost a giant, taller than most men, fierce and strong, with a huge reputation. She has managed to live hidden for several years, but then she is found by the immensely wealthy mother of a former crewman. This woman’s granddaughter, Dunya, has been kidnapped by a westerner, a Frankish mercenary named Falco, who has a reputation for butchering scores of people during the Crusades and who likes to collect esoteric items.

Amina initially declines the offer to rescue Dunya, but then she is offered more money than she could ever have imagined—a sum so large that it is impossible to refuse. She starts her journey by finding her old ship, which is still partially crewed by her former mates. It soon turns out that the “kidnapping” was more like running away from home, and Dunya isn’t just a random girl; she is someone who has studied arcane writings more than anyone. She has promised Falco that she will find a powerful artifact, the “Moon of Saba,” for him. This artifact has been lost for centuries and is reputed to grant practically unlimited power to anyone who controls it. Since Falco is certainly the type of person who should not wield such power, Amina has an even better reason to find him and Dunya.

However, it seems that Falco already possesses some supernatural capabilities, so finding and defeating him won’t be easy. But they find a surprising ally of sorts: Amina’s husband, Raksh. This is especially surprising because Amina thought she had killed him years ago. Raksh isn’t human, and Amina believes he is a devil. Raksh himself thinks that is a gross oversimplification. He is a coward, but apparently almost immortal, and can influence luck. He gets his life force from making people legendary, and he has great plans for Amina. He doesn’t hold a grudge about being almost killed by her.

And all of this is practically just the start of the book. The beginning of the book is even relatively slow compared to the latter half, where events become more and more magical and eventually practically surreal. The characters are well-described, interesting, and possess personalities that feel real. The main character is a delightfully matter-of-fact person who is able to take advantage of any opportunities. Dunya shows promise, but unfortunately she has a mostly side role in this book. I hope that she gets more “screen time” in the later parts of the series—there certainly will be other parts, most likely at least five, as Amina receives a mission she cannot decline. The setting and time period of the events are refreshing, not the typical castles and mages from run-of-the-mill fantasy novels. It was a very entertaining and engaging book, by far the best nominee so far. 

Jarkko Sipilä: Uhripeli (Takamäki #19)

Takamäki-sarjassa seuraava kirja. Psyykkisesti sairas huumeiden käyttäjä yrittää harhoissaan tapaa puolisonsa ja lapsensa. Hänet passitetaan suljetulle osastolle mielisairaalaan, mutta muutamaa vuotta myöhemmin hän karkaa. Hän suuntaa Helsinkiin ja alkaa selvittää ex-puolisonsa olinpaikkaa keinoja kaihtamatta. Parin ensimmäisen ruumiin jälkeen Takamäen poliiseilla on jo kiire löytää täysin arvaamaton ja psykoottinen mies, jolla järki toimii siitä huolimatta, että hän uskoo entisen puolisonsa olevan maailman tuhoon tuomitseva noita.  

Kirja oli paremmasta päästä sarjaansa ja varsin jännittävä ja intensiivinen. Takamäkeä itseään ei taaskaan kovin paljoa nähty, Suhosta jonkin verran enemmän, vaikka tämä kirjan alussa olikin siirtynyt passipoliisiksi kyllästyttyään peitetoimintaan liittyvän säätelyn ja byrokratian kasvuun. Karjan sankarina on enemmän koko poliisilaitos, kuin yksittäiset henkilöt ja poliisin tutkimustyön kuvaus on ainakin ulkopuolisen silmissä erittäin realistiselta vaikuttavaa. kielellisesti sujuvaa, ehkä jopa sujuvampaa kuin osa aikaisemmista osista sarjaa. Toisaalta monen muun osan olen kuunnellut, tämän taas oikeasti, jopa ihan oikeasta kirjasta, luin. Kovin montaa kirjaa sarjassa ei enää ole, valitettavasti. 

The next book in the Takamäki series. A mentally ill drug user, in his delusions, tries to kill his spouse and children. He is committed to a psychiatric hospital, but a few years later, he escapes. He heads to Helsinki and begins to track down the whereabouts of his ex-spouse by any means necessary. After the first couple of bodies are found, Takamäki’s police force is in a hurry to find a completely unpredictable and psychotic man, whose mind, despite his belief that his ex-spouse is a witch destined to destroy the world, still works.

The book was one of the better ones in the series and quite exciting and intense. Takamäki wasn’t seen much again, and Suhonen was seen somewhat more, although at the beginning of the book he had moved to passport control due to his frustration with the increasing regulations and bureaucracy related to undercover work. The hero of the book is more the entire police department than individual characters, and the depiction of police investigative work seems very realistic, at least to an outsider. The language is fluent, perhaps even more so than in some of the earlier parts of the series. On the other hand, I listened to many of the other parts, but I actually read this one from a real book. Unfortunately, there aren’t many books left in the series.

317 pp. 

Randall Munroe: What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

 The second part of a book series that gives serious answers to stupid questions. For example, what would be the protective factor of sunscreen good enough for visiting the sun? Or, how long would it take to slide from the moon to Earth using a fireman's pole? This book was not as good as the first part; the questions were far too silly, even if the answers were serious. It is surprising how many things, when taken to extremes, lead to the end of the world. It's a nice book to read in pieces between other things—probably wouldn't really work for reading in one go. Fun cartoons, too.

354 pp. 

My Hugo award votes 2024, Part 2: Novelettes

The novelette category was pretty good this year. However, there was no story that would have been the best, on the other hand, none of the stories was the worst. The bleak futures was a theme and most of the stories had some dystopian undertones, but survival and the power of community and cooperation were seen as an answer. I started to create my list backward. Gu Shi’s story was fairly easy to put in last place. It was not bad per se, but too much explaining made it easy to  place it number six. The second to last was fairly easy to find; Nghi Vo’s story didn’t engage me. After that, “I AM AI” was clearly the least good of the remaining novelettes. “The Year Without Sunshine” and “Ivy, Angelica, Bay” had some similarities as, in both, communal cohesion small suburban communities were an important part of the plot.

“Ivy, Angelica, Bay” by C.L. Polk (Tor.com, 8 December 2023)

The local community is threatened by a shady urban development company planning to take over a local park and develop a road which would shatter the village-like neighborhood. Miss l'Abielle has recently lost her mother, a witch who tried to strengthen the community. She has powers, but the representatives of the company have abilities of their own and a clever plan. However, Miss l'Abielle has some help—in many forms. A fine story, well told, with a nice blend of magic in a suburban setting.

“I AM AI” by Ai Jiang (Shortwave)

AI is a human who has had most of her parts replaced by cybernetic ones. She makes her living by writing things she pretends are written by an AI, but with better-than-average individualism. Surviving is hard, and her battery charge tends to be low. To be a more efficient and untiring writer, she wants to replace more of her biological parts, but there will be a cost. The place where she lives has a strong communal feeling, which initially she  doesn’t realize. She also provides power to poor people from her batteries (I didn’t really get how that happened; was there some kind of wireless power transfer?). A well-written story, but the first half was perhaps a bit too long and confusing as little of the background was explained.

“Introduction to 2181 Overture, Second Edition” by Gu Shi /〈2181序曲〉再版导言, 顾适 translated by Emily Jin (Clarkesworld, February 2023)

The history of a world after a safe method of cryosleep was developed. It is safe, but it isn’t possible to more than double someone's combined lifetime—about 90 years of life awake and 90 years of sleep. The story is mostly excerpts from a book which describes the history and consequences of the technology, even if there is a backstory of sorts. People make investments and wait for them to mature, and people abandon their children and parents (the latter is seen as totally immoral, apparently much worse than leaving your children behind, apparently everywhere in the world). There are descriptions of an expedition to “another galaxy,” which will take 900 years (no mention of inventing FTL drive); on the other hand, “interstellar immigration” to Titan is mentioned (apparently, the author’s astronomical knowledge approaches zero). The writing  is okay, but very much in the apparent Chinese tradition of “tell, don’t show.” Not bad, but not an excellent story, either.

“On the Fox Roads” by Nghi Vo (Tor.com, 31 October 2023)

A young person joins Bonnie and Clyde-type outlaws who rob banks and escape via “fox roads”—roads which are impossible to find and seem to be in another dimension, The person wants to find the deed to his/her parents' house, which was stolen by the outlaws from a bank. (I wonder why, if the bank has lost it, would it not be automatically void?) While traveling with the outlaws, he/she really finds out what and who he/she is. A genderfluid story, it was fairly good, but not excellent, with hardly any background of the characters or situation.

“One Man’s Treasure” by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine, January-February 2023)

Trash collectors have a special day when they collect larger objects abandoned on the streets (apparently there is a special day for that). When magical objects are commonplace, their job gets interesting, as it is hard to know what kind of effects a particular object might have. There have been deaths due to those objects, though sometimes the collectors may also find valuable things. But when the collectors find a statue that appears to be a live man turned to stone, they face a dilemma: what to do? Their managers seem to have strangely little interest in the problem and seem to think the rubbish is rubbish—just throw everything away. A pretty good story that was interesting to the end.

“The Year Without Sunshine” by Naomi Kritzer (Uncanny Magazine, November-December 2023)

There has been some kind of disaster (volcanic action?) and the internet has stopped, there is little fuel, and electricity works intermittently. One neighborhood pulls resources together, cooperates, and cares for people, working through the difficulties better than many other areas. A warm and cozy, perhaps even too cozy, story as there is little conflict—everyone is mostly happy and copes despite the situation. (I wonder, though, what happened to houses that were left to freeze during the winter—frozen pipes were not mentioned.)

My voting order: 

1.      “The Year Without Sunshine” by Naomi Kritzer (Uncanny Magazine, November-December 2023)

2.      “Ivy, Angelica, Bay” by C.L. Polk (Tor.com, 8 December 2023)

3.      “One Man’s Treasure” by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine, January-February 2023)

4.      “I AM AI” by Ai Jiang (Shortwave)

5.      “On the Fox Roads” by Nghi Vo (Tor.com, 31 October 2023)

6.      “Introduction to 2181 Overture, Second Edition” by Gu Shi /〈2181序曲〉再版导言, 顾适 translated by Emily Jin (Clarkesworld, February 2023)

Martha Wells: Rogue Protocol (The Murderbot Diaries #3)

A part of the Murderbot series I had not read. Murderbot travels to an abandoned space station to find out more dirt on the company he used to work for. He ends up helping a group of researchers who are also surveying the station to find out its current condition. It is especially baffling for Murderbot that this group of people seem to treat their robot with respect and as a friend. He has not encountered anything like that before. Murderbot ends up saving this group from mercenaries sent by the evil company to destroy any evidence implicating it for crimes. It severely hinders his habits of watching entertainment videos, though. It's another fun installment in the series. Murderbot has a nice sarcastic, wry, and humorous inner voice. The book is not great literature, but it is a fun read. 

159 pp. 

Arttu Tuominen: Vapahtaja (Delta #5)

Seuraava osa Porin rikospoliisista kertovassa kirjasarjassa. Rappioalkoholisti löytyy kuoliaaksi poltettuna. Tekoa pidetään paikallisen huumeita kauppaavan nuorisojengin tekona, kunnes löytyy toinen ruumis ja tällä kertaa on käytettävissä valvontakameran kuva, jonka mukaan miehen kanssa keskustelee hupparipäinen pitkä hahmo, jonka jälkeen mies kaataa päälleen bensiiniä, jopa juo sitä, ja sytyttää lopulta itse itsensä tuleen. Mitä ihmettä tapahtui? Kadulla liikkuu huhuja “Vapahtajasta”, joka tarjoaa parannuksen alkoholin kiroista tai sitten tekee jotain muuta…Huumekauppa on myös levinnyt vahvasti Porin kaduille ja nuorisojengi, jota aluksi polttosurmista epäiltiin, on nopeaa tahtia muuttumassa järjestäytyneen rikollisen koplaksi, joka levittää paikallisen huumeparoonin maahan tuottamia huumeita. Poliisiyksikön johtajan, Susanna Mannerin, poika on ollut pahasti huumekoukussa ja on joutumassa oikeuteen syksyllä kioskimurroista. Kun rikollispomo alkaa kiristää Mannerta, hän joutuu päättämään asettaako hän etusijalle poikansa vai työnsä. Kirja mene aika jännäksi loppua kohden ja tekijän suhteen kirjailijalla oli ehkä hieman harhautusta, olin oikeastaan täysin varma siitä, että tiesin tekijän, mutta erehdyin. Oikeastaan en edes kirjan lopputapahtumien jälkeen ole ihan varma, että erehdyin, ehkä se aluksi epäilemäni on kumminkin syyllinen… Hypnoosi esitettiin kirjassa täysin epärealistisena taikavoimana, joka ei ainakaan yhtä vaivattomasti ikinä olisi onnistunut, mitä se kirjassa tilanteessa onnistui. 

Kirja oli hyvin ja todella visuaalisesti kirjoitettu, kun sarjan aikaisemmatkin osat. Se sisälsi myös aika paljon yhteiskunnallista kommentointia ja kritiikkiä vähäosaisten heikentyneestä asemasta ja byrokratian ja kaiken kirjaamisen kasvusta poliisinkin työssä. Kirja nyökkäsi mukavasti parillakin tavalla Matti Yrjänä Joensuun tuotantoon, jonka kirjoissa myös tämä yhteiskunnallinen aspekti tuotiin esiin tärkeänä osana juonta. Jään odottamaan sarjan jatkoa.  

The next part in the book series is about the Pori Criminal Police. A derelict alcoholic is found burned to death. The act is initially believed to be the work of a local drug-dealing youth gang, until another body is found. This time, there is surveillance camera footage showing the man talking to a tall figure in a hoodie, after which the man pours gasoline on himself, even drinks it, and finally sets himself on fire. What on earth happened? There are rumors on the street about the "Savior," who offers a cure for the curse of alcohol or does something else...

Drug trafficking has also spread widely onto the streets of Pori, and the youth gang, initially suspected of the arson murders, is quickly turning into an organized criminal group spreading drugs imported by a local drug lord. The head of the police unit, Susanna Manner, has a son who is severely addicted to drugs and is facing trial in the fall for breaking into kiosks. When the crime boss starts blackmailing Manner, she has to decide whether to prioritize her son or her job.

The book gets quite thrilling towards the end, and regarding the perpetrator, the author perhaps had a bit of misdirection. I was absolutely certain I knew the culprit, but I was mistaken. In fact, even after the final events of the book, I'm not entirely sure I was wrong; maybe the person I initially suspected is guilty after all...

Hypnosis was portrayed in the book as a completely unrealistic magical power which would never have worked as effortlessly as it did in the situation described.

The book was well and very visually written, just like the previous parts of the series. It also contained a lot of social commentary and criticism about the deteriorating status of the underprivileged and the increasing bureaucracy and record-keeping in police work. The book nicely nodded a couple of times to the works of Matti Yrjänä Joensuu, in which this social aspect was also presented as an important part of the plot. I look forward to the continuation of the series.

366 pp

Antti Järvi: Minne katosi Antti Järvi?

Tietokirjojen Finlandia-palkinnon voittanut teos. Kirjan kirjoittajan isoisän isä jäi talvisodan jälkeen vapaaehtoisesti luovutettuun Karjalaan kotiseudulleen, vaikka hänen puolisonsa ja lapsensa olivat jo Suomessa. Evakkoina muun Suomen puolelle palanneilla sukulaisilla ei oikein ollut selvää tietoa siitä, miksi hän näin teki, vaan asiasta oli lähinnä huhun tasoisia kuulopuheita. Osa sukua epäili tekoa toisen naisen takia tehdyksi ja toiset kommunistisen ideologian vuoksi tehdystä ratkaisusta. Toimittaja Antti Järvi alkaa selvittämään nimikaimansa historiaa. Alkuperäinen Antti Järvi oli asunut pitkään Yhdysvalloissa, sai jopa kansalaisuuden, mutta muutti takaisin Suomeen, avioitui ja sai lapsia. Hänellä oli uudehko talo menetetyllä alueella, hän oli aktiivinen työväen liikkeessä, mutta ei ilmeisesti palavin kommunisti kuitenkaan. Väitellen kirjoittaja purkaa historiaa siinä määrin, kun se on mahdollista, kaikkeahan ei selville saa, koska pääosa ihmisistä, jotka jotain muistaisivat tai tietäisivät ovat jo kuolleet. Kirjailija päätyy omaan, järkevän tuntuiseen loppupäätelmäänsä syistä, miksi mies ei palannut. Antti Niemen lopullinen kohtalo oli se sama, mitä monille suomalaisille, jotka Venäjälle loikkasivat ennen sotia tai jäivät valloitetuille alueille sotien jälkeen. Hyvin kirjoitettu, loppua kohden koko ajan parantunut kirja. Alun taustoitusosa oli ehkä heikoin osa kirjaa, mutta sekin oli tietenkin tarpeen kokonaisuuden ymmärtämiseksi.

The book that won the Finlandia Prize for Non-Fiction. The author’s great-grandfather stayed voluntarily in the ceded Karelia after the Winter War, even though his wife and children had already moved to Finland. The relatives who returned to Finland as evacuees didn’t have a clear understanding of why he made this decision; it was mostly based on rumors and hearsay. Some of the family suspected he did it because of another woman, while others believed it was due to his communist ideology. Journalist Antti Järvi starts to investigate the history of his namesake. The original Antti Järvi had lived in the United States for a long time, even gaining citizenship, but returned to Finland, got married and had children. He had a relatively new house in the lost territory and was active in the labor movement, but apparently wasn’t a fervent communist. Gradually, the author unravels the history as much as possible, though not everything can be uncovered since most people who might remember or know something have already passed away. The author reaches his own reasonable conclusion about why the man didn’t return. Antti Niemi’s final fate was similar to that of many Finns who defected to Russia before the wars or stayed in the occupied territories after the wars. Well-written, the book improves towards the end. The initial background section might be the weakest part of the book, but it was necessary for understanding the whole.  

374 pp.

My Hugo votes 2024, Part 1: Short stories

Short stories were fairly good this time - better on average than last year. None of the stories was exceptional and clearly the best, at least three first stories were pretty much on the same level.  

“How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub” by P. Djèlí Clark (Uncanny Magazine, January-February 2023)

A man has just married. He is ambitious and his job doesn’t pay enough for those ambitions - and his house is a gift from the parents of his newlywed wife. That certainly isn’t satisfying!

He sees a small advert about the eggs of Kraken. He decided to get the eggs, raise a Kraken, and sell it to a circus filled with curios. It takes some time for the egg to hatch, but finally it does. A small kraken is born, but it is hungry and grows fast, and eventually escapes. The man hires mermen (who work at odd jobs) to find the Kraken, but there will be some complications. A nice wryly humoristic tale where even Captain Nemo gets a few mentions. The writing was pretty good, also. 

“Better Living Through Algorithms” by Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld May 2023)

A new wellness app has become very popular. The protagonist has high suspicions about it, but as her boss almost orders her to install it, she does. It turns out to be pretty good and encourages her to start her abandoned art hobby, live a healthier life, and make connections and new friends and her life actually gets better. The app doesn’t have any advertisements - so what is the catch? But even when good things won’t last forever, some effects may last longer. A nice, warm, and optimistic story. 

“The Mausoleum’s Children” by Aliette de Bodard (Uncanny Magazine, May-June 2023)

The protagonist has barely escaped from the place where she apparently spent her childhood. She was working apparently trying to repair an ancient spaceship. She left behind two friends and she returned to get them. That won’t be an easy task and, especially getting away again is next to impossible. But persistence helps.  A well-written story that feels like a second part - but apparently there is none. The writing is good as usually everything written by Bodard, but as there is a backstory it takes some time to get into the story, which turned out to be much better than it at first seemed.    

“The Sound of Children Screaming” by Rachael K. Jones (Nightmare Magazine, October 2023)

During a school shooting a teacher takes her pupils to a safety room and things turn surreal. There are mice who want the children to fight in their wars, among other things. The story consists of short scenes that try to create a whole. It didn’t really work for me, it was too disjointed and surreal story for my taste. 

“Answerless Journey”, Han Song / 没有答案的航程, 韩松, translated by Alex Woodend (Adventures in Space: New Short stories by Chinese & English Science Fiction Writers)

Two people wake in an apparent spaceship. They have no memories at all but are able to speak. There are three seats in the ship which leads them to believe there is or has been a third person on board. He/She can not be found which leads to increasing paranoia, especially when food stores start to go low. A pretty good story that doesn’t explain things and works pretty well just for that reason. By far the best of all Chinese nominees. There is one irritating detail - the memory loss could not have been THAT bad, could it? 

美食三品 (“Tasting the Future Delicacy Three Times”), 宝树 / Baoshu (银河边缘013：黑域密室 / Galaxy’s Edge Vol. 13: Secret Room in the Black Domain)

The translation was included in the Hugo packet. A groundbreaking invention has emerged: the ability to transfer taste sensations directly to another person's mind. A billionaire gourmand is the first to try it, indulging in a taste that is considered utterly forbidden. Later the invention is used to broadcast the taste sensations of certain supertasters so that the rich can enjoy novel taste experiences. Or that is how it was marketed. It turns out that animals taste things more deeply than humans. And using signals from animal brains may lead to unseen consequences.  The story was fairly good, one of the better Chinese ones, but the translation perhaps was not perfect.  Even in this story, there was a tendency for lecturing and carefully explaining things in detail, not for showing what they are.  

My voting order will be:

1. “Better Living Through Algorithms” by Naomi Kritzer

2. “How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub” by P. Djèlí Clark

3. “Answerless Journey”, Han Song

4. “The Mausoleum’s Children” by Aliette de Bodard

5. “Tasting the Future Delicacy Three Times”), 宝树 / Baoshu

6. “The Sound of Children Screaming” by Rachael K. Jones