Thursday, July 13, 2017

Martha Wells

Martha Wells has written many fantasy novels, including The Books of the Raksura series (beginning with The Cloud Roads), the Ile-Rien series (including the Nebula-nominated The Death of the Necromancer) as well as YA fantasy novels, short stories, media tie-ins, and non-fiction. Her most recent fantasy novels are The Edge of Worlds (2016) and the newly released The Harbors of the Sun, the last book in The Books of the Raksura series.

Recently I asked Wells about what she was reading. Her reply:
The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch - This is a novella in the Peter Grant/Rivers of London series. It's a fantasy series set in modern day London, about a young police constable who works for the division of the police that takes care of magic-related crime. I love British TV mysteries and fantasy and this series combines the best of both worlds, and the tone is so engaging and funny.

Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee - This is an SF novel, the sequel to last year's Ninefox Gambit. It's military SF, which I don't read that often, but the lush worldbuilding, relatable characters, and the complexity of the story about technology and belief has really grabbed me. It's also an exciting, fast-paced plot, and I don't have any idea what's going to happen next.

Bright Thrones by Kate Elliott - This is another novella set in an ongoing series, which started with the novel Court of Fives. This is a secondary world fantasy series, a gripping, tense story about a young woman trying to keep herself and her mother and sisters alive under an oppressive colonial government undergoing a violent political upheaval. The story is absolutely edge-of-your-seat engrossing and I can't wait for the third book in the trilogy, which is due out soon.
Visit Martha Wells's website.

The Page 69 Test: The Harbors of the Sun.

--Marshal Zeringue