Review: Persians: The Age of the Great Kings

Persians: The Age of the Great Kings by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

As a modern history of the ancient Persians, this book tries to accomplish a tricky balancing act of being as accurate as possible, despite a general dearth of primary resources outside the ruins of Persepolis, and rejecting the early Orientalism of Greek histories that had every reason to paint an enemy nation in the worst possible light. Of course, the professor behind this text does acknowledge that there’s certainly some unsavory truth to even the distortions of Herodotus. We’re talking about an imperial power, after all. They put on a veneer of being tolerant and cosmopolitan, but they kept slaves all over the place, they had eunuchs and harem wives constantly making power plays in court, and the kings themselves were prone to grandiosity and disturbing sexual excess worthy of Game of Thrones. But also, this book shows how the Persians didn’t just spring from Ahuramazda’s head fully formed (sorry, wrong mythos), but formed instead as descendants of truly ancient Steppe peoples, branching off from the same tribes that would later give us the likes of Genghis Khan. And now, I also understand a few more of Shannon Chakraborty’s historical references- namely, the Daevas being named for a type of supernatural figure in ancient Persian folklore.

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Review: The Rainshadow Orphans

The Rainshadow Orphans by Naomi Ishiguro
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Unlike her father Sir Kazuo Ishiguro in terms of style, Naomi Ishiguro makes her mark with a sprawling, lavish cyberpunk fantasy that owes much to not only its anime inspirations, but also to the likes of the leading fantasy ladies of the 21st century who came before her. Leigh Bardugo in particular comes to mind, as does Hafsah Faisal. But it also feels like a slow-burning Ghibli masterpiece in text form, ready and waiting for its own eventual film adaptation - and if Naomi Ishiguro is half as successful as her father, it won’t be long before that adaptation comes along to bring this book even more to life than ever.

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Review: Cleah's Bequest

Cleah's Bequest by Mari Matthias
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Mari Matthias shifts away from the historical fiction of her debut novel, in favor of a more contemporary piece (technically still a period piece, though, as it's set in 2014-15) following the adult children of Cleah Lucky as they carry out the intensely detailed requests in her will for a year in order to receive their intended inheritances. On the surface, Cleah makes it seem as if her sole goal is to get her children to have a good strong family relationship once again, but we're seeing the whole thing from the perspectives of her children, whichever one has to carry Cleah's urn as part of the Bequest. They were estranged from Cleah for a reason, and to them, the Bequest feels like a string of final middle fingers from a cold, controlling, egotistical mother, whose urn lurks in the background of most scenes and creeps the hell out of the kids and even their own kids.

Review: The True True Story of Raja the Gullible

The True True Story of Raja the Gullible by Rabih Alameddine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I hadn't realized that this book was a National Book Award winner, but I did find it on a staff pick display at the Beaverton Library, and it interested me enough that I picked it up and checked it out. Playing like a Lebanese version of Less and Tales of the City, Raja's story is wickedly funny, but also wickedly tragic as he has to contend with not only family drama, but the horrors that have befallen Beirut throughout his lifetime. Told in anachronic order, the book relates Raja's experiences with the collapse of the Lebanese economy, Covid, the port explosion, invasions, and - in the most detail - the Lebanese civil war, the ramifications of which for Raja prove to be the most far reaching when he finally gets a chance to come to America for a prestigious workshop. It's a book that when you read it, you'll never forget it, especially if you also get the chance to read it during Pride Month.

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Review: A Gentleman's Murder

A Gentleman's Murder by Christopher Huang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The library had the sequel to this book on display since it was published in the last month or two, and I was able to order not only the two Eric Peterkin mysteries, but also Huang's other standalone story as well. However, as Huang's first book, this is the one I read first, the debut of Eric Peterkin - a unique kind of amateur detective in the Golden Age of mysteries, late of the British military from the days of the Great War, hailing from a long line of English soldiers while also carrying the legacy of his Chinese mother - and naturally, strongly disliking the open anti-Asian racist sentiments of the time. 

Review: The Last Contract of Isako

The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I saw Fonda Lee speaking at Powell’s in Beaverton in 2023, on which day she announced that her next project would be this cyberpunk assassin thriller. Now that I’ve read the finished product, she acknowledges that it’s one of the most difficult projects she’s ever written, due to a lot of personal and professional changes. But it definitely meets the promise of the book she announced that day in Beaverton - a twisty, high octane, excellently built world with an aging ronin of the future confronting the very system that kept her employed all these years. It’s a weird blend of Looper and Altered Carbon, with a dash of Firefly if that had been written authentically Asian (Lee called out that show in Beaverton for its “flavortext” and lack of cultural authenticity.) If not for the second act switch to a certain annoying (yet plot-relevant) new POV running roughly in parallel with Isako in the first act, this would’ve gotten rounded up, but for me it’s a 4.5 rounded down to what Chef Ramsay would call “a very strong 4.”

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Review: Escape!

Escape! by Stephen Fishbach
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Leave it to a former Survivor castaway to write a story that darkly parodies the long running reality series, while insisting that none of it is based on real events…and yet, it clearly plays to superfans with Easter eggs galore, characters very obviously inspired by other real-life castaways, lots of factoids being dropped about the show (because while the show focuses on the fictional Endure and Escape!, Survivor also still exists in this universe), and especially the perceptions of outsiders. The obvious typecasting, production rigging certain incidents, the showrunner being desperate for reinvention of the game…if only Kent, the seasoned vet, could’ve gotten that first person POV instead of Beck, the producer. Fishbach gives it the old college try, but if I’m to read another book of his, I hope he tries something completely different.

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