Review: Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson

Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this collection!  It features short stories with some being flash fiction and only a few minutes/pages while others are novella length.  Each story is followed by a post script explaining where the idea for the story came from and if it was published somewhere else and what universe it is tied to if related to another one of the author's series.  This was helpful to me as a reader familiar with Sanderson's work but someone who hasn't read any of his novels yet.  You don't need to have read any of his prior works to appreciate any of these stories, but readers familiar with his novels will appreciate connections to several of these stories.  There is a  nice mix of sci-fi and fantasy subgenres across the nine works in the collection.  The advanced audio didn't come with a supplement of the artwork, each chapter is prefaced with a description of any art connected with the story for anyone visually impaired or without access to the art.  That was a really nice touch and something I haven't come across in an audiobook before.  As for the audiobook, I jumped at the chance to listen to it as it has a knockout cast of narrators!  Anytime I see one of their names narrating a book I want to read I immediately choose to listen to the audiobook instead

Snapshot - this was a cool scifi thriller about two cops who investigate crimes within a snapshot of a day.  It was a cool multi-verse concept story with Minority Report vibes.

Brain Dump - this is an interesting story about a couple shopping for a designer brain for their future child.

I Hate Dragons - this was a humorous story about a boy who can hear punctuation and is used as dragon bait by a band of dragon hunters.

Dreamer - in this action packed story body jumpers play tag

Perfect State - this had Matrix vibes, but all of the "liveborn" are aware they are in a simulation.  In this world our main character Kal is a warrior emperor who is forced to go on a date where he must face off with his nemesis.  The concept and the world were pretty cool.

Probability Approaching Zero - this was super short and featured aliens

Defending Elysium - This is tied to the Skyward series and has to do with an agent at the Phone Company.

Firstborn - This was an interesting story about the human condition and clones.  Can the clone of a master tactician defeat himself?

Mitosis - This is tied to The Reckoners series which I haven't read yet, but I want to now.  A villain named Mitosis attacks Newcago and David needs to figure out a way to defeat him and his many copies.

Moment Zero - This is a full length novella about two partners who are investigating a crime that get caught up in a time warp and have work together from the past and the future to prevent the apocalypse from happening.  It features an interesting zombie/vampire like creature.

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Review: Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher

Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was a wonderful, weird book!  This is set in the desert and follows Selena and her Labrador Copper to a strange little town to visit her Aunt Amelia in Quarts Creek.  Upon arrival she finds that Amelia has passed away, with no where to go, no money, and no true desire to return to her controlling ex-boyfriend and no other family, she decides to stay for the night in her aunt's house.  On the long walk from town she runs into Grandma Billy, who is a delightful character, who helps Selena get settled.  One day turns into another, and the people of the town help Selena make a bit of a life for herself in the desert.  With the help of Grandma Billy, the local priest Father Aguirre, and Aunt Amelia's travel journals, Selena finds herself making the house a home.  She also finds that the desert is home to gods and spirits of the supernatural kind and one has taken a liking to Selena now that her aunt is gone.  She isn't interested in him and he isn't too happy about it.  

This starts off slow, but as Selena gets to know Grandma Billy and Father Aguirre and the other people of town it picks up.  It also picks up as strange things start to happen around her house and around town.  She is slow to accept that the supernatural exist, but once she accepts the possibility things really start moving.  I loved that the townsfolk took Selena and her dog in without batting and eye and helped her without asking any questions.  They were exactly what she needed.  Grandma Billy was hilarious while Father Aguirre added some calm and logic to the situations.  

This was light on the horror side of things.  Is cozy horror a thing?  This doesn't have any gore, but it does have a creepy and unsettling vibe especially when it comes to Snake-Eater he's super creepy and weird.   The found family aspect makes it kind of cozy and heartwarming.  I liked the mix either way and really enjoyed this.

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