Review: The Dispossessed

The Dispossessed
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Awesome. Wonderful. Confounding. Clever. Brilliant.

A coworker handed me her copy of this great Ursula K. Le Guin novel when she heard that I hadn’t read it yet. The book requires attention, and it wasn’t until I had long stretches of time was I able to get into it. New names. New places. Conflicts between people for reasons that aren’t clear at first. It is a testament to Le Guin’s world-building — the completeness a reader can feel of the places she creates on the planet Urras and the moon Annares — that I and I’m sure many other readers enjoy the process of moving through the novel and learning what things mentioned earlier mean.
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New on Goodreads: Veterans of the Future Wars

VFWCoversmAn anthology of military sci-fi that I am in — Veterans of the Future Wars — has just been added to Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20691034-vfw.

If you haven’t already seen it, go check it out today. It is being put together by Martinus Publishing.

Here’s what’s cool about the anthology:

It’s military sci-fi about veterans, to honor veterans, and several of these stories were written by actual veterans. Read these tales to share in the adventure, the triumphs and tragedies, and if you like your freedom thank those who have served to protect it. 10% of all profits will be donated to Disabled American Veterans.

Thanks!

My latest identity upgrade: ‘Goodreads Author’

I just got this email from Goodreads:

Hi Michael,

Welcome to the Goodreads Authors program! We have upgraded your profile to an official author account. Your special status as a Goodreads Author gives you greater access to the millions of readers in our Goodreads community—so expect to get to know some passionate book lovers!

Here’s the link https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7796395.Michael_Janairo

I haven’t done anything with it just yet, but this next step is all thanks to being listed as one of the authors of the Long Reads anthology.

Anything you’d like to see on my Goodreads Author page?

 

 

‘Long Hidden’ update: Giveaway on Good Reads and cover blurb news

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This is getting real. The anthology Long Hidden, which is now up on Goodreads.com and includes one of my short stories, can be yours in a giveaway going on right now on Goodreads.

Go enter the giveaway at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20642659-long-hidden.

Also check out the book jacket copy. The blurb mentions five of the 27 stories in the anthology — including mine. Can you guess which one?

In 1514 Hungary, peasants who rose up against the nobility rise again – from the grave. In 1633 Al-Shouf, a mother keeps demons at bay with the combined power of grief and music. In 1775 Paris, as social tensions come to a boil, a courtesan tries to save the woman she loves. In 1838 Georgia, a pregnant woman’s desperate escape from slavery comes with a terrible price. In 1900 Ilocos Norte, a forest spirit helps a young girl defend her land from American occupiers.

These gripping stories have been passed down through the generations, hidden between the lines of journal entries and love letters. Now 27 of today’s finest authors – including Tananarive Due, Sofia Samatar, Ken Liu, Victor LaValle, Nnedi Okorafor, and Sabrina Vourvoulias – reveal the people whose lives have been pushed to the margins of history