July and August 2023 Book Clubs: What Mad Universe by Fredric Brown and Clockwork Boys (Clocktaur War #1) by T. Kingfisher

July-

 

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Sci-Fi
Content: Clean

 

The editor of a sci-fi pulp magazine is accidentally transported to a parallel universe where space travel is common, Earth is at war with creepy aliens, New York City isn't safe after dark, and his girlfriend is with someone else.

 

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book before I read it. Classic sci-fi can be so hit or miss with me but I liked the description even though it was short. I listened to this one on audio and at first I didn't care for the narrator but after a while I got used to him, and he didn't bother me as much. 

The main character gets blown into a parallel universe. The first moon rocket falls back to earth and there's an explosion, which is what I think this cover is depicting. There are several covers for this book, none of them are all that good. One of our book club members put together a fun montage of most of them. It went something like this-

It started out with the classic girl in the bathing suit (space bikini) on the cover.

 

Then they added in this weird winged creature.

 

Then they tried to make it all about the bug eyed monster, and came up with this ugly thing.

 

Then they went with this one that we can't figure out.

 

And finally they just gave up.

Anyway, I ended up enjoying this book. I liked the way the author added in old pulp fiction terms and ideas like the bug-eyed monster, and the woman in the space bikini. This book was written in 1949, so those things weren't so old when the book was written, but he leaned into them and kind of made fun of them in a way. It was cleverly done. And the whole working on a sewing machine leading to the accidental discovery of space flight was a pretty funny idea. 

The only thing that I really didn't like about the book was the fact that the main character is so in love with this woman, but the only reason we are ever given is because she is so beautiful. That was a bit shallow, but then maybe it was done that way on purpose since this seems to be a homage to pulp fiction.

August-

 

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Steampunk
Content: Strong Language

 

A paladin, an assassin, a forger, and a scholar ride out of town. It’s not the start of a joke, but rather an espionage mission with deadly serious stakes. T. Kingfisher’s new novel begins the tale of a murderous band of criminals (and a scholar), thrown together in an attempt to unravel the secret of the Clockwork Boys, mechanical soldiers from a neighboring kingdom that promise ruin to the Dowager’s city.

If they succeed, rewards and pardons await, but that requires a long journey through enemy territory, directly into the capital. It also requires them to refrain from killing each other along the way! At turns darkly comic and touching, Clockwork Boys puts together a broken group of people trying to make the most of the rest of their lives as they drive forward on their suicide mission.

 

I enjoyed this book and it's sequel. I found the characters easy to like and the story kept me interested. I will say though, that for a book called Clockwork Boys, we saw very little of the clockwork boys. I was expecting more, but thought that there would probably be more in the second book. The series is called Clocktaur War after all, so surely there would be a lot more clockworks and a war. That was not the case. 

I did like a lot of things about these two books, but the story just didn't dig deep enough into things for me. The world building was great, and I thought there were so many good ideas, but the execution was a bit lacking for me. I think the reason behind that is, in part, due to the fact that it focused too much on the romance. The main character mooning over the paladin got really old after a while. This is coming from someone who likes romance added into the books I read. I just wasn't expecting it to be so much of the focus in this series. Also, the drama that ensues because of Slate's reaction when someone dies was so overblown and really annoyed me. I did love the gnolls though! They were the best part of the book. 

I would probably read more in this world if the author ever wrote more. Like I said, I enjoyed it, even if I had some issues with it. I rated the second book, The Wonder Engine 3 stars.