Book Review: MY BLIND DATE WITH SCIENCE FICTION

So this is my second of three reviews from the time I visited Posman Books back in October.

As you may recall, the first review was for Billionaire Boogeymen, the highly enjoyable horror book by Todd Parker, who was there that day signing books. After securing his autograph (again, he was a really nice guy!), I turned toward the cash registers, but stopped along the way at a stand with the title BLIND DATE WITH A BOOK. On this stand were books covered in wrapping paper with the descriptions from the staff to lure you in.

So, first off, I LOVE this! What a great way to get people to pick up a recommendation ("If you like x, y, and z, you'll love this book!")! I read the descriptions - there were a good number that sounded fun, but I was really drawn to the two science fiction books, probably due to their more vivid descriptions. While I was teetering between this book and an alternate history book (a genre I love - although, as we will get into, this book is also an alternate history book, maybe), I picked up this one.

Let's go through the description and see what we get:

• Space Opera (that's up my alley!)

• Aztec Mythology (well...sounds interesting, although I don't know much about it)

• Political Intrigue (ultra bonus!!!)

• Sapphic Love (um...maybe?)

• Perfect for fans of Dune (had only seen the Part 1 movie, but based on that and everything I had heard about the series I'm down), The Expanse (loved loved LOVED the TV series - might need to pick up the books some day), and Ancillary Justice (I...have never heard of that in my life)

• This Hugo Award winner explores the contradictions of living in an empire that wants to erase you (this is actually a pretty intriguing statement if you know anything about the state of the Hugo Awards - for a space opera with sapphic love to be able to overcome the block of anti-LBGTQ voters, it must be a good read)

So, what did we end up with? Let's take a look.

Oh, I'm such a tease!

Almost there!

Jim Ross: "Why, that's A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine's music!"

So this is exactly why I love the concept of Blind Date With a Book - I have never heard of this book before, and can think of no reason I would ever have picked it up on my own. But the description on the wrapping had me hooked. And the book did not disappoint.

The story takes place in the far future, where humanity has conquered a whole lot of the stars (while butting up against existing civilizations). Interestingly, the human empire is based on Aztec culture. As mentioned above, this may be an alternate history book where the Aztecs conquered the Earth before setting out into space. Or maybe Aztec culture just becomes trendy sometime in the future. The book doesn't say, so the reasoning is up to your imagination.

The story involves Mahit Dzmare arriving at the capital of the Teixcalaan empire as the new ambassador from Lsel, an independent series of space stations just beyond the empire's boundaries. She's there to replace the previous ambassador, who was said to have died from a food allergy but was very obviously murdered in the capital. Also, unknown to the Teixcalaanli (as far as she knows), Mahit carries an implant that allows her to share her mind with the brain patterns of the previous ambassador (at least what they were up until about 15 years before he was killed).

The story begins there. I won't go any further, not because of spoiler problems, but because I'd be here all night - this book is DENSE! The description was definitely spot-on in terms of political intrigue and expressing shades of Dune and The Expanse - there are a few action bits, but mostly this is a series of high-pressure conversations amidst situations that are branching off and spiraling further and further out of control.

It can be hard to remember all the details at times; plus, there are a ton of characters, most of whom have Teixcalaanli names like Six Direction, One Lightning, Three Seagrass, and Nineteen Adze, which can be hard to keep straight. But even with all that, I loved reading this book! The writing and story really pull you in, and the important characters really come alive. This is a fabulous debut novel, and I'm so glad I got a chance to pick it up! Nine out of ten hot dogs!

You had to wait four months between Posman Books reviews this last time...BUT, we wrap up the trilogy...NEXT!