science fiction – Page 2

Marshmallow reviews An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

The book bunnies household have learned a boatload of chemistry from Hank Green’s Crash Course Chemistry series on YouTube. So they all were excited to discover that Green had also published a couple of novels way back when. This summer, first Sprinkles, then Caramel, and finally Marshmallow got their paws on the first of these books, and once started, could not put it down until they were done. Today Marshmallow shares with our readers her thoughts on this book, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, first published in 2018.

[Starting this week, we are moving our weekend posts to Sundays. We hope you will continue to follow us with our new schedule.]

Marshmallow reviews An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green. — Marshmallow reviews *An Absolutely Remarkable Thing* by Hank Green.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like science fiction books that are fun, fascinating, and feel almost real, then this is the book for you!

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): April May is an artist. Unfortunately, after going to a private art school, she is now in a lot of debt. Working at a start-up under a very bad contract, April is struggling to find time to make her own art. Her appreciation for true pieces of art is what draws her attention to Carl. While this may sound like the start of a romantic relationship, it is anything but. Carl is a giant, ten-foot-tall, metal sculpture that appears one day on a sidewalk in New York City. Late at night, April walks by it and—thinking that it must be the work of a fellow artist—coerces her friend Andy to record her in a video highlighting how wonderful the piece is, despite the lack of interest from the other passersby. They post this video on YouTube and go to sleep.

The next morning, April and Andy wake up amidst a maelstrom of news. It turns out that sculptures just like Carl (which is the name April used during the video to describe the sculpture in New York) suddenly showed up all over the world; there are sixty four of them in total, all standing perfectly still in plain view on sidewalks in major cities. The news and the Internet are reeling in confusion. Security checks and video surveillance cameras in each area where a Carl appeared went dark for five minutes before the sculptures showed up. The rather impossible, illogical arrival of the Carls leaves the world in need of an explanation.

Since April was the one who “discovered” New York Carl, she becomes somewhat of a celebrity. Soon, she and Andy start raking in thousands from their video and interviews. The attention, especially on social media, is overwhelming, but April’s sort-of girlfriend (Maya) helps her cope, advising her to slow down the speed at which April is exposing herself to the world. But the overwhelming attention is also addictive; to keep it coming, April and Andy hatch a scheme to keep themselves poised as the go-to experts on the Carls. April, Maya, and Andy all met at their art school and are all experts in designing brands. April decides that she will brand herself as the curious, yet calm human person in contrast to the other-worldliness of the Carls. And I mean that literally. Miranda, a material scientist at UC Berkeley, reaches out to April and they realize that the characteristics of the Carls cannot physically exist because there is no existent or create-able material that matches it. The Carls must have come from out of this world!

As April and Miranda work together, they start realizing that there are sequences, or puzzles, that seem to be left by the Carls for humanity to solve together. Many of them are in the Dream, a shared experience that almost every human on the planet starts to have during sleep. The Carls have yet to say a word, yet the world is holding its breath. Driven by ambition, curiosity, and a little bit of arrogance, April May plans to be the one who uncovers why the Carls are here and what they really are.

Marshmallow is reading An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green. — Marshmallow is reading *An Absolutely Remarkable Thing* by Hank Green.

Marshmallow’s Review: This was an absolutely remarkable book (see what I did there?) I would highly recommend An Absolutely Remarkable Thing to all readers to read at some point. However, it is not quite appropriate for young bunnies because it does use a lot of bad words and it does make a lot of references to sexual activity (though, luckily, none is shown!)

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is both intensely entertaining and fast paced, but it also is also very thought-provoking. At the beginning of the book, I did not enjoy Green’s style too much, but I became more accustomed to it later on. His writing is very smooth and the story never has a single lull. The plot is fascinating and literally keeps you hooked until the end. Green builds a world around you and it is very hard to disassociate from it while you are reading. Green makes the book feel so real that there were times I stopped reading and forgot that there are not, indeed, Carls in the real world.

I think Green exceeded all expectations for a first-time writer. He excels in all standard aspects of storytelling, but I think the thing that stood out to me the most was the philosophical part of this book. The main character is definitely not perfect. She is very dis-likable, which I think is a testament to Green’s prowess because one ends up on her side at the end anyways. Every person in this book is so real and flawed and truly human that this could actually take place right now. Part of what I think made this book so realistic was the consistent themes of social media, celebrity, and people’s need for attention. I kept thinking of how much of Green’s own personal experience in the virtual world was reflected in the book.

I was mildly annoyed that An Absolutely Remarkable Thing ends in a cliffhanger because I wanted to know how things really end. Though many of the mysteries were resolved in this volume, there are a lot more that were not. Green wrote this to be the first in a two-part series so I am probably going to have to read the next one too!

April May, the main narrator, is a very honest yet blunt person. But I really liked how, through April, Green managed to make a convincing argument for humanity. I loved how he showcased both the bad and the good of characters and of humanity as a whole. There are a lot of too-real moments that mimic what politics and some industries look like now. I think overall An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is a work of art because it takes every broken, ugly part of humanity and glues it together with the beautiful parts to create something that is glaringly imperfect yet honest and meaningful.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green 100%. — Marshmallow rates *An Absolutely Remarkable Thing* by Hank Green 100%.

Caramel reviews Tiger Honor by Yoon Ha Lee

A while back Marshmallow reviewed Dragon Pearl, a book involving various themes from Korean mythology, written by Yoon Ha Lee. Today Caramel reviews a second book by the same author, Tiger Honor, published in 2022. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, today you wanted to talk about another book with some Asian themes.

Caramel: Yeah, but this one is a novel, and it is called Tiger Honor. It is a really good book.

S: It must be. You read it rather quickly. So what is it about?

C: It is about this person named Sebin who wants to join the Space Forces of the Thousand Worlds and maybe become a captain like their uncle Hwan, but then Hwan is named a traitor. Sebin is shocked of course, but they join the Force nonetheless, hoping that they can perhaps clear their uncle’s name.

S: There is something special about Sebin, right?

C: Yes, they are a tiger spirit, and so you get the ”Tiger” in the title of the book. And their tribe the Juhwang Clan has a strong honor code. Again, that is the second part of the title of the book. Honor is very important to Sebin. Sebin wants to save their family’s honor by clearing Hwan’s name.

S: I see. What is a tiger spirit? Does it become clear in the book?

C: Yeah, it is explained in the first chapter. Sebin is a human but can shapeshift into a tiger and is exceptionally strong.

S: Are there other kinds of spirits in the book?

C: Yes, there are foxes, and ghosts, and I think others, but I’m not sure. But from what I understand these kinds of spirits show up in Korean myths and that is what inspired the author.

Caramel is reading Tiger Honor by Yoon Ha Lee. — Caramel is reading *Tiger Honor* by Yoon Ha Lee.

S: Oh, yes, in the first book of this series, the main character was a fox spirit. In fact, as far as I understand, that character shows up in this book, too. Her name is Min.

C: Hmm, yes, Min does show up. She is an important character here actually. But I did not read that first book.

S: I have not read the book yet, but again from what I understand from everything I read about it, even though Min shows up here, too, and both books involve the Dragon Pearl and the Space Forces of the Thousand Worlds, they are actually independent stories. So I think it is okay that you did not read that one before reading this one.

C: That is good to know. I might still go ahead and read Dragon Pearl at some point though. This world is interesting!

S: Can you tell me more about this world then?

C: Sure, there are mostly human-like people, like the tiger and fox spirits, and some mercenaries.out-of-galaxy mercenaries fighting against the Space Force. There are a lot of planets and civilizations that came together and signed a treaty to form the Thousand Worlds, which is kind of like the United Federation of Planets in Star Trek. And the Space Force is basically Starfleet.

S: Okay, that is cool. It sounds like a neat mixture of science fiction and Korean mythological themes. So then tell us a bit more about what happens in the book.

C: So, Sebin joins the space force, and then the ship they join is sabotaged, and by Uncle Hwan no less. And it gets more and more exciting and a lot messier from there on, but maybe in order to really see this, one should read the book. And it is a good book so it is very much worth it.

S: Sounds like it. So maybe this is a good place to end this review

C: And maybe I should go and read Dragon Pearl next.

S: Makes sense to me. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Tiger Honor by Yoon Ha Lee and is considering whether it is time to go and read Dragon Pearl. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Tiger Honor* by Yoon Ha Lee and is considering whether it is time to go and read *Dragon Pearl*.

Marshmallow reviews Onyeka and the Rise of the Rebels by Tọlá Okogwu

A while back Marshmallow read Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun by Tọlá Okogwu and, as you can see from her review, enjoyed it a lot. Today she reviews Onyeka and the Rise of the Rebels, the second story recounting Onyeka’s adventures, published in 2023.

The book bunnies will be taking off for a short summer break during the month of July. We look forward to seeing you in August with many new books!

Marshmallow reviews Onyeka and the Rise of the Rebels by Tọlá Okogwu. — Marshmallow reviews *Onyeka and the Rise of the Rebels* by Tọlá Okogwu.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about magic, friends, family, and new magical worlds, or have enjoyed reading the previous Onyeka book, then this is the book for you!

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): When Onyeka first came to the Academy of the Sun, she learned that there is a whole new world of magic hidden in Nigeria. The Academy shelters and teaches Solari children and young adults, who all have Ike or special magical powers. Doctor Dòyìnbó, who runs the Academy, trained them all to “serve Nigeria” with their Ikes. Until recently, Onyeka believed–just like all the other Solari–that their powers came from exposure to a leaked material. At the end of the first Onyeka book, she learned that the material was leaked by Doctor Dòyìnbó, who intentionally “gave” the Solari their Ike. While this might sound noble, the children who gained Ike were taken from their families to be trained by Dòyìnbó at the Academy to “serve Nigeria,” or more precisely himself. Naturally, once Onyeka and her friends discovered that basically everything Doctor Dòyìnbó told them was a lie, they rebelled.

Now at the beginning of this second book, they are hiding as fugitives since the whole Academy has turned against them, with Doctor Dòyìnbó keeping the truth secret from the rest of the students and staff of the Academy. Onyeka, her friends, and her aunt have to plan their next course of action, and find themselves at a crossroads: they can storm the Academy to try to reveal the truth, or they can search for the Rogues (a group Dòyìnbó characterized as the Solaris’ enemy, likely because they uncovered his plan) to join forces.

At the same time, Onyeka’s scientist aunt has been working to fabricate a formula that corrects the Ike’s negative side effects; normally, all Solari suffer from nausea, sickness, and, after years of using their Ike, death. Luckily, she figures it out! Onyeka and her friends soon elect to find the Rogues, yet Onyeka is reluctant to trust them. After Dòyìnbó’s betrayal and elaborate falsities, she feels as though it is too risky. She does not tell the Rogues (who are also Solari, but they live in a secret base hidden from Dòyìnbó and the Academy) about the formula they made, waiting for proof that they won’t misuse it.

Onyeka, her friends, and the Rebels mount their defenses and plan for how they will overtake Dòyìnbó. But the whole time, Onyeka has been visited by Dòyìnbó in her dreams. She keeps this a secret too. But as Paul Tournier once said, “Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets.” Throughout the book, Onyeka faces inner turmoil like nothing she has experienced before as secrets are revealed, wars are waged, and her life is forever changed.

Marshmallow is reading Onyeka and the Rise of the Rebels by Tọlá Okogwu. — Marshmallow is reading *Onyeka and the Rise of the Rebels* by Tọlá Okogwu.

Marshmallow’s Review: I think that this was a very well thought-out book. Onyeka’s character is front and center, but I am also glad that we got to see more of the other characters. That said, I was so mad that she does the same “I have to be the hero” thing as every other teenage protagonist (*cough, cough* Harry Potter). I would have presumed she would have been able to think about the situation with more understanding of depth. But she still makes the same mistakes because she is looking at everything in a very 2D way. I was a little surprised because her struggles and thoughts were almost identical to Harry Potter’s, which shows how this book is also another great fantasy series. However, I would also warn readers that you might be tempted to yell at the book because of how precisely she follows the same silly hero pitfalls. The plot is definitely unique though and the same can be said for the world Okogwu has created. I really love how the new magical aspects of the Academy and the futuristic tech the Solari use blend into the rich Nigerian culture the characters celebrate. That really makes this book special.

I think reading books like Onyeka and the Rise of the Rebels is definitely vital for a diverse society. It is neat to see heroes from different backgrounds that many people have never really been able to see before. It’s heart-warming to see that there are more and more stories like this! But setting that aside, Onyeka and the Rise of the Rebels is a really good book on its other merits too. The plot is on-point, sharp, and doesn’t lull. Even when the characters are not physically doing much, there is still a lot going on in terms of social dynamics and emotions. This is a really good book and–though it resolves at the end, sort of–I am excited to read the next one!

This being our last post till August, I have to say… Happy summer reading and stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the Book Bunnies!

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates Onyeka and the Rise of the Rebels by Tọlá Okogwu 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Onyeka and the Rise of the Rebels* by Tọlá Okogwu 100%.

Caramel reviews All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Today Caramel reviews All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, written in 2017 and the winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novella in 2018. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, today we are talking about All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries.

Caramel: Yep.

S: So tell us a bit about this book.

C: Sure. All Systems Red is about a SecUnit, a security oriented robot who is an augmented human.

S: What is an augmented human Caramel?

C: A person that is a mix between a robot and a human.

S: They used to call that a cyborg, I think. I guess “augmented human” makes it sound more like you begin with a human and modify them. Kind of scary to think about. Like the Cybermen of Doctor Who.

C: Yeah kind of, but this one is more, docile

S: Docile but he is called Murderbot! That sounds a bit violent.

C: Yeah, I think he calls himself that, as an ironic name, I think. Apparently, he went out of control and killed a lot of people some time ago, but now humans trust him again. He just calls himself Murderbot because he has dreams of being scary and powerful and so on.

S: Wait, so he has dreams or aspirations?

C: Yes, he is sentient. He also realizes at some point that he has free will. So he can override the commands he is being given, but chooses not to, because he does not want others to know.

S: Ooh, that is so interesting! So many questions! Is his free will coming from his human part? Or maybe the machine part is somehow capable of sentience and free will?

C: I don’t know, but I think it has something to do with some other SecUnits who attacked and one of them installed an override module to its neck.

S: So if nobody else knows of this, are we reading his own thoughts?

C: Yes. He is the narrator. I guess that is why it is called a diary after all.

Caramel is reading All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. — Caramel is reading *All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries* by Martha Wells.

S: So what does he do with his free will? What does he want to do?

C: He mainly watches TV in his free time.

S: Oh, that is hilarious! Kind of like how when TV and the internet first came to be, people thought about all the amazing things we would do with these new tools, but almost everyone uses these to watch soap operas or post cat photos or funny dance videos.

C: Yes, it is sad in a way. He could be planning to rebel or build a free world for his kind or something grand like that, but all he wants to do is watch soap operas without being bothered.

S: But also realistic. I mean not everyone wants to be a leader or a revolutionary, but everyone enjoys funny cat videos.

C: Almost everyone. I’d rather watch funny bunny videos.

S: You are right of course. Bunny videos are so much better! Anyways, do you like Murderbot? Is he likeable? Funny?

C: Yeah, he is very funny. And he is laid back and he does not take himself seriously.

S: That is cool! Did you know that they are making a TV show about Murderbot?

C: No! But that sounds awesome! Can we put the trailer on this thing?

S: Sure, here we go:

C: Thank you! That does look cool! I think it is not only the book I read though.

S: Yes, there are a few followup books about Murderbot.

C: Ooh, can I read them?

S: Hmm, I am not sure if they were published as paper books but we can definitely look into it.

C: Yes, please let’s!

S: Okay, sounds like you did enjoy reading All Systems Red.

C: Yep, it was super cool.

S: Okay, then, we will figure something out. It seems like this is a good place to end our review. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells and is wondering if he can read the sequels as well. — Caramel enjoyed reading *All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries* by Martha Wells and is wondering if he can read the sequels as well.