**Update: Congratulations to Em S. for winning this month's book! Thank you to everyone who entered. Keep an eye on the blog in the coming weeks for August's book giveaway.**
It's July and it's time for my first book giveaway! As I explained in a previous post, I want to help bring new readers to some of my favorite authors. Hopefully this giveaway will do that. The inaugural book in my book-giving giveaway is the sci-fi novel, Ninefox Gambit, by Yoon Ha Lee.
The plot: Heretics have taken over the Fortress of Scattered Needles and have begun to alter reality. They're creating crazy weapons never before seen and rendering normal weapons useless. A soldier named Cheris is chosen, in part because of her mathematical abilities, to help retake the fortress. She teams up with a brilliant general, Jedao, who has never lost a battle. The only catch? Jedao's been dead for centuries.
Oh my goodness, this book was fantastic. One of the things that makes it so unique and mind bendingly fun is how Lee plays with mathematics and belief systems. Don't worry--you don't need to 'get' math or even enjoy it to enjoy reading this book. One of the main characters, doesn't really get math--he has dyscalculia.
Anyways, the whole of society in the book works because of a rigid adherence to a belief system. And this system revolves around a calendar--a numerical system that can be used to manipulate reality. But it only works when the masses believe it will.
Your brain hurting at all? Mine did for the first 3-4 chapters. One catch with this book is that there is a fairly steep learning curve at the beginning. Lee doesn't hand the reader everything from the get go, which I found frustrating and refreshing at the same time. Lee throws words around as if the reader should already know what they are, but I promise, if you stick with the book, everything comes to light.
Pros:
- Excellent sci-fi with an original plot
- strong female main character
- there's a ghost in the story
- likable characters that make you feel something
- space weapons like you've never seen before
Cons:
- Steep learning curve (have to push through the first few chapters)
- I wished there was more description of what the main two characters looked like
Star Rating:
The second volume in the series, Raven Stratagem, just came out last month. I will be picking it up as soon as I'm through my current pile of books.
And now for the giveaway! If this seems like a book that you would be interested in reading, please enter the contest below. The contest will run until midnight Saturday, July 15th (eastern time). The lucky winner will be announced Saturday afternoon. Good luck!
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