From the Bookshelf of The Sword and Laser…

Light from Uncommon Stars

Ryka Aoki

Start date: January 1, 2022

Finish date: January 31, 2022

Discussion: Light from Uncommon Stars

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Showing 2 of 7 topics — 125 comments total

Light from Uncommon Stars

LFUS: The Devil Went Down to Starrgate Donuts
By Papa MRF · 2 posts · 30 views

last updated Jun 15, 2022 05:43PM

LFUS: Just give me music and food and I'm fine
By Anne · 26 posts · 103 views

last updated Jan 29, 2022 07:09PM

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What Members Thought

Jan 22, 2022 Jenny (Reading Envy) rated it really liked it

Shelves: read2022, january, sword-and-laser, location-usa-california, around-the-usa, sci-fi-fantasy, 2022-laser

This month's pick for the Sword and Laser combines a musician's deal with the devil and a family running a donut shop in Los Angeles who happen to be running from an intergalactic war.

I was amused by some of the moments but I'm not sure this all worked for me; I'd be invested in the violinist's story and then jarred into a stargate discussion. I did like the ending so maybe it all works out. And ironically reading more books with music as a central theme was one of my failed reading goals for la ...more

13 likes · Like · see review

Jan 19, 2022 Beth rated it really liked it

Shelves: sf, fantasy, 50-poc, sword-and-laser

Sweet and nice, if a little too willing to pull its punches. The food was delicious, and I appreciated the insight into Katrina's life as a young trans woman. I liked how our beloved main characters make major mistakes -- one has led multiple young people straight to the Hell, and the other blithely plans to effectively murder her daughter without even really noticing (the daughter is a hologram).

The final ending was fun because you know from all the donuts that everything would be OK. I felt b ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 06, 2022 Laurie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2022

I meant to read slower because I read this as part of a read along, but I couldn’t do it. I loved the various complex characters, the growth, and the genre mixing. If you like both Sci Fi and fantasy and coming of age books, definitely read this.

2 likes · Like · see review

May 16, 2022 kvon rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio

A lot of good stuff going on in this book. It's primarily a story about a transgirl trying to adjust in a world with lots of transphobia; happily her found family is more supportive of her than her bio family. The other two main characters are centered around food and music, and lots of description is given over to both (this book made me listen to a Bartok violin solo on you tube). There's also quite a bit about family and responsibility, and the immigrant experience in general, and Asian Ameri ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jun 08, 2022 Kelly Sedinger rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, music, 2022-reads

I *almost* DNFd this. I found the first half something of a struggle...but then, about halfway through, the book just suddenly clicked and I plowed through the rest in a day or two. This book about trans identity, music, queerness, deals with the devil, spacepeople fleeing a galactic calamity, and donuts is wonderful.

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Feb 16, 2022 Caitlin rated it really liked it

4.5 stars

(Big CW for not-gratuitous abuse of a transgender teenager.)

Beautiful and unique. Poetic throughout, particularly regarding food and music. Absurd at times, in the best way. I loved the alien stargate built into the huge donut sign.

Now I want a donut.

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Jul 12, 2022 John rated it liked it · review of another edition

Not sure what I think. Did I enjoy it? Sorta. I did finish it, so that's something.

Not a spoiler per se, but the end lacked oomph. It builds and builds and builds then petered out into "everything was fine." ...more

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