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The concept is novel (Assassins Anonymous book#1, no killing, meetings and 12 steps) and the characters have unique backgrounds. Book #2 focuses on Astrid and we learn her backstory through flashbacks. Unfortunately, there are no discernible “voices”. Without the chapter titles naming them I’d have no idea who’s “talking”. Confusing which takes me out of the story.

Row: who doesn’t like a “creature from the lagoon”? Boys got what they deserved…

Marmalade: miracle cat or feline fiend? Pinch of Satanic Panic thrown in 5*

The Rejects : Cthulhu/ Lovecraftian creators?
My Father’s Ashes: sympathy for the Vampire
Aquarium Diver: The Blob revisited
Over 1,000,000 copies in print:
Lovecraft via religion and pop culture

Loved Bloodchild and Speech Signs (?). I definitely prefer her short form to the longer ones.

Omnipotence v Magic, God or Simulation creators? Deep thinking disguised as a madcap misadventure. Love it so far

Hooked from the bus schematic at the front!

A delicious smorgasbord of vignettes: what would you do if the moon suddenly turned into cheese? And if an Everest sized wedge was hurtling towards earth which would then have an expiration date of approximately two years? The answer is different for everyone and Scalzi shines a light on such a funny, poignant, absurd, beautiful, wicked, mercenary and/or cantankerous collection of characters! Humans *face palm*…

Jody Bannon (stand in for Elon Musk) bites the cheese after “hijacking” his moon lander Major Tom against the advice of pretty much everyone. Yes, he deserves it.

Hilarious. Scathing commentary on the idiocracy we are devolving into.

Although certainly readable, it never really captured my attention. SK usually writes great characters: they have distinct personalities, voices, even minor characters have wonderful backstories and we care about them. Sadly, not this time. At least for me.

They all seemed to blend together. Or were cartoonish. Overall, ok but not great. Oh well, they can’t all be amazing.

And “dookie” from a grown man…really?!?

I get that this is meant to be a political statement but it’s feeling quite preachy. Along with far too frequent mentions of Covid, sanitizer, etc. Distracting. As are the cutesy swear words: poopy, bullspit, etc. Fine from Holly, that’s her voice. Odd from someone else.

Sorry to say, this one drags a bit. Just nitpicking but the characters feel dated or contradictory. 20 something woman buying pantyhose (nobody wears them anymore), 50 yo acts like an old lady yet is hired as a bodyguard. Also, the “slang” is not contemporary. I get that Holly speaks a certain way but the others should sound different. It’s difficult to distinguish voices. Still an enjoyable read so far.

Decent so far but a bit too politically preachy. Also, Holly Gibney reads like a little old lady and yet is supposed to be maybe 50ish. I like her character but get some cognitive dissonance from some of her behaviors.