Book Review: Stone Mad (Karen Memory #2) by Elizabeth Bear
(Two Stars)
“Overkill is something of a personal defect.”
The subtitle tells it all: recycled. Not a bad story, but neither the story nor the characters are half as complex and engaging as in Karen Memory. Bear tried to compensate with the interplay among Karen’s female friends, but that felt forced, too. Even the antagonist is sympathetic and not very threatening.
“Deciding you know something when you don’t is about the deadliest thing a person can do.”
Lots of preaching, which also rehashes much of the first novel. Karen’s awkward syntax lacks the originality of the first opus, too.
“The advantage of being elderly is you don’t have to make the same stupid self-defeating decision the same way a second time.”
As a Matter of Fancy 