Califia's Daughters

Rating:
Summary: Good fall of civilization novel
Review: I picked this one up by chance, because I liked the cover. I was pleasantly surprised! The book was well paced, and held my interest throughout. There were some sketchy details that I wished she had filled in better--how the fall came about, more detail on the badlands, etc., as well as little more depth on a few of the characters--but overall, very satisfying. The last page was a bit confusing, but that just may have been poor editing.

She left the end wide open for a sequel, and I can hardly wait!

Rating:
Summary: Very nice read
Review: I wasn't sure what to expect from this, but I really enjoyed it. Not a particularly deep read, and less about sexual stereotypes than you might think. It's a densely plotted adventure story, about a woman who pushes herself to physical, emotional, and moral extremes.

Rating:
Summary: Good but it could have been better
Review: I'm a fan of these end of the world or women-run world fictions. This book, however, reads like two books. The first is about a community whose world we see through several different eyes. The second is the story of Dian who travels to investigate another community who have asked to be allowed to move into her valley. The problem is that a lot of the characters from the first "book" are left hanging after the reader gets interested in them and the focus in the second "book" honestly isn't very clear -- after reading it I'm still not sure why Dian does what she does and why there's not time spent on the fact that when she first visits the foreign community it looks radically different than when she returns just a few months later -- they've been invaded I assume but that isn't clear and it seems like everyone has been living a very military life there for a long time. Overall I was disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Fantasy for those who don't read fantasy
Review: If, like me, you don't read many fantasy books, this book might actually be good enough to lure you in.

In a not too distant future when a couple of bio-hazard accidents wipe out much of the population and even more of the technology, the human race struggles to survive. With a gender ratio all out of wack, Califia's Daughters -- the women of what was once California -- struggle to farm the land, feed and protect their communities, and above all protect the fragilest flowers of them all, the males of the species who have trouble surviving to reproductive adulthood.

Leigh Richards is a pseudonym the author's note tells us for Laurie R. King, author of several award winning mysteries. It's no mystery why the writing and plotting here are smooth, engaging, and a joy to read.

Rating:
Summary: Become part of a fantasy world
Review: Since the author of this book is really Laurie R. King, known for her superb and intellectual mysteries, I had to read Califia's Daughters. She draws you into the story bit by bit, until you must read on. Even if you don't read fantasy novels, this one is a must read. By the end you believe that the story told could really happen, if . . .