Curious Toys by Elizabeth Hand

 

Well, this is the second mediocre-at-best novel I've read from Ms. Hand, I don't think I'll be giving her any further chances--there are too many good books out there, and my supply of free evenings is finite. For a book with so many killings in it, this is inexcusably fucking dull to read. There's probably something to Pin as a character, and I suppose it might not have seemed so glaring to persistently refer to Pin by something other than the gender he sees himself as (though that might turn out to be "they," I suppose) in the 2010s when this book was written, that already feels glaring, now. The other characters honestly barely register, and while there is eventually plenty of incident, it takes a long, long time to arrive and it's written with all the urgency of a damned laundry list. I know Ms. Hand has a reputation in several genres, but no more for me, thanks.