I really wanted to love this book - I had seen so much potential in The Two Doctors Gorski, Fellman's previous novel, that I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, I think it wasn't for me. There is still a lot of charm to the writing - a clear voice and unique look on the world - but after 25%, I still couldn't get into the plot and world, and so I decided to DNF.
The book is structured around two POVs: Griffon's, a trans boy adopted by a trans couple, Etoine and Zaffre, and Etoine's point of view, as reported from some of his journals during his time in prison. I felt that Griffon's storyline was much more compelling and engaging, while I had a hard time understanding what was going on with Etoine's.
This is set in a futuristic time, quite different to our current one, but still unkind to trans people (to say the least). The world-building is quite elusive, though, and I couldn't really see the point it was serving.
If you're comfortable with mysterious fantasy, as in not understanding what is going on, at least for a while, and letting yourself be carried along with minimal plot, this could still very much be for you. Again, there are a lot of qualities to the writing, and Griffon's storyline about his coming out as a trans boy held a lot of promise. I would have liked more of that, and less of the strange happenings in Etoine's POV.

A video review of the book will be included in my March Reading Wrap Up on YouTube, to be posted in early April.

I often love a book that makes me slightly melancholic, and I adored this. The delving into the history of loved ones to get a better understanding of them after they are gone. Having a background in history and archiving, this is like the perfect book for me. It is very much a character study and hones in on the relationships and the care this found family has for each other. The overall setting was really interesting for me too, this future world and the political intrigue therein. The pair of revolutionaries who left their home to start anew and end up taking in someone who needs their care, even if they feel like they might do more harm than good.

mind bending and totally out there and wicked. for fans of We Used To Live Here. So good ! and so fun.

DNF at about 30% of the way through. I found the sci-fi elements of this very interesting, but unfortunately I found the pacing incredibly slow. I think that people who enjoy a slowly unravelling character study may enjoy this. If you are someone who reads a lot of literary fiction and want to try more scifi, this might work for you. Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy!

This isn't exactly a "trans joy" book, as there is a bit of LGBT-hate from one (or a very few?) side character, but it does present a future world in which gender identity seems a lot more accepted/induces a lot less moral panic than this one.

This is a book to suggest to sci-fi/futurism readers who like unique universes that are slowly revealed. It seems like this is set about 1,000 years in the future, in a NYC that's flooded and operates a lot like Venice, full of canals. The two older characters come from another city to the north (in my mind I put it in or around Quebec, but it's not specified). The day-to-day details aren't explicitly stated: is there electricity? phones? what else is missing? what else is lost? how did that happen? There's certainly room for discussion and speculation, perhaps a good suggestion for a sci-fi book club?

eARC from NetGalley.

Fellman wrote a moving story about a family that was built by choice, from love as opposed to biology. The story centers around Griffon, a young boy just understanding his own trans sexuality while living in a homophobic household.
It follows his journey of leaving his violent father and moving in with a transsexual couple who raise him. It is also a study of the couple, Zagreb and Etoine. They are both artists and transsexuals. They have had a difficult past. We learn what they went through to get to the point where they were able to be together and be themselves.
The book jumps around, between people and timelines. However it is a bit clunky and hard to keep up with. I found I had a difficult time sticking with the book however I liked the sensitive topic and the creativity of the setting.

I would like to thank Tor Books and NetGalley for an Advance copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

Picked this up and just couldn't get into it, but I may try again when it's released. The concept was fascinating but I just wasn't in the headspace for it. (I don't particularly want to give it a rating, but I'll say 3 stars for the 10% I did read).

This was a lot more literary sci-fi than I thought it'd be, which unfortunately, isn't really my thing. But I know some of my friends and mutuals would really appreciate this book.

I really liked how this book showed how each of its MCs (Griffon, Etoine, and Zaffre) dealt with their transitions and their trans identities. Each character's journey felt very personal and very real, like I was reading about a friend or an acquaintance's experiences. If not for the soft sci-fi portion, definitely read this if you're looking for trans voices in fiction.

But other than that, I wanted so much more out of the worldbuilding. It's set in the far future, with undead electors who vote in a ruler, and the city state(?) that's mentioned changes names as soon as the new ruler is in power.

There was so much potential with all of this, but instead it's a character study about a couple and their adopted son that could've been written in a contemporary setting without losing anything from the story.

The book does touch on what happened in Etoine and Zaffre's past during the revolution, but it felt very last minute and wasn't enough to whet my appetite. It felt more like set dressing than anything. But then again, I'm the type of person who prefers to read about revolutions instead of the aftermath. If you're more of a lit fic reader, then it might not bother you.

I did like the author's writing though, and I'll definitely check out their previous books.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for this arc.

Notes from a Regicide by Isaac Feldman is an ambitious and thought-provoking novel that blends political intrigue with philosophical musings. Feldman’s prose is rich and lyrical, and the novel’s exploration of guilt, mental illness, addiction, political revolution, and the transgender experience is riveting in its best moments.

We follow the story of Griffon writing a book about his adoptive parents, both of whom are transgender and supported Griffon through his transition. The parents’ history revolves around their time in the fictional city of Stephensport and their central roles in its revolution told through the eyes of Griffon’s father, Etoine. Throughout Griffon’s draft of the book we explore the surreal city, walk through the dark side of addiction fueling creativity, see a first-hand accounting of 3 stories of transition, and experience violent regime change.

Feldman’s writing is rich with emotional depth and full of allegory and metaphor. It’s truly engaging, if not unrelenting. That said, the book’s pacing often falters. It took me 2 months to finish this book because of the intensity; it can be challenging to sit through long reading sessions. There’s a quote from Griffon talking about his publisher’s response to the book-within-book along the lines of “beautiful, but exhausting.” This was an apt description of my experience, and with Feldman’s skill I imagine that’s a feature, not a bug.

Overall, Notes from a Regicide is an intriguing read but not without pacing issues. Feldman’s ambition shines through, and readers who enjoy slow-burn, philosophical works swill find it deeply rewarding. However, the poetic and sometimes surreal prose makes it challenging for those seeking a tightly woven narrative.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a review.

I'd never read Isaac Fellman before, so this book was a happy surprise for me. Wonderful writing and structure, great characters, and an intriguing plot. It's set about a thousand years in the future, in a post-oil world, and follows the lives of several trans characters (Fellman himself is trans), while also showing us what a non-oil-fueled world might look like. Love this one a lot.

This uses the future element perfectly to tell the story that it needed to. I was engaged with the world and the characters in this world. I thought it was a beautifully done story and had that realism that I wanted from this type of book. Isaac Fellman wrote this well and left me wanting to read more.

This was a fascinating science-fiction set in what is both our future and our past, and it is severely transgender. Also both devastating and hopeful at the same time. Absolutely adored it.