I read I am a Cat by Natsume Soseki. It's the first book I've read by the lauded Japanese author, and for a novel from the early 20th century it feels really modern. It's from the perspective of a cat in Meiji era Japan who mostly observes conversations between his owner who's an academic and his friends. The cat has a misunderstood but conceited viewpoint on many things, and adopts his owner's literary knowledge and sense of superiority which is amusing. Lots of allusions to the Eastern and Western canon here (Soseki was an English and Chinese lit scholar and so is the cat's owner), and for being written for a periodical it feels nicely realized with each chapter functioning like a complete short story. As a whole it's a little long (just under 500 pages) and ends on an abrupt note, but it's legitimately comical and easy to approach. I liked it. A director I'm a fan of, Kon Ichikawa, directed an adaptation in the 70's and I'm curious to see how he decided to do it.
It doesn't help that a lot of what cyberpunk dystopic genre fiction predicted in the 80s/90s actually came true. Like, Megacorporations DO run pretty much everything now. The wealth gap has never been higher than it is now. Online interactions are now a part of daily life, in the dumbest possible ways.
It just turned out to be really boring.
Most of the bad stuff and very little of the good stuff.
Plus some terrible stuff that no one predicted.
I think more then that it just turns out no one felt the desire or need to seize direct political power. Just being rich and influential has been more then enough, same as it always was.
With the exception of one incredibly dumb rich person.
I mean, cyberpunk is a product of the 80s, and having a rich and old celebrity as the head of state was definitely part of the consciousness back then. There are numerous cynical mentions in cyberpunk fiction on how such-and-such politician is a famous actor or technocrat or whatever, as a nod to Reagan. One could argue that Trump is a direct callback to that, too, in a lot of people's minds, if we are looking for some meaningless correlations between the cyberpunk future predicted and what actually happened.
Reagan was chump change compared to Trump's wealth (no matter which estimate you go by), even adjusted for inflation. Presidents being from the rich and influential class goes back to the founding of the country. Trump took it to completely higher level.
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knitdanIn ur baseKillin ur guysRegistered Userregular
Just wrapped up The Past Is Red by Catherynne Valente
Twas a short book, only 150 pages, and they fly by. It’s happy and sad and full of hope and despair and there are things that will make you want to hug a loved one and there are things that will make you shout “Fuck You!” at some of the characters.
The story skips around a lot to different time periods and that can be confusing at times
Big spoilers:
when I learned that there was a colony of rich people on Mars and that they had abandoned everyone else to their fate, i wanted to throw the book across the room.
When I learned who Big Red Mars actually was, that this person whom Tetley has been talking to for ages is a little girl who actually lives on Mars, I wanted to put the book down but I was only a few pages from the end
“I was quick when I came in here, I’m twice as quick now”
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
I need to read some butler. I got the graphic novel version of parable of the sower for Christmas and it was an amazing story but also a brutal downer of a story and a little bit intimidating to do as a book book.
I need to read some butler. I got the graphic novel version of parable of the sower for Christmas and it was an amazing story but also a brutal downer of a story and a little bit intimidating to do as a book book.
I'm reading the Xenogensis (aka Lilith's Brood) series right now, nearing the end of the third book. I'm really enjoying it. Even though it's post apocalyptic and basically about the end of the human species, it's been much less of a downer than Parable of the Sower (which, yes, was an excellent book).
Parable of the Talents is also a good sequel, and much more optimistic. Though I should mention that some parts of it hit really hard, especially considering recent times.
I really liked the Xenogensis series. Felt like a unique take on the stuff that I hadn't seen before.
Yes, I found it unlike anything I had read before. It really was a very different kind of story, scary in a way.
I felt like there might have been a bit of a connection with slavery, colonization and male domination of women, but I'm probably reading too much into it. The aliens were definitely portrayed very sympathetically if that was supposed to be the case.
I just finished up the last book, and while the conclusion was satisfying, I could see it going for more books. I also read recently that Butler had planned several more books in the Parable series, but never managed to complete them. So many of her stories that we'll never here. A damn shame.
I really liked the Xenogensis series. Felt like a unique take on the stuff that I hadn't seen before.
Yes, I found it unlike anything I had read before. It really was a very different kind of story, scary in a way.
I felt like there might have been a bit of a connection with slavery, colonization and male domination of women, but I'm probably reading too much into it. The aliens were definitely portrayed very sympathetically if that was supposed to be the case.
I just finished up the last book, and while the conclusion was satisfying, I could see it going for more books. I also read recently that Butler had planned several more books in the Parable series, but never managed to complete them. So many of her stories that we'll never here. A damn shame.
You definitely weren't reading into it. It's one of the main moral thrusts of Octavia Butler's work.
I really liked the Xenogensis series. Felt like a unique take on the stuff that I hadn't seen before.
Yes, I found it unlike anything I had read before. It really was a very different kind of story, scary in a way.
I felt like there might have been a bit of a connection with slavery, colonization and male domination of women, but I'm probably reading too much into it. The aliens were definitely portrayed very sympathetically if that was supposed to be the case.
I just finished up the last book, and while the conclusion was satisfying, I could see it going for more books. I also read recently that Butler had planned several more books in the Parable series, but never managed to complete them. So many of her stories that we'll never here. A damn shame.
You definitely weren't reading into it. It's one of the main moral thrusts of Octavia Butler's work.
No, I get that. But it was just a bit muddled here to me. I also understand the reality is often muddled as well, especially with domestic abuse. But it seemed like it only slightly went in that direction when a much stronger point could be made. As such, it seemed more like it was conflicted in making the point.
I really liked the Xenogensis series. Felt like a unique take on the stuff that I hadn't seen before.
Yes, I found it unlike anything I had read before. It really was a very different kind of story, scary in a way.
I felt like there might have been a bit of a connection with slavery, colonization and male domination of women, but I'm probably reading too much into it. The aliens were definitely portrayed very sympathetically if that was supposed to be the case.
I just finished up the last book, and while the conclusion was satisfying, I could see it going for more books. I also read recently that Butler had planned several more books in the Parable series, but never managed to complete them. So many of her stories that we'll never here. A damn shame.
You definitely weren't reading into it. It's one of the main moral thrusts of Octavia Butler's work.
No, I get that. But it was just a bit muddled here to me. I also understand the reality is often muddled as well, especially with domestic abuse. But it seemed like it only slightly went in that direction when a much stronger point could be made. As such, it seemed more like it was conflicted in making the point.
Maybe I was just reading more into it, but the more I read, the more those aliens were goddamn monsters.
But then, I read them after I had gotten out of a domestic abuse situation, so what may have been muddled subtext to some was very clearly defined to me, maybe even moreso because of the sympathetic light the aliens always tried to paint themselves with, which was a superficial veneer over the yawning abyss of their horribleness that was all too familiar.
Before following any advice, opinions, or thoughts I may have expressed in the above post, be warned: I found Keven Costners "Waterworld" to be a very entertaining film.
I really liked the Xenogensis series. Felt like a unique take on the stuff that I hadn't seen before.
Yes, I found it unlike anything I had read before. It really was a very different kind of story, scary in a way.
I felt like there might have been a bit of a connection with slavery, colonization and male domination of women, but I'm probably reading too much into it. The aliens were definitely portrayed very sympathetically if that was supposed to be the case.
I just finished up the last book, and while the conclusion was satisfying, I could see it going for more books. I also read recently that Butler had planned several more books in the Parable series, but never managed to complete them. So many of her stories that we'll never here. A damn shame.
You definitely weren't reading into it. It's one of the main moral thrusts of Octavia Butler's work.
No, I get that. But it was just a bit muddled here to me. I also understand the reality is often muddled as well, especially with domestic abuse. But it seemed like it only slightly went in that direction when a much stronger point could be made. As such, it seemed more like it was conflicted in making the point.
Maybe I was just reading more into it, but the more I read, the more those aliens were goddamn monsters.
But then, I read them after I had gotten out of a domestic abuse situation, so what may have been muddled subtext to some was very clearly defined to me, maybe even moreso because of the sympathetic light the aliens always tried to paint themselves with, which was a superficial veneer over the yawning abyss of their horribleness that was all too familiar.
I felt they should have been considered monsters. And they came much closer to that in the first book that centered around Lilith. But she only made side references to it rather coming right out and being unsubtle about it. And then in the second and third book, the POV characters were both alien-human hybrids, and their needing of humans (especially in the last book) was incredibly sympathetically portrayed. To the point where you were led to root for them to find humans to enslave for the last third of the book
And then they did, and that bit just kind of faded away and they concentrated on how they had planted the seed for the new town and wasn't that just great? The End.
It just didn't feel committed to it like the two Parable books (especially the second).
Just finished the first two Murderbot books. They're definitely not very deep or weighty, but that's fine. I enjoyed them a lot, and I felt like it wasn't just another version of stuff I've read before.
I partially disagree. They're definitely mostly light, fun reading, but they also do have some pretty interesting things to say about the android as a literary device.
A trap is for fish: when you've got the fish, you can forget the trap. A snare is for rabbits: when you've got the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words are for meaning: when you've got the meaning, you can forget the words.
Reading “Children of Earth and Sky” by Guy Gavriel Kay.
Pretty good so far, I liked his China books that took place in ersatz Tang Dynasty then revisited the area hundreds of year later in an ersatz Song Dynasty, and this seems to be a similar take on his Sarantium books, revisiting the same areas shortly after the fall of ersatz Constantinople.
One thing that keeps getting me a bit with his books is that they are obviously loosely based on historical events but he still uses made up names for the places and characters (and fairly obvious ones, even if you aren’t familiar with the Turkish language you probably aren’t going to have much trouble figuring out who the Osmanli empire is supposed to be). I understand why he does it because he doesn’t want to be bound to the historical timeline, but on the other hand its a bit weird and I keep stumbling over place names that are almost but not quite the same as real life.
I went to our cool little bookstore while apartment furniture shopping today to pick up paperback the city we became and somehow me and my partner walked out with a $160 bill
Anthony Beevor’s history of Crete during WWII. As definitive as basically everything else he writes.
Ooh cool. Wish I read before holiday in Crete this year.
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knitdanIn ur baseKillin ur guysRegistered Userregular
Yeah that’s one thing that occasionally trips me up with GGK because I’m simultaneously trying to figure out which historical events he’s referencing but also I’m realizing I know precisely jack and shit about a lot of these historical events myself.
They’re always enjoyable though, even if the endings (and the individual character arcs) are often bittersweet.
“I was quick when I came in here, I’m twice as quick now”
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
GGK always rides this weird line with me where if he veers one way, the events in the book feel like the natural product of all the decisions the characters made before and who they are as people, and if he leans another, everyone is just trapped in a web of inevitability with no agency at all. I hated Fionavar, for example, but adored the Sarantium books and A Brightness Long Ago. I don't know of another author that I'm so split on.
I remember people talking about Bakker's Prince of Nothing series directly cribbing from the first crusades as being a negative and I never really understood that view. History is weirder and crazier then most fiction, so why not use it for inspiration.
I discovered at the store today that oryx and crake had become a box set trilogy at some point. I read the first as a kid but would probably just do all 3 because I certainly don't remember it. I remember thinking it was cool
I discovered at the store today that oryx and crake had become a box set trilogy at some point. I read the first as a kid but would probably just do all 3 because I certainly don't remember it. I remember thinking it was cool
I too discovered this early last year and you are in for a wild ride.
The dictum that truth always triumphs over persecution is one of the pleasant falsehoods which men repeat after one another till they pass into commonplaces, but which all experience refutes.
-John Stuart Mill
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knitdanIn ur baseKillin ur guysRegistered Userregular
I remember people talking about Bakker's Prince of Nothing series directly cribbing from the first crusades as being a negative and I never really understood that view. History is weirder and crazier then most fiction, so why not use it for inspiration.
My favorite part of the first crusades was when the wizards started throwing cursed ballbearings at each other and it turned out Jesus was evil the whole time.
“I was quick when I came in here, I’m twice as quick now”
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
Starting to read through the Hugo packet novelettes and short stories. “Monster” by Naomi Kritzer (of “Cat Pictures, Please” fame) felt like an incredibly detailed college creative writing assignment. I don’t know. It was written well enough, but it didn’t really move me in any way.
“Two Truths and a Lie”, though, was pretty unsettling, like a good Twilight Zone episode. Just the right mix of horror, strangeness, and unreliable narrator, and it ends in a way that really leaves you with a “WTF?” feeling. I dig it. It’s not even gory or scary, really, but it feels tense.
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BrodyThe WatchThe First ShoreRegistered Userregular
I remember people talking about Bakker's Prince of Nothing series directly cribbing from the first crusades as being a negative and I never really understood that view. History is weirder and crazier then most fiction, so why not use it for inspiration.
My favorite part of the first crusades was when the wizards started throwing cursed ballbearings at each other and it turned out Jesus was evil the whole time.
My issue was that I could only find the first book at the time, and I'd like to figure out what happened, but its been long enough I feel like I'd have to reread the first book, and that feels like a lot of work.
"I will write your name in the ruin of them. I will paint you across history in the color of their blood."
Due to the happenings of life and work(and my puppy breaking my tablet) I had very little reading time over the last year, but last month I was able to procure a new one and finally sink my teeth back into some good reads. I finished up some Tchaikovsky from way back when, read the new NK Jemisin and Arkady Martine titles, rolled through Lovecraft Country, and a few others! So.. opinions. Spoilered for possible spoilers of varying degree, to be on the safe side, and for length.
The Doors of Eden - Adrian Tchaikovsky
I had finished Children of Time and Children of Ruin before I started this little romp. I didn't find myself so strongly gripped by this one, I was super interested at the beginning and but then found myself really slogging through pages 100-300 before picking up steam again. I liked the diversity of characters and the bones of the story itself, but the meat was a little wanting. It seemed to me that there was very little nuance to who was good and who was bad, the characters don't grow a whole lot and the story advances and ends more or less as you would expect it to. That's not always a bad thing for me, but mayhaps I just found the writing a bit dry. I did enjoy the branching and failing time lines section near the end, that was a good loop, and I liked the little interludes about each dominant branch of a species. Cute little references to both spiders and ants. Definitely not my favorite of his works but not a total bore.
Cage of Souls by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Now this. This is up my alley. I devoured this novel and I can see myself having seconds in the future. I love bleak futures, I love monstrous humans, I especially love monstrous monsters(and the monsters that become them)! Every character introduced in this story I just wanted more of, and almost everything I wanted I got and a lot of it with a twist that I was not expecting. The only part of this story that didn't quite land with me was Gaki, maybe because he was just so inhuman that I kept expecting him to not be human or real at all, to just be some manifest figment of Advani. Damn that transforming man was creepy as hell, and I love me some macathar. I especially enjoyed Hermione chiding Advani at the end after she reads this story. All in all I think Tchaikovsky laid out all the seeds of this stories ending in a natural fashion and it was incredibly satisfying to see them grow and bear fruit.
So after finishing up those two I thought I'd go with something slightly lighter and I happened to find a copy of The Last Human by Zack Jordan for 1 whole dollar. Which is about as you might imagine, the last human! In space! Raised by a wolf an alien! I don't think it really contained anything new or particularly mind blowing but it used what it had well and I found it an enjoyable breezy read that's on the lighter side of my usual tastes, and the central mystery was fun. Then it was on to..
The City We Became - N.K. Jemisin
Oh no.. I'm really waffling on what I think of this whole affair. Admittedly my hopes were far too high for this book, having absolutely destroyed The Broken Earth trilogy(one of the few trilogy's Ive bought physically for my shelves), and so maybe they deserved to be dashed. It just didn't come together for me at all. I liked the idea yes, cities transcending into these meta-entities that are represented by an avatar, cool cool you've got a hook in me. I was consistently reminded of China Mievilles writing style through this, also good, I've read all of his works and enjoyed them in varying quantity. But gosh this didn't stick the landing with me. I found half the cast and then some unlikable or disinteresting, I started off smiling over the prime avatar and how it was going and then as time went on I found myself liking and disliking everyone else in varying quantities. I found the lovecraftian stuff to be pure bric a brac(Ryleh? Really?). It felt like riding a rollercoaster? Subway? of bits I loved and bits that I certainly did not. Half the problem maybe is that it feels exactly like what it is, the first book in a trilogy. It culminates exactly as you'd expect after you meet all the burroughs. Will I read the next book? Yes, but I wouldn't say I am as excited for it as I expected I'd be. Waffling. Truly.
A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine(Here be actual spoilers, and also spoilers for Children of Ruin)
This trilogy is flying high for me so far. Its thick, chew on every word thick, and it slows my reading pace down in a way I find downright delectable. I love the characters in these books. I love her writing style. I love the worlds she has built and continues to build. There is really only one problem with this book; I read Children of Ruin. Had I not done so then this books twists and turns would have certainly been more twistin and turnt. Fact is that from literally the introduction I was almost certain the trick to the we/aliens was going to be a fungus or bacteria or something of the sort and Lo it was. Not that the reveal was any less well written for it, but under that light you could see a lot of things that would come to pass being built up. Swarms sacrifice especially. I look forward to seeing Cures empire, if he gets there, and what dear Dzmare will do now that shes a true exile. Reed better get the girl when this is all said and done or I'm going to be a sad little man. I have a feeling that Lsel station is going to try to move next book, maybe Dzmare will end up reverse ambassadoring? Who knows! Not me!
Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff
Lovecraft style horrors and magic and racists getting dunked on? What's not to like about this book. I hadn't heard of this book or the show and I wish I had sooner because it was a great read. I don't have a whole lot to say on this one other than that it was a good time. Strong characters and good narrative. Really enjoyed just about every segment of this book and I really liked how each characters mini arcs had different feels of the cosmically horrible and how they all came together.
And then last night I read a shorter story; Walking to Aldebaran by Adrian Tchaikovsky(seeing a pattern? I like Tchaikovsky)
I think the best part of this story was the humorous narration itself, it was a quick little horror ditty and I did not expect the ending. Its littered with enough strange to make you question but I didn't see that ending twist coming at all. Tasty little goblins.
I read Harrow the Ninth a few months back and all I can say about that is MOREpounds table! Sooo happy that this has been expanded from a trilogy to a tetralogy!
Now, I guess I'm going to read Two Truths and a Lie, since Hahnsoo1 has piqued my interest.
Automautocrates on
The dictum that truth always triumphs over persecution is one of the pleasant falsehoods which men repeat after one another till they pass into commonplaces, but which all experience refutes.
-John Stuart Mill
I read “A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking”, which is a charming little story about a minor low level wizard girl who can only enchant bread. It starts as a murder mystery and a young girl who is way out of her depth. It ends up becoming like a Young Adult version of Helm’s Deep. It’s light and airy reading, but I enjoyed the imagery of Battle Bread of a different sort than Discworld. I especially enjoyed her familiars, which are baker-appropriate.
All the while, I was thinking “Gee, this T. Kingfisher person is a fairly entertaining author. I’ve never heard of them, though.” It wasn’t until the very end in the afterward that I found out that it’s fucking Ursula Vernon, who is a delight in every way. My late wife was a huge fan of hers. That reveal made me appreciate the story even more, because it’s SO much like Hamster Princess or Nurk.
Finished "Two Truths and a Lie", think Hahnsoo1 hit the nail on the head with this one. Very twilight zone. I felt it could have maybe been a wee bit longer, but it's quick and to the point and the point is weird. I didn't realize I was so close to the end when it just.. happened. Definitely worth the read.
Trying to decide what to read next? My coworker suggested Shadow of the Torturer. Sounds like an interesting romp.
Automautocrates on
The dictum that truth always triumphs over persecution is one of the pleasant falsehoods which men repeat after one another till they pass into commonplaces, but which all experience refutes.
-John Stuart Mill
Finished "Two Truths and a Lie", think Hahnsoo1 hit the nail on the head with this one. Very twilight zone. I felt it could have maybe been a wee bit longer, but it's quick and to the point and the point is weird. I didn't realize I was so close to the end when it just.. happened. Definitely worth the read.
Trying to decide what to read next? My coworker suggested Shadow of the Torturer. Sounds like an interesting romp.
A lot of people who like literary fantasy love Gene Wolfe
I very much do not like the first two books of Book of the New Sun (and didn’t read the rest)
Some of the imagery and scenes are definitely quite cool, and the writing is pretty high quality, but some of it is very hard to parse, and not in a way that feels fun or good or rewarding to me. I also do not like a single character in the book and do not find them particularly interesting, and find the way women are depicted to be pretty meh.
But! People who generally seem to have good taste do love these books, so my fairly negative impression of them is quite possibly a minority opinion and not really reliable. It’s probably worth reading one just to see if it lands, because it’s a classic and feels required for genre literacy or genre coverage
Just as another datapoint, I'm not usually a big fan of literary sf (I did finish reading about five pages of Perdido Street Station before saying "FUCK YOU" aloud, after all), but I enjoyed the New Sun books. I didn't find them nearly as impenetrable as something like Dhalgren.
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knitdanIn ur baseKillin ur guysRegistered Userregular
I read through all of Book of the New Sun but ultimately didn’t enjoy it because it made me feel stupid for not “getting” it.
“I was quick when I came in here, I’m twice as quick now”
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
I remember people talking about Bakker's Prince of Nothing series directly cribbing from the first crusades as being a negative and I never really understood that view. History is weirder and crazier then most fiction, so why not use it for inspiration.
My favorite part of the first crusades was when the wizards started throwing cursed ballbearings at each other and it turned out Jesus was evil the whole time.
My issue was that I could only find the first book at the time, and I'd like to figure out what happened, but its been long enough I feel like I'd have to reread the first book, and that feels like a lot of work.
I just did a full reread because I had kids before the last 2 books came out and by the time I had time to really read a book again I'd forgotten what happened.
I very much hope he's writing that 3rd series cause the ending to the second one is really good but also definitely leaves one wanting the rest.
Posts
It was published two years after Neuromancer, it ought to! I should give it a re-read.
As a side note, I've enjoyed everything I've read by WJW.
Regarding Cyberpunk, there is of course a relevant XKCD:
“Oh, and our computers all have cameras now, which is nice during the pandemic lockdowns.” “The WHAT.”
Reagan was chump change compared to Trump's wealth (no matter which estimate you go by), even adjusted for inflation. Presidents being from the rich and influential class goes back to the founding of the country. Trump took it to completely higher level.
Twas a short book, only 150 pages, and they fly by. It’s happy and sad and full of hope and despair and there are things that will make you want to hug a loved one and there are things that will make you shout “Fuck You!” at some of the characters.
The story skips around a lot to different time periods and that can be confusing at times
Big spoilers:
When I learned who Big Red Mars actually was, that this person whom Tetley has been talking to for ages is a little girl who actually lives on Mars, I wanted to put the book down but I was only a few pages from the end
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
Choose Your Own Chat 1 Choose Your Own Chat 2 Choose Your Own Chat 3
I'm reading the Xenogensis (aka Lilith's Brood) series right now, nearing the end of the third book. I'm really enjoying it. Even though it's post apocalyptic and basically about the end of the human species, it's been much less of a downer than Parable of the Sower (which, yes, was an excellent book).
Parable of the Talents is also a good sequel, and much more optimistic. Though I should mention that some parts of it hit really hard, especially considering recent times.
Yes, I found it unlike anything I had read before. It really was a very different kind of story, scary in a way.
I just finished up the last book, and while the conclusion was satisfying, I could see it going for more books. I also read recently that Butler had planned several more books in the Parable series, but never managed to complete them. So many of her stories that we'll never here. A damn shame.
No, I get that. But it was just a bit muddled here to me. I also understand the reality is often muddled as well, especially with domestic abuse. But it seemed like it only slightly went in that direction when a much stronger point could be made. As such, it seemed more like it was conflicted in making the point.
Maybe I was just reading more into it, but the more I read, the more those aliens were goddamn monsters.
But then, I read them after I had gotten out of a domestic abuse situation, so what may have been muddled subtext to some was very clearly defined to me, maybe even moreso because of the sympathetic light the aliens always tried to paint themselves with, which was a superficial veneer over the yawning abyss of their horribleness that was all too familiar.
And then they did, and that bit just kind of faded away and they concentrated on how they had planted the seed for the new town and wasn't that just great? The End.
It just didn't feel committed to it like the two Parable books (especially the second).
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gross.
😋
Choose Your Own Chat 1 Choose Your Own Chat 2 Choose Your Own Chat 3
Pretty good so far, I liked his China books that took place in ersatz Tang Dynasty then revisited the area hundreds of year later in an ersatz Song Dynasty, and this seems to be a similar take on his Sarantium books, revisiting the same areas shortly after the fall of ersatz Constantinople.
One thing that keeps getting me a bit with his books is that they are obviously loosely based on historical events but he still uses made up names for the places and characters (and fairly obvious ones, even if you aren’t familiar with the Turkish language you probably aren’t going to have much trouble figuring out who the Osmanli empire is supposed to be). I understand why he does it because he doesn’t want to be bound to the historical timeline, but on the other hand its a bit weird and I keep stumbling over place names that are almost but not quite the same as real life.
Moving is so expensive...
They’re always enjoyable though, even if the endings (and the individual character arcs) are often bittersweet.
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
I too discovered this early last year and you are in for a wild ride.
-John Stuart Mill
My favorite part of the first crusades was when the wizards started throwing cursed ballbearings at each other and it turned out Jesus was evil the whole time.
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
“Two Truths and a Lie”, though, was pretty unsettling, like a good Twilight Zone episode. Just the right mix of horror, strangeness, and unreliable narrator, and it ends in a way that really leaves you with a “WTF?” feeling. I dig it. It’s not even gory or scary, really, but it feels tense.
My issue was that I could only find the first book at the time, and I'd like to figure out what happened, but its been long enough I feel like I'd have to reread the first book, and that feels like a lot of work.
The Monster Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson
Steam: Korvalain
The Doors of Eden - Adrian Tchaikovsky
Cage of Souls by Adrian Tchaikovsky
So after finishing up those two I thought I'd go with something slightly lighter and I happened to find a copy of The Last Human by Zack Jordan for 1 whole dollar. Which is about as you might imagine, the last human! In space! Raised by a wolf an alien! I don't think it really contained anything new or particularly mind blowing but it used what it had well and I found it an enjoyable breezy read that's on the lighter side of my usual tastes, and the central mystery was fun. Then it was on to..
The City We Became - N.K. Jemisin
A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine(Here be actual spoilers, and also spoilers for Children of Ruin)
Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff
And then last night I read a shorter story;
Walking to Aldebaran by Adrian Tchaikovsky(seeing a pattern? I like Tchaikovsky)
I read Harrow the Ninth a few months back and all I can say about that is MORE pounds table! Sooo happy that this has been expanded from a trilogy to a tetralogy!
Now, I guess I'm going to read Two Truths and a Lie, since Hahnsoo1 has piqued my interest.
-John Stuart Mill
All the while, I was thinking “Gee, this T. Kingfisher person is a fairly entertaining author. I’ve never heard of them, though.” It wasn’t until the very end in the afterward that I found out that it’s fucking Ursula Vernon, who is a delight in every way. My late wife was a huge fan of hers. That reveal made me appreciate the story even more, because it’s SO much like Hamster Princess or Nurk.
Trying to decide what to read next? My coworker suggested Shadow of the Torturer. Sounds like an interesting romp.
-John Stuart Mill
A lot of people who like literary fantasy love Gene Wolfe
I very much do not like the first two books of Book of the New Sun (and didn’t read the rest)
Some of the imagery and scenes are definitely quite cool, and the writing is pretty high quality, but some of it is very hard to parse, and not in a way that feels fun or good or rewarding to me. I also do not like a single character in the book and do not find them particularly interesting, and find the way women are depicted to be pretty meh.
But! People who generally seem to have good taste do love these books, so my fairly negative impression of them is quite possibly a minority opinion and not really reliable. It’s probably worth reading one just to see if it lands, because it’s a classic and feels required for genre literacy or genre coverage
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
I just did a full reread because I had kids before the last 2 books came out and by the time I had time to really read a book again I'd forgotten what happened.
I very much hope he's writing that 3rd series cause the ending to the second one is really good but also definitely leaves one wanting the rest.