Murderbot is on good form in this third novella of the series, grudgingly but competently protecting hapless humans while on a personal mission to invMurderbot is on good form in this third novella of the series, grudgingly but competently protecting hapless humans while on a personal mission to investigate the organisation that caused so much trouble in the first book.
This time Murderbot tries to remain disguised as a regular security consultant (rather than a finely tuned killing machine) while investigating an abandoned terraforming station. And, of course, when everything goes south, Murderbot is there to save the day - with all the skills, competence, sardonic outlook and sarcastic wit that I loved so much in the first two books.
This is largely a 鈥渕ore of the same鈥, continuation of the story, but Martha Wells鈥 storytelling, pacing, and characterisation are excellent - and how she manages to imbue a synthetic killing machine with so much humanity is astonishing and fabulous. So when 鈥渢he same鈥 is as good as this, then all I can say is 鈥渕ore, please!鈥...more
It鈥檚 difficult to consider giving such a personal and emotional account of someone鈥檚 life anything other than 5 stars, but this book deserves it. WendIt鈥檚 difficult to consider giving such a personal and emotional account of someone鈥檚 life anything other than 5 stars, but this book deserves it. Wendy, the author, was diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer鈥檚 at the age of 58, and this book charts her progress over the following 4 years.
At the time of her diagnosis, Wendy was still very capable, but had been alerted that something was wrong when she had several unexplained falls, and realised that her thinking was not as sharp as she expected. After her diagnosis, one of the things that Wendy decided to do was to engage with dementia support, outreach, awareness and research organisations - especially as her experience with the earlier stages of the disease would be contrary to many people鈥檚 perceptions. She consistently challenged the pervasive impression that the only version of dementia is late-stage dementia - the headline pictures of people in the later stages of life, who have already lost most of their memories and abilities.
Wendy鈥檚 story is simultaneously hopeful, frustrating, and tragic. It is hopeful, as it shows quite how possible it is for someone in the early stages of dementia to continue to engage with the world and do those activities that they enjoy - through a variety of mechanisms that support memory (both long term and short), and that give room for the slower mental processing. But it鈥檚 also frustrating because it documents Wendy鈥檚 progress through a world that is not inherently dementia friendly, and in which Wendy had to forge her own path - not only for the variety of coping strategies that worked for her, but against misunderstandings and unhelpful expectations from people and organisations. And it is ultimately tragic, as Wendy鈥檚 story also chronicles the cruel and progressive disease.
The book broadly tells the story of Wendy鈥檚 first few years of living with dementia, and many of the accounts of stories and activities throughout the book have similarities to each other - but what differs are the difficulties and coping strategies that Wendy has to navigate. For example, throughout the book Wendy talks about the various events and conferences she has attended, and spoken at, around the country - but by the end of the book, this requires an almost overwhelming number of memory aids and coping strategies. The progressively increasing need for these techniques to navigate through day-to-day life are a powerful illustration of the progression of the disease over the few years that the book covers.
But throughout all this, Wendy鈥檚 observations of life with dementia are both heartwarming and very informative. A close family member of mine is living with dementia, and this book has given me such a rare and valuable additional insight into what their inner life might be like - and this is something that I will carry with me....more
This anthology was compiled from invited contributions by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation - an organisation that works to promote a 鈥淐ulture of HeaThis anthology was compiled from invited contributions by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation - an organisation that works to promote a 鈥淐ulture of Health鈥. In the Afterword regarding the request to the authors, they say:
We tried to convey our hope and optimism. But we also encouraged them not to shy away from the harsh realities, injustices, and pain of the present day. We asked them to imagine the good and bad consequences of our actions or inactions on the near and far future. We then asked them to tell us a story about that time and place, about a Culture of Health. Ignite our passion to create that better place.
I鈥檓 not sure they quite hit that final point, though. The book would better be titled 鈥淎 Significantly Worse Place, With Only the Faintest Glimmer of Hope鈥 (and even that would be misleading about the hope in at least one story).
It was a tough read, moving from one depressing dystopian vision of the future to another. In most of the stories, the despair of one of the characters is partially mitigated by the care and companionship of others.
There were a couple of stand out stories, though. The opening story 鈥淭he Flotilla at Bird Island鈥 does offer genuine hope in the context of the aftermath of extreme climate change - and I had hoped that that story was setting the tone for the rest of the book (alas not). Also 鈥淥bsolescence鈥 by Martha Wells (the main reason for me reading this anthology) is a more conventional science fiction short story, set in the universe before her Murderbot stories, where the ability to have your body altered (improved?) by artificial implants forms the basis of the 鈥渁ugments鈥 of the Murderbot stories.
So 3-stars for 鈥淭he Flotilla at Bird Island鈥, 4-stars for 鈥淥bsolescence鈥, but they don鈥檛 sufficiently lift the anthology as a whole for me to recommend it above a 2-star read overall....more
鈥淥ne day, suddenly and without explanation, the moon turns into a ball of cheese.鈥
I was expecting this to be nothing more than a bit tongue-in-che鈥淥ne day, suddenly and without explanation, the moon turns into a ball of cheese.鈥
I was expecting this to be nothing more than a bit tongue-in-cheek, a bit silly, and a gentle, fun read. And while it has elements of those things (the moon has literally turned to cheese!) there is surprising depth that makes this much more than the headline implies.
鈥淔or some, it鈥檚 an opportunity. For others, it鈥檚 time to question their life choices. How can the world stay the same in the face of such absurdity and uncertainty?鈥
It took me a while to get into, as I was expecting a conventional plot structure. Instead, the book is a series of vignettes of how the moon turning to cheese affects people鈥檚 lives. There is an overall story arc - the ramifications of the moon turning to cheese become clearer throughout the book - but the purpose of this is really to explore the different impact on people鈥檚 lives and relationships as the situation develops, rather than for the plot itself.
Consequently, there are a lot of characters. I take extensive notes while I鈥檓 reading - it helps me keep tabs on who鈥檚 who and what they鈥檙e doing - and I ended up with entries for 63 characters (there were definitely more). Mostly, these characters appear in only one or two of the vignettes, and many of them have their name mentioned only once - presumably to emphasise the humanity of the story. It鈥檚 the difference between 鈥淢ike鈥檚 wife brought him a cup of coffee鈥 and 鈥淢ike鈥檚 wife, Janice, brought him a cup of coffee鈥 (not an actual quote) even if this is the only mention of Janice in the book: giving Mike鈥檚 wife a name makes her more real. There are only a handful of recurring characters, and the author does us the favour of reintroducing them when they reappear, so it鈥檚 OK to relax about trying to remember specific people.
In many ways it feels like a cross between a disaster movie and one of Randall Munroe鈥檚 鈥淲hat If?鈥 books. And as I鈥檝e come to enjoy and expect from Scalzi, there are a lot of little hidden nuggets of humour - probably a lot more than I noticed - ranging from pithy observations about the publishing industry, to ancient philosophers, and a bit of nominative determinism in the cheese industry.
The absurdity of the situation - a situation that science cannot explain - also lets the narrative focus on the human story while scientific reaction takes a back seat. And it raises the question of how we would react to something that is patently happening, but that science can鈥檛 explain. Would we cope differently to people of the past who had no scientific explanation for an eclipse, or lightning?
But above all, the stories are about love and friendship - that in the face of extreme uncertainty, people will come together to repair and consolidate relationships. And if the moon was to turn to cheese, I think I鈥檇 be focusing on that, too.
Thank you #NetGalley and Tor for the free review copy of #WhentheMoonHitsYourEye in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own....more
Rincewind the wizard is back on form, in an episodic set of adventures where he鈥檚 largely in charge of running away, while actually being manipulated Rincewind the wizard is back on form, in an episodic set of adventures where he鈥檚 largely in charge of running away, while actually being manipulated by forces greater than himself. This time, he has escaped the Dungeon Dimensions (where he was last seen at the end of Sourcery, but that doesn鈥檛 matter) and appears to have been summoned by a teenage demonologist, who insists on holding Rincewind to a promise of 3 wishes. Misadventures through time, space, and hell itself, ensue.
Terry Pratchett鈥檚 unmistakeable style shines through with perfectly judged little moments of sarcasm and pithy observations. The style is very similar to the first two books of the series: The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic. The story is populated with well observed caricatures, and Death makes a few pleasing appearances. This is a very comfortable read; a palate-cleanser between more challenging books. Other than 鈥渂e careful what you wish for鈥, there is little deeper meaning here, but you know what you鈥檙e letting yourself in for, and it鈥檚 a fun, light read....more
This book is simultaneously the story of a nameless woman who is somehow involved in a series of mysterious deaths spanning decades, and Jake, who staThis book is simultaneously the story of a nameless woman who is somehow involved in a series of mysterious deaths spanning decades, and Jake, who starts to put the jigsaw pieces together when he happens across a relative of one of the victims. Unfortunately, though, it really wasn鈥檛 for me.
Trigger warning: no quotation marks (doesn鈥檛 impact my assessment, but see my opinion about this weird habit at the bottom of this review).
The storytelling has the feeling of gothic horror, and verges on literary fiction - the writing style is lyrical in places, which is an interesting counterpoint to the creepiness of the story.
The narrative alternates between Jake鈥檚 investigations of past incidents (鈥榯estimonies鈥 from people who knew various victims), and the slowly unfolding current day events that are inevitably leading up to the woman鈥檚 next intended victim. As a storytelling device, this is very effective, as you can see how the two threads come together as Jake learns more about the woman.
For me, though, I found it a bit of a slog to get through: each testimony is essentially a short story of its own, with new characters and locations, so I had to do a complete mental 鈥渟tory reset鈥 for each of these, which I find tiring, and was giving me a reason to put the book down between chapters rather than read on. This would be forgivable if each of the testimonies offered meaningful new insight into the characters and events, but I found them quite repetitive - they largely served as several very similar examples that establish the way the woman traps her victims.
If you鈥檙e a fan of the creepy gothic horror feel, then perhaps this would be satisfying enough. But I鈥檓 not especially (and the book wasn鈥檛 marketed to me as such), so I was looking for something else to grab and keep my attention - like some deeper insight into the motivation and background of the woman, or some interesting depth to the fantasy elements that formed the foundation of her situation. And this is where I was disappointed. Those elements, and the relatively arbitrary set of rules that govern how the woman sets her victims on their deadly trajectory, are largely left vague and unexplained.
However, despite the repetitive testimonies, and this lack of explanation of the foundations of the story, I was still interested in how the story unfolded. The ending is satisfying enough, if lacking in subtlety. And the epilogue gave me a small taste of the lore that I was missing in the rest of the story.
But overall this book wasn鈥檛 really for me, so my rating is probably low compared to fans of the genre.
And the lack of quotation marks. Why? Quotation marks like all other punctuation are there for a reason they help communicate the authors intention to the reader they remove friction from the reading experience the act of reading really shouldnt involve this much effort on behalf of the reader unless theres some specific purpose like deliberately creating a sense of distance or vagueness instead I just found it difficult and confusing sometimes it wasnt clear whether a sentence was direct speech or first person narrative so authors please stop doing this.
Thank you #NetGalley and Penguin Fig Tree for the free review copy of #OldSoul in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own....more
This is a near future military adventure, set in a world where the power and influence of big business on international relations and war is open and This is a near future military adventure, set in a world where the power and influence of big business on international relations and war is open and explicit.
Sergeant Ted Regan has a problem. A son of one of the great corporate families, a Scion, has gone missing at the front. He should have been protected by his Ironclad 鈥 the lethal battle suits that make the Scions masters of war 鈥 but something has gone catastrophically wrong.
Now Regan and his men, ill equipped and demoralised, must go behind enemy lines, find the missing Scion, and uncover how his suit failed.
In Regan鈥檚 world, the great corporate families engage openly in warfare - any pretence that warfare is for anything other than protecting their business interests has long since gone. And the corporate families have the money for the technology and weapons that the regular military can only dream of.
This is political satire and parody dressed up in a tale of military adventure. The story and the characters are solid enough - and I always enjoy the slightly world-weary, slightly snarky characters that Tchaikovsky tends to put front and centre. And there are some nice twists along the way, and a conclusion that is pleasantly surprising and reasonably satisfying.
But I just wasn鈥檛 that engaged by it, and that鈥檚 probably because it had a bit too much to say about politics for my liking. This is based in a world in which Brexit resulted in the UK being sold to the USA; a world in which there is means-tested voting resulting in those with the least having even less power than they do now; a world in which corporate interests can start and stop wars, and trump nation states; a world in which those in power are tacitly (or explicitly) complicit with all of those things. And those are fine ideas around which to build a political satire, but that鈥檚 not a book that I would have chosen to read.
When you strip those things away, though (or ignore them), you鈥檙e still left with a competent and well written story - albeit a relatively straight-forward one for most of the book, as our heroes bounce from one predicament to the next. There are some tantalisingly interesting details around the biotechnology that has been developed by some of the factions, but the amount of other plot to fit into this novella meant that those things weren鈥檛 really developed.
If you appreciate the political points that the author was making, you might enjoy it more than I did - but this wasn鈥檛 really for me....more
This is an engaging, dystopian story of parental love in a world of pervasive personal devices, surveillance and advertising, ravaged by the effects oThis is an engaging, dystopian story of parental love in a world of pervasive personal devices, surveillance and advertising, ravaged by the effects of climate change. At times it is disturbing, as it is so close to the bone; just a couple of small nudges away from our current reality.
In a hot and gritty city populated by super-intelligent robots called 'Hums', May seeks some reprieve from recent hardships and from her family's addiction to their devices. She splurges on a weekend away at the Botanical Garden - a rare, green refuge in the heart of the city, where forests, streams and animals flourish.
May and Jem have two young children, Lu and Sy, and the story revolves around May鈥檚 attempts to nurture them and keep them safe - desperately trying to provide them the rich experience that she had, detached from the omnipresent personal devices in her childhood world of greenery and forests that has long since burned. This is confounded by May and Jem鈥檚 lack of money: Jem is working in the gig economy, and May recently lost her job (taken by AI), and every step that May takes is monitored and judged by the ubiquitous devices and cameras.
The wheels quickly come off May鈥檚 world when her children go missing, and her desperate attempts to keep her family together spiral out of her control and into the hands of faceless bureaucracy and hopes of benevolence from the surveillance state.
The narrative has a slow, observational pace that I really liked, and that seemed to fit the mood perfectly - giving the story space to really show May鈥檚 place in the world, her relationship with Jem and the children, her hopes and desires. Lu and Sy are superbly observed as a 9 year old and her younger brother - their combinations of fun, cuddles, squabbles, laughter, innocence, imagination, petulance and love are perfectly drawn. May鈥檚 world revolves entirely around her family, and she has few friends and little interaction with other people. This gives a quite claustrophobic feel at times, but this really underscores the importance of their family bubble, and their isolation from society and the facelessness of bureaucracy.
Overall, a perceptive, unsettling but gentle observation of the impact of intrusive advertising, constant surveillance, personal devices, and the anonymous judgement of others.
Thank you #NetGalley and Atlantic Books for the free review copy of #HumBook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own....more
Our main character, Harry, scratches the dark underbelly of a fairy tale children's book series - one that definitely did not have a furniture based pOur main character, Harry, scratches the dark underbelly of a fairy tale children's book series - one that definitely did not have a furniture based portal. A beautifully twisted and somewhat dark take on back-of-the-wardrobe fantasy worlds.
Harry Bodie has a famous grandmother, who wrote beloved children鈥檚 books set in the delightful world of Underhill. What if Underhill is real? What if it has been waiting decades for a promised child to visit? What if it isn鈥檛 delightful at all? And what if its denizens have run out of patience and are taking matters into their own hands?
Adrian Tchaikovsky really seems at home in a dark novella, and this doesn鈥檛 disappoint. As with the other books in this series, there is dubious morality, selfish desires, and half-hearted ethical choices - in this case it鈥檚 in a fantasy-world-gone-bad in a knowing parody of the Narnia books.
鈥渞eally flicking the noses of their lawyers now Magdo!鈥
Harry is a nicely drawn mediocre antihero, and Tchaikovsky does a great job in dragging him through the plot with lacklustre motivation powered by the flickering flame of a sense of duty. He is so very human - with unremarkable levels of luck, behaviour, achievement, and inspiration. This is nicely balanced by Seitchman the (dare I say 鈥減lucky鈥?) sidekick, and together they get embroiled with the fairy tale sized villain of Underhill.
One ongoing minor quibble with Tchaikovsky is that he tends to have little unexplained nuggets that aren鈥檛 important to the plot, but can feel slightly like smug inside knowledge. For example, not every reader will know who Dee and Crowley are (apparently historical English occultists), nor why mention of Barnard Castle is funny (a political incident in the UK during COVID). And the half-explained context of COVID lockdown is likely to age. But these are minor niggles.
The plot is meticulously constructed, and at the culmination of the story I really enjoyed the callbacks to the compulsive behaviour of some of the fantasy characters that were developed earlier in the narrative.
A very fitting conclusion to the 鈥淭errible Worlds: Destinations鈥 series of novellas....more
This is a well written and compelling thriller. And if that鈥檚 what you want, that鈥檚 exactly what you鈥檒l get. But just that and no more.
An event has haThis is a well written and compelling thriller. And if that鈥檚 what you want, that鈥檚 exactly what you鈥檒l get. But just that and no more.
An event has happened that has turned a majority of the population of the USA towards extreme, homicidal and cruel violence towards the remainder. Our heroes - Jack, Dee and their two children - are caught up in this. As part of the 鈥渞emainder鈥, I should clarify. They spend the entire book engaged in the titular activity of running - in its figurative sense, at least, as it also involves walking, climbing, driving and, at one point, cycling.
And the running is relentless and, for the first third of the book at least, it seems directionless. Initially there isn鈥檛 even a MacGuffin for them to pointlessly strive for. They鈥檙e just running 鈥渁way鈥, but where the collapse of civilisation seems to be all around them.
This is also a world in which you can count on two things: if you think that our heroes are safe, they鈥檙e not; and just when you think they鈥檙e all about to die, somehow they don鈥檛. The car has just run out of fuel in the middle of nowhere! Oh, what鈥檚 that over there? Is that an abandoned house in the wilderness that we didn鈥檛 previously notice?
Our heroes, and various side characters along the way, also go through a wide variety of physical and emotional trauma. And a lot of people die horrible and graphically detailed deaths. This book doesn鈥檛 pull its punches.
But for all its formulaic gruesomeness, it was an absolute page turner. This book is from early in the author鈥檚 work, and doesn鈥檛 have the imaginative sophistication of Dark Matter or Recursion, but does have the pacy plot and absolutely compelling 鈥渨hat happens next?鈥 that is also characteristic of his later work.
If you haven鈥檛 read any Blake Crouch before, then probably don鈥檛 start here - but it鈥檚 a solid and well written, if straight-forward, thriller.
Thank you #NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the free review copy of #Run in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own....more
Our favourite neurodivergeant construct is back, and is heading to the mining colony where this run-of-the-mill Security Unit became Murderbot. This iOur favourite neurodivergeant construct is back, and is heading to the mining colony where this run-of-the-mill Security Unit became Murderbot. This is a fitting sequel to All Systems Red, exploring a little more of the back-story of Murderbot. There is also the introduction of ART, as an all-powerful sidekick.
For me, some of the changes introduced in this story diluted the essential Murderbotness that we were introduced to in the first book. Murderbot鈥檚 attitude to, and integration with, the humans in the story softens, which is a departure from the extreme awkwardness shown in the first book. Also, the introduction of ART as an all-powerful sidekick is a slightly over-convenient way to get through situations that would otherwise be exceptionally tricky for Murderbot alone - and it does give it a bit of a Deus ex Machina vibe.
Giving Murderbot a companion in ART also makes it a bit more of a buddy story, again softening the isolation of Murderbot that we saw in the first book. But I guess all of these things are necessary in order to provide room for more complex plot and character development to occur, which isn鈥檛 a bad thing.
So these two powerful buddies engage set out to uncover some of Murderbot鈥檚 back story, and grumpily right some wrongs along the way, deftly covering their tracks lest their true nature be discovered. It鈥檚 fun, the plot is fast and snappy, and I did really enjoy Murderbot鈥檚 development and the interactions with ART. And I鈥檓 looking forward to the rest of the books in the series....more
An amiable and, at times, quite rich story of average people doing the best that they can. But with dragons. Captain Vimes of the Night Watch leads a An amiable and, at times, quite rich story of average people doing the best that they can. But with dragons. Captain Vimes of the Night Watch leads a very small rag-tag team of men, who do their best to keep out of trouble while pretending to keep the residents of Ankh-Morpork safe during the night.
Into this mix comes Carrot - an earnest new recruit brought up by dwarves - and the summoning of a dragon by someone in the city who would rather have more power for themselves.
The result is a very well constructed and engaging plot, with Pratchett鈥檚 trademark irreverent humour, and not an insubstantial set popular culture references. There鈥檚 plenty of peril (fire breathing dragons will do that), some extension of Discworld lore, and a few new characters entering the mix. I particularly like the extra depth given to the Patrician, even with the very small part he plays in this story - and the librarian (a firm favourite of mine anyway) shows a surprising command of multi-dimensional travel.
Vimes is world-weary but seems to want to do a good job - and he is one of the more real characters in the story. The rest of the members of the Night Watch are largely interchangeable (I genuinely couldn鈥檛 really remember who was who, and it didn鈥檛 seem to matter). The introduction of Lady Ramkin is very welcome as one of the old moneyed establishment figures of Ankh-Morpork, albeit in a somewhat clich茅d down-to-earth 鈥渙ld money鈥 homey way.
The story is fun, but ultimately doesn鈥檛 have much to say (there鈥檚 a slightly heavy handed attempt to compare the brutality of dragons towards people to the worse brutality that people show to each other), and the resolution of the dragon-related plot is quite weak. I am, however, quite interested in the ongoing story of the Night Watch in future books, and will welcome any development of the Patrician (although I wonder whether, much like the character of Death in the Discworld books, that less may be more).
Your enjoyment of this book will depend on your expectations, and your tolerance for obsessive anthropomorphic whimsical, and often fantasticaDNF @50%
Your enjoyment of this book will depend on your expectations, and your tolerance for obsessive anthropomorphic whimsical, and often fantastical, rumination on what it is to be Cat.
The blurb says:
鈥淲hen a young couple accidentally comes into possession of a playful kitten, their daily routine (and cramped apartment) is turned upside down. Soon they find their existence forever altered.鈥
This implies that there is narrative structure - but if you鈥檙e hoping for a story, you鈥檒l be disappointed. This is not a novel. The book consists of 60 vignettes. While the first 5 contain the essence of a story - where dreaming about a cat becomes the acquisition of Cat - the next 26 (because that鈥檚 how far I read) are isolated observations on some aspect of the behaviour or essence of Cat.
They鈥檙e not without charm; they are whimsical, fantastical, imaginative, poetic, and all show a deep appreciation for what it is to be Cat. The presentation is also lovely, with each vignette being matched with a small illustration by the author. And it is an achievement in itself to have created 60 little metaphorical meditations on our feline companions in all their mystery.
But for all of that, I didn鈥檛 find it particularly engaging. I stopped reading half way through because I found myself skimming over the text; the poetic nature of the text, and lack of narrative, made continuing a pointless activity if I wasn鈥檛 giving it my full attention. This book is almost certainly best appreciated in small morsels. Perhaps while you鈥檙e sat in the smallest room in the house. But to say 鈥渢his would make a good bathroom book鈥 doesn鈥檛 feel like much of a recommendation.
My thanks and apologies go to #NetGalley 4th Estate/William Collins, and the author, for the free review copy of Invisible Kitties in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own....more
Superb short story that follows on from The Freeze-Frame Revolution. It鈥檚 very satisfying to revisit the Eriophora to see how things stand after the eSuperb short story that follows on from The Freeze-Frame Revolution. It鈥檚 very satisfying to revisit the Eriophora to see how things stand after the events of that book, but this story is also a great little exploration of human nature, trust, and the nature of intelligence.
There are only two characters, and it is their relationship with Chimp, the resident AI, that makes this short story so engaging. Trust is strained anyway, given their mutual history, and opinions differ on what to do when their path is blocked by an unusual phenomenon that may have intelligence of its own - the titular island.
In only 40 pages the story manages to cover a lot of ground, including power dynamics and morality - and with a subtle but pleasing little twist at the end....more
This is a nice little nugget of a story set an indeterminate amount of time after the events of The Freeze-FrameOnly Reviewing "Giants" by Peter Watts
This is a nice little nugget of a story set an indeterminate amount of time after the events of The Freeze-Frame Revolution, which needs to be read first. Two crew members of the Eriophora have been woken from hibernation to navigate the ship through a red giant star. The story is a good balance of plot (navigating through a star is tricky), and the interplay between two characters who have different perspectives on the events in Freeze-Frame Revolution.
For me, it was engaging enough, but nothing more - but there's a nice little tease at the end, which I'm wondering might become relevant in the next story in the series......more
A brilliant concept, masterfully executed. I thoroughly enjoyed this. A summary from the blurb:
How do you stage a mutiny when you're only awake one
A brilliant concept, masterfully executed. I thoroughly enjoyed this. A summary from the blurb:
How do you stage a mutiny when you're only awake one day in a million? How do you conspire when your tiny handful of potential allies changes with each job shift? How do you engage an enemy that never sleeps, that sees through your eyes and hears through your ears
Where the 鈥榚nemy鈥 in question is Chimp, the resident AI on a ship that is travelling sedately around the galaxy, building interconnected interstellar gates - portals through which the remnants of humanity that they left behind may ultimately emerge. Small subsets, 鈥榯ribes鈥, of the thirty-thousand strong crew are woken from suspended animation for a short while every few millennia every time there is a problem that the resident AI can鈥檛 handle on its own.
An AI that is wired into everything, and everyone, on the ship.
An AI that not everybody completely trusts.
For me there was an excellent balance of character and plot - with the mystery of Chimp鈥檚 actions and motivations being perfectly set against the pace of the action, and the intrigue of the brewing unrest.
The story is told from the first person perspective of the main character, Sunday Ahzmundin. This worked really well for me, as we only find out piecemeal what is going on with the rest of the crew - and at times it鈥檚 even ambiguous whether Sunday is a reliable narrator.
There is also a sense of unseen things that runs through the story - from the partially explained pseudo-religious behaviours of some of the various 鈥榯ribes鈥 aboard the ship, to the disturbing things, 鈥榞remlins鈥, that sometimes emerge from the interstellar gates once the have been built and activated. The combination of first-person perspective, piecemeal information, and the sense of unseen things, gave the story a slight sense of claustrophobia, which I really enjoyed.
I also loved the writing style - not only were the characters well drawn, and the plot nicely paced, but the writing was lyrical and poetic in places. This is a story of people whose lifetimes have lasted for millennia, and whose mission spans the galaxy - and the writing gives it a sense of wonder and grandeur that that deserves.
So鈥 wonder, grandeur, claustrophobia, and an AI called Chimp. What鈥檚 not to like?...more
This is the story of a quest west across a post apocalyptic America, where a lethal virus has wiped out 80% of the population. It is a strange and comThis is the story of a quest west across a post apocalyptic America, where a lethal virus has wiped out 80% of the population. It is a strange and compelling mix of contemplative introspection, and danger and jeopardy - sometimes gentle, and sometimes gripping, but always thoughtful.
From the blurb:
Against this perilous backdrop, Will Collins, the de facto caretaker of a Buddhist monastery in Colorado, receives an urgent and mysterious request: to deliver a potential cure to a scientist in what was once California. So Will sets out, haunted by dreams of the woman he once loved, in a rusted-out pickup pulled by two mules. A menacing thug is on his tail. Armed militias patrol the roads. And the only way he鈥檒l make it is with the help of a clever raven, an opinionated cat, and a tough teenage girl who has learned to survive on her own.
A majority of the story is taken up by Will鈥檚 quest west. He is accompanied by his cat, Cassie, and a raven, Peau, and somehow, they can all understand each other. This is recognised as being unusual by both Will and those he meets, and is never really explained. The additional perspectives of a cat and a raven - especially the raven - provide an interesting reflection on Will鈥檚 own thoughts and emotions, as well as the raven being a handy scout for Will as he treks through unknown territory.
For me, the heart of the book is the reflective nature of Will鈥檚 rumination on his own behaviour, thoughts, and emotions as he travels west. As he meets a variety of people in different and difficult situations, Will contemplates the meaning of his own flawed motivations and behaviour, and of the behaviour of others.
This is all rooted in Will鈥檚 Buddhist background; the author mentions his own modest knowledge of Buddhist philosophy in the Acknowledgements, and thanks his teachers in the Tibetan tradition. I have no direct knowledge or experience of Buddhism, and have only dabbled with meditation, but I found Will鈥檚 gentle and honest introspection very thought provoking, and in places quite moving.
Despite this reflective context, the plot is surprisingly gritty in places, and the realities of survival in the dystopian world in which Will finds himself aren鈥檛 romanticised - this is a harsh world, with pockets of human pain amongst the backdrop of the natural world reclaiming its place. Unfortunately, it鈥檚 in the resolution of this plot that I felt the book was at its weakest. In the closing chapters, Will鈥檚 quest comes to a conclusion, and the details of what Will finds at his destination, and the identity and purpose of his pursuers, is revealed - and I found it oddly unsatisfying.
But despite the ending lacking the emotional impact I was expecting, and some of the explanation of the plot feeling a little contrived, I can forgive this book because of the depth and reflective introspection of the quest. There were many times that I stopped and highlighted a section, and sat and thought about it for a few minutes. This is a book that I will undoubtedly revisit, and get something new from it on each reading.
Thank you #NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for the free review copy of #TheWay in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own....more
Reading Freeze-Frame Revolution puts Hotshot into a much clearer context - Hotshot is a key part of thUpdate After Reading The Freeze-Frame Revolution
Reading Freeze-Frame Revolution puts Hotshot into a much clearer context - Hotshot is a key part of the back story of the main character, Sunday Ahzmundin, in Freeze-Frame Revolution. However, as a standalone short story, I still think it's lacking focus and resolution.
My original assumption that Hotshot answers questions I'd have after reading Freeze-Frame Revolution is also only partially true: the author spends two pages in the 2nd chapter of Freeze-Frame Revolution summarising Hotshot anyway. So the author clearly believes that the events in Hotshort are pertinent to the character development in Freeze-Frame Revolution, but should they be read in chronological order (as I did) or publication order?
I'm happy enough that I read Hotshot first, as I was familiar with Sunday and already had a sense of the mission that they were on when I came to read Freeze-Frame Revolution - but I don't think that that's necessary to enjoy or understand Freeze-Frame Revolution (although that's not a theory I can test, obviously). I've also read positive reviews of Hotshot from people who read Freeze-Frame Revolution first, and who are glad to be reading Sunday's back story.
So, I guess my answer is that it doesn't really matter. My personal opinion is that Hotshot would be better placed as a prologue in Freeze-Frame Revolution. The sense of hanging "so what?" would be resolved, and it would be to the benefit of both stories.
Upgraded from 2 stars to 3 stars. Still 2 stars for a standalone short story, but 4 stars as a prologue to Freeze-Frame Revolution.
Original Thoughts
I鈥檓 not sure what I鈥檝e just read, so my star rating reflects my confusion and may be subject to change. I want to read The Freeze-Frame Revolution due to a positive review that I鈥檝e seen on GR, but I saw that it鈥檚 part of a series (the Sunflower Cycle), and that this short story (33 pages) is chronologically the first in the series. And I鈥檓 a sucker for wanting to read series in an appropriate order. Advice on reading order on various forums and web sites is mixed, but 鈥渃hronological order鈥 is mentioned in several places, so seemed a reasonable approach.
But it鈥檚 just set-up. It shows the preparatory stages of a mission that will take the main character, Sunday Ahzmundin, across interstellar space to build gateways that future humans may ultimately travel through. Sunday has been the subject of genetic and psychological conditioning her entire life in preparation for this project, and there are some philosophical points about whether Sunday has free will in choosing to go ahead with the missions.
This short story almost certainly answers questions that I don鈥檛 yet have, and I may be grateful for it as I start to read The Freeze-Frame Revolution and other stories in the series. So much for 鈥渁ppropriate order鈥. I鈥檒l revisit this review, and my star rating, once I鈥檝e read the other books and have their context to help (and possibly some advice of my own about reading order).
An amiable standalone story set in Discworld. When his father dies, Teppic becomes the unwilling king of a small country steeped in tradition - with oAn amiable standalone story set in Discworld. When his father dies, Teppic becomes the unwilling king of a small country steeped in tradition - with one of those traditions being interring their dead in increasingly elaborate and expensive pyramids. Dios is an overbearing high priest, who railroads Teppic into building a pyramid of previously unheard-of massive proportions for the late king. But this is in a world where pyramids really do have mystical power, and there are consequences to building such a large one.
While this is a Discworld novel, it鈥檚 rightly marked as a 鈥榮tandalone鈥 novel, as it doesn鈥檛 really rely on any of the Discworld lore that鈥檚 been established in the previous books.
It is a relatively lightweight plot-driven story, with a likeable cast of central characters: Teppic, who wants to bring modern conveniences to the old kingdom (like plumbing, and comfortable bedding); Dios, who vehemently clings to the traditions that he has overseen for his entire lifetime; and Ptraci, the somewhat predictably feisty love interest. It鈥檚 an undemanding story, that ticks along at a good pace, replete with the hallmark witticisms and pleasing turns of phrase that Pratchett excels at.
There鈥檚 some fun to be had with the naming, as always: a camel called You Bastard, and a place called Djelibaybi both made me smile every time I read them. And anyone who has seen the UK sitcom 鈥淵es Minister鈥 will recognise some of the power plays between Teppic and Dios.
And that鈥檚 it, really. If there was anything profound hiding between the pages, then I missed it....more
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