I enjoyed basically all of this post-pandemic apocalyptic story. The strength is the story telling itself. The narration jumpsBeautiful and arbitrary.
I enjoyed basically all of this post-pandemic apocalyptic story. The strength is the story telling itself. The narration jumps from pre to post apocalypses all over the place from many different perspectives leaving the reader with an ill-defined but very real sense of connection amongst the characters. This interconnectedness really drove the story for me, compelling me to find out in what why the connections merge. But then... it just ended and it turns out the connections were just arbitrary relationships borne of nothing more than happenstance.
Now one could be understandably angry at how this book ends. For one reader this could be a very boring slog with manipulative plotting trying to lull the reader into a great pay off that definitely doesn't happen. On a more forgiving take, the entire book is a beautiful commentary of the fragility of our civilization, finding meaning in the arbitrary connections we have and having the humility to understand the abruptness that it all could be taken away. This book actually made me appreciate modern civilization where many books provoke the opposite emotion in me. In the end, I found this book to be well written and quite beautiful.
I have absolutely no idea why a book like this became popular enough to merit a TV series. This book could have easily ended up in an unpublished pile with other talented unknown authors whose works don't go anywhere. But fickle is the world of publishing...
P.S. I tried watching the HBO show but the first episode had pretty terrible acting and illogical character actions. I'll pass....more
Great space adventure, a little hand wavy and middle bookish.
This is my fourth Tchaikovsky read and I was not disappointed. I loved the first book in Great space adventure, a little hand wavy and middle bookish.
This is my fourth Tchaikovsky read and I was not disappointed. I loved the first book in this series and was eager to dive in. You get the same loveable and unusual cast of characters with an unsurprising plot line. The alien races, history politics and intrigue really open up more and enrich the world. The climax and resolution were definitely sci fi logic hand wavy and were overcome with the a wave of vague explanations about the reality of space but I didn't mind it too much. Overall highly recommend!...more
This is one of those books that wasn't a book. It just entered my brain and unfolded an amazingly fun story wFun, perfectly paced and original sci fi.
This is one of those books that wasn't a book. It just entered my brain and unfolded an amazingly fun story with zero effort. Shards of Earth was pure joy to read. My only prior Tchaikovsky reads were Children of Time (really good) and its sequel Children of Ruin (less good, pretty boring.) Shards is totally different than those books and totally opened up to me of what this author is capable.
Shards was first and foremost a total blast to read. The intergalactic, future sci-fi world opens up immediately. The characters and in the moment with just enough flesh and bones on them to get you to care and with a really decent amount of development. The back-story is mysterious and engaging and just flings you forward right into the present. The dialogue and character relationships were effortless and realistic. The story then moves to space-faring adventure with a McGuffin that is inherently interesting and relevant to the backstory. The author does an impeccable job at having cohesion of the forward thrust with the back story in such a way that make the stakes matter and the reader engage.
The creativity of the sci fi elements was masterful. There's a dash of Hyperion, a hint of Commonwealth but all with a Tchaikovsky twist that definitely makes it his own. The aliens, colonies, planets, moons and how the whole political and legal elements twist together really make the world pop out on the page. There is a decent cast of different cultures, tribes and laborers which flesh everything out without being too overwhelming. There was a timeline in the back of the book that also really helped orient the reader.
This is some of the best sci fi I've read in a while. I will immediately jump into the sequel. Read this....more
I found the third installment of Dune to be a worthwhile read. I really enjoyed the first two and was eager Great political intrigue but not very fun.
I found the third installment of Dune to be a worthwhile read. I really enjoyed the first two and was eager to jump in. Herbert has strengths but more weaknesses as a writer. The world of mysticism and political brinksmanship that he deftly fosters is often blunted by flat story telling. Dune itself is a fantastic book but the storytelling suffered with too many POVs that crashed over one another as well as mysticism itself serving as both plot device and resolution which doesn't really work.
Children of Dune was an improvement in these weaknesses seen in the first two book but I'm afraid new problems have arisen: it wasn't very fun to read. I was really engaged in the first half. I loved discovering the new characters and how the old characters fit into new developments. Lady Jessica, Alia, Duncan and the rest as well as the Preacher--all great characters with tons of political intrigue. Arrakis itself has undergone a good bit of development which is fascinating to read.
The issue is that there is just too much mysticism. Herbert hits you over the head with it until it's kind of too ethereal to even enjoy. The crux of the plot is based on such an intangible timeline that it kind of feels futile to even pay attention to. And then the pacing really drops off in the second half and I was struggling to even want to finish.
Overall, this is a good book but it wasn't very fun. I'm not sure if I'm going to be finishing the series....more
I loved, LOVED this books predecessors Hyperion and the Fall of Hyperion. In fact you can just stop reading thFall from grace but still not a bad book
I loved, LOVED this books predecessors Hyperion and the Fall of Hyperion. In fact you can just stop reading this review and go read those two books. They are some of the best books in sci fi. Unfortunately Endymion did not meet the same standards but overall it is not a bad book. It starts out really well, several hundred years later with a great cast and with lots of call back to the prior two books. For the first 20% I was all in. But what began as stagnant pacing devolved into a cat and mouse story that fell flat. There is so much dead air in the book of characters hanging out in a space ship or just chilling on a raft and talking. The McGuffin wasn't enough to keep me engaged. There was also just cringe stuff with a 12 year old girl that I really disliked. For example, why would the narrator explicitly describe the nude body of a minor and state that he is not attracted? GROSS.
I don't think I'll be reading the last book, I'll just read a plot summary and call it a day. My take away here is Hyperion and the Fall of Hyperion are must read. Endymion you can take or leave it.
So I love Neal Stephenson and will read anything he writes. He's one of those authors whose average star rating doesn'This could have been an article.
So I love Neal Stephenson and will read anything he writes. He's one of those authors whose average star rating doesn't mean anything because he is so unique and a lot of his stuff just doesn't click with people which doesn't say anything about the quality and brilliance of his works. Termination Shock is a perfectly fine book but it was too long and honestly could've just been written as a speculative piece on the near future of climate engineering and the geopolitical consequences and saved both Neal and the reader muddling through 600+ pages of unproductive plot to get to the same point.
To be clear, I did like this book. I like the characters and the overall plot was ok. The real reason the book is good is Neal takes on a tour of how one person could, in a straightforward way, start to re-engineer the climate. The consequences of this would be legion and unpredictable as an arms race may ensue trying to mitigate the unpredictable affects of reversing climate change across the globe. Again, the very reasons I liked this book could've just been done in a lengthy article and essay that I also would've enjoyed without spending so much time with a slogging pace and with plot points that didn't seem very relevant.
If you haven't read Neal, don't make this your first book. Start with either Snow Crash or Cryptonomicon and then move onto something like Anathem or Seveneves, all great books....more
I don’t think I’m capable of fully articulating this sheer work of brilliance. From the prose, characterizOne of the best sci-fi books I’ve ever read.
I don’t think I’m capable of fully articulating this sheer work of brilliance. From the prose, characterization, back story development, sci-fi world building, plot twists, artificial intelligence, time paradoxes and all the big feelies I had while reading this is too much for my brain to process. The sequel to the stunning classic Hyperion must be read if you’re going to embark on this journey. I can say without a doubt that The Fall of Hyperion is one of the best books I’ve ever read. Period.
Every age fraught with discord and danger seems to spawn a leader meant only for that age, a political giant whose absence, in retrospect, seems inconceivable when the history of that age is written.
As opposed to the first installment which has the structure of Canterbury Tales, The Fall of Hyperion has a little more traditional storytelling spanning an intergalactic hegemony in the far human future and that its faced with its own uncertain future against a hostile alien force, a hostile AI force, a hostile far-future force and also… ghosts and gods? It sounds weird but wow does Simmons stitch all these fantastic concepts together in a sweeping tapestry that is nothing more or less than a literary work of art. Each character and their actions impact the story development.
The Great Change is when humankind accepts its role as part of the natural order of the universe instead of its role as a cancer.
The reason this pairs so nicely with the first book is because it expands on the wonderful back story that was laid down. We know each of the pilgrims—their motivations, their flaws and perhaps the reason they were chosen for this bizarre pilgrimage. The horror, uncertainty and chaos that flows from this story is more personal and it makes everything just that much more frightening. The atmosphere is haunting and incredibly engaging. I could see these images and scenes vividly in my mind.
The enormous intergalactic world is incredibly well done on par with someone like Peter F. Hamilton. From communications, to travel and what an intergalactic culture looks like, this is an immersive and believable version of the future. The impact of AI, the singularity and how it is inseparable and domineering from humanity was incredible and a likely version of the far future. What Simmons does with time is awesome. The arrow of time and hints of the multiverse are a big part of this story. Pitting the future against the present and at the same time not making the plot and resolution feel pre-destined was so well done. Simmons ability to predict futurist trends as someone who wrote this in the 1990s is truly a remarkable feat.
The politics, statecraft and warcraft on an intergalactic scale was not intimidating like other similar worlds like this that I’ve read. The decision making on the intergalactic scale and how it impacts billions of peoples and cultures was felt by the reader with every single decision that was made. The religions, cults, governments and cultures presented are messy, realistic and incredibly compelling to read.
God is the creature, not the creator.
The resolution and plot twists at the end of this second installment were jaw dropping and revealed the depth of Simmons’ careful story crafting. He was cognizant of every development and how character backstory played into the ending. The mysteries presented—like Hyperion, the Shrike, the Core—it’s all explained, at least in part and it is one of the coolest over-aching plot lines I’ve ever seen in a book like this.
Love was as hardwired into the structure of the universe as gravity and matter.
The only issue I can see some having with this book was the pacing. There are many POVs told and some of the plotlanes are frankly stagnant even over several hundred pages. Simmons will freeze a scene for one character while letting other plotlines catch up. This may be jarring for some readers but I didn’t mind it.
I highly, highly recommend this book. It will stay with me for a long time and is a series I will definitely finish and probably re-read. This needs to be made into a movie or a series—I think it’s doable in the right hands....more
What was I doing with my life before I read Hyperion? As a huge science fiction and fantasy reader, I thougA science fiction and literary masterpiece.
What was I doing with my life before I read Hyperion? As a huge science fiction and fantasy reader, I thought I had a pretty good grasp of what science fiction was capable of but wow did this book completely blow away all expectations.
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How does one even begin to talk about this masterpiece? I could start with the masterful and subverting storytelling or the bottomless well of characterization. Or how about the subtle yet overarching world building and dozens of sci fi tropes expertly woven throughout? Hyperion is so many things and above everything it is a story about time, love, regret and horror.
I’ll start right off with the prose--it’s phenomenal. Simmons cuts the fat, describes what needs to be described without being indulgent. He instantly can create an entire planet, shade it in with a culture and then place the character set pieces to engage. He’s economical with his words when he needs to be and layers in the pretty words with impeccable literary timing. The dialogue is real and the scenes are framed perfectly. Hyperion is at once a single story but also separate vignettes, a la Canterbury Tales, each contributing to one another and the overall arc of the story. If at first you don’t think this kaleidoscope story-telling doesn’t work, just wait for it because believe me, it all comes together brilliantly.
Barbarians, we call them, while all the while we timidly cling to our Web like Visigoths crouching in the ruins of Rome's faded glory and proclaim ourselves civilized.
The world building—excuse me—worlds building is an enormous achievement. Without infodumping, Simmons unfurls a sprawling intergalactic hegemony where humanity spans dozens of planets many thousands of years in the future. Of course he’s not the first to do this but here’s what he achieves: he makes this future social construct of humans actually feel familiar. And how? Because he leaves vestiges of Old Earth (current day) littered through the story from poets like Keats to common world religions including Christianity, Islam and Judaism. The degradation and transformation of these modern-day cultural pillars is fascinating. Yeah, catholic priests are still around but they are not up to things you might think. This book is full of prophetic dreams and visions that bring a welcome mysticism that hangs beautifully over a hard sci-fi backdrop.
It occurs to me that our survival may depend upon our talking to one another.
The world building is subtle, coming in at different angles and not slamming the reader with rigid boundaries and arcane history. The building is organic and there is one thing Simmons does that others fail at: the fancy sci-fi worldbuilding isn’t just a gimmick with a flimsy plot. The world building isn’t even what makes this book so good! And don’t get me started on the multitude of amazing sci fi elements throughout these pages: time travel, relativity, entropy, reverse aging, space travel, multi planet governments, AI overlords, robotic secession, cyberpunk, time travel warfare, alien space battles and much more.
Words are the only bullets in truth's bandolier. And poets are the snipers.
Here are the other things Hyperion is: an erotic romance, a tragic romance, a trans robotic romance!, a noir, a slasher film, a psychological horror, a requiem, an uprising of natives, a story about imperialism and rebellion, a political thriller, a writer chasing his muse and so much more. Now you wouldn’t think that throwing all these elements together would work at all but guess what? It does, really, really well. And that is why this book is so brilliant. Hyperion is both epic in its scope yet able to find balance and have a main plotline where everything comes together.
It no longer matters who consider themselves the masters of events. Events no longer obey their masters.
Above all, Hyperion is simply a beautiful book about a group of strangers on a mysterious pilgrimage whose past lives not only inform the ongoing plot but serve to enrich characterization and character dynamics. I’ve never read anything like this and it is going on the tippy top of my masterpiece shelf. I cannot wait to read the rest and I can’t recommend this book enough. Please, this needs to rocket up your TBRs. This is easily one of the best science fiction books I've ever read....more
This is the best book I’ve read this year easily and just cutting to the chase: this is going on my masterpiece shelfUm, all the stars in the galaxy.
This is the best book I’ve read this year easily and just cutting to the chase: this is going on my masterpiece shelf with only like 24 others books.
This book was deceptive. It started out with some frankly terrible dialogue and very unrealistic character interactions. I let it pass because the science and story telling was pretty phenomenal from the get go. As the story progress I started forgetting about whatever it was that bothered me and realized that I was reading a land mark book in science fiction. In the end, the cheesy dialogue was a genius way of engaging a mass audience.
The science was incredible. Orbital mechanics, relativity, light, astrophysics, gravity, astrobiology, space travel the list goes on and on. The science was incredibly engaging and did such a good job of explaining things to the reader in a very engaging way. The process of scientific discovery was breathtaking to read.
The story telling was spot on. Perfect pacing, perfect flashbacks and plot reveals with conflict that just sticks you right in the heart and has your palms sweaty. The characters and their relationships were beautiful and touching. I wanted to cry at the end of this book. I can’t wait to watch the inevitable the movie that I’m sure is being made right now.
If you haven’t yet, run don’t walk to read this masterpiece....more
This is my hard science fiction debut novel. It's got a little bit of multiverse, terraformed Mars, corporate dystopia all told in Cloud Atlas style wThis is my hard science fiction debut novel. It's got a little bit of multiverse, terraformed Mars, corporate dystopia all told in Cloud Atlas style with a dash of Asimov. Enjoy!
Updates: 6/1/22: Now available as an audiobook on Audible!
11/15/21: Refraction just made it to the quarterfinals of the SPSFC!
9/24/21: Refraction placed 5th in Hugh Howey SPSFC cover art contest among 300 contestants! Thanks to everyone that voted!
8/30: Refraction, as well as other great indie books, are being judged in Hugh Howey's Self Pub Sci Fi competition (SPSFC). Included in the SPSFC is an audience choice voting for best cover. I think Refraction has a great cover but there is some stiff competition. Check it out here, anyone can vote--->https://pollunit.com/en/polls/ffcxij5...
7/1: Just entered Refraction into Hugh Howey’s SPSFC!! Wish me luck.
4/30 Update: Out today 4/30! Thanks for everyone who did an ARC for me. Initial reviews seem very positive. Much appreciated!
Creatrix of Strife is a surprising novella, set within in subterranean post-apocalyptical society of religious A bold showcase of speculative fiction.
Creatrix of Strife is a surprising novella, set within in subterranean post-apocalyptical society of religious zealots. What I found typical was the main character, Rekha, a young woman full of dissent against the theocracy. I expected a coming-of-age story, but wow that is not what this story is about at all. Not only is this not a typical post-apocalyptical story (seems wrong to even call it post-apocalyptic although I guess technically it is) but it is a tour-de-force of speculative science fiction.
How strange it was to find themselves intruders on their own planet.
I found a dash of the world building of Neal Stephenson's Anathem mixed with the atmosphere of Howey's Wool. But even more, DC Allen manages to carve this world right from the stone and put flesh on it by the society he creates full of its own dogma, culture, mores and technology. Like Neal Stephenson, DC Allen invents a lot of his own words to describe this culture and he maintains an impressive level of internal logic and consistency. The characters and world are accessible and believable right away.
And then DC Allen throws exogenetics at you. At first, I had no clue what this was, but through deft world building, the reader discovers an entirely badass way the characters change their genetic expression on the fly to alter their phenotype. The explanations got a tad wonky for me leaving the mechanics a little ambiguous but I sure did enjoy the ride. DC Allen is an impressive wordsmith. I'm also a writer but I could never form prose the way done here. Sentences are crafted with care and often impeccable word choice. Sometimes, the prose got a little over the top and got in the way of my actual reading experience but this was a minor issue.
Last thing I'll mention is the ending. It was simply awesome. The resolution delivers on the premise and opens us up to amazing potential in both plot, world-building and growth for our protagonist. I will definitely be reading the sequel. Can't say I've read anything like Creatrix of Strife. I recommend....more
I'm super impressed with this first volume of Descender. The story telling begins with huge, cataclysmic events that draw tMasterful characterization.
I'm super impressed with this first volume of Descender. The story telling begins with huge, cataclysmic events that draw the reader into an unfamiliar world but have you immediately engaged. Slowly, Lemire trickles in exposition in an expert way. One by one, each character gets a little back story which adds enormous context to what's going on presently. I was really impressed with how, just within a few panels of story, the reader suddenly understands a character much more in depth. All characters, including those I thought would just be ancillary, have depth and back story.
The plot is simple and easy to follow but with enough twists that it didn't feel unpredictable. I am a huge sucker for sci-fi stories that play on robot civil rights and the ambiguity of robotic personhood and Descender plays on these concepts masterfully. Many of the robot characters were incredibly compelling including Tim-21, Effie a little robot dog and wow, Driller. Driller was this character who I barely paid attention to until the end of this volume reveals that he/she is a very important character with a heart-breaking back story.
The artwork was absolutely stunning. Detail when needed, more abstract when the scenes were emotional. I could look at this artwork all day. Overall, I was very impressed with Descender and will definitely be buying the next volumes....more
This is about the fourth or fifth Le Guin that I've read and this is definitely my faA masterpiece in loyalty and friendship.
Only mild spoilers ahead.
This is about the fourth or fifth Le Guin that I've read and this is definitely my favorite. The Left Hand of Darkness is a story about discovering and eventually relishing those that are not like you and in that difference finding friendship, loyalty and love. This is a deeply ambitious book with several salient themes that come through by the end that left me awestruck by the beauty of the character relationships.
Written in 1969, the writing and world building still feel fresh. You'll discover and new alien world in the speculative fiction piece that is not unlike our own but with a very peculiar difference: human anatomy and sex has evolved quite differently on this ice world planet. Told through the narrative voice of an alien visitor who seeks to bring the world into the fold of a collective of planets, we gain insight into not only the vices and virtues of this new world, but the glaring misogyny of the would-be "advanced" society which still clearly has a patriarchal structure. Through the eyes of Mr. Ai, we learn about the consequences of gender binarism and the toxic expectations of gender in Western societies. And it's not as if the lack of gender binary has created a utopia on the Winter planet--it is a culture struggling with its own problems of corruption, human rights violations and dangerous political brinksmanship.
The world building is a triumph. From the political culture, kingdoms, peoples, weather and terrain--everything about Winter planet and its people and nations felt so believable and tangible in my mind. Le Guin is a master wordsmith, using often simple word choices to describes scenes and relationships. There are so many quotable lines throughout these pages.
My favorite themes from this work were those of finding strength through differences, hence the title of the book. Darkness is the left hand of light in this alien culture, similar to the Daoistic ying-yang of the alien Mr. Ai. Indeed, at the end of this book when darkness and despair are most strong are we on the brink of new light, ushering in a new era. Mr. Ai learns from his misogyny and understands that these alien people are now more familiar to him than his own people. I loved what Le Guin does with the concept of patriotism. While patriotism can certainly be a uniting force, it is often toxic, resulting in horrible rationalizations and human rights violations that occur in the Left Hand of Darkness. It is when seeking the greater good of all people everywhere that patriotism must be superseded.
And this brings me to the crown jewel of this book: the character Estraven. A man of political prestige brought to the depths of poverty with unclear motivations. His despair is so relatable, his gentleness so inviting. The relationship between Estraven and Mr. Ai has been one of my favorite I've come across in a long time. Estraven we learn about a patriot is--someone who is willing to be a traitor to his own people for the good of everyone.
The criticism I've read about this book about it's paradoxically anti-feminist impact I believe are ungrounded. The misogyny of the narration is clearly a thematic device, told mostly told through a man from a western-like civilization. If anything Le Guin is giving her social commentary about our own patriarchal system through the narration. The fact that she doesn't use other gender pronouns is a stylistic choice, one that is explained in the narration itself. This book is fantastic to help the reader subvert gender stereotypes and reflect on the illusion of gender roles.
I think this was a masterpiece. I highly recommend....more
I was so pleased to see that Martha Wells had won the Nebula award for her Murderbot book Network Effect. These are amazA Murderbot noir? Yes, please.
I was so pleased to see that Martha Wells had won the Nebula award for her Murderbot book Network Effect. These are amazing and unique books representing probably my favorite books about a self aware robot (and I am a huge sucker for self aware robots; I’m finishing writing a book about one right now). Fugitive Telemetry had all the on brand snark you’d expect from the series. I really enjoyed the themes of second class citizenry and discrimination that Murderbot suffers simply because of who she or he is. Very well done. I was a little disappointed ART or Murderbot 2.0 didn’t make an appearance. It seems like this novella could be read at any time in the Murderbot series as it chronologically doesn’t seem to be very imperative. At any rate, a great read.
I read Chiang's Exhalation before I read Stories of Your Life and I was just as amazed at this collection. Chiang is wholly unique and bringPriceless.
I read Chiang's Exhalation before I read Stories of Your Life and I was just as amazed at this collection. Chiang is wholly unique and brings both simplicity and innovate concepts to the reader. From the Tower of Babel to mathematic paradoxes, the reader gets a rich blend of provocative ideas and subversion of classic tropes. The only downside to Chiang's writing style is you may not get classic arcs that you're expecting. What I mean is, several of the stories here just kind of end with no real resolution and Chiang leaves the meaning just hanging there for you to guess. This may be jarring for some people. This collection along with Exhalation is like Ray Bradbury's Illustrated Man of a new generation.
I've been skeptical to read on in the Dune series as it appears that the ratings get progressively worse. HoweveTruly epic characters and motivations.
I've been skeptical to read on in the Dune series as it appears that the ratings get progressively worse. However, I found myself just as mystified and intrigued with finished Dune Messiah as when I finished Dune. This is a continuation of the same stories, the same characters with new and competing interests all cloaked under an opaque mysticism compelling enough to keep the reader going. The strength of this book is the characters and the world building.
Paul Atreides is truly an epic character. He is prophet, emperor, messiah and most importantly a total tyrant. His rule has unleashed untold misery and death across hundreds of planets, a fact of which he has been acutely aware. In a way, Paul is a victim of circumstances as it appears destiny is a very strong factor in the world building. As a self-ware tyrant, Paul seeks to both stop his tyranny but maintain power. The way Herbert navigates these contradictory motivations in Dune Messiah is masterful with a conclusion that is tragic, just and stirring.
This is a story almost told like a play: an interesting setting with compelling characters acting out their overt motivations. No spoilers, but there is the return of a character in this sequel that is incredibly engaging and fascinating. The behavior of Paul's sister as well as his wife and concubine is very engrossing. The motivations are both opaque and transparent as both the reader and the prescient Paul knows what all characters want. In this way, Paul is both protagonist and antagonist-himself his own enemy. A very strong theme here is the role of fate in the character's lives.
The world building is just as strong as in Dune. The culture of the Freman turning into almost a tribal aristocracy was interesting. The competing cultures and economic interests makes every word and action of each character bursting with intrigue. There is development of the worlds, societies and cultures that have taken place in the 12 years since the first novel. The mysticism is a driver of the plot and character motivations. It is opaque enough to be compelling and not too explicit that it diminishes the mystery.
Herbert is not the strongest storyteller. Sometimes the plot is too vague. There is nothing particularity good about the prose although there is an improvement from the original Dune. Herbert constantly commits a serious error with switching POVs. Within the same body of text, he switches between up to 4 different inner monologue of characters within the same scene. This is hugely amateur. If he were to submit these novels to an agent or publisher today, it would be rejected outright because of this error. It's incredibly frustrating as a reader because it's not always obvious who is doing the thinking or speaking. If Herbert had worked on his writing skills a little bit more, I suspect the rest of the series would've been as epic as the original Dune.
At any rate, Dune Messiah is very unique and makes me want to continue on in the series. Dune Messiah is worth reading for the ending alone....more
This third collection of the graphic novels brings all plot threads, kingdoms and characters into a final and satisfying show doExcellent conclusion.
This third collection of the graphic novels brings all plot threads, kingdoms and characters into a final and satisfying show down. Blending biblical prophesy, cyberpunk dystopia, and a fictional U.S. history, the world created here is something remarkable. The characters are compelling with complete arcs. The pacing moves at a bold and inviting clip. The artwork is simply stunning. My only gripe is that the scope of the story and characters is so wide, that it makes the resolution seem a tad truncated. I read this series in the three, hardbound installments which I think is the right way to enjoy it.
Overall, I highly recommend this complete series....more
Looking for a deeply complex relationship between a modern day black woman and her white ancestor who raped her other black Complexity squared
SPOILIES
Looking for a deeply complex relationship between a modern day black woman and her white ancestor who raped her other black ancestor? Think it can't get harder and weirder than that premise? It can and does and wow did I love reading this. This is my fifth Butler read and while her books are not necessarily enjoyable, they are certainly original, well written and very compelling. This books is chiefly about Dana, a black woman from the 1970s, and Rufus, her slave owning ancestor from around 1815. You'd think this story could be about two pages long where Dana waits to ensure that Rufus has the posterity to make sure she still exists and then just cut the man down for being an evil white slaver dude.
But no, because just like life and systems of domination are extremely complex, so is this story. Victim and oppressor are clear roles but their interplay and dynamic make the solutions and actions very difficult to understand and that is what is artfully on display in the pages of Kindred. Dana is an amazing character and I really admire how she waited before acting, considering the rippling in time but also the past slave community that would result from her actions. This was just a solid book and told so very well. Also, I loved the ending. Highly recommend....more
The ultimate introverted, non-binary sci-fi experience.
Okay, Anne Leckie and Ada Palmer, are you paying attention? Martha Wells has pulled off what yThe ultimate introverted, non-binary sci-fi experience.
Okay, Anne Leckie and Ada Palmer, are you paying attention? Martha Wells has pulled off what you were trying to do with Too Like the Lightning and Ancillary Justice. Rather than just blindly playing with gender pronouns with zero substance, Wells has pulled off a masterful gender non-binary experience in the form of the Murderbot, the lovable introvert AI with newly minted consciousness. Wells expertly gives the reader the first person experience of a being who is sensitive, anxious, caring and also a total badass.
As this is a continuation of a novella series, you're put right back with Murderbot as it now negotiates its feelings with a group of humans that it reluctantly (although it kind of cares) has been tasked to protect. Network Effect has all the humor and introverted charm of the series that I've come to expect. There are still well placed moments of Murderbot self-coping as it watches serial dramas with gunfire going off.
Wells dives deeper here with the nature of relationships as Murderbot is reunited with ART, the on onboard computer system that its had some sort of friendship with in the past. These unconventional relationships are expanded and reveal the complexity and wide spectrum of what it means to have consciousness and care about another person. The social commentary on gender and unconventional family-units is subtle, deft and does not deflect one moment from the plot or the characters. The reader truly starts to look differently at what a meaningful relationship is supposed to look like as Wells expertly subverts conventional ideas.
The plot and pacing are adequate, although there were some parts that dragged a little for me. But even when not a lot of plot is happening, you're still getting the inner struggles of Murderbot which serves as its own fascinating experience and case study. No spoilers, but wow are you going to love Murderbot 2.0 and SecUnit 3. Wells dishes out more of what you want without rehashing but actually expanding on what makes this series so great.
Wells has pulled off something pretty special. Murderbot isn't just some award-bait series that's checking the diversity boxes and trying to bluntly socially engineer the genre of sci-fi like a lot of other award winning books out there. Wells has written something thought-provoking, subverting and also just totally hilarious. I highly recommend....more
Despite the antiquated prose and clunky characterizations, Dune holds up very well with its world building, lore and mysticism.
I finally got around toDespite the antiquated prose and clunky characterizations, Dune holds up very well with its world building, lore and mysticism.
I finally got around to checking this classic off my list and I'm glad I did, because I now understand why this book is so celebrated. The world that Herbert creates is internally consistent, original, vivid and mysterious. In 600 pages, an interplanetary ecosystem focused on one desert planet blooms in the readers mind full of politics, treachery, indigenous people and mysticism. I was continually compelled to keep reading because I quickly became engrossed with the world. The story arc also kept me intrigued because there was plenty of foreshadowing placed that makes the reader know how the book is going to end. Somehow Herbert got this to work because I wanted to see how the plot would evolve to get to the forgone conclusion. It may have been anticlimactic but it doesn't mean I didn't enjoy getting there.
The writing is very deadpan, devoid of humor. Herbert makes a very amateur mistake by crossing point of views within the same body of text. For example, on a single page the internal thoughts of up to 3 or 4 characters is revealed. This happens on almost every page of the book. If this were submitted today to an agent or publisher, they would ask that they completely re-edit the manuscript so that the POVs do not cross. It was quite frustrating as you lose track easily of he is doing the thinking and the feeling.
Dune is steeped in mysticism. While I enjoy good lore, the mysticism was overdone because it became the excuse for every major plot development. Meaning, Herbert used mysticism as a plot device to explain away very important developments that really needed a better explanation. I personally enjoyed how the mysticism played out, but it is definitely a weakness of the work.
The world is unbelievable. I loved being on Dune with these characters and that is why I'm giving it five stars. Herbert does an incredible job of writing this alien planet with its cultures, creatures, ecosystems and weather systems. It was awesome. The characters are developed but mostly through dialogue. This is not a hugely action driven story.
Dune is a legend for a reason. Every sci fi fan should make this a must-read....more
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