Tag: books

Permutation City by Greg Egan

August 15, 2019

In Egan’s version of the future, society has developed technology which allows one to create a precise one-for-one digital Copy of themselves. This Copy is identical in every way to the original person, and is often used by the rich and wealthy as a way to obtain partial immortality following death. Those of the upper middle class may be able to afford a scan on their deathbed… but may not be able to afford to actually be simulated due to the price of computing power and server time, or may have to “live” with extremely slow processing speeds. … More Permutation City by Greg Egan

July Reading Wrap-Up

August 2, 2019

Hello all! July was an interesting month. We had a few books that knocked it out of the park, and ended with two that really, really didn’t. Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, the Cradle series by Will Wight, and Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang were the stand-outs this month, each of them a cut above when it came to being either interesting, fun, or just plain heartwarming.  … More July Reading Wrap-Up

On Such a Full Sea by Chang-Rae Lee

July 30, 2019

On Such a Full Sea by Chang-Rae Lee is dystopian science fiction for people who have never read any dystopian science fiction and would prefer to keep themselves at arms-length from anything “genre” fiction. While I enjoyed the prose, that was about the only thing I enjoyed. I got the sense while reading that this novel was intentionally light on science fiction and character-driven elements not because they would have harmed they novel (they wouldn’t have), but because the author didn’t want to be associated with the genre. … More On Such a Full Sea by Chang-Rae Lee

Cradle Wrap-Up: Blackflame, Skysworn, Ghostwater, and Underlord by Will Wight

July 26, 2019

The Cradle series by Will Wight is an utter delight. It’s no literary paragon, but by god it’s fun. Sometime you just want to see someone gradually become excessively powerful with some stellar anime-esque fight scenes. Look, you can’t tell me it’s not awesome to see a giant flaming turtle battle a sea serpent. You just can’t. … More Cradle Wrap-Up: Blackflame, Skysworn, Ghostwater, and Underlord by Will Wight

Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm

July 18, 2019

Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm is an odd mix of heartwarming and bittersweet themes that boasts having won the 1977 Hugo, Locus, and Jupiter awards. Her prose is lovely, evoking the deep connection between humanity and the natural world and subtly juxtaposing it with the destruction of civilization as we know it. Wilhelm crafts a narrative surrounding the end of the world which is timeless and alien, dealing with concepts such as personhood and individuality. While I felt that certain portions of the narrative missed an opportunity for additional nuance and exploration, Wilhelm nevertheless brings us a thoughtful novel that will retain relevance for years to come. … More Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm

Unsouled and Soulsmith by Will Wight

July 17, 2019

After having read the first two books in Will Wight’s Cradle series, it felt unfair to review them separately. While the first book, Unsouled, was interesting and provided a solid foundation for the series… it fell a little flat for me – particularly when compared to the second book, Soulsmith. I enjoyed Unsouled, but I didn’t understand the hype surrounding the series until I’d read beyond it. Soulsmith was a romp and a half that left me hankering to start Blackflame, even at the expense of some of those ARCs I’ve got piling up! … More Unsouled and Soulsmith by Will Wight

The Redemption of Time by Baoshu – A Three-Body Problem Novel

July 15, 2019

While I think there’s a lot for Three-Body fans to enjoy in this novel, I felt that Baoshu’s contribution to the universe lacked the urgency and depth of the main trilogy. Where Cixin had a set, specific danger within each of his books, Baoshu takes on more of a historian role; the first third of the book is entirely contained within a conversation between two characters, Tianming and AA, discussing what has already happened to them. … More The Redemption of Time by Baoshu – A Three-Body Problem Novel

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

July 3, 2019

Red, White, and Royal Blue will put your emotions through the wringer and bring you back out on the other side as a fundamentally better human being. I’m usually not a fan of contemporary fiction, but this one hit me right in the heart. I loved it to bits. Truly, I just wanted to take Alex and Henry, smoosh their faces together, and tell them that they need to kiss right this minute and acknowledge that they truly are queer as a maypole and desperately, desperately in love with one another. … More Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston