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sergek94's reviews
146 reviews
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
“To effectively contain a civilization’s development and disarm it across such a long span of time, there is only one way: kill its science.”
In the midst of the Chinese cultural revolution, scientific progress is hampered by anti-occidental sentiment, and the scientific broadening of humanity's horizons are criminalized due to the heavy politicization of virtually every area of research.If a scientist made any assertion that came close to contradicting a claim adopted by those in power, they would almost certainly be losing their life. In this turbulent sociopolitical environment, so many people have been subjected to unimaginable cruelties, and the people who witnessed this reality were left irreparably broken and jaded, having lost hope in the goodness of humanity. Could these jaded people look towards the stars, and hope that somewhere out there, a much more advanced alien race can sweep into our planet and save humanity, a species that, instead of unifying itself to ensure survival, has ultimately chosen the path to self destruction?
To say that this book was intellectually stimulating would be an understatement. This science fiction work is definitely the epitome of what this genre can be. The science here is front and center, and the author doesn't hesitate to plunge the reader in the details of it. Apart from the science itself, so many essential sociological and philosophical and environmental themes are explored in profound depth. An antispeciesest ideology as a reaction to the atrocities committed by humanity permeates the motivations of the "antagonistic" characters of this book, and a starry-eyed idealism towards extraterrestrial societies threatens to blind great minds from thinking objectively.Who is to say that aliens are so psychologically advanced that they outgrew the survivalist impulses of war and violence? Why do we assume that different species would act better than us just because they are more "intelligent"? Is it not possible that our naive trust in creatures inhabiting the vast cosmos of space, species that we have never even met, has been dangerously misplaced?
“It was impossible to expect a moral awakening from humankind itself, just like it was impossible to expect humans to lift off the earth by pulling up on their own hair. To achieve moral awakening required a force outside the human race.”
One of my favourite aspects of this novel was the integration of a virtual reality system one of our main characters immerses himself in as a means of exploring the main "mystery" of the book, a sort of game revolving around figuring out a consistent pattern regarding the orbit of 3 suns around a planet, a seemingly chaotic orbit that makes it impossible for life to sustain itself long enough within the planet. If the pattern is cracked, inhabitants of the planet can find a way to effectively navigate this uncertain orbit and survive. The process of figuring out this mystery was very interesting to read about, and the science involved behind it was very logical and deeply analyzed, which anchored the plot to a firm basis of logic.
I found this book to be the perfect blend of hard science fiction accompanied by a riveting plot and a highly immersive atmosphere. Since this is quite heavy on the hard science, with lengthy descriptions that go into great detail, it might not be the perfect read for readers who might find it to be tedious, but if you're a fan of science fiction, this is a must read that will surely be known as a Scifi classic sometime down the line.
The fact that I listened to the audiobook made the science much more digestible and enjoyable for me, and it was a great companion to my commutes! I'm very excited to be diving into the next book of this trilogy to see where the story goes, and I'm grateful that this work has been translated and was exposed to a global reading audience.
“The creation myths of the various peoples and religions of the world pale when compared to the glory of the big bang. The three-billion-year history of life’s evolution from self-reproducing molecules to civilization contains twists and romances that cannot be matched by any myth or epic. There is also the poetic vision of space and time in relativity, the weird subatomic world of quantum mechanics … these wondrous stories of science all possess an irresistible attraction. Through the medium of science fiction, I seek only to create my own worlds using the power of imagination, and to make known the poetry of Nature in those worlds, to tell the romantic legends that have unfolded between Man and Universe.”
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“To effectively contain a civilization’s development and disarm it across such a long span of time, there is only one way: kill its science.”
In the midst of the Chinese cultural revolution, scientific progress is hampered by anti-occidental sentiment, and the scientific broadening of humanity's horizons are criminalized due to the heavy politicization of virtually every area of research.If a scientist made any assertion that came close to contradicting a claim adopted by those in power, they would almost certainly be losing their life. In this turbulent sociopolitical environment, so many people have been subjected to unimaginable cruelties, and the people who witnessed this reality were left irreparably broken and jaded, having lost hope in the goodness of humanity. Could these jaded people look towards the stars, and hope that somewhere out there, a much more advanced alien race can sweep into our planet and save humanity, a species that, instead of unifying itself to ensure survival, has ultimately chosen the path to self destruction?
To say that this book was intellectually stimulating would be an understatement. This science fiction work is definitely the epitome of what this genre can be. The science here is front and center, and the author doesn't hesitate to plunge the reader in the details of it. Apart from the science itself, so many essential sociological and philosophical and environmental themes are explored in profound depth. An antispeciesest ideology as a reaction to the atrocities committed by humanity permeates the motivations of the "antagonistic" characters of this book, and a starry-eyed idealism towards extraterrestrial societies threatens to blind great minds from thinking objectively.Who is to say that aliens are so psychologically advanced that they outgrew the survivalist impulses of war and violence? Why do we assume that different species would act better than us just because they are more "intelligent"? Is it not possible that our naive trust in creatures inhabiting the vast cosmos of space, species that we have never even met, has been dangerously misplaced?
“It was impossible to expect a moral awakening from humankind itself, just like it was impossible to expect humans to lift off the earth by pulling up on their own hair. To achieve moral awakening required a force outside the human race.”
One of my favourite aspects of this novel was the integration of a virtual reality system one of our main characters immerses himself in as a means of exploring the main "mystery" of the book, a sort of game revolving around figuring out a consistent pattern regarding the orbit of 3 suns around a planet, a seemingly chaotic orbit that makes it impossible for life to sustain itself long enough within the planet. If the pattern is cracked, inhabitants of the planet can find a way to effectively navigate this uncertain orbit and survive. The process of figuring out this mystery was very interesting to read about, and the science involved behind it was very logical and deeply analyzed, which anchored the plot to a firm basis of logic.
I found this book to be the perfect blend of hard science fiction accompanied by a riveting plot and a highly immersive atmosphere. Since this is quite heavy on the hard science, with lengthy descriptions that go into great detail, it might not be the perfect read for readers who might find it to be tedious, but if you're a fan of science fiction, this is a must read that will surely be known as a Scifi classic sometime down the line.
The fact that I listened to the audiobook made the science much more digestible and enjoyable for me, and it was a great companion to my commutes! I'm very excited to be diving into the next book of this trilogy to see where the story goes, and I'm grateful that this work has been translated and was exposed to a global reading audience.
“The creation myths of the various peoples and religions of the world pale when compared to the glory of the big bang. The three-billion-year history of life’s evolution from self-reproducing molecules to civilization contains twists and romances that cannot be matched by any myth or epic. There is also the poetic vision of space and time in relativity, the weird subatomic world of quantum mechanics … these wondrous stories of science all possess an irresistible attraction. Through the medium of science fiction, I seek only to create my own worlds using the power of imagination, and to make known the poetry of Nature in those worlds, to tell the romantic legends that have unfolded between Man and Universe.”
Each Of Us A Desert by Mark Oshiro
Xochital is the storyteller of her village, more specifically known as the Cuentista. She has received this role, which is quite the heavy burden to bare, at the age of 8, and she had to be the shoulder of every single person in her community leans on, giving her their deepest and darkest stories, that can oftentimes be traumatizing to hear.Fortunately, Xochital is able to release these secrets to the sun god her community worships, pleasing him and securing his favour towards her people while forgetting everything she was told in the process. However, all this changes one day when Xochital decides to keep these stories and not release them to the sun god, after being told a story that had dangerous consequences and decides to try and prevent them from happening, but ultimately fails to do so. After this incident, Xochital becomes hellbent on finding a way to get rid of her powers, thus releasing the heavy burden that is too much for her to bare, and embarks on a journey into the depths of the desert, looking to find a way to give her powers to someone else.
This is a very quiet and reflective tale. The conflict present in this novel is quite internal, dealing with Xochital's struggles regarding her abilities, and the importance of the stories she is keeping inside her in shaping her identity and defining who she is as a person.A central theme present here is the question of who she truly is without these stories. It's a journey of self-discovery while navigating through an unforgivable scorching desert environment.The overarching theme of this work seems to be the importance of interconnection in our communities. Each story Xochital takes from others and makes a part of her own is a figurative comparison to the very same aspect of reality we live through, since every interaction we have with others marks us in one way or another. If we separate ourselves from the social fabric we find ourselves to be a part of, and try to look deep inside ourselves to see who we are in isolation from that fabric, it would be quite the struggle. Humans mold each other through their interactions, and society is an interdependent ecosystem that is more than the sum of its parts.Xochital's introspective journey in this novel takes her on the path of making this discovery, since at some point, she realizes that when losing the stories she has kept inside of her, she would ultimately be losing a part of herself, and go back to the perpetual state of confusion she was constantly in after each story-releasing ritual.Xochital's relationship with Emilia, her travel partner, is another layer of connection we explore in this story, though their romantic relationship is not as straightforward and as plot-consuming for this to be seen as a romance novel.
The setting and atmosphere are beautifully crafted here, and I was able to visualize the hot orange atmosphere of the desert, and the heat of the searing sun blistering my skin. Despite not much happening plot-wise, this character-driven journey was a gripping read and Mark Oshiro is a talented author. I recommend taking your time reading this book, trying to immerse yourself into the world without rushing through it.I read it relatively fast and couldn't completely appreciate the slow narrative tempo, though I do hope to reread it someday and fully soak in the story.
Thank you to Maria and Sulla for buddy reading this with me!
“We stretch ourselves: to fit within the roles we are given. To make ourselves look better to those around us. To convince one another that we are good people in a world so vacant. Each of us a desert.”
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Xochital is the storyteller of her village, more specifically known as the Cuentista. She has received this role, which is quite the heavy burden to bare, at the age of 8, and she had to be the shoulder of every single person in her community leans on, giving her their deepest and darkest stories, that can oftentimes be traumatizing to hear.Fortunately, Xochital is able to release these secrets to the sun god her community worships, pleasing him and securing his favour towards her people while forgetting everything she was told in the process. However, all this changes one day when Xochital decides to keep these stories and not release them to the sun god, after being told a story that had dangerous consequences and decides to try and prevent them from happening, but ultimately fails to do so. After this incident, Xochital becomes hellbent on finding a way to get rid of her powers, thus releasing the heavy burden that is too much for her to bare, and embarks on a journey into the depths of the desert, looking to find a way to give her powers to someone else.
This is a very quiet and reflective tale. The conflict present in this novel is quite internal, dealing with Xochital's struggles regarding her abilities, and the importance of the stories she is keeping inside her in shaping her identity and defining who she is as a person.A central theme present here is the question of who she truly is without these stories. It's a journey of self-discovery while navigating through an unforgivable scorching desert environment.The overarching theme of this work seems to be the importance of interconnection in our communities. Each story Xochital takes from others and makes a part of her own is a figurative comparison to the very same aspect of reality we live through, since every interaction we have with others marks us in one way or another. If we separate ourselves from the social fabric we find ourselves to be a part of, and try to look deep inside ourselves to see who we are in isolation from that fabric, it would be quite the struggle. Humans mold each other through their interactions, and society is an interdependent ecosystem that is more than the sum of its parts.Xochital's introspective journey in this novel takes her on the path of making this discovery, since at some point, she realizes that when losing the stories she has kept inside of her, she would ultimately be losing a part of herself, and go back to the perpetual state of confusion she was constantly in after each story-releasing ritual.Xochital's relationship with Emilia, her travel partner, is another layer of connection we explore in this story, though their romantic relationship is not as straightforward and as plot-consuming for this to be seen as a romance novel.
The setting and atmosphere are beautifully crafted here, and I was able to visualize the hot orange atmosphere of the desert, and the heat of the searing sun blistering my skin. Despite not much happening plot-wise, this character-driven journey was a gripping read and Mark Oshiro is a talented author. I recommend taking your time reading this book, trying to immerse yourself into the world without rushing through it.I read it relatively fast and couldn't completely appreciate the slow narrative tempo, though I do hope to reread it someday and fully soak in the story.
Thank you to Maria and Sulla for buddy reading this with me!
“We stretch ourselves: to fit within the roles we are given. To make ourselves look better to those around us. To convince one another that we are good people in a world so vacant. Each of us a desert.”
The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden
In this near futuristic version of South Africa, technology and robotics are booming fields. The economy is doing quite well and new innovations by humankind involving genetic engineering promise to make life better for everyone, especially the poorer class. In this rich world full of science and progress, there's a looming supernatural threat in the form of an ancient demigoddess who is trying to regain her old powers and wreak destruction on mankind. In this bizarre work, we follow two demigoddess sisters, one who is trying to take over the world while the other is trying to put a stop to her evil sister's power-hungry ambitions, one teenager who's coming to terms with his latest discovery of a hallucinogenic drug, one pop-star diva who is struggling to find a balance between her daddy issues and her immense fame that has people idolizing her, and a councilman who is trying to make it in the competitive world of town politics while balancing out a secret life as a drag queen on the side.
When starting this book, I didn't expect it to be as much of a roller-coaster ride as it was. I had heard that it was an interesting blend of science fiction and fantasy, but did not expect the fantastical elements to be as bizarre. We go from a believably futuristic world full of robots and advanced technology and a bustling city life to a very chaotic world where people turn into monsters, where a purely evil demigoddess flaunts her power by bringing Armageddon upon South Africa, and where our characters have to go as far as taking a trip into another dimension where dead people end up going in order to find some form of closure.We even have a very interesting subplot where hundreds of robots in the city plan an uprising against their owners and try to reclaim their rights, with some of them going as far as wanting to enslave their former masters.
If you're going to be enjoying this book, you need to be ready for some very bizarre content! The book just kept getting weirder and weirder and I was so confused by the end, but equally amazed at all the different levels of unpredictable craziness happening everywhere.It's quite difficult to sum up the overarching plot in this one because so many weird things were going on, but it was all so preposterously entertaining for me so I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would. If you're going to read this, please be extremely willing to suspend your disbelief and go along the ride Nicky Drayden puts you through in this debut work of hers.
I don't think this book is for everyone, since it does seem to be a combustive mash of weirdness and absurdity, which might deter many people from the story, but if you're into this type of thing, like I am, this might be a fun ride!
“Please disregard the previous disregard message. Sender undoubtedly has its CPU stuck up its posterior access port.”
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
In this near futuristic version of South Africa, technology and robotics are booming fields. The economy is doing quite well and new innovations by humankind involving genetic engineering promise to make life better for everyone, especially the poorer class. In this rich world full of science and progress, there's a looming supernatural threat in the form of an ancient demigoddess who is trying to regain her old powers and wreak destruction on mankind. In this bizarre work, we follow two demigoddess sisters, one who is trying to take over the world while the other is trying to put a stop to her evil sister's power-hungry ambitions, one teenager who's coming to terms with his latest discovery of a hallucinogenic drug, one pop-star diva who is struggling to find a balance between her daddy issues and her immense fame that has people idolizing her, and a councilman who is trying to make it in the competitive world of town politics while balancing out a secret life as a drag queen on the side.
When starting this book, I didn't expect it to be as much of a roller-coaster ride as it was. I had heard that it was an interesting blend of science fiction and fantasy, but did not expect the fantastical elements to be as bizarre. We go from a believably futuristic world full of robots and advanced technology and a bustling city life to a very chaotic world where people turn into monsters, where a purely evil demigoddess flaunts her power by bringing Armageddon upon South Africa, and where our characters have to go as far as taking a trip into another dimension where dead people end up going in order to find some form of closure.We even have a very interesting subplot where hundreds of robots in the city plan an uprising against their owners and try to reclaim their rights, with some of them going as far as wanting to enslave their former masters.
If you're going to be enjoying this book, you need to be ready for some very bizarre content! The book just kept getting weirder and weirder and I was so confused by the end, but equally amazed at all the different levels of unpredictable craziness happening everywhere.It's quite difficult to sum up the overarching plot in this one because so many weird things were going on, but it was all so preposterously entertaining for me so I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would. If you're going to read this, please be extremely willing to suspend your disbelief and go along the ride Nicky Drayden puts you through in this debut work of hers.
I don't think this book is for everyone, since it does seem to be a combustive mash of weirdness and absurdity, which might deter many people from the story, but if you're into this type of thing, like I am, this might be a fun ride!
“Please disregard the previous disregard message. Sender undoubtedly has its CPU stuck up its posterior access port.”
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
Xingyin is used to blissful isolation, since she has lived most of her days secluded away from the harsh realities of everyday life, as the daughter of the Moon Goddess, an immortal woman who was exiled to an eternity of isolation on the moon, as punishment for stealing the Celestial Emperor's elixir of immortality. After long years of relative serenity on the moon, Xingyin's existence is discovered by the Celestial Empire, and she's forced to leave her home and flee to safety. After her escape, she's eventually found by a noble family and becomes one of their maids, living a starkly different life than the blissful one she had back on the moon. However, after a random incident led her to meet the prince of the Celestial Empire, Xingyin attempts to make her way to court in order to somehow win the Celestial Emperor's favour and persuade him to free her mother from her eternal imprisonment on the moon, which would also lead to their eventual reunion.
This is a debut fantasy novel by Sue Lynn Tan, and I listened to the audiobook. It took me quite a bit of time to get through, since I started listening to it in January and finally got around to finishing it in May, which is a telltale sign that the story didn't really grip me as much as I would have wanted it to, not because it's badly written, but because the plot and characters themselves are quite formulaic. We have typically predictable romance tropes and a fairly straightforward plot progression, and the book didn't really feel like it did anything new. The Asian inspired world reminds me of a nicely dreamy fantasy anime seriesand Xingyin 's adventures were entertaining to listen to, but her romance with the prince felt very similar to the thousands of other generic royal court romance stories that exist out there, and the obstacles coming between their love and their conflicts were also neatly formulaic.
Overall, this is an okay read if you're looking for this specific formulaic romance trope between a prince and a girl who's the daughter of distinguished parents but is going undercover as a regular commoner. It's a safe read if you know what you're looking for but nothing complex and different. The characters didn't really stick with me personally, but it is a nicely written tale with decent world-building and a nice fairy-tale-like atmosphere. The words flow smoothly and the author did a good job making the world feel well-rounded and complete. I might check out the second book of this duology once it comes out if I'm in the mood for something light.
“I had always thought life was a road, twisting and turning with the vagaries of fate. Luck and opportunity, gifts beyond our control. As I gazed across the endless night, it dawned on me then, that our paths were forged from the choices we made. Whether to reach for an opportunity or to let it pass by. To be swept up with changed or to hold your ground.”
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Xingyin is used to blissful isolation, since she has lived most of her days secluded away from the harsh realities of everyday life, as the daughter of the Moon Goddess, an immortal woman who was exiled to an eternity of isolation on the moon, as punishment for stealing the Celestial Emperor's elixir of immortality. After long years of relative serenity on the moon, Xingyin's existence is discovered by the Celestial Empire, and she's forced to leave her home and flee to safety. After her escape, she's eventually found by a noble family and becomes one of their maids, living a starkly different life than the blissful one she had back on the moon. However, after a random incident led her to meet the prince of the Celestial Empire, Xingyin attempts to make her way to court in order to somehow win the Celestial Emperor's favour and persuade him to free her mother from her eternal imprisonment on the moon, which would also lead to their eventual reunion.
This is a debut fantasy novel by Sue Lynn Tan, and I listened to the audiobook. It took me quite a bit of time to get through, since I started listening to it in January and finally got around to finishing it in May, which is a telltale sign that the story didn't really grip me as much as I would have wanted it to, not because it's badly written, but because the plot and characters themselves are quite formulaic. We have typically predictable romance tropes and a fairly straightforward plot progression, and the book didn't really feel like it did anything new. The Asian inspired world reminds me of a nicely dreamy fantasy anime seriesand Xingyin 's adventures were entertaining to listen to, but her romance with the prince felt very similar to the thousands of other generic royal court romance stories that exist out there, and the obstacles coming between their love and their conflicts were also neatly formulaic.
Overall, this is an okay read if you're looking for this specific formulaic romance trope between a prince and a girl who's the daughter of distinguished parents but is going undercover as a regular commoner. It's a safe read if you know what you're looking for but nothing complex and different. The characters didn't really stick with me personally, but it is a nicely written tale with decent world-building and a nice fairy-tale-like atmosphere. The words flow smoothly and the author did a good job making the world feel well-rounded and complete. I might check out the second book of this duology once it comes out if I'm in the mood for something light.
“I had always thought life was a road, twisting and turning with the vagaries of fate. Luck and opportunity, gifts beyond our control. As I gazed across the endless night, it dawned on me then, that our paths were forged from the choices we made. Whether to reach for an opportunity or to let it pass by. To be swept up with changed or to hold your ground.”
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Richard comes from a broken home, with a toxic family dynamic and a lack of a close familial bond with his parents. He has always felt isolated from everyone, likely because he never received affection from the people who raised him, which ended up building an invisible wall between him and the rest of society. Intellectual and opinionated in nature, he looks down on the day-to-day mediocrities of present-day mainstream society, and longs for something more profound and romanticized, a poetic life that is above the ordinary.Fortunately for Richard, that is the exact thing he finds once he gets accepted into an elite college in Vermont, and gets entangled with a group of students who live in their own little world, isolated from everyone else, just like him. These students are the elite "chosen-ones" who have been handpicked by a senior Greek language instructor, who has bent the rules of the academic institution he's in and made himself their sole teacher, keenly following ancient Greek traditions, where student and master have a long-term relationship with each other, and the student learns everything they need to from that one instructor, adding a more intimate, romanticized aspect to the student/teacher relationship, much like Plato and Aristotle. It seems like Richard got everything he wished for when he was accepted among these elites, but little does he know that beneath their pristine and well-polished exterior, a darker and more gruesome reality is festering.
“Beauty is rarely soft or consolatory. Quite the contrary. Genuine beauty is always quite alarming.”
This book was my first venture into dark academia, a genre I always heard about but had trouble understanding, and I think this book served as a good introduction to the genre, having the most typical aspects of what one might expect. An academic college setting, highlighting the day to day life of students, but through a somewhat aristocratic, high-strung lens, with an over-the-top elitist attitude being the main highlight of most of the characters. I admit that it took me a while to warm up to this atmosphere, because most of the characters were very unlikable for a small while until I was able to bond with them. There's a snobbery and intellectual elitism that is definitely present within the social dynamics of these characters, where your value as a human is determined by things like your favourite poem from the ancient Greek era. The characters have highly specific and refined tastes that are nothing short of frustratingly uptight. One would wonder what I actually enjoyed about this book, but this is where Donna Tartt worked her magic through her authorial voice. The more I read about these characters, the more I warmed up to their ridiculously snobby eccentricity.It was a pleasantly surprising case of being handed a handful of annoying and pretentious characters and ending up eventually liking them and even feeling sorry for them, seeing them for what they truly are, "unique" souls who feel fundamentally misunderstood by society, and building their own romanticized bubble, away from regular society.For them, this bubble was their fixation on ancient Greek culture, a lens they used to navigate the late 20th century American world. Both the pleasantries and dangers of this approach to life were highlighted really nicely in this work. On the one hand, it gives reality a richly romanticized overlay, which makes life more interesting and meaningful, and on the other hand, it leads to a dangerous and even deadly disconnect from the real-world, justifying atrocities.
“There are such things as ghosts. People everywhere have always known that. And we believe in them every bit as much as Homer did. Only now, we call them by different names. Memory. The unconscious.”
I would consider this book to be an in-depth character exploration, delving into the psyche of this group of students. Do not read this expecting a richly plot-centered narrative, and don't read it expecting a typical mystery novel either.Yes, there is a murder, but we know who the murdered person is very early on, and we even know who did it, so the mystery isn't really what drives this book, but it's the characters themselves, their motivations and their way of viewing the world. The writing style and the intellectual explorations Donna Tartt engages in throughout this work are the engines which drive this story. The atmosphere is almost always dark and gloomy, and the atmospheric work here is definitely top-notch. I would recommend reading this book during a darkly grey, rainy week. Despite being in America, there is a very gothic "British" feel to this book, and it reminds me of grey London winters. This wintry atmosphere combined with the themes of isolation, intellectual elitism and the fixation on crystallized ideals makes this a very interesting book.
What I find brilliant in this work is the fact that the author seemed to have taken a ridiculous set of characters, made them do ridiculously nonsensical things that defy limits of rational thinking, but somehow made it a very romanticized and intellectually deep story to read, just by the sheer force of her writing.This book has been classified as literary fiction, so this does make sense, and is a testament of a work that successfully did what it set out to do, in my opinion. However, if you're into plot, and characters that are actually accessible and relatable, who do things that make sense, then this isn't really the book for you. These students almost don't seem to be human, and they quite literally feel like a group of time travelers who happened to stumble upon an era that is completely incompatible with them. However, if you're into literary fiction and don't mind and even enjoy a lot of character exploration and a good amount of philosophizing and atmosphere building that doesn't necessarily have a clear direction, this book is definitely a must read. I would definitely consider this a classic that will stand the test of time, it just needs the right audience for it.
“Does such a thing as 'the fatal flaw,' that showy dark crack running down the middle of a life, exist outside literature? I used to think it didn't. Now I think it does. And I think that mine is this: a morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs.”
dark
reflective
relaxing
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Richard comes from a broken home, with a toxic family dynamic and a lack of a close familial bond with his parents. He has always felt isolated from everyone, likely because he never received affection from the people who raised him, which ended up building an invisible wall between him and the rest of society. Intellectual and opinionated in nature, he looks down on the day-to-day mediocrities of present-day mainstream society, and longs for something more profound and romanticized, a poetic life that is above the ordinary.Fortunately for Richard, that is the exact thing he finds once he gets accepted into an elite college in Vermont, and gets entangled with a group of students who live in their own little world, isolated from everyone else, just like him. These students are the elite "chosen-ones" who have been handpicked by a senior Greek language instructor, who has bent the rules of the academic institution he's in and made himself their sole teacher, keenly following ancient Greek traditions, where student and master have a long-term relationship with each other, and the student learns everything they need to from that one instructor, adding a more intimate, romanticized aspect to the student/teacher relationship, much like Plato and Aristotle. It seems like Richard got everything he wished for when he was accepted among these elites, but little does he know that beneath their pristine and well-polished exterior, a darker and more gruesome reality is festering.
“Beauty is rarely soft or consolatory. Quite the contrary. Genuine beauty is always quite alarming.”
This book was my first venture into dark academia, a genre I always heard about but had trouble understanding, and I think this book served as a good introduction to the genre, having the most typical aspects of what one might expect. An academic college setting, highlighting the day to day life of students, but through a somewhat aristocratic, high-strung lens, with an over-the-top elitist attitude being the main highlight of most of the characters. I admit that it took me a while to warm up to this atmosphere, because most of the characters were very unlikable for a small while until I was able to bond with them. There's a snobbery and intellectual elitism that is definitely present within the social dynamics of these characters, where your value as a human is determined by things like your favourite poem from the ancient Greek era. The characters have highly specific and refined tastes that are nothing short of frustratingly uptight. One would wonder what I actually enjoyed about this book, but this is where Donna Tartt worked her magic through her authorial voice. The more I read about these characters, the more I warmed up to their ridiculously snobby eccentricity.It was a pleasantly surprising case of being handed a handful of annoying and pretentious characters and ending up eventually liking them and even feeling sorry for them, seeing them for what they truly are, "unique" souls who feel fundamentally misunderstood by society, and building their own romanticized bubble, away from regular society.For them, this bubble was their fixation on ancient Greek culture, a lens they used to navigate the late 20th century American world. Both the pleasantries and dangers of this approach to life were highlighted really nicely in this work. On the one hand, it gives reality a richly romanticized overlay, which makes life more interesting and meaningful, and on the other hand, it leads to a dangerous and even deadly disconnect from the real-world, justifying atrocities.
“There are such things as ghosts. People everywhere have always known that. And we believe in them every bit as much as Homer did. Only now, we call them by different names. Memory. The unconscious.”
I would consider this book to be an in-depth character exploration, delving into the psyche of this group of students. Do not read this expecting a richly plot-centered narrative, and don't read it expecting a typical mystery novel either.Yes, there is a murder, but we know who the murdered person is very early on, and we even know who did it, so the mystery isn't really what drives this book, but it's the characters themselves, their motivations and their way of viewing the world. The writing style and the intellectual explorations Donna Tartt engages in throughout this work are the engines which drive this story. The atmosphere is almost always dark and gloomy, and the atmospheric work here is definitely top-notch. I would recommend reading this book during a darkly grey, rainy week. Despite being in America, there is a very gothic "British" feel to this book, and it reminds me of grey London winters. This wintry atmosphere combined with the themes of isolation, intellectual elitism and the fixation on crystallized ideals makes this a very interesting book.
What I find brilliant in this work is the fact that the author seemed to have taken a ridiculous set of characters, made them do ridiculously nonsensical things that defy limits of rational thinking, but somehow made it a very romanticized and intellectually deep story to read, just by the sheer force of her writing.This book has been classified as literary fiction, so this does make sense, and is a testament of a work that successfully did what it set out to do, in my opinion. However, if you're into plot, and characters that are actually accessible and relatable, who do things that make sense, then this isn't really the book for you. These students almost don't seem to be human, and they quite literally feel like a group of time travelers who happened to stumble upon an era that is completely incompatible with them. However, if you're into literary fiction and don't mind and even enjoy a lot of character exploration and a good amount of philosophizing and atmosphere building that doesn't necessarily have a clear direction, this book is definitely a must read. I would definitely consider this a classic that will stand the test of time, it just needs the right audience for it.
“Does such a thing as 'the fatal flaw,' that showy dark crack running down the middle of a life, exist outside literature? I used to think it didn't. Now I think it does. And I think that mine is this: a morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs.”
Patternmaster by Octavia E. Butler
The world is no longer controlled by what we would call normal humans. These humans have left their glorious days in the past, and the large and once bustling cities full of skyscrapers are now ancient ruins that mark what once was.Instead, the world is dominated by a specific subset of humans who possess psychic powers. These people are called the Patternists, and they use their mind-control abilities to subdue other creatures and bend them to their will.One person, the Patternmaster, a man named Rayal, is superior to all of them, having control over this psychic net. However, the Patternmaster is dying, which means that one of his hundreds of children will have to replace him. This story follows two brothers who are the most powerful of these children and stand the highest chance of becoming the next Patternmaster. The older brother, Coransee, who already has a lot of power and status, is the obvious candidate, but when his younger brother, Teray, reveals himself as a potential threat, Coransee does everything in his power to subdue him, but Teray is not one to be easily broken.
This is Octavia Butler's debut novel, and interestingly enough, this book, despite being the first book of the Patternmaster series to be published, is chronologically the final book in the story. That's why a lot of people actually start off with the book that comes first chronologically, and end up reading this book at the end. I chose not to do this because I knew that if I would have been inevitably disappointed, since as a debut novel, I was sure this book would have been underwhelming compared to the other ones, where Octavia Butler had more experience as a writer. I'm definitely glad I made this choice. Reading this as the first book in the series, despite it being the last one chronologically, does a good job in building the world Octavia Butler wants us to explore. In this universe, social laws are different. They seem to be an extreme form of ancient Turkish/Arab/oriental culture, where each Patternist owns a "House", where he reigns supreme, and has the right to sleep with any woman (and technically, also man) who is part of that House. Everyone in that house would exist to serve him. As for the "normal" humans who don't possess these psychic powers, they're classified as "Mutes" and are treated as vulnerable servants to the Patternists. We also have another group of people, called the Clayarks, who seem to be a sort of mutated subspecies of humans, who don't have the same powers the Patternists do, but have enhanced combat abilities. The Clayarks are nomadic and are openly hostile to the Patternists, and seek to infect them with a sort of disease that they carry, which the Patternists are vulnerable to.
As we can see, the world is a nicely complex one. The themes of power dynamics and slavery seem to be strongly present in this book.We see this first and foremost between the two brothers, Coransee and Teray. Coransee is obviously threatened by Teray's potential, and tries to break him in every way possible, through brute psychic and physical force, and through social humiliation. Coransee doesn't hesitate to use his social privileges to bring Teray down, such as becoming sexually intimate with Teray's love interests, with or without their consent.Teray is faced with the difficult choice of either becoming Coransee's slave, having limited freedom and being forced to follow his orders and live a demeaning life, or to live a free life, even becoming the future owner of Coransee's House when Coransee takes his spot as the new Patternmaster, with the cost of giving Coransee full mental control over him. Coransee claims that he would never truly interfere in Teray's life, and would only do so if Teray ever chose to rebel against him. This leads to another freedom related theme in this book. Is life worth living, when one knows that they are not truly free, and are simply allowed to exercise their liberties? Teray fights against this notion, and prefers risking his own life and the lives of the people he cares for, instead of submitting to that fate. The relationship between the Patternists and the Mutes also falls under the umbrella of this theme. It is frowned upon to use violence against Mutes since they are considered to be fragile and defenseless against the Patternists, but should we see this as an act of kindness? Why submit the Mutes to a life of servitude in the first place? One can easily see how this type of thinking is present in our non-fictitious world.
The atmosphere is bleak and cynical, and although the book doesn't really have much graphic violence, it does have psychological power struggles that can weigh heavy on the reader.The dirty power games Coransee plays against Teray can be potentially difficult to read, and the abuse of power always present in the book can be unnerving. This isn't an action packed plot heavy book, but a contemplative and atmospheric one.So if one's in the mood to dive into this atmosphere and contemplate the social issues brought up here, this book is worth the read. I recommend people to start with this book, because based on many people's reviews, they were disappointed with this installment after having read the books that are chronologically set before this one. I can understand why, because I found the ending to be a bit underwhelming and rushed, but it didn't bother me because this book didn't serve as the series finale for me, but if it had, I would have been greatly frustrated.
I'm looking forward to reading the next installments of this series. I will be reading them in publication order, and the next books are prequels to this one, so this would be a unique case where the story and the world would develop as we move further back in time. I'm giving this a 3.75; it is a nice book when it comes to the thematic explorations and the atmosphere, but not so interesting when it comes to the plot itself. However, it was an intellectually satisfying read.
"A long leash is still a leash."
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The world is no longer controlled by what we would call normal humans. These humans have left their glorious days in the past, and the large and once bustling cities full of skyscrapers are now ancient ruins that mark what once was.Instead, the world is dominated by a specific subset of humans who possess psychic powers. These people are called the Patternists, and they use their mind-control abilities to subdue other creatures and bend them to their will.One person, the Patternmaster, a man named Rayal, is superior to all of them, having control over this psychic net. However, the Patternmaster is dying, which means that one of his hundreds of children will have to replace him. This story follows two brothers who are the most powerful of these children and stand the highest chance of becoming the next Patternmaster. The older brother, Coransee, who already has a lot of power and status, is the obvious candidate, but when his younger brother, Teray, reveals himself as a potential threat, Coransee does everything in his power to subdue him, but Teray is not one to be easily broken.
This is Octavia Butler's debut novel, and interestingly enough, this book, despite being the first book of the Patternmaster series to be published, is chronologically the final book in the story. That's why a lot of people actually start off with the book that comes first chronologically, and end up reading this book at the end. I chose not to do this because I knew that if I would have been inevitably disappointed, since as a debut novel, I was sure this book would have been underwhelming compared to the other ones, where Octavia Butler had more experience as a writer. I'm definitely glad I made this choice. Reading this as the first book in the series, despite it being the last one chronologically, does a good job in building the world Octavia Butler wants us to explore. In this universe, social laws are different. They seem to be an extreme form of ancient Turkish/Arab/oriental culture, where each Patternist owns a "House", where he reigns supreme, and has the right to sleep with any woman (and technically, also man) who is part of that House. Everyone in that house would exist to serve him. As for the "normal" humans who don't possess these psychic powers, they're classified as "Mutes" and are treated as vulnerable servants to the Patternists. We also have another group of people, called the Clayarks, who seem to be a sort of mutated subspecies of humans, who don't have the same powers the Patternists do, but have enhanced combat abilities. The Clayarks are nomadic and are openly hostile to the Patternists, and seek to infect them with a sort of disease that they carry, which the Patternists are vulnerable to.
As we can see, the world is a nicely complex one. The themes of power dynamics and slavery seem to be strongly present in this book.We see this first and foremost between the two brothers, Coransee and Teray. Coransee is obviously threatened by Teray's potential, and tries to break him in every way possible, through brute psychic and physical force, and through social humiliation. Coransee doesn't hesitate to use his social privileges to bring Teray down, such as becoming sexually intimate with Teray's love interests, with or without their consent.Teray is faced with the difficult choice of either becoming Coransee's slave, having limited freedom and being forced to follow his orders and live a demeaning life, or to live a free life, even becoming the future owner of Coransee's House when Coransee takes his spot as the new Patternmaster, with the cost of giving Coransee full mental control over him. Coransee claims that he would never truly interfere in Teray's life, and would only do so if Teray ever chose to rebel against him. This leads to another freedom related theme in this book. Is life worth living, when one knows that they are not truly free, and are simply allowed to exercise their liberties? Teray fights against this notion, and prefers risking his own life and the lives of the people he cares for, instead of submitting to that fate. The relationship between the Patternists and the Mutes also falls under the umbrella of this theme. It is frowned upon to use violence against Mutes since they are considered to be fragile and defenseless against the Patternists, but should we see this as an act of kindness? Why submit the Mutes to a life of servitude in the first place? One can easily see how this type of thinking is present in our non-fictitious world.
The atmosphere is bleak and cynical, and although the book doesn't really have much graphic violence, it does have psychological power struggles that can weigh heavy on the reader.The dirty power games Coransee plays against Teray can be potentially difficult to read, and the abuse of power always present in the book can be unnerving. This isn't an action packed plot heavy book, but a contemplative and atmospheric one.So if one's in the mood to dive into this atmosphere and contemplate the social issues brought up here, this book is worth the read. I recommend people to start with this book, because based on many people's reviews, they were disappointed with this installment after having read the books that are chronologically set before this one. I can understand why, because I found the ending to be a bit underwhelming and rushed, but it didn't bother me because this book didn't serve as the series finale for me, but if it had, I would have been greatly frustrated.
I'm looking forward to reading the next installments of this series. I will be reading them in publication order, and the next books are prequels to this one, so this would be a unique case where the story and the world would develop as we move further back in time. I'm giving this a 3.75; it is a nice book when it comes to the thematic explorations and the atmosphere, but not so interesting when it comes to the plot itself. However, it was an intellectually satisfying read.
"A long leash is still a leash."
Bloodchild by Octavia E. Butler
“Yes. Tomorrow you will resume your suffering—if you must. But just now, just for now, lie here and warm me and let me ease your way a little.”
To escape the dark reality of earth, a group of people known as the Terrans made their escape from the planet, venturing into space, in hopes of finding a better planet to live in. Unfortunately, these humans found themselves in a new horrifying reality. They now live on a distant planet, alongside centipede-like creatures called the Tlic who are facing potential extinction. In order to ensure the preservation of their species, these creatures use humans as hosts for their larva, planting them inside human bodies and allowing them to grow inside of them. When the time comes, these humans give birth to the alien creatures, and the process is extremely bloody and painful, that involves their insides being torn apart as the newly hatched aliens exit the human bodies. If not done correctly, this process is fatal to humans.
This short story was the first work I read by Octavia Butler, and it was an excellent introduction to her writing, making me very eager to read her full length novels. The themes explored regarding the interdependence of these two species were done so in a profound manner. There is an unequal power dynamic between these many legged creatures and the humans.The humans are ultimately submissive to these creatures, acting as vassals to their offspring, and in turn, they are taken care of and can live, as long as the process of giving birth doesn't go wrong. This story is oddly romantic at certain places and has erotic undertones, and Octavia Butler herself classified it as a form of an erotic romance.I believe this work also explores the concept of sexual slavery,despite Octavia Butler claiming that is not the theme she intended this story to carry. It is heavy on gore and can get quite disgusting, as the intricate details of how the larva develop into young Tlic and tear the humans inside out are not shied away from by the author. At the same time, there is a dynamic of tenderness and care shown between the Tlic in this story and the family she is living with. We even see a quite graphic scene where this creature gently impregnates a man after choosing him as her children's vassal, and it read like a very twisted alien on human erotica. I found the idea of human males being impregnated by female Tlic bizarrely interesting, and the way Octavia Butler seamlessly merges bizarre erotic relationships with gruesomely harsh consequences made this an unforgettable read. I was pretty disturbed throughout the story since it is a pretty dark one, and even the "tender" scenes have a gruesomeness to them that I literally felt on my skin,which is a testament to her excellent and immersive writing.
I can see why this story won the Hugo, Locus, Nebula and Science Fiction Chronicle awards, I think I would count it as a classic must read for fans of this genre, as long as the reader is okay with the extremely bizarre gruesomeness that is definitely present here!
“I saw them eat a man.” He paused. “It was when I was little. I had been to the Hartmund house and I was on my way home. Halfway here, I saw a man and a Tlic, and the man was N’Tlic. The ground was hilly. I was able to hide from them and watch. The Tlic wouldn’t open the man because she had nothing to feed the grubs. The man couldn’t go any further and there were no houses around. He was in so much pain, he told her to kill him. He begged her to kill him. Finally, she did. She cut his throat. One swipe of one claw. I saw the grubs eat their way out, then burrow in again, still eating.”
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“Yes. Tomorrow you will resume your suffering—if you must. But just now, just for now, lie here and warm me and let me ease your way a little.”
To escape the dark reality of earth, a group of people known as the Terrans made their escape from the planet, venturing into space, in hopes of finding a better planet to live in. Unfortunately, these humans found themselves in a new horrifying reality. They now live on a distant planet, alongside centipede-like creatures called the Tlic who are facing potential extinction. In order to ensure the preservation of their species, these creatures use humans as hosts for their larva, planting them inside human bodies and allowing them to grow inside of them. When the time comes, these humans give birth to the alien creatures, and the process is extremely bloody and painful, that involves their insides being torn apart as the newly hatched aliens exit the human bodies. If not done correctly, this process is fatal to humans.
This short story was the first work I read by Octavia Butler, and it was an excellent introduction to her writing, making me very eager to read her full length novels. The themes explored regarding the interdependence of these two species were done so in a profound manner. There is an unequal power dynamic between these many legged creatures and the humans.The humans are ultimately submissive to these creatures, acting as vassals to their offspring, and in turn, they are taken care of and can live, as long as the process of giving birth doesn't go wrong. This story is oddly romantic at certain places and has erotic undertones, and Octavia Butler herself classified it as a form of an erotic romance.I believe this work also explores the concept of sexual slavery,despite Octavia Butler claiming that is not the theme she intended this story to carry. It is heavy on gore and can get quite disgusting, as the intricate details of how the larva develop into young Tlic and tear the humans inside out are not shied away from by the author. At the same time, there is a dynamic of tenderness and care shown between the Tlic in this story and the family she is living with. We even see a quite graphic scene where this creature gently impregnates a man after choosing him as her children's vassal, and it read like a very twisted alien on human erotica. I found the idea of human males being impregnated by female Tlic bizarrely interesting, and the way Octavia Butler seamlessly merges bizarre erotic relationships with gruesomely harsh consequences made this an unforgettable read. I was pretty disturbed throughout the story since it is a pretty dark one, and even the "tender" scenes have a gruesomeness to them that I literally felt on my skin,which is a testament to her excellent and immersive writing.
I can see why this story won the Hugo, Locus, Nebula and Science Fiction Chronicle awards, I think I would count it as a classic must read for fans of this genre, as long as the reader is okay with the extremely bizarre gruesomeness that is definitely present here!
“I saw them eat a man.” He paused. “It was when I was little. I had been to the Hartmund house and I was on my way home. Halfway here, I saw a man and a Tlic, and the man was N’Tlic. The ground was hilly. I was able to hide from them and watch. The Tlic wouldn’t open the man because she had nothing to feed the grubs. The man couldn’t go any further and there were no houses around. He was in so much pain, he told her to kill him. He begged her to kill him. Finally, she did. She cut his throat. One swipe of one claw. I saw the grubs eat their way out, then burrow in again, still eating.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
“We're all just wandering through the tundra of our existence, assigning value to worthlessness, when all that we love and hate, all we believe in and fight for and kill for and die for is as meaningless as images projected onto Plexiglass.”
A harsh reality of life, but a reality nonetheless, is the fact that the strings that hold together our day to day comfort are more fragile than we think they are.If there's a book that can make you be grateful for the little things in life, like the way the birds chirp outside your window in the morning, the aroma of morning coffee you're drinking while you hear the water running while your wife is taking a shower, and the bored look your son gives you when you crack one of your "lame dad jokes", it's this one. Seriously, this book anchors you in that cozy routine from the very first chapter, exploring Jason Dessen's ordinarily peaceful life with his wife Daniela and their son Charlie, before violently stripping you away from it, when Jason is kidnapped by a masked figure, taken somewhere remote, while being forced to drive away from the comfort of his life, from everything he loved and hated at the same time, and injected with a strange substance that knocks him out completely. Jason wakes up from that stupor, to a whole new world, where Daniela isn't his wife, where Charlie doesn't exist, and where he's a high profile figure who went missing for 8 months and is now being welcomed back as a hero.
This is one of those books that are absolutely hard to put down. It's a SF work that is beautifully accessible to all readers, containing just the right amount of theory and reflection to give it its rightful spot within the genre, and just the right amount of plot and suspense to make it a riveting thrill to get through.The more the chapters progress, the more wonderfully absurdthe plot becomes. The subject matter deals with the multiverse theory, and the millions of parallel realities that exist alongside ours, triggered by all the little choices we make by the minute. Each choice made makes the universe branch out into the infinite other possibilities that could have been if that choice wasn't taken. Just think about it, there are versions of you who never broke up with your ex, versions of you who decided to drop out of school and join an illegal drug dealing business, versions of you that never survived past the age of 2.This book expertly explores the insanity of the implications of this theory, and keeps taking it up a notch, chapter by chapter.
The main mystery was one I was able to guess quite soon, and I'm very happy that the author respected the intelligence of the reader and gave us the truth of what happened quite early on.I worried that once the mystery was revealed, the book would descend in quality, but that wasn't the case. The thrill and excitement were there until the very last chapter. I would definitely want to see a movie version of this, or perhaps a Netflix series. I could vividly picture the environments the author was describing, and was as tense and as terrified as Jason when the whole world was crumbling around him (quite literally, I must add). It was a fun, exciting, thrilling, intellectually stimulating and emotional readand I recommend everyone, even those who aren't a fan of SF, to read this very accessible work that belongs to this genre.
“We all live day to day completely oblivious to the fact that we’re a part of a much larger and stranger reality than we can possibly imagine.”
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“We're all just wandering through the tundra of our existence, assigning value to worthlessness, when all that we love and hate, all we believe in and fight for and kill for and die for is as meaningless as images projected onto Plexiglass.”
A harsh reality of life, but a reality nonetheless, is the fact that the strings that hold together our day to day comfort are more fragile than we think they are.If there's a book that can make you be grateful for the little things in life, like the way the birds chirp outside your window in the morning, the aroma of morning coffee you're drinking while you hear the water running while your wife is taking a shower, and the bored look your son gives you when you crack one of your "lame dad jokes", it's this one. Seriously, this book anchors you in that cozy routine from the very first chapter, exploring Jason Dessen's ordinarily peaceful life with his wife Daniela and their son Charlie, before violently stripping you away from it, when Jason is kidnapped by a masked figure, taken somewhere remote, while being forced to drive away from the comfort of his life, from everything he loved and hated at the same time, and injected with a strange substance that knocks him out completely. Jason wakes up from that stupor, to a whole new world, where Daniela isn't his wife, where Charlie doesn't exist, and where he's a high profile figure who went missing for 8 months and is now being welcomed back as a hero.
This is one of those books that are absolutely hard to put down. It's a SF work that is beautifully accessible to all readers, containing just the right amount of theory and reflection to give it its rightful spot within the genre, and just the right amount of plot and suspense to make it a riveting thrill to get through.The more the chapters progress, the more wonderfully absurdthe plot becomes. The subject matter deals with the multiverse theory, and the millions of parallel realities that exist alongside ours, triggered by all the little choices we make by the minute. Each choice made makes the universe branch out into the infinite other possibilities that could have been if that choice wasn't taken. Just think about it, there are versions of you who never broke up with your ex, versions of you who decided to drop out of school and join an illegal drug dealing business, versions of you that never survived past the age of 2.This book expertly explores the insanity of the implications of this theory, and keeps taking it up a notch, chapter by chapter.
The main mystery was one I was able to guess quite soon, and I'm very happy that the author respected the intelligence of the reader and gave us the truth of what happened quite early on.I worried that once the mystery was revealed, the book would descend in quality, but that wasn't the case. The thrill and excitement were there until the very last chapter. I would definitely want to see a movie version of this, or perhaps a Netflix series. I could vividly picture the environments the author was describing, and was as tense and as terrified as Jason when the whole world was crumbling around him (quite literally, I must add). It was a fun, exciting, thrilling, intellectually stimulating and emotional readand I recommend everyone, even those who aren't a fan of SF, to read this very accessible work that belongs to this genre.
“We all live day to day completely oblivious to the fact that we’re a part of a much larger and stranger reality than we can possibly imagine.”
The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was the pick of The Fantasy Guild Book Club for the month of April 2022.
“There comes the shadow-dark dragon flying,
The gleaming serpent, up from Dark-of-Moon Hills;
He flies over the plain, and in his pinions
he carries corpses.
The Voluspa”
In a world divided by feuding jarls and where powerful people are trying to amass enough power to absorb more and more lands into their domains, life is anything but safe. Apart from the ever-power-hungry humans, the woods are crawling with all sorts of dark creatures, and the bones of the gods who fought amongst themselves to extinction still dot the land, carrying with them immense power that could cause disaster if they fall into the wrong hands. To make things worse, children have begun mysteriously disappearing throughout, and in many cases, their families brutally murdered.
“Pride and shame, she thought. Both enemies of a long life. He needs some ice in his blood, to see more clearly.”
In all this chaos, we have 3 characters, Orka, Varg and Elvar, each having to navigate through this harsh reality. Orka is trying to leave her tumultuous past behind and live peacefully in her corner of the woods with her husband and son, but political changes involving the territory she's living in being handed to a power hungry queen is making it impossible for her to stay out of trouble, and on top of all that, she has to protect her son from the increasingly common kidnappings around her. She's a fierce warrior not to be trifled with, and the difficult situations she's placed in make her have to find a balance between kindnessand cruelty. Varg, a former Thrall (slave) who managed to free himself, is seeking a witch who might perform a dangerous ritual that will reveal the last moments of his twin sister before she was brutally murdered, so he can find out who killed her and exact his vengeance. His path leads him to join forces with unexpected allies and be at odds with formidable opponents. His loyalty will be tested throughout, and he has to find a balance between honouring the new bonds he has built and finding a way to avenge the death of his sister without severing these ties.As for Elvar, a well-esteemed member of the Battle-Grim, a group of people that take on missions for money that lead them to bloody situations which have no short supply of bloodshed and battle fame, she is hell-bent on defying her family and the future they have mapped out for her, which involves a marriage of convenience and a loss of her autonomy, something she can never accept. She ignores her father's request to quit the Battle-Grim and come back home, and instead, she joins them on a mission that has extremely high stakes, venturing into hidden lands that might hold the key to bringing back destructive old gods to the playing field.
“Now that thirst and hunger were not screaming at him, questions were starting to gather in his head, circling like a murder of crows.”
When I saw that Robin Hobb gave this book 5 stars, I instantly had high expectations, since she is one of my favourite fantasy authors, and it's safe to say I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. This book delivers on every aspect of fantasy that I find to be enjoyable.The political intrigue here is given in spades, and the constant tension in the air from the jarls scheming against each other and preparing for bloody battle and the power struggles present between different factions, each with their own complex agendas, makes this book quite a thrilling experience. The characterization here is superb, each POV having its distinct flavour. Orka was definitely my favourite character, and is someone I had constant anxiety over throughout the book, because the well-being of her and her family were always at stake, and when I find myself worrying so much about a character, it means the author did a great job in writing her.Elvar was my least favourite POV, an opinion other readers also share, but her perspective was a crucial one in the development of the story. I really appreciated the Scandanavian influences utilized in this work, and I loved the fact that John Gwynne doesn't shy away from actually including fantastical creatures as a forefront of the story.I always notice that many fantasy books just give a sprinkle of these creatures, but that is definitely not the case here. I love that we have actual trolls, frost spiders, and all sorts of other strange creatures roaming this rich world.The writing was also beautiful, and John Gynne's choice of words made this book difficult to put down. The pacing was pretty good, and most chapters never lacked an exciting moment, almost each of them building up tension and releasing it with action-packed events.
I definitely recommend this book if you're into gritty and bloody fantasy. The world here is a rough one, and the atmosphere reminds me of "Vikings", the TV series by the History Channel, in a fantasy setting. I'm very excited to read the next installment, and I already miss Orka!
“It is a dark world, and dark deeds rule it, drag us down a white-foamed river we cannot resist.”
“There comes the shadow-dark dragon flying,
The gleaming serpent, up from Dark-of-Moon Hills;
He flies over the plain, and in his pinions
he carries corpses.
The Voluspa”
In a world divided by feuding jarls and where powerful people are trying to amass enough power to absorb more and more lands into their domains, life is anything but safe. Apart from the ever-power-hungry humans, the woods are crawling with all sorts of dark creatures, and the bones of the gods who fought amongst themselves to extinction still dot the land, carrying with them immense power that could cause disaster if they fall into the wrong hands. To make things worse, children have begun mysteriously disappearing throughout, and in many cases, their families brutally murdered.
“Pride and shame, she thought. Both enemies of a long life. He needs some ice in his blood, to see more clearly.”
In all this chaos, we have 3 characters, Orka, Varg and Elvar, each having to navigate through this harsh reality. Orka is trying to leave her tumultuous past behind and live peacefully in her corner of the woods with her husband and son, but political changes involving the territory she's living in being handed to a power hungry queen is making it impossible for her to stay out of trouble, and on top of all that, she has to protect her son from the increasingly common kidnappings around her. She's a fierce warrior not to be trifled with, and the difficult situations she's placed in make her have to find a balance between kindnessand cruelty. Varg, a former Thrall (slave) who managed to free himself, is seeking a witch who might perform a dangerous ritual that will reveal the last moments of his twin sister before she was brutally murdered, so he can find out who killed her and exact his vengeance. His path leads him to join forces with unexpected allies and be at odds with formidable opponents. His loyalty will be tested throughout, and he has to find a balance between honouring the new bonds he has built and finding a way to avenge the death of his sister without severing these ties.As for Elvar, a well-esteemed member of the Battle-Grim, a group of people that take on missions for money that lead them to bloody situations which have no short supply of bloodshed and battle fame, she is hell-bent on defying her family and the future they have mapped out for her, which involves a marriage of convenience and a loss of her autonomy, something she can never accept. She ignores her father's request to quit the Battle-Grim and come back home, and instead, she joins them on a mission that has extremely high stakes, venturing into hidden lands that might hold the key to bringing back destructive old gods to the playing field.
“Now that thirst and hunger were not screaming at him, questions were starting to gather in his head, circling like a murder of crows.”
When I saw that Robin Hobb gave this book 5 stars, I instantly had high expectations, since she is one of my favourite fantasy authors, and it's safe to say I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. This book delivers on every aspect of fantasy that I find to be enjoyable.The political intrigue here is given in spades, and the constant tension in the air from the jarls scheming against each other and preparing for bloody battle and the power struggles present between different factions, each with their own complex agendas, makes this book quite a thrilling experience. The characterization here is superb, each POV having its distinct flavour. Orka was definitely my favourite character, and is someone I had constant anxiety over throughout the book, because the well-being of her and her family were always at stake, and when I find myself worrying so much about a character, it means the author did a great job in writing her.Elvar was my least favourite POV, an opinion other readers also share, but her perspective was a crucial one in the development of the story. I really appreciated the Scandanavian influences utilized in this work, and I loved the fact that John Gwynne doesn't shy away from actually including fantastical creatures as a forefront of the story.I always notice that many fantasy books just give a sprinkle of these creatures, but that is definitely not the case here. I love that we have actual trolls, frost spiders, and all sorts of other strange creatures roaming this rich world.The writing was also beautiful, and John Gynne's choice of words made this book difficult to put down. The pacing was pretty good, and most chapters never lacked an exciting moment, almost each of them building up tension and releasing it with action-packed events.
I definitely recommend this book if you're into gritty and bloody fantasy. The world here is a rough one, and the atmosphere reminds me of "Vikings", the TV series by the History Channel, in a fantasy setting. I'm very excited to read the next installment, and I already miss Orka!
“It is a dark world, and dark deeds rule it, drag us down a white-foamed river we cannot resist.”
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Murderbot, a cyborg that was able to hack into its governor module and gain independence, by not having to follow company commands, hates dealing with humans. It just wants to do its job and spend hours watching soap-operas. Unfortunately for Murderbot, the mission it's on gets exceptionally hectic, and it has to sacrifice its precious alone time to deal with the messy problems of messy humans. Throughout this debacle, Murderbot notices that these humans actually care for its well-being, and don't see it as a purely disposable machine that can be easily replaced. Even more shocking is the fact that Murderbot might just be slowly reciprocating these feelings back.
This is a short SF novella that is very much loved by the SF community, so I went into it with high expectations. However, it seems like I've found myself treading the dangerous "Unpopular Opinionland" with this one.This novella didn't elicit any feelings in me. Murderbot didn't really feel like a cyborg, and felt like just another grumpy old human who slowly softens up. I had trouble suspending my disbelief and convincing myself that a machine is capable of being this human like. The plot was utterly forgettable for me, and as I write this review after about 10 days of finishing the novella, I am truly struggling to remember what even happened. Perhaps I should have listened to the audiobook? Maybe hearing the narration might have immersed me more into this story... But as it stands, I can't really seem to see anything special here.
I still want to give this series more of a try though, so I will be reading the next installment, or perhaps listening to it, hoping Murderbot will grow on me eventually.
“I could have become a mass murderer after I hacked my governor module, but then I realized I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the company satellites. It had been well over 35,000 hours or so since then, with still not much murdering, but probably, I don't know, a little under 35,000 hours of movies, serials, books, plays, and music consumed. As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure.”
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Murderbot, a cyborg that was able to hack into its governor module and gain independence, by not having to follow company commands, hates dealing with humans. It just wants to do its job and spend hours watching soap-operas. Unfortunately for Murderbot, the mission it's on gets exceptionally hectic, and it has to sacrifice its precious alone time to deal with the messy problems of messy humans. Throughout this debacle, Murderbot notices that these humans actually care for its well-being, and don't see it as a purely disposable machine that can be easily replaced. Even more shocking is the fact that Murderbot might just be slowly reciprocating these feelings back.
This is a short SF novella that is very much loved by the SF community, so I went into it with high expectations. However, it seems like I've found myself treading the dangerous "Unpopular Opinionland" with this one.This novella didn't elicit any feelings in me. Murderbot didn't really feel like a cyborg, and felt like just another grumpy old human who slowly softens up. I had trouble suspending my disbelief and convincing myself that a machine is capable of being this human like. The plot was utterly forgettable for me, and as I write this review after about 10 days of finishing the novella, I am truly struggling to remember what even happened. Perhaps I should have listened to the audiobook? Maybe hearing the narration might have immersed me more into this story... But as it stands, I can't really seem to see anything special here.
I still want to give this series more of a try though, so I will be reading the next installment, or perhaps listening to it, hoping Murderbot will grow on me eventually.
“I could have become a mass murderer after I hacked my governor module, but then I realized I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the company satellites. It had been well over 35,000 hours or so since then, with still not much murdering, but probably, I don't know, a little under 35,000 hours of movies, serials, books, plays, and music consumed. As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure.”