How this book ended up on my TBR: I'm working on The StoryGraph's Genre Challenge 2024, where one of the prompts is to read manga. I've read 3.5 STARS
How this book ended up on my TBR: I'm working on The StoryGraph's Genre Challenge 2024, where one of the prompts is to read manga. I've read my share of graphic novels before, but I've not read manga. I perused the offerings at my local library and wanted something that wasn't school-related. This one seemed interesting!
Interesting is a good word for it. The book is certainly action-packed. My understanding, such that it is, is that this is a prequel to work that explores Alita, a human-cyborg warrior. The story focuses somewhat indirectly on Yoko, the child version of Alita, and her friend and protector, Erica. The backdrop is a war-torn Mars, which Earth colonized when it realized Earth didn't have enough room for everyone. Erica and a quiet, small Yoko are taken to an orphanage. We learn that Yoko (and possibly Erica, who herself part cyborg) is the subject of a great prophecy and of interest to quite a few powerful people, and after going through even more trauma, they are off again with a doctor who gives them Vegemite/Marmite on toast.
I liked Erica and enjoyed the interactions at the orphanage. The author really doesn't hold back on the violence that they get swept up in. Even Ninon, a girl who intimidates Erica at first, eventually tries to take charge and save the girls. That last part was tragic and really quite beautiful.
I'm mildly interested in reading more of this series, so we'll see how it goes.
How this book came to be on my TBR: After watching Star Wars: Rebels and Ahsoka, I became very interested in characters like Ahsoka and Grand A3 STARS
How this book came to be on my TBR: After watching Star Wars: Rebels and Ahsoka, I became very interested in characters like Ahsoka and Grand Admiral Thrawn. (Okay, the boyfriend really likes Thrawn, so I figured I'd learn more about something we both like.) I've now read a few books with Thrawn in them, and I feel like a little break might do me some good. But I'm glad I read this one first.
As I was watching more Star Wars Explained videos, I noticed that something kept coming up. I was most interested while we were watching Ahsoka, as the YouTube channel posted recaps after every episode and focused in on characters like Thrawn. Several times, they mentioned that Thrawn had actually met Anakin Skywalker, and I was intrigued. I think this is mentioned in the first Thrawn book, but it's at least referred to in the Ahsoka series. So for folks who are interested in how that happened, this is the book for you.
I did not enjoy this book as much as I'd hoped. Perhaps I've forgotten that scifi books really have to describe some world-building and, in the context of Star Wars, some battle stuff. But it felt overly complicated in this book. What further complicated the book is that we followed two storylines. One of them is in the distant past. Anakin Skywalker and Padme are secretly married. Ahsoka has left the Jedi (this book came out in 2018). Padme is off on a non-diplomatic mission, and Anakin comes after her when she doesn't communicate back. On the way, he meets Thrawn, a Chiss who doesn't speak Basic (to keep the canon nature of the earlier books) but does speak a language that Anakin knows. They travel to Batuu and then Mokivj, and once things happen, they go their separate ways. The second storyline is several years later, as the Empire is expanding. Darth Vader is Palpatine's Sith Lord, and Grand Admiral Thrawn is a high military official. (I actually thought it was kind of interesting to see the military and non-military sections of the Empire.) Palpatine gives Vader and Thrawn a quest to work on together. Vader is highly dissatisfied. And the idea is to see how loyal each person is to the Emperor. Where do they have to go? Batuu and eventually Mokivj, of course.
The chapters alternate between the two timelines, but sometimes you get a lot of one timeline before switching to the other. It all felt a little too tedious for me, especially when including Padme's perspective, and that was not super entertaining for me. Anakin has always been pretty rash, but he's exceptionally grouchy. (Editing error: he "growls" a whole lot in this book, and it is distracting.) Vader himself is pretty short-tempered, but that's his way. I thought about how Anakin "died" and Vader was born, and how angry he must be all of the time. What a life.
It's easy to see the leadership styles between Vader and Thrawn. Something that I didn't think of before that kind of irked me is how fond Zahn seems to be of Thrawn. He made him a perfect statistician and leader, someone with perfect control of logic. He yearns to learn because he plays the long game. Eventually even Vader has some grudging respect for Thrawn. Sort of makes you wonder how Thrawn will be taken down, if he ever is. The other odd thing is that we learn everything through the perspectives of Padme, Anakin, and Vader. Even from Vader's commander and Thrawn's Commodore. But never through Thrawn. Zahn treats Thrawn like a machine, and that makes it very hard to see him as anything more than a one-dimensional character. Even R2D2 has some character. That said, I did root a little for Thrawn in an earlier book, and I don't think Zahn wrote Thrawn any differently. The circumstances were a little different. But we can't get into Thrawn's head, and we are still human, even if he is not. Can we still like him as a character if we can't identify with him? Sure. But it's different.
The ending for both storylines was not super satisfying, really. Of course we know that Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader, but Thrawn doesn't necessarily know that. (Just kidding; of course he does.) The ending of the first storyline is perhaps especially depressing: a world's inhabitants transition from one unpleasant living condition to another, and all they can do is accept that they have no control over their situation and have to adapt. The Senate, for all its power, can do nothing to improve their lives. It's a little bit of "thoughts and prayers", but that's also... life, isn't it?
Anyway, it was worth reading this book, but I think I'll take a little break before digging into another Star Wars novel.
How this book found its way to my TBR: I have watched and enjoyed a bunch of Star Wars stuff. I quickly learned why some folks identify Ahsoka 4 STARS
How this book found its way to my TBR: I have watched and enjoyed a bunch of Star Wars stuff. I quickly learned why some folks identify Ahsoka Tano as best girl. After watching the Ahsoka series (season 1) on Disney+, I decided I wanted to learn a little more about her complex story.
In the historical timeline, this book takes place shortly after The Clone Wars/Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith (those two overlap in the Clone Wars anyway), before Star Wars: Rebels and well before Episode IV: A New Hope. (In fact, the book does try to establish what happens with Ahsoka between the Clone Wars and Rebels.) The Empire is alive and thriving, the Jedi Order is all but completely destroyed, and Ahsoka Tano is on her own. She is resourceful enough, trying to live uneventfully in the Outer Rim worlds, as the Empire will not take kindly to any remaining Jedi. Ahsoka would (and does) point out that she is no longer a Jedi, and while she doesn't delve too deeply into this identity crisis in this book, she does at least start to lightly acknowledge it.
It's easy to forget the trauma that Ahsoka has experienced. She was abducted from her home world because of her Force sensitivity, only to be rescued by the Jedi. She trained under Anakin Skywalker, and we all know what happened there. Ahsoka can't be entirely forthright when she meets new folks, but as she joins a community of farmers on Raada, she understands that she does have to share a little bit of herself. It was actually kind of neat to hear her talk about her "adoptive family" and her thinking more specifically of Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi as her "parents". It's one thing to leave your family, and quite another for your family to be slaughtered. Ahsoka is clearly trying to not think about all of it too much. She wants a more mundane life if she can manage it, just to stay out of trouble, although she grew up during the war, and that's unfortunately most of what she knows. She knows to be prepared.
I also like that we see Ahsoka struggle a little with non-military folks. After all, she worked with the clones, who followed all her instructions in war. Non-military folks don't think strategically like she does, and she learns how significant that can be. Ahsoka eventually accepts that even though she doesn't call herself a Jedi, she wants to protect the galaxy from the Empire, and she can use the Force to do so. She also makes contact with Bail Organa, senator and husband to Alderaan's queen, Breha. By the end of the book, Ahsoka has a better idea of how she can effectively work against the Empire.
I don't think folks learn anything particularly new that they can't get out of some of the newer Disney+ series, but this was a fun read, regardless. The writing was mostly good, though I do think the editing could have been a little better.
How this book found its way onto my TBR: since doing a deep dive into Star Wars and related series (especially Star Wars: Rebels and Ahsoka), I5 STARS
How this book found its way onto my TBR: since doing a deep dive into Star Wars and related series (especially Star Wars: Rebels and Ahsoka), I've been interested in reading more about characters like Ahsoka and Thrawn. I recently read Star Wars: Thrawn, a book that gives more of what we'd want in terms of an introduction to Thrawn. But this particular book is unique, because it's the first *recognized* book approved by Lucasfilm that introduces the Star Wars community to Thrawn. I can only imagine what it would be like to have 0 knowledge of Thrawn before reading this book. For the sake of consistency with the timeline: this book came out after the original trio of films (Star Wars IV, V, and VI), and there was no inkling into the prequels or subsequent trilogy, to say nothing about series such as The Clone Wars. So some things aren't going to feel as *canon*, though Lucasfilm did make some suggestions and alterations that made more sense when the other films came out. That said, this book has Leia pregnant with twins, and that messed with my mind for a little bit.
I will say, I'm beginning to get a little Star Wars exhausted, but I think that's mainly because I have relatively little interest in Luke, Han, and Leia. Even as I say that, I find that statement unfortunate; there's so much development happening with each of these characters. This book takes place several years after The Return of the Jedi. The Empire has suffered enormous losses (in sheer numbers alone, along with losing Darth Vader, the Emperor, and likely almost all grand admirals), and the Rebel Alliance has become a shaky New Republic. There is some mention of politics in the book, as well as the struggles of creating a new support system that works for everyone. Leia Organa Solo is quite pregnant with twins and is also am ambassador for the New Republic. Given her galaxy-wide renown and diplomatic skills, she is often trotted out to make peace and encourage cooperation and membership. Her husband, Han Solo, is connected to the New Republic in a looser relationship. Most often when we see him, he's trying to encourage skeptical business folk to go straight and work with the New Republic. And then we have Luke, whose role is a little more nebulous. He's not working for the New Republic, exactly, and is more focused on Leia's Jedi training. I will say that it's interesting to see their different strengths. Leia seems a little better at communicating with Luke, as well as reading bad situations for what they are. Luke is probably the most interesting to follow because of all he's gone through. He is, by Yoda's own words, the last remaining Jedi (at least outside of Leia; anyone with any recent connection to Star Wars would say UHHHHHHH).
While they are carrying out their agendas, we see the Empire's last remaining Grand Admiral. He is completely unknown to the New Republic, though there are some neutral parties (merchants, bounty hunters, etc.) who do know the name of the Grand Admiral, and he is Thrawn. It's probably not entirely strange that almost no one outside the Empire knows of him; we certainly hadn't heard of him in the original trilogy, likely because he was never at the center of things happening. Part of that might be due to the fact that he's not human. Zahn describes Thrawn as being Chiss, so though he is humanoid, he has blue skin, blue-black hair, and disturbing red eyes. He seems very aware of the forces he's dealing with, and his goal (as far as we know) is to bring the Empire back to power. Anyone paying attention can learn a lot about Thrawn: his use of logic, his leadership qualities, and his unique perspective of studying the art of his opponents. His own people are a little uncertain of him; he doesn't lose his cool the way that others (aka Darth Vader) did. He runs a tight ship, but he also listens to the questions and doubts of his officers. He plays the long game and earns the loyalty and respect of his officers. And he is ruthless. I've watched a few videos of Star Wars Explained, and they did a great job of trying to emphasize to viewers of series like Ahsoka why Thrawn is so dangerous. This book does that for you too. His captain, Gilad Pellaeon, has no idea how Thrawn comes up with his ideas. By the end of this book, Pellaeon is wondering how the Battle of Endor might have turned out differently had Thrawn been there. It's a chilling thought.
If you want to read Heir to the Empire, I strongly recommend reading the 20th Anniversary Edition. It contains commentary by Zahn and by his editor, Betsy Mitchell. Absolutely worth reading their reflections on a series that might not have succeeded (but oh, did it). Great characterizations of beloved characters and new ones as well. I also enjoyed reading the Star Wars novella Crisis of Faith. Overall this was an awesome book, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to dig into some Star Wars literature.
How this book found its way onto my TBR: I strongly suspect BookBub or another resource gave me a list of recommendations of scifi/fantasy bo4.5 STARS
How this book found its way onto my TBR: I strongly suspect BookBub or another resource gave me a list of recommendations of scifi/fantasy books by people of color and/or strong female leads. This book had pretty high ratings, so I checked it out from my library and hoarded it on my Kindle for months.
It's a struggle to figure out what to write about this book. As with a lot of the really creative, amazing world-building scifi options, I know that I don't understand absolutely everything that's happening. And I don't entirely mind that; I know it's important to suspend judgment and try to use contextual cues. I feel like there's a lot I don't get that Jemisin could have clarified. The appendix at the back is not as helpful as it could be, at least pertaining to the different seasons (I would have preferred a timeline).
While I did not always *enjoy* reading the book, and I didn't always completely understand what was happening, I did find the book to be astounding. I like that each chapter pertained to one of three characters: Essun (told in second person), and Damaya and Syenite (told in third person). You are pretty quickly thrown into a world of caste, "natural" disasters, and power imbalance. Damaya, Syenite, and Essun are all in different periods of their lives, and it's really interesting to see the world through their perspectives. (view spoiler)[Even more so when you discover that they are all the same person at different periods of her life. I remember assuming that all the perspectives were happening at the same time, but early on I figured there was some time difference. And then when Damaya changed her name to Syenite at the end of her final chapter, I was pretty sure that Essun is the older version of Syenite. What elegant work. (hide spoiler)]
This book was full of difficult material, and I was surprised to get a little swept up in some of the emotion. I enjoyed learning about orogenes and Guardians, stills and stone-eaters. But everything was purposeful. I wasn't sure I'd want to continue the series, but at this point I think I'd want to try reading the next one in the series. That said, it'll be awhile before I get there. This is the type of book that I can't read in short bursts; I need a few hours a day to make a decent dent in the book. That's usually the case when I read scifi, and it's definitely the case here. I'm nervous about leaving too much of a gap, but I won't be able to devote the time to it until summer. We'll see!
EDIT: HOLY CRAP bless you, The StoryGraph, for having an undo button after I deleted my entire review.
Star Wars: Rebels is a Star Wars series that I did not expect to like as much as I did. If you like Star Wars, go watch the show. I know the 4.5 STARS
Star Wars: Rebels is a Star Wars series that I did not expect to like as much as I did. If you like Star Wars, go watch the show. I know the first season is a little iffy, but bear with it.
Anyway, Rebels introduced me to Thrawn as a character. My partners is every into awesome and evil Star Wars characters (Darth Maul, for example) and I bought him a Thrawn book that he hasn't read. But after watching the first season of Ahsoka, I was open to reading more Star Wars fiction and listened to the YouTube channel Star Wars Explained. There are quite a few Thrawn series, but I decided to go with this one first.
This book begins Thrawn's career in the Empire. Imperial soldiers pick him up off a random planet, and the fact that Thrawn is a Chiss, a race of which there are many stories, makes him interesting to Emperor Palpatine. He meets Eli Vanto, an Imperial from the Outer Rim who is familiar with Chiss stories and can properly translate between Thrawn and others. They go through three months of academy training together before serving the Empire. Thrawn is strategic and logical, preferring to educate the people around him and valuing their input, and he is rewarded with promotions. But as many point out, he doesn't know how to play politics, nor does he have any desire to do so. There are many who would prefer to see him fail, and there is a good deal of prejudice that reminds me (and others) that when one thinks of Imperials, one most often sees humans. It almost makes the reader want Thrawn to succeed over such unfair adversity.
The same cannot be said quite as much for Arihdna Pryce (I couldn't remember why I was familiar with the name for a minute; Rebels watchers will catch on), the youngest family member of Pryce Mining on Lothal. She faces similar types of adversity due to corruption and power plays, but unlike Thrawn, she seeks to be part of the system and use them to her advantage. You don't exactly cheer for her, but the book does complicate her character a little more.
Thrawn, by contrast, is no fan of corruption. He plans to keep his head down and do his work. Maybe it's because of all the mysteries I've been reading lately, but watching Thrawn work is a little like watching a detective make their way around a mystery. It's hard not to like him, but he also has little problem handling insurgents (unless they are of his intellectual match). I enjoyed the read and learning more about Thrawn's exchanges with people. It's easy to see how he has become such a well-known figure in the Star Wars genre.
I will definitely be reading this series and likely the next by Zahn.
I'm going to put it out there, first and foremost, that I have not read H.G. Wells's The Island of Doctor Moreau. It is in a bookcase in a land4 STARS
I'm going to put it out there, first and foremost, that I have not read H.G. Wells's The Island of Doctor Moreau. It is in a bookcase in a land far, far away. And I do plan to read it one of these days. I do not think my not having read it made me appreciate this book any less.
I've been interested to read Moreno-Garcia's work, and a friend highly recommended this book, so of course I wanted to give it a read! Having not read Wells's book, I was a little behind in terms of what was happening on the island, but Moreno-Garcia writes this book in such a way that, again, I don't think reading Wells's book is necessary.
The narrative is in third person, but the focus shifts between two characters. Of the two, I would say the main character is Carlota, the daughter of Dr. Moreau. Moreau is a French scientist who conducts his research in a homestead called Yaxaktun, not far down the Yucatan peninsula (there being some historical confusion involving the words peninsula and island). He does so thanks to a man named Hernando Lizalde, who owns the property and funds Moreau's research for his own purposes. Moreau's research in vivisection results in creatures called hybrids; half-human and half-animal. Carlota has never known anything other than Yaxaktun and has no desire to be anywhere else. To her, Yaxaktun is paradise, and the hybrids (especially Cachito and Lupe) are her family, and she never wants it to change. The other main character is Montgomery Laughton, a man deeply in debt who has lived many different lives and is now something of a house manager for Dr. Moreau. He thinks often of two women in his past: his sister, Elizabeth, who committed suicide years ago; and his ex-wife, Fanny, who married Montgomery for a comfortable lifestyle and left him when she found out he didn't inherit any money from his uncle. He agrees to work for Moreau to work off his debt, and while he does so, he can continue his alcohol addiction. He doesn't really like his life, but he also doesn't want to die.
Things continue on this way for six years (when Carlota turns 20), but as with all things, change happens, and you get to see everyone's reaction to this unwanted change. Carlota does not want things to change, such that she complete misses that the hybrids do not lead enjoyable lives. She can't understand why Lupe would ever want to leave Yaxaktun. Carlota and Lupe have one of the most interesting relationships in this book. They are very much like sisters. Lupe was, at least in part, created to accompany Carlota, and as such, she has less affection for Yaxaktun. Carlota can't imagine why Lupe would ever want to leave, especially since Lupe and the other hybrids need Dr. Moreau's medicine to stave off the more harmful effects of their conditions. Lupe, for her part, is fed up with Carlota's naivete and does not pull her punches with her, although she is incredibly loyal. I'm on Lupe's side here; Carlota is a bit of a spoiled princess, but eventually she does understand Lupe's perspective and only wants the safety of her family.
Dr. Moreau is quite the mixed bag, and I really liked what Moreno-Garcia did with him. He is a man of science, and as such, he sort of feels he's above everyone, at least when it comes to his own research. He also seems to be religious when it's convenient for him, requiring all members of the household to attend chapel on Saturdays, and he will often quote scripture to Carlota to keep her in line. While Carlota holds a privileged position, he reminds her often that she does so because of him and that she should be obedient to him. And she is, almost all the time. But as she gets older, and as things start to change, she has no choice but to make her own decisions and rebel. Moreau still treats her as a possession, going so far as encouraging Carlota to pursue Lizalde's son, Eduardo, for marriage to continue supporting his research at Yaxaktun. Even as Carlota does as her father bids, quickly falling in love with Eduardo, she is beginning to see that Moreau has only one goal in mind.
There are a lot of folks to not like in this book. And while I did not always love Carlota, I did really like her evolution and her relationship with Lupe. I also did like her complicated relationship with Moreau. I didn't mention Montgomery a whole lot; he was useful in terms of giving another perspective outside of Carlota's, and his character and personality were strong. I couldn't help but like him, as he always seems a decent fellow, and I wanted good things for him for the end of the book. I quite liked the end of the book.
As others have said, this was a slow burn of a book. I didn't immediately get hooked. I think it was probably around Part III, when all hell was breaking loose, that I was very interested to see how it would all shake out. Very good character development, and the writing was enjoyable. I wavered about whether or not I liked that we would hear something from Carlota's perspective, then back up and hear the same day from Montgomery's perspective, but that did not happen very often, and it was usually clear what was happening. Some may say that this book wasn't as much SCIFI/horror as they were expecting. For me, SCIFI and horror are such broad terms, and they can apply to so many books. I thought the categories were fitting. I will gladly read more by Moreno-Garcia.
I am really struggling to figure out how I feel about this book. I don't think I'm going to have a lot to say about it, honestly, in part because I feI am really struggling to figure out how I feel about this book. I don't think I'm going to have a lot to say about it, honestly, in part because I feel like I just didn't get it.
I also just genuinely did not enjoy the reading of this book. I marked it as science fiction (which was in part why I read the book; I vaguely remember looking for recommendations for newer scifi and this popping up), which means I will probably need to work to pay more attention. I can't read scifi at night. Granted, this book has won fantasy awards, but there are at least some pretty scifi elements to it. Anyway. I did like the blend of magic and science, although even the book was quite elusive when tying down what magic actually is.
The first half of the book felt like forever. I was determined to finish the book, but it would have been that much harder if that first section had continued on. Even then, not a lot of this book made sense to me. It was entirely too easy for me to put this book down. The plot felt very weird to me, but not in a super engaging way.
I did end up liking Patricia and Laurence quite a bit by the end, mostly because of how their relationship shifted over time. I appreciated how honest they were with each other, and how they dedicated a lot to each other. I found myself especially liking Patricia. As she got older, there was a whole list of reasons for people to not approve of her, and in the end she saw what they were saying, but I didn't really like it.
I feel like this is one of those books where you love it or you don't. It just didn't do it for me, but I know quite a few folks really like it.
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PS. Slowly potentially drawing back from Amazon services. If you all ever go to The StoryGraph, let's be friends there! Here's my profile....more
I did not have high expectations for this book, and I'm pleased to say that I liked this book a whole lot the more I read.
I've been a little eh about I did not have high expectations for this book, and I'm pleased to say that I liked this book a whole lot the more I read.
I've been a little eh about scifi lately, but a telling feature of this book, for me, was that I allotted a certain number of stories per day to read, and I often read over said allotment. The editor's notes, while relevant, were sort of something I could do without. That said, I'm certainly interested in several of the authors, and the editor does call attention to short stories and novellas he likes from the authors, so perhaps I should give him due credit for a really good collection.
"3 RMS GOOD VIEW/VUE" by Karen Haber was my favorite. It was quick, it had some wit, and I liked the main character. Haber didn't have to write a lot to get the story across, and it was a good one.
"FOREVER TO A HUDSON BAY BLANKET" by James Tiptree, Jr. was quite hilarious, oddly sexual, and a wonderful read.
"BROOKLYN PROJECT" by William Tenn had the sort of social commentary that is not rare in scifi, but he seems to do it well, and if he's compared at all to Ray Bradbury, I'm definitely interested.
"THE CHRONOLOGY PROTECTION CASE" by Paul Levinson makes me want to read more about Phil D'Amato.
"HAWKSBILL STATION" by Robert Silverberg gave me some interesting feels.
"TIME TRAVELERS NEVER DIE" by Jack McDevitt was the longest of the bunch at 80 pages, and it actually didn't feel like 80 pages.
Honorable mention to "THE BATTLE OF LONG ISLAND" by Nancy Kress. It was a really magnificent short story that was so tight and complex that I needed a moment to process everything (in a good way). The story within the story was good.
The only story I really did not like was "TIMETIPPING" by Jack M. Dann, and that's because I had absolutely no idea what was happening.
I'd actually consider keeping this book. I'm cleaning out my bookshelves because I have quite a lot of books but wanted to read the ones I was pretty sure I'd end up donating. I believe I received this from a friend's former coworker. I'm so glad I read it first....more
I'm somewhere around a 4.5 here, and I like to round up in most instances. Besides, I'll definitely read this again.
I save my scifi for when I know I'I'm somewhere around a 4.5 here, and I like to round up in most instances. Besides, I'll definitely read this again.
I save my scifi for when I know I'll have a few days to devote to the book (I can't read them at night), and I've been cautious about scifi lately because sometimes I Just don't think I enjoy it as much as I thought I did. This book restored my faith a little bit, in that there's maybe a style of scifi that I best appreciate.
I think Lyn's review gives a great overall summary of the themes of the book. Emily May's review is also right on the money, for me, in terms of the significance of the book. I read the book across three days, and I feel like the book is unofficially in three parts. The last part was slowest for me, to the point where it was less enjoyable for me, despite its significance. There were some things that bothered me a little, such as Genly Ai's characterization of feminine traits as being somehow weaker or less desirable. But later on, Genly mentions that he doesn't even know anything about women, so clearly there is some limitation to him as a narrator.
I think something that set me right was Le Guin's introduction. It talked about what scifi is and isn't, and it mentioned that scifi doesn't have to be depressing (as I have found it so often to be, in my own short travels). I liked the basis for this book: Genly represents a collective of worlds working together in terms of trade and knowledge-sharing. He goes to a world that is somewhat at passive-aggressive war with itself, each country wanting to one-up the other. The true soul of this book is Estraven (he goes by many, many names, but using Estraven is significant), and I'm glad we saw so much of him in his own writings, though I would have loved a bit more.
I'm conscious of the idea that I read this book with the knowledge that it's a classic and well-loved. I did genuinely enjoy reading most of it. I had to flip back and forth in the first few pages to get the names of the planet and countries down, but I generally assume that's the case when I'm reading a complex novel. I loved the ideas, and I liked a lot of the characters. During the last third of the book, I told myself this was not Frodo and his crew going through the forest for however long, and that was the piece I didn't enjoy as much, but again, it felt necessary. I'll read the book again, no doubt, and I hope this doesn't set the bar too high for Le Guin's other work!...more
This is actually my second time reading Arthur C. Clarke. I was not fond of Childhood's End, so I didn't have really high hopes for this book. I'm glaThis is actually my second time reading Arthur C. Clarke. I was not fond of Childhood's End, so I didn't have really high hopes for this book. I'm glad to be wrong!
The premise of scifi, as I understand it, is that there must be some fictional (at the time) scientific event or technology (like time travel). What I suppose I didn't really understand about scifi is not just about the promise and possibilities of that type of future, but what adjustments happen to get from this current world to that one, and how to people and society change. To my limited reading, scifi can get a little more focused on The Bigger Picture, which is obviously important, but can also make it difficult to have character-driven plot. This book does a somewhat nice balance of both, I think. Characters like Bobby, David, and Kate made this book work for me. David has sort of a personal, existential crisis. We follow Bobby throughout the book and learn about him as he learns more about himself. It's hard to not like Bobby. And I loved Kate. I love how forthright she is, her determination to the right thing throughout the book, the way she is completely upfront with Bobby. On the flipside, it's easy to strongly dislike Hiram, Bobby and David's father. (Okay, it's a little more complicated with Bobby. I get it, even though the complication there, I needed a little more explanation.) He is focused on fame, notoriety, and monopolization. He's also a phenomenal scientist who knows how to use his resources.
What is more fascinating about this book is the focus on societal attitudes. Eventually society finds out that an object called the Wormwood is a non-asteroid that will crash into Earth and destroy everything. Unfortunately it's too late for us to knock Wormwood off its course or find another place to live. So what do people do? Whatever they heckin' want! Why work when you can just enjoy the time you have left? Why go to school or into business or science if you know it's all for nothing in the long-term? So I get that, and I love that it was part of the book. Eventually Hiram creates the WormCam, which initially has the ability to give you a view of any other spot in the world (and eventually beyond it. Of course the government is interested in getting this tool (imagine the implications for domestic and foreign matters and government surveillance overall), and eventually the cat is out of the bag and the entire world knows about WormCams. Now everyone can have one. And then it gets better/worse: now you can use WormCams to look into the past. So folks in society do an even more abrupt halt, and several spend their entire lives looking into the past. This has fascinating implications: now we can really see How Things Happened, separate the truth from lies. And, as David points out, it's more transformative as real events to watch versus reading books about them.
The ending of the book continues to focus on those human relationships, perceptions, and behaviors. I enjoyed the picture of David and Bobby, who have this lifelong brotherly relationship, looking into the very depths of existence (more than the descriptions themselves, if I'm honest). The Very Ending felt weird to me. It's a different weird from me not wanting to read about a fictional end to the world. I suppose that's the main reason for not giving that last star, because otherwise I found the book to be an enjoyable enough read (and I can't always say that about this genre, and that makes me think I'm less into scifi than I used to be).
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Having gotten a little more into reading scifi, I realize now that I am better able to read it during the day (not at night time) when I have significant time (also known as a break from work). It's just difficult for me to process the genre otherwise. I'm curious to read more, especially newer works by diverse authors....more
I'm honestly at a loss regarding how to explain my rating. It's when I read books like this and feel the way I do that I wonder if I truly do like sciI'm honestly at a loss regarding how to explain my rating. It's when I read books like this and feel the way I do that I wonder if I truly do like scifi, or if I just told myself I liked scifi. I will say that this is my first Arthur C. Clarke book, and I'm not discouraged to try reading another.
This book just never seemed to pique my interest. I felt like it was long-winded when it didn't need to be. There was a lot of moving back and forth in the timeline that was confusing for me. The plot itself felt incredibly nebulous and difficult for me to track. Sometimes we would zoom in to some almost lengthy present-day interactions, so those must have been significant, but they also seemed sort of random and didn't add color to the overall narrative.
That's really all I've got. I just didn't enjoy reading this book but insisted on finishing it. Sometimes a day of reflecting on the book will give me more insight, but I don't think that will be the case for this book. Perhaps just far too much went over my head.
...okay yes there's an edit. But not an edit to the star rating. (view spoiler)[I think I could have liked this more if there was more attention to Jan. And there was more attention to Jan than any other character in this entire book (although you could, I suppose, argue that Karellen is the character we see most often in the book). Jan has intense curiosity and a streak of rebelliousness. The one thing humans can't do is explore the stars, and so of course that's the one thing he wants to do. And when he fails, he spends a lot of time with the Overlords before understanding that he is the last man. I wish we'd seen more dynamics of him and the others. I felt like the descriptions were both sweeping and rushed. Again, maybe I just didn't get it. By the end he is sympathetic to the Overlords, going so far as to feel pity for them and assist them in one last task. I just wish there had been more attention, more explanation, more showing and less telling. Maybe I'm wrong and that was the style of scifi at the time. (hide spoiler)]...more
I couldn't get through this. I got to page 66 and just kind of gave up. I don't think there's inherently wrong with it; maybe my taste for scifi has cI couldn't get through this. I got to page 66 and just kind of gave up. I don't think there's inherently wrong with it; maybe my taste for scifi has changed significantly....more
So at some point last year, I visited my friend Carrie in San Fran and we visited an indie bookstore, because that's what we do. I wasn't going to buySo at some point last year, I visited my friend Carrie in San Fran and we visited an indie bookstore, because that's what we do. I wasn't going to buy anything. I picked this up and showed it to my friend, who skimmed the authors and recommended it. After reading hundreds of student papers, I both needed a break but also needed to read something worthwhile. Short stories sounded like a good plan, and I wasn't disappointed. Almost every author was new to me. The following were the ones that really struck me and make me want to read more about those authors. They are equal parts fantasy and science fiction, which is delightful, and I found myself not favoring one over the other. -Carmen Maria Machado, "Help Me Follow My Sister into the Land of the Dead" -Alaya Dawn Johnson, "A Guide to the Fruits of Hawai'i"; I would feel odd not having it on this list, and I'm not entirely sure why. Might be the main character? -Seanan McGuire, "Each to Each"; quite fantastic -Theodora Goss, "Cimmeria: From the Journal of Imaginary Anthropology"; alarming, but not really for the concept of imaginary anthropology, which is bizarre, I suppose. -Jo Walton, "Sleeper"; this particular reading was fascinating -Neil Gaiman, "How the Marquis Got His Coat Back"; a spinoff from Neverwhere -Adam-Troy Castro, "The Thing About Shapes to Come; bizarre and delightful -Daniel H. Wilson, "The Blue Afternoon That Lasted Forever"; Wilson also wrote Robopocalypse, which I don't remember liking all that much; this was my FAVORITE story in the whole book. I needed a break afterward. -Kelly Sandoval, "The One They Took Before"; an interesting little read post-fey abduction (post-fey? current fey?) -A. Merc Rustad, "How to Become a Robot in 12 Easy Steps"; feels a bit alternative in terms of all the lists and suchlike; it's a good ending to the series.
Yes, there were a handful of stories in the book I didn't like. Par for the course....more
