I was surprised to find this collection of short stories sounds so like Terry Pratchett in his more mature years. I expected, having read a few reactiI was surprised to find this collection of short stories sounds so like Terry Pratchett in his more mature years. I expected, having read a few reactions to it, that it would be amateurish. But it really isn't! There were a few stories that were awkward, and a few that were really funny, but most of them fell into the category of "good, not brilliant, but you can totally see what the author will mature into."
I loved the explanation of how the stories were found through the patient digging of two devoted readers. How exciting that all their work turned up something I think Pratchett wouldn't be ashamed to own....more
I was fascinated enough by this book's concept to read it despite knowing nothing about the events that led to Surela's exile. I am happy to report thI was fascinated enough by this book's concept to read it despite knowing nothing about the events that led to Surela's exile. I am happy to report that it's possible to enjoy it under those conditions. The idea of the heroine having been a villain, and seeing that "villain" be redeemed, intrigued me, and I loved how well that redemption played out. Surela's relationships with the captain and crew of the ship were all different and so well realized. I especially loved the part near the end where they confront her with all the decisions she's been beating herself up over and force her to reevaluate who she is.
The thing that really sold me, though, was (view spoiler)[Surela gets approached by someone who believes she's primed to betray her people, given that she already made a play for the Empire and lost. And when this stranger sits down at her table and starts talking like she knows him, she goes along with it and ends up tricking her enemy through a long string of epic Bluff checks. (hide spoiler)]. I love reading about clever people, and I never felt any doubt that Surela was, in fact, veteran of centuries of political intrigue even without the failed coup.
I'm going back now to read those earlier books, though Surela is a side character (and I am curious about what Theresa Eddings was like before all this happened), but I hope there are more Shieldmatron books in the pipeline....more
This is not a science fiction novel. It is a screwball comedy. If the content isn't enough to prove it, there's the title--is aSo, first things first:
This is not a science fiction novel. It is a screwball comedy. If the content isn't enough to prove it, there's the title--is anybody old enough, like me, to remember the Bob Hope/Bing Crosby "Road To..." movies? Those were a mad mixture of comedy and adventure and romance with a little music thrown in. (I admit I didn't get this at first, but the title was niggling at me for weeks.)
Connie Willis does some great screwball comedy. There's one in Impossible Things called "Spice Pogrom" that is just hilarious. But she doesn't do it often, and it usually takes a back seat to her more traditionally funny work (To Say Nothing of the Dog) or her serious stuff (Doomsday Book). I was surprised and pleased to discover she'd managed an entire novel in this tradition. There's misunderstandings, secret identities, lack of communication, and ridiculous set pieces. And it all mostly works.
The premise is simple, but contains all the right elements: Francie is set to be her best friend's bridesmaid, but is prepared to talk her out of her wedding because the woman has a long history of choosing weirdos and losers. (Bridesmaid as setup for romantic plot, possibly with a groomsman: check.) The wedding is going to be held at a museum dedicated to aliens and alien encounters. (Zany setting: check.) Francie begins the book with extreme difficulties in even getting a rental car to get to the venue. (Absurdity of real-life intrusions: check.). It all runs along as smoothly as any Willis novel, which is to say there are plenty of strange characters who believe they're normal and Francie herself is the lone spot of sanity in the book.
And then Francie is kidnapped by a real-live honest-to-goodness alien.
This is a major departure for Willis, maybe not so major after Crosstalk, which has a similar issue. In almost all her books and stories, anything strange or in violation of current knowledge is founded on realistic extrapolation. Aliens, though (I don't care what you read in the news these days, guys) are in the realm of speculation, as is the kind of telepathy featured in Crosstalk. To me, this departure fits with the book being screwball comedy. The existence of aliens is no more or less absurd than the fact that nobody in this book knows how to send text messages.
To me, Willis's great strength has always been her characterization, followed closely by how her characters fit into her creative and innovative settings. And here she is at the top of her game because the format of this type of story allows for the most extraordinary and ridiculous characters who nevertheless come across as real. The people Francie and Indy the alien accumulate through their progress through the Southwest, searching for something Indy can't communicate, are funny and odd and unexpected. Except for the alien true believer, who bugged me--but even that, I believe, is intentional.
The romance is a true whirlwind, and again, it only works because of the constraints of the story. Two people can fall believably in love in the course of 400 pages if it's comedy or a Mary Stewart novel. I was deeply impressed by Willis's ability to hit all the right emotional beats over such a short time frame, because I was invested in the romance even though it was, just like everything else about this book, completely unlikely.
The parts that didn't work for me mostly came down to things Willis has increasingly depended on in her writing, things that over the course of many books draw attention to themselves. I can't tell you the number of times people are cut off in the middle of saying something important or revealing a key fact. It started to feel weak rather than funny, as if Willis couldn't figure out a better way to spin the mystery out a few more pages. There are also some stretches of logic that push even my tolerance for screwball comedy: (view spoiler)[The whole thing with the marriage certificate, and manipulating the officiator into performing the wedding, was way contrived. How did Wade know all those details about what was necessary? Why didn't the officiator act more nervous after being essentially threatened by a government official? I really had to reach to grant Willis her premise here. (hide spoiler)]. I think the book rides close to the line in enough cases that it will probably be too much for some readers, but comedy is like that--it either works or it doesn't.
I enjoyed this more than I did Crosstalk, which I didn't hate--I don't think I've ever hated anything Willis wrote--and unlike that book, I anticipate reading this one again someday....more
I think Kindle very high-handedly recorded that I'd finished this without giving me an opportunity to review. Also, it chose the wrong date.
This book I think Kindle very high-handedly recorded that I'd finished this without giving me an opportunity to review. Also, it chose the wrong date.
This book picks up almost right where Network Effect leaves off, with Murderbot and its humans dealing with a colony of previously-abandoned settlers who will end up conscript labor if nobody steps in. That the colonists themselves don't seem to believe there's danger makes this a bigger coil. And then our guys learn that there's another group of humans out there...
Murderbot is also dealing with a traumatic incident that is at first only referred to as redacted in its record, and I thought I knew what the problem was (view spoiler)[the death of Murderbot 2.0 (hide spoiler)] but I was wrong. Since my happiness didn't hinge on being right, I was satisfied with the plot twist when Murderbot finally addressed it. That twist combined with the conflict between two other human groups (view spoiler)[or three, once the Barish-Estranza group started eating itself (hide spoiler)] made for a tense, exciting story.
I love the character interactions throughout, particularly between Murderbot and ART and ART-drone (ART's secondary persona, separated because of technical issues you could say were plot manipulation if you are a heartless monster). This may be the first time Murderbot has had to rely on humans for anything related to its job, due to redacted, and it's handled really well, without the humans turning into plucky sidekicks.
The ending line is great in how it promises a new set of adventures, something I look forward to--hopefully in the not-too-distant future....more
I read this many months ago (as of writing this review) and I put off reviewing it because it is actually the first part of a single very long story. I read this many months ago (as of writing this review) and I put off reviewing it because it is actually the first part of a single very long story. Unfortunately, I haven't managed to read part two (more on this later) and I've decided I should go ahead and write this one up regardless.
This is beautifully-realized science fiction, with aliens who feel believably alien. It's also deeply religious, as the alien race (technically, as the main character is one of them, it's humans who are alien, but whatever) have a profound and tangible connection to their God and are motivated by prophecy. There is no sideways dig at religious people, either; at no point does Zafiil have her faith broken, nor does she discover that It's All Been A Lie. I love that.
However, this is a very slow-paced story told out of sequence, and I've had trouble thinking who I can recommend it to despite how much I like the story, the characters, the worldbuilding, and the underlying concept. Even with all that, I've had trouble getting through book two because I'm rarely in the mood for what it offers. It's hard for me to convey how odd it is to be both captivated by a story and be disinclined to dive into it.
So this probably sounds like damning with faint praise, and it really isn't--I loved this book and I loved being immersed in it. Hogarth has a solid grasp of character and is incredibly inventive with her alien universe. (view spoiler)[Zafiil's people mature physically when they make a connection with their "lifemate" (not what they're called, but it's been long enough I can't remember the word) and she does so without realizing who of all the people she's encountered triggered the change, and I really, really want to see the culmination of that plot. (hide spoiler)] If I haven't finished the story, it's not because the books are flawed. I hope I'm eventually in a place to finish it....more
I came across this by way of meeting the author (in a virtual online exchange of emails way). It seemed like a good entry point for the Peltedverse, wI came across this by way of meeting the author (in a virtual online exchange of emails way). It seemed like a good entry point for the Peltedverse, which is HUGE and daunting. And it is a good entry point, more or less. I really liked all the stories and loved one or two--"Dark Lighthouse" is a heartbreaking romance that left me wanting to shake the main character (view spoiler)[I am not nearly so certain as Taylitha is that she will ever get another chance with Avram Hancock, and who gives up on a relationship with someone who is very likely perfect for her just because he's the wrong race? And yet her reaction, while frustrating, was so in character I was only heartbroken and not mad. (hide spoiler)]--and the art is a charming addition.
I'm going to give this five stars for my own reaction, but call it four stars as far as recommending it as a starting point for the series goes. I personally enjoy putting events and concepts together from hints and clues, and this requires a bit of being willing to be immersed in an unfamiliar world--not something everyone likes. For me, this was a very comfortable read, and I'll have to find another way into the series and see if I like the rest of it as well....more
I love Murderbot's voice, and I love Martha Wells' writing, but this felt slight by comparison to earlier Murderbot stories. On the other hand, it is I love Murderbot's voice, and I love Martha Wells' writing, but this felt slight by comparison to earlier Murderbot stories. On the other hand, it is a good mystery, and I like that it fills in a hole I didn't realize I cared about. Very enjoyable, but not quite five stars....more
Re-read 11/28/23: Had to read this again because System Collapse picks up almost immediately after it ends and I didn't remember enough. This time I wRe-read 11/28/23: Had to read this again because System Collapse picks up almost immediately after it ends and I didn't remember enough. This time I was a little less satisfied with the distinction between the pre-CR colony and the Adamantine colony, which for some reason I had trouble with, but the story itself is still great.
Read 6/3/20: It surprised me, when I read the first four Murderbot stories, that I was satisfied with their novella length. Usually I prefer longer stories, but those were just the right length for what Martha Wells wanted to tell. And this book is the same--just the right length for this story about friendship and sacrifice and, for lack of a better word, humanity. Murderbot would be irritated at that categorization, since it has no desire to be human, but its journey has been not only about it learning what it wants to be, but also about the humans around it. So it's not so much Murderbot's "humanity" as it is that of everyone it encounters.
The characterization in book five of the series reaches new heights as Murderbot gets to know new people, human and otherwise, as well as encountering old friends. Having said that, I immediately have to dive into spoiler territory: (view spoiler)[I was as devastated as Murderbot by the idea that our old friend ART might be dead--worse than dead, because its "body" is still functional. (hide spoiler)] This, however, sets up the entire heart of the book, which is Murderbot's friendship with ART. It's an extraordinary relationship, complex and multilayered, and (view spoiler)[I look forward to the next book, with Murderbot traveling with ART and its crew (hide spoiler)]. It allows for some very good conversations about what love is, and I liked the contrast with Murderbot's friendship with Dr. Mensah--there's a moment when one of the characters asks Murderbot if it loves Mensah, and Murderbot says "not the way you think." Murderbot is asexual, and that never changes, but there are elements of the romantic that deepen those friendships without ever being the kind of romantic a human would expect.
While the heart of the story is relationships, the plot is jam-packed with excitement and terror. Wells is a skilled writer with a great sense of tension, and I read the book in a single three-hour session, swept along by the action. Part of the joy is, of course, seeing how Murderbot reacts to the irrational humans it's nevertheless very attached to, but watching the humans interact with each other is nearly as good. Liking Mensah's teenage daughter Amena was a huge surprise. The first time we meet her, it's under conditions that make her look like a typical self-involved teen, but she turns out to be smart and quick-thinking and mature in the right ways. (view spoiler)[She calls Murderbot "third mom" at one point (Mensah being one of her two mothers) and that was a delight. (hide spoiler)]
The climax is sweet and terrible and emotionally fraught, and I'd like to burble about it, but I think it's better people just read the book. I very rarely recommend a series so wholeheartedly, because I don't believe anything is a "must-read", but this is a series that starts out looking like nothing more than an action novel and gradually builds to something very powerful.
Okay, a little burbling: (view spoiler)[The creation of Murderbot 2.0 made Murderbot's apparent death way more plausible and therefore way more affecting. I loved how everything worked out, from 2.0's sacrifice to the way SecUnit 3 began its journey of self-determination to ART wanting Murderbot to stay with it. Also, I calculated a while ago how long Murderbot had been free of its governor module because number of hours doesn't translate to actual time in my head, and SecUnit 3's uncertainty is a reminder of how much longer Murderbot has had to become what it is. I'd love to see more of SecUnit 3. (hide spoiler)]
On a more personal note, I have been a fan of Martha Wells since reading Wheel of the Infinite back in 2002 (I'd read and loved two earlier books, but that was the one that really hooked me) and it has been an absolute joy to see her achieving such amazing success with this series. It's like seeing my favorite underdog team win the World Series, and I'm not a sports person so I'm not sure why that's the analogy I came up with, but there it is. I hope people who discover her through the Murderbot Diaries go on to pick up her fantasy work; I realize that's not a natural crossover, and a lot of readers of SF aren't into fantasy and vice versa, but what she's done here is the natural culmination of years of writing powerful stories about complex people. So if you're one of those readers, give her other stuff a try....more
This fourth Murderbot novella is possibly the best of the lot. Let's just take a minute to digest that. Four books in a series, each better than the lThis fourth Murderbot novella is possibly the best of the lot. Let's just take a minute to digest that. Four books in a series, each better than the last, all of them wonderful. Series don't always manage that.
So I did read this back to back with Rogue Protocol and it was an intense experience. For me, what made it great is that it's the natural end point for events that started in All Systems Red, which is to say that we're back with Dr. Mensah and some of the others Murderbot considers its crew. I loved getting to see the humans again, particularly Mensah, who I just love. She is passionate about her work and justice and doing what's right, but she also makes mistakes. And she's smart, which is nice to see, and I appreciate that almost as much as Murderbot does.
This story is a straight-up thriller, and it moves like one. I cannot imagine this being a novel because it would give readers a seizure from how fast it moves. I love how Murderbot thinks like a security-minded person and is always (until the end) a few steps ahead of the enemy. It reminds me of Jane Whitefield from the Thomas Perry novels (starting with Vanishing Act), another character I think is great.
And, of course, the ending: (view spoiler)[I said in my review of All Systems Red I hadn't realized at first that Murderbot couldn't go with Mensah to her world because it wouldn't be a free agent. It was great to see Mensah apologize for that offer and explicitly make that point, showing she understands. At this point, it's right for Murderbot to go to Preservation, because it will be a person and have the opportunity, if it wants, to make a push for legal recognition. To paraphrase the final lines, Murderbot still doesn't know what it wants, but maybe now in Preservation it has a place to be while it figures that out. (hide spoiler)]
Now, of course, I have to wait with everyone else for the release of the novel. I have my suspicions about what it will be about--suspicions only, because much of the action of the series so far is wrapped up here. But I am certain it will be as good as these novellas. (I preordered it. And I will not wait two years before reading it.)...more
So, after a good night's sleep, I moved on to book 3. Good thing, too, because this one is a nail-biter. If All Systems Red is a typical SF thriller, So, after a good night's sleep, I moved on to book 3. Good thing, too, because this one is a nail-biter. If All Systems Red is a typical SF thriller, and Artificial Condition is more of an espionage thriller, this is SF horror in the vein of Aliens. I was on edge the whole time, waiting for more bad things to happen, and Wells does a really great misdirect that makes it all work beautifully. (view spoiler)[I felt the way Murderbot did about the corrupt human security duo, that it had been so preoccupied with believing they were on edge over its presence it hadn't considered that they were an actual threat. It was a great twist. (hide spoiler)]
Don Abene and Miki are two of my favorite side characters to date. Miki in particular is complex and interesting, since it (I actually did think of this one as "she" because Miki to me is a female name, but it's an it) starts off sounding like a puppy and gradually shows its more intelligent, helpful, and loyal side. (view spoiler)[Miki's death was powerful for those reasons, not just because I came to really care about it. It was one of those horrible, senseless things that happen sometimes, and yet Miki wouldn't have died if it hadn't been trying to help a friend. (hide spoiler)] I think Miki is the most powerful influence Murderbot has had to this point in learning what it means to have a friend who isn't like you. (view spoiler)[I also think this influence is a strong point in leading Murderbot to realize it has to go back to Mensah. Murderbot isn't really conscious of Mensah as a friend yet, but that's what she is. (hide spoiler)]
Anyway, this one is creepy and brilliant, and Murderbot keeps growing in its understanding of itself, and I'm almost afraid to read the next one. (That's a lie. I went straight from this one to the fourth.)...more
In this second Murderbot story, Murderbot is on its own and pursuing the truth about events it only vaguely remembers. It's even better than the firstIn this second Murderbot story, Murderbot is on its own and pursuing the truth about events it only vaguely remembers. It's even better than the first, possibly because it's built on that book and draws from the emotional events already established.
This one was where I more fully appreciated the novella format. I think Wells was smart to write it this way rather than as a single really big novel, because the emotional impact is greater when each of these lovely little stories (none of that is meant derogatively) is set off as a self-contained unit. The format also, I think, makes Murderbot's journey--or journeys; both the quest to find out what's really going on and Murderbot's discovery of self--more distinct. Or maybe I mean more structurally coherent. In any case, it was a great choice.
And what can I say about ART? That there are other self-aware artificial intelligences in this world should not be a surprise, and one of my favorite things (I have a lot of favorite things about this series) is how some of them aren't in humanoid bodies. I loved ART's relationship with Murderbot and its influence on guiding it toward a better understanding of who it wants to be.
(All those "it" pronouns reminded me that Murderbot really does not strike me as male or female. Kudos to Wells for pulling that off.)
Learning some details of Murderbot's past intrigued me. (view spoiler)[It appears to be the only survivor, but what if there was more than one of the SecUnits who wasn't destroyed? (hide spoiler)] And once more Wells creates human characters whose natures are not only realistic, but go a long way toward establishing Murderbot as a non-human self-governing individual. I love seeing it grow in its individuality. I also love that it's fundamentally shy--it's an endearing characteristic.
I managed to read All Systems Red and this back to back before being overcome by the sheer intensity of the stories. I hope ART shows up again eventually. I hope Murderbot finds what it's looking for--what it doesn't yet know it needs....more
At the risk of starting another Ready Player One incident, I'll post this short review. I really liked the tension this book maintained from the beginAt the risk of starting another Ready Player One incident, I'll post this short review. I really liked the tension this book maintained from the beginning, both in terms of the writing and the complexity of the main character's conflict with his society. But I couldn't get past the setup, which asks the reader to believe that a totalitarian society could survive for 700 years making the fundamental mistakes it makes. The Golds might as well have put up signs saying Slave Revolt Starts Here. Cruelty and oppression are way less effective long-term at keeping a slave population in check than bread and circuses. Dystopian fiction is the new horror, giving the reader the chills--what if I lived in that society? What would I do?--but here it felt as if the need to maintain that horror trumped creating a society that could actually function. As I read, I felt constantly pulled out of the story by details I couldn't handwave away, and when I set it down, I never did manage to come back to it. It's a magnificent piece of storytelling, very intense, but it's just not for me.
For anyone who'd like to see a similar premise (meaning the truth about Darrow's people and their role in society) played out in a far more realistic way, I recommend the middle grade novel This Time of Darkness....more
Sometimes a book is just the right fit for a reader. Sleeping Giants is really good objectively, and Neuvel is excellent at conveying human emotion thSometimes a book is just the right fit for a reader. Sleeping Giants is really good objectively, and Neuvel is excellent at conveying human emotion through the driest of media, the field report and interview. But for me, it worked well beyond those qualities. I found myself thoroughly engaged with the characters, and I loved the mental challenge of figuring out who the mysterious, unnamed interrogator/confidant/facilitator was. (You don't, ever. But (view spoiler)[I would not be at all surprised to learn that he was behind Ryan's attack on Vincent. An attack that just happens to leave Vincent in a position to need new legs that can fit the controls of the alien construct? Right. (hide spoiler)]). I loved the epilogue, and look forward to finding out what happens next....more
This third volume in the Johnny Maxwell trilogy is the most ambitious, tackling the subject of time travel in a funny and at the same time thoughtful This third volume in the Johnny Maxwell trilogy is the most ambitious, tackling the subject of time travel in a funny and at the same time thoughtful way. Johnny and his friends find the bag lady Mrs. Tachyon apparently mugged on the street, and in getting her medical care are stuck with her shopping cart full of squishy, disturbingly motile garbage bags. The thing is, her bags are apparently stuffed with Time, and in messing with them, Johnny and Kirsty (who keeps changing her name) and then the others are transported in time. (Mrs. Tachyon, right?)
There's some humorous comings and goings for a bit, but the main story focuses on something Johnny's been studying for a school project, the WWII bombing of a street in their town. Because the air raid siren failed to go off, nineteen people were killed. When their time travel takes them back to the day of the raid, Johnny wonders if there isn't some way to stop that happening.
The actual mechanics of time travel are more played for laughs than actually thought out, though they hold together fairly well, and Pratchett only "cheats" (in the sense of deviating from the rules he's created) once. That once is really only credible because you want it to succeed, not because it makes a lot of sense. But the resolution of the plot is extremely satisfying, the more so because Johnny's friends Bigmac, Wobbler, and Yo-less are as involved as Johnny is.
Here in particular we see elements of Pratchett's Discworld novels, in particular the Trousers of Time concept and Mrs. Tachyon's repetition of the phrase "millennium hand and shrimp." I took this to be a cute nod to adult readers who'd be familiar with Sam Vimes and Foul Ole Ron and was amused by it. I also liked that Pratchett was willing to alter history, and that Johnny's attitude was that we alter the future all the time by the actions we take. His messing around in the continuum left the future a better place, changing a lot of lives, including one Johnny never thought was in question.
I'm not sure I'll come back to this series the way I do several of the Discworld novels, but I enjoyed this very much and intend to pass it along to my children....more
I'd never read this series before, but I picked up the second and third at library sales a few years back, and in preparing for a month of reading, I I'd never read this series before, but I picked up the second and third at library sales a few years back, and in preparing for a month of reading, I came across them on the shelves and thought it was time. The Johnny Maxwell series is solid middle-grade SF with a touch of typically Pratchett-esque humor. In this book, Johnny is playing a video game that involves slaughtering invading aliens when his screen displays the message that the aliens want to surrender. They're tired of dying (when a player dies, of course he returns again and again, but the aliens are permanently destroyed when they're shot) and want Johnny to give them safe conduct back to their own world. Johnny, at first (reasonably) disbelieving, comes to realize it's true--though is it, really, or is he simply retreating from a world in which his parents fight all the time and school is a nightmare?
The book is fairly slight, but I've come to appreciate that Pratchett, in his later books (The Colour of Magic came out in 1983, and this one was first published in 1992 and reissued in the early 2000s, so it's not that much later, but still) never missed an opportunity to drop serious moments in between the jokes. Johnny's home life is a disaster, with his parents so focused on their own fighting that they neglect him; his friend Yo-less's mother, a nurse, and the parents of his would-be friend Kirsty/Sigourney (who is a hoot), seem to be the only ones who notice that Johnny is suffering. He's an ordinary kid for the most part, but the aliens make the point that he is the only one of all the people playing the game who responded to their plea. And the question of what is reality comes up repeatedly, from Johnny wondering if the human players he kills in defending the aliens suffer to Johnny and "Sigourney" altering the alien ship through their desires because it's all in their heads...or is it?
It's a quick read, and I enjoyed it enough to move on to the next immediately....more
This book kept coming up on my recommendations, so when I was surrounded by books and couldn't choose which one to read next, I opted for this one. "WThis book kept coming up on my recommendations, so when I was surrounded by books and couldn't choose which one to read next, I opted for this one. "What if the Axis powers won World War II?" is arguably the most popular turning point for alternate histories, and Dick handles it brilliantly. The West Coast is controlled by the Japanese, the East by Germany; Africa has been genocidally cleansed; Hitler's dead, but his key adviser-goons are still in control.
The story veers between several different characters, each of whom provides a different perspective on the world they inhabit (1960 or thereabouts). The one who really fascinated me, I can't remember his name off-hand (this is not the kind of book where I remember all the names), is an antiquities dealer who flatters and is obsequious to his Japanese customers. He's not a nice person, and his kowtowing makes him even less attractive, but he has a moment of standing up for his culture that made me proud. I also really liked Juliana, whose journey to see "the man in the high castle" provides momentum in a story that is mostly static.
The ending is compelling: (view spoiler)[the I Ching reveals that the real world is the one described in the Grasshopper novel, "our" reality (hide spoiler)]. I'm not a huge fan of Philip K. Dick--or, more accurately, I've loved some of his books and been befuddled by others--but this was an impressive, enjoyable book....more
There are some Douglas Coupland books I read just for the prose. This is one of them. Coupland's metaphors and descriptive passages are lovely, but inThere are some Douglas Coupland books I read just for the prose. This is one of them. Coupland's metaphors and descriptive passages are lovely, but in the end I wasn't sure what the point was. I think he was saying something about interconnectedness, but as I write this, I no longer remember the ending. (It's only been ten days.) Clever, interestingly characterized, and ultimately forgettable....more
Martha Wells is one of my favorite authors, so I don't know why it took me so long to read this series. Possibly it's because I didn't immediately buyMartha Wells is one of my favorite authors, so I don't know why it took me so long to read this series. Possibly it's because I didn't immediately buy the hardcover edition; I may or may not have mentioned that my e-reader puts me to sleep, so I'm reluctant to use it for anything but going over my own manuscripts. I really don't know what I was thinking.
It's brilliant, of course. The voice of the narrator, Murderbot, is beautifully strong and conveys the character's personality perfectly. I was thinking about how relatively scanty the descriptions of this society are, but that makes sense because of that strong narrative voice. Everything we know is filtered through Murderbot's experience, and calling the series a diary drives home the fact that people don't spend a lot of time thinking or writing about stuff everyone knows. There's no section laying out the details of the company (I love that it's lower-case company) and yet I have a very clear idea of what it does and what it's like.
I already knew, because I have read all of Wells's novels, that she is excellent at conveying character, and the research team of humans comes across as vividly unique in a way a SecUnit would see them. We don't get to know all of them, but the few Murderbot interacts with more deeply are charming or irritating or naïve, enough that I worried for their safety.
And Murderbot. I was tempted, in the first maybe half of the novella, to ascribe its personality changes to "becoming human." But of course that's not what's going on. Murderbot has seen humans, both its clients and the ones on the many many shows it watches, and for all its growing desire to protect them, it has no desire to become one. It might be better to say that Murderbot is becoming a person, an individual with needs and desires, and I loved seeing it cope with those developing emotions. (I absolutely love every time it says it has to stop to have an emotion. I don't remember if it says that specifically in this book, but it comes up enough that it gets me every time.)
Dr. Mensah is a remarkable character whose interactions with Murderbot are something else I love. Though because of that, the ending caught me off-guard: (view spoiler)[Mensah buys Murderbot outright, intending to give it freedom in her world, and I was sort of excited by the possibility. So I missed that Mensah, in telling Murderbot she would be its guardian (not much different from owner), didn't say that this was only until Murderbot acclimated to freedom. So Murderbot fleeing was a surprise, and yet clearly the only solution. (hide spoiler)]
When I finally came to my senses and bought all four books, I decided to read them back to back because, you know, why waste any more time? This turned out not to work, but I did read them over the course of two days. So I have more reviews to write. It also means I know they just keep getting better....more
This is going on my list of favorite books this year. It's also one of the strangest, most evocative books I've read this year and one I fully intend This is going on my list of favorite books this year. It's also one of the strangest, most evocative books I've read this year and one I fully intend to re-read. I'm having trouble reviewing it without just retelling the story; even explaining the background (essential to understanding what happens) takes up more time than a review ought.
The highlights: Wasp is a young woman who lives in a postapocalyptic far-future in which the religion of Catchkeep, and its priest, dominates the town where she lives. Wasp is the Archivist, tasked with collecting, studying, and destroying ghosts. She is feared by the townspeople, hated by the other girls who hope someday to take her place by killing her (as the alternative is brutality and death), and dominated by the Catchkeep-priest, a vicious man who delights in seeing others suffer. Wasp isn't like the other Archivists, and when an unusual ghost contacts her--no other ghost has ever spoken--she sees in it the possibility of escaping her bleak future.
The setting is magnificently, terribly realistic. Wasp and the ghost (who never has a name, though it's the spirit of a young man) travel through this shifting realm pursued by nightmares, learning how to unravel the mysteries of the land as well as the nature of ghosts, and I was swept away by its strangeness and beauty. The ghost's true agenda, as well as the story of the woman he's seeking, unfold gradually, which kept my curiosity engaged throughout. I'm a sucker for a good dystopian/postapocalyptic story, and this is the old-fashioned kind: there is no romance, no romanticizing of the current era, just strong themes of friendship and loyalty and a very satisfying ending.
There are things I felt were inadequately explained, such as why there were even ghosts in the first place--where did they come from? And how was the ghost able to carry solid objects? (view spoiler)[And at the end, when they "rescue" Catherine, she and the ghost seem to have regained their memories, but earlier it's said that the ghost has been gradually losing itself and that this is the fate of all ghosts. So how will they remain coherent enough to offer Wasp a chance to join them, when she decides? (hide spoiler)] But overall my concerns and questions were afterthoughts, and I was deeply satisfied by this book. It makes me grateful for smaller presses, one of which took a chance on this unusual but brilliant book....more
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