Overall I liked this one a lot more than the previous two installments. It's not as emotional as book 2 and not as snarky as book 3, but the pacing isOverall I liked this one a lot more than the previous two installments. It's not as emotional as book 2 and not as snarky as book 3, but the pacing is much better and I was all in for the crew getting back together. Murderbot is also starting philosophical (and snarky) discussions about "being a person" now, which I was happy to see.
Somewhere in the first half of Rogue Protocol I really got bored to tears and started losing interest in the series, but this one (and the second half of that one) saved it. Network Effect is going from "maybe" to a definite "yes" on my TBR list....more
3.5 stars. Still catching up slowly with the series. The first half of this one dragged a lot for me, but once Murderbot got back to its task as a Sec3.5 stars. Still catching up slowly with the series. The first half of this one dragged a lot for me, but once Murderbot got back to its task as a SecUnit, I loved the return of its snarky comments and awkward interactions with humans. Somehow that's entirely the opposite of how I felt about the previous book -- I liked Murderbot's pseudo-friendship with ART there but found the action chapters boring. Not entirely sure if this is because of a tonal difference between audio and print, or if it's simply that I was a fan of ART. Maybe I should stick to print version for the rest of the series.
The ending felt too abrupt though, so I'm breaking my own rule of airing out within a series and continuing right onto the next book (which is the one I've been waiting for since book 1. Finally, returning to the old crew!)...more
3.5 stars, rounded up purely for the entertainment value.
First, I should probably clarify that this is a review for 三体, the Chinese original of The Th3.5 stars, rounded up purely for the entertainment value.
First, I should probably clarify that this is a review for 三体, the Chinese original of The Three-Body Problem, and therefore contains no opinion on Ken Liu's translation (except that I'm happy he fixed a factual error in the original text, which I found out while discussing with friends in this thread). I should probably also clarify that, had this book been in English, I would've probably DNF'ed or given it a much lower rating, since the writing style hits quite a few no-nos that are typically immediate turnoffs for me -- bland and distant narrative voice, all tell and no show, flat stick figure characters, weird and awkward moments when sudden emotional monologues pop up that build up from nowhere, etc ... But somehow, either because I have a different cultural expectation here (many of these traits aren't too uncommon for Chinese books as far as I can tell), or because I can read Chinese much faster and skim over the details I don't like (it took me only about a third of the time I typically need for an English book to finish this one), I was able to look past these problems and focus on just the ideas instead of the writing, which honestly is what I think the author expects us to do.
Okay, with those caveats out of the way, I can now talk about the science fiction part.
The majority of the book felt like a collection of trivia facts to me, in a good way. Things started slow, and it took seven chapters to get to the real focus of the plot, but once it got there I was thoroughly intrigued. The video game chapters, which explained the three body problem through a semi-historic tour of philosophy, math, and basic computer technology, were entertaining and surprisingly accurate (or, at least as accurate as I could tell. I did find certain details misleading, such as the error linked at the beginning of this review and the fact that (mild spoiler) (view spoiler)[the game passed off human-array computers as capable of fast and complex calculations. Although that second issue was pointed out by another character later in the book, it still felt a bit odd to me that the in-game experience seemed to be selling the idea as practically feasible (hide spoiler)], but none of the important information was off, and the messages behind the examples were all valid). The backstory of Red Coast, a space radio station, got increasingly interesting over time as well, and I was thrilled to have learned quite a few random facts about cosmic radiation and directed-energy weapons. It's been a while since something prompted so much googling to satisfy my curiosity, and for that alone I thought the book was worth reading.
And then ... there came the ending with the big reveal and twist that made me wonder if the author was tripping.
Here I have a confession to make: I am not a physicist, so I had a lot of fun reading that chapter and cackling at the insanity of it. BUT, even a non-physicist me knows that a lot of the science behind this is pure fiction:(view spoiler)[no, a proton is not a physical sphere like a ball you can just kick; no, quantum entanglement doesn't persist over conditions like that; and I don't think you can really unfold things into lower dimensions either? Don't quote me on the last one, I don't know enough to be sure, but I think when you unroll a cigarette into a sheet of paper like the example used in the book, you're not turning it from a 3D object to 2D. You're approximating it in 2D, but the paper still has thickness, however tiny that thickness is, and the approximation inevitably loses information in the third dimension. Truly turning something from 3D to 2D would be more like turning that cigarette into an image, something that's not tangible in 3D at all, which I don't think can be achieved by a process as simple as "unfolding", let alone be reversible. (hide spoiler)] So if the credulity of science bothers you on an intellectual level, or if you don't like your hard sci-fi turning into a fantasy... then tread carefully. But otherwise, I thought it was nice to just see how far the author's imagination could take us, which, I admit, was quite far.
At this point though, I'm not entirely sure if I want to read The Dark Forest, since it appears to take a more typical first-contact turn and feels quite a bit different from this book. But I'll consider it, and I might even finally pick up A Brief History of Time after being intrigued by all the cosmic trivia facts.
P.S. For anyone else who might find this useful, I stumbled upon a great post written by a physicist, which talked about some other science bugs in this book that I had absolutely no idea were there. I liked part 1 of the post more than part 2, though they were both massively informative.
P.P.S. This was a buddy read with Hirondelle, who unfortunately didn't enjoy it as much, but it was a lot of fun and quite educational nevertheless! Thanks a bunch <3...more
3.5 stars, rounded up for the ending that somehow struck a chord with me.
This is definitely a "slow" story, as the title suggests. The beginning was m3.5 stars, rounded up for the ending that somehow struck a chord with me.
This is definitely a "slow" story, as the title suggests. The beginning was more of a low 3 stars, but once the spaceship set sailing and decided what it wanted to do, things started getting interesting, and I liked its contemplation of solitude, meaning of life, and purpose of humanity. A different me in a different mood might have found it a bit melodramatic, but my current mind space really appreciated this kind of hopeful, almost ethereal perspective about being remembered....more
I read 4 out of the 8 short stories in this issue, which meets my personal 50% rule for rating an anthology/magazine. And I've decided that Uncanny asI read 4 out of the 8 short stories in this issue, which meets my personal 50% rule for rating an anthology/magazine. And I've decided that Uncanny as a general style doesn't work for me.
I don't typically like overt political themes in fiction, and unfortunately, 3 /4 of the stories I got through are focused on politics and social commentary. Rabbit Test, being the award-winning one, is easily my favorite of the bunch. I learned a lot about real-world abortion history from it (rabbit test, Madame Restell, Ammi Rogers, etc.), which I appreciated, and I absolutely support the message behind the story. But for a piece with such a strong theme, I'd prefer to be able to feel and believe in its message, which wasn't quite the case here, so I didn't fall in love with it despite the creative style and solid plot.
The writing is also quite plain across all the stories, and the overall style of the issue reminds me a lot of Apex (which I also don't like). A bit on the sad side, since so many award winners are coming out of Uncanny in recent years.
Individual ratings for stories that I finished:
Rabbit Test: 3.5 stars Transference: 3.5 stars To Walk the River of Stars: 3 stars Travelers’ Unrest: 2 stars...more
I'm a sucker for nontraditional narrative structures, so I really liked this. It's skillfully done, blending pov switches and time jumps perfectly intI'm a sucker for nontraditional narrative structures, so I really liked this. It's skillfully done, blending pov switches and time jumps perfectly into one overarching plot that flows smoothly and naturally. The echoing themes of lost civilizations and missed chances are also handled well, in a way that's emotionally evocative but not over the top.
Sampled this short story (available online here) to get an idea of the author's style before investing in The Splinter in the Sky. It was interesting,Sampled this short story (available online here) to get an idea of the author's style before investing in The Splinter in the Sky. It was interesting, with a creative narrative structure and a unique world. Somewhat mix-genre with equal parts sci-fi, fantasy, and horror, though the sci-fi didn't seem to fit as well into the rest and served very little purpose.
The writing was a bit too plain for me, and the emotions were light, so maybe the novel will get a lower priority on my wishlist....more
I liked this a lot for the anthropological exploration of an alien culture, though I have to admit that I didn't feel nearly as much of an emotional iI liked this a lot for the anthropological exploration of an alien culture, though I have to admit that I didn't feel nearly as much of an emotional impact as most five-star reviews suggested.
This is the first book I've read from Le Guin, as part of my mission to catch up on SFF classics. Incidentally, the main reason that I felt the need to check some of her works off my list is that N.K. Jemisin has named her a major influence, and now I clearly see the proof from just this book alone. The depth of worldbuilding and exploration of humanity is amazing. Even after half a century, the messages on gender and bias are still profoundly thought-provoking, and it's all elegantly delivered through the viewpoint of imperfect but completely relatable characters.
On the other hand, my main grievance with Jemisin applies here as well--this should have been a deeply emotional story, but somehow I couldn't feel it. I could imagine what it would be like to go through all that trauma if I were the main characters, but I couldn't feel it from the words because the writing was just too distant for my taste.
I've been told that Le Guin is great at creating very unique voices for different books though, so I'm curious to see if the next one I pick up will end up leaving me with a completely different impression....more
This is so good that it deserves its own five stars separate from the collection. The details on linguistics were really interesting and educational, This is so good that it deserves its own five stars separate from the collection. The details on linguistics were really interesting and educational, and the way Chiang managed to connect language, physics, time, etc. all together was simply mindblowing.
It saddens me that movie makers have apparently judged this story to be too hard-sciency for general public consumption, and that almost all the most amazing parts of it were thrown away in the adaptation. I hate that movie....more
Two years after putting this collection on indefinite hold, I guess I should at least sum up how I felt about it (thanks Hirondelle and L for making mTwo years after putting this collection on indefinite hold, I guess I should at least sum up how I felt about it (thanks Hirondelle and L for making me realize I need to do that. See L's review here, which pretty much captured my own thoughts).
I was trying out podcasts when I stumbled upon the Lightspeed reprint of The Paper Menagerie. It was short, so I gave it a go. I did NOT expect it to bring me to tears. The generational and cultural trauma in that story spoke to me almost too personally--coming from the same cultural background as the author and the main character of the tale, I understand too well all the sentiments buried in those lines, sometimes even experience it myself. It was truly a story that touched my soul, and up to this date, it is still the only full 5-star rating I've given wholeheartedly on goodreads.
That was when I decided to check out this collection. To continue with my podcast trials, I listened to all the individual stories I was able to find online (Ken Liu's website provides a nicely compiled list of all his published stories and where to find them), which ended up covering about a third of this collection. But after finishing those podcasts... I again did not expect to start losing interest.
Here's the thing. Ken Liu is a master at telling a heartwrenching story that delves deep into familial bonds, cultural identification, and dark historical past. And he does that in just about every, single, story he writes. It's not necessarily a bad thing--people have their signature styles--but it does make a collection such as this one very hard to read. After a while, it gets repetitive, and after some more while, it even gets a bit heavy-handed, to the point that I can read a sentence and immediately recognize it's trying to make me cry.
My feeling towards Ken Liu's stories, at this point, is therefore complicated. I'm not judging this collection, nor his work in general, but I do need to take a break. So my suggestion for anyone new to this author is: read The Paper Menagerie first. The emotional impact would be much stronger if you're coming into his style with a fresh eye. Then, if you want to keep going, space out the rest of this large volume. One story at a time whenever you feel like a gut punch, and the slow savoring might just make you love it much more.
Individual ratings for stories that I finished, in order of how much I liked them:
The Paper Menagerie: 5 stars Good Hunting: 4 stars Simulacrum: 4 stars (the Lightspeed podcast was superb) Mono No Aware: 3 stars (LeVar Burton's live narration with orchestra background was cool) State Change: 3 stars The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species: 3 stars The Perfect Match: 3 stars...more
I started reading this because I just finished Ted Chiang's Understand (as part of Stories of Your Life and Others), which was also about a person witI started reading this because I just finished Ted Chiang's Understand (as part of Stories of Your Life and Others), which was also about a person with scientifically enhanced intelligence. Not quite satisfied with the ending of that one, I got curious about how the same idea was executed in its classical version, and wow I did not expect to like it so much more.
Flowers for Algernon, in both its short story and novel form, has always been a popular choice for reading materials in English classes. While I generally hate reading assignments as much as everyone else, I now understand how this one in particular earned its place. The characterization is amazing. There's no "telling" of what kind of person Charlie is from beginning to end (except the very basic description of dumb/smart), but every word and every sentence shows you exactly who he is. There aren't excessive details of his interaction with other characters either, but through every simple dialogue and expression, we glimpse so easily into their thoughts and the many facets of humanity reflected through them.
And those facets of humanity are so accurately portrayed. It's a bit scary to think that I could still relate so easily to a book written over 60 years ago, and even scarier to think that I can totally think of people I know in real life that would match Charlie's behavior at all the different stages of his intelligence. Does that simply mean I'm subconsciously holding some type of prejudice or stereotype against these people, which the author also shares? Or do intellectual levels truly affect certain personality traits, resulting in these correlations and projections? Now I need to go do my research.
An artfully, creatively written story that definitely makes you think, and not lacking an emotional punch either. Glad I'm reading it now instead of in middle school, because otherwise all of its greatness would've flown right over my head....more
An interesting short read, creative in narrative style as expected from Jemisin, but a bit too preaching for my taste. Somewhat surprised that it won An interesting short read, creative in narrative style as expected from Jemisin, but a bit too preaching for my taste. Somewhat surprised that it won a Hugo....more
4 stars for the start and finish, 2 stars for the middle.
Cozy isn't usually my thing. But after a row of serious and somewhat heavy books, I was in th4 stars for the start and finish, 2 stars for the middle.
Cozy isn't usually my thing. But after a row of serious and somewhat heavy books, I was in the perfect mood for something light, so I decided to check this novella off of my "somewhat interested" list.
Turns out that I got quite the opposite feeling of "cozy" out of it.
The beginning of the book was charming. Sibling Dex, a garden monk unsatisfied with their work and life, decided to change career and become a tea monk instead, whose daily job would be to listen to people chat away life troubles over a cup of tea. They got a shiny, beautiful wagon, stuffed it with comfy cushions, brewed all types of sweet-smelling tea, and their service helped every stressed citizen in Panga feel happy and refreshed. Nothing too exciting or eventful about it, but relaxing and cozy indeed. I would've been happy to read a whole book about the daily odds and ends happening at the tea wagon, and despite the "where's the sci-fi in this" feel, I would've given it at least four stars.
The problem is, two chapters later, Chambers apparently changed her mind about what the word "cozy" means. Whereas I expect it to mean "there are few conflicts and not much is at stake, therefore there is little drama and everything is easy and chill", she seems to be suggesting that it means "there are few conflicts and not much is at stake, therefore let's turn every little thing into a problem and make up some drama". As soon as Sibling Dex meets the robot, words like annoyed, frustrated, angry, etc. started showing up way too frequently for a supposedly cozy story. Dex is unhappy over just about everything, and most of the time it's not even relevant to their existential crisis. The robot wants to help them carry something heavy? No no no, that's wrong! It's their business, and no one else should get involved! The robot can't share their dinner because it can't physically eat? No no no, that's wrong! They were taught to share food with guests, and they simply can't fail to follow that etiquette! (Oh, and the solution to that problem? (view spoiler)[ They make the robot hold a plate of food while they eat, and then make the robot say "thank you, I'm full. Now will you eat my food too?" (hide spoiler)] Seriously, if for some reason I can't eat whatever my host is eating, and this is what they decide to do to me just to make themselves feel like a better person, I'm never going back to their house.)
I was so close to giving this hugo winner two stars, if not for the ending that somewhat redeemed it. The chat about life's purpose might feel contrived to some, but I did relate to it deeply and thought the robot's perspective was comforting. This was the "cozy" feeling I was hoping for, and for that I'm willing to raise my rating. But considering the middle part of the book annoyed me more than the ending pleased me, I'm probably not going to continue with the sequels.
(Note on audiobook: the narrator was a bit too dramatic, which probably contributed to my dislike of the middle part of the book. The editing was also very rough: it was obvious where certain sentences were recorded at a different time and patched onto the original soundtrack, since the pitch and tone of the narration shift drastically across those patches. I recommend steering away from the audiobook if you can.)...more
It was only two months ago when I first heard of either The City & The City or China Miéville, but since then those two nOn the lowest end of 3 stars.
It was only two months ago when I first heard of either The City & The City or China Miéville, but since then those two names seem to be everywhere. Two of the very few authors I follow were reading this book / had it on their shelves; multiple reviews for Vita Nostra, which I enjoyed thoroughly last year, called it "Harry Potter written by China Miéville"; even the blurb itself reminded me a whole lot of City of Stairs, another book I loved. So it's only natural that my expectation was high going in.
Well ... Of course things never turn out the way I expect them.
The premise of this book (not a spoiler--all these are quite spelled out by page 40 or 50) is great. Two cities, Beszel and Ul Qoma, coexist in the same physical space, and their respective residents are forbidden from seeing/hearing/registering the other city in any shape or form. This is done through a process called "unseeing" (you can kind of guess what that means), and if one fails to follow the rules, there will be dire consequences.
I'm a fan of psychological weirdness, and I love how unnatural this idea is. I also appreciate the in-depth exploration of this concept, which made it the essence of the story rather than just a McGuffin. But... The more of those explorations I read, the less interesting the premise became. Miéville obviously wanted to give this setting a very realistic backdrop, placing it in the contemporary world (with multiple characters from real countries such as US and Canada) and going into lots of detail on how "unseeing" is done on a behavioral level. Yet the combination of a very uncanny idea and a very realistic depiction of it resulted in a strange limbo that didn't fit my genre expectation--everything was too handwavy to pass as science fiction, too mundane and "unmagical" to pass as fantasy, and too full of plotholes to pass as realistic/nonspeculative fiction (view spoiler)[Seriously, that gait thing at the end ... All you need to do is to change your gait, and suddenly you're in a different country? What if someone is crippled? Can disabled people not live in these countries, because they can't walk/see/hear things the right way to belong in either city? (hide spoiler)]. Maybe that's the charm of Weird Fiction and maybe that's precisely what other readers might like, but for me, it just wasn't enough to let me suspend my disbelief and feel immersed in this world. It didn't help either that all the expositions on "unseeing" were dry and unengaging as well, told mostly in the form of the main character's internal monologues.
The language was another issue. Miéville's writing feels a lot like Lovecraft, filled with long and meandering expositions, odd word choices, and highly stylized dialogues. While Lovecraft writes conversations like this: "Curse ye, dun’t set thar a-starin’ at me with them eyes—I tell Obed Marsh he’s in hell, an’ hez got to stay thar!", Miéville writes like this: "They have them in Ul Qoma, too, you know, those stories. We don't just keep documents on, you know, just just what we're into, you know?" The rest of the narrative didn't feel much less jarring either, and I had trouble understanding why many readers praised the prose in this book. Or perhaps that's just another sign of Weird Fiction not getting along with me.
So while I'm glad to check this multiple award winning book off my list, I can't say that I felt it was the best investment of my time. I did like the premise and the social representation of all the political stuff, but I could've gotten all that in a one-page synopsis, and I would have enjoyed it as much as the book itself....more
This anthology includes all the original fiction published by Apex in 2021, from issue 121 to 128. It does not include the editorials from each issue,This anthology includes all the original fiction published by Apex in 2021, from issue 121 to 128. It does not include the editorials from each issue, which was slightly disappointing, but it does come with a bonus author's or editor's note for every individual story.
The only thing I've read from Apex before this happened to be Mr. Death, the same month it was published and before it became highly popular with the Hugo nomination. I enjoyed that one, so when I saw this anthology, I was very curious and excited to find out what else Apex has to offer. It turned out though, that as much as I appreciate the quality of all their stories, the general style might just not be for me. After going through three out of the eight issues, my favorite is still Mr. Death. There are a few pieces here and there that I liked better than others, but overall I wasn't too thrilled with how heavy-handed the stories were on social and political themes. Yes, I understand that racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. are serious problems that need to be addressed, but I don't like being hammered over and over with it. And the fact that Apex is relatively low-fantasy and soft-sf makes these themes feel even more in my face, which is also a turn-off for me.
I suppose someone who's more socially aware than I am would enjoy this much more. I'm still giving it three stars though for the stories that I did like, and one day I might pick it back up to finish the rest of the issues.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review....more
I liked the previous issue much more. This one has an overall old-America feel to it that I wasn't too thrilled about, as it made the themes of racismI liked the previous issue much more. This one has an overall old-America feel to it that I wasn't too thrilled about, as it made the themes of racism/sexism/homophobia etc. too real-life and overt. My favorites were Black Box of the Terraworms and If Those Ragged Feet Won’t Run. The writing in Barefoot and Midnight was also quite remarkable....more
4 stars for Your Own Undoing and Mr. Death, 3 for Root Rot, The Niddah, All I Want for Christmas, and Gray Skies, Red Wings, Blue Lips, Black Hearts, 4 stars for Your Own Undoing and Mr. Death, 3 for Root Rot, The Niddah, All I Want for Christmas, and Gray Skies, Red Wings, Blue Lips, Black Hearts, 2 for Love, That Hungry Thing. Overall a very emotional issue and better than average....more
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