Technical nonfiction and spec fiction. She/her. Melbourne, Australia. Generation X. Admin of Outside of a Dog. BDFL of Hometown (Mastodon) instance Old Mermaid Town (@futzle@old.mermaid.town). Avatar image is of a book that my dog tried to put on their inside.
My rating scale: ★ = I didn't care for it and probably didn't finish it; ★★ = It didn't inspire but I might have finished it anyway; ★★★ = It was fine; ★★★★ = I enjoyed it; ★★★★★ = I couldn't put it down.
This link opens in a pop-up window
Sci-fi’s favorite antisocial A.I. is back on a mission. The case against the too-big-to-fail GrayCris …
Content warning Murderbot 3 "Rogue Protocol" spoilers
Ok, I think I'm going to take a short breather before I tackle the next in this series. The stories are starting to feel a bit samey and Murderbot's prejudices about humans and other bots are grating a bit.
It has a dark past—one in which a number of humans were killed. A past that caused it to christen …
It has a dark past—one in which a number of humans were killed. A past …
Content warning Spoilers, Murderbot 2: Artificial Condition
This one was OK. The plot felt less well-formed than All Systems Red. Murderbot’s relationship with ART jumped implausibly from ART being controlling to cooperating. Solving the Tlacey problem with violence felt like a cop-out.
"As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure."
In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, …
Content warning Plot spoilers
One of the things I like about recent sf is that it doesn’t feel the need to adhere to the old tropes. The protagonist’s secret comes out, and unlike in old sf where there would have been hand-wringing and ostracism, the allies accept the new information, accept the protagonist, and the story moves on. Old sf would definitely have killed off one of the protagonist’s group for shock value, but that isn’t a given nowadays. Old sf likes to explore the axis of the powerful against the underdog, but now the force driving the story is bureaucracy, opportunism, and selfishness. I like this first Murderbot story because it (the story, but also Murderbot) is relatable.
"As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure."
In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, …
Yeah, that was enjoyable, I’ll be back.
"As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure."
In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, …
Having an epiphany: I suspect this book deeply resonates with a lot of people I follow on the Fediverse, because I can see a lot of you in Murderbot in how you react to social situations.
"As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure."
In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, …
Taking a break from the pile of blokey sf dead-tree book pile to try out this acclaimed series.
Critics have compared the engrossing space operas of Peter F. Hamilton to the classic sagas …
Nope, it is not grabbing me. Stopping at page 120 of 1138 (!). It feels like older, straight-man-written sf of the 1970s, not from its actual 2002. I’d probably have devoured this as a youngster but now my expectations are higher.
This richly illustrated book discusses non-Euclidean geometry and the hyperbolic plane in an accessible way. …
A well-targeted birthday present. Not a pattern book, but contains history, geometry, and strategies for making your own crochet that just won't lie flat.
A most peculiar story, if you can call it that. It’s more a series of vignettes about some quite dysfunctional people. Coupland lets slip ever so quietly that he knows a great deal about technology. I suspect more than I do.
I know Doug Coupland from his earlier nonfiction work such as Souvenir of Canada. Guess I’m about to find out what his fiction is like.
Content warning Plot elements
I’ll come right out and say it: blackface is a central part of this story. This novel is from 1934 when white people didn’t blink at blacking up and performing music as “n****r minstrels”. There’s simply no way to edit this story to exclude this fact without greatly changing the story.
I’ve only read Jeeves short stories to now; this is the first novel (and Wodehouse’s first Jeeves novel too). It hangs together, the plot is clever and of course Jeeves saves the day. Satisfying, but hold your nose.
Oh my, this appears to be an edition with the n-word in it intact; wasn’t expecting that at all.
It’s not grabbing me. The Lena character is insufferable and shallow and irritating. The diary excerpts are especially cringeworthy.
I don’t know if it’s Palmer trying to write women or something else, because there’s only one other woman in the book and she is a very minor character.
Putting it down.
