This second book is quite different, though just as enjoyable as the first. As it's now a self-published series it has the distinction of being the onThis second book is quite different, though just as enjoyable as the first. As it's now a self-published series it has the distinction of being the only self-published fantasy book that I've given five stars. Depending on how I'm feeling on a given day, I could state that it's the best self-published work I've ever read. That may not say much, so I'll also state that it's one of the more enjoyable books I've read. Even better, the third book is set to release later this year, only a few months after the second. Molle's website says that Season 1 concludes this year, which makes me hopeful that there's much more to come. At the rate this series is going, it may become one of my all-time favorites. That astounds me and really demonstrates how much an author's writing can improve over the years. I find it difficult not to overhype, because as I'm far as I'm concerned it's the most underread fantasy series relative to its quality that I've read. It does and has almost everything I could want. It has a brisk pace and a suitable length. You should be reading this if you enjoy epic and/or military fantasy.
So, how does it differ? As compared to the first book, there's much less military campaigning. In its place intrigue comes to the fore. Various factions are developed and represented, each with their own overlapping and competing interests. There are few friends, but many allies of convenience, and often desperation. Ideals give way to the necessity of circumstance. Today's allies may be tomorrow's enemies, but one has to survive until tomorrow for that to pass. Each character has to decide with which faction to align, as to be on their own is certain death. Often it may not be much of a choice, but still its their own decision.
There are four main viewpoints. The two from the first book and the orphan and the Queen. The questions they must each answer are: How much of what I'm doing is to survive and how much of it is to improve the lives of my chosen group? Is this the righteous path or am I falling into an ever deeper darkness and killing all my companions? Will the future we seek be worth the ruination wrought?
Those are the questions asked on a personal level. Many factional and societal questions are posed as well. Who ought to shoulder the burden of a society's progress? Is there a better way, and if so, does that matter? How much suffering of others is permissible for our own comfort and convenience? Given that the resources fueling our progress are known to be limited, should any thought be given to management?
That's not to say this is an introspective and discussion oriented book, because it isn't. Most of the above questions are asked and answered through their actions. They're all too busy trying to stay alive, so it's mostly for the reader to consider what relevance they have for the story and their own lives. I appreciate that. ...more
Navola is from beginning to end, Davico's retelling of his origin story. He was born as the son of a banker who led the most powerful family in the ciNavola is from beginning to end, Davico's retelling of his origin story. He was born as the son of a banker who led the most powerful family in the city. He's at least somewhat of an unreliable narrator because he lies, tells you he lied, and also says he'd never lie to you. Davico is among the least agentic protagonists I've read. As often accompanies a lack of agency, his life is filled with angst and suffering. All the other characters are better and compensate for him, though I think Bacigalupi went too far with his characterization of him as a son unworthy of the greatness of his forebears. None of it goes unused by the narrative, but I wonder whether it was worth the cost to have such an uninspiring and anguished protagonist. This may be the sort of book that is meant to be contrasted with later ones.
The vast majority takes place in the city of Navola, which is readily comparable to Florence in the time of the Medici. The map is similar and there's often words that are more or less Italian, the meaning of which are usually made evident by their context. I remain ambivalent about this practice because it both adds and detracts from the reading experience. Everywhere else can easily be related to a historical analogue as well.
A singular fantastical element, a dragon's eye seeking a bond, is arguably all that separates this from clearly being secondary world historical fiction. In terms of a plot, there isn't really much of one. There's familicide, political maneuvering, in-depth discussions about trade and geopolitics, slaughtering traitors, and much else. What Davico really wants you to know though is how his day to day life was. Which is him trying to improve himself to be worthy, indulging his actual interest of communing with nature, being a pawn, and having tense situations with his adopted sister. There are a few sex scenes and one in particular is of considerable duration and graphically described in explicit detail.
There's no clear sense of purpose or meaning to anything that happens. I don't believe that in of itself is the message, but it could be. Maybe the following books will clarify matters. Perhaps related to this is how Navola is being called literary fantasy, which is questionable, though the writing is nice and flowed well. However, it does have a lot of exposition both early and late in the story.
Navola is Bacigalupi's first fantasy novel. He usually writes science fiction. It doesn't read like anything else I've read from him, which is most of what he's written. That has its benefits and disappointments. Despite my concerns I'll read the next book whenever it releases, if only because so much of my overall assessment depends on them. If there isn't another one, then that's unfortunate because I don't think this stands alone. As has been the case with all of his novels, I wanted to like it far more than I did, which continues to be troubling.
City is a series of related stories connected by a frame story. Before each story is an in-universe commentary. I couldn't help but read each one metaCity is a series of related stories connected by a frame story. Before each story is an in-universe commentary. I couldn't help but read each one metafictional apologia. The stories need to be read in order and I don't believe any stand alone. Together they're greater than the sum of their parts.
City (1944) Although this was published 80 years ago it contains many relevant concerns. The story opens with a man wary of an automated lawnmower, which relates to automation and whether what's been created will eventually turn against us. There are complaints of being unable to smell burning gasoline, which reminds me of those who complain that ebooks lack smell. Hydroponics can be substituted with GMOs. New modes of transportation have drained all of the romance out of travelling. That's what it all is. Stubborn romanticized notions.
The opposition romanticizes just as much, if not more. Their central point is that cities are obsolete, however in the 80 years since then there has only been increasing urbanization. Apparently most people don't find cities to be inherently bad.
As with many stories of the time, it was believed that atomic energy would solve many of the world's problems. If anything, that should be a cautionary message that fads in technology may not achieve anywhere as much as hoped. Perhaps Simak knew this and it's meant as a satirical comedy. Meh
Huddling Place (1944) Man has thrown off the shackles of the cities, the huddling places of the body meant for cavemen. More insidious though is the huddling place of the mind. Credit is due for Simak writing about virtual reality internet. Though saying entertainment would be a downfall wasn't anything new. That which we created to save us would entrap us is still the cautionary tale of the day. Meh
Census (1944) This story has uplift, spaceship drives, appreciation for neurodivergence, and various social theories. Simak probably would've been interested in the role autism has played in technological development. Much else is fanciful at best. Meh
Desertion (1944) Man cannot abide being unable to conqueror. If the body fails, it must be changed. Jupiter resists mankind's attempts, so they must become like the Jovians. There's a lot of transhumanism in this what it'd mean for humanity. The transcended have their own ideas. Meh
Paradise (1946) There hasn't been a single killing in 125 years. The transhuman has returned, but there's resistance to his message. Man remains shackled by his humanity, but a path now exists to remove all restraints. Meh
Hobbies (1946) Social structure has collapsed. There's no crime, violence, economy, tradition, religion, family, government, property, or relationships. Meh
Aesop (1947) Another species now rules. Robots and animals are in harmony. Meh
Epilog (1973) Almost all are united in harmony. Unconditional pacifism reigns. A different species takes control. Meh
Courtship Rite is very much inspired by Dune. Kingsbury does especially well with that not being an issue by having so much else that's distinct to diCourtship Rite is very much inspired by Dune. Kingsbury does especially well with that not being an issue by having so much else that's distinct to distract from it. If you're looking for a society with an entirely different system of morality and ethics, then you've found it. Its politics are decidedly libertarian, anarchic, and pragmatic. What's normal for them is transgressive to the norms and mores of almost any reader. Everything almost anyone does in this world is because of a singular concept: Kalothi. In a word it roughly means "survivability". Why polyamory? Because a small group has a better chance to survive. Why cannibalism? Because the survival of the individual is less important than the survival of all others. There's much else that's transgressive that's presented without defense. The transgression isn't really the focus, because it's normal. There's a lot of sex, which is often short and not explicit. Although cannibalism permeates everything and is constantly mentioned, there's surprisingly little of it on page. Mostly it's in the opening and one intentionally shocking scene.
Geta is a fascinating world, though not that much is shown of it. Their technology is extraordinarily uneven, which is understandable considering almost all of it comes from oral tradition and ancient remnants. Most resources seem scarce. There aren't any animals aside from what they call insects, which aren't viable, so their only food sources are plants and each other. If you want meat, leather, bone, or much else organic, it has to be human. A character claims there are around 200 million people, but it feels like there's maybe a million. Almost all of them see cannibalism as only being permissible during a funeral or starvation, except the two societies the book focuses on, which practice it at all times.
The characters are mostly there to have the story told through them and since this is written in third person omniscient it can jump from one character to another in consecutive paragraphs, sometimes back and forth. That may make it considerably more difficult for those whom characters are what matter most. I was indifferent to all of the characters, though there's a considerable amount to dislike about any one of them, so you may find yourself bothered by one or more of them.
The first half of the book is what the title says, courtship, which in this case means repeatedly trying to kill the wife candidate so that she can prove her Kalothi. That isn't the usual process, though I wouldn't call any of the courtship practices in this romantic, let alone kind. The latter half is intergroup conflict resolution and the troubles of knowledge. That's one one way to describe it anyway. This is something to read for its society and not much else other than that, but it's such a different experience that nothing else is needed....more
Carl Butler has retired to an undeveloped farming planet at the edge of civilization and wants to live out his days in peace. It's been a couple yearsCarl Butler has retired to an undeveloped farming planet at the edge of civilization and wants to live out his days in peace. It's been a couple years since the last book and he thinks that part of his life is over. The arrival of his former commander, the retired General Serata puts an end to such notions. The third wealthiest man in the galaxy has personally requested Butler through the President to go to a frontier jungle planet that his corporation is developing to find his missing daughter. This has happened before and Butler is somewhat more self-aware now, so he knows he's being manipulated, but agrees anyway, with conditions. He also knows that once he starts he literally won't be able to stop because he pathologically has to always follow through regardless of the consequences. Everyone knows that and that's exactly what they're counting on, though they continually seem to underestimate exactly what that means in practice.
Fortunately most of what bothered me about the previous book has been changed. The previous plotline and themes have been dropped. There's a far greater focus on the supporting cast who are used as supporting characters ought to be. All of the characters are better in general. Butler has regained his agency. There's much discussion that specifically talks through the relevant mysteries. The military science fiction aspect that was in the first book is even more played down, to where it doesn't matter much. Each book is increasingly more focused on investigation and discussion rather than action. It's all steps in the right direction for me even though I don't know what I even want from the series at this point. If I hadn't read Generation Ship first I don't know that I'd be reading this. So goes the importance of what you first read from an author.
I don't know how many who've read this thought it was going be a trilogy. I never did because it seems like it's an open-ended series where he'll write as many books in it that can he get published. I could be wrong about that, though a fourth book will be published later this year. The main reason why I believe it's a open-ended series is because there's literally no overarching story so far and each one doesn't have much continuity between them. I think it'd be entirely fine reading only this one or any other. It'd probably be fine to read them out of order, I don't know why you would intentionally do so, but I don't think it'd matter that much. I wonder how much of structure for this series is intended versus what happened for whatever reason. In this book's acknowledgements Mammay says that the second book never really came to together until the end and that he had to rewrite 60% of this book due to its issues. That seems to have worked because I'd say I like this the most thus far of the series, though I'm wary of giving it 4 stars because of the preceding books.
Thirty nine women and a child are imprisoned. The guards never interact with them other than to warn, punish, or feed. None know how they got here, whThirty nine women and a child are imprisoned. The guards never interact with them other than to warn, punish, or feed. None know how they got here, why they're here, or how long it's been. The thirty nine women remember what life was like before they arrived, but the child doesn't. How does a person develop bereft of society, culture, family, and almost all other signifiers of what it means to be human? What sort of person will they become? How will this person function if they're freed? This is science fiction in the sense that it explores a singular idea to exclusion of all else. The speculative elements give the story an absurd and surreal feeling. I have experienced other works that have similarities and I can say without qualification that this explores it the best and most thoroughly of anything I know.
This is a profoundly sad story about alienation, or at least that's closest word I know for what it's about. The title is a bit misleading, as there are men in the story, though they are unknowable. However, it's a vast improvement over the original English title, The Mistress of Silence. If it were to be more emotionally accurate to the contents, it'd be I Who Have Never Known Humanity, which would work in multiple ways and be ironic. This is a philosophical and psychological novel and nothing else. There's essentially zero plot, most of the characters are irrelevant, there's literally minimal worldbuilding, and almost no action. There's mystery, though it's existential and unresolvable.
I may have cried more reading this short novel than I have with any other work of fiction. That's rare unless I'm experiencing something that's especially emotionally resonant, in which case it's not uncommon. What sense is there in reading fiction if you don't emotionally engage with it? Intellectual engagement is important, but I think it leaves a lot to be desired if that's how you solely interact with entertainment. When it's both, that's even better, as it was with this for me. I found it be extremely meaningful and due to its relatively short length it's likely that I'll read this again in the future, which is unusual for me.
I read this because it was the monthly book selected for me to read. If it hadn't been recommended to me, then I don't know if I would have ever came across it, let alone read it. So, thanks J, I greatly appreciate what you chose. I may have enjoyed this book more than any other personal recommendation that I've been given. It's also the best translated book, from French in this case, that I've ever read. That's wonderful, but it also makes me wonder how many other great books there are that I may never find without the help of others.
Lukan Gardova is the heir of a ruined noble family of the Old Empire. Three successive generations, including him, have disgraced their name and emptiLukan Gardova is the heir of a ruined noble family of the Old Empire. Three successive generations, including him, have disgraced their name and emptied their coffers. After his expulsion from The Academy he travelled to the Grey Lands to join adventuring companies seeking fame and fortune in the Phaeron ruins. It's there that he's informed that his father has been murdered. He then swears The Silverblood Promise to avenge him. Thus his adventure begins to travel the world and endure unexpected trials, unwanted dramatic events, and bothersome people.
If the preceding paragraph seems silly, that's because it is. The narrative leans into self-aware comedy. There are a considerable number of references, some of which are from The Forgotten Realms, The Gentleman Bastards, A Song of Ice and Fire, The First Law, and Dune. I could list more and I have no doubt there are many more. They seem to be for flavor rather than for narrative purposes.
Reading this reminded of games such as King's Quest and Baldur's Gate, by which I mean that there's a lot of videogame story progression logic. It's often one scene after another with little transition between them. I found this to be most noticeable in that once a location was finished, upon trying to leave it something happens that immediately derails the current goal. You thought you could leave somewhere without new story exposition that sets up what happens next? Think again!
Lukan is forced to play various roles and aside from swordsmanship, he's a bumbler. It's similar to a player who consistently picks the wrong choices in a dialogue tree but has the good luck for it to work out anyway. All he wanted to do was find out who murdered his father, but he keeps stumbling into deeper and deeper conspiracies involving increasing powerful, influential, and dangerous people. Fortunately for him, he has others who are competent to help him, including a sassy and spunky 11 year old girl, who can be seen on the cover. If that seems weird, that's because it is and the story says it is, but goes along with it anyway. That's what happens with just about everything else questionable as well.
If the rest of the series follows the same formula as the first book, then it can be expected that each book will be self-contained. It will start with an item that provides a quest to progress the main story, then there will be regional quests, which then having completed them provides an item that reveals the next location. There's a lot of needing to take items to someone, sometimes in exchange for another item to take to someone else.
I'll be reading this series because everything I've written above is amusing to me rather than annoying or bad. Others can reasonably criticize it for its lack of originality, having no literary value, being too videogamey/D&D, and much else, but that has no affect on me having fun reading it.
There's a four year gap between Dark Age and Light Bringer being published. The first five books were published in five years. Perhaps it's a victim oThere's a four year gap between Dark Age and Light Bringer being published. The first five books were published in five years. Perhaps it's a victim of the pandemic and/or other troubles, because it's not clear that the additional time helped in any way. That's unfortunate but not uncommon. As this is the book that leads up to the finale it has more setup than one may expect from the sixth book in a series. Maybe a third trilogy had been considered and then was truncated to a single book, the seventh, so much had to be done. The plot is once again back to being a matter of needing to arrange puzzle pieces (characters) in specific ways that don't feel organic, but are necessary to carry out all the required plot developments. There are several questionable narrative choices and various matters that aren't addressed. Even so, it's a fun and twisty ride that delights. I'll withhold my final judgment until after I've read the final book.
As for the characters, there's four again, though two are clearly given more importance. I wouldn't be surprised if the final book features two alternating perspectives. Darrow reads a book on how to be a better person. Lysander becomes a rollercoaster. Lyria knows what matters most. Virginia continues to endure. Brown says he got into psychology between this book and the last and it shows, though probably not in the way he'd prefer. I assume that's mostly what explains the considerable shifts in their personalities. It's peculiar, especially with some of the emotional whiplash a few of the characters go through. At least it made for some wild moments. It may just be because there's a lot more introspection, soul searching, and pondering of what matters in life than the previous books, which Brown isn't able to do as well as the fight scenes and other high intensity action. The dramatic battles and duels carried the book for me.
Light Bringer does what it needs to do, no more or less. While it's not anywhere as enjoyable as Dark Age, it does enough to be a good time. I probably would've been relatively more disappointed if I waited four years for it rather than reading it immediately after, so it's fortunate that I didn't start reading this series until I did. Even so, I'm surprised and confused by its rating (4.75), as it seems much higher than it ought to be. There are also those who feel much more strongly about its problems than I do. I know they exist and I'm able to accept the flaws, though inertia from the previous book helps. I want to believe that some of the seemingly dropped plotlines, strange character arcs, and odd narrative choices may yet be resolved. A few things that I thought would be Chekov's guns are apparently going to be left in storage. If the final book doesn't address enough of my concerns, I'll likely drop this to a 3.5 rounded down rather than up.
Rating: 3.5/5
5>2>4>6>3>1 I hope for 7>2, but expect 4~7....more
Like Saturn, the Revolution devours its own children. - Jacques Mallet du Pan
Dark Age is nearly a literal Hobbesian "the war of all against all". TherLike Saturn, the Revolution devours its own children. - Jacques Mallet du Pan
Dark Age is nearly a literal Hobbesian "the war of all against all". There's hundreds upon hundreds of pages of all-out war, betrayal, carnage, mayhem, intrigue, and insanity. I found it to be all rather exciting and fun. This space opera is the closest I've read that I'd compare to A Song of Ice and Fire in terms of warring factions, character deaths, and length. There are several groups that have both overlapping and mutually exclusive goals. The allies of today may be the enemies of tomorrow and those you save may try to kill you afterwards. I liked reading about how all the differing motivations and plans interacted with each other. There are so many character deaths that I was able to believe that anyone could die at any time and it mostly didn't feel arbitrary in a disagreeable way. That made it considerably more suspenseful and tense. Many named characters die and it may not be who, when, or why you'd expect. The unnamed masses fare far worse. This is a long book, though it earns its length.
Powel: "Doctor, what have we got? A republic or a monarchy?" Franklin: "A republic, if you can keep it." - Benjamin Franklin & Elizabeth Powel
Whether they'll be able to keep it is an unresolved question with no clear answer. France went through five republics in not much more than 150 years, so who knows how it may proceed. This time there are five viewpoints, still all first person, that detail this tumultuous era. Darrow makes me want to create a Top 5 list of the worst idiocies he's committed in his tragic life. Ephraim deals with the hand he's been dealt by playing the people rather than the game. Lyria adapts to her brutal circumstances through creative violence. Virginia is finally able to express her perspective. Lysander endures accelerated character development. I believe the hate against him to be overstated, if not unwarranted. That may be because I'm indifferent to the outcome as I believe either way is valid. Emotional engagement is important to me, but investment isn't. All that matters is that it's fun and entertaining. Everything else is a bonus.
The oppressed, instead of striving for liberation, tend themselves to become oppressors. - Paulo Freire
Early on in my reading I thought that if Brown has improved this much in terms of my enjoyment, then his next series certainly will be one to anticipate. By the end there was no need for any waiting, as this was impressive in how much I enjoyed it relative to my expectations. It manages to indulge in ridiculousness while maintaining depth and complexity. That's bothersome because I dislike the argument of "It gets much better later", though I can't deny that's been true. Hopefully this book isn't a fluke, but even if it is, it's enough that it tips the scale towards me recommending reading this series rather than not.
Brendan Doyle is a scholar of literary criticism. He's greatly struggling, so when an offer of $20,000 comes from an eccentric for him to give a lectuBrendan Doyle is a scholar of literary criticism. He's greatly struggling, so when an offer of $20,000 comes from an eccentric for him to give a lecture about a well-known literary figure he readily agrees. His current research is about a barely known poet and it's driving him mad. The eccentric has developed time travel and wants to take his wealthy patrons back in time to listen to the literary figure in person. Doyle is to serve as an expert authority, basically as a bonus to the actual event. It all goes well until Doyle ends up stuck in the past without any means of survival. The first half of the book is mostly Doyle drifting around in despair, incompetency, and misery. However, there's also a considerable amount of humor. Most of it didn't work for me, but there were a few times where I chuckled. The second half is very different. Time travel is far from the only thing that occurs, as much magic and supernatural phenomenon become involved. Doyle becomes only one of several perspectives, though he's still the primary one. He also becomes less useless.
Although this is the first novel I've read by Powers, I know that he usually does secret history narratives and that's what this is. Various historical figures are mentioned and a few are characters. Why and how some historical events proceeded are given explanations that differ from the official records. There's a lot that's done with this that would be of significant interest and enjoyment for the relevant reader, though in this case I'm not one of them. There are various types of time travel stories. This is one without any paradoxes and where everything is fully resolved by the end. The time travel may be the easiest part to follow relative to what else happens. This isn't a difficult story to follow what's happening, though you may want to keep the changing circumstances and names of some characters in mind.
This is the first book of this current whim of having others determine a book I'll read after they've won a game of luck. If it were otherwise I probably wouldn't have finished this. It's not bad, or uninteresting, poorly written, or disagreeable. However, there's just something about how it's written that didn't work well for me, which is almost certainly a personal problem. I wasn't engaged and I only liked reading about a single character, Captain Jack. This is the kind of book where I can completely understand why others would think it's wonderful and would recommend those who are interested in it to try it for themselves. The first half wasn't to my preferences in terms of how the protagonist should be. It's realistic and understandable, too much so for me in this case. I've read some short fiction from Powers before and found some to be enjoyable, so I know he can write stories that I like. However, I don't think I'll be reading another novel of his unless I have an external reason to do so.
Although it'll be some time for me to really know, at this time I can say that The Deluge is one of the books I've most enjoyed. I don't mean for thatAlthough it'll be some time for me to really know, at this time I can say that The Deluge is one of the books I've most enjoyed. I don't mean for that to be taken as a recommendation, as these are my personal thoughts and nothing more. In terms of entertainment, how emotionally engaged I am is usually the greatest determinant of my enjoyment. The Deluge was such an emotional experience that early on I hoped it would be less. What I was feeling was so intense that I didn't know if I'd be able to finish. Reading this was an unusual experience, an awesome one in the sense that it was terrifyingly beautiful. The kind where someone is terrified and has tears streaming down their face in joy. I don't believe any of this matters unless you to do the same though.
This has one of the greatest cast of characters of anything I've ever read, though I don't know how much of that's due to how engaged I was with it and personal preferences. They all felt so real and alive, to the point where it read more this was a historical text about actual people than something fictional. There's not really a leading character so much as simply who has the most influence over what happens in the world, as it is in life. This isn't an ensemble either, as they're not in any way of equal importance. If anything, this is a curation of lives that presents a narrative to explain what happened and why.
Each viewpoint character is presented from a different perspective, which is a blend of stylistic and functional purpose. All of it is intentional and explained by the end when the metanarrative is revealed. It's not anything deep or complex, though I did appreciate the extra layer it provided. Each period of time goes through the the same six viewpoint characters with one exception. Although the year and sometimes the date are given, it's more common that that's when it ends rather than starts. The chapters aren't necessarily linear, meaning that one comes directly after the other. Some completely overlap, start afterwards, or begin before the prior chapters for that time period. There are often passing references to other characters and the same events from different perspectives.
When there are several viewpoints one of my first questions always is, "Do they ever meet up?". The answer to that is that most of them meet up with most of the others in person at some point, even if it's only in passing. That's how I prefer it to be, rather than several entirely disparate characters whose stories never converge in any meaningful way. None of them are more than a few degrees of separation from any other. It's a rather complicated web of relationships that I considered trying to make a visual explainer for. I don't believe you need to keep all of that in mind though.
The narrative covers from 2013-2043. The future, 2025, begins with Book II, at 12%, which means 88% of this is speculation about the future. The most evident break from our timeline is that neither Trump nor Biden won the 2024 election. They both exist but it's never explain what happened. Whether it's science fiction is arguable. There's a lot of science exposition, the breadth of research involved is impressive and admirable, but that's more for the education of the reader than as an exploration of the technology. I'd describe the scientific advancements as important, yet unexciting.
What The Deluge is most about is drama. There's climate, political, relationship, and family drama. Fortunately there's rarely what I'd consider melodrama. Some of the climate and political events seemed improbable, though that may only be because I wouldn't want them to happen and it's likely that I don't know what's probable. However, much of it is that which has happened before, only worse. Expect ruinous events, from the personal to the global. If one were to be uncharitable and reductive, much of the story could be described as doomerism in the form of disaster and misery porn, much like the news industry itself, though I believe that misses the point.
In terms of politics it's very cynical and there's vitriol for the entire political spectrum. There's something to upset about anyone. Both major political parties are considered evil. However, none of the viewpoint characters could reasonably be considered as social conservatives or even right-wing by current US standards. It's more complicated than that, as people tend to be, especially when their actions don't align with their professed beliefs. There's also considerable concern given towards how dangerous religious demagogue can be, especially when fused with modern conspiratorial thinking.
This is not about a pre-established dystopia where the reader accepts that as a premise. This is a death by a thousand cuts dystopia realized despite and because of the characters' efforts as well that which is out of their control. This is not an uplifting story about the heroic efforts of a few. This is the story of many very flawed people, as we all are, who tried to do what believed what was the best they could do at the time given their circumstances and what they knew.
Initial post: I need some time to temper my thoughts and gain some perspective before I write about this because otherwise it would only be hyperbolic praise and nothing else. I'll post it again after I'm able to do so in a coherent and useful way....more
Roughly two years after the events of the first book, ex-Colonel Carl Butler has settled into a comfy corporate executive job nominally overseeing theRoughly two years after the events of the first book, ex-Colonel Carl Butler has settled into a comfy corporate executive job nominally overseeing their security. He does very little and is paid very well. All's well in its boring and predictable way. That is until the CEO tasks him with a security issue regarding a competitor that's better suited for an intelligence operative. Nonetheless, he accepts and begins investigating the matter. Things go badly quickly and it seems like it may be a repeat of what came before. Even when there's a chance to back out, once he's started something it has to be seen through to its conclusion, no matter the consequences.
Once again it's mostly investigation, though not nearly as interesting, exciting, or dramatic this time. Mostly it's wandering around town and events out of Butler's control happen and he can't do much about it. There's a real lack of agency throughout the book, which tends to annoy me, even when it's trying to make a point about how common that is. The military aspect is mostly gone, though there's still some combat, arguably anyway. Butler's PTSD has greatly worsened and there's a lot of emotional wallowing in ways I prefer not to read. Aside from all that though it does well enough in presenting a logical sequence of events that I don't have any problems with. The twists provide some interesting conversations that can only happen in very specifically crafted situations. In terms of characters, the highlight for me was easily the return of Ganos from the first book. There was a lack of supporting characters when it really needed it. Butler just isn't able to carry the book on his own, especially not with his behavior in this one.
This one never really came together for me. It's at least somewhat the case that Mammay doesn't quite seem to know what he was going for either. Unfortunately it also seems to be pursuing the one narrative path that I didn't want it to follow. That really hurts its in my estimation, which isn't its fault, but also doesn't change how I feel about it at all. I didn't want to write about it like this, but that's how it is. I'm disappointed, but it isn't a bad book. It's decent in every way except for the theme that it's going for, which would spoiler both the previous book and this one to say. I'll still be reading the next book to see how it goes, though I don't expect much. As was noted by VANGLUSS in his comment on the first book, I overrated the first book. You were right in criticism and I was wrong and overly defensive. That's mostly because the first book I read from Mammay I gave five stars so I wanted to give the benefit of the doubt for this series, which it seems may have been unwarranted. Hopefully the remaining books prove me wrong again, because I'd much rather enjoy myself than be right.
I believe that it would be much better not to go into this book blind, or read it before Pandora's Star. The former is because you'll most likely haveI believe that it would be much better not to go into this book blind, or read it before Pandora's Star. The former is because you'll most likely have the wrong expectations, especially if you believe that the science fiction will be the focus, because it isn't. This is a coming of age family psychodrama with a lot of sex. By comparison to the following two books, I was surprised to find that Hamilton had toned it down relative to this prior book. I advise against reading it before Pandora's Star because it isn't a suitable introduction to the series. Reading this first may even discourage you from reading further even they have very little in common, as this one takes place in England in 2040.
The content of this book may offend a wide spectrum of sensibilities. Some examples are: teenagers having sex, age gap sex, graphically described sex, infidelity, women as sex objects, misogynistic attitudes and behaviors, dysfunctional families, severe emotional damage, English separatist domestic terrorists who proudly boast to be worse than the IRA during The Troubles, and several characters who support the aforementioned. It's often so melodramatic about it though like in a soap opera that it was difficult for me to take any of it seriously. On a different note, piracy won and copyright laws were abolished in 2010. Now that's fantastical.
There are four viewpoint characters, three of whom are members of the Baker family. Tim, the 18 year old son, Jeff, the 77 year old father, Sue, the ~37 year old mother, and Annabelle, Tim's 17 year old girlfriend. None of them are likeable, which seems intentional, and most of the other characters aren't much better. It's a lot of people who are in bad situations, whether because of their bad choices or not, or are fortunate and believe that behaving badly is their right. All four viewpoint characters are mentioned by name in the following two books, as are at least four others, though there are possibly several more if you allow for speculation based on first names alone. It's interesting, but their origins don't matter in terms of the story. I appreciate how it demonstrates continuity though.
Tim is the primary viewpoint character, and the bulk of the story follows him, though it's his father Jeff, who undergoes the first rejuvenation treatment to become young again. The central question is, how does that affect someone? When someone has a second coming of age, would they do anything differently from the first time? How does it affect the friendships of those who were your friends of a similar biological age, let alone becoming roughly the same apparent age as your son? What is allowable behavior and what isn't? Suffice to say, the title itself is a condemnation. Maybe this was intended to be a cautionary tale, but if it was, then that certainly didn't carry over to the next books.
This third book is a sequel to both the first and second books. In the past it's either 2023 or 2024 and it follows the sole viewpoint of Anna, who waThis third book is a sequel to both the first and second books. In the past it's either 2023 or 2024 and it follows the sole viewpoint of Anna, who was in the first book. In the future it's 2452 at the very earliest and follows the perspectives of the crew of the Nova Swing, the unnamed assistant, and a few others. Is there a present? It would seem that all time may be.
The opening screams "you're reading weird fiction!" and continues to do so for the remainder of the book. This is definitely the weirdest of the trilogy and I'd go as far as to say it's gratuitously so. I don't know if it was for the sake of shock value, grossness, perversion, transgression, or whatever else. I assume it was intended to be literary regardless. The question I asked myself the most by far was, "What purpose does its inclusion serve?" I wasn't able to find any answers to that.
The characters continued to be in the same fashion as the previous books and in some ways even more so. Two of the viewpoint characters don't have much of a self. Anna is entirely disordered which makes for similar reading and the unnamed is empty. All the other characters have some level of detachment, though its especially pronounced with the aforementioned. Its so weird that it makes for interesting reading at least.
When it comes to the plot, for Anna it's her daily life, which is peculiar due to her thought processes but otherwise relatively mundane. The unnamed continues to investigate stuff. The crew of the Nova Swing does runs from place to place. The others live their lives as they normally do. That's to say there isn't really a plot all that much. There's a galactic war going on in the background, but it's irrelevant except for its metaphorical value. What plot there is revolves around an ancient artifact that may have unknowable motives and unlimited power.
As for the graphic content, there's a lot of sexual activity, effluence, and children. There's so much sex, though most of it is casually mentioned in passing rather than being described in detail. Seemingly almost everything comes back to sex or genitalia. Emesis may be the second most common activity, as there's a steady flow of its discussion and occurrence throughout the book. In other words, vomit everywhere. There's also multiple scenes of urination and one of defecation. Children, both male and female, have several sexualized descriptions and engage in sexual activity. Again, it's brief moments not much described. There's no denying they're present though. Was all of this in service of profundity and literary excellence? Based on the reviews I looked through, many seem to think so, but that wasn't how I read it.
I'm very conflicted. It has so many problems but its also so fascinating. Reading it is an entrancing experience in both a pleasing and displeasing way. It's a very elegant sort of decadence. I don't know....more
The Redemption of Time is a fanfiction webnovel written by Li Jun under his Baoshu pseudonym, which literally means divine tree. It was originally posThe Redemption of Time is a fanfiction webnovel written by Li Jun under his Baoshu pseudonym, which literally means divine tree. It was originally posted online less than a month after Death's End was published as Three Body X: Aeon of Contemplation. It's not officially canon, but it was approved by Cixin Liu and published by the same publisher. This is the first novel length work of fanfiction that I've read. It definitely reads like it is. If you have high expectations, you may want to reconsider them.
This book is in many ways an apologia, a formal defense of Death's End, primarily told through Yun Tianming's perspective, though various other perspectives are used as well. It's not only that it provides additional explanations for several events, it's specifically ones that I believed to be idiotic or glossed over. That leads me to assume that a significant number of others thought they were as well, hence the need for providing additional detail so that what happened seems more reasonable and rational. I can appreciate a fan's dedication to an author, but I would've really preferred there to be more narrative rather than scene after scene telling me why I should've trusted that whatever was offpage was amazing and had faith that the author knew what he was doing.
Speaking of faith, I was surprised by how much Christianity was included in here. It's certainly a different take on heaven, angels, eden, God, and satan. I don't know how literally versus metaphorically it's meant to be taken considering how explicitly everything is presented, including bible verses. Other religions are mentioned in passing, but the focus is on Christianity. Li Jun attended a Catholic university in Belgium for a philosophy degree, but I didn't know that until after I finished reading.
What amused me the most were the anime references, especially citing the Endless Eight episodes of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya anime as justification for his actions. The Legend of the Galactic Heroes epigraph was nice as well. There's also various literary references, which are around as common as referencing the same Japanese porn star over and over. The ending is a metafictional display of admiration, which I found to be entirely silly, but it's not terrible.
This novel was published in English in 2019, which means that his later written short fiction was translated and published in English before this novel was. "What Has Passed Shall in Kinder Light Appear" is a great story and it was the first story I read from him. Unfortunately, everything afterwards has been disappointing. I read it mostly for the sake of completion, but also because I thought there would be a chance it could be decent. There doesn't seem to be any reason to me to read it other than for a perhaps misguided sense of completion or simply because anything more suffices....more
Lord Ingrey kin Wolfcliff, twenty four years old, has been ordered to investigate the murder of Prince Boleso. The prince had been sent away because hLord Ingrey kin Wolfcliff, twenty four years old, has been ordered to investigate the murder of Prince Boleso. The prince had been sent away because he had murdered, skinned, then butchered one of his manservants. Lady Ijada killed him because he attempted to rape her during a forbidden forest ritual involving animal sacrifice and their spirits. Ingrey must return to Easthome with Boleso's salt preserved corpse and Ijada so that they both stand trial, the former before the gods and the latter at court. Ingrey and Ijada immediately fall into a peculiar relationship with an unexpected power dynamic. All five gods and their representatives, a sorcerer of immense power, and the nobility influence their actions. A plot centuries in the making unfolds. All the pieces on the board must think they're moving themselves rather than being moved.
The Hallowed Hunt has a completely new cast, aside from the gods, and takes place in a previously unmentioned land. I've seen this described as a trilogy of standalone fantasy novels and while I think that's somewhat arguable for the first two that's definitely true for this one. I don't know quite how to sum up what this one is about without spoiling a lot, but even I did, I think what it is about is rather underwhelming. For the most part the characters lack agency and go where they're supposed to and do what they're forced to. What saved this book for me was the writing. It was nice enough to read, even though most everything else was lacking. This was especially the case for the mastermind antagonist's motivations. When they were revealed I was vastly disappointed because of how petty it was.
Of the three books this one has the most romance by far. I wouldn't have minded as much, but it just seemed to happen because the plot needed it to be. It was oddly developed and there's a slight bit of shifter stuff as it deals a lot with animal spirits. It may be unfair of me, but the kind of paranormal romance it made me think of definitely detracted from my enjoyment. I also don't think they made a good couple in general, or were that interesting of characters. I don't know what happened with this book, relative to the previous two.
I'd say this one is an optional read. The first two are great and this one is alright, though the comparison to the previous books hurts it. My first thought was to give this 3.5 rounded up, mostly out of inertia, but after writing this and thinking it over, I don't think I can. There's simply not enough that I liked about it, but even so, it's still a close call. Next in the setting is the dozen or so Penric and Desdemona novellas. I expect them to be at least somewhat better than this was.
This is a strange book. I don't think it stands on its own. It really seems like something only for those who have already read the Coldfire trilogy. This is a strange book. I don't think it stands on its own. It really seems like something only for those who have already read the Coldfire trilogy. I don't believe it's necessary reading for those who have read the Coldfire trilogy though. Probably only the people who need to read it are completionists and those who want to read how the first two weeks or so of colonization went. It doesn't even cover all of what was already included in the trilogy. The Rakh don't make an appearance on-page. I was hoping it would show more of their colonization efforts, because I'd like to read more like that. Instead it mostly focuses on the horror of the unknown and the helpless despair that it creates. I'd describe it as being more horror focused than science fiction or fantasy. To their credit by using the power of science and reasoning they figure out what's going on rather quickly. Unfortunately for them that doesn't really help much at all.
The plot covers from being in orbit to some days after The First/Great Sacrifice. That would seem like the page count is far too much for that. Maybe it is, but it read quickly and I didn't really notice. As for the characters, well, they're there. It's almost entirely told through the perspective of their leader, Leon Case, through daily journal logs. There's 200 colonists to start with and certainly less by the end. I don't really have much to say about them. A few of them of them have flashback scenes to their life on Earth explaining why they decided to join to the seed ship. I didn't care enough about the characters for them to mean much to me though. The main problem with Earth is that there's too many people and not enough opportunities. Every place except for where the seedships are headed have very strict population controls and new positions for anything doesn't open up unless someone dies.
The most troubling issue was that all of it felt insubstantial to me. It really feels like Friedman was just fleshing out the lore for hardcore fans rather than writing an actual novella. That's a nice gesture and one I can appreciate, but the content is lacking for me. Thematically it remains similar to the other books, especially Crown of Shadows.
Dominion, the Tarrant novella that barely qualifies as one, is also included in this book. I've separated it out and it isn't included in my rating for this book. It was rather disappointing and I didn't feel like writing anything for it on its own. I may read more from Friedman, though those 3.5s I gave for each book of the trilogy could've easily have been rounded down....more
Around a year has passed since the events of the previous book because returning from the continent that no one returns from was much more difficult tAround a year has passed since the events of the previous book because returning from the continent that no one returns from was much more difficult than getting there. The size of the planet is unclear, but six months to get there and ten to get back must involve considerable distances. It's good thing their travel time is skipped over between books because otherwise the majority of the time from the beginning of the first book to the end of the third book would be them at sea.
The enemy this time is what they consider to be an extremely powerful demon that they have no idea how they're going to beat. He's the guy behind the big bad of the second book who was the boss of the antagonists of the first book. Is there someone above this demon? It's as likely as you'd think. There's also a literally Unnamed manifestation of the all evil ever committed by humanity, which normally would seem like it'd be a big deal, but it never really is. Anti-climatic reveals and downplaying that which seems to be powerful happens a lot in this series. I thought it was just how it was written, but maybe it's meant to be subverting expectations. If that was the intent, then well, I don't know that it's advisable to do it continuously for all three books.
For the third time it's all about journeying. This time though the first half is a spiritual journey and the second half is a physical journey for spiritual reasons. That's not all though since there are several POVs this time. There's Damien and Tarrant who want to destroy what they see as the ultimate evil, the demon. Narilka and Andrys want to destroy the ultimate evil, Tarrant. Patriarch, who forever remains unnamed, wants to destroy the ultimate evil, the fae. There are a few other one-off POVs as well.
The primary theme is that through penance one can be absolved, if not redeemed. It leans heavily into the question of whether a few great deeds can mitigate a lifetime of evil. I'm not really much for heroic self-sacrifice as I think living is preferable, but as with some other ideals, I believe its arguments are presented here well enough. I'm skeptical of whether the character development was credible enough for what happens, but I'll allow it. I'm conflicted about the late story reveals and the epilogue, which were mildly to the detriment of my enjoyment.
I don't know what Friedman was going for with this series overall. I do know that I enjoyed most of it aside from the plot though. This is the end of the trilogy, but not the end of the works in this setting. There's still a work of short fiction and a novel left. The novel was published 28 years after this one, so I'm interested to see how much has changed in how Friedman writes in this setting.
Ten years at war have passed and little remains as it was, not only for the characters, but for the readers and author as well. The first trilogy was Ten years at war have passed and little remains as it was, not only for the characters, but for the readers and author as well. The first trilogy was entirely the story of Darrow. It is no longer. He is now one viewpoint among four, all told from the first person perspective. Lyria is a Red disillusioned by broken promises and the trauma she's endured. Ephraim, a Gray, is a disaffected former member of the Sons of Ares who has turned to a life of crime. Lysander, the Gold exile, wanders through space without much purpose, until an opportunity arrives. How much each of these new viewpoints matter is arguable, though it seems inarguable to me to say that Darrow's narrative remains dominant. The new viewpoints are a welcome addition that I appreciate. I hope that it remains this way for the rest of the series. If this had remained solely Darrow's story I would've enjoyed it much less
Only ~40% of those who rated the third book rated this one, it's even less for /sffg/, and it's the lowest rated book in the series. It may be that many were satisfied with what they got from the first trilogy and didn't need any more. It also suggests that quite a few weren't pleased with the direction that Brown chose for the second trilogy, which is understandable, as much of it feels like a new series rather than a continuation. The first trilogy was about aspiration, revenge, and revolution. Despite all the terrible things that happened, there was optimism, confidence, and competence. Everything was much simpler then, including the characters and narrative. This second trilogy seems to be about the opposite in several ways. Those who want to continue to fully and blindly support Darrow may be disappointed or upset. After considering the reception that doing similarly in other series has received, it seems evident that turning against reader expectations for a character is a risky gamble.
For me the most interesting questions though are why these changes happened and whether I should accept them for for what they are. I wonder how much these changes are because Brown became better at writing, was unsatisfied with what he had written, and because this was the natural evolution of the characters and story. What's presented here definitely wants me to take it seriously, which isn't how I felt about the previous books, but I don't know that I should because that means I'd have to judge it in a different way. I don't know that Brown can quite live up to being judged seriously, though perhaps the following books may change my mind. I believe this transition to be a good thing, at least in terms of my preferences. The characters are more developed, the plot is more complex, everything seems more meaningful, and interesting narrative choices are made. However, it's also much less fun and the ridiculousness I enjoyed is gone. It's unfortunate when technical improvement leaves readers behind.
This wasn't as enjoyable as the second, but I liked it more than the first. Darrow was relatively better this time, though that was mostly through theThis wasn't as enjoyable as the second, but I liked it more than the first. Darrow was relatively better this time, though that was mostly through the lessening of everyone else. The highlights for me were the space battle for being fun and neat, and the ending, which was absurd and ridiculous. The ending makes it clear that you can stop reading here as it provides suitable resolution. I understand why many would think this concludes everything that needs to have been written.
After I read this book I read two interviews, one that came out the month before the second book was released and another around a year later. I found them to be very revealing of Brown's thoughts on the series. He talks about his inspirations, one of which was The Count of Monte Cristo, and that's quite evident for this book. Once again what happens through the story has changed a lot and I liked it less if only for that. There's a heist, some special operations, and a space battle. Mostly though it's going from place to place recruiting allies to their cause. That's an odd choice of narrative pace to me for what was originally intended to only be three books.
As Brown says in the acknowledgements of this book, this one was far harder than the previous two to write. Considering that he says in the interview that he wrote Red Rising in less than two months without any outlines or structure, that's entirely understandable. It shows his growth as a writer and how he's transitioning styles, as discussed in the latter interview. A few years and a few books can really make a difference. The unfortunate truth though is changing as an author may make the author less popular even if they've become more proficient, or perhaps because they have. It may just be aging as well.
When Brown talks about greek plays, Plato, Dune, Book of the New Sun, and literary classics as what he sees as comparisons rather than YA, I have to wonder what he thinks he's writing. It's also telling when he says "Young Adult is simply a book that is interesting in every chapter." In the latter interview Brown pushes back even more on the YA label. When he said that Darrow is an unreliable narrator like Severian I was baffled. It showed that he had quite the different perspective on Darrow. He also emphasizes plot over everything else because as he says he's not trying to write a literary novel.
It makes me wonder what his current thoughts are, but that'll have to wait until I read more into the series, which probably won't be until considerably later in the year. Overall this trilogy can be a worthwhile read if you don't mind that it's all about entertainment and little else. If this is where it had ended I wouldn't believe it to be a notable series aside from its popularity.