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
In this novella set in what has become an alternate present (~2025) Juan Orozco is an eighth grader in San Diego, California. The times are different In this novella set in what has become an alternate present (~2025) Juan Orozco is an eighth grader in San Diego, California. The times are different than they were in the ancient history of the 20th century. They're fast now. What their parents had years to learn, their children now have only days. Everything so moves so fast that what was an employable skill a year ago is now completely obsolete. You've got to be as adaptable as possible and willing to do whatever it takes. Not only are you expected to make full use of your own talents, you also need to use AI and networks, both human and digital. What you personally know doesn't matter anywhere as much as knowing how to find out who knows, whether that's AI or some arbitrary person anywhere in the world. That's what the ambient Internet of Things is for. If you aren't enough on your own, then you'll have to use drugs and implants. It's your own fault if you can't keep it up. You'll just have to join the mass of unemployables. No one may be able to differentiate between what's real or not any longer, but that doesn't matter. Common sense and non-marketable knowledge are irrelevant. All that matters is that you don't become obsolete. If you aren't employable, then you're dead weight on everyone. Don't be a loser. Dedicate all that you are to becoming the best contributor that you can be.
Juan thinks he had it made with his nootropics and Bertie Todd, a remote classmate, both in the sense of not being physically present and being emotionally distant. Sure, he's being manipulated, but that comes with its benefits. Then there's Miriam, Miri, Gu. She's a top student whose parents were sent to Chinese American detainment camps during the war, though her mother was and remains part of the US military. For them it's time for their final exams. The students are graded on how much they contribute, whether financially or scientifically. The minimum for a passing grade is three times the cost of their tuition. If you aren't able to make a lot of money, then you don't deserve to graduate. One of the exams is an unaided skills test, which is clearly unfair and barbarous. How can anyone bear to be away from their smart devices, let alone do anything without them? Surely the rule is meant to be broken and then not to be found out.
This is mildly interesting and amusing, but nothing more than that. It doesn't go anywhere other than presenting its world and the characters are merely adequate. That suffices for me and it was enough to win a Hugo Award. I haven't read the book, Rainbows End, that takes place in this setting or the one its title comes from, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, so I can't say how they're related. Reading this hasn't made me want to read the novel, so I may not, though I'll read more from Vinge at some later time, as I've yet to read anything novel length from him. This was suggested for me to read....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.
This novella's cover says, "A surreal fusion of African politics, climate fiction, and mythology in the tongue of poetry and philosophy" - Tlotlo TsamThis novella's cover says, "A surreal fusion of African politics, climate fiction, and mythology in the tongue of poetry and philosophy" - Tlotlo Tsamaase. As can also be seen on the cover, there are five towers, called fingers, that were built off the coast of Nigeria in the shape of a hand. Only one of them is still habitable, the middle finger, called the Pinnacle. How metaphorical. For its political allegory it uses the standard economic model. The upper floors rule everything, live in luxury, and do nothing productive. The middle floors are the professional class and the undersea floors are the underclass. Everyone outside the tower must be the enemy. The climate fiction is that the sea levels rose and now an unknown amount of the world is underwater. Although lip service is given to world mythologies, the mythology of the Yoruba people takes precedence. This was by far the weakest part for me. There wasn't anything that I found to be strong.
Yekini is a mid-level analyst for the government, which she'd rather not be, but it's a living. She dreams of saving people and making the ark/tower a better place for all. Ngozi is a mid-level administrator with great ambitions who dreams of becoming an upper because it's what he deserves. Everyone else matters not. Tuoyo lost her wife at sea to outsiders and now only seeks to live in peace while overseeing her undersea level. These three viewpoints who meet up right away provide clashing views of class conflict and different perspectives of life in the Pinnacle. One other viewpoint and archived materials make up the rest of the chapters. I didn't care about any of the characters, which was at least somewhat because of they were too much caricatures of what they went meant to represent. As to the story itself, I found it to be a rather generic take on government corruption, solidarity, and outside intervention. I especially didn't like how it ended.
It was my mistake for not considering how allegorical this was going to be. For me this an another example of how impenetrable allegories can be if you don't have the relevant cultural knowledge to understand them. This has also been the case for a lot of the translated allegorical short fiction I've read, mostly Chinese. I don't know if it's the Black African authors I've come across, mostly Nigerian, or if it's something else, but their works baffle me almost every time. I'm continually unable to tell if there's some deeper meaning and/or if I simply don't like what's presented. I tried reading Son of the Storm, one of Okungbowa's novels, and didn't get far because of what a peculiarly uncomfortable experience it was and wrote as such, before removing everything I wrote about the stuff I hadn't finished. I didn't like this because the allegory is put above everything else to where questioning anything about the story is irrelevant because that's not what matters....more
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.
Based on the most liked reviews here I'd have thought that I read an entirely different book. I find it interesting when people seem to think that givBased on the most liked reviews here I'd have thought that I read an entirely different book. I find it interesting when people seem to think that giving a book a low score is a form of activism or otherwise making some sort of statement out of doing so. A book is not the person (the map is not the territory.) Another similar example is how the three most liked reviews for Game of Thrones are 1 stars. Many other examples exist, especially the more political the book is. This is a biography, not an expose, a corporate history or anything else. Considering how neurodivergent, let alone closed off, SBF is, and many of the others written about here are, I believe that this was about the best that could be expected. A writer can only go by what can be learned, unless they begin fabricating.
Contrary to what many would have you have believe, I don't know how you could read this, understand it, and come out thinking that almost anyone that Lewis has written about isn't dubious at best. I assume it's intentional this Lewis wrote this as a story, because there's so much foreshadowing and metaphors. If this were fiction, it should've been obvious how this would all end given how blatant Lewis is about SBF's worldview and relationships. Almost no one trusts SBF, many are scared of him, no one understands him, and several immediately assume he's involved in criminal activities. His relationships are toxic, his self-reports are condemning, and yet despite all of this many still go along with him.
The title of this biography is bad and the cover is worse. I would've been more amused if the title were instead, The Friendliest Utility Monster. I've only read a few biographies, but they've intentionally been of a certain type. I'm very interested in those people who have what Bud Tribble described as a reality distortion field, in that case of Steve Jobs. It's an intriguing phenomenon that I believe that temporarily destroys a susceptible person's ability to understand probability and maybe even norms. Humans seek out patterns and when they come across a pattern that can't be comprehended it can be disorienting and evoke all sorts of behaviors. It's like inducing anomie in someone, which I find to be fascinating.
I found this to be hilarious and invigorating. It's also tragic in its own way because sometimes the course of an individual life and their interactions with society seem almost predetermined based on initial starting conditions. I don't know whether it's how common it is, but there's just something about reading about real people like this that's so much more vivacious than fictional characters for me. Though, I don't know that I'd want to read about someone who's a paragon of virtue, or otherwise considered greatly to be a good person. That's admirable, though not interesting to me.
The rest of this is my thoughts on book excerpts. I considered including a lot more, but this is already more than enough.
When you had $22.5 billion, people really, really wanted to be your friend. They’d forgive you anything.
Unfortunately true and definitely an indictment. This wouldn't be out of place as the opening lines for an organized crime series.
“We weren’t close growing up,” he said, when I reached him. “I don’t think Sam liked school that much, but I don’t really know. He kept to himself. I would interact with him as another tenant in my house.”
To their dinner guests it seemed that Joe and especially Barbara were both a little afraid for, and of, their elder son.
If even your family doesn't know about you at all, then that's some very early on and consistent behavior that is fundamental to a person's identity and probably has a genetic basis. People aren't born tabula rasa.
Sam, like his parents, didn’t see the point in anyone trying to imagine what someone else might want.
If you have both nature and nurture to have zero empathy, then it's likely that a person may never develop any, or at least have an extraordinary struggle to develop its rudiments later in life.
“Mass delusions are a property of the world, as it turns out,” he said.
They are, and many have done for very well for themselves financially by exploiting this. SBF's operations were delusions upon delusions if nothing else.
““Not being super close to that many particular people made it more natural to care not about anyone in particular but about everyone,” he said. “The default wiring I had was, ‘Yeah, there’s not anyone who doesn’t matter. So I guess I should care the same amount about everyone.’ ”
As it states, this is a very utilitarian way of thinking and if you think about it, it's offputting, if not disturbing. It's certainly not conducive to close relationships. Not having a hierarchy of caring causes many problems. If you consider your family, friends, and colleagues to be equivalent to strangers then it won't go well.
One other oddly big thing happened to Sam at the beginning of his junior year. Completely out of the blue, a twenty-five-year-old lecturer in philosophy at Oxford University named Will Crouch* reached out and asked to meet with him. Sam never learned how the guy had found him—probably from the writing Sam had been doing on various utilitarian message boards. MacAskill belonged to a small group inside Oxford that had embraced ideas hatched long ago by an Australian philosopher named Peter Singer.
I have to wonder how different SBF's life may have been if he didn't have this meeting and somehow had entirely avoided Effective Altruism and specifically the idea of "earn to give". Any cult based on a meme ideology isn't going go well in the long term, which is ironic, considering longtermism. Ranting about EA is outside the scope what I'm writing here though. A similar rant tangent would be how much more likely those in engineering are to join an extremist organization, as are those in similar fields to a lesser extent.
What he’d done to Asher was no more than what Jane Street was doing to competitors in financial markets every day. “It was not like I was unaware I was being a piece of shit to Asher,” he said. “The relevant thing was: Should I decide to prioritize making the people around me feel better, or proving my point?” Sam thought his bosses had misread his social problems. They thought he needed to learn how to read other people. Sam believed the opposite was true. “I read people pretty well,” he said. “They just didn’t read me.”
For SBF, Asher was the same as the competitors, because he cared about everyone the same, which was basically not at all. Asher showed weakness, so it was maximally exploited, which is what his job was. The difference being of course being that friendly fire isn't well-regarded. SBF is entirely right about the situation. He read them and they couldn't read him. His bosses would've done well to have read Simon Baron Cohen's Zero Degrees of Empathy. Just because someone understands doesn't mean they care.
“To truly be thankful, you have to have felt it in your heart, in your stomach, in your head—the rush of pleasure, of kinship, of gratitude,” he wrote. “And I don’t feel those things. But I don’t feel anything, or at least anything good. I don’t feel pleasure, or love, or pride, or devotion. I feel the awkwardness of the moment enclosing on me. The pressure to react appropriately, to show that I love them back. And I don’t, because I can’t.”
I'm reminded of a passage from Robert Silverberg's Dying Inside: That isn’t intended as a grab for your pity, just as a simple statement of fact, objective and cool. The nature of my condition diminishes my capacity to love and be loved. A man in my circumstances, wide open to everyone’s innermost thoughts, really isn’t going to experience a great deal of love. He is poor at giving love because he doesn’t much trust his fellow human beings: he knows too many of their dirty little secrets, and that kills his feelings for them. Unable to give, he cannot get. His soul, hardened by isolation and ungivingness, becomes inaccessible, and so it is not easy for others to love him. The loop closes upon itself and he is trapped within.
they called a meeting to announce that they had persuaded the rich effective altruists who had lent them the $170 million to demand its return
There's not much stronger condemnation than to have the people who you believe can understand you more than anyone else to completely turn on you because they correctly understood you. This happens over and over again.
And so, on April 9, 2018, his entire management team, along with half of his employees, walked out the door
None of it mattered though because all that had to be done was allow those who didn't believe to leave and to allow only the true believers, enablers, and sycophants to remain. SBF retained full control the entire time.
“Sam forgets how many people thought he was a scammer at first,” said Ryan. “You’d expect to find a Sam behind any scam.”
They'd have been right, but then they found reasons to go against their better judgment. Maybe they had the wrong reasons, but it doesn't matter so much when it comes to the same correct conclusion.
It was a weird conversation—the CEO of one crypto exchange calling the CFO of another to inform him that, if he didn’t want to lose money on his new futures contract, he’d need to improve his market manipulation.
Very friendly advice from one criminal organization to another. Technically FTX wasn't dealing in crypto, they were doing derivatives, the same way that something dealing in commodities future isn't technically buying and selling the actual product itself, but rather a contract for it.
“He has absolutely zero empathy,” she said. “That’s what I learned that I didn’t know. He can’t feel anything.
I don't know how it was in person, but all behavior in the book indicates that. It's as if this were the fable of the The Scorpion and the Frog and SBF is constantly yelling I AM THE SCORPION AND I WILL STING YOU! and then all the frogs are surprised by it happening even though he had stung many other frogs. Eventually the same ending happened to him and all others around him. It's just as said in the book, "People don’t see what they aren’t looking for"....more
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
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