Steve

Interesting premise

Revisado: 03-22-25

I didn't expect to sirens all of book 2 of this with characters who were only a footnote in book 1. Pepper's and Sidra's stories meshed well and approached themes of identity, predestination, and humanity with thoughtfulness. I was more intrigued by Pepper's hardships as a teenager, and I wish her transition from that life into the one she built for herself was glossed over. I also would have liked to understand more about how technology and sapient AI was viewed and treated in the GC. Rich world-building surrounds this story, but it's a little too focused on the characters' internal struggles for my taste.

I found the narration stilted with unnatural inflection in many places, especially with dialogue.

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Deep characters and vivid world

Revisado: 03-16-25

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet presents a vivid galaxy of unique species governed by the Galactic Commons. Humans in this story are among the least powerful species, their Exodans having survived the destruction of Earth (at human hands) and only recently invited as a GC member species. Chambers uses this setting to explore a rich tapestry of relationships, inter-species politics, and grounded character struggles aboard a long-haul ship. Chambers's writing is funny and poignant, with realistic dialogue and good escalation amid more tense moments and scenes. Her character development would work in any setting, but the fact that she couples this with believable sci-fi world-building elevates the story into an epic.

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Intricate story and dialog

Revisado: 03-10-25

I thoroughly enjoyed this unfinished story and only wished I could have learned of John M. Ford sooner. Ford crafts a delicately detailed world that feels so rich in history and culture that it's almost too much to process. The dialog of his characters manages to balance well-placed exposition with their own emotional weight.

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Fantastic world-building

Revisado: 02-01-25

Miller constructs a fascinating future world where refugees and oligarchs have fled or abandoned their fallen cities for a newly built city in the Arctic Circle. The design of Qaanaaq is intricate and authentic. It feels like a city that could very easily exist in a post-climate disaster world, both exploitative of the people who've lost everything and serving those who have profited from the chaos of a crumbling global civilization.

I found it difficult to connect with the characters at first, and the world-building is what really kept me invested. Once some of the plot began to reveal itself, the pacing picked up, and I began to understand the wider narrative better.

I would enjoy returning to this world in future stories.

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Good story with abrupt ending

Revisado: 01-02-25

This story flowed much like the previous two novels in the Cormac Reilly series. The main case took some time to develop, but was fairly compelling. I got a little hung up on the middle section, which seemed to slow the progress of the plot considerably. McTiernan clearly wanted to expand the cast of characters outside of Reilly, and I think she achieves this. The end of the main story was tidied up rather quickly, and the epilogue glossed over what I think might have been an intriguing and suspenseful story in its own right. Overall enjoyed the story, but it didn't have the same suspense I've grown accustomed to from McTiernan.

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Engaging and optimistic

Revisado: 12-18-24

Engaging and optimistic, as the author's writing always is. I'm intrigued by the comparisons between the market economy and the gift economy and how those may even be able to coexist. Kimmerer also made one point that seems very obvious but was clarifying for me: an economic model founded on the assumption of scarcity (the market economy) is going to create scarcity artificially. It requires a mindset shift to recognize that we have enough and that excess can and should be shared.

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Fantasy and scifi stories of their time

Revisado: 12-17-24

Really interesting read to understand the tone of speculative fiction in the early 20th century. Smith's stories shift fairly fluidly between sci-fi space-faring adventures on alien worlds to pseudo-horror fantasy tales of occult powers or ancient evils seeping into contemporary life. Smith tends to see the binary of good versus evil in these worlds and also leans quite heavily on the archaic concept of "elder races" or "sub-species." This was likely common thinking for a white man in the 1920s or 30s, but it must be acknowledged by 21st-century readers.

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Poignant vignettes

Revisado: 12-02-24

Behind You Is the Sea is a compelling series of stories of various Arab-American characters loosely tied together by family or community.

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Fantastic finale

Revisado: 10-02-24

A Curse of Krakens is a fantastic finale to the Seven Kennings trilogy. I don't think I can name another finale that do expertly builds upon the narratives of its predecessors while elevating the story's themes to a fulfilling ending. I can't think of a single thread from this sprawling story that was left untied in some firm by the book's end.

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Great book with no middle book syndrome

Revisado: 08-12-24

Greatly enjoyed this second installment of The Seven Kennings series. This was an enjoyable read that felt somewhat different from its predecessor and deftly maneuvered around the dreaded middle book syndrome. Hearne achieved this by lacing this book with its own somewhat contained narrative threads that appeared separate from the larger series plot. These still ended up serving the larger narrative in their own ways, without becoming subsumed by it. This allows for tangible story progression that is not wholly divorced from the wide series. Hearne also manages to hit similar emotional stakes in this book as the first. However, rather than large dramatic scenes, Hearne brings poignancy to smaller, more intimate scenes that deepen the reader's connection with the characters. Can't wait to start book three.

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