John Mendoza

A Strong Start That Struggles to Maintain Momentum

Revisado: 01-08-25

Riley August’s The Last Gifts of the Universe begins with a captivating premise and a strong sense of intrigue. The exploration of lifeless planets and the archival messages from extinct civilizations, particularly the Endry, immediately drew me in. The pacing in the first half of the book is steady and engaging, with the sibling dynamic between Scout and Kieran providing warmth and relatability. The addition of Pumpkin, the cat, adds a touch of levity to an otherwise somber and reflective narrative.

However, as the story progressed and began to focus more heavily on the subplot involving the dead alien scientist and their partner, Avran, the momentum faltered. What started as a poignant mystery began to feel repetitive and tedious in the middle sections. While these details were meant to deepen the emotional weight of the story, I found myself losing interest in this subplot, as it detracted from the main storyline’s urgency and the Archivists’ mission.

By the time I reached the ending, I was left wanting more—a more compelling and impactful resolution that tied the earlier intrigue and subplots together in a satisfying way. The story felt as though it had so much potential to deliver an emotional and meaningful conclusion, but it fell short of fully realizing it.

Despite these pacing and resolution issues, the book does contain moments of emotional resonance and introspection that fans of character-driven science fiction may appreciate. For me, though, the middle section lacked the focus and energy of the book’s promising start, and the ending didn’t quite deliver the payoff I had hoped for.

The Last Gifts of the Universe offers a unique and contemplative take on grief, legacy, and memory. While it didn’t fully meet my expectations, it may still resonate with readers who enjoy introspective and melancholic science fiction.

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Meh meh meh

Revisado: 06-01-23

Perhaps my expectations were set too high… feels a little dated as well. Might try another installment in the Culture series before giving up.

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Nobody owns you. Not even you sometimes.

Revisado: 02-13-22

The book is a triptych of novellas loosely bound together by what the three women protagonists have in common and their different ways of approaching grief, joy, and violence. Each story centers around each woman— Suzette, Maple, and Agnes, all black women who have albinism and come from their own particular walks of life.

Suzette is a sheltered 20-year-old just trying to find her own way in life, despite her "older" parents' disapprobation. Maple is trying to make sense of her mother's unsolved murder. Agnes, highly educated and seemingly upwardly mobile, struggles and barely "make ends meet."

A common thread in each of the three women's stories is relationships with men. The circumstances of and how each is handled diverge differently and are probably beholden by their experience from family and childhood upbringing.

While I find the stories interesting, I can't say it was totally relatable to me— black womanhood, albinism, and the Deep South are as far from me as any life experience goes. I appreciated Suzette's story and found myself rooting for her in her strive for independence. I also learned a few things about albinism as it relates to optometry, which I think is cool. Maple's story was my least favorite, and I found myself speeding through to complete. At this point, I was considering abandoning the book because I did not want to start another story. I stuck it through and discovered Agnes's story, which I found very interesting and probably enjoyed the most. Agnes's approach to men as a way of her independence and coupled with her sibling rivalry was very interesting. I was glued to the explosive ending. The sheer ridiculousness of the situation she finds herself in, by her own making, wouldn't be so if not for her intelligence and education in the backdrop of her familial relationships.

None of the stories had definitive endings or deep connective tissues. Perhaps that was purposeful as it leaves the narratives open with enough story for us to imagine what may happen next for each of the women.

I rate this book 2.5 out of 5 stars.

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If you read this book and feel nothing, you're probably dead inside.

Revisado: 02-10-22

It's a heartbreaking story of a young son's love of his alcoholic mother. Set in the 1980s in Glasgow, precocious and young Shuggie Bain struggles to care for his mother Agnes as she descends into the depths of alcoholism. It is also a story of Shuggie's discovery of his sexuality eclipsed in the backdrop of Agnes' addiction.

It is a pretty long book, about 900 pages, and spends almost the first half setting up characters, environments, and lulling me into the bane of the characters' existence and with little mention of Shuggie.

Once we got into the book's second half, it was nonstop tears for me. It was an emotional roller coaster through and through. Simultaneous tears of joy and sadness dripped from my eyes. The story evoked such profound feelings from me, caused me to reconsider my positions on certain subjects, and most of all gave a glimpse of what life might have been like for someone who experienced the hardships they endured growing up with an alcoholic mother.

While the book is fiction, the author draws heavily from his own experiences growing up. Shuggie Bain is Douglas Stuart's debut novel and is a 2020 Booker Prize winner (among other awards lists). The audiobook version is absolutely captivating with its reader's performance. I don't have an ear for The Scottish accent, so I had to listen actively. Prose coupled with Scottish slang from the 1980s, understanding specific passages was challenging for me. I ended up getting the Kindle version as well so that I could go back to the portions I did not audibly understand and re-read for comprehension.

I love this story so much, in a way that one can love a heartbreaking story I suppose, that I ended up buying the audiobook and Kindle ebook for someone. I'm a little sad that I have to return this loan to the public library, but I'm also happy that I'm returning this to the public library so that someone else can enjoy this story. There is a hardbound book with the author's signature that I've got my eye on now.

I rate this book 5 out 5 stars.

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Definitely not as good as The Martian....

Revisado: 02-09-22

Definitely not as good as The Martian but not as bad as Artemis.

Project Hail Mary is set in our near future about a high school teacher, Ryland Grace, turned interstellar traveler. He wakes up from space-hibernation and slowly recalls the events that led him to where he is and what he is supposed to be doing. It's partly a first contact story and partly space adventure. A lot of real science is peppered throughout the novel. Told with humor, the science explanations snuck in between aren't jarring to the dialogue, and delivery remains entertaining.

The story started out very strong for me. There were a lot of laugh-out-loud moments in the first few chapters, but less so as the book wore on. The jokes were still there, but it was just kind of repetitive. I also think the story could've been shorter. I feel the problems the main character faced were pretty repetitive in type, just dressed a little differently each time. I found myself towards the end, looking forward to completing the audiobook faster. It just got a little bit too tedious for me.

If you are new to Andy Weir, I suggest starting with The Martian. It's by far a stronger narrative. If you are not a stranger to Andy Weir, then skip Artemis and go straight to Project Hail Mary.

I rate this 3.5 out of 5 stars.

#Taumeba #Taumoeba #AstroPhage #RockyandAdrian

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Thoughtful and engaging, but confusing at a couple spots

Revisado: 12-20-21

For a short story it manages to give the fullness of a book by giving you contours that your mind can fill. Though the ending seems inclusive, it may be the point, being that it parallels the plots. There are a couple times where the story seems to shift without a linear logical transition into how the new scene came to be.

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Probably best read and not listened to. :(

Revisado: 12-03-21

A bunch of clones of criminals is put in a generational starship headed to a new world to colonize. They find their memories wipe as they wake amidst a murder mystery- their own.

The book was prefaced with the seven laws governing the existence of clones, reminiscent of Isaac Asimov's famous Three Laws of Robotics. And the novel starts interestingly enough; a bloody, gory murder scene in a starship. That got me on the hook fast. As the story progresses and characters' backgrounds build, and the plot thickens, I found myself wanting to get off this "mystery train."

For me, there were plenty of areas where the novel stalled; some jarring transitions from scene to scene. But the fact that I put the story down and had to force myself to finish it by speeding through speaks how little I liked the novel. Some attempted humor is sprinkled throughout to balance the artificial tension produced from the combination of the murderer's identity not being known while buried secrets rise to the surface.

In the end, I can understand why Six Wakes is seen as an impressive novel by others, probably young adult readers. I found myself uncaring for any of the characters and trudging along by the "interesting-enough" pull of the plot as the tension ratcheted up towards the climax.

It's worth mentioning that listened to this book via Audible and I found quality of the reading seemed not on par with other Audible productions. Thank goodness for the "1.5" speed button. Perhaps if I were a child being read to by their mother, I would find this soothing. :/

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Chewing through Cattle...

Revisado: 05-26-15

While not usually a reader of zombie fiction or sci-fi in general I enjoyed the book and particularly liked the narration The story was well written, story line was clear and moved along nicely and I got involved with the characters and cared about then. It also had some deeper ideas to offer as allegory in our present way of life. Nothing to blow your mind, but nevertheless a good read.

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Buddhism, Hiking, and Wine drinking..

Revisado: 05-23-15

Buddhism, Hiking, and Wine drinking.. Topics I'm all too familiar with-- but in the reverse order. Did I learn anything new? Probably not. Did it answer any of those "life questions?" Nah, not any of mine at least, probably because I wasn't having an existential crisis to begin with. Were the tales told entertaining? I wouldn't go that far to describe it as such. At best, I was amused at some parts.

Although a bit dated, somewhat misogynistic, and rambly, I still found myself amused by the misadventures and tales entwined in a very "westernized" view of Buddhism. However, I think it's those very same qualities that give the book its charm.

"Ah Japhy you taught me the final lesson of them all, you can't fall off a mountain.”

But you can throw a book off one!

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Tedious, terrible, and taxing

Revisado: 05-12-15

Four somewhat related stories, none of which I found interesting.

Some ideas and concepts were cool, but not cool enough to make up for the lack of story.

Of the four stories, the one that tells how Kobani parents cope with their kids who posses contact telepathy was the only one that held a shred of my attention. The kids were basically trading images, information, ideas, memories via contact telepathy like contraband.

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