I like sci-fi mostly, my favourite author is Greg Egan.
These days I am reading some Discworld for the first time.
Languages: ES, EN, SV
I don't do reading goals. Some years I read hundreds of books, some others I read zero. I read mostly library books or pirated books in my e-reader. I only get physical copies of the ones I like the most.
Me elsewhere: gts.u8.is/@auken
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The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and …
Quarantine is a 1992 hard science fiction novel by Greg Egan. Within a detective fiction framework, the novel explores the …
Quarantine is a 1992 hard science fiction novel by Greg Egan. Within a detective fiction framework, the novel explores the …
auken
boosted
Det är mörkt. Det är kallt. Och det onda ruvar precis utanför gränsen.
Staden Järsele …
Content warning Spoilers at the bottom
Jag letade efter fantasi och sci-fi på svenska, och detta ledde mig till Falsksken. Jag har svenska som tredjespråk och har inte mitt ursprung i norgen, så jag är inte särkskild insatt i svensk folktro. Men ändå var premissen lockande.
Det första kapitlet fängslade mig, men det tog många försök innan jag lyckades gå förbi den första fjärdedelen. Innan jag kunde få en sammanhängande bild av världen, var detaljerna svårtlästa, som pusselbitar som inte passade ihop. När bilden började bli begripplig, kunde jag inte lägga boken ifrån mig. I backspegeln, uppskattar jag att författaren inte daltar med mig. Utmaningen var värd besväret. Berättelsen är mörk, oförutsägbar och spännande.
Språket var väl använt, men vissa dialoger och beskrivningar av inre tankar kändes lite klumpiga, i synnerhet för Jarmo och Anlott. Däremot var karaktärerna i sig komplexa och intressanta. Det var otroligt svårt att veta vem man skulle heja på, vilket var en av de starkaste delar av boken. Nästan alla karaktärer var härligt gråa *.
Tempon ökade till ett obehagligt spännande slut. Jag är helt nöjd. Allt hanterades på ett snyggt sätt. Om jag tolkar slutet rätt så har vi alla ingredienser för att föreställa oss vad som hände och vad som kommer att hända **.
Jag ser fram emot att läsa mer av Sara Engström.
=== Spoilers ahead ===
* förutom Larik, som inte hade någon chans. :( ** Patient-noll pojken vid slutet. Kerstin, det gick inte att undkomma ödet trots allt.
Det är mörkt. Det är kallt. Och det onda ruvar precis utanför gränsen.
Staden Järsele …
Content warning Spoilers at the bottom
Jag letade efter fantasi och sci-fi på svenska, och detta ledde mig till Falsksken. Jag har svenska som tredjespråk och har inte mitt ursprung i norgen, så jag är inte särkskild insatt i svensk folktro. Men ändå var premissen lockande.
Det första kapitlet fängslade mig, men det tog många försök innan jag lyckades gå förbi den första fjärdedelen. Innan jag kunde få en sammanhängande bild av världen, var detaljerna svårtlästa, som pusselbitar som inte passade ihop. När bilden började bli begripplig, kunde jag inte lägga boken ifrån mig. I backspegeln, uppskattar jag att författaren inte daltar med mig. Utmaningen var värd besväret. Berättelsen är mörk, oförutsägbar och spännande.
Språket var väl använt, men vissa dialoger och beskrivningar av inre tankar kändes lite klumpiga, i synnerhet för Jarmo och Anlott. Däremot var karaktärerna i sig komplexa och intressanta. Det var otroligt svårt att veta vem man skulle heja på, vilket var en av de starkaste delar av boken. Nästan alla karaktärer var härligt gråa *.
Tempon ökade till ett obehagligt spännande slut. Jag är helt nöjd. Allt hanterades på ett snyggt sätt. Om jag tolkar slutet rätt så har vi alla ingredienser för att föreställa oss vad som hände och vad som kommer att hända **.
Jag ser fram emot att läsa mer av Sara Engström.
=== Spoilers ahead ===
* förutom Larik, som inte hade någon chans. :( ** Patient-noll pojken vid slutet. Kerstin, det gick inte att undkomma ödet trots allt.
Det är mörkt. Det är kallt. Och det onda ruvar precis utanför gränsen.
Staden Järsele ligger uppe i fjällen och …
I read Reaper Man right after Mort, and was a little confused about the apparent lack of continuity. Where is Mort during all of this?
However taken as a stand alone, it was a very good story about Death, who never seems too happy about having to do his Duty. Understandably.
This was my introduction to the Auditors, which objected to Death developing a "personality". This seems like a fair point, as much as I dislike agreeing with the Auditors. The follow up to this premise is interesting and entertaining.
I enjoyed the subplot of Windle Poons and the effects of an uncontrolled life force, which was integral to the overarching storyline, not to mention amusing. However most of the other Wizards and the snowglobe storyline felt too disconnected and random, merely a vehicle for puns and jokes.
Bill Door's story is engaging, touching and my favourite part of this …
I read Reaper Man right after Mort, and was a little confused about the apparent lack of continuity. Where is Mort during all of this?
However taken as a stand alone, it was a very good story about Death, who never seems too happy about having to do his Duty. Understandably.
This was my introduction to the Auditors, which objected to Death developing a "personality". This seems like a fair point, as much as I dislike agreeing with the Auditors. The follow up to this premise is interesting and entertaining.
I enjoyed the subplot of Windle Poons and the effects of an uncontrolled life force, which was integral to the overarching storyline, not to mention amusing. However most of the other Wizards and the snowglobe storyline felt too disconnected and random, merely a vehicle for puns and jokes.
Bill Door's story is engaging, touching and my favourite part of this book.
Hogfather is the 20th Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, and a 1997 British Fantasy Award …
Very interesting overarching plot, but a bit too all over the place to be truly enjoyable. Sometimes I had to force myself to continue reading. When it ended, I had to take a step back to comprehend the main story, without being distracted by the details.
But I wouldn't skip it.
Susan is one of my favourite characters, so I was glad to see her, her denial and her adventures. It was also entertaining to wonder if Death's behaviour was sound or capricious. Both? I enjoyed the discussion between Death and Albert about giving people what they want.
I don't usually seem to appreciate the Wizards, but the parts with Ponder Stibbons and Hex were an exception.
And of course there are a myriad of very witty and quotable jokes and puns.
In Discworld, time is a resource managed by the highly capable Monks of History. Everybody …
It was great to see Susan again and follow her development. She continues to amusingly try to be 'normal'. While I struggled with most of the "side plots" from the previous Death books, both the monks and the auditors were incredibly compelling. This book has a lot of quotable lines as usual, but they fit very well within the story.
Myria is a great character, and I do like the name Myria. I also have to say that I ended up eating a whole lot of chocolate thanks to this book.
Death goes walk-about and tries everything, including joining the French Foreign Legion, to forget a …
Content warning Lots of spoilers
The first pages were very disorienting, but then I understood. I don't know if the deaths of Mort and Ysabell were supposed to be a twist or not, but I didn't think any of it was well paced. This story could have been incredibly moving, but for me, the realization and the emotional impact came too early to let me enjoy most of the book. Death's desire to forget was in theory also very impactful, but in execution it felt diluted and random.
Suddenly we get Susan, who I actually really liked as a character (I would absolutely use the ability to fade from awareness. This is the best superpower ever, although I might never be motivated to become perceivable again). I also love the Death of Rats and Quoth.
On the other hand, I didn't know what to do with the whole band plot. Of course Susan needed something to do in order to grow as a character, but I found myself unable to care about any of the band members and associates. The first descriptions of Imp y Celyn were a bit intriguing but it didn't lead to anything special. I also found the Wizards' subplot to be a drag, but so far I haven't really appreciated the Wizards so perhaps they are just not for me. It felt like the band and the wizards were simply a vehicle for puns and jokes, which were of course, incredibly witty and quotable, but the story around the jokes felt flat.
All in all, I had trouble finishing this book. The best parts I took from it besides the quotes, was the introduction of Susan and some more details about Death and his personality.
Death takes on an apprentice who's an individual thinker.
Content warning Vague spoilers
Up until Mort, I had only read the witches series, including all of Tiffany Aching. These books made me very intrigued by the character Death. I enjoyed seeing Death's personality trying to manifest itself while still feeling quite alien. I also enjoyed the implications of someone else taking on his role. Up until the ending, I didn't know if the Death I read about in the witches book was the same Death from this book, or if the role had changed hands...
I liked the concept of not being perceived as opposed to invisibility. This was touched somewhat in the witches books but it was more explicit with Keli. The history 'bubble' was also an effective visualization.
I was frustrated with Mort not communicating his mistakes, although this is to be expected as he's only a teenager. I was also slightly baffled by Death's reaction when he finally found out what Mort was up to; I expected Death to be more understanding, giving his own proclivities. This made Death feel simultaneously more alien and more human, as in a way he was just being irresponsible.
I liked the book's ending but I was also underwhelmed. I had higher expectations for the development of Mort and Ysabell. They remained quite far away, but I think this is a feeling I have had about many other characters introduced in other Discworld books.
There were of course many quotable lines as it's typical of Terry Pratchet.
Death takes on an apprentice who's an individual thinker.
