Reading for sanity, solace, meaning, meandering. Partial to mountains and desert, climate themes, balancing the heavy with the light.
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The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a …
Some fairly standard scifi suspension of disbelief is required, but the story rewards it. A noticeable lack of diversity in the humans is made up for in other species. The different perspectives are great, conflict is so much more engaging when you understand the different sides.
Nice review from @KelsonReads.
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In 2025, with the world descending into madness and anarchy, one woman begins a fateful …
It's certainly not a fun book, but it's extremely engaging, despite the bleakness of the slow-apocalypse setting and story.
What makes this apocalypse so horrifying, and the story so engaging, is how matter-of-fact Lauren is in describing everything in her diary. It's the world she grew up in, so it's normal to her, though she can see clearly even at 14 that it's unsustainable. There's a sharp generational divide between those who remember what things were like before, but all that is just history to her.
Lauren's present is hopeless and brutal, but her diary doesn't linger on the ever-present brutality like a horror novel would. She acknowledges it, of course, but she's focused on how to survive it so she can build something better.
The setting resonates so well today in part because the societal fears of the 1980s that Butler was extrapolating from are the same fears that …
It's certainly not a fun book, but it's extremely engaging, despite the bleakness of the slow-apocalypse setting and story.
What makes this apocalypse so horrifying, and the story so engaging, is how matter-of-fact Lauren is in describing everything in her diary. It's the world she grew up in, so it's normal to her, though she can see clearly even at 14 that it's unsustainable. There's a sharp generational divide between those who remember what things were like before, but all that is just history to her.
Lauren's present is hopeless and brutal, but her diary doesn't linger on the ever-present brutality like a horror novel would. She acknowledges it, of course, but she's focused on how to survive it so she can build something better.
The setting resonates so well today in part because the societal fears of the 1980s that Butler was extrapolating from are the same fears that have been re-stoked to create our modern political moment, and the problems she focused on remain unsolved. (I go into a bit more literary analysis on my website if you're interested in that sort of thing.)
A groundbreaking investigation into the causes of illness, a bracing critique of how our society …
It took me a long time to read this, but I never ceased to find it rewarding, and I expect I'll return to it when in need of healing. I have read some critiques of the science behind trauma theories in particular, but I haven't encountered any other guide to human healing expressed with more compassion or personal insight. The critiques of the toxic aspects of our culture are in line with my observations, as are some of the few steps I've taken myself on the path to wholeness.
Thousands of years in the future, humanity is no longer alone in a universe where …
Great review from @SallyStrange.
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Thousands of years in the future, humanity is no longer alone in a universe where …
I have so many questions. Sound-based thought waves? The galaxy has speed zones? Ultimately though it was such a good story that I don't care much about the answers. I was super impressed by (since he was writing in 1993) and absolutely love Vinge's idea of a galaxy-wide internet that's hundreds of millions of years old and nobody knows who started it. That to me seems extremely plausible, given a universe with multiple sentient space-faring species. This was SO much fun, and anyone who loves science fiction should definitely read it.
Multilevel marketing companies like Amway, Mary Kay, and Herbalife advertise the ultimate business opportunity: the …
From Cory Doctorow's review:
A god will return When the earth and sky converge Under the black sun
In …
Magic is used fairly judiciously and characters are full of believable ambiguities, as are the cultures they come from.
Sarah Wynn-Williams, a young diplomat from New Zealand, pitched for her dream job. She saw …
Cory Doctorow recommendation
New York Times bestseller Cory Doctorow’s The Bezzle is a high stakes thriller where the …
I love this concept of "bezzle". How does a hamburger pyramid scheme relate to the California prison system? It's great fun learning, while the very sobering reality is not minimized in the slightest.
New York Times bestseller Cory Doctorow’s The Bezzle is a high stakes thriller where the lives of the hundreds of …
*New York Times bestselling author Cory Doctorow returns to the world of Red Team Blues …
I like reading different perspectives on my early tech experiences regardless, but wrapped in a good tech scam detective story it's pretty irresistible. The fact that it's all chillingly relevant to our current tech world makes this a fable for our times.
I chose to read the series in reverse, which makes the story chronological. Order doesn't seem too important.
*New York Times bestselling author Cory Doctorow returns to the world of Red Team Blues to bring us the origin …
The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a …
Recommendation from Jason Lemieux.
Cory Doctorow recommendation.
