outofrange wants to read Capital as power by Jonathan Nitzan (RIPE series in global political economy)
FROM THE BACK COVER:
Conventional theories of capitalism are mired in a deep crisis: after …
A Cory Doctorow recommendation.
Reviews and Comments
Reading for sanity, solace, meaning, meandering. Partial to mountains and desert, climate themes, balancing the heavy with the light.
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outofrange reviewed Dark Wire by Joseph Cox
The inside story of the largest law-enforcement sting operation ever, in which the FBI made …
Drug war becomes encryption war
4 stars
I don't know if I'm just too siloed, but I don't remember ever seeing this pretty jaw-dropping story in the news. It's a good look at how law enforcement is coping with encryption technologies, though the implications for the general public are only touched on. It would be more fun if law enforcement's efforts weren't wasted fighting a futile war on drugs, but I appreciated it more for the investigation than the good guys versus bad guys spin.
outofrange reviewed Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford
In a city that never was, in an America that never was, on a snowy …
Brought me back to noir
4 stars
I nearly abandoned this when it opened with detectives at a murder scene, a prelude I realized I've come to associate with formulaic slop. And I wasn't sure I would still enjoy noir as much as I once did. It doesn't take long for the wildly imaginative dimensions of the story to burst forth from the outrageously explosive plot. The alternate history is both utopian and dystopian in noir proportions, full of interesting observations, implications, and jazzy interludes.
outofrange wants to read Atmosphæra Incognita by Neal Stephenson
Atmosphæra Incognita is a beautifully detailed, high-tech rendering of a tale as old as the …
This one seems to have flown under the radar.
outofrange reviewed The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a 2020 fantasy fiction standalone novel written by …
Faustian fiction with some art and history
3 stars
Not that I've read Faust, but this is solidly in the selling-your-soul genre. The deal is interesting and sets up a fun few centuries of struggle with some peripheral history emphasizing art. The way darkness can enhance art is a nice undercurrent.
outofrange wants to read A Natural History of Empty Lots by Christopher Brown
During the real estate crash of the late 2000s, Christopher Brown purchased an empty lot …
From Cory Doctorow's 2024 reviews: pluralistic.net/2024/12/02/booklish/
outofrange wants to read After World by Debbie Urbanski
One of San Francisco Chronicle’s Favorite Books of 2023 “An intelligent, defiant novel, akin to …
From Cory Doctorow's 2024 reviews: pluralistic.net/2024/12/02/booklish/
outofrange wants to read Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind by Molly McGhee
“A scathing critique of capitalism that holds onto the humanity of its characters.” —Laura Zornosa, …
From Cory Doctorow's 2024 reviews: pluralistic.net/2024/12/02/booklish/
outofrange reviewed Trust by Hernan Diaz
Even through the roar and effervescence of the 1920s, everyone in New York has heard …
Historical fiction fiction
4 stars
Not my usual fare, and I considered stopping in the first book. Glad I didn't! I didn't put a lot of effort into following all the hints, but I definitely enjoyed the gradual assembly of perspectives from the series of fictional authors. I feel like I got a few looks at Wall Street history, mostly unfamiliar to me.
outofrange wants to read Out on Blue Six by Ian McDonald (Spectra special editions)
Out on Blue Six is a 1989 science fiction novel by the British writer Ian …
From Cory Doctorow's review.
outofrange reviewed The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (The Broken Earth, #1)
A SEASON OF ENDINGS HAS BEGUN.
IT STARTS WITH THE GREAT RED RIFT across the …
Exploratory, rocky
4 stars
The broken earth has a lot of appealing elements (sorry) with narrative experiments going on at different scales. Some worked better than others for me, none were total flubs. The power dynamics between characters are fairly well balanced, but sometimes the characters felt a little too imaginary to me.
outofrange wants to read Desert Creatures by Kay Chronister
In a world that has become treacherous and desiccated, Magdala has always had to fight …
Deserts and a great review from @SallyStrange
outofrange wants to read The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
The Song of Achilles is a 2011 novel by American writer Madeline Miller. Set during …
Based in technicat's review :)
outofrange reviewed Quickening by Elizabeth Rush
An astonishing, vital book about Antarctica, climate change, and motherhood from the author of Rising, …
A theme through many eyes
5 stars
We get an account of a groundbreaking scientific expedition to Antarctica from a writer grappling with understanding climate change while yearning for motherhood, and determined to break the Antarctic adventure tale mold by including as many perspectives as she can.
outofrange reviewed Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, Demon Copperhead is the story of a boy …
Beautifully painful
4 stars
I grabbed this without much consideration and got embarrassingly far through it before I got the Dickens heritage. If I read David Copperfield I've forgotten it, but if it explores real societal issues through the eyes of kids as well as this story does, it would be worth a comparison to get a sense of how the problems have evolved. It's not just problems though, they are lived by good characters.