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All Systems Red is a wonderfully funny story, but also a deceptively heavy one.

It's true that the protagonist of this book (a socially awkward security android who calls themself "Murderbot") is introduced as this loveably quirky individual who is perpetually wishing everyone would just leave them alone so they can watch TV. However the humor of this setup is only half of what truly makes this story great. Murderbot is an amusing and innocent first-person narrator, but they're also a character who is gradually indicated by Wells to be struggling with some degree of PTSD as a result of an experience whose nature is left deliberately unclear.

The skill which Wells showcases here isn't just her innocent sense of comedy, but in her ability to take what is really a very heavy subject (how people respond to traumatic memories), and use humor to approach these themes with a respect and honesty that very few authors manage.

All Systems Red is a "cozy sci-fi" story about an android who claims to want only to spend all day watching futuristic soap operas, but who nevertheless ends up having to save the lives of a bunch of human scientists who have gotten stranded on an alien planet. It's also a story about why people avoid dealing with traumatic memories, and the many issues that arise for them as a result.

The reason this story works is because these two facts are not mutually exclusive. This book is funny, and it's also about trauma.

There's a longer review which I wrote on my blog that I'll link to below. Just be aware that I go into plot spoilers.

erichendel.blogspot.com/2023/09/review-all-systems-red-by-martha-wells.html

I wish The Book of Ti'ana was more popular, in part because this is a fascinating novel, but also because it's a story whose flaws are worth thinking about.

Functioning as a prequel to The Book of Atrus, Ti'ana details the events leading to the destruction of the utopian city of D'ni (the ruined setting of the earlier novel). The main storyline follows a woman from Earth, Anna, who after befriending a D'ni official named Aitrus, begins studying the D'ni "Art" of using an ancient written language to open portals between parallel universes. Yet as Anna masters the Art's unlimited power, her presence in this city also triggers a bigoted movement calling for her exile. Worse, at the head of this movement is no one less than one of Aitrus's closest friends--a prominent D'ni politician named Veovis who begins dedicating his life to upholding an authoritarian view of D'ni tradition.

The strongest elements of The Book of Ti'ana are by far those early chapters depicting the hidden bigotry of D'ni society. As the story opens, D'ni is portrayed as a thriving utopia, but as Aitrus and Anna grow closer, both characters realize how this city is permanently marred by Veovis's conservatism. This realization in turn ultimately drives Aitrus to cut ties with his former friend, now that he has seen the violent ideology which people like Veovis conceal with their wealth and status.

Unfortunately, this plot is hampered by the book's ending, which in the latter chapters pivots away from the novel's social themes, and instead focuses on the supposed tragedy of Aitrus and Veovis's lost friendship. That is, as Veovis becomes increasingly enraged at Aitrus for choosing not to expel Anna from this city (ultimately plotting the destruction of the entire D'ni civilization in retaliation), the book seems to pin the blame for Veovis's actions not on Veovis himself, but (due to how it is her existence that has enraged him so much) Anna. At its most bizarre moments, The Book of Ti'ana appears poised to construct an inverted version of the tolerance paradox--a distorted parable arguing that we should actually be accommodating of bigotry, because otherwise bigots like Veovis will destroy everything.

Still, I think the themes which this story is trying to explore with regards to the dangers of traditionalism are worth following, even if they are explored imperfectly. I see The Book of Ti'ana as a really fascinating case study in the problems that can arise when well-meaning (if not perhaps misinformed) authors attempt to depict fascism.

I've written a longer review of this book on my blog, so I'll link to that below. Just be warned that I get into plot spoilers.

erichendel.blogspot.com/2024/07/review-myst-book-of-tiana.html

Jumpnauts demonstrates the value of sticking with a book even when the beginning chapters seem disappointing.

This story primarily follows three characters (an aloof archeologist named Yun Fan, a self-absorbed tech billionaire named Jiang Liu, and an elite soldier named Qi Fei) all of whom find themselves trapped in an international conspiracy when they discover an alien spaceship en-route to Earth. What follows is a sort of near-future "spy-fi" thriller in which everyone races to find information about this vessel, while also fleeing two warring nations who plan to use this ship's technology against their enemies.

It's a creative premise, but unfortunately Jumpnauts's first half is defined by one-note characters whose motives often feel underdeveloped. Jiang Liu and Qi Fei in particular feel less like fully realized people, and instead toxically masculine gender stereotypes who engage in increasingly cartoonish ego battles as they compete for Yun Fan's nonexistent affection. Yet what only becomes apparent in Jumpnauts's second half is that all of these flaws are intentional on Hao's part. The point of this novel is an examination of the ways that its characters fail to communicate, with everyone maintaining elaborate ego facades so as to hide their vulnerabilities from one another.

Which is to say that Jumpnauts is an alien first contact novel about characters who venture out into deep space, all so they can avoid contacting the other intelligent (human) beings with whom they share the universe. Outwardly it's a silly story, but also a profound one if you are willing to trust what the author is doing with her narrative.

I've written a longer review of this book on my blog, though be aware that I get into plot spoilers.

erichendel.blogspot.com/2024/12/review-jumpnauts-hao-jingfang.html

This is probably my favorite of all of Le Guin's novels. It's not just that The Lathe of Heaven works as a really fun and tightly written sci-fi concept, but also that Le Guin weaves together a ton of parallel narratives into what outwardly seems to be a very simple story idea.

In part, The Lathe of Heaven is a surrealist work about a person whose dreams suddenly start becoming real, and who has to contend with all the problems that arise as a result of this fact. However in another respect this book is also a very honest and compassionate depiction of a character suffering from severe anxiety and mental illness, while on top of both of those stories is also a very political dystopian science fiction novel about the end of the world.

Yet what makes this book work is that Le Guin writes all of these conflicting realities and perspectives in such a way that never negates any one single narrative. It would be very easy for a novel as surreal as The Lathe of Heaven to just come across as scattered, but Le Guin anchors us in the many realities of this book by focusing this story on the single enduring conflict which her characters confront--their misguided need to impose their own reality upon the numerous realms in which they live.

A few months ago I wrote a longer review of this book for my blog where I go into more detail about how I think this story operates, and so I'll post a link below. Just be warned that I get into plot spoilers.

erichendel.blogspot.com/2024/09/review-lathe-of-heaven-le-guin.html