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esper

esper@bookwyrm.social

Joined 9 months ago

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Neal Stephenson: Anathem (Paperback, 2014, HarperCollins)

Anathem, the latest invention by the New York Times bestselling author of Cryptonomicon and The …

I started rereading this for the fourth or fifth time becauses I needed the literary equivalent of comfort food. It did the trick and I'm glad I picked it up again.

reviewed The Sapling Cage by Margaret Killjoy (Daughters of the Empty Throne, #1)

Margaret Killjoy: The Sapling Cage (Paperback, 2024, Feminist Press at The City University of New York)

In the gripping first novel in the Daughters of the Empty Throne trilogy, author Margaret …

Enjoyable Young-Adult Fantasy with Clear Anarchist Influences

I love reading about witches and I love Margaret Killjoy's writing, so I was expecting this to be absolutely brilliant. The book didn't end up blowing me away, but I enjoyed every moment I've had with it. I'm glad this is the first of a series, because I'm eager to read more.

Killjoy is an outspoken anarchist and this always comes through in her writing. While talking about the book, she said it wasn't a "trans novel" but a novel with a trans main character. I feel like, similarly, it isn't an "anarchist book" but a book that happens to have anarchism in it.

Don't expect deep exploration on anarchist concepts or theory (they're present but aren't the focus). Instead, expect something sorta like the Discworld witches if they were more communal.