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Jelmer

jelmervdl@bookwyrm.social

Joined 3 years ago

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commented on Kafka op het strand by Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami: Kafka op het strand (Paperback, Dutch language, 2006, Atlas)

A boy trying to escape a gruesome oedipedal prophecy, a simple man who can talk …

I'm reading the Dutch translation, and honestly it's almost just worth doing that for the translator's comments. Particularly in this footnote, the translator corrects Murakami in a not so subtile manner.

finished reading Under the Skin by Michel Faber

Michel Faber, David Mitchell: Under the Skin (2017, Canongate Books)

Short-listed for the Whitbread Award, this remarkable book defies categorisation. Under the Skin introduces Isserley, …

I love seeing Scotland through alien eyes. I didn't like that its description of its inhabitants as "vodsels" was also relatable. (Not a Scotland thing, more a me thing.)

wants to read The Purified by C. F. Peterson

C. F. Peterson: The Purified (Paperback, 2021, Scotland Street Press) No rating

Eamon’s newfound happiness is shattered by the kind of murder that the government doesn’t want …

The first one was a pleasant surprise I found at Typewronger Books. I'm hoping they'll have this one in stock as well.

finished reading Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson

Kim Stanley Robinson, Kim Stanley Robinson: Ministry for the Future (Hardcover, 2020, Orbit)

Established in 2025, the purpose of the new organization was simple: To advocate for the …

Less science fiction that I'm used to, more social and economic fiction. And pleasantly optimistic once you get through the carnage of the first half (read: keep going it will get better).

reviewed Inhibitor Phase by Alastair Reynolds

Alastair Reynolds: Inhibitor Phase (2022, Orion Publishing Group, Limited)

Review of 'Inhibitor Phase' on 'Goodreads'

I really do like the continuation of Revelation Space! There is some of that grand scale of things still in there. But the dialogue, and the way the characters interact (and forgive?!) each other just feels off. Like canny valley. And that’s by an already lower threshold I set for sci-fi. My memories of previous instalments is far more favourable than my experience with this book. A bit of a let down. Ro summarise: it’s good, just not really good.