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Matthew

picard@bookwyrm.social

Joined 2 years, 4 months ago

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Anton Eine: Human Kind (2022, Independently Published) No rating

Anton Eine's “Human Kind” is a thematic compilation of science fiction short stories dedicated to …

I read the first story in this collection of science fiction from a Ukrainian author. I enjoyed it, it made me smile. I will try to read a bit more in the coming weeks.

Oksana Lutsyshyna, Nina Murray: Ivan and Phoebe (EBook, 2023, Deep Vellum Publishing) No rating

Ivan and Phoebe chronicles the lives of several young people involved in the Ukranian student …

I was enjoying this book a lot, but for life reasons was not enjoying reading anything for a time. Now I feel like trying again this book is maybe a bit too serious - I need something more light-hearted. I really enjoyed what I read of this before I stepped away, though - I look forward to returning to it next time.

Марія Василівна Матіос, Michael Naydan, Olha Tytarenko: Sweet Darusya (2019, Spuyten Duyvil Publishing)

Найвідоміший і найпопулярніший роман Марії Матіос «Солодка Даруся» справедливо назвали «трагедією, адекватною історії XX століття», …

Sweet Darusya review

Sweet Darusya tells the life story of a Hutsul woman through a series of shorter stories depicting the important scenes in her life that made her who she became. Unusually (for me, at least), the story is told in a reverse chronological order: we meet Sweet Darusya in her later life, and gradually Matios unfolds what came before.

Hutsuls are an ethnic group from Western Ukraine - around Zakarpattia (Transcarpathia) - and Romania, and Matios uses the story of Sweet Darusya to paint a picture of Hutsul life in the mid-20th century. I wonder how much of that life remains, and how much has been lost forever?

Set roughly during the late 1930s up to the 1960s, Matios brings to life the culture and history of these people through the life of Sweet Darusya.

This story is so powerful and moving; incredibly emotional, at once the story of a single …

Adrian Tchaikovsky: Children of Memory (2022, Pan Macmillan)

Earth is failing. In a desperate bid to escape, the spaceship Enkidu and its captain, …

Fascinating continuation of the Children series

Really enjoyed this. Wish Bookwyrm allowed for half stars - would be 4.5 here. So many interesting ideas, explored well. Always kept me guessing what was happening, and the story unwound at a (mostly) pleasing pace. A slow pace, mind - not one for action-science fiction fans; this is very thinky, philosophical stuff.

A couple of the chapters didn't quite work for me - more narrative background than story, they contributed to the overall understanding but I found them harder to get through than the rest - but Tchaikovsky really does explore some fascinating concepts here and I recommend this one for anyone into this slower style of science fiction.

Mike Martin: How to Fight a War (EBook, Hurst Publishers)

Has any war in history gone according to plan? Monarchs, dictators and elected leaders alike …

Really good high-level summary of the modern art of war

Content warning Talk about war - not what everyone wants in their feed