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An interesting roundup of characters which has the effect of providing a wide if slightly fragmented view of the late 20th century in Europe. Personally, I found the theoretical framework articulated in the foreword and afterward more interesting than the body of the work.

Compelling walkthrough, hitting the interesting points, and supported with just enough detail. Good read.

Not a lot of new material for me here. The last few chapters give a more significant focus on the campaign leading to Trump's presidency, but I think a more focused account would be more useful to me. Still, conveniently consistent with other similar accounts as far as it goes — like due to similar source materials.

Feels like a pretty no-nonsense rundown. Works consistently to identify cultural through-lines most likely to be relevant to a western audience seeking to understand contemporary Russia and the choices made by its population and leaders. More resent material lacks the subtlety & nuance I've seen in more focused accounts so I have to assume that the rest does too. But that's what you get with such an expansive overview.

It really was just… Gorbachev wanted reform, he wanted democracy, but he didn't crave power and refused to used violence. That's it; that's the whole story. One decent person at the right time is all it took. Things could have gone better of course, especially for Russia. But that's as much Bush's fault and the West's as it is Gorbachev's.

Dry but clear. A real "dad" read. Focuses on the details rather than the high picture — ironically, a criticism that the author also levels at many of the protagonists.

An excellent alternate-history told in the style of a whodunnit. A chilling picture of England under Nazi rule, fully engaging with the realities of occupation. Compelling characters pursue varied objectives through a fog of war often rendered through London thick weather. A mystery pulls you all the way through without simply checking the boxes of genre tropes. Absolutely recommended.

Fantastic, definitely recommended.

A clear case for what seems like it should be an utterly self-evident policy. Only the brain worms of neoliberalism keep us from understanding what villagers with pitchforks always have.

@phildini@boundcovers.com I'd definitely endorse that. I didn't get much out of rereading Exhalation, and there are some tales in this collection which just don't mean much to me. But the ones I remember with feeling still have it. I am personally tempted to write Seventy-Two Letters fanfiction.

Seventy-two letters continues to be one of my absolute favorite shorts. I think that it could also make a fantastic novel. There are so many little details which are only touched on for a moment and which I think deserve whole chapters of exploration. But maybe that's just because they push very specific buttons in my brain.

A two-hour moment-by-moment description of what a nuclear war might look like. Absolutely chilling, but I can't look away. Like watching a global car crash in slow motion. I'll absolutely be re-reading this one.

There is a character in this novel named Cheris. They don't have a lot of air time, but it brings me so much joy that Adjoa Andoh has decided that Cheris should have a Southern drawl. I feel like this is a perfect little easter egg for people like me who enjoy sci-fi about weird factional wars and ~~✨gender✨~~.

Money may not solve every problem, but it solves some of the hardest (food, shelter, utilities, routine healthcare, entertainment), and it turns most other problems into the easiest versions of themselves.