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Current reading
9 January 2024 04:09 pmI'm going to try to write up short reactions to my reading this year on DW, not necessarily summaries but at least descriptions of how I'm feeling about what I read. So here's two to start things off.
Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse:
The second, but not final, book of the Between Earth and Sky series. Like the first book, it is multi-perspective with an ensemble cast; it ends with a ton of threads yet unresolved; it is not necessarily all action but very active with a constant sense of movement and little time to linger. I'll admit this combination of elements is not to my taste, but that doesn't mean I won't pick up the next book to see what happens next. The setting is a strong point. Probably unsurprisingly, I like the hints of far history such as the long-past God Wars and I'm excited to see what comes when there's a chance to actually learn more about it. Of the protagonists, Naranpa and Xiala remain my favorites.
Time's Children by Adrian Tchaikovsky:
Excellent specbio, spectech and spechistory laid on the endoskeleton of a plot. Although the human-centric sections were necessary, I much preferred the not-so-alien spiders and the pseudo-anthropological gaze of the narrator there. The problem with this story is that its perspective requires you to accept certain statements about 'human nature' and evolution that I don't find compelling, as is often the case with specbio-heavy stories. But as I read I often found myself stepping away and thinking about the images and characters I was presented with -- overall, this book made a strong impression! I just finished today, so I want to give it time to digest, but I want to pick up Children of Ruin and Children of Memory some time this year, hopefully to find some of the conclusions made in this book complicated more.
Currently (re)reading A Wizard of Earthsea ch. 1-4 for Shelved by Genre, and about to start reading some of the utopian fiction I picked out at the end of last month.
Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse:
The second, but not final, book of the Between Earth and Sky series. Like the first book, it is multi-perspective with an ensemble cast; it ends with a ton of threads yet unresolved; it is not necessarily all action but very active with a constant sense of movement and little time to linger. I'll admit this combination of elements is not to my taste, but that doesn't mean I won't pick up the next book to see what happens next. The setting is a strong point. Probably unsurprisingly, I like the hints of far history such as the long-past God Wars and I'm excited to see what comes when there's a chance to actually learn more about it. Of the protagonists, Naranpa and Xiala remain my favorites.
Time's Children by Adrian Tchaikovsky:
Excellent specbio, spectech and spechistory laid on the endoskeleton of a plot. Although the human-centric sections were necessary, I much preferred the not-so-alien spiders and the pseudo-anthropological gaze of the narrator there. The problem with this story is that its perspective requires you to accept certain statements about 'human nature' and evolution that I don't find compelling, as is often the case with specbio-heavy stories. But as I read I often found myself stepping away and thinking about the images and characters I was presented with -- overall, this book made a strong impression! I just finished today, so I want to give it time to digest, but I want to pick up Children of Ruin and Children of Memory some time this year, hopefully to find some of the conclusions made in this book complicated more.
Currently (re)reading A Wizard of Earthsea ch. 1-4 for Shelved by Genre, and about to start reading some of the utopian fiction I picked out at the end of last month.