bluemonkey14's reviews
77 reviews

Death of the Author is three things in one: a barely-in-the-future sci fi with the Zelu arc, an epistolary with the interviews and a sci fi with Ankara and Ijele's story.

The book does raise a lot of interesting topics such as disability and ableism, colonialism, patriarchy, capitalism, family, tradition, disapora and cultural identity, transhumanism, and eschatology. Among others - there is a lot going on here!

I feel like the human characters have a lot of room for interpretation. Most of them come across as slightly unhinged and mostly not likeable, but considering that Zelu is the most unlikeable of all, and we experience most of the characters through the lens of their interactions with her, maybe they're all just sick of her nonsense? But then again maybe Zelu is the way she is because of her unhinged family. Maybe the family are the way they are because of their history? I have to mention Wind too, she felt like a breath of fresh air in amongst all of the hotheadedness and I yearned for more of her when everyone was being unreasonable.

The interview sections seem to be implying that something huge involving Zelu is coming by the end of the book, but it's never really made clear what, which feels like a wasted opportunity. The interviews do give some context and back story but I thought it would have been really nice if all three threads built up to one conclusion.

Also the mum says "when you talk to Secret" but then in next chapter Secret dies so if the interviews are happening after the event, he would already have been dead by then? Maybe I'm just misunderstanding but it stuck out as a confusing point to me.

The Ankara arc was by far my favourite, I could probably just read "Rusted Robots" on its own. I loved the different groups and how they evolved, and the overall concept of a post-humanity Earth. The ending though, I just don't see how it could have panned out like that, given the issues I've already talked about. If anything I think that final hail mary would have the opposite effect on me, but perhaps this book is suffering from being released during another nadir in recent history and I'm feeling more misanthropic than usual. I could really have done with a more sympathetic lead character and I think the ending would have been more believable with one.

I do feel like although this is being marketed as an adult book, it reads quite YA to me. Zelu is in her thirties but comes across much younger to me. Certain sections read very much "too good to be true" - for example the

instant multi-million book and movie deals

, or the

gun range where she got a bullseye on her very first time ever shooting a gun and never missed the centre circle

. Obviously, after reading the ending you could put that down to

Ankara's lack of experience

, but on first read I think it needlessly risks putting people off carrying on. 

Overall, it's really hard to put a rating on this book. There were aspects I loved but I think for me it sets out to do a lot and doesn't quite make it. Perhaps I'm just not the target market, which is fine, but the marketing and hype strongly led me to believe that I was, which is an issue. I can see why people love it, and maybe I'll give it another try when the world is not currently on fire, but here and now this type of work just isn't for me. That said there is some great writing here and a lot to think about.

Many thanks to Gollancz and Netgalley for the eARC. I was not required to leave a review nor influenced as to its contents.

This is a thoughtful story set in a near-future world which suffers from many of the same issues as our own. The story follows a cast of characters that fall under two main plot arcs, both related to the increasing use of androids in society. 

The story is structured in a non-linear, multi-POV style, so we get to see some of the same events through multiple sets of eyes. At first I found this hard to get on with since I kept feeling the urge to check back to make sure I had the timeline correct in my head but once I learned to just go with the flow I enjoyed it a lot more - the author has done a good job of making sure things flow in a logical way.

The first plot is a long-running conflict between the authorities, including android operatives, and an anti-android militia led by one man but composed largely of child soldiers. We get a pretty well-balanced view on both sides' motivations, following agents and androids on the one side, adults and children on the other.

Secondly, a couple who run a farm but are forced to take on android help when the land is poisoned by a failed pesticide, which leads to not only the loss of their livelihood but also their health and aspirations for a family. Obviously this arc is incredibly sad but does lead to some of the most introspective and thought-provoking moments in the book.

The chapters from the android POV were my favourite element of the story - it becomes clear that

they are not just unfeeling robots but in fact capable of emotions, empathy and desire. They are effectively AGIs that have been deliberately hobbled in an attempt to keep them under control

. 

Of course, the androids prompt us to think about what constitutes a person, at what point does an AI become indistinguishable from a human, and how should we treat them? But I also got the feeling that the treatment of the androids could be seen as similar to the demonisation and treatment of immigrants and ethnic minorities. 

The androids are constantly othered and treated as less human, despite the revelation that

there's not really much separating them from humans in terms of consciousness

, and that it seems like the vast majority of androids are simply going about their lives while being tarnished by association with job losses and the actions of a tiny minority. One android who is unable to speak much human language (but is incredibly fluent in android language) is treated very differently to his later-model counterpart who isn't much different other than being more fluent.

Ultimately the real villain in this world is late-stage capitalism. The militia rails against job losses and the increasing mechanisation of labour, but those changes were made not by androids but by greedy bosses. The farming couple's tragic story happens because of shortcuts at a mega-corporation and the cold, inhuman operation of the insurance company. The androids are created as soldiers, another product of the military industrial complex. 

Obviously, there are a lot of parallels to be drawn with our current world.

If you're after an easy read with a lot of guidance, it might not be for you but if you're looking to explore the issues at hand and don't mind taking your time to think through the various viewpoints, I think you'll love this.

Many thanks to DAW and Edelweiss for the eARC. I was not required to leave a review nor influenced as to its contents.

The story follows Davis, a recently and prematurely bereaved man who is offered a way to "communicate" with his late wife via a new AI-powered app offered by the funeral director. He is told that it will help him process his grief, but as Davis finds out, it's not quite that simple.

I enjoyed the storyline and how it explored the way we process grief in the modern world, where there are so many technological relics left behind when we die. Anyone who's felt the urge to tag a departed friend on social media, or text their old number, will understand the core hook. People leave behind chat streams, images, videos, audio. What happens if the services hosting those go away? Are people's devices extensions of themselves? Could an AI model ever replicate a personality, and if it could, how would we treat them? Will capitalistic "market forces" keep these post-death connections locked behind an ever-rising paywall?

There are a lot of practical and philosophical questions raised so I think if you enjoy pondering these types of topics, you'll find a lot to like here. The themes are heavy, of course, but I felt like they were handled sensitively and sympathetically. Characters feel reasonable even if they make some questionable decisions - we may not agree with them but at least we can see how they got to where they are and there are no clear "good" or "bad" actors.

Personally I'd have liked a little more exploration of the late plot, it felt like the pace picked up a lot towards the end. Definitely potential for a follow up I think.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys stuff like Black Mirror (obvious comparisons to be drawn with Be Right Back but it also reminded me of San Junipero) or the general theme of trans/posthumanism.

Many thanks to Sunkat Press and NetGalley for the eARC. I was not required to leave a review nor influenced in any way as to its contents.

I really loved this. This was my introduction to Kuang's work and it is immediately clear to me why she's so highly rated.

The story is set in a kind of light fantasy parallel world in which the British Empire is built on a subtle but very powerful form of magic, and as the story unfolds we discover how that reliance leads to the Empire needing to conquer more and more, both resources and people in order to maintain its dominance. The allegory is pretty clear, I think.

The revelation that the magic works through

the subtext that gets lost when a word is translated from one language to another

has really stuck with me - this is one of those books that slightly changes the way you look at the world.

I loved all the dives into linguistics and etymology. The book makes extensive use of footnotes for both worldbuilding and real-world context, which I really like since it adds to the documentary feeling. The story covers a lot of social issues, and there are so many great moments where Kuang really drives home the point where many writers would gloss over the issue.

That said, that's the one critique I would have - it can be a little "on the nose", but I would rather err on the side of being too obvious, than go the other way and have people miss the point as they so often do.

To summarise, I think Babel is an insightful commentary wrapped up in a great story - just what I was hoping for!

I really struggled with this. On the face of it, this story covers a lot of topics I'm interested in but the way they're presented is not very approachable. 

I didn't find any of the characters particularly likeable or relatable, and I didn't really feel like any of them underwent any major character development by the end - more like the story just happened around them.

There are a lot of references throughout - to scientific, technological and philosophical concepts, and also to pop/meme culture. Some of the jokes I understood did raise a smile but a lot of the time it felt like it was trying too hard to be clever or funny. At times this approach works - when you spot something it's like finding an easter egg, but a lot of the time it's more frustrating than anything because you get words and concepts dropped in like boulders and then have to break off and figure out what they mean before you can understand what's happening in the story.

I think the underlying problem with this book is that it has aged very poorly, and the issues really kept me from feeling immersed in the world. The major problem for me is how it handled the topic of gender and identity. These topics are a huge part of this book, and the authors' handling of it is not great. Being written in 2012 and based on what I can find about their stance on gender and identity I don't in any way think this is deliberate but it doesn't come across well at all. I have found guidance from 2012 and earlier that specifically calls out certain words and issues in the text as being problematic, so it's a shame that the authors seemingly didn't do the research at the time to avoid these problems.

Based on other reviews I will still check out other works by these authors - I'm familiar with Doctorow's tech writing but haven't read any of his novels - but this is not a compelling introduction to either of them.

Old Man's War was my first Scalzi book but won't be my last! It has a great balance of humour and more reflective moments - sometimes both at once. There are a lot of themes that aren't fully explored yet but knowing that this is just the first in a series I have faith that they'll be examined in more detail as the story progresses. 

I don't think it's reasonable to expect multiple fully-fleshed-out ethical issues in a single novel, and the plot does raise a number of them. I do think the text drops hints as to the various issues without handholding, which I prefer but may be missed by others,

The worldbuilding is done in a very natural way, setting up the pieces both for this book and the rest of the series. I loved the concept of the

consciousness-transferring

tech, which reminded me a lot of

Soma

. The reveal towards the end about the nature of the

Ghost Brigades

is great as it feels like a nice twist while also being obvious in hindsight.

Recommended for any sci-fi fan but if you enjoy thinking about issues like transhumanism, colonisation and space exploration you'll find a lot to get your teeth into!

A powerful story about the US prison system. The world of Chain-Gang All-Stars is removed enough from ours to make this a spec-fic but close enough to be a thought provoking and uncomfortable read.

The book is sprinkled with asides - some of these provide additional content, others context. I like the idea of this although it does make some of the social commentary points feel a little "on the nose" for my taste. That said, I knew a bit about some of the issues before going in, so what seemed obvious to me may not have been to others. In all I'd say the decision to err on the side of pushing the point home was probably the right way to go.

I really like the way the story is told through different viewpoints - at times it feels a bit like a collection of short stories which all come together in the climax. The story is dense and immersive, there's a lot to take in, but I think that reflects the nature of modern hyper-capitalist life. There's always something to distract you, always a new shiny thing just over there, always something to stop you looking at the blood on the ground.

The ending is abrupt and jarring, like so many endings both in the book and in real life. I do think there's a lot still to cover in this universe (

clearly, Loretta and Mari both have unfinished business

) so I really hope for a sequel or even more.

The violence is graphic and constant. It may not be to everyone's taste but again, it reflects the issues being portrayed. If the reflection in the mirror makes us uncomfortable, the only option is to change what's on this side of the glass.

I found this a really weird read, I feel like it doesn't really know what it wants to be - which is something I have to hope the author has fixed in the sixteen and a half books that follow it.

It was recommended to me as being hilarious but I just didn't find it all that funny. Some moments raised a smile, and there are some astute observations around the nature of war and politics, but I didn't find it as tickling as the reviews make out. Perhaps it just doesn't suit my sense of humour, I can accept that, it just felt at times like it was trying too hard to be funny rather than a natural flow of humour.

The first half of the book sets up a really good premise with an intergalactic proxy war, an ancient advanced civilisation and more layers to the nature of the universe than we could imagine.

Then Skippy turns up.

A lot of reviews say that the book doesn't really get good until Skippy's introduction, but I have to disagree. The first chapter with Skippy was so suddenly heavy on the try-hard humour that I nearly DNF'ed it right there. In the end I'm glad I didn't but it is a real whiplash moment.

The second half rattles along at a much faster pace - if anything I would say the first half of the book is too slow for me, but the second half is too fast. I felt like a lot of interesting angles were glossed over and there was hardly any character development. Everyone apart from Joe feels flat and I just can't get attached to Skippy as a character, which is a shame because there are some interesting aspects to him.

The other thing we have to talk about is the quality of the writing. This is a self-published book and I love that the author has backed himself to chase his passion, but it really could do with a good editor's eye, or even just another pass from the author. There are a lot of grammar and spelling errors throughout the book, which although I'm not a snob, do detract from the reading experience significantly as I kept finding myself pulled out of the story having to re-read sections.

If this was a standalone I would let it go, but given that the series now spans seventeen and a half books, including updated cover editions, I think it would be a good idea to have an editor go over them to add the missing polish. Not a full rewrite, more like "version 1.1". Existing fans wouldn't lose anything nor have to re-read if they didn't want to, but new readers would be much more likely to stay engaged. That said, having looked at reviews of the more recent books, they also allude to the lack of polish so perhaps that's a feature rather than a bug, in which case fair enough.

I noticed that a lot of the most positive reviews are audiobook readers, which makes sense - the narrator probably brings the characters to life a lot more and translates the writing issues for you, so it's probably a better listening experience than a reading one.

Personally I can't be mad at this for a freebie read but I won't be spending £85 to finish the series as it stands. If I can pick book two up for free I'll give it a go and see how I feel, mainly because I do think there is a lot of potential in the premise.

I read this after devouring Remembrance of Earth's Past. I do find ball lightning a fascinating topic and really enjoyed following along with the process of unveiling its true nature in the TBP universe. Far-fetched maybe but it feels internally consistent and raises a lot of existential "what if?" type questions. And of course, the exploration of the pipeline from curiosity, to science, to military application is relevant to any area of research.

I do think that Liu Cixin struggles writing women even more so than male characters, and I felt Lin Yun's story was somewhat tarnished by this, I never really felt like I connected with her because she never really felt like a fully fleshed-out character to me. I would love to read her story separately, ending up the same way as in Ball Lightning but through her eyes rather than Chen's. 

That said, what Liu does well, he does very well, as long as those parts grab you enough to push through the weaker parts.

This story takes in grand topics like what it means to be "human", what consciousness is, AI ethics, animal sentience, communication across barriers, and capitalism and corporate governance in a way that makes sense in the setting and illustrates some of the intersections between those issues, which is so important. I feel like Evrim serves as a hub in the sense that you can compare and contrast him with the humans, the octopi and and the other AIs in the world.

I enjoyed the world-building, although I found the Tibetan element a little underdeveloped especially given the ending.

I was recommended this as a philosophical and thought-provoking story, and it really is. As so often, it doesn't hold your hand all the way but gives you plenty to work with if you're willing to take some time to think about the issues at hand and not just treat it as a "switch off your brain" kind of story.