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Books: Leckie and Wells
May. 16th, 2018 09:56 pmAnn Leckie "Ancillary Mercy". (3rd book in the trilogy).
When I read the first book in the trilogy I was impressed with it. It took some time to figure out the worldbuilding but I thought it was incredibly clever. I thought the Hugo was well deserved. When I read the second book, I found it easier to read since I knew the world already. And the plot was simpler in some ways. I really liked that a planet wasn't homogenous. But I also wondered why this second book took place in seemingly small part of the Empire and the plot seemed like a detour.
About a third to 40% reading this third book, all the pieces started to really come together to my delight and I realized that it wasn't really 3 books but one very long one, and seeing it this way, the whole middle section fit and everything made sense. The third book is a direct continuation of the second one. And this was the point that I fell in love with these books. I wasn't just intellectually appreciating these stories but I was emotionally invested in this world and characters and was happy to spend time in this universe. And I didn't want it to end. So I'm really glad I decided to read the whole thing, all three books. I was heartily recommending it to several coworkers, I was so thrilled with it. Really seeing the whole picture made me really impressed with the author's grasp on the story and the complexity of all the threads. Everything just came together so well.
Martha Wells "All Systems Red." (Murderbot novella)
Right after finishing a trilogy about AI as the main character that really examined AI rights and personhood, with the news full of Google AI that can mimic human conversation and the creepiness of it, I read another book with AI as a main character who wanted to be its own person. Sometimes these things happen!
This novella was delightful. What's not to like about an AI who initially doesn't really care, barely does its job, is super shy around humans and just wants to watch TV all day. There were a lot of fun jokes and I like the realism and practicality of many characters. They felt like actual people. I'm very glad Tor had it as a free download.
And now after all the AI and sci-fi, I'm going to finally tackle a 1,200 page historical fiction book. I'm finally going to read Ken Follet 's "Pillars of the Earth ". The prologue was very promising, the first chapter and a half not as much, but I will give it 100 pages at least. It's starts in 12th century England, and since it's a time period I know incredibly well, having studied English Middle Ages in grad school, I tend to be picky with some details. But this book certainly has a reputation and it's time to read it. We'll see. It will certainly take some time to read, although I might break it up with other books.
When I read the first book in the trilogy I was impressed with it. It took some time to figure out the worldbuilding but I thought it was incredibly clever. I thought the Hugo was well deserved. When I read the second book, I found it easier to read since I knew the world already. And the plot was simpler in some ways. I really liked that a planet wasn't homogenous. But I also wondered why this second book took place in seemingly small part of the Empire and the plot seemed like a detour.
About a third to 40% reading this third book, all the pieces started to really come together to my delight and I realized that it wasn't really 3 books but one very long one, and seeing it this way, the whole middle section fit and everything made sense. The third book is a direct continuation of the second one. And this was the point that I fell in love with these books. I wasn't just intellectually appreciating these stories but I was emotionally invested in this world and characters and was happy to spend time in this universe. And I didn't want it to end. So I'm really glad I decided to read the whole thing, all three books. I was heartily recommending it to several coworkers, I was so thrilled with it. Really seeing the whole picture made me really impressed with the author's grasp on the story and the complexity of all the threads. Everything just came together so well.
Martha Wells "All Systems Red." (Murderbot novella)
Right after finishing a trilogy about AI as the main character that really examined AI rights and personhood, with the news full of Google AI that can mimic human conversation and the creepiness of it, I read another book with AI as a main character who wanted to be its own person. Sometimes these things happen!
This novella was delightful. What's not to like about an AI who initially doesn't really care, barely does its job, is super shy around humans and just wants to watch TV all day. There were a lot of fun jokes and I like the realism and practicality of many characters. They felt like actual people. I'm very glad Tor had it as a free download.
And now after all the AI and sci-fi, I'm going to finally tackle a 1,200 page historical fiction book. I'm finally going to read Ken Follet 's "Pillars of the Earth ". The prologue was very promising, the first chapter and a half not as much, but I will give it 100 pages at least. It's starts in 12th century England, and since it's a time period I know incredibly well, having studied English Middle Ages in grad school, I tend to be picky with some details. But this book certainly has a reputation and it's time to read it. We'll see. It will certainly take some time to read, although I might break it up with other books.