Critiques et Commentaires

A cozy military sci-fi. On the first hand this is a fun romp of geriatric boot camp with fun technological reveals. Fails in comparison to "The Forever War" for any confrontation with political and social impacts of the endless colonial war context. And introduces several maddeningly open-ended universal author escape hatches for the subsequent series.

Our interrelations with microbes as co-equal participants in health and evolution, from coral reefs to human microbiomes. Upturns simplifications of good and bad, of in and out, self and other, and finally made sense of metagenomics for me.

Contemplative pandemic novella, weaving in loss, racial disparity, resilience, sitting and walking with grief, and an undercurrent of hopeful action.

Entirely enjoyable imperial intrigue and whodunnit with outsider characters in a strange enough world, just not quite my cup of tea but could see revisiting for the world once the series is complete.

A response to authoritarian anti-gender movements, the first half rails a bit more than I need to relive current politics, the second half updates Butler's approach to co-constructed gender in society as anti-colonial anti-racist, and emphasizes the right's lie of gender ideology being a destructive force in society, distracting from dealing with real dangers of climate, economic precarity, and war.

Wry, uplifting, political, dark academia joy on a death-sentence planet.

RIch chorus of struggling and striving and femininity in black British lives loosely connected.

Solid near-future sci-fi on intelligence and environment. Moves easily between gripping techno-action-violence, challenging witness of human and ecological oppression, and a shimmering wonder at science, consciousness, and marine biology.

Beautiful and varied collection of essays, interviews, photography and poetry on African American agricultural experience - some generational, some newly engaged in community building through the land, some reengaging with interrupted family legacies.

On the violence in colonizing and decolonizing; on nationalist and authoritarian dangers in bourgeoisie decolonization that is not decentralized nor built on building power of the state from within the oppressed classes; on the psychological harms to all sides in fighting and repression. An understandable classic.

So good to return to these deeply considered illuminations of human problem space.

Revisiting some Culture, thanks for the reminder @sam@books.theunseen.city

Revenge across all time and reason, swashbuckling adventure and escape, twisted double-crossing. And good literary feel in many borrowed and emphasized lines and themes, a fantastic sci-fi homage to The Count Of Monte Cristo.

Despite the entertainment of fully immiserating an Elon-esque failson, along with wealth and war and human timescales of happiness, the misogyny is heavy and the plot is pointlessly dulled along the way. Can't all be winners.

Entertaining YA-adjacent fantasy adventure, enjoyable magic and plot twists at a steady pace, and an earnest girl lead acting thoroughly considerately and boldly.