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reviewed A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine (Teixcalaan, #2)

Arkady Martine: A Desolation Called Peace (Hardcover, 2021, Tor Books) 5 stars

An alien armada lurks on the edges of Teixcalaanli space. No one can communicate with …

Unclear motivations & prose

3 stars

Disappointing sequel despite potential. Some dubious premises (surely a galactic empire would have first contact specialists?). Unclear motivations & prose: I rarely understood why particular choices were being made. Also an annoying inconsistency: internally, characters were flailing haplessly, but in actuality they were exceedingly competent.

Reading time 6 days, 80 pages/day

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reviewed Permanent Record by Edward Snowden

Edward Snowden: Permanent Record (Paperback, 2020, Picador) 4 stars

Edward Snowden, the man who risked everything to expose the US government’s system of mass …

Serious gumption

3 stars

I also grew up in a government town in the early days of home computers & the internet. Perhaps if I had stumbled across hacking I'd have ended up in a similar role to him, though I doubt I'd have his gumption to expose the gross overreach of the security services. Their capability was (and remains) alarming.

Reading time 9 days, 37 pages/day

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reviewed Izzy by Moira McAlister

Moira McAlister: Izzy (2021, MoshPit Publishing) 3 stars

Amazing colonial fictionalised biography

3 stars

Follows the extraordinary life of an early Australian colonist who was present for some momentous historic events & more than the usual share of drama. All the more amazing for being based on real people. Pedestrian prose with awkward dialogue, but captivating.

Reading time 6 days, 59 pages/day

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