The six-person crew of a derelict spaceship awakens from stasis in the farthest reaches of …
I recently heard there was a new series called Dark Matter coming out and briefly got excited until I realized it has nothing to do with the TV series of the same name from 10 years ago.
But it did prompt me to finally check out the graphic novel the show was based on. It's not bad, but honestly the TV series was more satisfying because it had time to develop the characters. As far as I can tell the Dark Horse comic series was a pitch for the TV pilot. Apparently it was an effective one.
I'm still wishing we could get a new Dark Matter miniseries or novel or something to continue following the Raza or at least tie up the loose ends where the show got cancelled.
A queer rom-com. Funny, sexy, beautiful. I laughed a lot and cried a bit.
If you've read For Her Consideration by the same author, you'll meet some familiar characters. But there's no need to read the books in any particular order. They're independent stories.
Work of political economy, detailing the impact of slavery and colonialism on the history of …
an excellent history lesson
4 stars
Walter Rodney's book is dense but very readable. It's an excellent education for someone who may not have learned much about the history of Africa. It makes a strong case that the problems of development that face the people of Africa were created by foreign imperialism and exploitation, not something fundamentally wrong or backward in Africa.
The African people were doing just fine before Europeans arrived with ships and guns and proceeded to extract African wealth, goods, mineral resources, and people for hundreds of years. In the 20th century the people of Africa managed to educate and organize themselves and push out colonial governments, but there's a lot to recover from and still much work to do.
Some things to be aware of: The book was first published in 1972, so it's somewhat dated. The history is still relevant of course, but I do wonder what more the author would …
Walter Rodney's book is dense but very readable. It's an excellent education for someone who may not have learned much about the history of Africa. It makes a strong case that the problems of development that face the people of Africa were created by foreign imperialism and exploitation, not something fundamentally wrong or backward in Africa.
The African people were doing just fine before Europeans arrived with ships and guns and proceeded to extract African wealth, goods, mineral resources, and people for hundreds of years. In the 20th century the people of Africa managed to educate and organize themselves and push out colonial governments, but there's a lot to recover from and still much work to do.
Some things to be aware of: The book was first published in 1972, so it's somewhat dated. The history is still relevant of course, but I do wonder what more the author would have had to say later if he hadn't been assassinated. Also the book is written from a Marxist perspective, and so throughout the book there is an implication that socialist states are the solution. A whole lot less capitalism would almost certainly be an improvement, but depending on how you feel about the history of socialist states, the enthusiasm for the state might seem excessive. I could not agree with the author's assertion that only capitalist states engage in imperialism.
In summary, it's an excellent history lesson, and I suggest reading with a filter for "written from a Marxist perspective from over 50 years ago."
Work of political economy, detailing the impact of slavery and colonialism on the history of …
Reflecting on How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney is a little discouraging. The book was first published in 1972. Here we are over 50 years later, and most of the people of Africa are still experiencing economic imperialism and exploitation.
When Rosemary Harper joins the crew of the Wayfarer, she isn't expecting much. The Wayfarer, …
queerer than I expected
4 stars
Becky Chambers shows us a hopeful future. Sure, the world she creates still has familiar problems like bigotry, exploitation, and war. But most of the characters we see are fairly open minded, diverse, emotionally intelligent, and culturally sensitive.
I really started to appreciate the book more about 2/3 of the way through. All the world building and character development of the beginning finally led up to some interesting social commentary and ethical questions, as well as some queer bits. At one point we meet a character who had to pretend to be something they weren't to survive in their society, until they were able to escape to get treatment to fully become what they knew they were inside. Which seemed like an obvious trans metaphor to me.
I love how the book ends with an open ethical question that the author doesn't resolve for us. We only get to see …
Becky Chambers shows us a hopeful future. Sure, the world she creates still has familiar problems like bigotry, exploitation, and war. But most of the characters we see are fairly open minded, diverse, emotionally intelligent, and culturally sensitive.
I really started to appreciate the book more about 2/3 of the way through. All the world building and character development of the beginning finally led up to some interesting social commentary and ethical questions, as well as some queer bits. At one point we meet a character who had to pretend to be something they weren't to survive in their society, until they were able to escape to get treatment to fully become what they knew they were inside. Which seemed like an obvious trans metaphor to me.
I love how the book ends with an open ethical question that the author doesn't resolve for us. We only get to see a bit of the aftermath, but she leaves it to the reader to decide what was right.
A warning, this book is primarily driven by character interaction and world building, not narrative and plot. From what I've heard that turned some people off. I loved it though.