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j12i@wyrms.de

Joined 2 years, 8 months ago

Contains brainfog. I admire people who have a clear definition for what each number of stars means, but I give them out purely intuitively.

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reviewed Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie (Imperial Radch, #2)

Ann Leckie: Ancillary Sword (Paperback, 2014, Orbit)

Seeking atonement for past crimes, Breq takes on a mission as captain of a troublesome …

Ancillary Sword

I found this a bit weaker than the first. Maybe because as a middle book in a series, the plot resolution wasn't as satisfying as in the first. Still, suspense and pacing were good.

Also I found the critique of colonialism a bit too on the nose, and even going wrong sometimes.

(I wish I had more to say about it, but I listened to this on low spoons/bad brain days.)

reviewed Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

Ann Leckie: Ancillary Justice (2013)

On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing …

Ancillary Justice, some meta

The transhumanism treatment was interesting and well done, might have carried the book for me more than the plot even.

A year and change ago, reading the Terra Ignota tetralogy, watching Foundation S1 and reading the Teixcalaan duology got me really fed up with reading about empires and emperors and the equivalence of both. I was happy to discover that, even though it does have an empire and an emperor in important roles, this book didn't hit the same notes at all.

(I'd like to have more to say about it, but I listened to this and the sequel on low spoons/bad brain days.)

reviewed A Season of Monstrous Conceptions by Lina Rather

Lina Rather: A Season of Monstrous Conceptions (2023, Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom)

Lina Rather's A Season of Monstrous Conceptions is an eldritch historical fantasy of midwifery, monstrosity, …

A Season of Monstrous Conceptions

Novellas are inherently short on characterizaton, but in my opinion the characterizaton of London/English lilfe of this time is well done here, it made quite the impression. I also really liked the descriptions of the supernatural happenings; concise and impressive always, grand and awe-inspiring where appropriate.

(I started it in the afternoon and stayed up very late to finish it.)

September 2025 #SFFBookClub