I mainly read sci-fi, mystery, some suspense/horror and the occasional non-fiction.
Mastodon: mstdn.social/@roytoo
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23% complete! Roy Adams has read 12 of 52 books.
The port city of Hainak is alive: its buildings, its fashion, even its weapons. But, …
5 out of 5 stars The story is set in a unique world where magic is slowly replacing engineering. The protagonist Yat goes from being a demoted cop to a reluctant hero for her city.
The port city of Hainak is alive: its buildings, its fashion, even its weapons. But, …
The story is set in a unique world where magic is slowly replacing engineering. The protagonist Yat goes from being a demoted cop to a reluctant hero for her city.
The port city of Hainak is alive: its buildings, its fashion, even its weapons. But, after a devastating war and …
The Law of Consequences: A Fantastical Anthology
Every action has a consequence, some good, some …
Story collection of consequences for actions with some magic mixed in.
An interesting set of locked door mysteries from the Golden Age of detective fiction (roughly the 1920s and 1930s). Fourteen interesting and ingenious tales with unexpected twists and turns along the way. I particularly enjoyed the Ellery Queen's The House of Haunts and C. Daly King’s The Episode of the Nail and the Requiem.
Warning that some of the stories do have dated attitudes, especially towards women (thus dropping the rating to four stars). #Bookstodon
Interesting collection of mystery stories within a mystery story.
Kit Baldwin is a self-admitted mess inside her own head so the tale she shares might seem to be a bit of a messy read too but it is worth your time. From the outset Kit demonstrates that she's a true hero by doing the right thing to help others despite being "just a regular non-Empowered person" while some Empowered folks do nothing because her city is behind on their payments for protection. From that opening begins an adventure of discovery and growth for Kit that isn't an easy path but I'm glad to have taken it with her.
Melody and the Musician's Song reminds us that each day has its own specialness. If we try to spread that over many days then the bit of specialness likely will be gone.
Investigator Mossa and Scholar Pleiti reunite to solve a brand-new mystery in the follow-up to the fan-favorite cozy space opera …
How animals conceive of death and dying—and what it can teach us about our own …
Very interesting philosophical analysis of the evidence for how animals understand death and how we can assess their understanding. At times a bit repetitive though.
How animals conceive of death and dying—and what it can teach us about our own relationships with mortality
When the …
Roy Adams
boosted
It's been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; …
Thoroughly delightful respite from gloomy books I've been reading lately.
I've enjoyed Becky Chambers' work for years, and I feel she distilled it to perfection in this novella. Length-wise it is just enough to paint a picture of a beautiful solarpunk world, and to give us characterization of Dex, the main protagonist. There is nothing superfluous to it, and there is no rush either; the pace is contemplative and purposeful.
I loved the world building; the slow paced, hopeful world of Panga feels like a perfect place for me. On the other hand, it is a clever backdrop for Dex's angst and struggle to find their own purpose in life. Chambers pulls off a great feat with portrayal of Dex; they feel rich, complex and fully realized human being. Clever too is the contrast of the titular robot to Dex's monk, and the cute, often philosophical exchanges between them.
I …
Thoroughly delightful respite from gloomy books I've been reading lately.
I've enjoyed Becky Chambers' work for years, and I feel she distilled it to perfection in this novella. Length-wise it is just enough to paint a picture of a beautiful solarpunk world, and to give us characterization of Dex, the main protagonist. There is nothing superfluous to it, and there is no rush either; the pace is contemplative and purposeful.
I loved the world building; the slow paced, hopeful world of Panga feels like a perfect place for me. On the other hand, it is a clever backdrop for Dex's angst and struggle to find their own purpose in life. Chambers pulls off a great feat with portrayal of Dex; they feel rich, complex and fully realized human being. Clever too is the contrast of the titular robot to Dex's monk, and the cute, often philosophical exchanges between them.
I also liked the book's ending. It might leave things seemingly unresolved, but the story climax presents convincing argument for the value of self discovery over finding the (unattainable) solutions. In its philosophy, its character and world building, and its beauty, this story felt true to me, and that's my favorite thing.
Roy Adams
boosted
It's three thousand miles from the green fields of glory, where Henry "call me Hank" …
Henry Thompson had his leg broken attempting to steal a base, ending his baseball career in high school. Then he drives a car too fast and kills a buddy. Moves to New York from California with a girl only for her to get a traveling job and leave him in the dust. When the novel starts, Henry Thompson is a bartender in the middle of a bender, but actually living a decent life of a loser without real prospects. Then he gets beaten up by Russians, who it turns out are looking for Henry's neighbor next apartment over, who has skipped town leaving Henry to watch his cat. Stuck in the cat's carrier is a key and criminals want it.
I was hooked. Henry makes bad decisions, but not "go back into the chainsaw room in a horror film" bad. So Henry pinballs around the story between various criminal factions …
Henry Thompson had his leg broken attempting to steal a base, ending his baseball career in high school. Then he drives a car too fast and kills a buddy. Moves to New York from California with a girl only for her to get a traveling job and leave him in the dust. When the novel starts, Henry Thompson is a bartender in the middle of a bender, but actually living a decent life of a loser without real prospects. Then he gets beaten up by Russians, who it turns out are looking for Henry's neighbor next apartment over, who has skipped town leaving Henry to watch his cat. Stuck in the cat's carrier is a key and criminals want it.
I was hooked. Henry makes bad decisions, but not "go back into the chainsaw room in a horror film" bad. So Henry pinballs around the story between various criminal factions trying to get hold of the key, never making a choice that made me groan.
Despite being the kind of alcoholic jerk I would hate in real life, the story gives enough of a peek into his internal thoughts while trying to be decent that I liked him and wanted to see him make it.
And there's just enough hook in the story that I wanted to see how the conspiracy that envelops Henry came to be, and how it turns out for everyone. What's the key to? Will Henry remember where he put the key? Why are two groups of criminals looking for it? Is there anyone who can help Henry? Huston's well-crafted writing reveals just enough at the right times to keep me wanting to know what will happen next.
I'm going to attempt to put a content warning with a spoiler in a follow-up reply. Check that if certain kinds of violence make you squeamish.
5 out of if 5 stars An achingly sharp short story proposing an alternate history for authorizing the use of weapons of mass destruction. The moral question proposed is a well written variant of the "trolley problem" from ethics and philosophy.
