Considering there can't be many primary sources to read to support writing such a book on an-almost-half-millennium-old set of voyages, this is a great story. Some of the winter parts can get slightly repetitious "and then there was a storm, and then they ate another fox, and then.." but I'm sure that exactly reflects the dull nature of being icebound. William Barents himself isn't known too well in the sources, as he was mythologised a while after.
The author also adds variety by interleaving in explanations of scurvy or technology and trade levels, which helps.
Content warning
Just read it first, it's super short
I can't decide, but I really enjoyed it, takes 10 minutes. I was worried this was going to be Torment Nexus-worthy like the Manna algorithm by Marshall Brain, but Abelique seems nice. I'm sure the prices would rise, mind. Where's the VC?
The Ankh-Morpork Post Office is running like . . . well, not at all like …
Enjoyable but I feel I'm missing something
4 stars
Another enjoyable Discworld. But unlike The Truth and Going Postal, I just don't really understand the story. It doesn't have much tension in it, and certainly the bank does not the attention of the post office. Whereas a dog carrying a vibrator is the same joke in about four scenes.
Incredibly intense short story about women through the ages seeking abortion. A technologically surveilling society now or in the near future could exert even more control over women's bodies.
Marguerite Florian has spent her life acquiring and selling information, using whatever means necessary. When …
More of the same, yes please
4 stars
Sarcastic characters in a straight fantasy, another couple who are obviously going to fall in love. It's nice to see characters come around from previous books with different levels of engagement.
This one did feel like there were more moments of "the heroes felt they were going to die and said goodbye to each other" without actually feeling darker. I haven't worked out if that is on purpose or not. Second one is probably still my favourite.
Nothing happens in this without foreshadowing or a trope, so if that irritates you, well, you probably didn't finish the others.
Can't complain for such a cheap find, but it covers the history of the railway being built but is very vague on the specs of the locos, just "bought from such and such railroad". Also bittersweet in that it is old enough that the railway was still running. There is a note in the foreward saying "ah no closed a few years later".
Looking forward to trying the tourist train to carcross at least
Humanity welcomed the Olyix and their utopian technology. However, mankind was …
Enjoyable again, but a bit confusing
4 stars
Without spoilers, there's a lot of stuff happening in a lot of different times, but those times are flowing at different speed relatively to each other so the stuff that starts earlier finishes later. And, as opposed to the the first book with locations like "this space habitat" or "that bit of London" it's "in this ship, which is between these places" and I found it very hard to keep apart.
But again I also read the book at 4am, instead of failing to sleep, so that didn't help. The trilogy is concluded, but there are two hooks left open to tug on later.
I also really can't work out whether the author wants us to like billionaire autocrats or not. It very much feels like you're supposed to, in the same way that classic fantasy has "kings, what a good idea" through it, as they're all wise and fearless …
Without spoilers, there's a lot of stuff happening in a lot of different times, but those times are flowing at different speed relatively to each other so the stuff that starts earlier finishes later. And, as opposed to the the first book with locations like "this space habitat" or "that bit of London" it's "in this ship, which is between these places" and I found it very hard to keep apart.
But again I also read the book at 4am, instead of failing to sleep, so that didn't help. The trilogy is concluded, but there are two hooks left open to tug on later.
I also really can't work out whether the author wants us to like billionaire autocrats or not. It very much feels like you're supposed to, in the same way that classic fantasy has "kings, what a good idea" through it, as they're all wise and fearless (the hero ones, anyway). The billionaire characters are definitely the good guys (and girls, and omnia) but it's yet another set of books that say "whoever makes their fortune in the 2200s will have it for the rest of the civilisation of the humans, if they don't outlive the others". Everyone else is spending each lifetime paying for life extensions of one form or another.
It's also nice to see PFH broaden the gender spectrum, but writing this I've realised he does do it to exactly three. No more or less.
Book 1 I was surprised but pleased the sex had toned down a bit. It's back again, although I'd concede it's I guess-sort-of-plot-relevant. I read this while unable to sleep so I struggled a lot with the far-future sci-fi gobbledegook. Reading it during the day might have been easier! Much like the Void books, once the sci-fi gets this far ahead it feels a bit comic fantasy.
qntm has been writing science fiction for most of this millennium. His works start from …
Enjoyable bleak sci-fi
5 stars
Not as miserable as the SCP stuff, mind. Some of the short stories are either too smart for me or finish like a twist is resolved but it's just a short story.
Eagerly picked up a new Hanrahan book as I'm enjoying his Iron-Gods-Is-Not-A-Trilogy. However this one is as grimdark as The Iron Gods, but with no joy in it at all. This is some years after a successful vanquishing of the Big Bad Evil Guy, and it's everything slowly going wrong. It's not written badly, but it's certainly less funny, the characters are mainly arseholes, and I'd rather have read a book about the events before this book.
Also a little unfair, but it feels too much like a D&D campaign in a book. I'm sure ironically it will turn out to be one of the few fantasy books at the moment that isn't "based on our cool campaign in university" but the descriptions are literally thieves, wizards, barbarians, etc. And a lot of healing potions.
