This evening we'll light 8 candels in our Hanukkah Mennora's.
On this occasion I've decided to highlight the 8 books that made an impression on me in the past year.
Emissaries from the Dead by Adam-Troy Castro
Adam-Troy Castro is such a catchy name, I was sure I've read somehting by him before, but apparently this was by firs Adam-Troy Castro novel.
Emissaries from the Dead is a novel about the interaction between humanity and a god like AI taking place on a cylindrical space station / artificial world.
In places it echoes John Varley's, Titan.
It is an engaging murder investigation and no one is entirely innocent.
But ultimately it is a study of free will in an unjust universe.
How would capitalism react to fines placed on causing extinction?
I was impressed by Beauman's understanding that you don't need to be evil to participate in the ecology's destruction. The extinction industry arseholes aren't competent or smart, just indifferent and greedy.
Making the main arsehole a bumbling Australian was a stroke of genius. especially In the audiobook, that accent makes him friendly and nonthreatening. Otherwise the tension between him and Karin would have been unbearable.
There is allot of info dumping here. I know it's not considered good writing, and it was noticeable but it didn't bother me too much and I guess it helped keep the novel short witch I appreciate.
Another post about this cool book I'm currently reading: "The Sol Majestic" by Ferrett Steinmetz. Gotta love that name.
Have you ever wondered how a top-rated restaurant might function on a space station? Light years from any planet? Well, Ferrett Steinmetz thought about it and came up with:
-artificial gravity used to cook things using the heat generated by enormous planetary-scale pressures instead of direct heat
-stasis fields instead of fridges (duh) but also speeded-up time field used to sneak a week's worth of work into an hour
-an alien sourdough culture that MIGHT be sentient
All of this is an excellent backdrop for a story of a young boy finding (gay) love, seeking independence from his parents, and exploring questions of philosophy, truth, capitalism, and marketing. It's not #SolarPunk, but it has that homey vibe.
Okay so NOW this FREE cyberpunk collection (which is so old you can see on the cover that it was only $3.50 for a paperback copy), is available as an #ebook download (FREE, I said!) as well as just opening it to read on your device. If you want it in that format, you can go there and try out the two ebook download systems it's offered on, let me know if it's not working.
Murderbot!!! Book 7 of the Murderbot Diaries has arrived. I'm so excited. This is one of my all-time favorite scifi series. Stop talking to me so I can consume my media 😆😆 #Murderbot#SciFi#SFF#ScienceFiction#Bookstodon
#WritersCoffeeClub Ch 3 Nbr 8 — What does your most productive writing space look like?
This is my most productive writing space. It includes a keyboard and trackpad glued to my treadmill, a monitor above mirroring my iPadPro to the right, a Apple TV puck, a Homepod mini, and coffee.
I get more revision done here than anywhere else, and some composition, too!
"So a lot of all your writing happens on - wait. Is that a treadmill?"
Shhh! Don't tell anyone, but /I'm really a hamster./ That's my hamster wheel. It allows me to get my writing tasks done while getting my aerobic exercise during a busy day (most of them). ~2.8 mph. Remember, I also read aloud to proof my stories...
@villainousfriend I wish I had better news, when I first wrote my novel mesh, I made sure that the protagonist was wheelchair bound and getting his legs fixed with a cybernetic robotic leg system was part of the plot. I got such a bad feedback on that, so many accusations of being insensitive, that I took it out.
#FediBookFair
What's worse than being ignored by your god?
Worse is having your god owe you a favor. Particularly when he's a trickster.
Anari has won his god's undivided attention. If he can survive it, he will have one chance to save them all. Fortunately, Anari has a few tricks up his own sleeve.
@sloanetalest@bookstodon Aw. That's next on my to-write list--from the PoV of the House Horse heir, who had a whole life and a co-wife all lined up for when she won ... and then she didn't.
I'm still looking for authors who have completed NaNoWriMo to come on my #WriteTalkWednesday show and discuss their writing (promo a book or two) and how they made it through #NaNoWriMo
Will need to be avail 6pm CST (central time) on Wedesdays in November.
Very interesting novella. Wells puts us in the mind of a security robot that's slipped its leash. The book takes us through its struggles, and the struggles of those around it, to wrestle with its humanity. I really enjoyed this, and am looking forward to the rest of the series.
@noodlemaz@DejahEntendu@bookstodon It's a much better read for me than WITCH KING. I was initially drawn into that world but after a couple chapters, the layers and layers of world building weighed on me and I put it down.
Systems Red didn't have that. I could jump right in and felt at home.