jofagobe

jofagobe, 7 months ago

@bookstodon

2. The Black Tulip (Alexandre Dumas, père, 1850): Different from what I was expecting, but fun nonetheless. The florid style was a bit of a challenge in the beginning, but it didn't matter much once I was engrossed in the story of Cornelius Van Bearle and Rosa.

#dumas #AlexandreDumas #Classics #theblactulip #adventure

jofagobe, 7 months ago

@bookstodon

3. Viajeros en la Noche (George R.R. Martin, compiled 2012): I've read two stories from this Spanish compilation of science fiction stories by GRRM.

a. The Stone City: Didn't like it too much. A bit obtuse for me, I think. The ending had a very "House of the Undying" from AGOT feel.

b. The Way of Cross and Dragon: I liked it much more, maybe because it felt closer to me in some way. Reminded me of the Endymion duology by Dan Simmons.

#grrm #nightflyers #bookstodon

jofagobe, 7 months ago

@bookstodon
c. "Patrick Henry, Jupiter, and the Little Spaceship": Quite a somber story, and made me feel bad for the protagonist, even if at the same time I think of him as a sort of proto-Elon Musk (who I don't like) and SpaceX (a waste of resources).

#scifi #GRRM #GeorgeRRMartin #bookstodon #spacetravel #compilation #shortstory

jofagobe, 6 months ago

@bookstodon

d. Fast Friend: A tale of loss and coping with it. This time the intermixing of past and present was more effective, in my opinion. What happens to one of the characters made me think of a sci-fi version of dementia.

e. This Tower of Ashes: Another one I didn't really like. The MC is a bit entitled, and the mystery of what actually happened at the end is not really interesting.

#scifi #sciencefiction #bookstodon #GeorgeRRMartin #GRRM

jofagobe, 6 months ago

@bookstodon

f. Night Shift: Showing a sci-fi world from the perspective of a character that finds no wonder or excitement from it, I think it's one of the most interesting stories in this book. If it weren't from some sci-fi machines, it would almost describe any packing/shipping plant.

g. Bitterblooms: This one is also interesting, and (a common sentiment in this collection) also sad. I think the main character is the most fleshed out in the book, by far.

#scifi #GRRM #shortstory #bookstodon

jofagobe, 6 months ago

@bookstodon

And now, the namesake of the collection:

h. Nightflyers: Captivating read. At first I thought the theme was going to be something related to voyeurism, since it paid a lot of attention to how the characters were being watched all the time. I was a bit surprised when it turned into horror/mystery. The characters were well-defined. I felt like the ending didn't really hit the mark, though. The truth about the volcryn felt rushed.

#scifi #GRRM #shortstory #bookstodon #Nightflyers

jofagobe, 9 months ago

@kenthompson @bookstodon One of the best Wordsworth covers I've seen.
Tolstoy did a great job creating these characters and making them evolve (or not) throughout the book. He's also never too lenient nor overly harsh in how he presents Anna, in a way that shows how he finds her actions reproachable, but still a consequence of her social/gender situation.
What did you think about the Levin/Lievin/Lyovin and Kitty storyline?