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zkrisher

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Assistive Tech Teacher, He, Him.

I enjoy: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Science & Skepticism, Aviation & History, Low Vision Photography.

Profile photo: A photo stylized to look like a painting of my dog Zoe, a white lab golden mix, retreating a tennis ball.

Header Photo: A landscape of, tilled fields and beyond them rows of trees, in soft hazy morning light. As a C-130 Hercules transport plain takes off in the distance.

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Thread: 1 of 8

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.

  1. 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.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/d251cf51-0ed3-43c7-b369-a3254e9b327a

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Thread: 2 of 8

  1. Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire

Another excellent installment in the For Every Heart a Doorway.series on novellas.

Despite McGuire's reassurance that Antsy will find her door and get away, I did put this novella down when the gaslighting started.

I waited for a time when I was more relaxed and able to deal with triggering material.
I need not have worried so much, the blatantly abusive section is mercifully short and Antsy finds her door when she wants it.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/a1687f5a-8139-465e-8112-56026de5b37a

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Thread: 3 of 8

  1. Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem

I know Lethem from his Sci-Fi, but the human condition is the focus of all his books, no matter the setting.

Exploring life with Tourette Syndrome in the first person was far enough from my lived experience to engage my love of reading about different worlds.

But mostly, it was very impressive to find such a well written disabled character in a book from the late 90s. Incorporating things I've only learned about proper portrayal of persons with disabilities in the past few years.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/e030e853-66cc-4a3f-81db-8ab38cccffe1

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Thread: 4 of 8

  1. Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

The modern and traditional mix as a westernized Harvard graduate goes back to Malaysia with her parents.

At first I was a bit put off when Jess's overbearing grandmother's spirit starts bullying her. I didn’t' want a book that just places the domineering grandmother in the spirit world and that is its claim to fantasy and I wanted Jess to have more agency.

I need not have worried. The fantasy world is rich and meaningful and Jess finds her own way out of the mess she landed in.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/f24dba43-c616-4e80-abe1-cc7318fddb68

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Thread: 5 of 8

  1. Amatka by Karin Tidbeck

It is hard to review this novel without spoilers.

It is excellent dystopian sci-fi that focuses on the characters but doesn't skimp on the world building. Mixing a familiar 1984 totalitarian dystopia with the uncanny.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/ea0d615f-9b28-4c04-a1e4-de08202baeb1

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Thread: 6 of 8
Thread: 6 of 8

  1. Spear by Nicola Griffith

I don't always have the language to express why a book is great.

Spear, flows. The prose flows, Griffith's narration flows.

The words flow like a clear stream bending around the rocks of toxic masculinity that litter such fairy tales as the Arthurian myth. Reshaping them, smoothing their rough edges into a tale sweet to modern / woke, ears.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/fb8ff816-5a9a-4446-af8b-4ed3db530d24

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Thread: 7 of 8

  1. Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

A reimagining of the sleeping beauty fairy tale. As told by an inadequate fairy.

I was enchanted by Toad the human fairy and her scholarly knight in second hand armor.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/7e3471ea-8805-4260-a763-938362e4c933

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Thread: 8 of 8

  1. Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beauman

Three words: Extinction Credit Economics

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.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/8b077570-eb30-4ada-9829-af7a445aa6b2

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I've finished: The Stranger Times by C.K. McDonnell

It was recommended to me here on Mastodon' though I don't remember by who.

I hadn't heard of C.K. McDonnell before and am glad to have found such a talented comedy writer.

The Stranger Times is over the top sitcom urban fantasy.

There aren't many good funny fantasy writers. Many try to hard and it shows. McDonnell's characters go all the way across the line into caricature, thus avoiding the uncanny valley between the real and the absurd.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/50f44ffc-2f9d-4a2a-ba9f-047add0fb7f9

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Audible recommended Kitty Cat Kill Sat to me. I was pretty sure it was a blatant attempt to get cat lovers to part with their credits and will be a sycophantic attempt at fan service. But, it was on sale and I decided to give it a go.

I was very pleasantly surprised. The cat antics are mostly kept at a low volume and Argus employs a novel approach to the problems faced by a cat "manning" a space station built for humans, approaching it as an accessibility issue.

Lily is a lonely immortal uplifted cat. As she tackles an unending series of technical issues with her space station, while trying to fight off an endless series of attacks by old tech junk left in orbit and around the solar system, as well as emergent events spewing monsters that threaten what little is left of Earth's population. It's a post apocalyptic tale of constant jerry rigging of old tech in an attempt to survive.

However it is more than that, it is a first person account of Lily's journey to deal with her loneliness and pain, to find companions that will help her get out of the rut of constant trouble shooting and find out the secrets lying at the heart of the disaster that befell the solar system.

It is not a perfect book, there is some repetition and perhaps it could have been shorter. But it was very enjoyable and the long setup pays off very nicely. It is much more than just: Cat in Space.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/c6abcaac-72b7-4b77-ab82-61b8876a516b

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Who Fears Death by Nedi Okorafor is today's Audible Daily Deal.

This was my first introduction to Okorafor's African Futurism and is a very good starting point.

I've enjoyed many of her other Novels, but have trouble with her YA, I didn't connect with Binti or Akata Witch.

https://www.audible.com/pd/Who-Fears-Death-Audiobook/B0C7LMX67C?ref_pageloadid=Nw6nf4mNYfmgy1gQ&ref=a_hp_c15_dd&pf_rd_p=f6b166cc-9f81-4041-9d48-8952183610cf&pf_rd_r=EEJP8NTXGJQ96QKD8BQB&pageLoadId=TSSNrNL1FkdVqAyb&ref_plink=not_applicable&creativeId=54a78d14-7e00-4f58-a96a-b839e1fb40c3

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Remote Control is another one of my favorite Okorafor works. It's a novella, and has more love and klindness between the people than in some of her other works, such as Noor.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/c21c5afe-8eb7-4f9e-9c26-4d49fd55121d

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I've finished: The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher

In time of war and stress I turn again to T. Kingfisher for some soothing escapism.

How can a blue beard re-imagining full of body horror be relaxing? Leave that to T. Kingfisher.

You just know that Rhea will get all the support she needs to succeed.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/6996bdfa-2184-4156-b61d-8ff993d713d5

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I've finished: Over the Woodward Wall, The up and under book 1.

While this is a middle grade novel, it is self aware, noting, making use of and subverting fairy tale tropes.

Both teaching the younger audience to note and subvert, and speaking to the more experienced reader.

It's not exactly breaking the fourth wall, it's more meta.

In this time of war and stress I find solace in lighter, hopeful novels, with happy endings.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/945e9074-6d51-4f8f-b354-4bc22ac878c0

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Adrian Tchaikovski's novella, Elder Race is on sale on Audible.

I haven't read it yet but it's said to be reminiscent of Le Guin.

On StoryGraph:

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/47631f94-a73d-4c72-8af4-42a1bae89fea

On Audible:

https://www.audible.com/pd/Elder-Race-Audiobook/B0C7SRPBY9?ref_pageloadid=t82vjG1fx0yGjsGY&ref=a_ep_cyber-_c10_lProduct_1_9&pf_rd_p=7cdb43c2-c455-4ec1-9442-7bea705177f5&pf_rd_r=5A5Y8RGZMVX8APTQDP2K&pageLoadId=Mxd00EPudAIMIJT2&ref_plink=not_applicable&creativeId=143d7872-bded-4af7-9646-a6bb762811d3

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Practical Demonkeeping, by Christopher Moor, is on sale for 5$ on LibroFM.

A very good introduction to Christopher Moore's humor.

His debut novel.

What would you do if you had your own personal demon, keeping you young and fucking up your life.

https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9780061902680-practical-demonkeeping

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Comfort Me With Apples, a novella by Catherynne M. Valente, is on sale on LibroFM.

Reimaginings of fairy tales can be very powerful.

https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781666529531-comfort-me-with-apples

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Monstrous Regiment, by Terry Pratchett, is on sale for 5$ aton LibroFM.

This is Terry at his best and at his most feminist and anti war.

It is the new version of the Aduiobook. Narrated by:

Katherine Parkinson, Bill Nighy & Peter Serafinowicz

https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9780063372146-monstrous-regiment

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Note taht quite a few other Discworld titles are on sale, such as:

Thud
Going Postal
Making Money

https://libro.fm/search?q=Terry+Pratchett&searchby=authors&sortby=pub_desc#results

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I've finished: The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin

Le Guin is one of those rare authors that stand the test of time. Unlike Heinlein, Asimov, Niven and others her social science background allowed her to envision future societies that reflect progressive ideals that are still relevant today.

The Lathe of Heaven was published in 1971 and unlike many of her other novels is set on Earth. There are many references to years that are long in our past, and to technologies that are out of sync with the developments we've witnessed in the 1980s and 90s, the fact that this is a multiverse novel helps makes this less anachronistic.

The constant threat of global warming, present throughout the novel helps ground it in current apocalyptic threat concerns and mitigate other predictions that seem antiquated today.

Sadly, predictions of war in the Middle East, never seem to go stale

The Lathe of Heaven is an interesting take on the Djinn or Monkey's Paw trope, of wishes going wrong. Bringing it into the realm of science fiction by placing the power to change the world in the chaotic realm of dreams. Making the science of psychology and the struggle to control these dreams the focus of the novel.

Very much worth reading even more then 50 years later.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/c5bd8c8b-94d8-42ab-a4ac-384033927e5d

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@toxy @hwyaden @bookstodon

It's hard to say what the best entry point is, but I enjoyed Planet of Exile, and I think it's very Le Guinny.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/7fa50a27-2c55-42ef-b68b-cb3f1234fbaa

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I've finished: Zen Cho's, The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water

A novella with a very enticing title and a zany nun main character, but yet, somehow, left me detached from the world and the characters.

I would in fact like to recommend the fist Zen Cho title I've read. A Novel that made me seek out more of the work:

Black Water Sister.

"The modern and traditional mix, as a westernized Harvard graduate goes back to Malaysia with her parents.

At first I was a bit put off when Jess's overbearing grandmother's spirit starts bullying her. I didn’t' want a book that just places the domineering grandmother in the spirit world and that is its claim to fantasy and I wanted Jess to have more agency.

I need not have worried. The fantasy world is rich and meaningful and Jess finds her own way out of the mess she landed in."

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/f24dba43-c616-4e80-abe1-cc7318fddb68

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I've finished: Dade County Death Cruise

I’m enjoying the Orlando People novels even more than Kane’s Andrea Vernon series.

They are, light comedy action. Great for when you need some escape from the bitter wartime news cycle.

And I love Gretch, she would be annoying as hell to be around but I enjoy reading about her antics.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/8e23a24a-8665-4836-814f-f5361feeec0c

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