David Bremner wants to read Master of Samar by Melissa Scott
I haven't read any reviews yet, but the blurb sounds like my kind of thing: magical venice + mystery
Reviews and Comments
computer scientist, mathematician, photographer, human. Debian Developer, Notmuch Maintainer, scuba diver
Much of my "reading" these days is actually audiobooks while walking.
FediMain: bremner@mathstodon.xyz
bremner@bookwyrm.social is also me. Trying a smaller instance to see if the delays are less maddening.
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David Bremner commented on Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor
Born into post-apocalyptic Africa to a mother who was raped after the slaughter of her …
Yo dawg I herd you liked to read about misogyny, so I put some misogyny in your misogyny.
I mean, it's not gratuitous, but it's a lot.
David Bremner finished reading To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers
At the turn of the twenty-second century, scientists make a breakthrough in human spaceflight. Through …
Read while on a trip. The characters and world building are still with me, but the plot has become fuzzy.
David Bremner wants to read The Intelligence Illusion by Baldur Bjarnason
What are the major business risks to avoid with generative AI? How do you avoid …
"Want" is maybe a bit overstated. I feel like I should read this.
David Bremner wants to read The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher
A young woman discovers a strange portal in her uncle’s house, leading to madness and …
Not sure I'm ready for an uncomfortable T. Kingfisher, but throw it on the virtual pile.
David Bremner started reading Jackal by Erin E. Adams
Starting the audiobook, with a bit of trepidation.
David Bremner wants to read Stay with Me by Ayobami Adebayo
Recommendation of @nadinestorying@zirk.us
David Bremner wants to read Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Okonkwo is the greatest warrior alive. His fame has spread like a bushfire in West …
Recommendation from @nadinestorying@zirk.us
David Bremner wants to read The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz
On sale today for $3 DRM free. I bought mine on ebooks.com; I suspect wherever Tor books are sold has the same deal.
David Bremner reviewed Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope
Washington D. C., 1925
Clara Johnson talks to spirits, a gift that saved her during …
Fascinating view of black DC in the 1920s, along with a decent fantasy novel.
5 stars
First, I really appreciated that this book was not set in NYC, despite the author's initial intentions. NYC is cool and all, but not the only city.
The hero is based on a real young black woman who killed a cop in self defense during the 1919 riots in Washington. That incident is not central to the plot, but it does play an important part in explaining how the protagonist got to be who she is.
The book really centers the black characters, both heroes and villains. In a broader sense it includes a lot of discussion of the divisions of colourism and classism within the black community at that time. The external structural causes (hello white people!) are noted, but people have agency for good and ill.
Politics and history aside, the characters are fun and the plotting solid. If you squint at it the right way it turns …
First, I really appreciated that this book was not set in NYC, despite the author's initial intentions. NYC is cool and all, but not the only city.
The hero is based on a real young black woman who killed a cop in self defense during the 1919 riots in Washington. That incident is not central to the plot, but it does play an important part in explaining how the protagonist got to be who she is.
The book really centers the black characters, both heroes and villains. In a broader sense it includes a lot of discussion of the divisions of colourism and classism within the black community at that time. The external structural causes (hello white people!) are noted, but people have agency for good and ill.
Politics and history aside, the characters are fun and the plotting solid. If you squint at it the right way it turns into "four people with special abilities band together to save the community". The ending is maybe a little conventional, but consistent with the overall "comfort reading" slant of the book.
I liked that dealing with the spirits in the book was very similar to getting in debt to an organized crime group. The notion of debt and deals is crucial.
David Bremner reviewed Swordheart by T. Kingfisher
Halla is a housekeeper who has suddenly inherited her great-uncle's estate... and, unfortunately, his relatives. …
Formulaic, but in a good way
4 stars
I think I read somewhere about a panel on "Comfort Fiction" that included T. Kingfisher, and the describes this very well. I think if you have read the Paladin series some of this will feel suspiciously familiar, but at the time it was just what I needed.
David Bremner reviewed Goliath by Tochi Onyebuchi
In the 2050s, Earth has begun to empty. Those with the means and the privilege …
Sure to be banned in Florida, and probably Tennessee as well.
5 stars
Content warning mild spoilers about story arc
This is not an easy book. I had to take a break in the middle to read a T. Kingfisher comfort novel when I realized that things were just going to get more tragic.
In addition to being both scholarly and raging about issues of racial and environmental justice, the book is narratively ambitious. It wasn't always obvious to me where the various threads were going until they snapped together.
If you are looking for a book where the plucky protagonist triumphs over adversity, this is not the one. It is more a multilayered tragedy, where circumstances triumph over everyone in the end.
David Bremner reviewed The City Inside by Samit Basu
“They'd known the end times were coming but hadn’t known they’d be multiple choice.”
Joey …
If this is optimism, I'm not ready for pessemism.
5 stars
In an afterword the author describes the setting as a best case near-future (paraphrasing). I think that means the present is pretty bad.
Anyway, if you're up for contemporary fascism and ubiquitous surveillance, the book is worth reading just for a kind of "uncanny-valley" flavour of India, which is almost like our own contemporary mess, but not quite.
I found myself re-reading the last chapter or so to make sure I understood the ending. Compared to some of the more dramatic plot threads, the ending is a bit subtle.
David Bremner commented on Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope
Washington D. C., 1925
Clara Johnson talks to spirits, a gift that saved her during …
Started listening to this ebook, then for $reasons, stopped listening to anything on headphones for a few weeks. No disrespect to the book, it starts strong.
David Bremner reviewed Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher
He’s a paladin of a dead god, tracking a supernatural killer across a continent. She’s …
Fluffy but clever
4 stars
I thought the first book was a bit fantasy-autobiography with the nerdy heroine a stand-in for the author. That was probably silly (and maybe a bit condescending) of me. The characters in this are quite different, and I doubt that both heroines (or some combination of protagonists from both books) can be autobiographical.
Kingfisher's writing oozes cleverness, but in a fairly undemanding way. The romance tropes occasionally verge on the self parody, but I can't swear that isn't intentional.
As a fantasy (in the non-romantic sense), the world building and characterization are rather good.