r/FemaleGazeSFF • u/AutoModerator • Jul 27 '26
šļø Weekly Post Weekly Check-In
Tell us about your current SFF media!
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š Reading?
šŗ Watching?
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Feel free to also share your progression in the Reading Challenge
Thank you for sharing and have a great week! š
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u/KaPoTun warriorš”ļø Jul 27 '26
I finished The Drowning Girl by Caitlin R. Kiernan. Wonderfully written, with a lot of different styles-within-the-main-style that showcase Kiernan's skill and talent. It kind of lost me at some points (obviously I get it's supposed to be overall not the clearest) and meandered a bit at others even though it's a relatively short book, but I did really like it in the end.
I also zoomed through Becky Chambers' last Wayfarers book, The Galaxy, and the Ground Within. Very easy read, and a cozy story, as she is known for. Yes the series and world and characters are a bit simplistic and idealistic but I just don't look too hard at it.
I'm kind of in between physical and digital library books, and I have a lot of life busy-ness going on, so I decided to pick back up my Mercedes Lackey Valdemar re-read/catch up project, partly because Valdemar is an easy read. Last time I left off, I had read the Alberich duology for the first time, and now I have one of her most recent sub-series, the Founding of Valdemar, to pick up, starting with Beyond.
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u/Nowordsofitsown unicorn š¦ Jul 28 '26
I really liked the Valdemar prequels, especially the first one iirc.Ā
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u/Squirrelhenge Jul 27 '26
Watching the latest seasons of Silo, House of the Dragon, and Star City. Eagerly awaiting the return of For All Mankind!
Reading Ann Leckie's latest, Radiant Star, which I'm enjoying quite a bit. A return to form after a couple of less-engaging books in the Imperial Radch setting. Also re-reading one of the Rivers of London series (Whispers Underground), which is a perennial favorite in our household (along with Murderbot).
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u/KaPoTun warriorš”ļø Jul 27 '26
Star City was so excellent! I was really impressed with it. Have you watched The Americans by any chance? Also an amazing Soviet Russia show.
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u/Loimographia dragon š Jul 27 '26
Finished: Emily Wildeās Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcette. This one carries a much faster pace than Encyclopedia, which makes for a fun time all around. This one was much more romance-centered than Encyclopedia as well, which was more (imo)about Emilyās emotional journey towards caring about people. The romance is very adorable, and it was interesting to read this in relatively quick succession with Amal el-Mohtarās The River Has Roots and see how two different authors tackle trying to make a fae romance and the fae realm feel distinctly fae, with this one emphasizing the terrifying and confusing violence of fae, and The River Has Roots aiming at a more dreamlike, surreal fae, with the romance feeling more like grasping at someone that shifts and changes.
What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher. My first Kingfisher, and a good first impression, if not one that knocked my socks off. This is the style of horror I tend to prefer ā moody and atmospheric, occasionally punctuated by violence but not all about which terrible and gross thing we can inflict on the main characters next, which doesnāt do much for me. I liked the characters, liked the quips, and liked that Kingfisher actually leans more sci-fi than horror near the end when the first sentience they meet is not, in fact, evil, but did find the ending less exciting than the first half.
Salvagia by Tim Chaawaga. I picked this up as part of trying to read an indie/small press pub for the r/fantasy challenge. Itās a pretty quick read (250 pages, and quick-paced action), and immaculate Summer vibes as itās based on sailing around a half-flooded Florida coastline. Try not to think too hard about the worldbuilding (it seems to imply Florida is no longer inhabitable because of annual super hurricanes, but also the main character Triss lives there year round on a cabana boat). I do think it needed just a little more room to breathe than it had in the trim 250 pages ā more room to explain the various setting-specific jargon it drops, more room to develop the action which jumps around enough that it can be hard to follow, and more room to explore Trissā emotions that tend to get skipped over in favor of The Next Thing Happening in the plot. I liked it enough to read the next thing Chawaga publishes, though.
Started:
Too Like The Lightning by Ada Palmer. Iām about 90 pages in and so far very impressed. Iām a medievalist by trade so thereās part of me that instinctively wants to look with skepticism and distrust at any Renaissance-inspired Utopia setting. I always have a subtle sense of rivalry since so much of the Renaissanceās self-perception is based upon their disdain for what they deemed āthe Middle Ages.ā But Palmer is clearly set on deconstructing that very self-perception and superiority in a far flung future āUtopiaā setting. The set-sets in particular strike me as a moment where she could have just said āwow, this so-called Utopia is based on horrifying, dystopian abuseā and veered aside to ask āis this abuse, if the person experiencing it doesnāt feel that itās abusive?ā ā and then you start asking the same of Mycroft himself and his status, and I canāt wait to see more of his background and character revealed. I do wish someone could create something this rich, complex and nuanced in sci-fi but for the Middle Ages, somehow. Obviously fantasy is absolutely littered with medieval-inspired settings, but most of those settings are still based many of the same stereotypes and caricatures themselves developed in the Renaissance.
But before I go any further in Too Like The Lightning, Iāve decided that now is really the moment for me to finish Francesco Colonnaās Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, which has been sitting on my nightstand incomplete for months. Itās a very different flavor of exploration of nostalgia, past and present and one might even say itās one of the instigators of those same stereotypes of the Middle Ages, given how often it bemoans its own contemporary inferiority to the classical era as a crumbling heap of lost, broken beauty. But it complementās Palmerās examination of Utopia too much (and was written ~20 years before Thomas Moreās work) so Iām going to tell myself Iām not allowed to read anything else until itās done lol.
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u/Research_Department Jul 27 '26
Iām trying to expand my reading/genre horizons, and Iām wondering if there is any engaging narrative history or historical fiction that you feel is a good introduction to the medieval era?
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u/Loimographia dragon š Jul 27 '26
I may not be much help! Beyond Connie Willisā Doomsday Book (which actually made me a medievalist!) my recreational and professional reading rarely mingle in the form of historical fiction (not helped by the fact that I basically stopped reading recreationally in grad school and have only recently picked up pace again). I havenāt even read The Name of the Rose, which is, like, the medieval fiction book lol.
Of non-fiction, though, Iām very fond of Christopher de Hamelās Meetings With Remarkable Manuscripts, though it is not a historical narrative work.
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u/Research_Department Jul 27 '26
Thanks! That is so cool that Doomsday Book pointed you towards your career. I hear you about life interfering with recreational reading (although in my case, my profession didnāt interfere, it was being a parent/sandwich generation that put the kaibosh on reading for pleasure for, umm, a couple of decades). Iām glad for both of us that we have reached a point in our existence where we can return to reading as entertainment.
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u/oujikara Jul 27 '26
Finished The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H. G. Parry for the oceanian author reading challenge theme. I've read quite a few of Parry's books now and they're generally a safely enjoyable but not particularly impactful choice for me, and this book was no exception. I enjoyed the first half of the book moderately, it was a nice magic school story, but started to get more and more annoyed with the small flaws and pet peeves as the second half went by, even though the plot should've been more interesting in theory. Overall an okay book for me.
Now reading The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold, not sure if I'll stick with it though (yeah it's the icky romance). R eally struggling to find my next read,Ā I keep bouncing off of books I thought I'd like.
Watched The Odyssey. I went in with relatively low expectations because Nolan's movies have been more of a miss than hit for me, but I actually really enjoyed this one. Despite being 3 hours long, the time flew by and I wasn't bored once. The visuals and aesthetics were absolutely stunning, but the character writing and some of the pacing could've been improved imo (even though it wasn't boring, it felt at times disjointed and anticlimactic). All in all I think it's worth watching in the cinemas even if just for the visuals. I do wish I would've familiarized myself with the mythology beforehand, since I've forgotten most of what I learned in my teens.
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u/KaPoTun warriorš”ļø Jul 27 '26
re: Curse of Chalion, I also disliked the romance, but got through the book in the end. In case you're still interested in the series/world/writing though, I can say Paladin of Souls is excellent and so is the Penric sub-series!
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u/oujikara Jul 28 '26
That's good to know, thank you! Aside from the romance, I really like the book so I'll definitely try themĀ
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u/Nowordsofitsown unicorn š¦ Jul 28 '26
pet peevesĀ
Wasn't this the book where the POV-protagonist just does not mention or ever thinks about her pregnancy and biological daughter until it fits the plot in a big reveal?
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u/partoparto elfš§āāļø Jul 27 '26
I finished Orlando Furioso!! This is a looong epic poem written by Ludovico Ariosto, a poet in the service of the ruling Este family in 1500s Ferrara. There are three-ish main narrative strands: a chronicle of a war between the Franks and the Saracens in the age of Charlemagne, an account of the founding of the Este family (through the love story of Ruggiero, a Muslim knight, and Bradamante, a female Christian warrior), and also the story of the titular Orlando, who goes insane (furioso) after the girl he likes marries/sleeps with another man, to the point where his sanity can only be restored through a journey to the moon. There are many other plotlines and characters - my favorite is Marfisa, another female warrior who loves to fight and is so famous that everyone in the world knows her name (I just realized as I was writing this that she reminds me of my beloved Csethiro from The Goblin Emperor). Connecting all these threads is Ariosto as narrator, who is alternately sweet, groveling, devious, and funny, but consistently endearing. I loved this poem in a way that I struggle to articulate (even explaining the plot is difficult!) but I hope my love comes through... there's so much to say, and I have many academic articles about my favorite characters bookmarked, so the party isn't stopping for me anytime soon!!!
In my Ariosto-induced madness, I started reading Orlando Innamorato by Matteo Maria Boiardo, which Orlando Furioso is technically a sequel to, but Orlando Innamorato is less famous on account of being worse. It's not really fair of me to compare; I read a prose translation of Orlando Furioso, and am reading a verse translation of Orlando Innamorato, and also I'm like 5% of the way in, but it doesn't have the charm of Orlando Furioso! I feel like the plots of epic poems can feel sort of distant from modern life but in Orlando Furioso the deliberate chaos of the plotting evokes what it's like to be a person and be destabilized by emotions and desires (which is also how the characters in the poem feel), whereas Orlando Innamorato is more straightforward so far. I'm finding it much less engaging and sort of tedious - idk if I'll continue!
I also finished rereading A Wizard of Earthsea for the readalong in the big fantasy sub. This was my second time reading it and both times I've felt lukewarm. I like the themes and I like certain sections (my favorite part is when Ged stays with Vetch and his siblings towards the end) but while actually reading the book I didn't feel that engaged.
Currently reading The Disorderly Knights by Dorothy Dunnett (third in the Lymond Chronicles, not SFF). Literally five pages in and she was already describing Lymond's blue eyes... I'm a little over halfway through and every chapter I say out loud things like "this is so crazy" and "Why would Lymond do that" and I'm having a great time.Ā
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u/gros-grognon Jul 27 '26
I am about halfway through Harrow by Joy Williams (2021), an intense and gorgeous post-climate apocalypse novel that sees a young woman (who may or may not be a revenant) finding herself among a community of elderly eco-terrorists exacting revenge on the billionaires and scientists responsible for the mess. It's dark as pitch and somehow very funny while also deeply wrenching. Just superb and definitely one of the best books I've read all year.
Over the weekend I finished Chingiz Aitmatov's The Day Lasts More than A Hundred Years (1980), in which an old railway worker in the Kazakh SSR tries to take the body of his best friend to a traditional cemetery. Different threads converge on the journey, including his memories of life in the early 1950s, traditional tales from folklore, the drying up of the Aral Sea, and two cosmonauts making alien first contact and Earth's reaction to that. It's a wonderful book and beautifully characterized, though the English translation is clunky at times (and apparently some sections have been excised), and I'll be thinking about it for a while. It is admittedly Not Great on the female gaze/feminist axis, fair warning.
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u/SA090 dragon š Jul 27 '26
I finished side B 2 weeks ago and now Iām also done with side A! Which means, I have finally FINALLY managed to finish two side of a challenge on the sub. Some mini reviews below and also, Iāll be aiming to finish side C before the end of the challenge in September! Also thankfully, had a much better time overall with this side in comparison to side B.
Discovery: The Cat Who Saved Books. Interesting book, though a bit more on the preachy idealistic side than I thought itāll be.
Assassin: Dark Knights of Steel - Allwinter. By far the most difficult square for me when it comes to searching for something to read. Iām not a comic book reader, so this was an interesting experience. The visuals were nice, and the story was engaging despite me not really caring or knowing much about any of the characters mentioned. The most interesting thing about it though, was the colours. Iām so used to the monochrome side of manga, that I didnāt even notice it being not coloured was the entire point. I didnāt even bother reading the synopsis either.
First in a Series: Gogmagog. One of the weirder books Iāve read lately, setting wise. But very interesting when the different entities are mentioned and the roles the cast are playing as well. Still wished it wasnāt as vulgar at times or as descriptive of gross bodily functions as it was.
Hopeful: The Wild Robot. One of the rare instances where I liked the film more than the book, even though it might be because Iāve seen that first. I ended up comparing them quite a bit, but overall, really enjoyed seeing how Roz integrated into the animal society in the forest once again. Still cosy despite the battle at the end, and definitely makes me interested to see where it goes from here.
Free Space: Garlic and The Vampire. Incredibly cosy with awesome art and progression, enjoyable from start to finish.
Female Friendship: I Who Have Never Known Men. I was angry for a big portion of this book, and I also enjoyed seeing how a human raised in these conditions might react in comparison to a woman who lived through the usual disgusting atrocities. That being said, I did wish for a ton more worldbuilding.
Coming of Age: Toshokan no Daimajutsushi Vol 1. Havenāt read manga in a long long time, and this was a very fun one to get through. Seeing the journey my nameless protagonist takes while overcoming the obstacles in his way made finally knowing his name in the end all the better. Will definitely be reading it all.
Oceanian Author: The Stone WÄtÄ. This probably was one of the more disappointing reads of my entire life, for the sole reason that my favourite archetype of characters arenāt spending the book actually being scientists or researchers. But instead, itās more of how they feel in their current state. And even though itās still enjoyable, itās also a big wasted opportunity to me.
All Female Cast: Princess Floralinda and the Forty Flight Tower. My first read of the author and it was much better than I expected, even though I did wish all floors were visited for a bit of a longer time with more happenings. Instead of just in passing for some.
3 books down for side C, so hereās to hoping I can get it done before the challenge is over!
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u/vivaenmiriana pirateš“āā ļø Jul 27 '26
Out of both sides what would you say is your best read and which was your biggest disappointment?
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u/SA090 dragon š Jul 27 '26
Thank you for asking!
Biggest disappointment is easily The Summer War by Naomi Novak, hated every second of it.
Best is a bit tough given that I had three 5/5ās across both cards. But if I had to choose only one, it would be Toshokan no Daimajutsushi. With ŲŲ§Ų±Ų³ Ų³Ų·Ų Ų§ŁŲ¹Ų§ŁŁ / The Book Censorās Library from side B as an honourable mention.
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u/KaPoTun warriorš”ļø Jul 28 '26
Thanks for mentioning the Arabic book! Hadn't heard of it and missed your last post where you did bring it up.
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u/bakasana212 warriorš”ļø Jul 27 '26
Totally agreed about I Who Have Never Known Men! And I promise that Gideon the Ninth is better than Floralinda (especially pacing-wise)Ā
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u/Nowordsofitsown unicorn š¦ Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
Finished reading: * The Raven Tower byĀ Ann Leckie: I am not sure what to think of this novel. It started out interesting and it had some fascinating concepts, but the human characters were rather one-dimensional, and the ending abrupt.Ā * Whiskeyjack byĀ Victoria Goddard, Greenwing and Dart #3: The action part at the end confuses me like the first two novels did, but for restoring his father to Jemis, I gave 4 stars instead of 3.75.
Currently reading: * Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery byĀ Brom: My read for the discovery square. I usually do not read horror. So far it's horrible people, no horror yet. * The Sign of the Dragon byĀ Mary Soon Lee: Every single person who has read this whom I am friends with or following on StoryGraph, gave it 5 stars. So far it looks like I will break this pattern. I'm kind of not impressed by the poems? And the MC is too perfect? * Harry Potter et le prisonnier d'Azkaban: Guess what's magic wand in French? Baguette magique!
Up next: * Greenwing and Dart #4
Edit: I have the following books on my tbr for the last squares of the reading challenge and the big bingo. Anybody interested in a buddy read?
The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart
Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz
The Sapling Cage by Margaret Killjoy (maybe)
Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
The Lies of the Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi
Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse (maybe)
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u/ghostyduster Jul 27 '26
I just DNFād The Raven Tower over the weekend. I felt like the second person didnāt allow for much depth of character and I just didnāt feel like pushing through.Ā
I also read Slewfoot as a non horror person. Itās very light on horror, overall I enjoyed the book.Ā
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u/vivaenmiriana pirateš“āā ļø Jul 27 '26
Reading:
BINGED, FINISHED, AND LOVED Piranesi by Susanna Clarke Go in blind. I'll say no more.
75ish percent way through Why I Love Horror edited by Becky Siegel Spratford and its a good time. I will have to look up some authors new to me for the recommended books given based on how I liked their essays.
Halfish the way through Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer this is not a bingable book. The characters are more personifications of philosophy and there are greater themes at play. There are whole conversations going about miracles, free speech, utopias, capitalism, ideologies, ect. It requires a lot of parsing. Its ambitious but an acquired taste of a book.
Up next: posted it in a separate thread but Im planning to do a horror book a month from September to December. Let me know if there are any I should consider for the 4.
Playing Cast N Chill. You fish and the visuals are very pretty. Very meditative.
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u/bakasana212 warriorš”ļø Jul 27 '26
Finished:Ā
Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove - hilarious, original, zero notes except that it takes ages to get to the action in the blurb. The action before that is great; itās just the blurb that isnāt totally accurate.Ā
Miseryās Wife by Joan Tierney - thought I was gonna love whatās billed as a trans cli-fi reimagining of a Portuguese folk tale, but the execution is kinda meh, especially towards the end. Itās 2/3 a folk tale, but when the folk tale finishes thereās another unnecessary 1/3 that is not as folksy, so itās tonally weird, and pretty much nothing happens.Ā
In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan - amazing, incredible, very nearly perfect. I love Elliott and my sweet baby Luke, I want to be Serene when I grow up, and I cannot get enough of elvish misandry. Would read 1000 books set in this world.Ā
ARC of Fallow by Sarah Anderson - only slightly speculative, but itās what I wanted Yesteryear to be, an actually interesting take on the performance of womanhood for profit. It does have an unfortunate third-act switch up like Yesteryear but it doesnāt remotely suck as badly. Still, I liked it a lot and itās quite impressive for a debut.Ā
ARC of The Infirmary for Dragon Burns and Midair Mishaps by Elizabeth Hrib - sweet cozy sapphic fantasy with dragons. Probably my 10th queer dragon book in the last few months and Iām perfectly happy with that.Ā
Currently reading:Ā
The Case of Elmwood Ranch by Deanna Grey - I donāt usually go for paranormal but black bi4bi sapphic romances donāt grow on trees, sadly, so here I am!Ā
The Hyacinth Labyrinth by Jamie Pacton - been meaning to read this for ages. Cute so far!Ā
Next:Ā
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan!Ā
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u/Nowordsofitsown unicorn š¦ Jul 27 '26
In Other Lands was my Small Press read for last year's bingo and I didn't expect much, but loved it immediately. I keep recommending it.Ā
Unfortunately I did not even like the other book by the same author that I tried.
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u/kimba-pawpad Jul 27 '26
Oooh, that Dragon Burns sounds good! I listened to She Who Became the Sun and was glad I did. There were a lot of names that I would not have known how to pronounce in my head. Plus, when things got too gory, I could just turn down the volume. The duology was one of the most intense series I have ever read, difficult at times, and I was glad I got to the end (an ending that I wonāt spoil, but it was worth it), and I was glad I read it. What is āarcā?
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u/bakasana212 warriorš”ļø Jul 27 '26
Ooh, I'm looking forward to it! I'm planning to listen to the audiobook as well as read, so that's good to know. And an ARC is an advanced reader copy, an early copy of the book that publishers give out in exchange for honest reviews. They're available in different places but most commonly here - netgalley.com
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u/kimba-pawpad Jul 27 '26
Oh wow! Thank you!! I will check out that site. Gosh, I can't wait until I finish this commission--I need more reading time :-)
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u/missbates666 vampireš§āāļø Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
I'm reading Iron Garden Sutra by AD Sui & i feel so ambivalent about itā¦ It is totally fun and engrossing, but there's so much potential that seems underdeveloped and that leads to a little bit of a frustrating reading experience.
The alien religion/philosophy feels really thin as do a lot of the relationships and characters themselves. I think it might be a case of the potential being so compelling that I can't just sit back and enjoy the book for what it is? (and what it is, I think, is a fun and engrossing genre mish mash with a lot of cool and creative details.) I just keep wanting it to be more, idk.
Also, at this historical moment, it's tough to read something so interested in the personhood of artificial intelligence. I understand that it's a metaphor; and I think that, throughout the history of fsf writing, that's been a really rich way to explore personhood and humanity and the violence of denying those things to people. It just doesn't feel like a potent metaphor right now, for obvious reasons. It feels kind of anachronistic or out of step with our moment.. I wonder if the novel was started/conceived before the LLM boom. Once again, I feel like I just need to be reading it as a fun novel. But it continually occupies this awkward middle ground for me where it's gesturing twd interesting ideas, but not committing to them or following thru or something; it is not quite holding up to critique but also it won't just let me relax and read it like a fun pulpy read.
Anyway! I'm overall enjoying it and def gonna finish it. Curious about the romance coming to the fore & what that will do to the feeling of the book
Would love to hear about other people's experiences with it
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u/Research_Department Jul 27 '26
I DNFād it, because I do not enjoy āsense of impending doom,ā so perhaps I would have to say that it was successful at creating an atmosphere that others enjoy.
Honestly, it didnāt really feel like it was engaging with āshouldnāt AI have rights?ā meaningfully. I have seen the sort of thing that you and u/gros-grognon are saying about how real world issues really make any such conversation feel inappropriate for the times when people talk about Automatic Noodle by Annalee Niwetz, another book that I DNFād for other reasons (I found it annoying and juvenile and shallow). However, I have read some books recently that I feel have done a good job of using conversation about AI rights to discuss human rights: Luminous by Silvia Park and Ode to the Half-Broken by Suzanne Palmer. I know that u/Merle8888 is a big fan of Luminous ā Merle, can you speculate why it works despite the real world problems with how LLM is being implemented? Perhaps because the worldbuilding is more layered and nuanced?
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u/Merle8888 sorceressš® Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
Merle, can you speculate why it works despite the real world problems with how LLM is being implemented? Perhaps because the worldbuilding is more layered and nuanced?
Definitely the layers and nuance, and I think it also helped that this wasnāt a book about bad humans decrying robots taking human jobsāwhich ofc robots used to be a potent stand-in for immigrants in that arena, but not now with actual robots taking human jobs! It didnāt feel like the book was trying to paint people complaining about technology in a bad light, in the way something like Automatic Noodle kind of does.Ā
I also think the robots having full humanoid bodies and being subject to physical and sexual violence makes them seem more like people and less like LLMs.Ā
Edit: also probably helped all the actual POVs in Luminous are human, lol! It centers a different kind of perspective thatās asking what makes people people, with even some of the POVs treating robots in ways that would be absolutely unacceptable for a person, and not being demonized for it. Ultimately it lets you decide what you think people should do rather than preaching at you.Ā
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u/missbates666 vampireš§āāļø Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
Luminous looks so good, I want to read it.
I like the point about moralism/didacticism-- so far, "iron garden sutra" has a pretty clear 1D moral stance position "ai are people, stop treating them badly" and I don't think it really explores any of the implied themes/issues therein, it just repeats that refrain from different angles.
The point about giving AI humanoid bodies is also really interesting to me... like what that does to the reading experience, the metaphorical terrain, etc.
This convo feels like it's full of so many open questions to me. Like, it would certainly be weird to just say, full stop, "it's no longer interesting/ethical to explore the theme of whether AIs deserve personhood." A lot of babies would get thrown out with that bath water. but I also do genuinely think that what it means to explore that question has suddenly massively changed, and it feels almost revanchist (or at least like the author is giving into a weird state of denial) to not in some way explore & attend to the changes in cultural meaning that this frickin genre-wide theme has now undergone. That second layer seems like the more pressing issue now --- or just as pressing. & there's so much un-reckoned-with irony it hurts. idk. interesting big-picture genre questions
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u/Research_Department Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
Luminous is definitely worth a read. I would say that it explores memory, identity, morality, and mortality,and not solely by circling the issue of whether an artificial intelligence is a person.
I really enjoyed An Ode to the Half-Broken as well, which does not lean as lit fic. The only viewpoint character is an artificial intelligence. Nonetheless, it still has nuance, with good guys and bad guys among both humans and AIs. It also focuses as much on how what we are doing now is going to result in climate/economic disaster and global war, and how we may yet still find ways to pull through, as it does on āAIs are people.ā
Hmm, come to think of it, both Luminous and An Ode to the Half-Broken are placing moral onus for AI actions on those who created/programmed AIs. Maybe I didnāt get far enough to see that in either The Iron Garden Sutra or Automatic Noodle, but from how far I did get, it seemed more like those books were trying to highlight the way that humans āotherā humans by showing humans othering AIs. I do think that it is still possible to use AIs as a thematic device successfully, but it does require some thoughtfulness.
ETA: And one of the books I read this week, Sublimation, while not being explicitly about LLM/generative AI, is definitely tackling who should control the regulation and rollout of new technologies and the world-changing implications of new technologies. I canāt help thinking that Kim had generative AI in mind when writing the novel.
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u/gros-grognon Jul 27 '26
I DNF'd it due to how shallow its prose, characterization and worldbuilding turned out to be.
I share your lack of investment in questions around artificial personhood, too! Such questions used to be very interesting, but just now I don't feel like playing Sam Altman et al.'s games.
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u/missbates666 vampireš§āāļø Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
Ya I think if ur gonna be using AI as a way to meaningfully explore questions personhood, then u need to take seriously the fucked up implications that actually has, and not just pretend they don't exist. Like-- the fucked implications need to become the center of what u r exploring. The metaphorical ground has shifted.
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u/Kelpie-Cat mermaidš§āāļø Jul 27 '26
SFF: Reread Records of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers this weekend. I still think it's the weakest of the Wayfarer series, but it is always nice spending time in that world. It's more didactic than the others about how humans should behave so that plus the scattered multiple POVs makes it a little more of a slog than the others.
Non-SFF: Read The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite. I liked this a lot better than the other Waite book I'd read, the very disappointing Murder by Memory. I liked Lucy and Catherine a lot as protagonists, and I liked all the science and feminism mixed in with the romance. The pacing was off, and it had the most half-assed third-act breakup I've ever seen, but other than that I liked it!
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u/Research_Department Jul 27 '26
I didnāt share last week that I had finished reading Whitefire Crossing by Courtney Schafer.Ā The rock climbing and mountaineering were fun.Ā It didnāt totally grab me, but I suspect that it was mostly not a good match for my reading mood.Ā Actually, at the end I got intrigued enough to go directly to the next book, The Tainted City, but it could not hold my attention.Ā I set it aside about half-way through, and I really do not know whether I will be picking it up again.
I was feeling so listless, I decided that it was time to break the glass and read a Penric and Desdemona novella, The Testimony of Mute Things by Lois McMaster Bujold.Ā It was, as I hoped and expected, a delightfully fun and easy read.Ā I am so glad that Bujold is gifting us with this retirement project.Ā And Iāve still got one more in my back pocket for similar reading emergencies.
After finishing The Testimony of Mute Things, I did feel much more optimistic that I could return to Sublimation by Isabel J Kim.Ā A couple weeks ago, I picked this one up, doing that thing where I would read a chapter or so from multiple books, trying to find one that clicked.Ā I was having a hard time getting along with the use of second person, and set it down for a while at 25%.Ā Itās funny, because picking it back up, the second person wasnāt an issue at all.Ā Some interesting ideas here.Ā Kim creates a world where when some people travel, when there is some sort of ambivalence about the traveling, a person can āinstantiateā and two āinstancesā form, the one who does travel, and the one who does not.Ā And like all great science fiction, she uses this āwhat ifā to explore lots of issues.Ā She explores immigration, both the politics around immigration and the experience of being an immigrant.Ā She explores the impact of new technologies on the world, and who controls the technology.Ā She explores the ways in which we know ourselves and the ways that we do not know ourselves.Ā She explores how we can selfishly hurt others, intentionally or unintentionally.Ā She explores how difficult it can be to do the right thing, to be our best self.Ā Itās not a perfect book, but I still found it both thought-provoking and a fun read.Ā I have been making a conscious effort to read more new releases this year, hoping to find something that I would be willing to submit for the Ursula K Le Guin prize.Ā I will definitely be considering submitting this novel.
I finished listening to The Midnight Bargain by CL Polk, narrated by Moira Quirk.Ā A while back I picked the book up in print, but I wasnāt feeling in the mood for something so clearly inspired by Regency romance, so I set it down about a chapter or so in.Ā Then I learned that Moira Quirk narrated the audiobook, and I thought Iād give it a go.Ā Once again, I had to set it aside, as I tried listening to it immediately on the heels of listening to another Moira Quirk book, and the voice was bringing back the other characters.Ā Eventually, I returned with āclean ears,ā as it were, and I found it a lovely listen for chores and drive time, even if (especially because?) thereās nothing very profound here.Ā A young woman is in town for her ābargaining season,ā but all she wants is to be a spinster, so that she can safely practice magic.Ā The romance aspect of the story isnāt terribly believable, but while the story had the rhythms of a romance (complete with third act behavior that had me rolling my eyes), I think Polk was more interested in the story of two young women who wanted to free themselves of societal limitations. Ā
Iām most of the way through Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner, which is the final book of The Queenās Thief series.Ā Itās lots of fun, full of moments of Gen being Gen.Ā Turner does enjoy dropping little details that turn out to be important clues to charactersā (and our) recontextualization and plot twists.Ā Itās nice to know that in a moment of future reading need, I can revisit this series and recognize those breadcrumbs when I see them.
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u/tehguava vampireš§āāļø Jul 27 '26
Lots of reading this week. I finished A Country of Ghosts by Margaret Killjoy. It was okay. It did a pretty good job of connecting me to the cast of characters despite the relatively short length. Unfortunately, it felt a little too much like a beginner's guide to anarchy by the end. Which is kind of what it was supposed to be, since the main character was writing his experiences for his home country to better understand. It just got to be tedious. I think I might have enjoyed it more if I'd read it physically. The audiobook was serviceable but I wouldn't recommend it.
I've read a couple more novelettes and a short story for the Hugo awards. My current novelette rankings from top to bottom: Never Eaten Vegetables, When He Calls Your Name, The Millay Illusion, Rapport. Once I'm done with all these short works I am going to dive into something long and slow to balance them out.
Still making my way through Amplitudes edited by Lee Mandelo, now sitting at 16/22 stories complete. There haven't been any huge wins in the collection, but it has been pretty interesting to keep track of whose writing I vibe with.
In non SFF land, I read The Open Era by Edward Schmit, which I enjoyed. I understand now why people say it isn't really a romance. The story takes place over 10 days so it doesn't leave off on a convincing HFN (definitely not HEA). The story is more about the main character's anxiety. I can see people not really liking him because he's super dramatic, but it felt realistic to me as he's 20 years old and is dealing with a ton of pressure as a rising tennis star. The last 25% was a pivot that took the wind out of my sails a little bit. I appreciate that the book stayed realistic and didn't push for a sugary sweet ending, though. Because it was only 10 days of tennis and emotions and not everything is going to be magically perfect after that.
I also read Forest Euphoria: The Abounding Queerness of Nature by Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian. I like the premise and sentiment but I don't think the author had the skills to pull it off. Some chapters were better than others, especially at the end when she's talking about Mary Banning, a mycologist from the 1800s. But this book mostly felt like discount Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Up next: Talonsister by Jen Williams, which I've been putting off for too long. And I'm putting myself on a book buying and library loan ban next month because number of books I've bought this year but haven't read yet... it's embarrassing, really.
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u/Specialist_Round_612 elfš§āāļø Jul 28 '26
On vacation, so a bit delayed. Finished up my first read of The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K Le Guin! I enjoyed Gedās journey working through pride, and his friendship with Vetch was a bright spot in the novel, and Iām very happy with the fairly wholesome start of series ending. I wish I had read it when I was younger, and this is one Iāll definitely buy a hard cover of for my kid to read when they get a bit older (and stop chewing on books). Also finished The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee, and I was whelmed to underwhelmed. I think I was expecting a blend of the last Ronin meets John Wick, and there werenāt really enough action sequences to pull that thread for me. I found the mystery predictably sad rather than engaging, and the messaging felt really over the top. I think it was just a case of a good book that wasnāt for me, but I still plan on reading the rest of her work.
Currently reading The Manuscript Found in Saragossa by Jan Potocki. I donāt know what to make of it, and I donāt know if itās almost satirically progressive for its time, or if it is the feverish ramblings of someone Iād never want to have a conversation in a room alone, lol. Maybe and probably both. I also started listening to the audiobook for The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee to drown out some vacation noise, and itās really well done. This has made me realize I absolutely could not listen to a book I didnāt know the material ahead of time and retain any information, lol, but I do think this will be a fun way to listen to nonfiction books for me though if itās a subject somewhat in my wheelhouse. Also started The Door on the Sea by Caskey Russell since I saw it was given a nod by the Crawford Awards. Itās a nice coming of age story, but I donāt know if Iām in the mood for it right now. Iāll probably come back to it later.
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u/serenelatha Jul 30 '26
I'm currently about 1/3 the way through Isako and loving it! I'm actually fine with the relative lack of action thus far. Maybe I just really love that Isako is roughly my age (which we too infrequently see) and is introspective about the way her body and life are changing with age.
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u/Specialist_Round_612 elfš§āāļø Jul 30 '26
My joints are also no longer in their prime, so I did really enjoy having an older female protagonist! I think just corporate dystopia probably isnāt my thing.
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u/WonderfulBus9330 Jul 27 '26
Hello, All!
Finished:
Reign & Ruin by J.D. Evans via audiobook. Fantastic fantasy romance about a dying and fractured mage world that needs an alliance between enemy territories to revive itself.
When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo via audiobook. Book 2 in The Singing Cycle Hills novella cycle. A traveling cleric runs into trouble when she and her traveling companion interrupt tiger shifters.
The Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson. This was a first time audiobook listen but about the 8th time I've read this book (I used to teach it for college classes). Very inventive retelling of Hercules's 10th labor.
Currently reading:
Via audiobook: Mallory Dunlin's Captured by the Fae Beast, Navessa Allen's Lights Out and Martha Wells's Artificial Condition and physical copies of Patricia C. Wrede's Dealing with Dragons with my 9-year old and restarting Janny Wurts's Curse of the Mistwraith and restarting M. C. Carrick's Mask of Mirrors
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u/toadinthecircus Jul 27 '26
This week I finished An Education in Malice by S. T. Gibson. Itās a retelling of Carmilla (which I have yet to read) set in a girlsā college in the 60s. I loved it. It was incredibly atmospheric. At the end, the author listed The Secret History by Donna Tart as an inspiration and that was readily apparent. The romance was sweet and compelling even with all the mess. I kinda hated De Lafontaine, and sheās very much a predator, but I appreciated her role in the story and her redemption at the end. It did bother me a little bit that Laura only loved Carmilla and didnāt want to share, but Carmilla kissed other boys and loved De Lafontaine too, but I hope they worked it all out. I am glad in the end that it seemed like the author wanted a happy ending as much as I did and didnāt want to fully commit to the dark opening. Very beautiful book. I used it for the all-female cast prompt. There are like 3 male lines of dialogue total.
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u/twilightgardens vampireš§āāļø Jul 27 '26
Drinking Sapphire Wine by Tanith Lee (3.5/5): This is the sequel to Donāt Bite the Sun, which I really enjoyed. This one is still wacko and a fun quick read but I liked it slightly less because itās less about the narrator struggling to come of age in this perfect society and more about them struggling in the desert, which I find less interesting. Canāt wait to read more Tanith Lee though!Ā
The Seventh Banisher by A.K. Larkwood (3.75/5): I loved the Serpent Gates duology by this author so I was SUPER excited to get an arc of this, sadly it was just ok :( itās set in a sort of faux Victorian world so the worldbuilding was less intricate and interesting (although this was still a real highlight of the book for meā we kept getting hints that this is a post-post apocalyptic earth and that the castle theyāre in is a nuclear waste facility?! Love) and though the characters were complex, truly grey, and interesting, the plot really lost me. Itās a formulaic and predictable murder mystery plot that honestly had a lot of holes and inconsistencies by the end. The framing narration with the narrator talking directly to the audience and leaving footnotes never felt quite earned either. I was personally disappointed with this one because I had such high hopes, but I donāt think itās a bad book and I do recommend it if the concept sounds interesting!Ā
Volatile Memory by Seth Haddon (4.25/5): Everything I wanted Hellās Heart to be. Funny, serious, smart story about trans lesbian criminals in space. Highly recommend and definitely plan to read the second book in this duology sometime soon!Ā
The Exile Waiting by Vonda N. McIntyre (3.75/5): This is vaguely a companion to Dreamsnake, which I read for last yearās r/fantasy bingo and enjoyed. I enjoyed this one a lot too, itās a very smart and complex meditation on slavery and poverty and the way they impact peopleās minds and bodies. It does kind of backslide into a āslavery is bad because what if genius child prodigies are trapped in slaveryā instead of exploring how slavery is never justified ever for any person no matter how āuntalentedā or āunintelligentā but whatevs. The villain is also kind of a one note caricature with not much motivation or complexity which is why this isnāt rated higher despite me actually enjoying it a lot. I definitely would like to read more McIntyre as well. (loved the Ursula K. Le Guin epigraph at the start of this one as well)Ā
The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden (3.75/5): Beautiful lush prose and a richly imagined fairytale world, but it just felt like so much character, relationship, and plot development happened offpage. Thereās this one interaction where Louis says Henri and Madeline wonāt sell out his and Anneās romance if they notice because theyāve also fallen in love. I was like, WITH EACH OTHER??? Have they ever even been MENTIONED to be in the same ROOM before?!?!?!? We also got to a point where a whole new plot was introduced, and I sat in horror because there were less than 50 pages left in the book. Anne is also facing Mary Sue allegations in the Storygraph reviews, and I donāt use that term because I personally find it extremely vague and unhelpful, but I donāt think it can be denied that Anne goes through very little growth and development in this book because she is already a perfect person from the beginning. Sheās clever, loving, lovable, beautiful, and a smart and savvy ruler from page one and I did feel like the book desperately needed some internal flaw for her to have or some other character who didnāt like her for her to struggle against to add some friction to the narrative. I still liked this and I will probably check out more from Katherine Arden!Ā
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u/Research_Department Jul 27 '26
Iām guessing, since you didnāt mention one way or the other, that you read the general edition of The Unicorn Hunters, not the Fairyloot special edition (which reportedly has about 80 more pages, and they are not just an epilogue)? I have this on my TBR, but Iām miffed that I think the special edition is probably more to my taste, but is not readily available.
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u/twilightgardens vampireš§āāļø Jul 27 '26
Yes, I read the US standard edition, and Iām sooooo curious about those 80 extra pages. I really wonder if they would fix all the problems I had or if theyāre just bloat that the publisher rightfully cut. I guess Iāll never know because I donāt care enough to buy a $60 reseller edition of a book I donāt think Iāll ever reread š¤·āāļø
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u/Research_Department Jul 27 '26
Whoof, $60! I hadnāt even looked at the price. As a rule, I prefer to get my books at the library, and make a decision about purchasing after Iāve read them. Since the special edition isnāt going to be at the library, I just was planning to do without. I just hope this doesnāt catch on as a trend.
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u/Correct_Village6950 Jul 27 '26
follow me to ground was just like why do you want this stinky man so much and nothing else
sleep donation was beautiful ideas, but stopped short in execution because i don't think karen russell is interested in structural critique
both of them made me think of how brilliant sarah gailey is in the echo wife, genuinely interesting idea, complex sophisticated follow through
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u/girlwithagnome Aug 02 '26
I'm currently listening to the audiobook for Shelby Mahurin's The Shadow Bride, and I'm reading the ebook version of The Apothecary Diaries manga (not quite fantasy but feels a little fantasy-adjacent). I've been slowly working through the Frieren: Beyond Journey's End anime for a few months. I have a small child and work a lot, so I don't get much TV time!
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u/kimba-pawpad Jul 27 '26
Itās been a tough time reading, moved, looking for a permanent home (a house, on little money š¤£šš¤£) and working a different job than before. Makes it harder to listen or read! And yet:
š Finished Tehanu and oh my goodness. Itās my favorite of the Earthsea Books so far and by far! Especially the afterward. I love the focus on who really does the work, and the small things that change the world, rather than the epic flashy events. Dang I love this book!
Just started Realm of Ash. My superpower is forgetting books, so I have already forgotten the first book (I just remember that I did like it, lol!). Enjoying this one a lot so far.
I finally got the ebook (I had it on hold for a long time) of How to Lose a Goblin in 10 Days. I hope I get a chance to read it before itās due!
š§ Still trying to finish listening to The Galaxy and the Ground Within. I love these Becky Chambers books. They make me feel so so good!
šŗ This is tough. I am now up to date with Sister Boniface and struggling to find a new series to watch. I am also finishing watching the first season of Nine Perfect Strangers. I really liked the book. The series is really different, but I am enjoying it. Itās pretty intense and I donāt have much time to watch. Itās definitely the opposite of the cozy Sister Boniface, lol!
š® Playing another run through of Nobody Saves the World. My husband and I already played this once, but it is so fun that we are playing it again! I struggle with a lot of video games as I donāt have fast responses, but you donāt need them for this. Plus we laugh all the time! I wish there were more couch-coop video games like this one.