Aelfgyfu

 I've fallen a bit behind on posting again, partly because I've been trying to figure out how to write about Adulthood Rites, the second book in the Lilith's Brood/Xenogenesis trilogy, without spoiling the first one. I've been overthinking it. Read as much or as little of this entry as you want, but I really encourage you to read the trilogy!

This book does exactly what the second book in a trilogy should do. Butler assumes we've read her first book and gently reminds us of key points without marching us through them all again. (It probably helps that it hadn't been that long since I read the first book!) She continues her amazing world building while keeping the novel very focused on key characters. The protagonist here wasn't in the first novel, but we see some of the characters from Dawn again in important roles—and I didn't even know I wanted to see some of them again until I did! This series really asks The Big Questions: what does it mean to be human? What do we owe ourselves and each other? What do we owe those we think aren't like us? 

I find her worlds very convincing, and she gives enough explanation to stimulate my interest more without overwhelming me or making it dull, because her focus is not so much on how things work but on how people interact with their environment. By "people" I mean humans, Oankali, and ships. 

Everything I say without spoilers sounds abstract and kind of dry (no matter how many exclamation points I use), but this book has All The Feels too. The major characters long to connect but have difficulties along the way, some familiar to us and others . . . not exactly like ours. We have found family. My sympathies and my own answers shifted as I read, and I'm eager to read the third. I'm putting it off a little because I find when I space out series a little, I remember them better and enjoy them more than if I try to mainline them or stretch them out too much.



Read it! Read it! 

I always mean to write a little about the books I've read, but I wait until I think I have enough to make a good post, and then I feel I have too many to write about. . . . So this time, I'm just going to write about the last two I read.

Octavia Butler, Dawn: This is the first book of the Xenogenesis trilogy, also known as Lilith's Brood. How did I never read this book before? Lilith Iyapo wakes up in a cell. She remembers waking before. She doesn't know where she is or who is holding her; she remembers seeing what seemed like the end of the world. The book was published in 1987, but I’ll put in a cut before I say more, in case you’re like me. I went in knowing only that I thought Butler’s Kindred and some of her short stories were outstanding. I won't spoil the whole thing! But feel free to discuss fully in comments, because I'd love to talk about it more if others have read it.

( Read more... )

Dawn made me think about sex and gender; what we need, what we're willing to give up, and what we won't compromise to remain ourselves. It's brilliant. Butler preceded N.K. Jemisin and Ann Leckie, and I can only imagine she had some influence on them: the world-building is so thorough, so willing to reconsider basic premises of human life and society.

If you haven't read it, please do! I want to talk about it!

Joyce Lionarons, The Eyes of the Dying: Matthew Cordwainer Book 12. Joyce is a fellow medievalist, and I know her as a colleague and friend. The Cordwainer books are meticulously researched but use that learning just to ; the setting is beautifully integrated with, I think, sufficient explanation for non-specialists without hitting anyone over the head. She also doesn't idealize the Middle Ages; we see a lot of prejudice, violence, and just plain nastiness. And some of that is from Matthew Cordwainer! He's a grumpy old man who sometimes learns better and sometimes doesn't, but I love him anyway (even though I'm very frustrated with him at time.)

I recommend all these books for people who like historical mysteries. They're set in York, mostly in the 1270s. This one starts with a view of the killer, so the suspense is in how Matthew and his associates unravel the mystery, not so much in the who or why. Matthew's physician friend Stefan takes more of a role in this than the previous ones, which I enjoyed, largely because Matthew is stymied by church authorities who assert the freedom of the church from secular officials, including King's Coroner Cordwainer. Matthew is also still having trouble adjusting to his relatively new servant Jarvis, and Jarvis is a teenager having trouble adjusting to his new life. One major figure is an anchorite with a terrible past. I read the whole book yesterday (mostly during a platelet donation, which takes a couple of hours) and was sorry to see it end so soon!

Last October, I finished the Imperial Radch series by Ann Leckie (Ancillary Justice, with my brief review here (third item); Ancillary Sword, reviewed here; and Ancillary Mercy, about which I raved here, but couldn't say much without spoiling). I was so sad to be done with the universe that though astrogirl2 gave me links to two short stories Ann Leckie wrote in the universe, I didn't read them until late this summer so that I wouldn't be finished.

I've read them now and have to pass on the links. There's "She Commands Me and I Obey", which doesn't really mention the Radch empire and certainly doesn't refer to events taking place in the novels, but it's really good and has some of the same feel. A young monk on a world where leadership is decided by winning a ballgame likes to go to the statue of a long-dead ballplayer named She-Commands-Me-and-I-Obey in a garden full of such statues for worship, but he doesn't find peace there. (The link takes you to part 1 of 2.)

"Night's Slow Poison" is more obviously set in the Radch universe and should not be read until after the second book in the trilogy. It's shorter but, like the first one, packs a wallop.

In the fan world, the book trailer for Ancillary Justice by bironic at AO3 offers a lovely look (or look back) at the book and made me want to see the movies used to make it too.

And, like astrogirl2, I'm still hoping Leckie isn't quite done with this universe. If you're not following her on Twitter, why not? She's here, and at least Aug 17–20, she's sharing cool stuff from Worldcon, some related to her books!

I have read more fiction than usual this summer! The first one is one I forgot from the last entry, but the others are all since then.

( David Brin, Existence )

( Kathryn Immonen and Rich Ellis, Operation SIN: Agent Carter )

( Ann Leckie, Ancillary Sword )

( Michael Chabon, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay )

( Tom Harper, Zodiac Station )

( Andy Weil, The Martian )

I know I haven't posted much in 2014. I've been reading a lot more than I've been writing, if that's any help! To try to get back into LJ, I'm reusing this meme from astrogirl2. I am, however, apparently incapable of giving a single answer to most of the questions. ( Below a cut for length )

Books I have read in the last few months and my thoughts on them. Please add yours on any of these you've read or any you think you might like to read! This time I'm ordering the books in terms of how much I liked them, because you might just be interested in the ones you like. (I get almost no responses on these posts, and I can't tell if that's because people haven't read the books yet but find my comments helpful, or don't read the posts, or agree with everything I say but don't have anything to add. I'm not really delusional enough to believe the latter much.)

( Vernor Vinge, The Children of the Sky—READ THIS BOOK )

( Pat Cadigan, Synners—READ THIS ONE TOO )

( Jim Butcher: two Dresden Files books )

( Girl with a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier )

( The Anubis Gates, Tim Powers )

( Michael Moorcock, The War Lord of the Air )

I have not dropped off the face of the earth! In fact, I have been reading books, and not just academic books either. I kept realizing that it had been a while, but I didn't realize how long until I looked at my "books" tag today and found I'd lasted posted my comments on books in May, 2012, and last posted a reminder to myself in September, 2012.

The reminder post (originally posted for my eyes only) reads like this:
both vols of Sharing Knife so far
One of our Thursdays is Missing
Iron Sunrise & its predecessor
Hunger Games trilogy
Pat Cadigan, Tea in an Empty Cup
Glass Books
Lewis, Planet Trilogy

Guess how many of those books I have here in the pile of books to review for today? Of eleven books I'd noted for myself, I still planned to review three, planned to review two that were sequels to two I hadn't reviewed—I'm not even running at 50%. So I may have read even more books that I never noted down. I'd like to think so. It seems I ought to have read more for fun in the last fifteen or sixteen months than I have piled by me.

Anyway, without further ado, reviews—most with minimal spoilers, I hope, but I'll note exceptions.

( The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters )

( The Sharing Knife, volumes 1–4, by Lois McMaster Bujold )

( Lewis's Planet Trilogy )


( The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins )

( One of Our Thursdays is Missing by Jasper Fforde )

( Singularity Sky and Iron Sunrise by Charles Stross )

That took me a lot longer than I thought. I won't post them all in one go. More tomorrow (God willing).

Apparently I haven't posted about books I've read since 9 March. I have now delayed so long that I'm not certain in which order I read these books, and I'm not absolutely certain that I haven't reviewed one or two of them before. I might have missed a book or two, but probably not: I could find these books because I haven't put them away. (I just put away A Mercy by Toni Morrison, which I reviewed on 31 December 2010, and Tolkien's Hobbit, which I reviewed 9 March.)

Of course, I've now spent the better part of two hours digging up the books, writing the reviews, and making appropriate links, so I remember why I don't review books very often. (See my OCD and CDO icons on my userpic page.)

I try to keep spoilers to a minimum in the main post and note spoilers so that readers can avoid them.

( Dracula )
If you haven't read the real novel, I recommend it. I'm not much into horror, which you won't believe after I've finished this entry, but it's true—I've had to walk away from Harlan Ellison. (I didn't walk away from "For I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream," which I still regret.)


( Pratchett's Equal Rites )
I haven't yet met a Discworld novel I wouldn't recommend.


( Gaiman's Stardust )
I don't really recommend it. Read Anansi Boys instead.


( Pratchett's Witches Abroad )
I repeat: I haven't yet met a Discworld novel I wouldn't recommend.

( Atwood's Year of the Flood )
Edited: If you like postapocalyptic fare, you might want to read this series. Or you might not. I was thinking my own negative feelings about the book were mostly related to my general avoidance of postapocalyptic fiction, but my first two responses suggest that other weaknesses bothered other people as much or more as they bothered me.

( Stross's Atrocity Archives )
If you're at all into horror, you should read this book. If you have to deal with large government bureaucracies, you also might want to read this book.

From bentleywg:
It's National Book Week. The rules: Grab the closest book to you. Go to page 56. Copy the 5th sentence as your status. Don't mention the book. Post these rules as part of your post.
So here goes:



(I grabbed a book I just bought this afternoon. I opened to page 56.

The entire page is blank.)


Brief update: been a bit busy, responding randomly to some posts (and virtually no e-mails) and putting other posts (and all e-mails) aside to read later. I haven't disappeared. Well, maybe I have, but I'll be back.

The British Library is making an effort to buy the earliest extant European book: see British Library launches bid to save St Cuthbert Gospel at the BBC website. Otherwise, it will be auctioned to the highest bidder.

I wish the little video showed the manuscript text more, but it's not even a minute and a half; do take a look.