First of all, out of a very strong field (see posts passim), Colson Whitehead took this year's Arthur C Clarke award for his Underground Railway, which is a thought-provoking and powerful read. Definitely check it out, as well as the other fine books on the shortlist. It's been too long, Clarkes aside, since I wrote a post about good stuff I've read, […]
Occupy Me – Tricia Sullivan Ninefox Gambit – Yoon Ha Lee Sufficiently advanced mathematics being, of course, indistinguishable from magic, and that’s the thread I’m using to link these two books – very different in their settings and trappings but united by a core where reality is subject to manipulation in ways that frankly twist the mind. Tricia […]
Underground Railroad – Colson Whitehead After Atlas – Emma Newman (1) So what about books that have a rather less optimistic take on the world? As it turns out, the shortlist has those too, and these are definitely the bleakest. I hadn’t come across Whitehead until the shortlist was announced, but a little research shows that’s entirely […]
This year I'm breaking the review up into three parts, because the shortlist, in my idiosyncratic perspective, seems to form some loose pairs, so first I give you: A Closed and Common Orbit – Becky Chambers Central Station – Lavie Tidhar Because I didn’t get the chance to do a Clarkeslist post last year, for what I hope are […]
The problem with putting off a post recommending good books is that you keep reading more good books and it all gets on top of you. I have, therefore, absolutely let some cracking books slip me mind, but I'm going to do my damndest to recommend some damn things here. First, though, it is that time of […]
Well crap, I did not get to see many films this year, owing to authorial and familial commitments, and so this is of a necessity a bit of a shotgun review. I did get to see a couple of Marvel films, about which I've been positive, and positive I remain. I speak of course of Captain America: Civil War and Doctor Strange. I agree […]
So I am the bear who walks into a bar, which is to say, apologies for the long pause. Mostly I have been finishing off the first draft of the Hyena and the Hawk*, book 3 of Echoes of the Fall (book 2 of which, The Bear and the Serpent, is coming out in February. Also I have been playing Warcraft, […]
Or TFW you can't come up with a clever blog title (1). I have not done bloggery as I should, owing to other stuff to have been doing (25% through The Hawk and the (some other animal) as I write) and so a number of separate posts on stuff I've stumbled over and liked are going to be Frankensteined the crap […]
I have actually been sitting on a post for a while — basically my usual Clarkes shortlist writeup, except it now feels super weird to post it, even though it amounts to little more than a "these books are awesome do go read." So… no idea if that will ever get posted. But they are all awesome […]
About to sign off for the festivities, and I wish everyone a splendid holiday in good company. There are a few things I particularly want to note my thankfulness for. Thank you to pretty much everyone I'm in contact with on social media for not in any way spoiling The Force Awakens. I am similarly not going to spoil it, but […]
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