Finished it. It lived up to the early promise. It is very mushy and heavy-handed. Most of the characters are unreasonably willing to go out of their way to be reasonable.
@moss_icon’s comparison to Mass Effect side quests was apt. It really shows what it is inspired by, but it manages to avoid ending up as a collection of tropes. The ditzy mechanic had me cringing, though.
But the book is really good! The universe is really interesting and does not get to hung up in details. Full of ideas. Better than Ninefox Gambit, but overall I think I might like Ann Leckie’s Ancillary series a bit better. This might change when I get around to reading the rest of this series, though.
Read Berserker by Fred Saberhagen. First entry in the series of the same name. A science fiction short story collection about the war between ancient machines that want to destroy all life, and living beings who don’t feel like dying. There’s something special about 1960’s sci-fi. It was quite variable, but thumbs up. Looks like there are a lot of books in the series, I might read some more at a later date.
Holy cow, that’s a blast from the past! I’m pretty sure I read all of Saberhagen’s books when I was a teenager…if I missed any, it wasn’t for lack of effort on my part. Berserker, Empire of the East, the Swords series…loved 'em all.
Reading Dillard Johnson’s Carnivore while on break. It’s by a Bradley crew leader in Iraq. So far reads just like a lot of typical memoirs, guy sounds full of himself but he’s also been through a lot both on and off the battlefield.
Interesting thing is if you go look at the Amazon reviews, a fair number of guys claiming to have worked with him say the author is an assbite of a leader.
I found that whole thing fascinating. On more than one occasion I’ve read a book and then gained additional insight from testimonials in reviews.
Finished The Wizard by Gene Wolfe. It’s kind of weird that it wasn’t split into two books, because it kind of feels like two stories smushed together (not including the previous book in the series). The ending was kind of abrupt, too, but still hit me in the feels.
Next up is another Penric tale by Lois Bujold. I mentioned before that her books are pleasant, but lack any feeling of real danger.
After that I might read Oathbringer, though I found the previous books to be REALLY tedious, except for the young woman protagonist. Still, I am interested in what happens after book 2, since things had finally started to become interesting.
Gene Wolfe is one of the best writers bar none. Not the best sci-fi author. Not the best fantasy writer. Just the best writer of all. How do I know? Look it up. Some of the best writers in the world think that he’s the best. And yes he does the feels. He does them so very well.
