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LordBowlich

lordbowlich@books.theunseen.city

Joined 3 years ago

Bookwyrm alt for lordbowlich@masto.hackers.town

Exploring the reaches of the fediverse.

Largely reading from The Beats, Science Fiction, Manga & Graphic Novels, Japanese Literature, Mythology and Folklore, Philosophy (largely Metaphysics these days), Dharma Books, Software Engineering and a variety of books from Anarchist and/or Leftist leaning authors.

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started reading Dungeons and Dragons, players handbook, core rulebook I, v.3.5. by Jonathan Tweet (Dungeons & Dragons Core Rulebook)

Jonathan Tweet: Dungeons and Dragons, players handbook, core rulebook I, v.3.5. (Hardcover, 2003, Wizards of the Coast)

Running D&D at the library in ten days; using the one rule-set I really know. Time to start crunching since it's been a couple decades and I'm told everyone who signed up is going to be pretty new to the entire concept.

reviewed Perdido Street Station by China Miéville (New Crobuzon, #1)

China Miéville: Perdido Street Station (2003, Del Rey/Ballantine Books)

Beneath the towering bleached ribs of a dead, ancient beast lies New Crobuzon, a squalid …

Not my Favorite of China Miéville's Novels

I usually rather enjoy Miéville's novels. The City & The City and Kraken are probably two of my favorite fiction novels that I've read this decade.

But for whatever reason, I just could not get into Perdito Sreet Station. The prose was great, like usual. But the characters were off putting. The setting, just an odd collection of weird, half thought ideas. The entire conflict over the moths, just felt contrived.

reviewed The Utopia of Rules: On Technology, Stupidity, and the Secret Joys of Bureaucracy by David Graeber

David Graeber: The Utopia of Rules: On Technology, Stupidity, and the Secret Joys of Bureaucracy

The Utopia of Rules: On Technology, Stupidity, and the Secret Joys of Bureaucracy is a …

Solid Analysis of the Rise of Bureaucracy in Pricate and Public Spheres

Graeber is always a delight to read, even when he's just rambling on about some anthropological anecdote.

This is probably one of Graeber's more accessible books, in so far as it's not a massive tome to read through and sticks relatively closely to the thesis.

Particularly enjoyed the penultimate essay, relating play, games and bureaucracy in an attempt to clarify why anyone would even desire bureaucracy in the first place.