Someology reviewed All Systems Red by Martha Wells
The series is about an artificial construct designed as a Security Unit, which manages to …
Something different
4 stars
Fun, quick Science Fiction read. Sarcasm and adventure in spades.
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Someology reviewed Artificial condition by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #2)
It has a dark past - one in which a number of humans were killed. …
Wry, Grouchy, Sarcastic, and Great.
4 stars
Murderbot's tone and personality is interesting, and the world building also keeps you going. Fun, quick read.
Someology reviewed Minor Mage by T. Kingfisher
Oliver was a very minor mage. His familiar reminded him of this several times a …
Cute read.
3 stars
Cute YA book. Not quite cozy fantasy, because the protagonist goes out into the world, but cozy fantasy adjacent.
A fun read. Something different.
4 stars
This was a fun book. Not only because of the unusual point of view (an engineer in a siege), but because of the narrator's wry turn of phrase. The style was a change of pace among fantasy, and I quite enjoyed it.
Extremely dry and dated. Some academic interest.
2 stars
Slightly interesting only as a Historical document. Challenging to read, with nonstandard spellings, very indirect, imprecise language, etc. I've read many antique books, but this book, while on a technical topic, is hugely imprecise. Not one time is a single temperature measurement given. I know this book is from 1847, but the Fahrenheit temperature scale was in use for a couple of centuries before this.
Someology reviewed A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers (Monk & Robot, #2)
After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) …
Lovely
3 stars
These are lovely little novellas. Easy reads with a philosophical bent.
Someology rated A Prayer for the Crown-Shy: 3 stars
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers (Monk & Robot, #2)
After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent …
Someology finished reading Ghost talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal
"Ginger Stuyvesant, an American heiress living in London during World War I, is engaged to …
A fun, light, easy read.
Someology rated Ghost talkers: 3 stars
Ghost talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal
"Ginger Stuyvesant, an American heiress living in London during World War I, is engaged to Captain Benjamin Harford, an intelligence …
Someology reviewed Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon
For forty years, Colony 3245.12 has been Ofelia's home. On this planet far away in …
Not your usual hero; not your usual Si-Fi book.
5 stars
I have a serious weak spot for Sci-Fi and Fantasy that comment on and make use of linguistics, social structure, and Anthropology. I also know Elizabeth Moon to be a good author, so I grabbed this once I came across someone else describing it, and I am glad I did. I read this book in a single night. This book is really different, and I found that enjoyable. We get a main character in Ofelia that is so not the usual. She's not young, gorgeous, extraordinarily strong, extraordinarily smart, the Chosen One, or any of the tropes we typically see. Her strength is strength of character, determination, and a desire to be respected. Ofelia turns the art of small stubborn moments and the sublime joy of small things into a lifestyle.
This main character is humanly fleshed out as an individual going through an entirely new time of discovering she …
I have a serious weak spot for Sci-Fi and Fantasy that comment on and make use of linguistics, social structure, and Anthropology. I also know Elizabeth Moon to be a good author, so I grabbed this once I came across someone else describing it, and I am glad I did. I read this book in a single night. This book is really different, and I found that enjoyable. We get a main character in Ofelia that is so not the usual. She's not young, gorgeous, extraordinarily strong, extraordinarily smart, the Chosen One, or any of the tropes we typically see. Her strength is strength of character, determination, and a desire to be respected. Ofelia turns the art of small stubborn moments and the sublime joy of small things into a lifestyle.
This main character is humanly fleshed out as an individual going through an entirely new time of discovering she is more as a person than she thought she was (or has been permitted to be), and then also discovers the planet around her is not what she thought it was. Anyone who has been an introvert will feel some kinship with Ofelia. Everyone who has faced the stereotypes of other humans will feel some kinship with Ofelia. Everyone who has loved a woman and watched her discover new parts of herself after her children were grown (no matter how much she loves them) will feel some kinship with Ofelia. The aliens aren't what you expect, and then they are, and then they aren't what you expect again. So many authors would have felt compelled to take the entire thing in a far darker direction, and I applaud Elizabeth Moon for acknowledging the darkness, showing it to us, and not letting it steal the focus of the story from Ofelia. I think this was an author skillfully choosing not to follow the "typical" narrative path that most authors would have easily slid the premise of this story into.
And finally, to anyone asking the question, "Can you have a book about an individual who spends a substantial stretch of time alone without it being a riff on Robinson Crusoe?" Elizabeth Moon shows us in "Remnant Populations" that you can.
Someology rated Remnant Population: 5 stars
Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon
For forty years, Colony 3245.12 has been Ofelia's home. On this planet far away in space and time from the …
Someology reviewed Potter's Bible by Marylin Scott
Good author: Bad printing
4 stars
I've seen the author in person, and she was a great presenter. She is also an approachable author that is friendly to read. Great for beginner overview before deciding what topics to explore more within pottery. Good refresher of basics for someone who hasn't practiced pottery for a long time. Some bad printing errors, such as one vase description where two paragraphs are directly printed atop one another, making them unreadable. The publisher's other books I will approach with caution, but this author, I enjoyed.
Someology finished reading The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik (Scholomance, #3)
The one thing you never talk about while you’re in the Scholomance is what you’ll …
Despite the fact that the author was really dropping hints, I didn't see the plot twists during the first two books (only seeing them as I started the third book), but I still thoroughly enjoyed the ride. I do wonder about a few lingering details, and their implications for the future of the characters, but, this trilogy was just a fun read. I enjoyed the ride along with El as she learned things.
Someology rated The Stranger Times: 3 stars
The Stranger Times by C McDonnell
A weekly newspaper dedicated to the weird and the wonderful (but mostly the weird), it is the go-to publication for …
Someology rated Ada and the Engine: 3 stars
Ada and the Engine by Lauren Gunderson
A stage play by Lauren Gunderson.