Finished The Dark Forest last night. I have thoughts.
The view of China is definitely rosier than in The Three-Body Problem. I intend to real Liu's other books, but for now it still looks like Winnie the Pooh sent some people to have a chat with him.
Liu is really, really good at writing space battles. Too often in science fiction, space battles are written as air battles which happen to be in space, but in The Dark Forest, they really do feel like space battles. They're tense, well-written, well-thought-out, and everybody is clearly using different tactics. Well done.
As to themes, I can definitely see how this book can be read as endorsing xenophobia; ultimately, however, that is repudiated. Despite the Trisolarans' actions and the lengths to which Manuel Rey Diaz and Luo Ji were willing to go, the end shows that the two civilisations might be able to get along, and there's even a happy ending for that one pacifist Trisolaran. The universe may still be a dark forest, but at the very least Humans and Trisolarans can share a campfire, and perhaps some of the other civilisations might be willing to join us.
But I understand Death's End is about some more hibernators screwing everything up.
Next up on my list is Metro 2034. I'll pass on 2035 for a while because my computer can't run the games well.
Edited by VampireBuddha on Aug 25th 2021 at 6:49:30 PM
Ukrainian Red CrossFinished The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu yesterday. The only copy my library had was the unabridged and annotated translation by Royall Tyler. I'm not sure how to feel about this book. Overall, I would say that I liked it, but more as a curiosity than a piece of entertainment. Part of that might be due to binging it; this is not a book that lends itself well to speed reading, especially if you have difficulty parsing antiquated syntax (and the subtext that usually comes with it) like I do.
That said, I don't feel like I wasted my time either. (Which is good considering just how damn long it is; I figured it would be- at most- around 500 pages and it's easily twice that length.) Even if I didn't understand precisely specific turns of phrases, Murasaki has a sense of humor and wit that bleeds into narration. Like, I can't tell you how many times she basically wrote "describing all of this would make for a boring read, so I'll just skip it". I wish more authors were that self aware.
So yeah, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone other than the most hardcore enthusiasts. However, if you do read it, try to get your hands on the Tyler copy. He has a clear passion for the novel that permeates his translation, and he uses the notes to explain why he translated certain words/phrases/passages the way he did. He also admits when something is untranslatable or unclear in the original text, which is always a good quality for a translator to have, in my book.
Edited by Oratel on Feb 25th 2023 at 4:18:01 AM
I'm a few chapters into Metro 2034, and it begins by answering where the electricity comes from, which is something that bugged me about 2033. I find the narration flows quite a bit better, but that might just be due to a different translator. Also there are named women, which is refreshing.
Things also feel more focused. I guess that Glukhovsky used 2033 to introduce the world, so now he can use 2034 to tell a story and assume that anyone reading already has a sense of what is going on. Whatever you think of his plotting and pacing, the man is quite good at atmosphere.
Ukrainian Red CrossI have been reading the Hugin & Munin books from Gyldendal. My mind got really clear and I calmed for some reason.
Edited by Delibirda on Sep 7th 2021 at 12:30:30 PM
"Listen up, Marina, because this is SUPER important. Whatever you do, don't eat th“ “DON'T EAT WHAT?! Your text box ran out of space!”Reread Fellowship of the Ring.
There's a lot of stuff that works. The characters are fleshed out and engaging, especially for the time. Most of them are the same as or better than in the movies. Aragorn has a more interesting personality, and Jackson did both Legolas and Gimli dirty. Boromir's the only character that fell flat, but everyone else makes up for it. The writing is eloquent and thoughtful, and the world building's top-notch. There isn't a lot of action, but when there is, it can get intense.
But for everything that works, there's about as much that doesn't. While the slow pace helps flesh out the characters and the world, it can be a slog. As far as the plot, not much happens until Rivendale, and it doesn't pick up until they get to the mines. Until then, it's a travelogue, without much meat to it. Part of that is it was supposed to be another Hobbit, but it doesn't have the same charm or whimsy that made it work. A lot of stuff is told second hand, and while it works in the context of a book, it'd be nice to see it all happen firsthand instead of explaining it after the fact. Some of the dialogue can come off as long-winded and stiff without much substance, and there's not that much development or focus on the characters until later on. And while the constant poems and songs help build the setting, they go on too long and don't always work if you're not hearing them sung aloud. When you put it all together, it can make for an incredibly exhausting read.
TLDR, Fellowship is a groundbreaking book and a classic for a reason, but can be a damn hard sit and isn't for everyone.
Regarding the dialogue, I think that was a deliberate artistic choice, as Tolkien was consciously going for a mythological tone.
Ukrainian Red CrossPenguin Highway which immediately went full throttle into being Morimi as hell
Last month, I finished the following:
The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser. If this hadn't been gifted to me, I wouldn't have picked it up on my own. Based on the summary, I expected it to be a cliche but harmless romance novel, and that's exactly what I got. That isn't to say it didn't throw a couple curveballs; the reason why the main male lead is angsty got explained a lot earlier than I was expecting, and I liked most of the honest heart-to-heart conversations. It does the "main lead finds out their significant other cheated on them which gets the ball rolling" thing, but it isn't used as the impetus for the main lead to move somewhere else: her finding out she was inheriting her uncle's home and shop was. She simply uses moving to her uncle's home as an opportunity to think over how she can best move past the pain of her husband's infidelity. Some of the banter was kinda funny too. Overall, I can't say I'd read it again anytime soon, but I had a good time.
Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko. While the prose and writing style remains the same, there are several elements that felt either undercooked, unnecessary, or rushed. Since Tarisai needs to create her own council, we're introduced to a slew of new characters, only two or three of whom get any significant screen time. This also means that some of the characters that were originally introduced get sidelined, which kinda undermines the whole "tight knit found family" thing that was Tarisai's main goal in the previous book. The "Tarisai has to go to the underworld" plot- the hook that Raybearer left off with- gets shoved to the background for a significant part of the book in favor of a civil uprising plotline. While that plotline does tie into some of Redemptor's themes, it felt less like something that absolutely couldn't be excluded and more like Ifueko was processing the chaos that was 2020.* (There are other problems I could bring up, but those involve heavy spoiler.) I can't say that it's a bad book, but it's definitely a step down from Raybearer.
Edited by Oratel on Oct 18th 2021 at 3:01:40 PM
I read the second The Scholomance book The Last Graduate last night. Was up until 2 AM finishing it.
I've been excited for it ever since I read the first book earlier in the year.
It was a lot of fun to read! I probably enjoyed it a little bit less compared to the first one, there is something to be said for not having a protagonist is an inherently powerful position.
That agency definitely made me a little bit less invested in seeing if El would get though her problems, because of the options it gave her.
That said I still had a good time and I'm really looking forward to the final book! It's been really interesting how emphasized the isolation of the school. So ever since book 1 I've been really interested to see the outside world.
Edited by 32ndfreeze on Sep 29th 2021 at 10:49:28 PM
Read seven books since I last posted. From least to most favorite: Booked to Die by John Dunning, Winterspell by Claire Legrand, Garrison Girl by Rachel Aaron, The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien, Fire by Kristin Cashore, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, and Graceling by Kristin Cashore.
Currently reading: Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore, Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami, and The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Edited by Oratel on Feb 25th 2023 at 4:20:12 AM
A little while ago, I finished my third read-through of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. I've batted around a few other books (mostly by local authors) and hopefully will get back into reading as I did before.
Just read Animorphs: The Guest. The graphic novel, mind you.
Next to me is a book called: «Princesses are pink at day and black at night.»
Edited by Delibirda on Oct 23rd 2021 at 12:17:49 PM
"Listen up, Marina, because this is SUPER important. Whatever you do, don't eat th“ “DON'T EAT WHAT?! Your text box ran out of space!”I finally finished Dune after struggling through it for several months. Here are some thoughts:
- I felt that the actual plot took way too long to actually start. Maybe it's because I'm a somewhat impatient reader. Maybe it's because it was my first time reading it. Maybe it's because I assumed that a twist that happens well over a hundred pages in was going to happen much earlier thanks to the blurb on my copy spoiling it for me. Whatever the reason, the first part of the book was by far the most difficult to get through.
- I loved the worldbuilding; the author clearly put a lot of thought into the setting's politics, religion, ecology, technology, and how these aspects play off of one another.
- I became more engaged with the story starting from Part II, but overall I found the plot to be less interesting than the setting. I'm glad that the new movie decided to place more emphasis on the latter.
- All in all, did I like this book? I don't know. I might appreciate it more on a second read, but I just wasn't feeling it this time.
Edited by ArgoTheBlank on Nov 2nd 2021 at 7:31:28 PM
I've finishing my Lord the Rings read with the final chapators of 'Return of the King'
I'm also reading Howl's moving castle for an Discord bookclub
Also reading,The Stand and The Deed of Paksenarrion
Edited by Ultimatum on Nov 7th 2021 at 1:05:52 PM
have a listen and have a link to my discord serverWaechter der Schatten. I'm almost done with it, I swear.
Die Unendliche Geschichte. It's a very compelling book, and I'm expecting the second act to top the first.
Operation Pedestal by Max Hastings. An interesting read, but I may not be able to finish it since it's due back at the library in a week.
On the audiobook front, I'm listening to The Light of the Jedi.
Nach jeder Ebbe kommt die Flut.I've somehow gone over two decades without reading anything by Stephen King, but I'm starting with 11/22/63.
I gave up on Metro 2034 because for some reason Glukhovsky's prose just doesn't grip me.
I've started on Death's End, and hey, a chapter from Yang Dong's point of view! I also appreciate the nuanced view of workplace sexism, illustrated by Cheng Xin's colleagues respecting her but still asking her to speak mostly because she's attractive. Mikhail Vadimov is a really fun character.
Ukrainian Red CrossI finished Penguin Highway, Morimi manages to thread a needle between being insufferably twee and believable kid writing, the climax was one of the more enjoyable ones out of his books that I've read so far and Aoyama is a good kid despite Morimi's fixations on the weirdest things for his character.
I think the part where I disengaged was just how free-range these kids are because I definitely didn't really have that but that's a me problem, so.
Now reading The Writer's Tale: The Final Chapter by Russell T Davies because his next project being Doctor Who again has made me intensely curious to look up on how he regards his first tenure as a whole.
I just finished The Priory of the Orange Tree after reading it over the past couple of weeks.
I really enjoyed it, and it was very nice to have a self contained epic fantasy novel.
Although I honestly think it would have worked better as a duology. I felt like the Tané side of things didn't really get enough detail. And the final third felt rushed at times. It felt like often there would be stretches where everything all of a sudden sped up to get people into place for the narrative.
I'm coming to the end of the Post-Deterrence Era in Death's End, and I can see where people get the xenophobia from; that said, given the shit Japan did to China and how the Japanese tend to talk about it in later years, the feeling is certainly understandable. The stuff involving Australia might be seen as an attack on The West, but it's not exactly an uncommon perspective among Westerners; it's also not hard to read this as allegorical for Han treatment of Tibetans and Uighur.
It's interesting that Liu writes gushingly about democracy, human rights, freedom, and respect for the individual - values embraced by Taiwan, Macau, and Hong Kong, but dismissed by Beijing. Still feels like Winnie the Pooh sent some people to have a chat with him.
Ukrainian Red Cross

Against better judgment (and a broken pedestal), I've finished off Troubled Blood in half a day. I've read HP in the same amount of time but they're not as freaking dense.
I need a break from reading before I tackle Intuition of Suzumiya Haruhi. And then catch up on Spice and Wolf.
Edited by terumokou on Aug 23rd 2021 at 2:16:44 AM
Burning love!