The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life afterAI

Cory Doctorow

Renown sci-fi writer offers up a hot new take on the current state of the world vis-á-vis the AI invasion. Doctorow is not necessarily anti-AI, but he is decidedly anti-power and anti-techbro. He lays out a pretty clear picture of the status quo, describing the relationship between users, tech developers, content creators, copyright and money. In a nutshell, the thesis is:

When using technology, don't simply think about what the technology can do, consider who it is doing for and who it is doing to. 

This thinking will really lay bare the true purposes, the money trail and what to watch out for with nearly any technology. And probably also any legislation, new product, etc. It is a very fast read and since it makes you think, well worth it. 

3 stars (out of 4)

The Dragon Keeper

Robin Hobb

Book 1 in the Rain Wilds Chronicles

It took a minute to get invested, but this has all the things I like in a good fantasy epic. Several stories running parallel that we know will merge or intertwine at some point. An interesting new take within a fabulous new world. In the Rain Wilds, a new batch of dragons has metamorphed, the first in a generation. Unfortunately, most of them are malformed or weak, can't fly. The characters we are following include Thymara (a Rain Wilds touched young girl who volunteers to travel with the dragons),  Sintara (a dragon queen, one of the strongest of the small herd), Alise (a woman in a horrible marriage, but a self-taught dragon expert), and the Tarman (a liveship barge with its own secrets). In this installment, the characters are all introduced and join together for their quest for Kilsingra, the mythical dragon/Elderling city. 

3 stars (out of 4)

Platform Decay

Martha Wells

Book 8 in the Murderbot Series. My biggest complaint here is that this is a novella. I want more. This is another rescue mission, another unintended consequence from System Collapse with other parts of Dr. Mensah's family. Murderbot must infiltrate a hostile space station, get to the hostages, is thrown an unseen variable that completely changes the mission plan, and adjusts to accomplish it while encountering the benefits and detriments of his humanity. In many ways, this is retread material. But Wells is also extending the rogue secunit world by expanding the family of rogues. This version just sets up the storyline, but I look forward to exploring the ethics and implications of mass emancipation in future stories. For now, I am happy to see Murderbot maturing and developing new skills. 

Still 4 stars (out of 4)

Whistler

Ann Pachett

This latest novel by Pachett stars Daphne, a 50-something woman who by chance, encounters her step-father (her mothers 2nd husband) and re-establishes a relationship. The real joy of the novel is the recounting of her history, with pieces told by Daphne, Eddie (the step-father), sister Leda, and mother Abigail. Like My Friends, this is a story told out of order. The central event is a car accident that took place when Daphne was 9 that she and Eddie survived. The retelling of that story and how it threads together the relationships and revelations of the characters is quite engaging. 

4 stars (out of 4)

My Friends

Fredrik Backman

A story of childhood and of growing up. Of seeing the world and children and as artists. As children who are unable to see the world as children. This story follows Louisa, a just turned 18 foster kid who encounters an artist in an alley, and then her whole life changes. She embarks on a journey with Ted (a friend of the artist), where Ted relays the story of the summer he was 14, with a group of 4 friends. It is an immersive tale and expertly told by Backman. The story of Ted and Louisa intertwine with the summer 25 years ago, and neither the current timeline nor the historical timeline are told in order. It reflects how stories are told, based on what idea is in the head at any given time, and Louisa is making friends and experiencing the summer in real time, while Ted is simply remembering. Striking.

4 stars (out of 4)

Wheel of the Infinite

Martha Wells

One of her early works (2000), this stand alone novel is exactly what I expect from Wells. Maskelle is the protagonist, an exiled shaman/sorceress who is know as the Voice of the Adversary. She is joined by Rian, a highly skilled body guard who recently abandoned his post because he got morals. The two journey across country, Maskelle having been summoned by the Celestial One (chief shaman) and find that nothing less that existence is at stake for all humanity. No big. A fascinating world that is different that other magical fantasy. The attitude and sass of Maskelle foreshadows the personality and of Murderbot some 20 years later. Love it. 

4 stars (out of 4)

Code Girls

Liza Mundy

The Code Girls are the thousands of women who were recruited in WWII to work for the Army or Navy intelligence services on breaking codes and ciphers of Germans and Japanese. It is a well researched book and relies heavily on personal statements by the participants. We hear not only the story of the development of codebreaking skills, but also of life for women in the service during the war, the friendships that developed, and the massive & unifying effort that the war was. No-one in the US was not a participant or affected somehow. A fabulous telling of history for the next generations. The downside is the lack of a narrative thread. There are so many people involved (which is part of how astounding everything is) that there are too many to keep track of, and the resulting story is a meander through time and space that isn't always linear enough to be a story.

3 stars (out of 4)

The Land and Its People

David Sedaris

The latest collection of essays by Sedaris is both modern (with poignant reflections on current events) and classic (portraying his simultaneous frustration with all things stupid and loving of the the ridiculous). He is heartfelt in his reflections on love, relationship and death. He is unflinching in his critique of stupidity and the problems with "kids these days". I love his observations and turn of phrase. I do think that the only way to read one of his books is to listen to him read it. 

4 stars (out of 4)

The Warrior's Apprentice

Lois McMaster Bujold

Book 3 of The Vorkosigan Saga

Miles Naismith Vorkosigan is of age and planning to join the military academy. Since the emperor is also of age and inhabiting the throne, his dad is no longer the regent, but is named the Prime Minister. When Miles fails his test (his bones just can't hack it), he and Ellen (Sgt Bothari's girl and fellow Escobar War baby raised like Miles in a uterine replicator) travel to Beta Colony to visit Miles' grandmother. A series of chance meetings put Miles and Ellen on a ship to Tau Colony and their local war. Miles military logician mind get shown off as he "accidentally" creates a mercenary army and stops the planetary war. Of course there are repercussions when he gets home, but boy was that fun...

3 stars (out of 4)

Barrayar

Lois McMaster Bujold

Book 2 of The Vorkosigan Saga

Vorkosigan is named the Regent for the new Emperor (4 years old) and Naismith is his new bride. As near as I can tell, Barrayar is some version of a Tsar led Russia, with the Emperor holding together a tenuous cease of violence by the local oligarch/counts. Of course everyone assumes that Vorkosigan will seek to hold the throne when the Emperor comes of age, and therefore the next 16 years will be one assassination attempt after the other. When everything kicks off, it is Naismith who discovers and quells the rebellion with daring commando excursions behind enemy lines. For a space opera, this episode takes place entirely on planet...

What is strange about the Saga is the availability. I actually had to buy a paper version of this book since it was not available in my library. Strange, and likely to mean I won't be reading the entire series. 

3 stars (out of 4)

Shards of Honor

Lois McMaster Bujold

Book 1 of The Vorkosigan Saga

Commander Cordelia Naismith is a survey leader on a planet that is at the terminus of a "new" wormhole. She and her team are surveying the flora and fauna, the geology and preparing a report to the Beta Colony administrators so the planet is registered. They are attacked, and while most of her team gets away in the shuttle, she and one team member are injured and then rescued? by a Commander Vorkosigan, who seems to have also been left on the planet for dead by his Barrayaran buddies. Vorkosigan and Naismith turn out to be birds of a feather in terms of how they view the human condition, meaning they are fighting the same war, even though their political affiliations have put them on opposite sides. Maybe this is soft sci-fi, with the plasma reflectors and wormholes and arc guns and nerve disruptors just showing up where convenient.  But it is a fast read and sets the stage for an epic space opera series.

3 stars (out of 4)

Artemis

Andy Weir

This book was written between The Martian and Project Hail Mary. It is a departure for Weir, since it includes more than one character, but is still all about innovation and creativity and problem solving. Here we follow Jazz, a teenaged resident of the Artemis, the only permanent colony on the Moon. In the afro-sci-fi tradition, the colony was created and is managed by Kenyan Space Corp, which is a global space power. But really, earth is only a side character here. Jazz has lived nearly her whole life in Artemis and, like all teens, pushes against the hopes and expectations of her family and those in authority. Jazz's most hated comment to receive is "you have so much potential". She is forging her own path, wanting to get EVA certified, and has her side gig of smuggling contraband into Artemis. And then she gets pulled into a massive scheme to alter everything. Of course, it goes FUBAR and Jazz utilizes her engineering brain and her friends to save the day. Pretty fun, but for some reason not "page turner" like the other Weir novels. 

3 stars (out of 4)

Falling Free

Lois McMaster Bujold

The start of a space opera known as The Vorkosigan Saga, this book is the first chronologically, but stands alone from the series as having taken place 200 years before anything else. The world allows for wormhole travel, so the setting is a remote system with a planet that is purely a resource mine for, in this case, Galactech Corporation. Engineer Leo Graf arrives to a new job posting on an orbiting habitat in this system, and finds that the habitat is a genetic engineering home for "Quaddies", people who have been "manufactured" with four arms for appendages (instead of 2 arms, 2 legs). They are Galactech's foward thinking solution to space construction and there are now 1000 quaddies on the habitat (all 15 years or younger). Just before they are about to take on their first paying job, political and economic winds shift turning this into a story of independence and revolution. Bujold does a pretty good job with the hard science part of the sci-fi, and keeps the engagement high with the storyline. I'll be giving the rest of the series a try. 

3 stars (out of 4)

Murderbot (series)

Martha Wells

Having watched the season 1 series, I have re-read all the murdebot novellas over the past 3 months. See the original reviews here

All Systems Red

Artificial Condition

Rogue Protocol

Exit Strategy

Network Effect

Fugitive Telemetry

System Collapse

In short, there are lots of details I don't remember so I am having fun reading these anew. I also am happy to report that my initial enthusiasm for Martha Wells and this series is warranted. This is a really fun exploration of humanity.

Still 4 stars (out of 4)

Project Hail Mary

Andy Weir

A recent offering from the author of The Martian. This time there is a strange lifeform?? that is siphoning off the energy of the sun, which will lead to sure collapse of life on earth. Junior High school teacher nee pre-eminent astrobiologist Dr. Ryland Grace is pulled into the project that will, on a short timescale, create an interstellar travel plan to go to the origin star and find out what is up. The story is told half in real time (on the Project Hail Mary ship) and half in flashback (the origin story of the project). Definitely consistent with my memory of the Martian, with lots of engineering and science that is pretty well researched and possible. For example, solving the energy problem of interstellar travel with the energy thief itself. Clever. Absolutely worth the read.

4 stars (out of 4) 

Fallen Empire Series (8-books)

Lindsay Buroker

The Fallen Empire series includes 8 books

Book 1 - Star Nomad

Book 2 - Honor's Flight

Book 3 - Starseers

Book 4 - Relic of Sorrows

Book 5 - Cleon Moon

Book 6 - Arkadian Skies

Book 7 - Perilous Hunt

Book 8 - End Game

plus a bunch of later published interstitials. These are fast reads and this review is for the entire series (1-8) but not the x.5's. 

Sort of a Star Wars-esque space opera, but I appreciate at least a little bit of "scientific reality". The setting is a single solar system (albeit with 3 suns) that was colonized by humans on generational ships long before. The system has 51 planets and moons that are inhabited and communication and travel time between the different planets is realistic. No magic teleporting hyperdrives. In the the world, the Alliance has recently "won" over the Empire - but in effect absolutely controls maybe 3 planets, with most of the system moving toward chaos or local control. In this world, Alliance fighter pilot Alisa Marchenko finds herself stranded on a remote planet and basically forgotten. She and fellow stranded Alliance soldier Mica (primarily a mechanic) go to the junkyard to recover Marchenko's family freighter spaceship, fix it up, and return home to her daughter. At the ship, the two encounter Leonidas, an Imperial cyborg who had the same designs. To get off planet, these "enemies" team up and eventually "team up". 

The series uses Marchenko's kidnapped daughter as the main plot driver throughout, and explores post-war politics, religious freedom, the slippery slope of "practical morality", elitist class systems and personal loyalty. Everything I like in a good space opera. Definitely recommend this for diversionary reading.

4 stars (out of 4)