Reviews and Comments

I'm writing this review mainly for myself, because you're not going to start with the ninth book in a series. Although mainly you'll be interested in starting with [b:The Atrocity Archives|101869|The Atrocity Archives (Laundry Files, #1)|Charles Stross|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440461724s/101869.jpg|322252] if you know that the series maintains and even builds on its energy.

It feels funny to see that it's #9 and Stross is still finding ways to make it fresh and interesting. This was a highly satisfying volume in the Laundry Files. It was particularly fun to spend more time with people who had smaller roles in previous stories.

This collection was a good way to sample a bunch of fantasy series.

Spoiler Alert: Fantasy characters don't seem to have much luck having relaxing, fun vacations.

Bonus: One character spends much of the story as a talking dog.

I've liked the Martha Wells Murderbot books so much that I thought it would be a good idea to try one of her older books.

It turned out to be a good decision, and also a surprise. Because City of Bones is nothing like the Murderbot books.

You know in Calvin and Hobbes when the image would switch from the simple line drawings of the regular cartoon to incredibly detailed painting like images, so you'd realize that Waterson could draw any picture he wanted to? This is like that. Murderbot although incredibly powerful is sweet and naive and the adventures are like something in a comic book.

City of Bones has a Byzantine culture and the main character is a jaded outsider who has mostly learned how to navigate his way to survive. I found it entirely satisfying.

Martha Wells can clearly write any kind of story she wants to.

These guys are certainly not just coasting. I'm looking forward to #8

A book by A. Lee Martinez is guaranteed to be fun and have characters you like.

This one has a bunch of gods and the main one is a luck god who mostly manifests as a talking raccoon.

And a talking raccoon is at least as good as a talking cat.

This is hard science fiction in the believable space ship sense.

It's also social science fiction in how it deals with politics and political movements.

It's also, and this is the main thing for me, a story about people that I found myself caring about right from the beginning.

I really like how in Robinson's recent fiction he shows how systems could change to make things better.

I really enjoyed this.

I liked the little crossovers with the Thorn series.

Spoilers follow:
Things get mostly wrapped up.
Jalan and Snorri both survive.

I see no reason that we can't have more novels about them.

When this book arrived on my e-reader from the library it was a real good news, bad news things.

Good news, because I'd get to spend more time with Murderbot. Who it is a delight to spend time with.

Bad news, because this maybe means I won't have any Murderbot time to look forward to.

I really enjoyed this.

I liked the little crossovers with the Thorn series.

Spoilers follow:
Things get mostly wrapped up.
Jalan and Snorri both survive.

I see no reason that we can't have more novels about them.

This deepened my understanding of modern genocides, but it didn't help overcome the feeling of hopelessness I get about them.

When this book arrived on my e-reader from the library it was a real good news, bad news things.

Good news, because I'd get to spend more time with Murderbot. Who it is a delight to spend time with.

Bad news, because this maybe means I won't have any Murderbot time to look forward to.

This is a strong finish to the trilogy.

I especially like the "servicer" characters, who are basically sentient robots that the humans are barely aware of as thinking beings. I hope Yoon Ha Lee gives us more of them.

This is a strong finish to the trilogy.

I especially like the "servicer" characters, who are basically sentient robots that the humans are barely aware of as thinking beings. I hope Yoon Ha Lee gives us more of them.