Professional computer geek. Personal devourer of knowledge.
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A companion tale to the Court of Thorns and Roses series that picks up several …
This is very clearly one of those things where we’re just getting some random bits of info to set the stage for the next part of the series.
I definitely liked getting to peer into the heads of more characters!
It’s really interesting how many of the things put forth as “cyber warfare” in the first chapter (looking at US surge in Iraq 2007-8) are neither how US mil has defined cyber nor war - lots of intelligence, some info ops and MISO, but not really hacking for effect, which is a key part of today’s definition.
Just goes to show how language changes over time.
Because the effects are not in the cyber domain, you’re seeing lots of what we’d call cross-domain activities - taking what you learn from cyberspace activities and using it to have impacts in the physical domain (mostly kill/capture during these pages).
This has one of the most bizarre methods of handling endnotes that I’ve seen.
Instead of putting some sort of identifier in the text alerting the read to the existence of an endnote, there’s simply a bunch of endnotes. Identified by the page number. And the start of the sentence the note applies to.
It hurts.
Feyre returns to the Spring Court on a reconaissance mission about the invading king. As …
New narrator alert! (Similar enough to the previous narrator to not be extremely jarring, but it’s always risky doing a narrator change during a series)
I’m not really sure what to say about this one that I haven’t already said. Probably this is a really good example of “if you don’t know what women want out of relationships, it’s probably because you’re not listening to what they’re telling you.”
Do expect a decent bit of last-minute saving of our protagonists, some sadness (okay, lots of sadness), but overall a good way to wrap up this stage of the story.
This is a really good history of wargaming, up until it was written in 1968. What I really like is it’s an honest discussion of what wargaming is, and what it isn’t (the latter perhaps being more important).
And the last chapter? No spoilers, but wow. Just wow.
If you are at all interested in war games, this is a really good read.
Though Feyre now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, but …
Content warning Light spoillers, trauma talk.
As someone with more life experience than the target audience, the beginning of this book hurt so much because it’s something I’ve seen way too often: trauma, and changing, not being willing to admit you and your partner have changed, and perhaps in different ways, and the unhealthy coping mechanisms that come with all of that.
Fortunately for our plucky heroine, the utterly delicious “bad boy” is much more self aware, willing to take the time to sort out his own shit, and help her through it.
And then plot stuff happens.
But that first part, where we start to see the difference between surviving and thriving, is so, so important and I love seeing it in writing.
(And the story hooked me hard and refused to let me go)
Jennifer Ikeda’s narration remains excellent.
Though Feyre now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, but …
Holy heck the PTSD and the red flags and the efforts to just suppress everything you are to be normal and get through this is… ooof.
Being old enough to recognize all of this makes listening physically uncomfortable/anxiety inducing, yet it’s a compelling story and I can’t turn away.
Feyre's survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she …
If you’re thinking “ah! I know this trope and so I know basically what the plot is!” you are probably correct.
But.
Nothing is ever quite that simple. From the particular details of what it takes to make things better, to the absolutely delicious character of the guy you instantly know is bad news, this is superb execution of the genre.
Also, I cried.
Jennifer Ikeda’s narration is excellent.
The Audible and New York Times best-selling "Dispatcher" series returns with a brand-new mystery, performed …
At this point in the series, you should know that there will be lots of dying. With most of it not being permanent. And the "most" is what the plot centers around - getting someone to kill you so you don't die.
But people still die under suspicious circumstances.
The new and unique spin of this installment (pandemic references aside) is the very naked moral tale being told. Scalzi is not subtle here. Which does not spoil when the villains get their comeuppance one bit.
The first in the series introduced us to a world where killing someone means they (almost always) come back to life. So, in this world, how do you actually commit murder?
That’s the question this story gives an answer to. Good mix of whodunnit with some serious risk to the storyteller who might not live to see the end of his own tale.
Narrator continues to not have a super-distinct sound for a couple characters.
Oh. Oh my.
The theories put forth for what sort of world order there would be in the 1980’s? And things like numbers of space stations and lunar bases?
WOW they’re hilariously wrong.
Guess that goes to show just how hard it is to predict the future/ how processes that purport to be predictive should be eyed with extreme suspicion.
And these scenarios were the basis for some games. Oof.
For such a short work, the moral questions introduced are fascinating
Main complaint is that sometimes the narrator’s voices for characters weren’t quite distinct.
After surviving Deep One internment camps and making peace with the government that destroyed her …
Definitely a satisfying continuation to the series, with tensions coming from some interesting places.
And a setup for more stories in this world.
Audiobook narration remains excellent.
"Two decades ago the U.S. Government rounded up the people of Innsmouth and took them …
Disclaimer: I’ve not read any Lovecraft. But that’s why I feel like I can say: you don’t need to know the mythology to enjoy this story. Ultimately, this is a classic tale of a girl going through Some Shit (tm) and building up some family along the way. She just happens to be related to the Deep Ones. 🤷♀️ Audiobook narration is excellent.
Now, remember, this book was written in the 1960’s. “Computer” still meant using punch cards.
The author describes a process by which you can generate some randomness for your war game by buying a book of random numbers from Rand. 1) it breaks my brain slightly paying money for random numbers, or for a Rand product (today you can download it here: www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1418.html) 2) the function to generate (pseudo) random numbers in modern computers is often called RAND(). So, we went from Rand (company) to rand (function).
Progress?