Nice, quick bit of background for [b:Lock In 21418013 Lock In (Lock In, #1) John Scalzi https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1438701397l/21418013.SY75.jpg 26115712]. Much like the movie Contagion, the beginning hits a little close to home obviously. But shows just how deeply thought it was. [a:John Scalzi 4763 John Scalzi https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1562613145p2/4763.jpg] writes science fiction like a great mystery/noir.
Reads like you are watching the show. A few quibbles with the repetition of background info given in book one, but I suppose that is needed for people who just jump into a series wherever. Just hoping that does not end up being a problem as the series goes on with more and more and more summary. Writing is so easy to read. Multiple viewpoints and quick scene cuts make it a very very easy read. A nice thriller with high action but low emotional stakes which makes it a great escapist read.
More radical that I can quite be brought around to, but really thought-provoking. And yet, while I am sure it was even more radical in 1977, it does, somehow, also feel quite dated. The concept of the ‘lesbian existance' is so expansively defined, but there is no acknowledgment of the huge range of sexualities, gender identities and sexual preferences that we have come to consider in the current era.Never thought about this, but so obvious:“‘the fact that male employers often do not hire qualified women, even when they could paythem less than men suggests that more than the profit motive is implicated'”Putting [b:Sula 11346 Sula Toni Morrison https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441578153l/11346.SY75.jpg 3207953] on my reading list.
Not as good as Fleishman, but still a good read. No sympathetic characters. One small but very good twit. One annoying deus ex machina. Definitely of a very specific time and place. Highly recommend reading her NYT piece that came out right around publication day (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/07/magazine/kidnapping-long-island.html). That is not to be missed.
Reads like a fairytale. Seems like it could be a start to an interesting series, but didn't really grip me as a stand-alone. Somehow never really engaged with the characters the way I would have wanted to. That say, it was a nice introduction to a mythology I was previously unfamiliar with. Would definitely give a sequel a read.
Did I finish...? A choose your own adventure for middle-aged divorcees. I read one option choice alll the way through. And all three endings. But did not have enough interest to go back and explore the other choices. I know we are in the era of the anti-hero, but I couldn't get past the shallow narcissism of the protagonist. No likable characters. Not a one.
A truly unique story.
Def recommend listening. First person narrative + narration by the author brings so much specificity to the protagonist.
Reading Euripides has been on my list for a while and is just on my list that much more. Obviously must start with Medea.
“Gelon says that's what the best plays do. If they're true enough you'll recognize it even if it all seems mad at first, and this is why we give a shit about Troy, though for all we know, it was just some dream of Homer's”