Ross

Kuang writes another banger with Katabasis. I really enjoyed this book, the themes of which didn't resonate as hard with me as the themes in Babel did but were explored in fascinating ways by the author. In many ways it felt like a modern day retelling of Dante's Inferno, with scholars instead of poets sent through Hell.

Jason finally back to the other world. An enjoyable excursion and we see some old friends again.

Another great one from Sanderson with lots of good Cosmere information and tantalizing teasers of what's to come

Surprisingly readable shlock honestly. Donald Barr is the person who hired Jeffery Epstein, a man with no bachelor's degree, to teach math at the prestigious Dalton School. I'd seen the book characterized in Julie K. Brown's work as "...a science fiction novel, Space Relations, about a planet of wealthy aliens who kidnap humans and force them into sex slavery," which is broadly accurate though the slavery they're forced into isn't strictly sex slavery.

The more troubling theme to me is the main character becoming the personal companion of his lady slaveowner, falling in love with her, and returning to the planet after he escapes captivity to see her again. He saves her from a slave revolt and another landowner high on the drug that makes you think you're God, and then they get married. Slavery on the planet is abolished at the end of the book, but it's full of confusing thoughts from the main character about how he'd have been happy in servitude if he hadn't made the discovery that aliens were real and left behind guns on the slave planet.

I didn't gain any insight into why Donald Barr might have given Epstein's professional life such a boost, but I enjoyed the book far more than I thought I would. It was still pretty underwhelming.