Ethan Manning

This one had high highs. There are two mysteries set up earlier that come to fruition and boy howdy was that cool to read. This novel does a lot of work to organize and pay off things in general. Very excited for Song of the Mysteries.

What a mind bending journey. Really interesting how knowledge of the future is worked into this story. Many characters are acting based on what they know will happen, but Chew-Z (the drug this book is about) just wrecks that reliability.

Interesting exploration of some themes of Christianity as well, in a very unique and interesting way.

PKD is an example of how you can have very efficient, simple prose with little style, but still produce amazing stories with an ocean sized helping of creativity and feeling. This is probably my favorite book of his yet.

Incredibly refreshing and informative. This book could be particularly helpful to former Christians, trying to think differently about death and the afterlife.

For me Christianity as taught by parents, created a mental and cosmological box that encased all knowledge learned in life. Knowledge was 'worldly" and it always contained an asterisk, this stuff is all subject to the universe that God created and it's rules. As if God, Heaven and Hell existed totally outside of the universe.

So seeing where these ideas came from, who wrote them, who didn't write or teach them, and how contemporary philosophy and religion influenced early Christian thought, it's just made a strong case for the fact that Hell and Heaven are man made concepts. They are wishes of people who want post mortem rewards and punishments. A kind of religious coping mechanism (often for a minority group who was persecuted politically and for faith).

I liked that it summarized the ideas of the afterlife thought of by ancient writers and philosophers too (Homer, Epicurus, Lucretius). Epicurus and Lucretius managed in a couple sentences to radically change my outlook towards death. It's a shame their ideas didn't have as much influence as ones from Christianity because feel like it could lead to people living fuller lives, to being steered by one's own ambitions and joys, rather than a fear of hell.

Really great short story. Gripping, sad, and captivating all in a few pages. I could read an entire book set in this period of the WOLAS story.

I struggled at the end with this one, Janny Wurts sometimes writes from another century. But I still have to 5 star it, the sheer invention, the incredible scope is awe inspiring, and the send off was Tolkien-esque. Also, Wurts has developed wonderful characters throughout this series, it was a pleasure to finish their arcs. I still maintain I don't know a series that does the classical wizard archetype better, none. The magic system is clearly well mapped, never explained, and hard to read long passages of in depth but it never felt like a cop-out and like everything Wurts attempts: ambitious and with 100% commitment. The passages involving direct "divine experiences" are biblical, and often cathartic.

What an incredible journey, I want to be sailing with Arithon, or working with Dakar during the long peace.