Grant

I can't think of a series that I've had a harder time forming an opinion on than Suneater. On one hand, I've enjoyed my time listening to the first three entries, but I still can't shake the feeling that I'm missing something or wanting more from them. It seems to me that Ruocchio has taken a bunch of ingredients from many of my favorite Sci-Fi/Space Opera series (Dune, Ender's Game, Red Rising, Star Wars) and combined them in a way that is new to me. That's sick! That's super cool! I just think the end result might be a little less than the sum of the parts for me, not more.

Notes on this specific book - the increased focus + pace for the plot ripped. Loved that. Ruocchio's imagery continues to work for me, as does the framing device of the books being Hadrian recounting his life story to us the reader. There's also several excellent relationship moments, however, I wish Alexander had been a more present figure.

Overall, 3.5 stars for me I think maybe? idk

Re-read this for the first time since college. A few thoughts:

1. The framing of, "we are all unbelievers because we all struggle to believe the Gospel in full" creates humility.
2. While a framework is provided, it seems flexible and relational enough to not just be a rote recitation.
3. Vandersteldt spends a good amount of time talking about how the Gospel should go out. It's not just a pseudo counseling book for yourself, but an encouragement and equipping to share Jesus with everyone.

Look I had fun reading this because I loved it in middle school but it relies a LOT on you recognizing certain tropes or archetypes and filling in the picture.

That said, the world is prettyyyyyy sick collage

Okay I wrote a LOT of notes for this thing about class, women and children, mirror characters (Uriah is David's Wario), and memory. I started to try and compile them but then I felt like I was writing a paper and I got bored. I fear Dickens would be disgusted with me. So instead here's some unconnected thoughts that stuck with me:

This novel popped for me in its tension between childlike innocence and the evil of the adult world. David is a child pretending to be an adult because the structure of society has forced him to.

The coming of age aspect of this novel highlights the meritocracy of the industrial revolution running into the still immobile class structure of British society.

Women fill the gaps of David's life. They take on hard tasks from a precarious social positions in this novel. Their lives are often oriented around men. They are rarely in the foreground.

O'Connor's imagery and prose are captivating. The novel is violent, grotesque, and spiritually challenging. I could not turn away. I will be mulling on my reading for days.

Death and rebirth. Dawn and dusk. Progress and tradition. Imperialism and exploitation. A great adventure tale that is heartwarming AND pokes at the dangers and follies of allowing power to accumulate in one individual.

Art that is a picture of a picture let's you step back and examine the scene with more objectivity.

The structure of the novel is set up as a collage. Characters are constantly tearing bits out of other stories and pasting them onto a different one. They stand apart from and examine the boundaries of the stories we tell.

Lovely voice from Ali Smith and a great performance by Melody Grove.

One of my favorite parts of reading Le Guinn is her view of sci fi as explaining the here and now as opposed to being predictive.

There's a great tension to the book. I loved exploration of loyalty and fidelity. It's a compelling "stranger in a strange land" tale. I felt part of Gensly Ai's journey of slow acclimation to the environment with its fits and stops and uncertainty.

The emergence of the state and questions of patriotism seemed apt for today. That the Ekumen exists at all comes across as a relic from a different political time. That type of confederacy is exactly the type of thing our modern populist and nationalist movement seeks to disband. Maybe I'm idealizing, but it seems like a hopeful version of institutional imagination.

I think there's much to be said about gender and gender dynamics. Probably need to read some reviews from people smarter than me with more context than me before I even attempt to voice my thoughts.

I am contented in the ending. That alone feels like a miracle for a behemoth of a series.

I put down this book feeling hopeful. I'm a bit amazed by that fact. These books are full of despair and hard living. Shadow and doubt are raised up a major positive thematic elements. Despite all that, there were potent moments reading this series that reminded me of Tolkien's search for goodness, albeit a much, much more post-modern and existentialist search.

I suspect camaraderie will be Malazan's lasting impression with me . It is touching and funny and captures little a bit of Beauty.

I used the story of an insect surrounded by lizards who then have an owl come as a framing device for the whole book. It was fun trying to place where each faction thought they were in the food chain vs where it seemed they actually were.

Pressure and the necessity of opposing forces are two themes from this book that resonated with me. They also seem indicative of Erikson's ethos for Malazan - the balance between obliteration of dreams and a humanistic spirit clinging to hope. You see that in Erikson's critique of cycles of oppression, the false hope of "justice", and the makeup of the Malazan marines' psyches.

I find myself still chewing on the idea and imagery of power as occupying space vs exerting control over another. Bugg remarks on it, Torrent reflects on it, and Fiddler provides an example of it with the Deck reading. At the very end of the book, the Malazan/Letherii/Khundryl refusal to give ground against the Short-tails is a tragic illustration of it. It's a concept that works well with Erikson's archaeological bend, his love of writing nomadic tribes, and strengthens the environmentalist messaging these books hint at.

I think I've seen that Dust of Dreams is considered one of the weaker entries in the series. I can see how people arrive at that response, but I was gripped. Some of that was just finally getting lore answers because I'm not sure if plot or character relationships were as compelling for me in this entry.

Probably last thing? The violence against women and some of the jealousy between women was difficult. I don't think that all novels need to be perfectly sanitized or that certain evils can't/shouldn't be portrayed. I also don't think Erikson included those scenes for shock value or without consideration. They just didn't quite pass the sniff test for me, though perhaps that's the point.

I'm excited to finish the series.

What a delightful read! At its best, I can see the influence of Le Guin and mythic stories. At it's worst, flashes of "Ready Player One" peak through. I enjoyed the way the world or various characters explored consciousness, life, and mythic archetypes. The juxtaposition of Ariel - Durga - and the beavers was probably my favorite part.

I suspect I will buy this book. My main critiques are some of the modern pop culture references broke immersion for me and that the middle third dragged (in part because of the increase in pop culture references).

Off-kilter and filled with flawed, lovable characters written with compassion. My initial pick up is seeing a generosity of spirit in the face of hardship, often systemic hardship. I was touched and horrified and moved each chapter.

Thank you Spencer for the rec.

Christopher is just a child playacting his way through the world. He grows up by the end and my heart breaks for him even as I know it was necessary.

The framing of it as a detective novel furthers Christopher's immaturity and heightens the tragedy of it. I didn't know that Christopher was a child when I first started reading. His aloofness and unreliability is revealed through the first 3/5 of the novel.

I think Ishiguro draws parallels between Christopher and the world post WW1 but pre-WW2. The wars loom over the narrative. Western condescension, racism, and colonialism are key features to the story as well. There's a sense of humanity recoiling against the ugliness of the world and hoping that some great men (bc 1930s) will rise up to set things right again.

Sometimes telling people that I love the Realm of the Elderlings books feels like telling on myself or quite vulnerable. Hobb writes about abuse and its effects with such knowing and compassion. Fitz is a flawed, scarred character who would fit in any Grimdark series, yet Hobb enlivens him with hope and love. I find myself wanting to cheer and shout when Fitz shows the emotional courage to turn towards others and seek loving connection.

Fitz going to Molly and her family to say essentially, "My name is Fitzchivalry Farseer. I am Witted. I will be teaching Nettle the Skill. And I have loved your mother my entire life" is such a moment of courage and transformation. This trilogy starts with Fitz isolating himself from everyone he loves except Hap and Nighteyes due to his fear and shame. It ends with him confessing each part of his identity where he bore that fear/shame to begin building (or re-building) loving relationships. It's a triumph that feels so human and real.

I think this is maybe the weakest entry I've read so far. Fitz and his associated relationships are still as strong as ever. I found myself wanting more from the plot and some of the Piebald elements.

I know that people criticize Hobb for never allowing her characters to be happy. I understand that but there's such humanity in her description of those characters.

I've been burned out on Sanderson, but this was a really refreshing read. I loved the themes of Hope, faith, and connection. 

A few quick thoughts:

1. I struggle with Kruppe the narrator. I appreciate the idea of it but I didn't like reading it.
2. I liked the idea of contrasting the actions of the youth vs the elders more than the execution as well
3. God of Redemption vs Dying God also sets up interesting ideas that I struggled to engage with.
4. Are you seeing a theme here?

As always, Erikson's zoomed out view of cyclical history due to human nature is present. This book seems to be examining faith and fanaticism more. There are multiple conversations about a god's responsibility to its followers but also its followers responsibility to the god. Betrayal can come from both sides and in fact the mortals can commit such atrocities in the god's name that it becomes too weak to stop them. 

There's the strong gender and pregnancy theme/symbols but that was muddier to me.

Not my favorite of the series, I must confess. Some of my favorite ingredients were present (Trull + Onrock, Fiddler, paragraphs long anthropological screeds) but it never fully came together the way Chain of Dogs or Midnight Tides did. 

I did not know that Barack Obama's grandparents were from Kansas

I think my favorite emotional through line of the Hobb books I've read so far. Hobb holds up various parent-child dynamics to the light and explores them with her usual fantastic character work. I felt sorrow and abounding joy while listening to it. 

Rating for the series as a whole. The usual superb character work from Hobb as she deals with transformation and identity, power, exploitation, and gender dynamics.

Ended up liking this more than the Farseer Trilogy. I'm so glad there's like 10 more books in this world.

Books like this remind me of the value of fiction. My soul is stirred to right injustice just as much reading this as it is reading about the racist housing policies of Dallas. 

crazy how much i loved this book given that 75% of the characters drove me CRAZY

I think this is a book written to get a TV adaptation and I think I'd like the adaption more. 

Name of the Wind + Witcher + vampires. I struggled with the execution of the framing device but overall had fun.