altlovesbooks

DNF @ 9%

At under 10% of the book, we flew through so many events that I thought needed way more explanation, or at least a reaction, out of Sophie. From reading the reviews, the pacing doesn't seem to get better, nor are explanations probably forthcoming, so I'm just gonna pass on this in favor of something else.

"How inappropriate to call this planet Earth, when clearly it is Ocean."

Read this book as a physical/ebook copy, if you can. I listened to it as an audiobook, and without the text, didn't have the big clue needed to understand what was going on until the very end. I still greatly enjoyed the mystery and the reveal, but would have gotten there sooner with an actual book in my hands. This is admittedly way more fiction drama than it is sci-fi, but it's hard to discount the core sci-fi element propping the whole structure up. If you're looking for something more clearly sci-fi, you may be disappointed.

This book is really two(ish) stories wrapped in one. We have the friendship of Rafi Young and Todd Keane, two very different kids brought together through a love of strategy. Chess brought them together, but Go was where their true friendship lay and what laid the groundwork for their futures. Todd went on to become a tech billionaire developing AI projects, while Rafi went on to live on a tiny island in the Pacific, Makatea. They both withdrew from each other's lives, for various reasons.

We also have the story of Makatea, told mostly through the eyes of its inhabitants, an island poised to become the latest tech venture, the manufacturing point for offshore seasteading. The inhabitants are divided on whether this is a good thing or not, and are being offered the chance to vote on whether or not the company gets to proceed.

I'm gonna let you know right up front that there's an awful lot of family (in the loose friend group sense) drama in this book. I was drawn into the unlikely friendship between Todd and Rafi, which had its predictable ups and downs. Todd's chapters, clearly a bit into the future looking backward at a friendship gone to time were especially sad, knowing he was fighting a neurological condition. But even as I was following along with this family drama, I couldn't figure out how any of this linked to Maktaea. I also spent a lot of the book wondering where the AI was in this book that mentions AI in the description. It comes up within the first third of the book, but from the description, I expected it to be a bit more prominent.

And then the last 20 pages happened.

Major ending/story spoilers ahead. I kept having this nagging feeling throughout especially the second half of the book after Rafi and Todd have their falling out that facts dropped between the two stories (and Evie's as well) weren't lining up. I thought maybe I was just missing something, listening to the whole story as an audiobook, but then larger pieces started not lining up, and I started wondering. The big reveal about large parts of the story being made up by Todd's AI using Todd's memories as a "playground" of sorts for his dementia-ridden mind to finally have a "happy" ending drew an audible "ohhhhhhhhh" out of me while getting ready for work. Eveything that's not written in italics in the book is AI-generated for Todd's benefit, while everything in italics is the "real life" story. Rafi dies early, Evie dies after her book was written evidently, and Ina is on the island, sans kids. The last 20 pages or so really hit hard, when I realized what had been going on the entire time.

I really was into everything this book was telling me. I was drawn into the friend group drama, stayed for the fate of Makatea, and had an audible reaction to the ending of the book. Just everything in such a great package.

"We are cursed to be the sum of our deeds, black as they may be. They are like an arrow: once the shot is made, there is no escaping the consequences."

Girton and his master are back in town, ostensibly to find sanctuary from pursuers and a healer for his master, but they learn quite quickly that 5 years is a long time for a kingdom. Things aren't as they were, and the two of them are pulled into a fight for the crown between Girton's old tormentor Tomas, Girton's old friend Rufra, and Girton's old target Aydor. Compounding things is a murder in Rufra's camp that Girton gets pulled into investigating, and the ever-present suspicion that a spy lingers in camp. It's a twisty thing to unravel, and Girton's not altogether sure he can before the spy threatens his friend.

It's a darker story than the first one, for better or worse. Everyone's (supposedly) 5 years older, the stakes are a bit higher, and these are now adults having adult problems rather than older boys figuring out practice yard problems. I liked that. I also liked that the story uses essentially a medieval murder mystery as its central plot, allowing Girton the freedom to move around and introduce himself (and us) to central players on this new field. There's also quite a bit of character progression here in the characters from the first book......

.....EXCEPT GIRTON. Hearing him whinge so much about all his perceived slights against him from people he thought were his friends was painful. I couldn't tell any time at all had passed for how he acted, especially against his own master. It really took me out of the story.

But the story and actions scenes were great, and as soon as the story reached that tipping point of chasing down the culprit, I had a hard time putting the book down. That's something, at least.

Certainly different than what I was expecting from the title/description. Not in a bad way, I don't think, but anyone picking this up and expecting a djinn in the story may be disappointed at how historical fiction-y it is.

A great mansion sits on the coast of South Africa. Sana and her father are tenants in this mansion, currently subdivided awkwardly into different apartments and occupied by a colorful cast of characters. We get to know these neighbors well, as Sana gets used to her new surroundings and starts exploring the unused parts of the mansion. The East Wing is where she finds discarded furniture, a locked door, and a mystery to unravel about the history of the house surrounding Meena. Meena was a lover and second wife of the previous owner of the house, and we're introduced to her tragic story, and the story of the house, through Sana's investigations.

Right off the bat, there is a djinn in this book, but the djinn is just a...idk...unseen being witnessing what's going on with Sana and Meena. We don't get the djinn as a viewpoint exactly, and neither Sana nor Meena ever know it's there, but we get its impressions, and those of the house, occasionally. It's unique, the djinn is clearly upset by what has happened and what is happening, but can't do anything about it. The book itself is more of a family drama or historical fiction than it is a fantasy/magical realism book.

I thought Sana's viewpoint in present day South Africa wasn't quite as compelling as Meena's, but we needed Sana's sleuthing to understand Meena's story and its ramifications. Sana's neighbors are all a bit crazy in their own way, and we get to know them too alongside the story of the house. Meena's story is tragic (but kind of predictable), but anyone looking for justice in what happens to her may not enjoy the ending. But maybe that was sort of the point.

I did love the writing of this book, it was very lyrical, very compelling, very descriptive. I wanted to keep reading to figure out the story of the house and its inhabitants. Just, in short, an unexpectedly enjoyable historical fiction, despite the lack of a djinn.

Good but not great/5 stars. I'm a huge fan of the microhistory genre, and I felt like this particular take on the history of the American road trip was way too broad/meandering. I loved the bits about the actual road trip, the history of, what things sprung up alongside the roads as a result of what changes, those parts were really interesting. I also learned Betty Ford was a CB user, who used the handle 'First Mama". Kinda love that.

What didn't work for me as much were the other tangents, the ones only peripherally related to road trips. For instance, while I enjoy video games and arcades, the history of arcade cabinets in hotels was kind of out of place. There's several rabbit holes that, while interesting in their own right, don't seem to quite fit here. Another thing that you will either like or not is that the author uses his own experiences as a kid on road trips with his family as segues into the various topics. While the (sometimes lengthy) anecdotes are funny, it sort of lent this microhistory a bit of a memoir feel, when all I wanted was to get back to the history topics.

So, again, good but not great. Nice little audiobook, but I probably won't revisit it.

Orsola Rosso is born into a family of glassmakers, grows up around glassmakers, and all she knows is glass. The book begins with glassmaking rivalry; the Rossos are competing against another family in the glass trade, but it's this other family that finally gives Orsola the chance she needs to start working glass for her family herself. As time passes, we see Murano and Venice change around them, but Orsola's family remains the same, with Orsola's glasswork holding things together. 500 years pass, and we get to see how changing times impacts the Rossos, and Orsola too.

You have to go into this book with an open mind and an ability to ignore glaring inconsistencies with the time skipping idea the book is predicated on. Some of the periods the book touches on are fleshed out in a meaningful way, while others that seemed equally important get only a brief mention, a brief chapter, or are otherwise glossed over before moving on to the next point in time. This time skipping idea was hard for me to get around at first; wouldn't Orsola question the passage of time? But eventually I stopped looking for answers and just enjoyed the book. It's a beautifully crafted story.

I guess my real hangup with this book was the ending. (ending spoilers here) I don't get why Orsola didn't realize that Antonio was dead, had died a long time ago, and that the dolphins she received were crafted by different people. She even points out that each one was crafted differently; to someone as familiar with glass as she was, you'd think that would tell her something.

I enjoyed this book in spite of the time elephant in the room though.