Austin Philp

One of the things I love about Tchaikovsky is that he's not afraid to go back and re-explore ideas that he's already touched on in previous works. This book contains a lot of existing themes from previous books, from animal-inspired tribes/civilizations a la Shadows of the Apt, from mech-suited god-like billionaire warriors a la Ironclads, advanced technology as magic a la Elder Race, and many more smaller themes that have been taken off the shelf and given a fresh dusting.

I think the greatest weakness of this work is that it's a bit too ambitious for it's size. It contains a lot of interesting characters, world building, and themes, and I think it might have been better off written as a full-sized novel so it could be explored properly. As it is it felt a bit rushed, and some plot lines felt like they just sort of ended without fanfare, no doubt to keep things short and consise for the short-story/novella format.

I think it's still absolutely worth the read, just don't expect Tchaikovsky's absolute best out of it

A word of general advice when it comes to parenting books. If half the book is made up of supposed "testimonials" from people tearfully saying how this advice changed their life and made all their problems disappear, then it's time to take the book with a grain of salt.

This is a book full of filler, upselling, and pseudo-science, with enough actual practical advice to fill a pamphlet. The author regularly sells his method as a universal miracle cure to all crying, when in reality it's just one among a great many potential ways to soothe a baby. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Outside of the actual advice (which basically boils down to "swaddle and rock your baby, then offer a pacifier"), the book is mostly the author trying to sell his other products, showcasing very suspect sounding testimonials, or spouting nonsense pseudo-science (most egregiously, that you shouldn't use white noise generator apps on your phone, because "cell phones give off powerful microwaves which will hurt your baby").

If you really want the advice from the book - here is a link to a page on their website with the supposedly miracle method - in 1/100th the words. Save yourself some time and just read that instead

https://www.happiestbaby.com/blogs/baby/the-5-s-s-for-soothing-babies

Probably one of the most ambitious Science Fiction works I've read in terms of chronological scale. Most other science fiction works might cover thousands or maybe 10's of thousands of years. This work spans millions of years, and does so in a way that feels natural and well thought out. With a fascinating vision for how a human society, alone in the galaxy and bound by the speed of light might evolve over that time frame.

The ending is simultaneously melancholic, hopeful, open-ended, and satisfying all in one. House of Suns has definitely won a spot among my favorite works by one of my favorite authors