beaneater

I couldn't really get through Dex's personality at first because I have imprinted on my mind that monks are supposed to be at peace, but I realized that is the perfect irony.

“They think I'm a wizard. They think I'm a fucking wizard.”

I was in a reading slump and needed something short to boost me. Elder Race was definitely the perfect choice, and I wanted to read something from Tchaikovsky forever.At first, the story might seem more like a fantasy than sci-fi, but do not be fooled. It's actually part of the clever and dark twist. In just a few pages, Nyr -an anthropologist, sort of a “wizard” if you will- and his humaneness really grew on me. His humor is just a bonus to his misadventures on Sophos 4.

I loved the All Systems Red, I DEVOURED the first book. But Artificial Condition somehow felt way weaker for me.

"Now he knew himself to be embarked upon a path of no return. Ahead lay the trap in Time and Space which had been prepared as an unforgettable lesson for himself and all of mankind."

Plot within plot within plot, this was such an epic ride. If you thought that Messiah complements the first book perfectly, wait for Children of Dune. Is it better than the second book? Probably not, but it is definitely getting more interesting and a little bit weirder. I absolutely loved the dialogue between Leto and The Preacher in chapter 54, it added so much more detail to why Paul went to the desert and what was that horrible vision he passed on to his descendants.

"And I noticed that when I prayed to God for mercy, I had not, as had been my habit, prayed to the Great Leader, Kim Il Sung, who was the closest thing to a deity that I had ever known."

I'm surprised this biography isn't more well-known, and it's sad that not many people know about this significant piece of history. Reading from Kim Hyun Hee's pov, I couldn't help but feel deep sympathy for her and her incomprehension, she truly believed that carrying out the act would unify Korea. She honestly did not, and could not, know better. Even if she had, it's not as if she would have had the choice to say no. Kim Hyun Hee mentioned 1984's similarities to the regime of North Korea and rightfully so.

It has been 38 years since the Korean Air Flight 858 tragedy, yet North Korea does not seem to have made any progress over the years. The unification of Korea still feels like a distant reality... one that may never happen.