Sam

Well written. A rather unique and sprawling narrative stucture. Enjoyed the Canadian elements. Felt it tried to do too much, but thought the repeated motifs and playing with the idea of the ghost story was quite innovative.

I picked this up after seeing it inspired the flavorful Mothership module Gradient Descent (https://www.mothershiprpg.com/gradient-descent). I'll review the whole series here.

I enjoyed this series. My interest waned as I read it all, but I'd still recommend it for cyberpunk fans. I find the world and characters fascinating. The many panels of figures navigating a colossal (infinite?) decrepit industrial landscape are amazing. As others have pointed out, I think this series is more style than substance. There are some tantalizing hints about what is happening here: resurrection, AI apocalypse, cyberspace and meatspace, self-replicating machines, silicon life, etc. But there's not much plot to grab onto, and I sometimes had trouble following what was happening. The pacing of navigating a new landscape, finding a weird creature, and shooting it, got tiring after repeating over and over again.

I didn't enjoy this book. What's most frustrating is that I believe there's potential for a good story buried within it. While there were moments where the plot felt pointless and rushed, I appreciate that the author managed to link the characters and the world, making them somewhat engaging.

Spoiler-y review follows.

Allow me to discuss the positive aspects first. I found the world-building intriguing, with its complex cultures and maritime settings. The post-apocalyptic setting and the impact of the Hierarchs' War on the world and its various cultures were well depicted. The magic system was interesting, offering a twist on traditional mythology with witches and demons. The Seredi's alliance with the Under-Earth demons added depth to the narrative. While a bit confusing, the dual timeline structure allowed for an exploration of the Hierarchs' War consequences.However, there are many aspects I found problematic. The story's complexity left me bewildered, despite my experience with sci-fi and fantasy. The abundance of characters, cultures, and locations, combined with their insufficient development, made it hard to connect the dots. Though I listened to the audiobook, I suspect the issue lies more with the book than the format. I haven't had this issue with other audiobooks. I believe that effective storytelling ties world-building to character arcs, something that was lacking in "The Witch King."The characters didn't develop significantly, and I struggled to invest in them emotionally. Kai's overwhelming power and apparent infallibility made it hard for me to connect with him. While there were intriguing moments, such as his possession of the Expositor's body, it wasn't enough to establish a strong emotional bond. The dual timeline, while potentially interesting, fell short due to the lack of character development.I found the antagonist aspect perplexing. The Hierarchs lacked depth and motivation, making it challenging to care about their conflict with the protagonists. Similarly, secondary antagonists like Nepha/Arenstrath and the political conspiracy were underdeveloped and lacked impact.The driving forces of the plot were unclear and lacked emotional investment. The Hierarchs weren't convincingly established as a significant threat, and the objective to find Taryn and Dahinn felt underwhelming. The ending, with the "grand reveal" that Kai knew everything ahead of time, felt arbitrary and unfair. I do not like an ending that the reader could not have seen coming.

Overall, “The Witch King” left me wanting more character development and a clearer antagonist with explained motivation. While the world-building had potential, it didn't compensate for the book's other shortcomings.

I'm considering whether I should read “Murderbot” based on others' recommendations, although my uncertainty about Martha Wells' storytelling style gives me pause.

After bouncing off Iain Bank's Culture series, I figured I'd give another space opera a shot. Ultimately I found Revelation Space fine - it was interesting enough to keep reading, but I certainly didn't love it.

I think the worldbuilding is solid, the writing is good, and the plot was OK. I particularly enjoyed the way Reynolds handles transhumanism, implants, viruses, etc. The cybernetic ecosystem of the Nostalgia for Infinity was particularly cool. The whole Dawn War business was a serviceable take on the Fermi Paradox and ancient aliens trope, but in my view isn't that original compared to something like the mindblowing elements of Remembrance of Earth's Past..

Overall this felt a bit bloated and the characterization and character development were definitely subpar. I was especially frustrated trying to understand some of the characters' motivations. In particular, I was pretty confused about why the crew of the Nostalgia for Infinity would go so far to try to save their captain or why Kouri would work so hard to be reunited with a spouse she had grown so far apart from. That lack of motivation was the biggest barrier to me really enjoying this novel. The characters really didn't have much of an arc either; at times they all felt a bit like pawns that were convenient excuses for Reynolds to connect them to the larger plot and worldbuilding points. I suppose he did a good job setting them at odds and explaining why, but in terms of development or change, very little.

I'm on the fence about reading the next one.

This series of 2000s essays deals with the violence of Israel and Palestine conflict and the US's “war on terror.”
The overall focus is on the rhetorical and discursive strategies used by the state and war hawks to cut down dissent and critical discussion in the public sphere.
Generally, I agree with the arguments but found the PoMo language didn't add a ton. Some of those elements will be of interest to academics only.
Sad that the same processes identified here continue.