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]]> Review7320222268 Tue, 18 Feb 2025 05:40:11 -0800 <![CDATA[Zow added 'Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators� Revolution']]> /review/show/7320222268 Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence by R.F. Kuang Zow gave 2 stars to Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators� Revolution (Hardcover) by R.F. Kuang
I was looking forward to reading Babel because I had previously read Yellowface and enjoyed it. Since the character of Athena in Yellowface was partially based on the author, I assumed that Kuang’s most representative and accomplished work would be Babel, given its historical focus and that it seemed to touch upon topics related to Kuang's academic degrees. I also appreciated her strong research skills, particularly in topics related to the history of China during the Qing dynasty. In fact, before finishing Babel, I was quite excited about picking up the Poppy War trilogy.

However, I was quite disappointed. The writing quality is inconsistent across chapters: some sections, especially those exploring translation trivia, are exceptionally well-written and fun. Yet, the character development lacks stability. The characters don’t behave consistently, making them feel less authentic. The author also tends to underestimate her audience, as she overexplains the (ridiculous) magic system several times, and her tone can be condescending when explaining other topics like linguistics/sociology/historical issues. We get it, RF Kuang is smart, but I don't know why she assumes that her readers are not as educated and clever as she is (I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt as it might have been an editorial decision to reach a wider audience).

Another issue is the portrayal of morality in the book. Every “bad� character happens to be white, creating an oversimplified, almost caricatured dynamic where white characters can do no good. Rather than offering a nuanced critique of historical or systemic issues, this approach flattens the narrative, making it feel more like a regurgitation of college campus surface-level sociology discussions, rather than a real exploration of power, colonialism, or language. The book would have been much more interesting if the characters had become radicalized during the course of the events rather than holding modern progressive ideas right out of the womb.

The story remains engaging until about page 200, but after that, the characters� decisions start to feel increasingly illogical. It becomes difficult to stay invested in them because we only get brief glimpses of their interactions, making their relationships feel underdeveloped. The dialogue also feels out of place. The novel presents itself as an epic historical fantasy, yet the conversations often resemble something out of a YA book or a Twitter discussion about colonialism, which creates a tonal disconnect. It doesn't help that they are fully aware of every racist event that happens around them when, even nowadays, people who experience discrimination tend to normalize and internalize it.

As the plot progresses, it takes a turn that feels reminiscent of some half-baked version of Harry Potter, with four friends sneaking around a magical school instead of three. However, nothing truly compelling happens for a long stretch of the story, it feels flat and uneventful. And when major events finally occur, they feel forced rather than naturally unfolding from the story. Even more frustratingly, the characters' reactions to these events are often completely inconsistent with how they were established earlier, making them feel unconvincing and throwing down the drain all the work of building them up.

My main complaint is that this is a book that had all the ingredients to be great, but the author purposely decided to make it preachy and oversimplified, which made it hard to enjoy and take its core themes seriously.



]]> Review7227822974 Tue, 21 Jan 2025 06:55:19 -0800 <![CDATA[Zow added 'Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture']]> /review/show/7227822974 Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture by Apostolos Doxiadis Zow gave 4 stars to Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture (Paperback) by Apostolos Doxiadis
The first 70 pages can be quite a drag, though they ultimately prove to be worth the struggle. This novel shares some characteristics with Roberto Bolaño's work: extensive name-dropping and detailed niche discussions that showcase the author's expertise (though at least two standard deviations shifted to the right of the IQ normal distribution, compared to Bolaño).

I should note that my initial struggle with the opening section might stem from my background in signal processing and geometric ML rather than pure mathematics. While these fields may seem 'mathy' to outsiders, they're quite different from pure mathematics. As real mathematicians often mockingly remind us engineers about our lack of rigour (deserved, IMHO).

The book's central theme is rather ominous: mathematicians face an expiration date. The novel follows a young apprentice who becomes increasingly demoralized as he observes talented mathematicians showcase their relentless passion and natural abilities. His eventual conclusion, that mathematical talent and intuition are innate gifts, leads him to a crisis of confidence, considering to quit maths altogether. Though published in 1992, the book's exploration of genius versus hard work reminds me of anime series like 'Ping-Pong: the Animation' and 'Free!'. While there's certainly no intertextuality or overlap between these works, it's fascinating to see how this dichotomy plays out in mathematics rather than sports.
Overall, a highly recommended read, especially for those with STEM inclinations who didn't ultimately pursue pure maths, yet are curious about the (fictional) lives of those who actually did. ]]> Review7225243240 Fri, 17 Jan 2025 07:18:33 -0800 <![CDATA[Zow added 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner']]> /review/show/7225243240 The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Zow gave 5 stars to The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (Hardcover) by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
My first encounter with this poem was as a teenager, listening to Iron Maiden. Who would’ve guessed it would take me nearly 20 years to finally read the full work? Though Kubla Khan remains one of my favourite poems, one I often revisit, I must admit ---with all due respect to my wife’s love of poetry ---that I’m not much of a poetry person. I often find it hard to connect with this medium and wondered if there was something wrong with my brain. That said, perhaps I have a soft spot for adventures in lyrical form, as I adored The Odyssey and The Iliad as a kid.

This particular edition of "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" made it far easier to immerse myself in the sailors' world. The illustrations force you to linger on each scene, inviting you to truly savour every moment. For the ultimate experience, I’d highly recommend pairing it with Iron Maiden’s tune as you read—it adds an epic soundtrack to an already timeless adventure. ]]> UserChallenge59843939 Sun, 05 Jan 2025 03:32:44 -0800 <![CDATA[ Zow has challenged themself to read 55 books in 2025. ]]> /user/show/19300745-zow-ormazabal 11627
They has read 31 books toward their goal of 55 books.
 
31 of 55 (56%)
Create your own 2025 Reading Challenge » ]]> UserChallenge50601895 Fri, 06 Dec 2024 22:41:10 -0800 <![CDATA[ Zow has challenged themself to read 55 books in 2024. ]]> /user/show/19300745-zow-ormazabal 11634
They has completed their goal of reading 55 books in 2024!
 
59 of 55 (107%)
Create your own 2024 Reading Challenge » ]]> Review6673823151 Fri, 26 Jul 2024 06:37:39 -0700 <![CDATA[Zow added 'One China, Many Taiwans: The Geopolitics of Cross-Strait Tourism']]> /review/show/6673823151 One China, Many Taiwans by Ian Rowen Zow gave 5 stars to One China, Many Taiwans: The Geopolitics of Cross-Strait Tourism (Paperback) by Ian Rowen
Unlike the previous review, I found the author's eloquence and brilliant academic writing to be highly enjoyable and comprehensible, even as a non-native English speaker working in STEM. The author's careful walkthrough of the effects of various tourism policies in Taiwan, across different administrations and attitudes toward China, was both insightful and engaging (especially for somebody whose first visit to GuGong is now a terrible memory as a result of how overcrowded it used to be).
I was particularly impressed by the author's commitment to his study, evidenced by him having to fly to Shanghai and participating in a "Chinese-only" tour from start to finish. The meticulous description of interactions and perspectives from Chinese tourists, as well as the performative behaviour of the tour bus employees, added depth, authenticity, and humanity to the analysis. I probably hold the same political stance as the author regarding Taiwan's de facto independence, so nobody had to convince me about thinking of Taiwan as separate from its "Chineseness" (or according to the many Taiwans perspective: its Japanese, Indigenous, or Xiaoqingxin-ness! ). ]]>