en-US Mon, 12 May 2025 17:03:33 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 6811283 Named one of the best books of the year by The Los Angeles Times, The Seattle Times, and Publishers Weekly

When a murdered woman is found in the city of Beszel, somewhere at the edge of Europe, it looks to be a routine case for Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad. To investigate, Borlú must travel from the decaying Beszel to its equal, rival, and intimate neighbor, the vibrant city of Ul Qoma.

But this is a border crossing like no other, a journey as psychic as it is physical, a seeing of the unseen. With Ul Qoman detective Qussim Dhatt, Borlú is enmeshed in a sordid underworld of nationalists intent on destroying their neighboring city, and unificationists who dream of dissolving the two into one.

As the detectives uncover the dead woman’s secrets, they begin to suspect a truth that could cost them more than their lives. What stands against them are murderous powers in Beszel and in Ul Qoma: and, most terrifying of all, that which lies between these two cities.]]> 329 China Miéville 034549752X Kirby 0 to-read 3.93 2009
author: China Miéville
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 186816 791 Ken MacLeod 0739432982 Kirby 0 to-read 4.04
author: Ken MacLeod
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.04
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 5073782 [Publisher's Note: The Borders of Infinity was originally published as a stand-alone novella in the anthology Free Lancers in September 1987. It was then included in the novel Borders of Infinity (October 1989). For the novel, Ms. Bujold added a short "framing story" that tied the three novellas together by setting up each as a flashback that Miles experiences while recovering from bone-replacement surgery. Fictionwise is publishing these novellas separately, but we decided to leave in Ms. Bujold's short framing story for those who may also wish to read the other two novellas (he Mountains of Mourning and Labyrinth).]
Locus Poll Award Nominee]]> 84 Lois McMaster Bujold Kirby 3 4.25
author: Lois McMaster Bujold
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.25
book published:
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves:
review:

]]> 61880 509 Lois McMaster Bujold 2290052302 Kirby 5 4.42 1996
author: Lois McMaster Bujold
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.42
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/09/13
shelves:
review:

]]> 61899 534 Lois McMaster Bujold Kirby 5 4.40 1999
author: Lois McMaster Bujold
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.40
book published: 1999
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/09/13
shelves:
review:

]]> 61885085 "You idiot. I'm the demon."
Kai's having a long day in Martha Wells' Witch King...

After being murdered, his consciousness dormant and unaware of the passing of time while confined in an elaborate water trap, Kai wakes to find a lesser mage attempting to harness Kai’s magic to his own advantage. That was never going to go well.

But why was Kai imprisoned in the first place? What has changed in the world since his assassination? And why does the Rising World Coalition appear to be growing in influence?

Kai will need to pull his allies close and draw on all his pain magic if he is to answer even the least of these questions.

He’s not going to like the answers.]]> 415 Martha Wells 1250826799 Kirby 4 3.60 2023
author: Martha Wells
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/12/16
shelves:
review:

]]> 226004 A Fire Upon The Deep, this is the story of Pham Nuwen, a small cog in the interstellar trading fleet of the Queng Ho. The Queng Ho and the Emergents are orbiting the dormant planet Arachna, which is about to wake up to technology, but the Emergents' plans are sinister.]]> 775 Vernor Vinge 0812536355 Kirby 5 4.31 1999
author: Vernor Vinge
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1999
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/08/01
shelves:
review:

]]> 56226859 To learn what she can become, she must first discover who she is.

Katyani’s role in the kingdom of Chandela has always been clear: becoming an advisor and protector of the crown prince, Ayan, when he ascends to the throne. Bound to the Queen of Chandela through a forbidden soul bond that saved her when she was a child, Katyani has grown up in the royal family and become the best guardswoman the Garuda has ever seen. But when a series of assassination attempts threatens the royals, Katyani is shipped off to the gurukul of the famous Acharya Mahavir as an escort to Ayan and his cousin, Bhairav, to protect them as they hone the skills needed to be the next leaders of the kingdom. Nothing could annoy Katyani more than being stuck in a monastic school in the middle of a forest, except her run-ins with Daksh, the Acharya’s son, who can’t stop going on about the rules and whose gaze makes her feel like he can see into her soul.

But when Katyani and the princes are hurriedly summoned back to Chandela before their training is complete, tragedy strikes and Katyani is torn from the only life she has ever known. Alone and betrayed in a land infested by monsters, Katyani must find answers from her past to save all she loves and forge her own destiny. Bonds can be broken, but debts must be repaid.]]> 341 Rati Mehrotra 1250823684 Kirby 0 to-read 3.83 2022
author: Rati Mehrotra
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/10/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 862041
All seven eBooks in the multi-award winning, internationally bestselling Harry Potter series, available as one download with stunning cover art by Olly Moss. Enjoy the stories that have captured the imagination of millions worldwide.]]> 4100 J.K. Rowling 0545044251 Kirby 2 4.72 2007
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.72
book published: 2007
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2021/09/28
shelves:
review:

]]> 54493401
Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.

Or does he?]]> 476 Andy Weir 0593135202 Kirby 3 Plot-wise it's up there with The Martian, maybe even better, but I just didn't buy the characters. I bought Mark Watney in The Martian, but I don't buy Ryland Grace.
Would have been a 4-star book if not for a bunch of things that annoyed or bothered me.]]> 4.49 2021
author: Andy Weir
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2021/08/29
shelves:
review:
Better than Artemis, not as good as The Martian, imo.
Plot-wise it's up there with The Martian, maybe even better, but I just didn't buy the characters. I bought Mark Watney in The Martian, but I don't buy Ryland Grace.
Would have been a 4-star book if not for a bunch of things that annoyed or bothered me.
]]> 20344635 The Falling World, Jade, ruler of the Indigo Cloud Court, has travelled with Chime and Balm to another Raksuran court. When she fails to return, her consort Moon, along with Stone and a party of warriors and hunters, must track them down. Finding them turns out to be the easy part; freeing them from an ancient trap hidden in the depths of the Reaches is much more difficult.

The Tale of Indigo and Cloud explores the history of the Indigo Cloud Court, long before Moon came to Court. In the distant past, Indigo stole Cloud from Emerald Twilight. But in doing so, the reigning Queen Cerise and Indigo are now poised for a conflict that could ruin everything.

Stories of Moon and the shape changers of Raksura have delighted readers for years. This world is a dangerous place full of strange mysteries, where the future can never be taken for granted, and must always be fought for with wits and ingenuity, and often tooth and claw. With two brand-new novellas, Martha Wells shows that the world of Raksura has many more stories to tell...

Contains:

The Falling World #3.6
The Tale of Indigo and Cloud #0.1
The Forest Boy #0.2
Adaptation #0.4
Appendices]]> 206 Martha Wells 1597805351 Kirby 3
Nothing wrong with it, but this doesn't feel special, like The Cloud Roads did.

I don't know, maybe I'm reading these with the wrong expectations…]]> 4.16 2014
author: Martha Wells
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2021/04/29
shelves:
review:
It's nice to see more of the world and characters, but what I really liked most were the many different peoples and how they each live in this world, and this is mostly Raksura backstory (and one "regular" story in which is still 99% Raksura we already know).

Nothing wrong with it, but this doesn't feel special, like The Cloud Roads did.

I don't know, maybe I'm reading these with the wrong expectations…
]]> 50209317
At the Five-Hop One-Stop, long-haul spacers can stretch their legs (if they have legs, that is), and get fuel, transit permits, and assorted supplies. The Five-Hop is run by an enterprising alien and her sometimes helpful child, who work hard to provide a little piece of home to everyone passing through.

When a freak technological failure halts all traffic to and from Gora, three strangers—all different species with different aims—are thrown together at the Five-Hop. Grounded, with nothing to do but wait, the trio—an exiled artist with an appointment to keep, a cargo runner at a personal crossroads, and a mysterious individual doing her best to help those on the fringes—are compelled to confront where they’ve been, where they might go, and what they are, or could be, to each other.]]> 336 Becky Chambers 0062936050 Kirby 5 4.37 2021
author: Becky Chambers
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/04/03
shelves:
review:

]]> 13649197
But now a rival court has laid claim to Moon, and Jade may or may not be willing to fight for him. Beset by doubts, Moon must travel in the company of strangers to a distant realm where he will finally face the forgotten secrets of his past, even as an old enemy returns with a vengeance.

The Fell, a vicious race of shapeshifting predators, menaces groundlings and Raksura alike. Determined to crossbreed with the Raksura for arcane purposes, they are driven by an ancient voice that cries out from...THE SIREN DEPTHS]]> 277 Martha Wells 1597804401 Kirby 3 We do get to see a few more interesting locations, but nothing like in the first book. Most of the book is spent in court intrigue, which I do usually like, but this one dragged on a bit too long for my taste.
Then, in the last part it suddenly, and - as far as I can tell - completely out of nowhere, becomes about (vague spoilers) [spoilers removed], which is resolved by (book ending spoilers!) [spoilers removed]

If it wasn't for the characters (whom I've grown to love), this one would have been a true disappointment ^^"

At least it confirms that (spoilers for queer content! Yay!) [spoilers removed]! I want to know more about that! When did it start? How'd it come about? Are they in love!?]]> 4.21 2012
author: Martha Wells
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2021/02/23
shelves:
review:
This is the third book in the series. I was hoping the disappointing book 2 might have suffered from "part two of a trilogy" syndrome, but I'm afraid I liked book 3 only a little bit better.
We do get to see a few more interesting locations, but nothing like in the first book. Most of the book is spent in court intrigue, which I do usually like, but this one dragged on a bit too long for my taste.
Then, in the last part it suddenly, and - as far as I can tell - completely out of nowhere, becomes about (vague spoilers) [spoilers removed], which is resolved by (book ending spoilers!) [spoilers removed]

If it wasn't for the characters (whom I've grown to love), this one would have been a true disappointment ^^"

At least it confirms that (spoilers for queer content! Yay!) [spoilers removed]! I want to know more about that! When did it start? How'd it come about? Are they in love!?
]]> 11834447
But when the travelers reach the ancestral home of Indigo Cloud, shrouded within the trunk of a mountain-sized tree, they discover a blight infecting its core. Nearby they find the remains of the invaders who may be responsible, as well as evidence of a devastating theft. This discovery sends Moon and the hunters of Indigo Cloud on a quest for the heartstone of the tree — a quest that will lead them far away, across the Serpent Sea.]]> 340 Martha Wells 1597803324 Kirby 3 The plot didn't really grab me, either, so… not a big fan of this one. I might reread book one at some point, but I'm going to steer clear of this one in future.]]> 4.06 2012
author: Martha Wells
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2021/02/23
shelves:
review:
Second book in the series. The characters are still great, but the world feels… dull and kind of unpleasant… The first book let us explore a wide variety of fascinating locations and meet a lot of different peoples, this one has… three locations? Of which one is the characters' home, one is visited very briefly, and then we spend most of the book on a cold and misty island full of people who are either miserable or cruel (or both).
The plot didn't really grab me, either, so… not a big fan of this one. I might reread book one at some point, but I'm going to steer clear of this one in future.
]]> 9461562 ]]> 278 Martha Wells 1597802166 Kirby 5 3.94 2011
author: Martha Wells
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/02/23
shelves:
review:
This one has it all, a varied, fascinating fantasy world where you can find something new (or - more often than not - ancient) around every corner, great characters, great plot!
]]> 488116 288 Robert Thurston 0451451015 Kirby 1 3.82 1991
author: Robert Thurston
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1991
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2021/02/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 13642
Hungry for power and knowledge, Sparrowhawk tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death's threshold to restore the balance.]]> 183 Ursula K. Le Guin Kirby 3
We see Ged, the protagonist, do many things, and are told about many more, but we never see HOW he does them, only THAT he does them. We rarely know WHY he does them or what he feels or thinks about them.

It is to the author's credit that the story still kept me hooked, and that the writing still kept me reading, because I didn't really care about Ged, who was a stranger to me even at the end of the book.]]> 4.02 1968
author: Ursula K. Le Guin
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1968
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2021/01/11
shelves:
review:
A very well written story, rich in worldbuilding, but poor in characters.

We see Ged, the protagonist, do many things, and are told about many more, but we never see HOW he does them, only THAT he does them. We rarely know WHY he does them or what he feels or thinks about them.

It is to the author's credit that the story still kept me hooked, and that the writing still kept me reading, because I didn't really care about Ged, who was a stranger to me even at the end of the book.
]]> 979795 146 Hitoshi Ashinano 4063210502 Kirby 5 4.36 1995
author: Hitoshi Ashinano
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.36
book published: 1995
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/12/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 64222
It was a tough decision.

But he has to see that the mail gets through, come rain, hail, sleet, dogs, the Post Office Workers' Friendly and Benevolent Society, the evil chairman of the Grand Trunk Semaphore Company, and a midnight killer.

Getting a date with Adora Bell Dearheart would be nice, too.

Maybe it'll take a criminal to succeed where honest men have failed, or maybe it's a death sentence either way.

Or perhaps there's a shot at redemption in the mad world of the mail, waiting for a man who's prepared to push the envelope...]]> 394 Terry Pratchett 0060502932 Kirby 2 4.40 2004
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2004
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2020/12/25
shelves:
review:
Feels unfinished and rushed. The first half was a bit of a slog, the second half a let-down. Lots of world-building, very little plot, and a romance that comes out of nowhere and goes nowhere.
]]> 23395680
The year is 2575, and two rival mega-corporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than a speck at the edge of the universe. Now with enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra — who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to evacuate with a hostile warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A plague has broken out and is mutating with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a web of data to find the truth, it’s clear the only person who can help her is the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents — including emails, maps, files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more — Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.]]> 608 Amie Kaufman 0553499114 Kirby 0 to-read 4.23 2015
author: Amie Kaufman
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/11/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 34068552
Bursting with tension and big ideas, this standalone series highlights the inventiveness of an author at the top of his game, as the interweaving story lines tell us not only how humanity arrived at this moment, but also the far-future consequences that spin off from it.]]> 576 Peter F. Hamilton 0399178848 Kirby 1
I was looking forward to a new trilogy from Peter F. Hamilton, who once used to be my favorite author.

I know I have changed A LOT since I first read his Night's Dawn Trilogy eleven years ago, and I suspect so has he. But I'd like to think my 2009-self would also hate this book.

Content Warnings for police brutality, murder, rape, ableism, and general awfulness.

This book, which I did not finish, is told primarily in 3 separate, but loosely connected, timelines.

Time

There is the "present", that is the year 2204. This one is told in first person. The protagonist works in security for the mega-corporation that controls pretty much everything. We don't really know anything else about him. These chapters are pretty short, and serve mainly as a framing narrative for the second timeline…

The "flashbacks". This is where the bulk of the book is set. These are set in the "past", that is anywhere between 2092 and the "present". Even though the framing narrative sets these up as characters telling their stories, these are in third person, and include viewpoints from characters not present in the framing narrative.
Here we get most of the world building and get to know the characters. I'll get to them in a bit.

Finally, there are the "flash forwards", I guess. These are set in an unspecified time in the future, probably thousands of years after the events in the framing narrative. They are presented without context, and the only connection are people mentioning the characters from the "present" as The Saints. This reads a bit like excerpts from a YA novel, since it focuses on two teens growing up.

Plot

I don't really know, I didn't get far enough into the book. This is a Peter F. Hamilton novel, so with me quitting ? in, I have no idea what the plot is about. That's not a complaint, per se, I like that in his earlier books!

Characters

Oof.

Okay, so the characters in the "flash forward" sections are fine. Nothing wrong there.

The characters in the present are all terrible people however.

A major plot-point so far is the exiling of people onto barely habitable prison planets without trial. Which most characters think is a good thing!
One example we are given is over 100 protesters being sent on a one-way trip to a prison colony for… uh… planning to destroy company property. So… conspiracy to destroy property. Punished by life in hell-prison. Without trial.
One character, one, objects to this, all the others seem to accept it, or even participate in it!

Another character says that even that is too much paperwork, so he just murders people. And after a few lines of outrage, the other characters are like "Yeah, okay."

Now, up until now I was willing to give the author the benefit of the doubt. Even though the book does nothing to condemn this behavior, I figured maybe the author wants me to think for myself, and these terrible people will learn a lesson later.

I stopped reading when one of the protagonists rapes a 19-year-old they describe as "dependent" on them, and blames it on their mental illness (which is alternatively described as "schizophrenia" or "psychopathy").

I don't trust the author to handle either rape or mental illness delicately, and definitely not to "redeem" that character… I am not even sure he recognizes he wrote about rape here!

Conclusion

Yikes! 1/10.

PS: The writing feels tired and uninspired, and the author recycles lots of ideas from earlier books. I even recognized two catchphrases lifted verbatim from his earlier works. Just in case you wanted to know about that.]]> 4.05 2018
author: Peter F. Hamilton
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2018
rating: 1
read at: 2020/09/18
date added: 2020/09/18
shelves:
review:
What can I say but: Yikes!

I was looking forward to a new trilogy from Peter F. Hamilton, who once used to be my favorite author.

I know I have changed A LOT since I first read his Night's Dawn Trilogy eleven years ago, and I suspect so has he. But I'd like to think my 2009-self would also hate this book.

Content Warnings for police brutality, murder, rape, ableism, and general awfulness.

This book, which I did not finish, is told primarily in 3 separate, but loosely connected, timelines.

Time

There is the "present", that is the year 2204. This one is told in first person. The protagonist works in security for the mega-corporation that controls pretty much everything. We don't really know anything else about him. These chapters are pretty short, and serve mainly as a framing narrative for the second timeline…

The "flashbacks". This is where the bulk of the book is set. These are set in the "past", that is anywhere between 2092 and the "present". Even though the framing narrative sets these up as characters telling their stories, these are in third person, and include viewpoints from characters not present in the framing narrative.
Here we get most of the world building and get to know the characters. I'll get to them in a bit.

Finally, there are the "flash forwards", I guess. These are set in an unspecified time in the future, probably thousands of years after the events in the framing narrative. They are presented without context, and the only connection are people mentioning the characters from the "present" as The Saints. This reads a bit like excerpts from a YA novel, since it focuses on two teens growing up.

Plot

I don't really know, I didn't get far enough into the book. This is a Peter F. Hamilton novel, so with me quitting ? in, I have no idea what the plot is about. That's not a complaint, per se, I like that in his earlier books!

Characters

Oof.

Okay, so the characters in the "flash forward" sections are fine. Nothing wrong there.

The characters in the present are all terrible people however.

A major plot-point so far is the exiling of people onto barely habitable prison planets without trial. Which most characters think is a good thing!
One example we are given is over 100 protesters being sent on a one-way trip to a prison colony for… uh… planning to destroy company property. So… conspiracy to destroy property. Punished by life in hell-prison. Without trial.
One character, one, objects to this, all the others seem to accept it, or even participate in it!

Another character says that even that is too much paperwork, so he just murders people. And after a few lines of outrage, the other characters are like "Yeah, okay."

Now, up until now I was willing to give the author the benefit of the doubt. Even though the book does nothing to condemn this behavior, I figured maybe the author wants me to think for myself, and these terrible people will learn a lesson later.

I stopped reading when one of the protagonists rapes a 19-year-old they describe as "dependent" on them, and blames it on their mental illness (which is alternatively described as "schizophrenia" or "psychopathy").

I don't trust the author to handle either rape or mental illness delicately, and definitely not to "redeem" that character… I am not even sure he recognizes he wrote about rape here!

Conclusion

Yikes! 1/10.

PS: The writing feels tired and uninspired, and the author recycles lots of ideas from earlier books. I even recognized two catchphrases lifted verbatim from his earlier works. Just in case you wanted to know about that.
]]> 52381770
It worries about the fragile human crew who've grown to trust it, but only where no one can see.

It tells itself that they're only a professional obligation, but when they're captured and an old friend from the past requires urgent assistance, Murderbot must choose between inertia and drastic action.

Drastic action it is, then.

]]> 350 Martha Wells 1250229863 Kirby 5 favorites
… I need sleep, but here's your review: SO GOOD!]]> 4.44 2020
author: Martha Wells
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/09/13
shelves: favorites
review:
So good. Just finished it. It's… ugh, it's 5AM. This is bad. But the book is good! SO GOOD!

… I need sleep, but here's your review: SO GOOD!
]]> 49003616 An Absolutely Remarkable Thing.

The Carls disappeared the same way they appeared, in an instant. While they were on Earth, they caused confusion and destruction without ever lifting a finger. Well, that’s not exactly true. Part of their maelstrom was the sudden viral fame and untimely death of April May: a young woman who stumbled into Carl’s path, giving them their name, becoming their advocate, and putting herself in the middle of an avalanche of conspiracy theories.

Months later, the world is as confused as ever. Andy has picked up April’s mantle of fame, speaking at conferences and online about the world post-Carl; Maya, ravaged by grief, begins to follow a string of mysteries that she is convinced will lead her to April; and Miranda infiltrates a new scientific operation . . . one that might have repercussions beyond anyone’s comprehension.

As they each get further down their own paths, a series of clues arrive—mysterious books that seem to predict the future and control the actions of their readers; unexplained internet outages; and more—which seem to suggest April may be very much alive. In the midst of the gang's possible reunion is a growing force, something that wants to capture our consciousness and even control our reality.

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is the bold and brilliant follow-up to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. It’s a fast-paced adventure that is also a biting social commentary, asking hard, urgent questions. How will we live online? What powers over our lives are we giving away for free? Who has the right to change the world forever? And how do we find comfort in an increasingly isolated world?]]> 452 Hank Green 152474347X Kirby 2 really don't want to keep reading. ^^"]]> 4.22 2020
author: Hank Green
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2020/09/06
shelves:
review:
Could not finish. I can't put my finger on it, but there's some deep incompatibility between that book and me. I would like to know what happens, but I really don't want to keep reading. ^^"
]]> 284658
Expelled from the Academy in disgrace—and returning home to her humiliated family, a storm of high-profile media coverage, and the gaping void of her own future—Ky is ready to face the inevitable onslaught of anger, disappointment, even pity. But soon after opportunity's door slams shut, Ky finds herself with a ticket to ride—and a shot at redemption—as captain of a Vatta Transport ship.

It's a simple assignment: escorting one of the Vatta fleet's oldest ships on its final voyage . . . to the scrapyard. But keeping it simple has never been Ky's style. And even though her father has provided a crew of seasoned veterans to baby-sit the fledgling captain on her maiden milk run, they can't stop Ky from turning the routine mission into a risky venture—in the name of turning a profit for Vatta Transport, of course.

By snapping up a lucrative delivery contract defaulted on by a rival company, and using part of the proceeds to upgrade her condemned vehicle, Ky aims to prove she's got more going for her than just her family's famous name. But business will soon have to take a backseat to bravery, when Ky's change of plans sails her and the crew straight into the middle of a colonial war. For all her commercial savvy, it's her military training and born-soldier's instincts that Ky will need to call on in the face of deadly combat, dangerous mercenaries, and violent mutiny. . . .]]> 357 Elizabeth Moon 0345447611 Kirby 2 The protagonist doesn't show a lot of agency outside of these topics, so when she gets into trouble through no fault of her own, she just waits for her enormous (and entirely unexamined) privilege to come rescue her, and make it all end well.
There is one exception to this, where something interesting happens, and she actually does something about it, but… that doesn't make this an interesting or good book.

I was pretty bored by the end, and was glad when I was done with it, but at least it wasn't offensively bad?

4/10]]> 3.97 2003
author: Elizabeth Moon
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2003
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2020/06/26
shelves:
review:
This book is mostly about money, contracts & logistics.
The protagonist doesn't show a lot of agency outside of these topics, so when she gets into trouble through no fault of her own, she just waits for her enormous (and entirely unexamined) privilege to come rescue her, and make it all end well.
There is one exception to this, where something interesting happens, and she actually does something about it, but… that doesn't make this an interesting or good book.

I was pretty bored by the end, and was glad when I was done with it, but at least it wasn't offensively bad?

4/10
]]> 44047421 317 Myke Cole 0857668064 Kirby 1 This one is near-future, and it feels… bad. While the protagonist likes to talk about deescalation and doesn't want war, when she and her team board a suspected Chinese smuggling ship, she quotes a racist excerpt from a Trump speech to her team!?
That's not my main complaint, but that's when I decided I'd subtract a star for the unquestioning nationalism.
At that point I was still prepared to give this three stars for it's compelling and diverse cast, if the plot could hold me. But it didn't. I didn't even finish the book, I was just tired of reading about the US military… and I can't give a book I didn't finish more than one star.]]> 3.83 2020
author: Myke Cole
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2020
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2020/05/12
shelves:
review:
Occasionally I like military sci-fi, but it is usually set hundreds - if not thousands - of years in the future.
This one is near-future, and it feels… bad. While the protagonist likes to talk about deescalation and doesn't want war, when she and her team board a suspected Chinese smuggling ship, she quotes a racist excerpt from a Trump speech to her team!?
That's not my main complaint, but that's when I decided I'd subtract a star for the unquestioning nationalism.
At that point I was still prepared to give this three stars for it's compelling and diverse cast, if the plot could hold me. But it didn't. I didn't even finish the book, I was just tired of reading about the US military… and I can't give a book I didn't finish more than one star.
]]> 38322550
Emperox Grayland II has finally wrested control of her empire from those who oppose her and who deny the reality of this collapse. But “control” is a slippery thing, and even as Grayland strives to save as many of her people from impoverished isolation, the forces opposing her rule will make a final, desperate push to topple her from her throne and power, by any means necessary. Grayland and her thinning list of allies must use every tool at their disposal to save themselves, and all of humanity. And yet it may not be enough.

Will Grayland become the savior of her civilization… or the last emperox to wear the crown?]]> 320 John Scalzi Kirby 2
The first book had interesting characters and took time to develop a plot. The latter two just… meandered here and there, only to have the final chapter quickly resolve a few things (poorly), and leave the big things pending.

Guess that'll be my last Scalzi for a while.]]> 4.07 2020
author: John Scalzi
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2020/04/17
shelves:
review:
I was hoping the disappointing second novel in this trilogy was merely the usual "middle part"-syndrome… but sadly, I was even more disappointed with the "conclusion". I hesitate to call it such, because it feels unearned and rushed and doesn't even conclude much…

The first book had interesting characters and took time to develop a plot. The latter two just… meandered here and there, only to have the final chapter quickly resolve a few things (poorly), and leave the big things pending.

Guess that'll be my last Scalzi for a while.
]]> 34942741
Emperox Grayland II of the Interdependency is ready to take desperate measures to help ensure the survival of billions. But arrayed before her are those who believe the collapse of the Flow is a myth―or at the very least an opportunity to an ascension to power.

While Grayland prepares for disaster, others are preparing for a civil war. A war that will take place in the halls of power, the markets of business and the altars of worship as much as it will between spaceships and battlefields.

The Emperox and her allies are smart and resourceful, as are her enemies. Nothing about this will be easy... and all of humanity will be caught in its consuming fire.]]> 304 John Scalzi Kirby 3 4.23 2018
author: John Scalzi
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2020/04/09
shelves:
review:

]]> 30078567
Our universe is ruled by physics and faster than light travel is not possible -- until the discovery of The Flow, an extra-dimensional field we can access at certain points in space-time that transport us to other worlds, around other stars.

Humanity flows away from Earth, into space, and in time forgets our home world and creates a new empire, the Interdependency, whose ethos requires that no one human outpost can survive without the others. It’s a hedge against interstellar war -- and a system of control for the rulers of the empire.

The Flow is eternal -- but it is not static. Just as a river changes course, The Flow changes as well, cutting off worlds from the rest of humanity. When it’s discovered that The Flow is moving, possibly cutting off all human worlds from faster than light travel forever, three individuals -- a scientist, a starship captain and the Empress of the Interdependency -- are in a race against time to discover what, if anything, can be salvaged from an interstellar empire on the brink of collapse.]]> 336 John Scalzi 0765388898 Kirby 4 Old Man's War was the hot new stuff, I read it and I didn't care for it at all.(I later read Starship Troopers and hated it, so I guess I just don't like this kind of book.)
After, I avoided his books for a long while, but when TOR.com had his Redshirts as a free download, I decided to give it a shot, and I quite liked it.

Seeing how the third book in the Interdependency Trilogy is about to be released this month, I went ahead and started reading book 1, and I found it to be really good!

For an in-depth review, I'm sure there are others you can turn to, so I'll just leave this here: 8/10.]]> 4.08 2017
author: John Scalzi
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2020/03/31
shelves:
review:
Back when Scalzi's Old Man's War was the hot new stuff, I read it and I didn't care for it at all.(I later read Starship Troopers and hated it, so I guess I just don't like this kind of book.)
After, I avoided his books for a long while, but when TOR.com had his Redshirts as a free download, I decided to give it a shot, and I quite liked it.

Seeing how the third book in the Interdependency Trilogy is about to be released this month, I went ahead and started reading book 1, and I found it to be really good!

For an in-depth review, I'm sure there are others you can turn to, so I'll just leave this here: 8/10.
]]> 32802595
Tessa chose to stay home when her brother Ashby left for the stars, but has to question that decision when her position in the Fleet is threatened.

Kip, a reluctant young apprentice, itches for change but doesn't know where to find it.

Sawyer, a lost and lonely newcomer, is just looking for a place to belong.

When a disaster rocks this already fragile community, those Exodans who still call the Fleet their home can no longer avoid the inescapable question:

What is the purpose of a ship that has reached its destination?]]> 359 Becky Chambers 1473647606 Kirby 5 4.10 2018
author: Becky Chambers
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/03/28
shelves:
review:

]]> 43190272
Ariadne is one such explorer. As an astronaut on an extrasolar research vessel, she and her fellow crewmates sleep between worlds and wake up each time with different features. Her experience is one of fluid body and stable mind and of a unique perspective on the passage of time. Back on Earth, society changes dramatically from decade to decade, as it always does.

Ariadne may awaken to find that support for space exploration back home has waned, or that her country of birth no longer exists, or that a cult has arisen around their cosmic findings, only to dissolve once more by the next waking. But the moods of Earth have little bearing on their mission: to explore, to study, and to send their learnings home.

Carrying all the trademarks of her other beloved works, including brilliant writing, fantastic world-building and exceptional, diverse characters, Becky's first audiobook outside of the Wayfarers series is sure to capture the imagination of listeners all over the world.]]> 153 Becky Chambers 0062936018 Kirby 4 really good, right until the abrupt and unsatisfying ending ^^"]]> 4.19 2019
author: Becky Chambers
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2020/02/25
shelves:
review:
Really really good, right until the abrupt and unsatisfying ending ^^"
]]> 61905 336 Lois McMaster Bujold 0743468414 Kirby 5 favorites 4.29 1991
author: Lois McMaster Bujold
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1991
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/02/11
shelves: favorites
review:

]]> 13055592 Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. It’s a prestige posting, and Andrew is thrilled all the more to be assigned to the ship’s Xenobiology laboratory.

Life couldn’t be better…until Andrew begins to pick up on the fact that:
(1) every Away Mission involves some kind of lethal confrontation with alien forces
(2) the ship’s captain, its chief science officer, and the handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these confrontations
(3) at least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed.

Not surprisingly, a great deal of energy below decks is expended on avoiding, at all costs, being assigned to an Away Mission. Then Andrew stumbles on information that completely transforms his and his colleagues’ understanding of what the starship Intrepid really is…and offers them a crazy, high-risk chance to save their own lives.]]> 320 John Scalzi 0765316994 Kirby 4 3.85 2012
author: John Scalzi
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2020/02/11
shelves:
review:

]]> 29475447
Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet introduced readers to the incredible world of Rosemary Harper, a young woman with a restless soul and secrets to keep. When she joined the crew of the Wayfarer, an intergalactic ship, she got more than she bargained for - and learned to live with, and love, her rag-tag collection of crewmates.

A Closed and Common Orbit is the stand-alone sequel to Becky Chambers' beloved debut novel The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and is perfect for fans of Firefly, Joss Whedon, Mass Effect and Star Wars.]]> 365 Becky Chambers 1473621445 Kirby 5 favorites 4.35 2016
author: Becky Chambers
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2017/12/16
date added: 2020/02/09
shelves: favorites
review:

]]> 20706284 Seeking atonement for past crimes, Breq takes on a mission as captain of a troublesome new crew of Radchai soldiers.

Breq is a soldier who used to be a warship. Once a weapon of conquest controlling thousands of minds, now she has only a single body and serves the emperor.

With a new ship and a troublesome crew, Breq is ordered to go to the only place in the galaxy she would agree to go: to Athoek Station to protect the family of a lieutenant she once knew - a lieutenant she murdered in cold blood.]]> 359 Ann Leckie 0316246654 Kirby 5 favorites The first book was good, this one is great!

It very much reminds me of some of Miles Vorkosigan's adventures, but of course set in Ann Leckie's Radch universe with an ancillary as our protagonist.

I'm really looking forward to see how this trilogy ends!]]> 4.05 2014
author: Ann Leckie
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2019/02/19
date added: 2020/02/09
shelves: favorites
review:
This second book in the series is quite different from the first book, and - in my opinion - even better.
The first book was good, this one is great!

It very much reminds me of some of Miles Vorkosigan's adventures, but of course set in Ann Leckie's Radch universe with an ancillary as our protagonist.

I'm really looking forward to see how this trilogy ends!
]]> 43352954 Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.

Except the discovery of their bond would mean death for each of them. There's still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win that war.]]> 209 Amal El-Mohtar Kirby 0 to-read 3.86 2019
author: Amal El-Mohtar
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 34527
But for Commander Vimes, Head of Ankh-Morpork City Watch, that's only the start...

There's treason in the air.
A crime has happened.

He's not only got to find out whodunit, but howdunit too. He's not even sure what they dun. But as soon as he knows what the questions are, he's going to want some answers.]]> 411 Terry Pratchett 0552153257 Kirby 3 Buuut… there is so much stuff in here where the cops Watchpeople make fun of breaking the law, make jokes about police brutality, and even a few jokes at the expense of victims of sexual assault… and then it ends with something along the lines that the best choice a free person can make is to be a cop…

Like… if all cops were like Carrot or even Vimes, yeah, sure. But they are not.

#ACAB]]> 4.31 1996
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1996
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2019/12/30
shelves:
review:
I got quite a lot of laughs out of this, but the plot seems a bit convoluted. Taken at face value I'd probably give it a 7/10.
Buuut… there is so much stuff in here where the cops Watchpeople make fun of breaking the law, make jokes about police brutality, and even a few jokes at the expense of victims of sexual assault… and then it ends with something along the lines that the best choice a free person can make is to be a cop…

Like… if all cops were like Carrot or even Vimes, yeah, sure. But they are not.

#ACAB
]]> 393146
Alison Croggon’s epic fantasy, the first in the Books of Pellinor quartet, is a glittering saga steeped in the rich and complex landscape of Annar, a legendary world ripe for discovery.]]> 492 Alison Croggon 0763631620 Kirby 0 to-read 4.03 2002
author: Alison Croggon
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/12/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 25353286
But Ingray and her charge return to her home to find their planet in political turmoil, at the heart of an escalating interstellar conflict. Together, they must make a new plan to salvage Ingray's future and her world, before they are lost to her for good.]]> 481 Ann Leckie Kirby 5
And this time there are three (linguistic) genders! (Instead of just one in the trilogy.) Makes it a bit easier to follow, though I did get used to the Radchaai monogender after some time. I don't think I've ever seen 'Mx.' used in a book before, and I love it!

My only regret is that I didn't read this earlier x'D

Easily 5/5!]]> 3.81 2017
author: Ann Leckie
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/12/05
shelves:
review:
So good! As good as the Ancillary trilogy at its best!

And this time there are three (linguistic) genders! (Instead of just one in the trilogy.) Makes it a bit easier to follow, though I did get used to the Radchaai monogender after some time. I don't think I've ever seen 'Mx.' used in a book before, and I love it!

My only regret is that I didn't read this earlier x'D

Easily 5/5!
]]> 337132
Two minutes and seventeen seconds that changed the world

Suddenly, without warning, all seven billion people on Earth black out for more than two minutes. Millions die as planes fall from the sky, people tumble down staircases, and cars plow into each other.

But that’s the least of the survivors’ challenges. During the blackout, everyone experienced a glimpse of what his or her future holds—and the interlocking mosaic of these visions threatens to unravel the present.]]> 320 Robert J. Sawyer 0812580346 Kirby 1
I might have given this book 2 stars if not for one of the most egregious examples of "" I have ever had to read… YIKES!]]> 3.68 1999
author: Robert J. Sawyer
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.68
book published: 1999
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2019/11/19
shelves:
review:
Interesting concept, some clever ideas, extremely clumsy execution.

I might have given this book 2 stars if not for one of the most egregious examples of "" I have ever had to read… YIKES!
]]> 371999 384 Kristine Kathryn Rusch 0451459717 Kirby 3 a lot once I was a hundred pages or so in. Sure, the protagonist Miles Flint is a moody, judgmental loner, who also happens to be a genius-hacker and a millionaire, which is a bit odd, and some of the writing was unclear (or maybe the ebook I bought from Smashwords was just very poorly made, maybe the print version is better), but everything not involving him was really promising.

I was expecting this to be a two-parter, I was nearing the end of the book, and there were still so many plot threads to be resolved (vague spoilers ahead) [spoilers removed].

I hate it when books pull this shit.

5/10 Okay-ish.]]> 3.95 2004
author: Kristine Kathryn Rusch
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 2019/09/08
date added: 2019/09/08
shelves:
review:
I thought I would like this book a lot once I was a hundred pages or so in. Sure, the protagonist Miles Flint is a moody, judgmental loner, who also happens to be a genius-hacker and a millionaire, which is a bit odd, and some of the writing was unclear (or maybe the ebook I bought from Smashwords was just very poorly made, maybe the print version is better), but everything not involving him was really promising.

I was expecting this to be a two-parter, I was nearing the end of the book, and there were still so many plot threads to be resolved (vague spoilers ahead) [spoilers removed].

I hate it when books pull this shit.

5/10 Okay-ish.
]]> 372004
While searching for the Disappeared, criminals on the run for commiting unspeakable acts of violence against alien cultures, Retrieval Artist Miles Flint investigates two suspicious deaths, leading him to a demented scientist who is now one of the Disappeared.

When a powerful attorney visits Flint and begs him to take a case, Flint has no idea that the research will lead him to a murder at the highly publicized and popular Moon Marathon. Flint is intrigued by the case involving another Retrieval Artist who allegedly died due to a dangerous flu virus. Miles believes the death is not an accident. Police Detective Noelle DeRicci, Flint's former partner, investigates the death of a young woman at the same event. She knows the death is not an accident. It soon becomes clear that both deaths are connected. Flint and DeRicci find themselves in their own race, one against time and a certain kind of madness that could threaten everything they know and love.]]> 384 Kristine Kathryn Rusch 0451459342 Kirby 4 quite click with me.

EDIT: I think I figured out what bothers me about these books and why I still keep reading:

The mysteries are great, the characters are pretty good, the alien cultures are fascinating, and the viewpoint characters weave together excellently.
But at the same time the politics, society, and especially the technology are just so weird and removed from how I think things (should?) work…]]> 3.95 2003
author: Kristine Kathryn Rusch
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/09/06
shelves:
review:
7/10 Good, but could have been great. I don't know if it's too "soft" sci-fi for me or if it's the "hardboiled PI" thing, or both, but this book didn't quite click with me.

EDIT: I think I figured out what bothers me about these books and why I still keep reading:

The mysteries are great, the characters are pretty good, the alien cultures are fascinating, and the viewpoint characters weave together excellently.
But at the same time the politics, society, and especially the technology are just so weird and removed from how I think things (should?) work…
]]> 372000
Meet Miles Flint. His occupation: Retrieval Artist. His job: Hunt down the Disappeared, outlaws on the run, wanted for crimes against alien cultures. The catch: Flint isn't working on the side of the law. Miles becomes embroiled in a bizarre case involving a stolen spaceyacht filled with dead bodies...a triple murder, the kidnapping of two human children, and a woman on the run.

Flint must enforce the law, giving the children to aliens, solving the murders, and arresting the woman for trying to save her own life. But how is a man supposed to enforce laws that are unjust? How can he sacrifice innocents to a system he's not sure he believes in? How can Miles Flint do the right thing in a universe where the right thing is very, very wrong?]]> 384 Kristine Kathryn Rusch 0451458885 Kirby 3 3.75 2002
author: Kristine Kathryn Rusch
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2002
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2019/08/20
shelves:
review:

]]> 40376072
Long ago, Earth's terraforming program sent ships out to build new homes for humanity among the stars and made an unexpected discovery: a planet with life. But the scientists were unaware that the alien ecosystem was more developed than the primitive life forms originally discovered.

Now, thousands of years later, the Portiids and their humans have sent an exploration vessel following fragmentary radio signals. They discover a system in crisis, warring factions trying to recover from an apocalyptic catastrophe arising from what the early terraformers awoke all those years before.]]> 597 Adrian Tchaikovsky Kirby 2
This one… has uneven thirds, I guess? There's the "Old" human third, which kept me interested, but it ended half-way through the book, and dipped into horror for a bit, which really turned me off.

Of the other two thirds, the "new" Human/Spider part was —again— a slog. It just… took forever to get anywhere.

And the final third, the [spoilers removed] part was just disjointed and uninteresting. There was basically no continuity between the chapters. That of course fits with the characters' ephemeral and wildly emotional natures, but it also makes for a very boring read!

And the way the main conflict was resolved was just… eh. It happened. I guess. Or maybe I had already stopped caring.

4/10 Tolerable, but just barely.]]> 4.02 2019
author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2019/08/08
shelves:
review:
The first book had me hooked with the Spiders' half of the story, but the human half was a bit of a slog.

This one… has uneven thirds, I guess? There's the "Old" human third, which kept me interested, but it ended half-way through the book, and dipped into horror for a bit, which really turned me off.

Of the other two thirds, the "new" Human/Spider part was —again— a slog. It just… took forever to get anywhere.

And the final third, the [spoilers removed] part was just disjointed and uninteresting. There was basically no continuity between the chapters. That of course fits with the characters' ephemeral and wildly emotional natures, but it also makes for a very boring read!

And the way the main conflict was resolved was just… eh. It happened. I guess. Or maybe I had already stopped caring.

4/10 Tolerable, but just barely.
]]> 279561 Welcome back to the brash, brutal new world of the twenty-fifth century: where global politics isn’t just for planet Earth anymore; and where death is just a break in the action, thanks to the techno-miracle that can preserve human consciousness and download it into one new body after another.

Cynical, quick-on-the-trigger Takeshi Kovacs, the ex-U.N. envoy turned private eye, has changed careers - and bodies - once more... trading sleuthing for soldiering as a warrior-for-hire, and helping a far-flung planet’s government put down a bloody revolution.

But when it comes to taking sides, the only one Kovacs is ever really on is his own. So when a rogue pilot and a sleazy corporate fat cat offer him a lucrative role in a treacherous treasure hunt, he’s only too happy to go AWOL with a band of resurrected soldiers of fortune. All that stands between them and the ancient alien spacecraft they mean to salvage are a massacred city bathed in deadly radiation, unleashed nanotechnolgy with a million ways to kill, and whatever surprises the highly advanced Martian race may have in store. But armed with his genetically engineered instincts, and his trusty twin Kalashnikovs, Takeshi is ready to take on anything — and let the devil take whoever’s left behind.

]]> 366 Richard K. Morgan 0345457714 Kirby 3 I'll probably read the third one, once I've forgotten how unpleasant this one was.]]> 3.92 2003
author: Richard K. Morgan
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2019/06/26
shelves:
review:
A deeply unpleasant book — filled with over-the-top violence and torture — that drags on too long, yet managed to keep me hooked until the ?— satisfying — ending.
I'll probably read the third one, once I've forgotten how unpleasant this one was.
]]> 68483 346 Lois McMaster Bujold 0671720147 Kirby 3
I love the Vorkosigan series, but this is the worst book in it. This is like… 3 unfinished books poorly cobbled together, and 2 of those are just Miles randomly stumbling around, somehow managing to fall up a bunch of ladders.]]> 4.27 1990
author: Lois McMaster Bujold
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1990
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2019/06/05
shelves:
review:
How did this win a Hugo?

I love the Vorkosigan series, but this is the worst book in it. This is like… 3 unfinished books poorly cobbled together, and 2 of those are just Miles randomly stumbling around, somehow managing to fall up a bunch of ladders.
]]> 2684541 112 Lois McMaster Bujold 1590623819 Kirby 5 4.28 1989
author: Lois McMaster Bujold
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1989
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/05/22
shelves:
review:

]]> 61906
Shortly after his arrival on Beta Colony, Miles unexpectedly finds himself the owner of an obsolete freighter and in more debt than he ever thought possible. Propelled by his manic "forward momentum," the ever-inventive Miles creates a new identity for himself as the commander of his own mercenary fleet to obtain a lucrative cargo; a shipment of weapons destined for a dangerous warzone.]]> 372 Lois McMaster Bujold 0743468406 Kirby 4 4.27 1986
author: Lois McMaster Bujold
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1986
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/05/22
shelves:
review:

]]> 36165705 FICTION
"Antarctic Birds" by A. Brym
"Little /^^^\&-" by Eric Schwitzgebel
"The Secret Life of Bots" by Suzanne Palmer
"Pan-Humanism: Hope and Pragmatics" by Jess Barber and Sara Saab
"M?bius Continuum" by Gu Shi, translated by S. Qiouyi Lu
"Bonding with Morry" by Tom Purdom
"Warmth" by Geoff Ryman

NON-FICTION
"Artificial Wombs and Control of Reproductive Technology" by Stephanie M. Bucklin
"Occult Agencies and Political Satire: A Conversation with Charles Stross" by Chris Urie
"Another Word: The Dream of Writing Full Time" by Kelly Robson
"Editor's Desk: Home for the Month" by Neil Clarke]]> 142 Neil Clarke Kirby 4 4.18 2017
author: Neil Clarke
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2018/08/02
date added: 2019/05/20
shelves:
review:

]]> 36373298
Maggie Hoskie is a Dinétah monster hunter, a supernaturally gifted killer. When a small town needs help finding a missing girl, Maggie is their last—and best—hope. But what Maggie uncovers about the monster is much larger and more terrifying than anything she could imagine.

Maggie reluctantly enlists the aid of Kai Arviso, an unconventional medicine man, and together they travel to the rez to unravel clues from ancient legends, trade favors with tricksters, and battle dark witchcraft in a patchwork world of deteriorating technology.

As Maggie discovers the truth behind the disappearances, she will have to confront her past—if she wants to survive.

Welcome to the Sixth World.]]> 287 Rebecca Roanhorse 1534413499 Kirby 0 to-read 3.93 2018
author: Rebecca Roanhorse
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/05/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 61903 253 Lois McMaster Bujold 0743468422 Kirby 5 4.14 1986
author: Lois McMaster Bujold
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1986
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/05/10
shelves:
review:

]]> 41940371 Perihelion Summer is a story of people struggling to adapt to a suddenly alien environment, and the friendships and alliances they forge as they try to find their way in a world where the old maps have lost their meaning.

Taraxippus is coming: a black hole one tenth the mass of the sun is about to enter the solar system.

Matt and his friends are taking no chances. They board a mobile aquaculture rig, the Mandjet, self-sustaining in food, power and fresh water, and decide to sit out the encounter off-shore. As Taraxippus draws nearer, new observations throw the original predictions for its trajectory into doubt, and by the time it leaves the solar system, the conditions of life across the globe will be changed forever.]]> 224 Greg Egan 1250313783 Kirby 0 to-read 3.24 2019
author: Greg Egan
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.24
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/04/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 40803025
Bearing witness to the desperate struggle for existence between life old and new, is Stefan Advani, rebel, outlaw, prisoner, survivor. This is his testament, an account of the journey that took him into the blazing desolation of the western deserts; that transported him east down the river and imprisoned him in verdant hell of the jungle's darkest heart; that led him deep into the labyrinths and caverns of the underworld. He will treat with monsters, madman, mutants. The question is, which one of them will inherit this Earth?]]> 602 Adrian Tchaikovsky Kirby 0 to-read 3.98 2019
author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/04/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 40796392 From Hugo Award-winning debut author Suzanne Palmer comes an action-packed sci-fi caper starring Fergus Ferguson, interstellar repo man and professional finder.

Fergus Ferguson has been called a lot of names: thief, con artist, repo man. He prefers the term finder.

His latest job should be simple. Find the spacecraft Venetia's Sword and steal it back from Arum Gilger, ex-nobleman turned power-hungry trade boss. He'll slip in, decode the ship's compromised AI security, and get out of town, Sword in hand.

Fergus locates both Gilger and the ship in the farthest corner of human-inhabited space, a gas-giant-harvesting colony called Cernee. But Fergus' arrival at the colony is anything but simple. A cable car explosion launches Cernee into civil war, and Fergus must ally with Gilger's enemies to navigate a field of space mines and a small army of hostile mercenaries. What was supposed to be a routine job evolves into negotiating a power struggle between factions. Even worse, Fergus has become increasingly--and inconveniently--invested in the lives of the locals.

It doesn't help that a dangerous alien species thought mythical prove unsettlingly real, and their ominous triangle ships keep following Fergus around.

Foolhardy. Eccentric. Reckless. Whatever he's called, Fergus will need all the help he can get to take back the Sword and maybe save Cernee from destruction in the process.]]> 400 Suzanne Palmer 075641511X Kirby 0 to-read 3.89 2019
author: Suzanne Palmer
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/04/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 70947
The ensuing quest leads them to the bleak splendour of the North, where armoured bears rule the ice and witch-queens fly through the frozen skies - and where a team of scientists is conducting experiments too horrible to be spoken about.

Lyra overcomes these strange terrors, only to find something yet more perilous waiting for her - something with consequences which may even reach beyond the Northern Lights...]]> 399 Philip Pullman 0590660543 Kirby 0 to-read 4.24 1995
author: Philip Pullman
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1995
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/03/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 23533039 Ancillary Mercy is the third book in the trilogy that began with Ancillary Justice.

For a moment, things seemed to be under control for Breq, the soldier who used to be a warship. Then a search of Athoek Station's slums turns up someone who shouldn't exist and a messenger from the mysterious Presger empire arrives, as does Breq's old enemy, the divided, heavily armed, and possibly insane Anaander Mianaai—ruler of an empire at war with itself.

Breq could flee with her ship and crew, but that would leave the people of Athoek in terrible danger. Breq has a desperate plan. The odds aren't good, but that's never stopped her before.]]> 328 Ann Leckie Kirby 4 4.19 2015
author: Ann Leckie
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/03/03
shelves:
review:

]]> 26118426 Ninefox Gambit, centers on disgraced captain Kel Cheris, who must recapture the formidable Fortress of Scattered Needles in order to redeem herself in front of the Hexarchate.

To win an impossible war Captain Kel Cheris must awaken an ancient weapon and a despised traitor general.

Captain Kel Cheris of the hexarchate is disgraced for using unconventional methods in a battle against heretics. Kel Command gives her the opportunity to redeem herself by retaking the Fortress of Scattered Needles, a star fortress that has recently been captured by heretics. Cheris’s career isn’t the only thing at stake. If the fortress falls, the hexarchate itself might be next.

Cheris’s best hope is to ally with the undead tactician Shuos Jedao. The good news is that Jedao has never lost a battle, and he may be the only one who can figure out how to successfully besiege the fortress.

The bad news is that Jedao went mad in his first life and massacred two armies, one of them his own. As the siege wears on, Cheris must decide how far she can trust Jedao–because she might be his next victim.]]> 384 Yoon Ha Lee Kirby 0 to-read 3.76 2016
author: Yoon Ha Lee
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/02/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 17333324
On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest.

Once, she was the Justice of Toren - a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy.

Now, an act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with one fragile human body, unanswered questions, and a burning desire for vengeance.]]> 386 Ann Leckie Kirby 4 3.98 2013
author: Ann Leckie
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/02/14
shelves:
review:

]]> 35519101
And Murderbot would rather those questions went away. For good.

]]> 158 Martha Wells 1250191785 Kirby 4 4.21 2018
author: Martha Wells
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/01/24
shelves:
review:

]]> 35519109
Having traveled the width of the galaxy to unearth details of its own murderous transgressions, as well as those of the GrayCris Corporation, Murderbot is heading home to help Dr. Mensah—its former owner (protector? friend?)—submit evidence that could prevent GrayCris from destroying more colonists in its never-ending quest for profit.

But who’s going to believe a SecUnit gone rogue?

And what will become of it when it’s caught?]]> 163 Martha Wells Kirby 4 4.38 2018
author: Martha Wells
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/01/24
shelves:
review:

]]> 36223860 alternate cover for ISBN 9781250186928

It has a dark past – one in which a number of humans were killed. A past that caused it to christen itself “Murderbot." But it has only vague memories of the massacre that spawned that title, and it wants to know more.

Teaming up with a Research Transport vessel named ART (you don’t want to know what the “A” stands for), Murderbot heads to the mining facility where it went rogue.

What it discovers will forever change the way it thinks.]]> 158 Martha Wells Kirby 4 4.23 2018
author: Martha Wells
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/01/23
shelves:
review:

]]> 32758901 "As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure."

In a corporate-dominated space-faring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. For their own safety, exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.

On a distant planet, a team of scientists is conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid--a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, Murderbot wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is, but when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and Murderbot to get to the truth.]]> 144 Martha Wells Kirby 4 4.10 2017
author: Martha Wells
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/01/20
shelves:
review:

]]> 23209924
When rumours of a game-changing water source surface, Las Vegas dispatches elite water knife Angel Velasquez to Phoenix to investigate. There, he discovers hardened journalist Lucy Monroe, who holds the secret to the water source Angel seeks. But Angel isn't the only one hunting for water, Lucy is no pushover, and the death of a despised water knife is a small price to pay in return for the life-giving flow of a river.]]> 371 Paolo Bacigalupi 0385352875 Kirby 1
But this is a very unpleasant book. It depicts a very unpleasant future filled with very unpleasant people. Lots of terrible things happen to people, even the few good people we meet!

I was hoping for some kind of redemption, some kind of conclusion, but there was nothing. Once the protagonists have the McGuffin in their possession the book ends.

It would still be an okay book, if it wasn't for all that unpleasantness… and who it is directed at.
There's lots of torture, rape, forced prostitution, mutilation, and murder. Yet somehow, everything but the latter only happen to women and gay people. Straight men are usually just shot and either die quickly or get better almost as quickly.
What the hell, Paolo?]]> 3.81 2015
author: Paolo Bacigalupi
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2015
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2019/01/17
shelves:
review:
This book is about the world and the people, the plot is merely there to move people through the world so we can learn about them and it. Which is okay.

But this is a very unpleasant book. It depicts a very unpleasant future filled with very unpleasant people. Lots of terrible things happen to people, even the few good people we meet!

I was hoping for some kind of redemption, some kind of conclusion, but there was nothing. Once the protagonists have the McGuffin in their possession the book ends.

It would still be an okay book, if it wasn't for all that unpleasantness… and who it is directed at.
There's lots of torture, rape, forced prostitution, mutilation, and murder. Yet somehow, everything but the latter only happen to women and gay people. Straight men are usually just shot and either die quickly or get better almost as quickly.
What the hell, Paolo?
]]> 872586 304 John Brunner 0345312244 Kirby 0 to-read 3.73 1983
author: John Brunner
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.73
book published: 1983
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/01/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 25499718
WHO WILL INHERIT THIS NEW EARTH?

The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age—a world terraformed and prepared for human life.

But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the planet was abandoned, the work of its architects has borne disastrous fruit. The planet is not waiting for them, pristine and unoccupied. New masters have turned it from a refuge into mankind's worst nightmare.

Now two civilizations are on a collision course, both testing the boundaries of what they will do to survive. As the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, who are the true heirs of this new Earth?]]> 608 Adrian Tchaikovsky 1447273281 Kirby 4 4.29 2015
author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/01/02
shelves:
review:

]]> 61898 here.

Troubled young Fawn Bluefield seeks a life beyond her family's farm. Enroute to the city, she encounters a patrol of Lakewalkers. The necromancers armed with human bone knives fight "malices", immortal entities that draw out life, enslaving humans and animals. Dag saves Fawn from a malice - at a devastating cost. Their fates are now bound in a remarkable journey.]]> 361 Lois McMaster Bujold 0061139076 Kirby 0 to-read 3.71 2006
author: Lois McMaster Bujold
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/12/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 28677 384 Lois McMaster Bujold 0671578707 Kirby 0 to-read 3.62 1992
author: Lois McMaster Bujold
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.62
book published: 1992
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/12/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 25155958
FUTURE IMPERFECT

Three years after her famous husband's death, Cordelia Vorkosigan, widowed Vicereine of Sergyar, stands ready to spin her life in a new direction. Oliver Jole, Admiral, Sergyar Fleet, finds himself caught up in her web of plans in ways he'd never imagined, bringing him to an unexpected crossroads in his life.

Meanwhile, Miles Vorkosigan, one of Emperor Gregor's key investigators, this time dispatches himself on a mission of inquiry, into a mystery he never anticipated; his own mother.

Plans, wills, and expectations collide in this sparkling science-fiction social comedy, as the impact of galactic technology on the range of the possible changes all the old rules, and Miles learns that not only is the future not what he expects, neither is the past.]]> 352 Lois McMaster Bujold 1625794800 Kirby 3 3.73 2016
author: Lois McMaster Bujold
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2018/12/16
shelves:
review:

]]> 40003074
This novella falls after Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance in the Vorkosigan series timeline, but may be read entirely independently.]]> 98 Lois McMaster Bujold Kirby 3 3.96 2018
author: Lois McMaster Bujold
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2018/12/16
shelves:
review:

]]> 288771 Two tough-but-tender characters with a bright future--if they live that long.

Terran Miri Robertson was a mercenary, but she retired to a cushy job as a private bodyguard. What she didn't know what that her client had powerful enemies. Now he's dead, and they're after her.]]> 320 Sharon Lee 0441009913 Kirby 2 overrated
I feel like there's an excellent book hidden in this fever dream of unexplained, sudden twists and turns.

I see the appeal of the characters, but the two protagonists are very inconsistent, and I didn't buy their "chemistry".
Their friends and family are awesome, but also repeatedly serve as Dei Ex Machina to get them out of trouble.
Finally, the whole plot seems rather directionless…

Add to that the fact that I had to reread dozens of sections to make sense of them, sometimes failing completely and having to reconstruct their meaning from context, I can not give this more than two stars.

If I hadn't downloaded this book directly from the publisher, I would have thought I had gotten a hoax version, where half the pages were missing and some paragraphs had random words inserted or left out…]]> 4.16 1988
author: Sharon Lee
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1988
rating: 2
read at: 2018/12/05
date added: 2018/12/04
shelves: overrated
review:
Full disclosure: I got this book for free, and so can you:

I feel like there's an excellent book hidden in this fever dream of unexplained, sudden twists and turns.

I see the appeal of the characters, but the two protagonists are very inconsistent, and I didn't buy their "chemistry".
Their friends and family are awesome, but also repeatedly serve as Dei Ex Machina to get them out of trouble.
Finally, the whole plot seems rather directionless…

Add to that the fact that I had to reread dozens of sections to make sense of them, sometimes failing completely and having to reconstruct their meaning from context, I can not give this more than two stars.

If I hadn't downloaded this book directly from the publisher, I would have thought I had gotten a hoax version, where half the pages were missing and some paragraphs had random words inserted or left out…
]]> 34409335 A ragtag crew of humans and posthumans discover alien technology that could change the fate of humanity... or awaken an ancient evil and destroy all life in the galaxy.

The shady crew of the White Raven run freight and salvage at the fringes of our solar system. They discover the wreck of a centuries-old exploration vessel floating light years away from its intended destination and revive its sole occupant, who wakes with news of First Alien Contact. When the crew break it to her that humanity has alien allies already, she reveals that these are very different extra-terrestrials... and the gifts they bestowed on her could kill all humanity, or take it out to the most distant stars.
File Under: Science Fiction]]> 396 Tim Pratt 0857667092 Kirby 0 to-read 3.69 2017
author: Tim Pratt
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/11/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 860926 295 Alastair Reynolds 1597800589 Kirby 3 4.05 2006
author: Alastair Reynolds
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2018/11/22
shelves:
review:

]]> 24233708 343 Hank Green 1524743453 Kirby 4 The sci-fi part is more of a McGuffin, but I hope we see more of it in the sequel that this book clearly sets up.

It's pretty good. Quite excellent for a first novel!]]> 4.05 2018
author: Hank Green
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/11/17
date added: 2018/11/16
shelves:
review:
欧宝娱乐 told me this was "Science Fiction", and while that isn't *false*, it's really more about suddenly becoming famous. That's the strongest part of the book.
The sci-fi part is more of a McGuffin, but I hope we see more of it in the sequel that this book clearly sets up.

It's pretty good. Quite excellent for a first novel!
]]> 13184491
David and his team are initially thrilled when the project is allocated extra servers and programmers. But excitement turns to fear as the team realizes that they are being manipulated by an A.I. who is redirecting corporate funds, reassigning personnel and arming itself in pursuit of its own agenda.]]> 300 William Hertling 0984755705 Kirby 1 and computers!

Pros:
- It is, for the most part, well readable. I was rarely confused what was happening. Occasionally it wasn't clear who was saying what, but that hardly matters, because the characters are all the same anyway.
- I was never bored. In fact I was compelled to finish this book, even though it is REALLY BAD.

Cons:
The characters
The protagonists are:
* David, a nerd who is married and worries a lot.
* Mike, a nerd who is funny and a creep towards women.
* Sean, a nerd who is rich.
* Gene, a nerd who is old and doesn't trust computers.
A real diverse bunch, one even has more than 4 letters in his name!

Those are pretty much the only distinguishing features they have, but it doesn't really matter, because they might as well be just one dude. Sometimes one of them gets angry at another for two sentences, but then they're working as a single unit again.
Character development is absent.

Coffee
Coffee is the fifth protagonist in this book. All the time characters drink coffee, go to get coffee, go out to buy coffee, offer coffee, make coffee, talk about coffee, and even think about coffee.
Are you annoyed by coffee yet? This book has a lot more mentions of it than this review!
Just shut up about coffee!

EDIT: I did a quick search through the ebook; "coffee" is mentioned more often than "Christine", David's wife, and by far the most present woman in the book.

The Plot
It starts out promising, and while the author manages to keep me wanting to know what happens next, it's never as interesting as promised.
Our protagonists are mostly fighting their own na?veté, ignorance, and gullibility, as well the most fearsome foes of all: Meetings and the bureaucracy of setting up meetings.
Yes, those are major plot points.
The ending is disappointing and quite jarring.

The Writing
Everything is following the most obvious cliché: People who are celebrating clap each others' backs, people who are annoyed tap their feet, and so on...

The author seems to think that telling us completely irrelevant details about minor characters makes them... relatable, I guess?

Just one example:
There is a minor character (another male nerd with a 4 letter name, what a shock!), who has maybe a dozen pages in the book, and half a page of that is spent on him looking at the rain and reminiscing how he used to play in it as a child.
This never comes up again.

Conclusion:
It's not the worst book I ever read, but probably the worst book I ever finished.]]> 3.81 2011
author: William Hertling
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2011
rating: 1
read at: 2018/10/28
date added: 2018/10/28
shelves:
review:
TL;DR: Dan Brown but with computer nerds. Avoid, unless you really like Dan Brown and computers!

Pros:
- It is, for the most part, well readable. I was rarely confused what was happening. Occasionally it wasn't clear who was saying what, but that hardly matters, because the characters are all the same anyway.
- I was never bored. In fact I was compelled to finish this book, even though it is REALLY BAD.

Cons:
The characters
The protagonists are:
* David, a nerd who is married and worries a lot.
* Mike, a nerd who is funny and a creep towards women.
* Sean, a nerd who is rich.
* Gene, a nerd who is old and doesn't trust computers.
A real diverse bunch, one even has more than 4 letters in his name!

Those are pretty much the only distinguishing features they have, but it doesn't really matter, because they might as well be just one dude. Sometimes one of them gets angry at another for two sentences, but then they're working as a single unit again.
Character development is absent.

Coffee
Coffee is the fifth protagonist in this book. All the time characters drink coffee, go to get coffee, go out to buy coffee, offer coffee, make coffee, talk about coffee, and even think about coffee.
Are you annoyed by coffee yet? This book has a lot more mentions of it than this review!
Just shut up about coffee!

EDIT: I did a quick search through the ebook; "coffee" is mentioned more often than "Christine", David's wife, and by far the most present woman in the book.

The Plot
It starts out promising, and while the author manages to keep me wanting to know what happens next, it's never as interesting as promised.
Our protagonists are mostly fighting their own na?veté, ignorance, and gullibility, as well the most fearsome foes of all: Meetings and the bureaucracy of setting up meetings.
Yes, those are major plot points.
The ending is disappointing and quite jarring.

The Writing
Everything is following the most obvious cliché: People who are celebrating clap each others' backs, people who are annoyed tap their feet, and so on...

The author seems to think that telling us completely irrelevant details about minor characters makes them... relatable, I guess?

Just one example:
There is a minor character (another male nerd with a 4 letter name, what a shock!), who has maybe a dozen pages in the book, and half a page of that is spent on him looking at the rain and reminiscing how he used to play in it as a child.
This never comes up again.

Conclusion:
It's not the worst book I ever read, but probably the worst book I ever finished.
]]> 334123
If leaving his parents and erasing his past life isn't tough enough, Nathaniel's master, Arthur Underwood, is a cold, condescending, and cruel middle-ranking magician in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The boy's only saving grace is the master's wife, Martha Underwood, who shows him genuine affection that he rewards with fierce devotion. Nathaniel gets along tolerably well over the years in the Underwood household until the summer before his eleventh birthday. Everything changes when he is publicly humiliated by the ruthless magician Simon Lovelace and betrayed by his cowardly master who does not defend him.

Nathaniel vows revenge. In a Faustian fever, he devours magical texts and hones his magic skills, all the while trying to appear subservient to his master. When he musters the strength to summon the 5,000-year-old djinni Bartimaeus to avenge Lovelace by stealing the powerful Amulet of Samarkand, the boy magician plunges into a situation more dangerous and deadly than anything he could ever imagine.]]> 462 Jonathan Stroud 078681859X Kirby 3 4.03 2003
author: Jonathan Stroud
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at: 2018/10/11
date added: 2018/10/28
shelves:
review:

]]> 18889230
Past the bounds of comfort, they encounter horrors and wonders beyond their imagining, with people and monsters beyond reckoning.

Odyssey One is the first voyage of the NAC Odyssey and its crew, and the beginnings of a Military Science Fiction Epic that combines both old school space opera, and modern storytelling in one great, exhilarating adventure.

Odyssey One is a 150,000 word novel.]]> 584 Evan Currie Kirby 1 4.06 2011
author: Evan Currie
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2011
rating: 1
read at: 2018/10/14
date added: 2018/10/28
shelves:
review:

]]> 416758 344 Timothy Zahn 0671655515 Kirby 2 3.81 1986
author: Timothy Zahn
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.81
book published: 1986
rating: 2
read at: 2018/01/01
date added: 2018/10/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 35684941
SEE! The illustrated exploits of three lovable dummies set loose in a classic fantasy adventure!

READ! Their journey from small-time bodyguards to world-class artifact hunters!

MARVEL! At the sheer metafictional chutzpah of a graphic novel based on a story created in a podcast where three dudes and their dad play a tabletop role playing game in real time!

Join Taako the elf wizard, Merle the dwarf cleric, and Magnus the human warrior for an adventure they are poorly equipped to handle AT BEST, guided ("guided") by their snarky DM, in a graphic novel that, like the smash-hit podcast it's based on, will tickle your funny bone, tug your heartstrings, and probably pants you if you give it half a chance.

With endearingly off-kilter storytelling from master goofballs Clint McElroy and the McElroy brothers, and vivid, adorable art by Carey Pietsch, The Adventure Zone: Here There be Gerblins is the comics equivalent of role-playing in your friend's basement at 2am, eating Cheetos and laughing your ass off as she rolls critical failure after critical failure.]]> 256 Clint McElroy 1250153700 Kirby 5 favorites, unfinished-series 4.33 2018
author: Clint McElroy
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2018/01/01
date added: 2018/09/11
shelves: favorites, unfinished-series
review:

]]> 22095547
Lush with details from Chinese folklore, SERPENTINE tells the coming of age story of Skybright, a young girl who worries about her growing otherness. As she turns sixteen, Skybright notices troubling changes. By day, she is a companion and handmaid to the youngest daughter of a very wealthy family. But nighttime brings with it a darkness that not even daybreak can quell.

When her plight can no longer be denied, Skybright learns that despite a dark destiny, she must struggle to retain her sense of self – even as she falls in love for the first time.]]> 274 Cindy Pon 1942664338 Kirby 0 to-read 3.54 2015
author: Cindy Pon
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/08/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 6437061 427 N.K. Jemisin 0316043915 Kirby 0 to-read 3.88 2010
author: N.K. Jemisin
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/08/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 529647 346 Timothy Zahn 0671655604 Kirby 3
After the first few dozen pages I feared it would be another Starship Troopers rip-off (looking at you, Old Man's War), but I was very pleasantly surprised that the actual war stuff made up only a small part of the book, and that most of it deals with the aftereffects, personally as well as politically.

While I did enjoy it, it is still very much a product of its time. All in all it was a decent read, and I give it a decent amount of stars: Three.



]]> 3.80 1985
author: Timothy Zahn
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.80
book published: 1985
rating: 3
read at: 2018/08/01
date added: 2018/08/02
shelves:
review:
I was browsing the Baen Free Library, when I noticed the author's name. I remember his Star Wars books fondly from my youth, so I decided to download and read it. (Yes, I got the book for free. Yes, that might change my opinion of it, so maybe read some other reviews, too! You can get it for free, too, right here on the publisher's website: )

After the first few dozen pages I feared it would be another Starship Troopers rip-off (looking at you, Old Man's War), but I was very pleasantly surprised that the actual war stuff made up only a small part of the book, and that most of it deals with the aftereffects, personally as well as politically.

While I did enjoy it, it is still very much a product of its time. All in all it was a decent read, and I give it a decent amount of stars: Three.




]]> 287861
The great traction city London has been skulking in the hills to avoid the bigger, faster, hungrier cities loose in the Great Hunting Ground. But now, the sinister plans of Lord Mayor Mangus Crome can finally unfold.

Thaddeus Valentine, London's Head Historian and adored famous archaeologist, and his lovely daughter, Katherine, are down in The Gut when the young assassin with the black scarf strikes toward his heart, saved by the quick intervention of Tom, a lowly third-class apprentice. Racing after the fleeing girl, Tom suddenly glimpses her hideous face: scarred from forehead to jaw, nose a smashed stump, a single eye glaring back at him. "Look at what your Valentine did to me!" she screams. "Ask him! Ask him what he did to Hester Shaw!" And with that she jumps down the waste chute to her death. Minutes later Tom finds himself tumbling down the same chute and stranded in the Out-Country, a sea of mud scored by the huge caterpillar tracks of cities like the one now steaming off over the horizon.

In a stunning literary debut, Philip Reeve has created a painful dangerous unforgettable adventure story of surprises, set in a dark and utterly original world fueled by Municipal Darwinism -- and betrayal.]]> 326 Philip Reeve 0060082097 Kirby 0 to-read 3.78 2001
author: Philip Reeve
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/07/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 34332599 30 Ken MacLeod Kirby 3 3.37 2007
author: Ken MacLeod
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.37
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2018/07/20
date added: 2018/07/23
shelves:
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]]> 55399 Vast legions of gods, mages, humans, dragons and all manner of creatures play out the fate of the Malazan Empire in this first book in a major epic fantasy series from Steven Erikson.

The Malazan Empire simmers with discontent, bled dry by interminable warfare, bitter infighting and bloody confrontations with the formidable Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii, ancient and implacable sorcerers. Even the imperial legions, long inured to the bloodshed, yearn for some respite. Yet Empress Laseen's rule remains absolute, enforced by her dread Claw assassins.

For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his squad of Bridgeburners, and for Tattersail, surviving cadre mage of the Second Legion, the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the many dead. But Darujhistan, last of the Free Cities of Genabackis, yet holds out. It is to this ancient citadel that Laseen turns her predatory gaze.

However, it would appear that the Empire is not alone in this great game. Sinister, shadowbound forces are gathering as the gods themselves prepare to play their hand...

Conceived and written on a panoramic scale, Gardens of the Moon is epic fantasy of the highest order--an enthralling adventure by an outstanding new voice.]]> 666 Steven Erikson 0765348780 Kirby 1 3.91 1999
author: Steven Erikson
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1999
rating: 1
read at: 2018/07/19
date added: 2018/07/20
shelves:
review:
At no point in this book did I have ANY idea what was going on and - worse - at no point did I CARE, because the characters are all bland and unlikeable.
]]> 33080122
Elma York’s experience as a WASP pilot and mathematician earns her a place in the International Aerospace Coalition’s attempts to put man on the moon, as a calculator. But with so many skilled and experienced women pilots and scientists involved with the program, it doesn’t take long before Elma begins to wonder why they can’t go into space, too.

Elma’s drive to become the first Lady Astronaut is so strong that even the most dearly held conventions of society may not stand a chance against her.]]> 431 Mary Robinette Kowal Kirby 0 to-read 3.91 2018
author: Mary Robinette Kowal
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/07/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 16277248 Azula Joins Team Avatar?!

For years, fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra have burned with one question—what happened to Fire Lord Zuko's mother? Finding a clue at last, Zuko enlists the aid of Team Avatar—and the most unlikely ally of all—to help uncover the biggest secret of his life.

Written by Eisner winner and National Book Award nominee Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese) in close collaboration with Avatar creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, this story will change the lives of Aang and his friends forever!]]> 76 Gene Luen Yang 1616550546 Kirby 5 4.38 2013
author: Gene Luen Yang
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2018/06/09
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves:
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]]> 17445144 Enter the Forgetful Valley!

As Fire Lord Zuko continues his quest to uncover his mother's fate, a shocking revelation causes him to question everything he knows. It's an opportunity that his sister, the deadly and insane Azula, will not fail to take advantage of as she joins Zuko and his friends, Aang, Katara, and Sokka on their journey into a mysterious forest from which some people never reemerge...]]> 76 Gene Luen Yang 1616551909 Kirby 5 4.44 2013
author: Gene Luen Yang
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2018/06/09
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves:
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]]> 17927463 The Fate of the Fire Lord!

Avatar Aang travels to the spirit world to parlay with an ancient power, bringing Fire Lord Zuko ever closer to discovering the truth about his mother's fate—and his own past. Yet Zuko's sister Azula is becoming increasingly dangerous, threatening to ruin everything that Zuko, Aang, Katara, and Sokka have struggled to achieve on their search!]]> 76 Gene Luen Yang 1616551844 Kirby 5 4.49 2013
author: Gene Luen Yang
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2018/06/09
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves:
review:

]]> 18687079 Sacred Land Defiled!

Avatar Aang asks his friends to help him honor Yangchen's Festival—one of the highest Air Nomad holidays, which hasn't been celebrated in over one hundred years. But cryptic visits from the spirit of Avatar Yangchen herself lead Aang to discover a jointly owned Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom refinery—operating on land sacred to the Airbenders! Is this simply a case of corporate greed or is something more mysterious happening?]]> 76 Gene Luen Yang 1616552956 Kirby 5 4.32 2014
author: Gene Luen Yang
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2018/01/01
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves:
review:

]]> 20176447 The Past Returns!

Avatar Aang and his friends seek answers to the mysteries surrounding a refinery on land sacred to the Air Nomads. As Toph discovers a startling truth about her father's involvement with the refinery, Aang travels to the spirit world, discovering a secret as surprising as it is dangerous. Soon, Team Avatar realizes that they may be facing a threat more dire than they could possibly have imagined!]]> 76 Gene Luen Yang 1616552964 Kirby 5 4.34 2014
author: Gene Luen Yang
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2018/01/01
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves:
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]]> 21532198 The spirits are restless!

As Avatar Aang and his friends confront an ancient spirit determined to destroy a town on land sacred to Air Nomads, Toph and Aang find themselves on opposing sides in a battle of gigantic proportions. If Toph and Aang don't put aside their differences, there's more at stake than just their friendship!]]> 76 Gene Luen Yang 1616552972 Kirby 5 4.33 2014
author: Gene Luen Yang
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2018/01/01
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves:
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]]> 25233432 Unrest in the Fire Nation!

Returning with his family after the events of The Search, Zuko discovers that not everyone in the Fire Nation celebrates their homecoming. Believing that the young Fire Lord is not fit to succeed his father--and spurred on by the Kemurikage, menacing spirits long thought to be only myths--an undergroundorganization called the New Ozai Society plots to assassinate Zuko and restore Ozai to power!

Written and drawn by the creative team behind the best-selling The Promise, The Search and The Rift, Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru, in collaboration with Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, this is the ultimate continuation of Avatar and the perfect companion to Legend of Korra!]]> 76 Gene Luen Yang 1616557613 Kirby 5 4.39 2015
author: Gene Luen Yang
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2018/01/01
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves:
review:

]]> 23965437 What is the secret of the Kemurikage?

The shadowy spirits known as the Kemurikage are abducting children throughout the Fire Nation Capital, sowing widespread fear and panic in their wake. Desperate to determine what has angered these spirits, Aang and Zuko search for clues deep in the Dragonbone Catacombs underneath the Fire Sages Capital Temple. Can they uncover the hidden history of the Kemurikage and solve the mystery in time, or will more children be taken?]]> 76 Gene Luen Yang 1616557907 Kirby 4 4.43 2015
author: Gene Luen Yang
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2017/01/01
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves:
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]]> 25938014 The identity of the Kemurikage revealed!

When Azula is discovered to be the ringleader o the shadowy Kemurikage, Aang and Zuko will stop at nothing to chase her down and rescue the children--even if it means turning on each other! As Zuko locks down the capital to find her, riots erupt in the streets and the citizens are on edge. An unexpected clue from Mai and Ty Lee will help Team Avatar uncover Azula's plot, which is more sinister than they could have imagined. Will they stop her in time?

Written and drawn by the creative team behind the best-selling The Promise, The Search and The Rift, Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru, in collaboration with Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, this is the ultimate continuation of Avatar and the perfect companion to Legend of Korra!]]> 76 Gene Luen Yang 1616558385 Kirby 4 4.42 2016
author: Gene Luen Yang
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2018/01/01
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves:
review:

]]> 29075587 80 Gene Luen Yang Kirby 4 4.25 2016
author: Gene Luen Yang
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2018/01/01
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves:
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]]> 30206742 Rebellion on the Horizon

After attempting to kidnap Katara and Sokka, Southerner Gilak has disappeared leaving only a haunting note in the deserted caverns: "Soon you will see the truth, Chieftain." The vow leaves everyone on edge and prompts Hakoda to tighten security around the city. Still reeling from the discovery that her father is romantically involved with Malina, Katara is more distrusting of the Northern newcomer than ever...and just as everyone begins to relax their guard, Gilak's crew strikes and reveals some troubling information. Have Katara's worst fears been confirmed?]]> 76 Gene Luen Yang 1506701299 Kirby 4 4.29 2017
author: Gene Luen Yang
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2018/01/01
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves:
review:

]]> 31617927 Written and drawn by the creative team behind the best-selling "The Search, The Rift, " and S"moke and Shadow," Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru, in collaboration with "Avatar: The Last Airbender "and "Legend of Korra" creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, this is the ultimate continuation of "Avatar" and the perfect companion to "Legend of Korra"!]]> 80 Gene Luen Yang 1506701302 Kirby 4 4.31 2017
author: Gene Luen Yang
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2018/01/01
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves:
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]]> 38897137
Journey along with Team Avatar as they rescue a pumpkin farmer waylaid by monsters, go undercover in the Fire Nation, help an old rival with a hair-raising problem, and reflect on what it means to save the world. Featuring the work of Gene Luen Yang (Avatar: The Last Airbender--North and South), Faith Erin Hicks (The Nameless City), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), Ron Koertge (Vampire Planet), Dave Scheidt (Dreamworks Trolls, Wrapped Up), Sara Goetter (Dungeon Critters, Boozle), and more, this anthology features stories both hilarious and heartwarming.]]> 72 Gene Luen Yang 1506707939 Kirby 0 to-read 3.81 2019
author: Gene Luen Yang
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/06/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 27272632
In 1938, death is no longer feared but exploited. Since the discovery of the afterlife, the British Empire has extended its reach into Summerland, a metropolis for the recently deceased.

Yet Britain isn’t the only contender for power in this life and the next. The Soviets have spies in Summerland, and the technology to build their own god.

When SIS agent Rachel White gets a lead on one of the Soviet moles, blowing the whistle puts her hard-earned career at risk. The spy has friends in high places, and she will have to go rogue to bring him in.

But how do you catch a man who’s already dead?]]> 320 Hannu Rajaniemi 1473203309 Kirby 0 to-read 3.58 2018
author: Hannu Rajaniemi
name: Kirby
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/06/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 13096848 The Avatar's greatest adventure continues!

Aang and Katara work tirelessly to prevent a dispute between Fire Lord Zuko and Earth King Kuei that could plunge the world back into war! Meanwhile, Sokka helps Toph prepare her hapless first class of metalbending students to defend their school against a rival class of firebenders!]]> 76 Gene Luen Yang 1595828753 Kirby 5 4.41 2012
author: Gene Luen Yang
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2018/01/01
date added: 2018/05/28
shelves:
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]]> 12413836 The war is over...but the adventure has just begun!

Picking up exactly where Avatar: The Last Airbender left off, The Promise takes Aang to a Fire Nation colony in the heart of the Earth Nation, where tensions between neighbors threaten to shatter the world's newfound peace—putting the Avatar on a collision course with one of his closest friends, Fire Lord Zuko!]]> 76 Gene Luen Yang 1595828117 Kirby 5 4.29 2012
author: Gene Luen Yang
name: Kirby
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2018/01/01
date added: 2018/05/28
shelves:
review:

]]>