Death’s End by Cixin Liu

Death’s End by Cixin Liu

by Carol2 Comments
Death's End is the conclusion to the fabulous Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. The Trisolarans and Earth are basically at a stand-off, thanks to events in book #2. The "peace" is working well, but of course can't last. Enter Cheng Xin, our main character for this installment. She's a regular, intelligent woman who hops through time, thanks to hibernation, making bad decisions. Maybe that's harsh. She makes decision consistent with her character, but she was more or less put in charge of humanity's fate twice, which seems a little unlikely. it works within the plot, but the story works hard to get you there. Death's End is a tough book to talk about. On the one hand, it's amazing. The scale in time and space that the author is working with is enormous and he makes it believable without making it too easy. There's a lot of science here, I feel like it was explained well enough for me...
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Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

by Carol2 Comments
I almost didn't read Project Hail Mary. I enjoyed Weir's Artemis, but had no interest in The Martian, and a lot of reviewers commented that it was a return to the style of The Martian. But, I had a copy from NetGalley and I have a friend who will definitely be reading it, so . . . Turns out, I actually enjoyed it. It's smart and funny and accessible. There was a lot of science and some of it got a little boring, but I never felt like I was lost in the details. Alien microorganisms, astrophage, are consuming the sun’s energy, which will sooner rather than later make Earth colder and lead to another ice age. Ryland Grace, our narrator, is an 8th-grade teacher is a scientist who becomes involved in researching this phenomenon. He wakes up on the Hail Mary, part of a suicide mission to find a way to save Earth. The book shows two timelines, Ryland...
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Sci-Fi Summer Readathon

Sci-Fi Summer Readathon

by Carol3 Comments
The Sci-Fi Summer Readathon starts tomorrow. Thanks, Michelle, for hosting again this year. From Season of Reading: Read-a-Thon dates: June 1 at 12:00am EDT until June 30 at 11:59pm EDT. Since science fiction is a very specific genre, this will be strictly reading science fiction during the event. However, since fantasy is so closely related to the genre (often grouped together), if you feel more comfortable reading fantasy, that is also fine. To check in on social media, we’ll use our new hashtag #SciFiJune. I’m going to try to keep my updates below, but I’m also on Twitter and Instagram. My potential to-read list: Seven Deaths of an Empire by G.R. Matthews A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady MartineThe Echo Wife by Sarah GaileyThin Air by Richard K. MorganProject Hail Mary by Andy WeirDeath's End by Cixin Liu Books finished: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (review)Death’s End by Cixin Liu (review) ...
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Bishop to Queen by Lexy Wolfe

Bishop to Queen by Lexy Wolfe

by Carol2 Comments
I have mixed feelings about Bishop to Queen by Lexy Wolfe. I didn't know it was the second in the series until I started to get this post ready. I did feel like this worked fine as a stand-alone and given the beginning and end of this one, I do wonder how the first fit in, but don't think I'll bother going back to read it. On the one hand, I enjoyed reading Bishop to Queen. I flew through it and maybe put off doing some work to read it instead. It was a fun book that moved along at a good pace. The characters were interesting and amusing if slightly one-dimensional. The idea of what makes a being human and what makes someone "good," while not a new topic in sci-fi, was explored well here. There were a couple of things I didn't like about the book too. First, as I mentioned, the characters were not a multi-dimensional as I could...
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Sci-Fi Summer Wrap-Up

Sci-Fi Summer Wrap-Up

by Carol2 Comments
The Sci-Fi Summer Readathon wraps up this evening. Thanks, Michelle, for hosting again this year. I finished several books: Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan; finished June 8, reviewBishop to Queen by Lexy Wolfe; finished June 10, review coming in JulyFinder by Suzanne Palmer; finished June 15, reviewThe Caledonian Gambit by Dan Moren; finished June 22, review“Pilot Error” by Dan Moren; finished June 22A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine; finished June 22, review And started a couple that I haven't quite finished yet: Westside by W.M. AkersThe Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin My favorite was A Memory Called Empire. I loved the world-building and the characters. It's also one of the finalists for this year's Hugo Award. My least favorite was Bishop to Queen. I didn't really connect with any of the characters and the story itself wasn't full enough for me. ...
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A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

by CarolNo Comments
I thoroughly enjoyed A Memory Called Empire. It was engrossing and smart. It's science fiction centered around political intrigue and a murder mystery. One of the themes of the book is colonialism. Teixcalaan is a galaxies-spanning empire with a capital that is a planet-spanning City. In their language, the word for the world and the planet and the city is the same. Peoples who are not part of the empire are "barbarians" and while in the City are not granted the freedoms and technology of the Teixcalaani. It is an old culture rooted traditions and deeply connected to its poetry. I found the importance of poetry to the culture fascinating and is part of what I loved. Poetry as history, political rhetoric, battle cry, prayer for peace, everything poetry can be but that we don't give the power it deserves. Teixcalaan's size and influence dwarfs the small, but still independent Lsel station. Mahit Dzmare is the new ambassador from Lsel to Teixcalaan,...
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