Media Roundup Oct-Nov
Dec. 2nd, 2023 18:45![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
superborbCuckoo Song, by Frances Hardinge: Hardinge is excellent as always, LOVED all the little details of the world in this one. Was totally surprised at some of the twists, but in a way where they were very natural; a 'how come I didn't call this?!' situation. I felt like once the action was about to hit its peak, it got a bit weaker in the sometimes shoving Lessons Learned into characters' mouths, but it is MG after all. Probably the strongest overall of the three Hardinges I've read so far (the others were Deeplight and The Lie Tree), but I feel like I have to ration the rest q_q there's only nine total.
The Iron Children, by Rebecca Fraimow: Told from the PoV of three characters: the not-yet-fully trained commander (by which one means has not yet put her soul in a robot and is still a squishy human) who must bring a group of cyborg soldiers to meet the main forces over treacherous terrain, the sergeant of the cyborg soldiers who is the only really seasoned soldier among them, and a spy. Like much of DW, I know the author and therefore cannot be fully objective! I really liked the confidence of the worldbuilding: that there was a sense of a larger world and there was no need to explain concepts that would be obvious to the characters. Also, the ~reveal~ of who the spy is was not the climax or even an especially emotional moment (to the reader anyway, the commander sure finds it emotional), subverting expectations! I found the ending extremely satisfying: in a world where the protagonists are soldiers on the being-conquered-but-also-doing-unethical-stuff side, the ending must also be complex, but each character reaches a point where it feels like an emotional arc has finished and the next step is coming.
Geometries of Belonging, by R.B. Lemberg (short story, not the collection): Part of a larger secondary world fantasy, this one centers on a mindhealer suffering after the loss of family and the aftermath of a war. Fromsilveredeye's rec. I found it very compelling to read! It verges on issuefic re: gender in the sense that it's a bit heavy handed, but ymmv. I enjoyed the sense that there was a broader world out there, always something I'm picky about.
Nimona (2023): In a medieval-futurist city, the first commoner is about to be knighted, only to framed for murder of the queen. On the one hand, this was intended for kids, so the simplistic setup and straightforward morals are par for the course, but I still found this really didactic and unsubtle. I also don't think the message of "you should just trust me [refuses to explain anything]" really works when the love interest never does just believe in the main character, they never address this, and their future relationship is shown as all roses and kittens. Nimona, the shapeshifting "monster", was quite affecting though.
The One Percent (2006): I watch a lot of youtube-y documentaries, and this was actually really interesting. It's a documentary by one of the J&J heirs about the growing wealth gap, and as a member of that elite class, he is able to interview people who are more frank than they may otherwise be. I wouldn't consider this a must watch, but if this is a topic of interest, it's more unique than a lot of the dross on youtube.
The Iron Children, by Rebecca Fraimow: Told from the PoV of three characters: the not-yet-fully trained commander (by which one means has not yet put her soul in a robot and is still a squishy human) who must bring a group of cyborg soldiers to meet the main forces over treacherous terrain, the sergeant of the cyborg soldiers who is the only really seasoned soldier among them, and a spy. Like much of DW, I know the author and therefore cannot be fully objective! I really liked the confidence of the worldbuilding: that there was a sense of a larger world and there was no need to explain concepts that would be obvious to the characters. Also, the ~reveal~ of who the spy is was not the climax or even an especially emotional moment (to the reader anyway, the commander sure finds it emotional), subverting expectations! I found the ending extremely satisfying: in a world where the protagonists are soldiers on the being-conquered-but-also-doing-unethical-stuff side, the ending must also be complex, but each character reaches a point where it feels like an emotional arc has finished and the next step is coming.
Geometries of Belonging, by R.B. Lemberg (short story, not the collection): Part of a larger secondary world fantasy, this one centers on a mindhealer suffering after the loss of family and the aftermath of a war. From
silveredeye's rec. I found it very compelling to read! It verges on issuefic re: gender in the sense that it's a bit heavy handed, but ymmv. I enjoyed the sense that there was a broader world out there, always something I'm picky about. Nimona (2023): In a medieval-futurist city, the first commoner is about to be knighted, only to framed for murder of the queen. On the one hand, this was intended for kids, so the simplistic setup and straightforward morals are par for the course, but I still found this really didactic and unsubtle. I also don't think the message of "you should just trust me [refuses to explain anything]" really works when the love interest never does just believe in the main character, they never address this, and their future relationship is shown as all roses and kittens. Nimona, the shapeshifting "monster", was quite affecting though.
The One Percent (2006): I watch a lot of youtube-y documentaries, and this was actually really interesting. It's a documentary by one of the J&J heirs about the growing wealth gap, and as a member of that elite class, he is able to interview people who are more frank than they may otherwise be. I wouldn't consider this a must watch, but if this is a topic of interest, it's more unique than a lot of the dross on youtube.
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Date: 2023-12-03 00:35 (UTC)I must admit that I have read exactly one Lemberg piece of any length that genuinely did it for me, so I will not be seeking out the new collection, but I think it's probably good for the overall ecosystem that it be out there in a format that is easier to access than hunting down all the various Strange Horizons links out there.
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Date: 2023-12-03 16:30 (UTC)Oops, I didn't realize the collection is titled the same as the short story I read!
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Date: 2023-12-03 00:43 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-12-03 16:32 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-12-03 07:04 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-12-03 16:33 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-12-04 17:05 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-12-03 16:07 (UTC)I hear you regarding R.B. Lemberg. Their writing always has interesting worldbuilding, but is very heavy-handed and lacking in subtlety.
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Date: 2023-12-03 16:34 (UTC)Yeah, I found it compelling (because of the interesting worldbuilding? unclear), but that heavy-handedness will mean it never makes my top favorites lists.
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Date: 2023-12-04 17:04 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-12-05 23:03 (UTC)