Recent reading

[luzula]

Ghost Spin, by Chris Moriarty
I've been saving this up for at least a year, and damn, was it worth it. How are these books so good? If you like science fiction and have not read Spin State and Spin Control which are the first ones in the series, you really should. They feature, among other things:
- futuristic mine strikes and labor conflicts
- interesting and complicated AI characters
- a compelling human/AI romance
- an idealistic entomologist who is a clone
- cool use of quantum mechanics with actual plot relevance
- a queer woman of color as a protagonist
- vivid writing
I don't want to say too much about this one as it's the third in the series, but wow. So good.

Pacific Edge, by Kim Stanley Robinson
I am a huge fan of KSR's Mars books, so I expected to like this. And I really did! It's a utopia, and when writing one of those, you want to show off your utopia but still have a plot, and I think it succeeded in that (although sadly I can't quite believe in the revolutionary potential of legislation). The plot is 1) a love story and 2) a political struggle over whether a particular piece of land in a small California town should be developed or not. I like that there are lots of differing opinions and interests--it is not a homogeneous society. Also, I loved what KSR did with the author-insert sections talking about the writing of the book. At first I took these at face value, but it slowly becomes clear that there's something else going on there. Also there is nature porn in the book, and I am always a fan of that.

Here's the main character thinking about what it's like to tell the story of his relationship troubles to someone else:

"It felt good to tell it, in a way. Because it was his story, his and his alone, nobody else's. And in telling it he gained a sort of control over it, a control he had never had when it happened. That was the value of telling one's story, a value exactly the reverse of the value of the experience itself. What was valuable in the experience was that he had been out of control, living moment to moment with no plan, at the mercy of other people. What was valuable in the telling of the story was that he was in control, shaping the experience, deciding what it meant, putting other people in their proper place. The two values were complementary, they added up to something more than each alone could, something that...completed things."

That is so true.

Ficwise, I can recommend Mansfield End by Ione, which is an AU ending of Mansfield Park with Fanny Price/Henry Crawford and Edmund Bertram/Mary Crawford. I like how it really takes its time to develop the relationships. Ha, and of course it's by Ione. I'd downloaded it to my ereader before reveals, and I am now entirely unsurprised to find out who the author is. I always love Ione's stuff.

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

Hot rec! My library has the first Chris Moriarty titles in ebooks! Thanks. Speaking of mining towns, have you seen OUTLAND? It's an amazingly gritty workers-against-The Big Corp tale set in a tin can wandering around a Jovian moon. Sean Connery is the lead, as well as a score of, "Oh! it's that person!" actors. Politics are pretty shitty but the art direction is awesome.

[isis]

I read Pacific Edge quite some time ago, and remember enjoying it. It is actually part of a loose trilogy of three different future Californias.

I will look to see if I can get the Moriarty books - I have a good ebook collection through my library as well, so jesse_the_k's comment makes me hopeful.

[cahn]

I... am going to have to finish Mansfield Park, just so I can read this fic! :) (Well, other reasons too. I think I'm delaying because every Austen I finish reading means there's one less for me to read for the first time...)

[luzula]

Yay! Do tell me what you think of the Moriarty books if you read them.

Hmm, no, I have not. I'll check it out.

[luzula]

Yeah, I've got The Wild Shore in my bookcase, but it's been many years since I read it. I don't have the third one and wonder if it would be too depressing for me. Have you read the others?

Do tell me what you think of the Moriarty books if you read them!

[luzula]

Yeah, I know that feeling--it's why I delay finishing the Aubrey/Maturin books. : )

As for Mansfield Park fic, I can also recommend As the Starling Said by McTabby, which is a Mary Crawford/Maria Rushworth fic that works remarkably well (it's not a pairing I'd have thought of). And then there's Ione's The Dancing Monkeys, which is a Mansfield Park/Persuasion crossover.

[toft]

Thanks for the rec of the Spin series!

[luzula]

I hope you enjoy them! I got the rec from someone in fandom myself in the first place, but that was years ago now.

[isis]

I only read The Wild Shore also - I read them from the library eons ago, and they only had those two.

[toft]

I love getting recs from fandom! So great to have people who like what I like.

[malnpudl.livejournal.com]

I see the KSR book is part 3 of a "triptych"... is it necessary to read the first two before reading this one? It sounds intriguing.

[luzula]

I've got The Wild Shore in my bookcase, but it's been many years since I read it, and I don't remember it much. I think they're completely separate.

[malnpudl.livejournal.com]

Good to know. Thank you! :-)