Recent reading

[luzula]

Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty (audiobook)
I'm usually not that into murder mysteries, but it turns out I like them more when they're also SF. Also, this worked well as an audiobook. It's solid SF with some interesting worldbuilding around clones.

The CNT in the Spanish Revolution by José Peirats
A 600-page brick (although a fourth of it is notes) about the syndicalist labor union CNT during the Spanish Revolution/Civil War, written by a veteran of CNT and of the war. This is simultaneously very dry, because it quotes extensively from primary sources (lots of conference proceedings, statutes, newspaper articles and the like), and also quite engaging, when those primary sources are engaging. And of course tragic at the end, though he doesn't go into that much--it's just an understood thing.

I am very impressed with how the grassroots unions just went "Okay, let's do this revolution thing!" after the first defeat of the fascists in Catalonia and other areas, and just went ahead and socialized industry and formed agricultural collectives, while not forcing individual small peasants into the collectives if they didn't want to. There's a long chapter that goes through statutes and organization and production numbers for the various collectives, and it's fascinating. No equal wages for women, though--they had a ways to go there still, though of course they were starting in on it.

I have to quote one source that really moved me--it's a French anarchist (Sébastien Faure) criticizing the CNT for entering the Popular Front government, which of course was a very controversial move. He's quite thorough in his criticism, but ends by saying:

I do not want to conclude these observations without stressing the high regard and friendship which I still feel, despite everything, for our brothers of the CNT and FAI. As I see it, the best way of proving this profound esteem and this unalterable affection to them is not to keep a gag upon our misgivings and our reservations, much less should we prove our friendship by giving them our approval and our applause without faithfully and frankly giving expression to what we think, eschewing both attenuation and exaggeration. [...] Let us cherish them, let us stand by them and let them, in this exceptional hour, feel the support, backing, defence and encouragement of our ardour and affection.

I wish all internal criticism were voiced so constructively and so gracefully. *admires*

Comments

[auroracloud]

Glad to hear you liked Six Wakes! I haven't read it yet, but I'm planning to. Both because it's a Hugo nominee and because I like Mur's writing podcast, and murder mystery in space sounds like something I'd enjoy. Murder mysteries aren't my number one genre, but I enjoy them occasionally (the Agatha Christie / Dorothy Sayers / Alan Bradley variety, not Nordic noir detective novels etc.), and I love SF combined with other genres, because there's just so much you can do. Anyway, I'm just waiting to see if it's in the Hugo voters package or if I'll reserve it from the library.

[luzula]

It occurs to me that I also liked Jo Walton's Small Change series, which are also murder mysteries combined with SF (well, alternate history). Also I remember liking Asimov's robot mysteries when I was younger. So maybe there's something to that!

[jesse_the_k]

That is indeed an admirable tone for criticism.

[luzula]

It really is! Maybe I should ask for the text to be included in the material for the nation-wide union congress this fall, as an example for everyone of how to criticize others. : )