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mar's reviews
386 reviews
Dreamships by Melissa Scott
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
an enojoyable enough, if somewhat forgettable book; some very well thought-out worldbuilding and an interesting exploration of AI - sometimes pretty dated, sometimes strikingly relevant - but the characters lacked depth that’d breathe life into the story, imo. (the casual queerness and disability was nice though! finally representation for girlfailure bisexuals you just don't see books with a romance subplot where the protagonist fumbles that shit enough honestly )
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide and Suicide attempt
Minor: Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Termush by Sven Holm
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
a curious novella from the 60s that definitely still resonates. the dry and clinical writing style just really didn't work for me, though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gun violence
A Door into Ocean by Joan Slonczewski
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hm. an interesting piece of classic sci-fi; despite a premise that could've easily turned into "women good, men bad" it does a fine job not succumbing to gender essentialism. still, personally i can't help but feel rather critical of its framing of nonviolent resistance as the only true and correct way of opposing colonialism (though i suppose it's not exactly a surprising sentiment to find in an explicitly pacifist book).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation and War
Moderate: Genocide, Rape, Torture, and Kidnapping
The Powerbook by Jeanette Winterson
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Racism
Patternmaster by Octavia E. Butler
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
All the bleakness and themes of power and control of the Xenogenesis trilogy, but lacking in the complexity that made Xenogenesis so compelling. i'm curious if i'd have felt differently if i'd chosen to read the series in chronological rather than publishing order; on its own, without the context of the later prequels, I found this to be a frustratingly sparse read. (then again, I did kind of start at the end of the story, and I've heard it is the weakest in the series, so I'm looking forward to reading the remaining books and seeing how the world of Pattermaster came to be.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery
Moderate: Rape and Sexual violence
Minor: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Violence, and Murder
The Lotus Empire by Tasha Suri
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Cultural appropriation
The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
a decently entertaining read, if you can tolerate some casual 50s sexism. definitely a product of its time in that respect - it's annoying, but i've also read way more recent scifi classics that were way more egregious about how they treated women.
i wish daneel didn't spend half of this book offpage locked in a room though. i'm here for the robot detective!!!!!
i wish daneel didn't spend half of this book offpage locked in a room though. i'm here for the robot detective!!!!!