wouter_pieterse's reviews
231 reviews

Scarborough Castle by John Goodall

informative slow-paced

4.0

Nice tourist guide with loads of details about the interesting history of the medieval castle, the settlements before and the developments after its construction in the 12 & 13th century 

The Counter-Revolution of 1776: Slave Resistance and the Origins of the United States of America by Gerald Horne

informative slow-paced

4.5

The Russian Counterrevolution by CrimethInc.

informative inspiring sad

4.5

Booklet consists of 2 parts:
1. A historical description of how the authoritarian Bolshevist stole the revolution and surpressed anarchist and other left wing opposition.
2. A number of (mostly) anarchists who were warning for this before, during and after the establishment of what became the USSR

Main take-aways / learnings:
Marx was not just opposed to anarchists like Proudhon and Bakunin, but a colonial racist and anti-feminist as well

The Bolshevist Secret Service was created within a month after the October revolution and opened concentration camps shortly thereafter. The gulag was well established before Stalin.

Intergalactic Exterminators, Inc by Ash Bishop

adventurous funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Lovely 

The Medusa Chronicles by Alastair Reynolds, Stephen Baxter

adventurous slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

Not really that good. 

Munt. Roman by Richard Osinga

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Osinga braids stories and times into a pageturner 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

This Census-Taker by China Miéville

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A

3.0

Not his best, but still ok. Intriguing.

Foreshadowed: Malevich's "Black Square" and Its Precursors by Andrew Spira

challenging informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

This book is one long talk by Andrew Spira. It is a fascinating story full of surprises and interesting details to investigate further.

The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks

adventurous dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0