Book Post: Wells and Starobinets
I just finished two books in December. Mostly it was because I was catching up on the 500 pages of the fantasy book to finish it by the New Year, and then I started 950 page book that I finished in the New Year. And with working from home two days a week I had less time to read. But it's all fine since I finished most books I wanted to read in 2023. So here are reviews for December books:
System Collapse by Martha Wells, 243pp [Murderbot 7]
The latest in the Murderbot series. I was looking forward to it all year. This small novel takes place directly after "The Network Effect" when the ART teams are still trying to get the colonists off the planet safely and find out there is another group out there who they should get to before the corporations convince those people to sign their life away. Murderbot and a small group of 3 people plus a copy of Art are in change of this mission with Murderbot having to deal with [redacted] or his trauma basically from the last mission.
This book felt smaller in scope, maybe less at stake, and a bit more internal processes. The mission itself was a lot less complicated and the solution was all [Spoiler]about a multi media presentation so it felt a little strange. I enjoyed the book overall, just as I generally enjoy Murderbot and its thoughts and how people tend to react to situations like real people would, but it felt less epic than other stories, probably coming off the novel. I could barely remember all the people on various team, whether Murderbot's or ART's so it was nice that there was a small group for this novel. So overall, it was great to read more about Murderbot but it was not the best book in the series. Still a great series though and more would be nice.
Лисьи Броды [Fox Fords] by Anna Starobinets, 1070pp [in Russian].
My Dad got this for me last New Year. He also sent me an interview with the author before that so I was aware of this book, I just didn't realize it was 1000 pages. This is a fantasy book, written in Russian, set in Manchuria, in the fall of 1945 where a bunch of various characters come to the small town of Fox Fords with various agendas. It is a fantasy book and there are mentalists, and were-people who turn into foxes, military, and various death squads, Chinese bandits, Japanese scientists running experiments on people, ghosts and people who can speak to ghosts, and many who are looking for a man with 1000 faces who has a secret of immortality, and other characters. Max Kronin is a former circus performer with a mysterious past who is now a prisoner in the East who lost memory and doesn't remember things but he remembers his wife Yelena and escapes prison to try to find her. His way leads to Fox Fords. He assumes a fake identity and also tries to investigate missing soldiers and a hidden place and other mysteries. There is a lot going on! There is also Liza, a local prostitute and witch who is also a fox who is trying to find a way around a curse to save her little seven year old daughter.
I read the first 500 pages earlier in the year but then it sort of stalled but I was determined to finish this book before the year was out, so this was my December project. It did feel very Russian and different from Western type fantasy, mostly since you are never sure who will live. The ending was a bit of a surprise but it did make sense and the character I really couldn't stand got his due at the end, so that was very satisfying. Not sure if I like the ending or not but I see what the book was doing. This book won a bunch of prizes and I do see why.