Hope everyone had a good Xmas!
Here, have some Sketchy Santa courtesy of Fail Blog.
On other unrelated news, I read Octavia Butler's Patternist series (I'm trying to also hit up some Ursula LeGuin before break is over).
I generally liked the series, but the chronology and the lack of a series-wide resolution was frustrating especially because the last book I read was Clay's Ark and it was massively depressing. Well, put another way, it's more like the (post-apocalyptic) world that is at the end point of the series is a total mess regardless of the actual story that takes place in it. Mind of My Mind was freaking amazing though. Hands down my favorite one in terms of the kickassery I love, followed by Wild Seed which might be the most intriguing in terms of sci fi and history. Enhanced psi powers ftw and lots of action plus compelling characters with an unflinching view of racial and gender dynamics (her female characters of color--often mixed--are fascinating and complex--particularly Mary in Mind of My Mind and Anyanwu in Wild Seed). The books say a lot about slavery and power. Also it's incredible that the novels were virtually written from the "end" to the "beginning."
Speaking of history, I actually started with Kindred where an AfAm woman is transported from the 70s to the antebellum South based on a genealogical connection she has to a slave owner. It was a harrowing, difficult read, but very layered and incisive in its social commentary about history and the turbulent relationship a people (here, specifically African-Americans) to it. That said, I wasn't a fan of the fact that the time travelling was never fully explained. I suppose this is because Butler didn't want anything to distract from the themes and insights she's weaving, but I suppose since my expectation was to see some sort of pseudoscience explanation, I was left sort of wanting. Even there it was kind of like the Patternist series in that the endings didn't bring that much closure. In general there's something to be said for that--these are not themes and topics that are so easily resolved, perhaps that bleeds into the structure of the works.
I'd recommend the Patternist series and Kindred--although I think I would definitely caution that Clay's Ark and Kindred are difficult reads which may require some decompression time after.
On other unrelated news, I read Octavia Butler's Patternist series (I'm trying to also hit up some Ursula LeGuin before break is over).
I generally liked the series, but the chronology and the lack of a series-wide resolution was frustrating especially because the last book I read was Clay's Ark and it was massively depressing. Well, put another way, it's more like the (post-apocalyptic) world that is at the end point of the series is a total mess regardless of the actual story that takes place in it. Mind of My Mind was freaking amazing though. Hands down my favorite one in terms of the kickassery I love, followed by Wild Seed which might be the most intriguing in terms of sci fi and history. Enhanced psi powers ftw and lots of action plus compelling characters with an unflinching view of racial and gender dynamics (her female characters of color--often mixed--are fascinating and complex--particularly Mary in Mind of My Mind and Anyanwu in Wild Seed). The books say a lot about slavery and power. Also it's incredible that the novels were virtually written from the "end" to the "beginning."
Speaking of history, I actually started with Kindred where an AfAm woman is transported from the 70s to the antebellum South based on a genealogical connection she has to a slave owner. It was a harrowing, difficult read, but very layered and incisive in its social commentary about history and the turbulent relationship a people (here, specifically African-Americans) to it. That said, I wasn't a fan of the fact that the time travelling was never fully explained. I suppose this is because Butler didn't want anything to distract from the themes and insights she's weaving, but I suppose since my expectation was to see some sort of pseudoscience explanation, I was left sort of wanting. Even there it was kind of like the Patternist series in that the endings didn't bring that much closure. In general there's something to be said for that--these are not themes and topics that are so easily resolved, perhaps that bleeds into the structure of the works.
I'd recommend the Patternist series and Kindred--although I think I would definitely caution that Clay's Ark and Kindred are difficult reads which may require some decompression time after.