**spoiler alert** Can’t think of an intro, let’s jump straight into notes:
- At the beginning, I thought Urras was the utopia. The opinion changed quit**spoiler alert** Can’t think of an intro, let’s jump straight into notes:
- At the beginning, I thought Urras was the utopia. The opinion changed quite early in the book.
- Annares is the utopia. I was surprised with myself who grows admiration page by page on how central-less, government-less socialist society works.
- The idea of using language to instill community behavior is amazing. This book is not the only one to do that and I always love finding these. (I seem to remember in 1984, there are words that get eliminated?). Here, Pravist language minimizes possessive pronoun to emphasize concept of sharing, instead of having.
- Freedom has so many ways. In Urras it could be the freedom to do anything, to achieve anything within your capabilities. In Annares it would be the freedom to perform your function at best in the society. In Gillead (yes, just read The Handmaid’s Tale recently), it’s freedom from something. Which freedom would the real utopia be?
- I don’t know why Shevek and the syndicate thought of sending one of them to Urras as a tool to remind Annaresti how it is to be an anarchist, to practice the right of a true Odonians. If they thought that Annaresti was slowly walking towards central control by PDC or society shaming, was that the only way?
- Anyway, when Shevek felt that he had been released from jail on his way back to Annares, I can’t help but being reminded of the story when Shevek and his childhood friends were fascinated by “the prison” that they learned in class.
- There’s no prison in Annares and it made them curious. So they built a mini prison and one of them asked to have jail time. He got it and was released about 30 hours later. You might think it’s cruel but the “prisoner” kid asked for it. He didn’t want to decide how long he should be in the prison because that’s not prison works. One of the stories from this book that I will remember.
- Other thing, I’m curious about the Hain, particularly on why they are helpful to alien races. I’ve read The Left Hands of Darkness but I don’t remember much. The book mentioned something about guilt. Need to continue reading this series. ...more
I picked this book as an introduction to Sir Arthur C Clarke because a) It is not a series b) Wiki says that it's the author's favourite. I had high eI picked this book as an introduction to Sir Arthur C Clarke because a) It is not a series b) Wiki says that it's the author's favourite. I had high expectation and honestly a little bit scared that I would be a convert, that I would prefer him than my current favourite of the big three, Isaac Asimov (I haven't read any of Heinlein's books).
And I was no traitor. Until half of the book I was the loyal Asimov fan. It was not bad, it just seemed ordinary. It made me wonder whether I should have gone with his other book.
Starting the second half, I started to appreciate the way the story was told. If it was a drawing, i think it would be a dotted picture. There's a tiny gap between chapters which I find enjoyable.
One part of the story told about how most men would abandon religion in 2400ish because the great good it had done being eclipsed by greater evils. Now I'm wondering if there's any sf works that portrays good thing about religion in the space travel time. Because I only remember the religious extremist group in second book of Honor Harrington series. I have read The Left Hand of Darkness, would there be some there? I don't remember, should reread the book.
Coming to the end, really, it is only near the end of the book I realize that I love many things in this book: - how the story could be told in form of imaginative dialogue to the dead wife - the idea of how human grow as a race where there's no God introduced from the beginning (the Talassan are very peaceful) - the idea of meeting fellow human from another centuries through indirect time travel - the heartbreaking end that seems really appropriate
Though I'm not a convert, my love for Clarke had grown to a four star and a promise to read his other books....more
- The beginning is very funny. Usually I feel a bit bored reading the introduction part but I think Morrow kno**spoiler alert** My notes on this book:
- The beginning is very funny. Usually I feel a bit bored reading the introduction part but I think Morrow knows how to entertain while building the story.
- I notice the further unto the story it gets more serious. It doesn’t lose its humor but it’s like I was offered another focus, another things to enjoy. At some points it even raises interesting points for debates and discussion if you want to.
- I love the idea of unadmitted future and invalidated past. And I love the trial. Awesome ideas.
- Towards the end, I feel like it could stop at several points and called it the end and I would feel it’s finished. Depending on where it stops, I would feel triumph, sad, more sad, weird, face-palming, and devastated. I think this is the part where I decided to rate this book 4.
- I feel like I’m missing something in the epilogue because I’m not familiar with Notradamus....more
I only read 3 books. If I could give an excuse, maybe because I took up other hobby? But it really wasn’t it. I was thinking to reduce the number evenI only read 3 books. If I could give an excuse, maybe because I took up other hobby? But it really wasn’t it. I was thinking to reduce the number even further down for 2018 but decided to just stop setting the goal. I still wish to read more science fictions in 2018 and take a peek at non fiction (just one is enough :P). ...more
**spoiler alert** My notes (full of spoilers ahead):
- I love how this book limits how we perceive a dystopian system, only through the handmaid’s eyes**spoiler alert** My notes (full of spoilers ahead):
- I love how this book limits how we perceive a dystopian system, only through the handmaid’s eyes and later by the “colder” perception of historians.
- I wish to know the timeline of when the Gilead was formed. Offred was only 35 years old at the time and the “normal” days were like a very distant past. How did it happen so fast?
- When Offred felt terrified and realized how powerful the government was, I can’t help but remember 1984 by George Orwell. I didn’t intend to compare but there’s an instant thought that Big Brother is scarier, maybe because there’s horrifying torture happened before the character accepted the Big Brother.
- When the historian presented who they thought was Offred’s Commander, I was quite surprised that the options are one of Gilead architects. When Offred described him in her story, he didn’t seem that “evil”, just someone who did their job very well. And how the Commander treated Offred, with the Scrabble, magazines, and taking her to the club, what was that? Did he not know his idea helped build a horrible system which he himself did not like its implementation? Or did he just miss parts of the past and since he had power, he might as well enjoy it? Did the historian guess incorrectly? Maybe they were not Offred’s Commander.
- The sentences are so well written that makes me want to read more Atwood’s books. ...more
**spoiler alert** I feel like this book is an older cousin to Cloud Atlas. There were times when I was reading this book and thought that it was indee**spoiler alert** I feel like this book is an older cousin to Cloud Atlas. There were times when I was reading this book and thought that it was indeed a first novel, a kind of experiment. I even thought that this was a practice before the show (which would be the Cloud Atlas).
How could I not compare them? Individual stories with a red threat to connect them. The connection is clearer and more definitive in Cloud Atlas, while in Ghostwritten, it's much more subtle, so subtle that it leaves questions. Who.. or what is the Zookeeper? Someone please tell me!
But with all that said, towards the end, I adore the story(ies) more and more. The individual stories are captivating and the overall picture lets me put out a big satisfying sigh at the end. ...more
>> Lesson learned: I should choose the ebook version for my next Mieville book so that the dictionary is just one or two click away.
>> It was not unti>> Lesson learned: I should choose the ebook version for my next Mieville book so that the dictionary is just one or two click away.
>> It was not until the fifth chapter that I could adapt to Mieville's writing style. The out-of-my-range vocabulary is one of the reason but I'm not sure it's the only reason.
>> What kept me going is that somehow even with that limitation, the words translate into a beautiful 2D Japanese anime style in my mind. The world is portrayed in mostly brown colour (even if it doesn't fit the actual description in the book because I misunderstand it or something :P). So I kept on following Sham's mind & journey.
> > & I'm glad I did. The sixth chapter is my favorite. I can understand why he had the urge to save the bird & then cause his train mates to chase him. The dull & lost feeling Sam had leads into this one scene where he just felt enough & submitted to his instinct. Grab the bird & run! Oh, it was beautiful.
> > The word "philosophy" in this book makes me wonder. I never see the word used this way and I like it. The captains of the train usually have a philosophy and it most likely means a certain creature, an archenemy, that they will hunt earnestly.
> > I very much enjoy the "rest" chapters, the one page chapters placed between longer ones. They are usually written slightly out of story but still related, like a little footnote but in form of a short chapter & they complete the story, you know, like why there is only ampersand (&) sign in the story.
> > I didn't expect the story at the end, the one isolated town at the end of the railsea, with their own myth. (view spoiler)[I'm not sure why after how long it is, years, centuries, epochs, the factory-town people do not venture outside. I don't understand why they keep believing outside people will pay their debt. I imagine their area is quite small, nobody ever want to see what's out there? Even if there's angel guarding the bridge. Wait, did any of them even have the chance to see the bridge? Poor people. (hide spoiler)] ...more
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