2023 - 09 - cyberpunk - What did you read?

[PAS, Moderator AC]

September Shelf is cyberpunk

Is it your usual genre? Did you enjoy this month's selections?

[Apple]

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells, 4 stars

Review:
A possible murder on Preservation Staion? Oh, no! Can Murderbot, our rogue Sec-Unit narrator, solve the mystery without eye-rolling his eyes out of their sockets? Will Preservation Station security learn to trust him and see him as more than a dangerous weapon?

I am not going to hide the fact that I love The Murderbot Diaries. The character's sarcasm and wry observations make me laugh, and watching him learn to deal with his emerging feelings in regards to the now regular Preservation characters has been amusing. Possibly, in this period of concern regarding AI, watching a non-human character develop human emotions and learn how to control them is somewhat reassuring, but it still down with a very rationalist perspective (by Murderbot).

I actually enjoyed this one more than the last couple, perhaps because it remained in one location, and didn't introduce too many new characters (and taking place on Preservation Station makes it seem likely that some of these new characters will appear again), making it less work and more fun than the last couple had been.

[Susan]

I read Lock In, by John Scalzi, and I loved it. It's not a space opera like some of his earlier works. It is definitely cyberpunk, but set firmly on earth, and has significant elements of mystery as well as sci-fi. A full 4* for me.

[Meg]

I also read Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

3.5 stars.
I don't know how to review Murderbot. I really like the character, but I never like the stories as much as I think I should. I can never fully follow the plot (why, they aren't complicated!?) and I forget all the details as soon as I finish reading. I think I should go back and read the whole series, but it's also possible they just don't work for me as well as they do for everyone else (which is frustrating because I think I should love these!).

Read for seriously serial
I nominate happy

[Meg]

Hey @Tien, have we got an October shelf?

[Elvenn]

I read The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov (1953).

In a future overpopulated Earth, humanity has adapted by living in immense nets of buildings that keep the sun out, where human activities are tabulated, and basic benefits assigned depending on your role in society. Most seem to be ok with the situation, and are against the introduction of robots, fearing they'll cause workers to be made redundant. But diplomats from colonized planets disagree, and have been trying to convince Earth to accept robots for decades. In such a context, a high-profile murder takes place that needs to be solved with almost no clues and no time to waste.

I loved the world-building and the main characters, and found the story very interesting and a fast read. But, on the other hand, I felt not much happened, that the rest of the characters would have benefitted from a little more depth, that the whole Earth situation needed a few more explanations, and that the whole book read as an introduction of sorts, to more complex adventures to pass, perhaps, which, together with a too-sudden conclusion, left me wanting for more.

That said, I'll definitely continue with the Robot series and the rest of the Greater Foundation Universe, where I'm sure I'll find all the great stories this book hinted at.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Shelf nomination: Slice of life

[Tien]

Meg wrote: "Hey @Tien, have we got an October shelf?"

so sorry!! Went camping and forgot :(

[Beverly]

I read All Systems Red by Martha Wells. 4 starts


This is the first installment of the "Murderbot Series". The company rules the planetary system and sends security androids along with all missions. This is where we are introduced to our main character a SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module and refers to itself as "Murderbot". Murderbot wants to be left alone to find itself and watch TV. The SecUnit doesn't particularly like humans, but what will he do when a neighboring mission goes dark?

I enjoyed the book and loved the Murderbot. I will add the second book to my TBR.

[Bea]

I am a month behind, but I finally read Cress. This is book 3 in the series, which I thought was next to read. Imagine my surprise to find that I had skipped book 2. The good thing is that the main character in book 2 was not very involved in the action in this book.

Cress is the story of an android (Cinder) who is trying to stop a marriage. This android cares deeply for the man to be married and is trying to overthrow the woman who is evil and wants to become the ruler of the universe! It helps that Cinder really is the moon's true ruler...and the man she cares for is an earthly ruler. And Cress? She is another android who is trying to assist.

I don't usually like futuristic fiction, but this was fun with flawed androids and new encounters with earth. I found myself routing for this varied band of misfits. 4*.

I nominate sci-fi fantasy.