Lisa Eckstein > Recent Status Updates

This is funny and bizarre, and I can't wait to find out what's going to happen!

Reading at 30,000 feet or so, I was certainly glad I was inside an airplane and not outside on a 29,000 foot summit.

Really really really don't want to climb Everest! But I'm glad someone wrote about it so vividly.

Excellent writing about something that fascinates me and that I absolutely have no desire to do.

A rare reread for me: I watched the movie Everest a couple of weeks ago, and it made me crave another read of this incredible book.

It is simply astonishing how many times this main character has remade her life, and every identity is fascinating.

I'm loving how many different fascinating things are at play in this story, and they're all coming together nicely.

"Amnesty" does an excellent job of establishing aliens who are truly alien. The story focuses on the communication system and difficult symbiotic relationship that has developed between these aliens and humans.
"The Book of Martha" is a philosophical story exploring the question of what it would take to make humans stop destroying the planet and each other.

Interesting shift. Curious to see how the different pieces of the story are going to come together.

Enjoyed Butler's two essays about writing. "Positive Obsession" charts her own journey as a writer, from scribbling stories in notebooks as a child to collecting rejection slips to publishing and finding success as the only black woman in the field at the time. "Furor Scribendi" is advice for those hoping to write for publication, most importantly: "Persist."

As usual, an exciting and fun story, and I have no idea where it's going.

"Near of Kin": Surprisingly, not SF at all. After the death of her mother, who she was never close to, a young woman has an important conversation with her uncle.
"Speech Sounds": Very impressed by this good but brutal story of a world where people have lost the ability to speak.

Been waiting on this book for a long time, and I'm loving every page!

The first story, "Bloodchild", explores a relationship system that has evolved on a planet between its original inhabitants and the humans who came to live there. In "The Evening and the Morning and the Night", characters who suffer from a horrific genetic illness learn about a surprising treatment possibility. Both stories have a good gradual reveal of details and unusual situations.

Still really into this story.

"Liking What You See: A Documentary" takes an idea and imagines all the repercussions and perspectives. This is something I love to see done well, and of course Chiang does it well.

An impressive collection of stories, for sure!

"Hell Is the Absence of God": I like the idea of a science fiction story based on the premise that the improbable notions of God, heaven, and hell are actually real.

So many identities she takes on and different lives she lives -- great way to tell a story!

Endlessly fascinating character and story!

"Seventy-Two Letters": An amazing combination of concepts in this story. I guess that's true for much of this collection!

"Story of Your Life": Wow. A heartbreaking family story AND alien linguistics AND an additional very cool but spoilery concept that unfolded brilliantly.

"Division by Zero": I really like the mathematical premise of this story. Initially I didn't understand why the ending worked, but then I got it, and it's pretty clever.

Fascinating life, fascinating historical detail.

Great opening, very excited to read on!

Two stories into this collection, and I can tell they will all be amazing and very different. "Tower of Babylon" is about the almost plausible logistics of building of the Tower of Babel. "Understand" looks at what could happen to someone with unbounded mental faculties.

"'My biggest fear about the apocalypse isn't being eaten by cannibals--it's the fact that in every other postapocalyptic movie you see someone with an acoustic guitar by the campfire...I can't stand acoustic guitar music.'"

Exciting and terrible things happening!

The characters are adults in San Francisco now, and the story is getting even more fun!

Only through great willpower am I putting this book down to get other things done!

Off to a great start -- I already love these characters.