Cheng Bogdani > Recent Status Updates

This consciousness swapping thing is confusing me - the consciousness starts over every swap (no memories from the previous body), but the body stays in the same social context? This is confusing.

Overall, this feels like a cyberpunk Handmaid's Tale so far.

We are passing from the realm of the plausible into the comical.

This is surprisingly good, I see why it's so popular. Reminds me a little bit of Maeve Fly; the MC feels apart from her peers and entertains herself by manipulating them.

Like Peyote for Pimps
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is what splatterpunk should be. Thoughtful and transcendent while utterly still being utterly depraved.

Sex and Slaughter
poetry isn't my thing, barely skimmed it

I was hoping for more complex characters. There's so much opportunity to let the MC be so much more intricate but I'm not seeing it yet.

The further I get into this, the less I care about any of the characters or the Gzilt culture. Except the Culture ships, those guys are great.

I remain fascinated while emotionally uninvolved.

This is a very interesting story, but it's also very easy to pick up and put down because of all the POV changes. And for someone highly distractable such as myself, it means it's a challenge to sit down and plow through this nonstop.

After the excitement of piecing together what the different factions are about, it's getting a little repetitive as they chase each other around the galaxy. I'm still enjoying the ride.

It took me a while to get a good grasp of what each faction is made of and what their goals are, but I am completely on board for what the author is doing and the way he's doing it.

SEP 2024 Beyond Reality group read

Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Another study of free will, using quantum cyphers to briefly interact with doppelgangers in parallel worlds. A great premise, executed well, but got a bit too wordy like a Stephen King story.

Omphalos
⭐️⭐️
A study in how reality shapes the boundaries of faith and greater purpose. I get squicky at religiousness, but I powered through this. Not sure it covers any ground that Thomas Aquinas, et al hasn't already touched on.

The Great Silence
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This another great story, including one of my favorite premises: super intelligent life already lives on Earth, and it isn't the humans.

No spoilers, but I will say that some real opportunities to ratchet up the 'horror' were missed by a narration tone that's more cerebral rather than sensual.

This is the second book in a month I've read that has the MCs in captivity. TBH, it's never been my favorite plot mechanic.

Also, our primary MC is a Texan redneck - who measures temperature in celsius and distance in centimeters, and references a stove as a "hob". The random English interjections jolt me out of the setting.

Mary Sue has leveled up.

The plot thickens, while the threads weave their way closer together.

Albion reminds me of Topeka from "A Boy and His Dog"

The times, they are a changin'

Saddle up, buckos - we're on a QUEST!

We're finally getting somewhere