Luke Burrage > Recent Status Updates

I don't see myself finishing this book at all. Who told me it was good?

I'm really struggling to get into this. It's like a Wes Anderson movie in all the way I don't like Wes Anderson movies, but not in any of the ways I really enjoy other Wes Anderson movies.

This has been in my to-read list for while after being recommended by a few podcast listeners. Turns out I've read it before! I don't remember the story, but indivual scenes and many mind blowing ideas have stuck with me from my first reading, even though I forgot which book they were from.

I hope to finish this and review it next week. Juliane will probably join me on the episode as she listened to the German audio drama version.

Finally the first references to Otherland, the title of the series, half way through the first book. Talk about a slow-burner.

Getting through this quite quickly on my work trip. Funny to see that in the future everyone watches Netflix. Or Net-Flicks. Not sure of the spelling due to it being an audiobook.

Yup.

This end battle/confrontation/back-story confirmation is just as interminable as last time, but due to it being an audiobook there's an added element of confusion.

How can I get half way through the book and feel like nothing has happened? Like the story hasn't started/progressed yet?

I skipped the "What came before" section this time. That's an hour off the length of this book, and it's already five hours shorter than the previous book. I hope I enjoy it better this time around!

"He's not human."

"Neither was Skaius."

Star's Tears! I think I read that story before some time.

This is really creepy. I like it.

This is way more hardcore "Kelhus is awesome" material upfront than I remember. I guess that will pass once the army sets off into the desert.

Finished the very heavy-handed but interesting With Delicate Mad Hands. Crazy is fun when not crazy.

Finished the very heavy-handed but fun enough Houston, Do You Read. That means I'm about half way through the stories. A book is very slow going when it forces so many stopping points.

I really enjoy the "What came before" section.

Another few stories ticked off. Feels like work though.

I can't tell which character is the viewpoint character anymore, now they are in the same location. I have to consciously check the character names on a paragraph by paragraph basis.

I can't tell which character is the viewpoint character anymore, now they are in the same location. I have to consciously check the character names on a paragraph by paragraph basis.

I honestly did not see that mid-point story/tone/genre shift coming. Is this a sign of great writing that will only make sense later, or bad writing that will make sense later?

Good so far.

Don't make references to other books about AI that are better than your book. Really.

I'm way behind Juliane on this one. And it's an ebook not an audiobook, so I can't cheat to catch up quickly.

Listening to this with Juliane and only on car journeys together, so it's taking a bit of time to get through.

Only now getting to the part of the story that I remember this book opening with. Memory is weird. Also I really enjoy reading the beginnings of characters who, in four books time, are involved in epic storylines. So good.

Fun to re-read this. Lots of stuff happening that I remember, but not in the order I remember it.

I got back to it, and while it's still terribly written and the pacing is just awful, some of the weird/bad/boring writing and story choices are explained in the second half. It doesn't make it better, but I now at least understand the shitness.

I'm back to it, listening at 2.5x speed. I don't normally do this, but I just need to get through it more quickly.

Meanwhile, it's REALLY shit.