Andrew Benesh > Recent Status Updates

I love the psychological drama of this. The ghosts, the trauma, the challenges adapting and making meaning, the social pressures to morn in prescribed ways - it's crafted with incredible care and attention to context.

I looked the way loss and grief are portrayed, and the narrator's internal struggles with class and responsibility. The descriptions are particularly rich and enjoyable. The ghost is intriguing.

Done! The final battles were excellent; the attention to 3d space and human elements really sold it. The final character confrontations are a bit anemic, but the Faro ending was nice - it felt a lot like Sloane's rise in JJM and Wendig's books.

It's weird that Thrawn is the last interesting character in good own book. The treason reveal was well executed, and I enjoyed the blow by blow with Faro. I feel like the art thing is worn out at this point.

The Vanto/Ronan side plot is fun. The Thrawn section feels like a rehash of Alliances, which is a bit unfortunate. I want more Ar'alani.

I enjoy the imperial infighting, but Thrawn himself is kinda blah right now. The other Chiss are interesting case studies.

A nice premise and reintroduction to methodological Thrawn.

Done! The last two chapters felt anemic after the extensive sections on infectious and metabolic disease, but I suppose that makes sense given the limited data on neoplasias un the archaeological record. I'm impressed that 25% of the book is references!

The chapter on metabolic disease is frustrating, because we know of it's important historical role but the skeletal evidence is so minimal. I wish there were more illustrations of scurvy related bone growth and adult deformities from rickets.

That's more than I ever wanted to know about leprosy and syphilis. The connections between leprosy and TB make me wonder about immunization strategies. The challenge of differentiating the causes of syphilis and related diseases reminds me of psychiatric classification problems.

Bone infections are scary stuff. I appreciate the in depth treatment of tuberculosis, and implications of archaeological specimens in understanding the cultivation of human infection through agriculture.

I did not realize there were so many different types of joint disease. I'm also surprised that the associations between joint deterioration and occupation aren't stronger.

The trauma chapter is long, but deeply informative. The measurement challenges are utterly obscene, and I marvel that we have anything close to accurate estimates.

Also, I appreciate the extra detail on trepanning methods and survival rates.

The chapter on dental issues is informative, though I wish there were more pictures. The methodological considerations for reporting present a fascinating problem (per observed tooth? per person? per carie? Etc). The attention to cultural aspects of tooth decay on both a civilization label and an individual level presents a set of ideas we rarely talk about.

It's a wonder we have any paleopathological evidence of congenital diseases. It seems every biological, social, and preservative process is against the likelihood of finding evidence.

The level of ambiguity when identifying basic characteristics like age and sex of skeletons raises more questions than it answers. The dependency on comparators from environmentally distinct populations feels like a fundamental measurement error. I wish there were more explanation of the statistical approaches used here.

The measurement problems in assessing pathology from archaeological specimens are an interesting challenge to overcome. The absence of soft tissue data and limited sampling opportunity feels like a measurement and design nightmare.

Done! The djinn story was clever, though the ending was a bit clunky, and the humor could have come off better. The final act of voice of reason was a nice invite to new stories.

The Sylvan story is a fun exercise in good storytelling and playing with the readers expectations. I'd like to see more like it.

I'm enjoying the Dandelion story. The bridal story seemed a little too desperate to be clever. I'm still bothered by just how much sexual assault is offhandedly being used in this book.

The Snow White story has some surprising twists. Geralt is not known for his excellent judgement.

I liked the retelling of Beauty and the Beast a lot more than the first story. The character work really sells it, but keeps it grounded in the Witcher lore. I wish there were a little more monster info.

Approaching this having played the third game, I wasn't sure what to expect. I appreciate how the world is revealed through the story, and there isn't excessive exposition. I could do without quote so much description of each woman's breasts, but if the game is a guide then that's not going away anytime soon. The character building feels right, and so fast the relationships feel solid.

Done! The section on the 70s was hard to read - seriously who thought "Trail of Cheers" was a good idea?!? But I find some comfort in the more recent history. Knowing that the mounds achieved National Park status and expansion street publication is satisfying, and I'm excited about the future development of the park and our knowledge of the site. I look forward to the festival this September!

The taking of tribal lands is well addressed from a tray standpoint, but I wish there were more of the human and virtual elements in the text. I appreciated the attention to the railroads that intersected the mounds, but winery about other railroads that impacted the land (esp. South of the mounds). The recognition of imperfect knowledge in the preservation efforts is a cool story I've never heard before.

The chapter on the development of polities and subsequent relations with the Spanish and English is fascinating. I wish it had more maps. I feel like a lot of the trading post history is downplayed at the monument, though I can understand why. The authors are clearly trying hard not to make this a colonialist-driven narrative despite limited records and oral history, which I appreciate.

The third part gives glimpses into the rise of the Ocmulgee site and surrounding areas. I wish there were clearer diagrams of mounds; even as a seasoned visitor some spacings were hard to make sense of. I liked the inclusion of the Lamar site, but wish it were more descriptive. I remember visiting it in an undergrad anthropology class and being struck by how different it felt from the Ocmulgee site.

I appreciate the author's recognizing the limitations of their work, and the impact of colonialism on the available knowledge. The overview of the three major timeframe is helpful, and I'd love more. The field notes took a moment to get into, but I like how they capture some of the ethos and moral questions of being at the site. As I read, I want to go walk the trails.

Done! The grand villain "speech" at the end felt a little drawn out, but it makes sense when your read Liu Cixin's post- script about his relationship with large numbers. Da Shi remains my favorite character by far. I kind of expected a different end to Ye's trip - it seemed like a Kate Chopin "The Awakening" moment.

There's a part of my brain that questions whether the the Trisolarian threat is an illusion.

The mirroring here is impressive and fun. The new info about ETO feels right, though I wish it had been revealed earlier. The Judgement Day incident feels like something out of an anime. Da Shi is a bad, bad man.