Andrew Benesh > Recent Status Updates

I can almost respect Wayman. Petry has some John Wick in his future.

Wendig's writing style really works for this story.

So much escalation. I feel like the plit loosened a bit, but had finally come back together. Atlanta's PTSD is pretty bad; it's like she keeps pulling off the scabs and putting lemon juice on them just to feel. At some point, I feel like she has to cross the line into outright killing, and I'm not sure how to feel about that. Shane has grown on me. I like her new dog friend.

This book is not subtle about the escalating tension. The Neo-Nazi presence is well cast, and should provide a satisfying battle or two.

This pulls no punches, and is unapologetic in its violence towards oppressive and abusive people. Atlanta feels like a young Miriam Black, with a deep set anger and cynical facade. The hints at her losses and pain are fleeting and entrapping.

Done! The epilogue and appendix were helpful reads, and really put the contents of the book itself into the larger context of the food industry and cultural identity.

Mostly done - just an epilogue away. The convergence of policy, ecology, and social science had been handled with surprising nuance. I like it.

So lobsters communicate primarily by pissing on each other's faces. That's a thing I know now.

The experiments with cod rich environments made a lot of sense and answered questions I was having. The sudden changes in population levels are an interesting mystery.

The interplay between science, policy, and social organization are really well captured, and could be a model for other disciplines. The study of superlobster distribution would be interesting to think about even larger geological time spans, given the changes of the ocean in the past 100 years. What do preindustrial lobster patterns look like?

Lobster behavior is a weirdly compelling topic. The parallels between lobsters and lobstermen feel a little forced, but they keep the narrative moving.

Time for some variety. Chapter one makes a nice into to the idea of population management and collaboration between scientists and lobstermen. It's a promising start!

Done! Qi'ra's ending felt more right in the book. Han and Beckett feels very archetypal. I feel like Chewie gets lost towards the end. Lando and L3 were heartbreaking. The Enfys epilogue was a brilliant way to tie together even more of the franchise. I need more Enfys content.

Kessel was suitability intense. I really loved the L3 monologues, and Qi'ra's reflections on her training.

The L3 - Qi'ra chat extension really pays off. Lando really syncs with how he's written in Last Shot. Beckett feels less still than in earlier chapters, as his character is more background now. Also, Lando's poor personal products!

RIP Val & Rio. The train heist was really well written, preserving the tendon and frenetic pace of the film. Val's memories helped books her character more, but still seem insufficient. Is like some more Rio insight too.

I enjoyed the expanded bits in the first part, which made Qi'ra more consistent and did some good world building. Han as an imperial pilot, and general imperial perspectives on Correllia were also nice. Tag and Bink are canon!

Done! I love how this keeps building tension, and the way Cole writes Heloise's internal struggle with her growing responsibility. This was a great second book for the trilogy!

I like the back and forth between the armies. As for Sigir, I understand but am disappointed.

Hooray for the Sindi and Hapti! Also, not a bad speech by Heloise.

The battle for Lyse went better than expected, though the combat was fuzzier to read than the ambushes. Poch is deeply concerning.

I really like the Sindi, and how Cole continues to build layers on the world. Heloise's escalating injuries are pretty horrific, so I assume Tone is going to die bad. Who knows when the next demon will appear...

Done! The chapter on Azita's Father, and the epilogue on patriarchal social structures really for together well. But exactly a happy ending, but it does have glimmers of hope in the resilience of Afghan women.

The incidence and inescapability of domestic violence in Afghanistan is only briefly touched on, but could easily fill a whole book. The light analysis on gendered foreign aid could use more depth, but I understand it's not the focus of the book.

Afghan divorce is a truly convoluted, amorphous process.

I really enjoyed the interviews with some women living as men in Afghanistan; it puts a new level on gender performance as political act. The larger connection to Zoroastrianism was unexpected but makes sense.

Now I feel bad for Zahra. The wedding and Chasity expectations are all too familiar.

Zhara is awesome. Azita frustrates me, but I see the pragmatics.

The family dynamic between the girl's is fascinating. It's clear that enacting the boy role is more than a superficial activity.

I like how we pick up right where the last book ended, without skipping a beat! The recap was nice, but now I'm ready to see Heloise grow in her responsibilities.

I'm surprised by the prevalence and cultural acceptance. The girl's reactions make sense, both positively and negatively, given the larger economic realities. The mythology around child birth, and intentional occlusion of sex ed is alarming.