Andrew Benesh > Recent Status Updates

I liked how that came to an end. Seeing Ked as a creature with agency is interesting; Anglang as trapped in a cycle is somewhat poetic. Also, space tequila.

I'm enjoying Saladin's story so far - the hapless salesman and the retiring assassin make for a fine pair. I really love the world building - the side hustles, the cons, and the majesty of the casino itself.

The final essay, on newts and fire, is easily the best in this. It feels tight and focused, with strong images and meaningful reflections.

The embedded novella about the writing residency did get a bit better. The stories, counterposed images, and reflections were all interesting in their own right; however the unifying thread seemed invented in the last few pages. The author is very skilled at description.

I'm starting to think that this semifinal essay was the real core of the book, and the rest was filler. The narrative of the creative writing residency is interesting and threads events and experienced together nicely, but doesn't feel like it had a strong message yet. then again I'm only 20 of 52 pages in on it.

The mushroom and linguistics essay grey like it had the potential to be really good. But I don't think it will it's worked; the thesis was too diffuse and the examples insufficiently drawn out.

So much many security rule requirements and preventative plan requirements. This is where HIPAA compliance paranoia happens.

The story on steelhead recycling is really what I'd been expecting from this book. It captures the ecosystem, the changes in return, the flow of nutrients, the efforts to restore balance, and the people who endure it happens. It felt like a chapter from "Where the water Goes", which I greatly enjoyed. The parallels between the fish and the recycling men seemed a bit underdeveloped, but that's OK.

The Garden of Earthly Delights story, focusing on the cabins on madrones trees, is excellent. It humanizes the trees, captures the inevitability of change, and situates the trees and their carvers in a cosmic way. This feels like an Annie Dillard story. I wish they were all more like this.

The Coyote story is interesting. I like the style, but the time seems off. The indecision between deifying and invalidating isn't well resolved, and doesn't always seem intentionally cast.

While the idea of diving appeals to me, underwater dredging does not. The authors efforts to romanticize it seem to fall short for me. To me, the glimmer of hope in gold seems shallow when set in the historical society ecological context he lays out, yet the author doesn't seem to experience it the same way.

I have missed feelings on the hummingbird story. I like the information about the unique behaviors, physiology, and history. I found the authors personal connection somewhat superfluous; it's themes weren't as well reflected as in prior essays.

I really liked the essay on the salmon. The path from harvest to ceremonial meal is well traced, with a great attention to the parallels with myth and the transcendental ideas of the process. Regrettably, some of the description and dialogue of native participants felt a little degrading; I'd like to think this wasn't intentional.

This feels like a very somber Annie Dillard. The chiton piece was fascinating; the agates orcs felt like it was trying too hard to achieve profundity. A clearer mediation on formation, graduated change, impermanence, or value might have been more effective.

I really enjoyed the ending to this. Seeing the growth in Miriam, her acceptance of herself and her powers, and her movement towards truly healthy relationships is nice. Hell, even things with Grosky are reasonable. As usual Wendig has to leave some threads loose, but that just means there's more to come.

I like that the issue of connections as strengths rather than weaknesses is getting more attention. Miriam has clearly leveled up, and it's interesting that Louis has arrived. The bird POV chapter was great. I'm a little sad about David; the rest of that crew can die badly though. Not sure where all this leaves Mary Stitch. I'd normally complain about the wonky time passage, but it fits Miriam's altered perception.

I like that Gabby has stepped up, and is forcing Miriam to begin really working on acceptance and responsibility. The militia are interesting; I'm wondering how many other powered people they have. Mary herself is a bit frustrating, but maybe that will change. I feel like we may have been shortchanged on Gracie as a character - her into suggested more promise than her death delivered.

So that last one was an error.

And now I understand the privacy rule a little too well.

The pacing of this book is really well structured; the lulls are brief and well offset by other plot developments, and the interludes for in seamlessly. I'm curious about the resources of the paramilitary group, and want to see more of Mary. The Gabby dynamic is improving. No sign of the mother and kid.

As I read, I marvel more and more at how the description reflects Miriam's worldview and thought process even if it isn't explicitly her. The kinetic and vivid writing is as intense as ever. Miriam needs to get things right with Gabby.

What the Hutt?!

"Whills" by Tom Angleberger is a fitting capstone to this anthology. Less a story than a reflection on the craziness of the Star Wars story and community, it captures a remarkable breadth of ideas in 4 short pages. The comments on Maul and K2S0 are fabulous.

"Whatever Sun" by E. K. Johnston and Ashley Eckstein is a story I knew was coming, and had a lot of worries about. It's good to experience it as a story of survival, victory, and growth. Seeing the changes in the Larte sisters from their appearances in Ahsoka to here is great, even though it's brief. The nods to Fulcrum and the death of Raada are very well done.

"The Angle" by Charles Soule is a very different story from those that precede it. It's ostensibly about Lando learning about the Death Star's destruction, but in reality I feel it's more about encapsulating Han's' character development. Lando is still living the life of a con man, and simply can't see why Han would have helped the rebellion; it's a contrast that's important for setting up ESB and ROTJ arcs for him.

Alexander Freed's "Contingency Plan" is an emotionally difficult read. It follows Mon Mothma in a place of despair and hopelessness as she flees Yavin 4 in the face of the coming Death Star, and prepares for the unthinkable in order to bring piece back to the galaxy. The exploration of her personal sense of guilt and of her dependence on the hope of the young are moving.

"Grounded" by Greg Rucka is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. It tracks the experiences of the ground crews during the Yavin 4 missions, and focuses on their understanding of their role in the battle overhead. While we learn more about our pilots, the exploration of the relationships between pilots and support crews is the central point, and well done. Most importantly, Rucka brings to light the huge losses of DS1

"Desert Son" by Pierce Brown is an intense read. It captures the excitement of Biggs reconnecting with his friend, the intimacy of their relationship, and the chaos of space combat remarkably well. While the blow by blow feels a little redundant given the preceding stories, the way it's presented is engaging and fits the story well.

Duty Roster by Jason Fry captures the experience of the ground crew and the pilots who couldn't join in the attack in the death star. It captures the tension and excitement well. I'm curious whether Fake Wedge exists in other media; the way he was written seemed to assume some familiarity.

Paul S. Kemp's Sparks really captures the feel of a rag tag rebellion. The writing balances inside with action well. He gives Dex just enough depth to give meaning to his death in a way that wasn't there before.

Palatine by Ian Doescher is a neat interlude of Palpatine thinking on Obi-wan's death and it's implications for his rule. It's written in Shakespearean style, which is fun.