zachbrumaire's reviews
357 reviews

Ex Urbe Ad Astra Ep. 1: Speculative Resistance With Writer Malka Older by Jo Walton, Ada Palmer, Malka Older

For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.

Ex Urbe Ad Astra Episode 6 How Writing Is Like Fencing, With Writer Max Gladstone - Part 2 by Jo Walton, Ada Palmer, Max Gladstone

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A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon

0.5

this was a very troubling book

Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

more melancholy then her prequel sisters Time and Ruin, Children of Memory is a haunting surreal trek across the nature of consciousness and the perils of existence in a cold, strange universe. 

The Philosopher Kings by Jo Walton

4.25

The Just City by Jo Walton

4.0

Necessity by Jo Walton

3.25

the most expansive of the three books, introducing alien cultures, extratemporal quests, and xenotheology, while retaining a few of our favorite characters, yet progress being split across the story of first contact, the story of the familial and class and gender conflict on Plato, the story of errant Gods, the story of Apollo's development, of his children's theosophy, along with filling in key backstory elements for Mathias and philosophical reflections for Crochus, meant that none of the stories had room to stretch and explore and interact. the aliens felt not so much mysterious as rushed, their culture more exposition then exploration, the mysteries resolved too quickly, or even before they'd been introduced. if the series was going to expand onto so many fronts, it might have been better to put more of the groundwork into place in book 2, which has a much narrower scope. a book 2.5 which explored the initial setteling of Plato, and 3.5 to address the cultural ramifications of the three First Contacts, might have better framed the many moving pieces and given them the space to chart their courses. 

The Digging-Est Dog by Al Perkins

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.0

a truely harrowing dystopia

Perhaps the Stars by Ada Palmer

5.0

The Palace of Dreams by Ismail Kadare

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

"spare...and quietly terrifying" is how the Wall Street Journal described The Palace Of Dreams. i certainly agree.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture, Murder, and Abandonment