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Recent Reading
Mar. 5th, 2025 05:58 pmAll the Pieces Matter: The Inside Story of The Wire (Jonathan Abrams) (2018): In audiobook, narrated by... well, everyone they could pull in from The Wire. Nerd heaven. Either you're here for "people who worked on The Wire talk about making The Wire, very few bodies are unearthed," or you have no idea what The Wire is, in which case let me find someone into long form series TV who can explain it.
Fablehaven (Brandon Mull) (2006): Children's fantasy novel, from a coworker during a holiday gift swap. Siblings Kendra and Seth Sorenson are dropped off with their socially-distant grandparents for a multiweek stay, discovering the secret of their large property, a secret preserve for magical creatures, and the forces of evil that move against Fablehaven.
The tropes are all played straight in Fablehaven. Kendra and Seth fall into the archetypes of Responsible Older Sister and Reckless But Plucky Younger Brother. Their grandparents' secret responsibilities explain their absence from the lives of their grandkids, with no emotional repercussions (not in this novel, at least). The parents are thoroughly written out of sight and mind.
( Minor plot spoilers about the one thing that proves I hold grudges. )
My coworker and I have a solid working relationship founded on neither of us ever talking politics or religion. If my coworker likes Fablehaven as much as he said he did, I am very tempted to hand him Diane Duane's first three Young Wizard novels and see what he thinks. And whether Duane's wokeness is going to be a dealbreaker or the start of a good discussion.
Heavenly Tyrant (Xiran Jay Zhao) (2024): In audiobook, narrated by Rong Fu. DNF. Sequel to Iron Widow.
( Iron Widow spoilers / ending recap. )
( Heavenly Tyrant spoilers / recap until I DNF'd. )
I noped out when three corrupt officials were paraded into a stadium filled to the nosebleed seats so their working class victims could be encouraged to participate in a beat-down of their chained and hobbled oppressors as "justice".
It wasn't just the what, but also the how: I hadn't been enjoying HT and I really didn't enjoy how Zhao wrote Wu Zeitan's PoV during the PR spectacle of violence. Revenge fantasies are not doing it for me these days, radical, reactionary, conservative, or liberal.
Fablehaven (Brandon Mull) (2006): Children's fantasy novel, from a coworker during a holiday gift swap. Siblings Kendra and Seth Sorenson are dropped off with their socially-distant grandparents for a multiweek stay, discovering the secret of their large property, a secret preserve for magical creatures, and the forces of evil that move against Fablehaven.
The tropes are all played straight in Fablehaven. Kendra and Seth fall into the archetypes of Responsible Older Sister and Reckless But Plucky Younger Brother. Their grandparents' secret responsibilities explain their absence from the lives of their grandkids, with no emotional repercussions (not in this novel, at least). The parents are thoroughly written out of sight and mind.
( Minor plot spoilers about the one thing that proves I hold grudges. )
My coworker and I have a solid working relationship founded on neither of us ever talking politics or religion. If my coworker likes Fablehaven as much as he said he did, I am very tempted to hand him Diane Duane's first three Young Wizard novels and see what he thinks. And whether Duane's wokeness is going to be a dealbreaker or the start of a good discussion.
Heavenly Tyrant (Xiran Jay Zhao) (2024): In audiobook, narrated by Rong Fu. DNF. Sequel to Iron Widow.
( Iron Widow spoilers / ending recap. )
( Heavenly Tyrant spoilers / recap until I DNF'd. )
I noped out when three corrupt officials were paraded into a stadium filled to the nosebleed seats so their working class victims could be encouraged to participate in a beat-down of their chained and hobbled oppressors as "justice".
It wasn't just the what, but also the how: I hadn't been enjoying HT and I really didn't enjoy how Zhao wrote Wu Zeitan's PoV during the PR spectacle of violence. Revenge fantasies are not doing it for me these days, radical, reactionary, conservative, or liberal.
