Baru's journey to understanding control and subverting it Riddles & Games In a room sit three great men, a king, a priest, and a rich man with his gold. Between them stands a sellsword, a little man of common birth and no great mind. Each of the great ones bids him slay the other two. ‘Do it,’ says the king, ‘for I am your lawful ruler.’ ‘Do it,’ says the priest, ‘for I command you in the names of the gods.’ ‘Do it,’ says the rich man, ‘and all this gold shall be yours.’ So tell me—who lives and who dies? ― George R.R. Martin , A Clash of Kings “There’s no right answer,” Juris said, because how could there be, the riddle was designed to provoke. Three ministers have gathered for dinner when they taste poison in their wine. One attending secretary has a dose of antidote. All three ministers demand the bottle. One minister says, give me the antidote, or I will release the files that detail all your affairs and mistakes. The next minister says, give me the antidote, or I will destroy your right to ever bear children. The third minister pulls a knife. Who gets the antidote? Whose power is strongest? Who is truly in control? Why should the secretary, who has all the power here, yield to one minister over another? It was a bad riddle, in the end. You couldn’t answer it without making some smarmy, lawyerish argument about the primacy of one power over the rest. Only it was not a bad riddle, Barhu had realized. “There’s a right answer. I figured it out when you told me that you had my parents. People are engines, Juris. Each of a unique make. And if you discover the schematics of that engine you may find the power that drives it. You’d found a power over me that I couldn’t challenge, because everything I do comes from that day when I was seven years old and I wanted to make my parents happy again.” “You’re babbling.” “I’m not. This is the answer.” “There is no answer—” “There is. Who contrived to put three ministers at a dinner party with poisoned wine and only one dose of antidote? Who arranged the dinner? Who provided the poison? That person has the true power.” “It’s a rhetorical device, you self-important cunt,” Juris said, with a contempt that was almost fond. ― Seth Dickinson , The Tyrant Baru Cormorant Welcome to the second part of my deep dive into the Masquerade novels by Seth Dickinson, wherein I will explore Baru's relationship with control, compliance and rebellion through the series so far; you can find the first part here . I love this series and firmly believe it deserves far more attention, but as always the goal of my writing is to share the wisdom and insights to be found in the books I discuss and that means significant spoilers are far likelier today than last week. Baru Cormorant perched atop the imperial throne of Falcrest, by Theos Zhang Seth's choice to dress up Varys' infamous riddle to Tyrion in the style of the Masquerade is beautiful both as an example of insightful intertextuality (Varys and Littlefinger are certainly Martin's cryptarchs ) and as reinforcement for Baru's growing understanding of power and control in the series. Raised in a colonial school and separated physically, emotionally and ideologically from her family and culture by colonizing Falcrest, Baru vows to one day destroy the Masquerade from within. Xate Yawa shares this goal on behalf of her home, Aurdwynn, having seen decades of rebellion and suffering make no progress in unseating Falcresti occupation. Apparitor fears returning home, and instead only wants to work with Falcrest until he has a chance to escape with his secret lover and family. And, horrifyingly, this is exactly what Falcrest wants. These three foreign-born cryptarchs are experiments by Cairdine Farrier and his rival Cosgrad Torrinde in their parallel quests for a self-governing colonized world, and have simply been given enough leeway to test the extent of their conditioning. Put in context of the riddle, Baru spends two and a half books begging for the antidote before realizing how terrifyingly long ago Farrier placed her in that metaphorical room – and how long ago Tain Hu gave her the means to escape. Baru and Tain Hu, by psrj Compliance & Rebellion When I first read these books two years ago, one of my main takeaways was this skin-crawling, chilling notion of courageous, hopeful, idealist rebellion being twisted and coerced into enabling and expanding the very institution it is fighting against. Even if every cog in the machine dreams of malfunction, they spend every day working to keep it running. Falcrest achieves this not just in the individual lives of Baru and Yawa but also economically and societally through trade, vaccinations and modernization, insinuating itself and transforming all it touches. (How many of our own institutions are built on this very tactic? I just finished Elif Shafak's 10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in this Strange World , and can't help but see the parallel to women pursuing freedom in conservative countries. Either stay obedient and quiet in often abusive situations, or strike out alone to be labeled sinful, inviting violence and reinforcing societal views.) A haunting example from the text is the revelation that Farrier has conditioned Baru to associate her lesbian nature with death, shame and rebuke. She finds herself in a pattern of putting off her romantic interests until oblivion is closing in, even hallucinating the death of her friend and lover Ulyu Xe soon after their first time together because she is so certain doom will follow her acting in accordance with who she is. I wrote a little about how Baru escaped this mental knot in my post on lesbian representation , check it out! So, these incredible books ask, how do you actually escape and/or break the system? Tain Shir, by marceline2174 Chaos One answer is personified in Tain Shir: cousin of Tain Hu, failed former protégé of Farrier and among the most fearsome and fascinating characters I've ever read. “Tain Shir walks the deck of RNS Sulane between the bombs and incendiaries and steel-tipped barbs. A weapon among weapons but she alone is free. The tragedy of the knife is the hilt. The tragedy of the crossbow is the trigger. Shir has neither. She cannot be gripped nor fired. She is unmastered. The sailors are rude with her. So be it. Etiquette is the domain of those whose power is conditional upon the respect of others, and Shir is unconditional. If she drifted alone in the void beyond the moon or if she walked among the monarchs of the ancient Cheetah Palaces she would not be altered in her capabilities or her intentions, for not one truth of her resides within a relationship to any other thing.” ― Seth Dickinson , The Monster Baru Cormorant An idea I'll explore next week is how many of Dickinson's characters feel like they are the protagonist of their own fantasy saga, and Tain Shir is a potent example as Baru's predecessor and antagonistic foil . Shir is a force of nature and chaos because that is how she escaped Farrier and Falcrest's conditioning and chains. Tain Shir is here to teach a lesson. A lesson about the costs of manipulation, and the hubris of forcing others to pay those costs for you, and the lie that you can serve a master today without also ceding to him all your tomorrows. She is defined by violence as a stark contrast to the way Baru is constantly getting people killed second-hand: Shir wields machetes and crossbows while Baru wields pen and paper, but who has actually spilled more blood? Tain Shir and a cormorant, by hivemire Yet despite her infinite badassery, Shir doesn't seem to share Baru's goal of toppling Falcrest. (It's unclear what she wants beyond keeping Baru honest, but that won't stop me speculating next week!) Baru is presented with the opportunity to follow in Shir's rebellious footsteps and become a walking one-woman apocalypse for Falcrest by carrying a deadly plague, but ultimately flees in horror. She spends most of the third book questioning this split-second decision and whether she has now doomed her mission. But, thankfully, Barhu has a plan. Baru and Tain Hu, by marceline2174 "Compliance" I'm running long today and will have to run through the details next week – have I even mentioned yet that Baru is a savant mathematician and accountant? good grief, this story defies summary – but Barhu ultimately decides to defeat her opponents by playing on their expectations of her. By appearing to comply and rebel within the parameters Farrier expects – and trusting Xate Yawa's loyalty and lobotomy expertise – Barhu is able to gain the upper hand and briefly dictate her master's decisions just as he has been controlling and exploiting Baru's all her life. But will her influence last, and will her plan to bring down Falcrest work? Come back next week as I speculate on the future of this series! Thanks so much for reading! <3

Seth Dickinson's Masquerade series raises essential and provocative questions about society Grand Entrance This week I finished my re-read of the Masquerade novels by Seth Dickinson: The Traitor Baru Cormorant , The Monster Baru Cormorant and The Tyrant Baru Cormorant . As with my first read of these books a little over two years ago, I find myself in utter awe at the brilliance and scope of these novels, with a strong impulse to declare them my favourite speculative fiction pieces. I've previously referenced Seth Dickinson's series with regard to its worldbuilding and lesbian representation , but today and over the next couple weeks I'm going to take a significantly deeper look at the ideas and wisdom it has to offer. Now, providing a useful summary would take forever, so I'll do my best to keep things comprehensible and avoid plot spoilers while not shying away from the central themes of the text. That being said, I can't recommend these books highly enough – before or after you read my posts about them. So, what is this series? As I tried to explain previously but lacked the term, the Masquerade series is hard fantasy with (creatively adapted) rational ideas and phenomena in place of magic. It is also deeply interested in sociology, stripping down colonialism into its many horrifying aspects to be confronted by its protagonist while also exploring other systems of political power. (A central question in this world is how the colonizing, hygienic, ingratiating Falcrest will devour the millennium-old, continent-spanning, traditional Oriati Mbo – the survival and flourishing nature of which defies Falcrest's belief that their ways are the best and only.) And I still haven't even mentioned the two most frequent descriptors of this series: it is queer and brutal as hell. (Maybe neurodivergent should be in there as well; I've seen claims that both author and protagonist are on the spectrum and it certainly works well for my lil brain.) Author Seth Dickinson is a fairly private person, but an interview earlier this year used they/them pronouns for them so I'll do the same. The Players Baru Cormorant by Canmom Baru Cormorant, later codename Agonist, is a child when Falcrest begins its insidious colonization of her home island of Taranoke. Her cleverness leads her to be given a place at the new Falcresti colonial school – a direct reference to real historical residential schools – where she is quickly taught all the ways her society and family (with mother Pinion and fathers Solit and Salm) are improper and "unhygienic". At the school, being conditioned to hide and fear her lesbian sexuality ("tribadism") and internalizing Falcrest's philosophies, Baru is sheltered and vaccinated while infighting and smallpox are intentionally unleashed on her people. Is it any surprise then, that upon graduation Baru dedicates her life to dismantling Falcrest from within? Cairdine Farrier, codename Itinerant, is a charming and fatherly merchant always willing to offer a little wisdom developed over the course of his many travels. I absolutely love when we finally see him at home in the third book, and he shows off his jolly entertainer side: Cairdine Farrier peeked out from behind the Throne. “Am I late?” Affectionate applause, cheers, boos, whistles of love and lust; he came dancing down the steps, wearing the polestar of Imperial authority on his half-mask. His handsome beard smiled with his mouth. “Yes, it’s me! Back home at last. If there are any of you who doubted I was one of the Emperor’s advisors, well, I hope you pay your bets. I am here today, more publicly than usual, because I need your absolute trust. Welcome. No, please, I mean that sincerely. Welcome. I’m glad you’re here. I never, ever dreamed I’d have the chance to share this moment with you.” The hundred steps leading up to the Throne were just slightly too large for a human to mount. Farrier came hopping down them like an eager bird. Such a swell, lovable guy. Shame he's also dedicated to using operant conditioning through colonial schools to achieve a world where all unhygienic behaviour and thought is avoided and punished within the self until a world-spanning Falcresti society is entirely self-controlled. A horrifying question in the series is whether he has succeeded in this goal with Baru. (While Farrier is the face of colonialism in the series, it's noteworthy that he – and everyone in this world except for the far northern Stakhieczi – isn't white. Skin colour simply isn't a factor of prejudice in this world: instead that discrimination is powerfully and horrifyingly cultural. I think this is a brilliant way of re-contextualizing these issues, as it shines a more direct light while avoiding our world's absurd obsession with hue and shade.) Duchess Tain Hu by ConejoBlanco Tain Hu is love, Tain Hu is life. She is a fascinating mirror to Farrier in that both are charming, successful and vibrant; both are deeply entangled with Baru's past and future. Yet everywhere Farrier is constructed and calculated, Tain Hu is genuine and passionate. Baru and Tain Hu's relationship is the stuff of legends, and is probably deserving of its own post some day. For now, to avoid spoilers, I'll simply say that Tain Hu is the one potential wrench in Farrier's dream of machinic control. Tau-Indi Bosoka, Xate Yawa, Apparitor, Iscend Comprine, Shao Lune, and Aminata isiSegu all by ArianWells These books are full of incredible and fascinating characters I'd love to go in-depth on. Tau-Indi Bosoka is a lovely non-binary ("lamen") Prince of the Oriati Mbo who demonstrates the Oriati belief in the interconnectedness of all people and beings. Xate Yawa is an older, calloused rival and colleague to Baru who wants freedom for her home just as Baru wants freedom for Taranoke. Apparitor is a gay lightning-touched explorer mountain prince, turned dangerous cryptarch. Iscend Comprine is a physically perfect machine-like creation of genetics and life-long conditioning, beginning to break free. Shao Lune is a beautiful cutthroat political opportunist. Aminata is a childhood friend of Baru and member of Falcrest's navy, constantly fighting against stereotypes and expectations of her Oriati parentage. I love them, and so will you. Did I say you should read these books? The Name of the Game "Two Sides of the Same Coin": Tain Shir and Baru by furniture_piece In an incredibly insightful blog post from 2015 , Seth Dickinson laid out their vision behind the first book. It's absolutely worth a read, but to boil it down to a ridiculous degree: The central conflict of the book is the Masquerade’s attempt to condition Baru into compliance, while Tain Hu pulls the other way. These are the villains of the story, and the stories of the villains: - Gender is biology. (In a feudal power game, women serve as prizes, not leaders.) - Race is destiny. (When the colonizers arrive, the poor simple colonized are overwhelmed.) - Queer relationships are doomed. (In a homophobic world, queer people suffer and die.) I love that Seth chose to confront these ideas, I love that they imagined this incredible world in order to do so and I love the complex way they go about it. Gender in this series alone could be the topic of any number of essays: the Falcresti Navy is primarily composed of women, while Falcresti men wear make-up and often are seen as overly passionate and given to emotions the Stakhieczi have a huge divide between expectations and responsibilities of men and women, except they define men by who is dominant and women by who is submissive, leading to a couple hilarious moments where Baru explains why she is technically a man in their culture and the Oriati, as seen with Tau-Indi, have lamen and transgender people – both of which Falcresti ambassadors and agents are happy to accept and go along with, believing it is an issue to be solved sociologically rather than personally or violently. The question of Baru's compliance so far will be my focus next week, followed by a final (for now) post speculating about where the fourth and final book will go. Thanks so much for reading, please get in touch if there are any ideas here you'd like to hear more about in the next couple posts! Until next week <3

Immerse yourself in Susanna Clarke's uncanny and lovely masterpiece Introduction In search of a comfortable entry point into the genre of speculative fiction, but aren't in the mood for anything that remotely resembles Lord of the Rings or Star Wars ? Look no further than Susanna Clarke's eerie and tranquil Piranesi. Susanna Clarke's choice of name for the book and its protagonist – and its in-fiction origin – was inspired by Italian artist, archaeologist and architect Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778). Specifically, the artist's haunting sketches of 'Imaginary Prisons'  are a clear influence on the House in the novel. As with my first 'Starting Points' post recommending Megan Whalen Turner's The Thief , I'll be avoiding spoilers in hopes that you will enjoy this lovely tale for yourself – though I'll offer a little analysis of the book's fascinating setting at the end. Consider looking for a copy at your local thrift store or library, otherwise the audiobook is currently free on Spotify , as I mentioned in my recent post on that topic . "Meeting of the Three Tides" by Beatrice Woodward Why read Piranesi ? One of my favourite things about speculative fiction is the wonder and discovery of entering a new world and discerning the ways in which it differs from our own. (Does it have magic or advanced technology? Do its people have different inherent assumptions or knowledge? What aspects of society or the world does the author choose to focus on? Like Translation in R.F. Kuang's Babel , significant meaning often lies in these areas of change.) Piranesi offers a beautifully straightforward version of this experience by presenting the reader with an incredibly simple and calm yet strange environment. We find our protagonist, Piranesi, in a vast House populated by statue-filled rooms, stretching beyond the limits of his exploration and only changed by the steady ebb and flow of the Tides. "The Three Tides" by sethhahne Wearing simple clothes and surviving mostly on fish, crustaceans and sea vegetation from the flooded Lower Halls and occasional bird eggs from the sunny Upper Halls, Piranesi leads a blissful life of curiosity and innocent wonder. Although he has lived in this world as long as he can remember and has learned the necessities of survival, Piranesi has no greater understanding of the House's meaning and secrets than the reader does. And what easier way is there to be immersed in the world? In every other case, and in any kind of fiction, this process of questioning and discernment is accompanied by essential plot details, character introductions and the first hints at character motivations and morality. While those complex elements eventually arise (it is a novel after all), I love the serene and contemplative atmosphere that Clarke introduces immediately and manages to maintain throughout – and I hope you will too! "The Drowned Halls" by sethhahne Cautionary Note Without getting into specifics, I'll simply warn that Piranesi deals with themes of emotional and psychological abuse and manipulation – specifically toward vulnerable gay characters. I think it does so beautifully and respectfully, but tread cautiously if that subject is painful for you. Books Similar to Piranesi If – as I hope – you love Piranesi and are interested in other books exploring similar ideas, I have a few recommendations for you! (Unfortunately I can't say this includes Clarke's other major work; I found Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell to be rambling and unfulfilling everywhere that Piranesi is light and charming.) House of Leaves features a similar endless liminal space and also raises questions about the mind, though it is certainly a marathon where Piranesi is a casual jog. The Secret History bears remarkable likeness, though its narrative progresses in the opposite direction to Piranesi The Books of Babel are absolutely lovely and also focus on a hapless protagonist learning about the setting alongside the reader The Magicians and The Library at Mt. Char have similar worldbuilding ideas, though their narratives and tones are fairly different Otherwise, if Piranesi is perhaps not what you're looking for, consider my other 'Starting Points' article on another absolute favourite of mine: The Thief . "The Upper Halls" by sethhahne What is the House?  (Light Spoilers) My intention is to return to each of these 'Starting Points' books in the future and offer in-depth analysis, but as with The Thief I feel compelled to gently explore the novel's ideas. The mystery of the House is intertwined with the human plot of Piranesi , but remains mostly unknowable even after much else is explained. We hear from its discoverer: The wisdom of the ancients could not have simply vanished (...) I pictured it as a sort of energy flowing out of the world and I thought that this energy must be going somewhere. That was when I realised that there must be other places, other worlds (...) I found this one. This is what I call a Distributary World – it was created by ideas flowing out of another world . T his world could not have existed unless that other world had existed first. Whether this world is still dependent on the continued existence of the first one, I don’t know. I love how this explanation imbues the statues with meaning and offers a metaphorical origin for the Tides; it's fascinating to think about Piranesi's existence of simple survival as he potentially stands amidst the collection of all human thought. It's not a complete theory, and I think the ending implies there may be more to decipher. But I'll leave that for another day. Conclusion I hope you enjoy the novel if you choose to give it a shot! If Piranesi is asking a fundamental question about our world, I believe it is about the relationship between ignorance, bliss and horror. Curious to hear if you have a different take, or what answer you take from it! Thanks for reading! Consider following me for more explorations of speculative fiction <3

Where reflections of gender are as varied as fashion style Introduction My Swift Riffle posts are dedicated to exploring a singular theme or characteristic across the realms of speculative fiction I've read; and have previously covered both gay and lesbian representation. Today I'd love to bring your attention to the idea of neopronouns and the fascinating ways they are used to represent non-binary characters in science fiction and fantasy novels – going back to at least 1920 in A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay where the 'phaen' species are referred to by the pronouns ae/aer/aers. For those unfamiliar with neopronouns, I highly recommend RollingStone 's great explainer article on the topic! Very briefly, neopronouns are simply sets of identifying personal pronouns that people use in place of he/him/his, she/her/hers or they/them/theirs. There are endless examples, but some of the most cited are xe/xyr/xem and ze/hir/hirs ('ze' having been used as early as 1864 !). Just this week I learned about unique themed pronouns that people enjoy using for their online personas. Who knows what the future holds? Quick notes: Although non-binary characters will be a major focus today, I won't yet be covering characters who use they/them/theirs pronouns; stay tuned for that future post! Representation of human non-binary characters vs. inhuman ones is an essential, current topic of discussion in that ever-growing space where speculative fiction and queer communities overlap. So often non-binary characters are alien, android or elsewise "the other" in a way that poorly reflects the experiences of real people. Christine Prevas has a great essay  on the issue! In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu Drawing on a various aspects of Asian history and culture, this novella creates a fascinating cyberpunk realm watched over by powerful post-human beings like Anima (æ/ær/ærs) and Enigma (e/em/eirs). Evoking a combination of mythology and far-future technology, these characters' every moment is a delight to behold. The mysterious stranger Vessel (se/ser/sers) only makes things more interesting as se shares proverbial stories with Anima. This tale depicts characters whose existences, abilities and gender identities are beyond our understanding, emphasized by the fact that every human character in the story is referred to by either he or she. It's absolutely worth a read, on its own merit or if only so you can get a feel for neopronouns in an actual book. A Half-Built Garden by Ruthanna Emrys I have my misgivings with the overall structure and execution of this book about first contact, motherhood, ecological advocacy and so much more; but I can't deny the eerie and complex way it uses neopronouns. The novel's initial protagonists (part of an ecologically-driven collective of watersheds, separate from governments and corporations) are already plenty queer; lesbian, trans and strongly bordering on if not fully polyamorous. So it's quite a surprise when the corporate characters are introduced in a page-long interlude where three sets of neopronouns (tha/thon/thos, sie/seir, hie/hes) are used to refer to just two people. Essentially, the corporates adopt different social roles depending on their goals, status and disposition for any given moment, and each of these roles is its own gender; complete with pronouns and fashion style in addition to behavioural and hierarchical implications. It's incredibly well done. It evokes the complex social mischief of Faerie and in some ways reflects neopronoun use online today, while also managing to show how corporate power struggles can potentially turn anything into an aspect of competition. [I feel like there's another story I read that did something similar with gender as a pure social outfit – probably with Fae – but it's not coming to me right now. Let me know if you can think of any!] Provenance and Translation State by Ann Leckie I'm long overdue to write a blog post about gender in Ann Leckie's Imperial Radch universe, of which both these novels are a part. For now, suffice to say that Leckie has a lot more to say than just offering neopronouns (including sie/hir/hirs and e/em/eir) in place of they/them for non-binary characters in her novels. It is interesting to note that this is a rare case where neopronouns are used by both fully human characters and those whose origins are a little more alien – even Emrys' aliens in A Half-Built Garden use a translated he and she, and are confused by the corporates' antics. This choice by Leckie makes clear to me that she has thought about the issue of dehumanization I mentioned in the introduction, and is reflecting on it in her novels. Until I get around to a dedicated post, this review by David M. Higgins does a great job of looking at gender and pronouns in Leckie's work! Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse and The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers I'll mention both of these incredible novels together, only because of time and that they offer great but limited use of neopronouns. Black Sun has people of the bayeki gender, including the character Iktan (xe/xir); and Long Way has the Akarak and others who use xe/xyr. There are (thankfully) a fair few speculative fiction novels that implement they/them for non-binary characters, so it's great to see authors trying neopronouns as well. I love both novels, and recommend them highly for far more than what they offer in terms of representation. And more... I'm excited to continue seeing authors use neopronouns in their stories as I continue reading! There are certainly some I missed today as well, so I expect I'll one day update this post. Until then, check out some of those incredible pieces I linked today!

How to make the most of this new feature, included with Premium I was quite pleasantly surprised this week when I saw the vast number of audiobooks apparently available to download and read through my Spotify Premium account. The selection is incredibly impressive, even putting the Audible Plus collection to shame. Of course, it took only a quick search to find the drawback: you only get 15 hours of listening time per month , and must pay $15 (CAD) to unlock just 10 more hours thereafter. And , all of this is only available to the account holder. Still, this feature is a pure bonus to your Premium subscription. So how do you make the most of it? Select your audiobook wisely With only 15 hours of listening time per month, concise novels will be your friend. I deeply enjoyed listening to Brandon Sanderson's The Stormlight Archive on Audible and have highly recommended them in the past, but each of those novels clock in over 45 hours – meaning each would take more than three months to finish with this new feature. Countless excellent stories are significantly shorter than this and therefore more conducive to the 15 hour monthly limit. For example, you could read Joseph Conrad's classic Heart of Darkness , S. Qiouyi Lu's imaginative In the Watchful City and Chuck Palahniuk's infamous Fight Club in a single month with time to spare – and perhaps you could even fit a fourth book in, if you follow this next tip. Choose your pace One of the best features of audiobooks is the ability to adjust playback speed to suit your tastes. I default to listening at 1.2x, and adjust up or down depending on the narrator and density of a given book. Listening at 1.25x is enough to finish a book in 80% of its usual length: meaning you could read a 5-hour book in 4, a 10-hour book in 8 and so on. Spotify's monthly limit only cares about how long you listen , not about how much progress you make on the audiobooks themselves. Speaking of... Now's the time to be picky Read what you like, and stop reading what you don't. I've written at length about my willingness to put down a book I'm not enjoying and my GoodReads reviews are littered with books that I started skimming as soon as my interest began to lull. That trait has a lot to do with my ADHD, but it is still something I think more people need to take up – especially if their determination to read a book they don't enjoy means they end up not reading at all. Yet I still feel a trace of guilt when I don't get the "full value" out of a book I spent money (or monthly Audible credits) on. This Spotify feature does away with that guilt (Except perhaps for sunk cost fallacy, but I would greatly encourage you to read a Wikipedia summary rather than wasting hours finishing a book that's dragging). Spend your first hour sampling thirty different books if it means you'll definitely enjoy the remaining fourteen. Use the skip ahead button as liberally as you want, or simply jump to another chapter. It feels strange, but truly the only way to waste your listening time is to spend it without enjoying it. Find my recommendations for some great books you might try below, including some currently available as podcasts (and so don't count towards the monthly limit)! Recommendations Currently free as podcasts (and don't count towards limit) Carmilla (3hr, 17min) by Sheridan LeFanu - discussed in my Vampires series! Piranesi   (6h, 58min) by Susannah Clarke - discussed in my post on entering new worlds ! Dracula (15h, 59min) by Bram Stoker - discussed in my Vampires  series! The Secret History (18h, 30min) by Donna Tartt Find more through Classic Audiobook Collection , Free Audiobooks , Great Audiobooks and more ! Audiobooks which count toward 15hr limit All Systems Red (3h, 17min) by Martha Wells - Murderbot ! This is How You Lose the Time War (4h, 15min) by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone - check out my multimedia post on this incredible novel! The Thief (7h, 41min) by Megan Whalen Turner - check out my recent post about the novel! The Bees (10h, 16min) by Laline Paull The Raven Tower   (12h, 2min) by Ann Leckie Ancillary Justice (12h, 41min) by Ann Leckie - my Pick of the Month for August 2024! Black Sun (12h, 47min) by Rebecca Roanhorse The City We Became (16h, 12min) by N.K. Jemisin - my Pick of the Month  for February 2024! I've previously given a list of recommendations here as well.

Thematic and dreamlike, Jacqueline Holland's novel gives vampires new life Arisen An inescapable aspect of finishing any creative work (in this case my series on Vampires, click for Part I , Part II , Part III ) is that you will quickly come across or remember something else that feels relevant and essential. In keeping with its exploration of beginnings and endings, Jacqueline Holland's 2023 novel The God of Endings compelled my return. So far, I have examined vampires as representations of major societal fears, as vehicles for agency against society's injustices, as mirrors of our role as consumers and predators, as grappling with identity and the possibility of redemption and more. The God of Endings tackles all of these themes to one extent or another throughout its dreamlike narrative. I'll be discussing the book with major spoilers today, so consider giving it a read ($10 paperback here for those in Canada, or check your local library!) before continuing with me. The God of Endings cover design by Will Staehle Victimhood to Agency (Flashbacks) The novel follows Anna, born into rural 1820s New York to a gravestone carver and a mother she barely remembers. By the age of ten her community is feverish with plague and a fear of the unholy, resulting in the horrifying deaths of Anna and her family. Yet she alone crawls from her grave soon after, having been turned on a whim by her mysterious grandfather. I remember the trembling, delirious haze of my mind clearing only enough to ask my grandfather, Why? Why have you done this? Why have you done this to me? And I remember his answer, the serene philosophical tone of his voice as he gave it. “This world, my dear child, all of it, right to the very end if there is to be an end, is a gift. But it’s a gift few are strong enough to receive. I made a judgment that you might be among those strong few, that you might be better served on this side of things than the other. I thought you might find some use for the world, and it for you.” He looked up at the moon, patted my shoulder almost absently, and said, “But if not, my sincerest apologies for the miscalculation.” - Jacqueline Holland There is no Dracula here, dreaming of dominion over a world where humans are kept as chattel. Instead, simply an offer of a second chance to someone who might make use of it. Whether she was worthy, what she does with this gift and what it means are the defining questions of Anna’s story. The few hints we get about Anna’s grandfather suggest that he is mostly uninterested in tawdry human affairs - instead playing continent-spanning games of finance. This stands in sharp contrast to what we see of Anna’s life, interspersed as flashbacks throughout the novel. Her voyage across the Atlantic sees her comforting and protecting helpless children whose mother is deathly ill, resulting in her first violent act of biting and draining a drunk predator in the night. The captain was a coward, that was all. Most people, I was learning, were cowards, and most laws had nothing to do with justice. Justice was a private matter that you didn’t expect anyone to execute for you. You did it yourself, or it didn’t get done. -   Jacqueline Holland Sent to the homeland of her grandfather to learn about her condition, Anna spends time with the mysterious witch-like Piroska, her student Vano and his brother Ehru – a fellow vampire. (I should note that the word "vampire" never appears in the text, just as Piroska and Vano's abilities are never solidly defined.) Vano teaches Anna about the Slavic gods, including the titular Czernobog (of darkness, death and endings) and Belobog (of light, life and good fortune). These gods are described as having been forgotten, pushed out by the presence of monasteries, just as Piroska, once a trusted and helpful sage, has been demonized by them. Vano and Ehru themselves were tortured in the monastery for years before finding sanctuary with Piroska, and in the end, Vano and Piroska are killed by a mob while Anna and Ehru escape into the night. Czernobog and Belobog by Vasylina The fervent witch hunt by the villagers – both in Anna's childhood and toward Piroska – is brilliantly juxtaposed with the peaceful behaviour and lives of the people they are hunting. The supernatural characters in this story avoid unnecessary violence at every turn, yet the simple fact of their existence as unknown and other incites hatred. Anna begins to see the face of Czernobog in this destructive will, associating the smoke of Piroska's burning home with the dark and entropic presence of the god. I love this question of the god of endings and his relationship with an immortal creature. Holland evokes an endless chase, with Czernobog always one step behind his prey, and captures the heartbreak of Anna seeing mortality catch up with everyone around her as she flees. Anna spends decades in France, alternating between isolation and involvement as she witnesses the horrors of both World Wars. She struggles with intervention, having been burned by personal attachment numerous times already. She kills some Nazis (seeing more consequences of othering), but refuses to pass on the 'gift' of immortality even when directly implored by a doomed young woman. French Art School (1984) Returning to America and given a lovely manor house by her grandfather, Collette LaSange has taken on a new (if a little on the nose) identity and hosts a private school for a few children of wealthy families. It's lovely to see her at peace, doing what she loves and bringing delight to the lives of her pupils (who she is very careful not to feed on). Yet it is also clear that Collette has chosen to avoid intervention at this point; isolating herself in her own blissful world. When complexities arise with regard to her beloved children and her reality begins to blur at the edges, will she act? Or will she run once again from The God of Endings ? And... I think I'll leave that for you to discover, if you wish. I loved the 'present day' story and honestly struggled with many of the flashbacks, despite how instrumental they are in setting up Collette's conflict moving forward. Stranger approaching a warm home, as dark fog rolls in – Generated with AI Themes of the Vampire This novel examines the themes of passing time and the pain of attachment far more than any other media I've discussed in this series, with the possible exception of Thousand Year Old Vampire . It almost begins to feel like a story of intergenerational trauma, if not for the fact that a single person has experienced all of these events and has had to grow in response to them. One further spoiler on this topic: it's incredibly poignant and rewarding when Collette sees Ehru on television, speaking up for the rights and needs of his people in their last months under the Soviet Union. Her shock that he is still using his agency and intervening, on behalf of the descendants of the people who tortured him and killed his brother, could not come at a better moment. All the other previously discussed themes are here as well: many societal fears are explored in detail; questions of agency, identity and morality are fundamental; and Anna/Collette faces real consequences for her nature as a consumer/predator even if she avoids ever attacking innocent humans. A final thematic detail is the transformation Anna undergoes upon being reborn: In the days after Grandfather had brought me back from the cemetery, I had discovered with confusion that my womanly parts had disappeared, the nursing parts and the place between my legs where a baby should one day come out. They were just gone, as completely as if they had never been. -   Jacqueline Holland Of course this choice is partly to avoid Anna/Collette being ten for all eternity , letting her grow up in a way that makes slightly more sense given she's undead. But it's also thematically resonant to remove sex from the equation in this novel where vampires are so detached from the human experience. In my previous post, I briefly alluded to the thematic links between vampires and sex. Vampire: The Masquerade can (if a playgroup wants) offer a look at predators and the consequences of their actions through the veil of metaphor. The God of Endings obliterates that connection in its world by entirely disconnecting its vampires from sex; it is not an axis on which Anna can ever lose agency or be victimized, just as it is not away her grandfather can be viewed as a predator. Returning to the Coffin I loved this book, despite skimming through a few of the flashback chapters, and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a bit of eerie contemplation or is just looking for their next vampire story. Let's face it, I'll probably stumble across another vampire story I need to talk about someday and return. But for now, adieu.

Sci-fi, fantasy, both or neither; these queer girls are on fire A few months ago, my first 'Swift Riffle' post covered a few of my favourite gay relationships and characters throughout speculative fiction (and a little beyond). Today I'll do the same for some truly wonderful lesbian characters, alongside a bit of context for their stories and how their sexuality impacts their lives. I've mentioned many of these characters before, but there are also a few who will be making their debut here today. Happy Pride! Queer relationships are (thankfully) becoming more and more prevalent in popular speculative fiction, as will certainly become clear over the course of this reflection. This became clear to me when reading "The Resident" by Carmen Maria Machado in The Best American Science Fiction And Fantasy 2018 . (These short story collections opened my eyes to a lot of how much it is possible to convey in the genre.) Machado's tense and atmospheric story demonstrated the ease with which a character can be established as queer simply and quietly, without having to frame the whole narrative around it. Her 2019 memoir In the Dream House is a masterpiece, exploring the very real and grim possibility of abuse in queer relationships. A friend of mine may come in and guest-write a post about it here one day! Gideon and Harrow by May12324 While we're touching on the darker side of things, let me introduce you to the (second?) most famous lesbian duo on the list: Gideon Nav and Harrowhark Nonagesimus from Tamsyn Muir's Gideon the Ninth . Harrow is the scion and heir of the ancient and enigmatic Ninth House, and Gideon is her whipping girl turned bodyguard. Their relationship deserves its own post to untangle, but suffice to say I think Muir's intentions for these characters got a little refracted upon moving into the real world. Still, Gideon and its sequels offer plenty queer, sardonic, gritty and explosive fun while maintaining a brilliant and unique sci-fi backdrop. Harrow and Gideon are joined by an audaciously queer and loveable cast, and together they could put on a Pride celebration to wake the dead. Touraine and Luca by Marceline2174 One last bit of mixed discussion before we get to the purely positive. Touraine and Luca are from C.L. Clark's The Unbroken , which I wrote about a while back . I loved both of these characters – Touraine the colonized soldier seeing her homeland for the first time and Luca the disabled colonizer princess slowly recognizing the horrors of her nation's actions – but was a little disturbed by how quickly and easily they got together. It certainly mirrors the issues with Harrow and Gideon's relationship, and generally serves me as a cautionary reminder that an author's vision can sometimes conflict with the themes they are trying to explore. (I could also see this being the fault of the publisher, if they wanted to sell this as a lesbian novel in the same vein as many successful books on this list.) Csorwe and Shuthmili by Exmakina A.K. Larkwood's Serpent Gates duology has been on the fringes of my blog for a while, getting mentions in the last Swift Riffle and in my post about worldbuilding . (Apparently this is the only series to be mentioned on both the Gay and Lesbian representation lists, so she's doing something right!) Csorwe is an orcish (Oshaaru) doomed priestess-turned-adventurer, and serves as the series' main point of view character. On a job she meets Shuthmili, a human (Qarsazhi) wizard bound to eventually dissolve her mind upon joining the elite merged-consciousness Quincuriate. The pair have a lot of obstacles in their path to any kind of safe life together. Csorwe and Shuthmili are a powerful example to me of complementary individuals finding and supporting one another. Their cautious bond is the utter opposite of Talasseres and Belthandros in the same series, and may well be my favourite lesbian relationship right now. Rosemary and Sissix by Akogii I wanted to give a quick shout-out to Rosemary and Sissix from Becky Chambers' The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet . Where Gideon the Ninth is bombastic fun and This is How You Lose the Time War is epic poetry, this book is simply lovely. The cast is endlessly likeable and diverse enough to put even the new Star Trek shows to shame. In this book, a lesbian relationship between Rosemary (human) and Sissix (Aandrisk) is barely remarked upon – outside the fact that they do technically work together. Theirs isn't a story about challenging the status quo, but instead about what a better world might look like – and I love it to bits. Red and Blue by LayaArt   My friends and I spent hours discussing these incredible characters in my multimedia post about This is How You Lose the Time War . As Joanna said in that video , Red and Blue in many ways transcend our societal understanding of gender and sexuality – but they are also presented as female and their relationship feels indelibly queer. If nothing else, this book and these characters taught me about the romance of language in a way that no 19th-century poet ever achieved. Baru and Tain Hu by Marceline2174 Finally, Baru – who I introduced in my transhumanism series. Unlike the rest discussed today, Baru's lesbian identity is hidden and would spell the end of her life if revealed. For better or worse, she is dealing with cryptarchs who will always prefer to hold a secret over her for leverage than carelessly let it slip. Baru does find comfort in the arms of the powerful and charismatic Tain Hu for a time, but her world is harsh and circumstances can change at the drop of a pin. Still, I find this a remarkable portrayal of exploring closeted queerness – especially considering this is the only series I've discussed today written by a (presumably straight) man. And the author of This is How You Lose the Time War and others agree . I'll end today with what I found to be quite a meaningful part of Baru's story. She is logically brilliant – with numbers, strategy and so on – and at one point reaches a deep internal conflict between Falcrest's colonizing ideals (essentially the tenets of Christianity) and her own experience of life as a lesbian, with three parents, etc. In her mind, she needs to find a flaw in the oppressor's logic or else will feel forced to adopt it for herself and internalize her own nature as aberrant. She is asking a long-considered real world question: why and how would queerness be selected for by evolution, since genes are passed down through heterosexual couples? The cathartic answer she arrives at is that gay and lesbian individuals give a social benefit to their straight siblings and relatives, making it more likely that their genes will be passed on –author Seth Dickinson was almost certainly inspired by this 2014 article or one similar. This moment means everything to Baru, helping to justify all she has fought for. It made her proud to be queer, and did the same for me. Thanks for reading, and Happy Pride Month!

This tale of courage, belief and mystery will steal your heart One of my first posts here was a list of recommendations for engaging books to begin or continue your speculative fiction journey. While I plan to offer an updated list eventually, today I want to begin diving a little deeper into these recommendations with a new periodic series, 'Starting Points'. I'll first offer spoiler-free praise, then briefly examine the overall themes I love, with some spoilers at the end. The Thief is a 1996 young adult fantasy novel by Megan Whalen Turner and the first part of a six-book series that concluded in 2020. I first read this novel three years ago, and ever since, I've been shocked by its lack of widespread recognition. If you've been following for some time, you might know of my frequent gripes with young adult sci-fi and fantasy – over-explanation, overreliance on romance and so on. The Thief suffers from none of these issues, simply offering a lovely tale accessible to kids and teens as well as adults. Gen by calliclassic (beware of spoilers in full art) We explore the world of The Thief through the eyes of Gen, an imprisoned young thief called to adventure in exchange for his eventual freedom. I love Gen; his overconfidence and brash remarks only outshone by his remarkable skill and closely held faith. Surrounded by men, it's also easy to see the many ways Gen defies expectations of his gender. His companions are colourful, too. Pol is a gruff and competent soldier, the Magus a cunning old scholar and politician, Sophos and Ambiades their young and noble students. They are a captivating knot of social dynamics to unravel, with plenty of tangible and allegorical lessons to impart. While it is fascinating to see Gen, Sophos and Ambiades each reacting in their own ways to the contrasting paternal figures of Pol and the Magus, I'll be the first to say that female presences are conspicuously lacking for most of the novel. Yet I don't think it's a fault; women's impact can be felt throughout the story, especially looking back from the ending. Pol and Gen by Emily B. Martin I've always thought of the novel as a cross between The Hobbit / The Lord of the Rings and Greek Myth. Gen's tale is intercut with legends told by himself and the Magus, filled with magic and trickery apparently lacking in their current world. Their quest is to retrieve an object out of the very myths they spend nights debating. The potential wonder of magic's existence is such a powerful feeling in this book, where so many other works feel comparatively cheapened by removing any mystery around it. Yet another reason to read this book before moving on to something more overtly supernatural. The Queen of Attolia by Klexos Sadly, the two most impressive parts of this book require me to go into some brief and vague spoilers. If I've already convinced you to read or gift The Thief , consider skipping the next bit! If not... [Vague Spoilers] Sorry to Tolkien and everyone who's ever run a D&D game, but this book has the best dungeon exploration and heist ever written. I love every strange detail that Turner offers the reader, both of the structure itself and of Gen's process in overcoming it. Then, when things start getting weird, it transcends to another level entirely. As for the other thing, I simply can't imagine a better introduction than this book to the idea of unreliable narrators and clever, well-foreshadowed twists. The Thief is far cleverer than should be possible in a book this short and age-accessible. [End of Spoilers] There are few books I could recommend more highly than The Thief , and none of them are anywhere near as concise and broadly appealing. The sequels are excellent too, maintaining a mysterious atmosphere even though they immediately take a sharp turn toward political intrigue. Enjoy The Thief ! Thanks for reading <3

Not Aerys II or Euron, Stoneheart or Reek; let's talk about the fandom This week, I've been indulging myself by returning to videos analyzing theories related to the future of A Song of Ice and Fire , the fantasy novels written by George R.R. Martin upon which Game of Thrones was based and in the same world as House of the Dragon . Essays could be written about the phenomenon that is the ASoIaF fandom – and other circumstances where a devoted community forms around unfinished or abandoned pieces of art, including many video games . But the ASoIaF fandom might be unique in how a few factors came together to form a kind of cult around these fantasy novels, with every word of George's text being analyzed with the same fervor devout Christians apply to the Bible. Enjoy some popularly known, humorous-turned-serious ASoIaF theories in the captions of the art throughout. Is Roose Bolton a Vampire? Art by BellaBergolts Time & Timing A Song of Ice and Fire is planned to be a series of seven novels, begun in 1996 with A Game of Thrones and most recently updated in 2011 with A Dance With Dragons as its fifth installment. Author George R.R. Martin has been struggling greatly with the sixth book, The Winds of Winter , once being hopeful about a 2014 release but of late having given up on sharing his predictions with the world. Certainly, the community's rampant and obsessive theorizing has been enabled by the frustrating delay of possible answers. But it gets stranger when you consider that most of the fandom (myself included) have never gotten answers to their theorizing – having entered the fold thanks to the prolific HBO adaptation which aired between 2011-2019. Yet they follow in the eagle-eyed and curious footsteps of those fans who came before, making and adapting predictions between relatively frequent book releases. Is Varys a: Merman ? Blackfyre ? Woman ? Art by Kraehen Kunst I imagine that pre-2011 fandom as being similar to the Cosmere -centered community I follow today, where theorizing is possible but is mostly overshadowed by literary analysis and appreciative (and sometimes critical) discussion. Brandon Sanderson is reliable as clockwork (perhaps more so) in getting new books out, so there is rarely time for idle speculation to develop. But idle speculation is (almost) all that ASoIaF fans have had for thirteen years now, and it has grown in strange directions. The unceasing passage of time has made widely accepted theories, such as Jon being the child of Rhaegar and Lyanna , feel stale in the minds of some fans. Needing a new secret, they speculate endlessly about the many possible parents of Jon , Daenerys , "Aegon" and Meera (who happen to be roughly of an age with each other). Is Tyrion the time-travelling son of Daenerys and Drogo ? Art by Cabepfir Intricacy & Adaptation Time is one thing, but fans of Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicles have been waiting just as long for their new book and you don't see them offering new possibilities for Kvothe's parentage every few months. (Though granted, there is more theorizing being done than I imagined when I started writing this paragraph). I've read a lot of speculative fiction, and very little of it invites the same level of obsession and fascination as ASoIaF . The reason is that Martin's writing is intricate and detailed to an unmatched degree. One could almost argue that these books are constructed of beautifully written descriptions which happen to form a narrative through an emergent property or the brain's expectation that there will be one. For what other series could you spend over fifteen hours discussing the appeal and literary intent of just its food descriptions? Will Euron Greyjoy bring an Eldritch Apocalypse ? Art by Simon Dickie It is this level of detail, along with the passing of thirteen years, that makes the phenomenon of this fandom possible. Martin has hidden an incredible amount of symbolism and foreshadowing in his books, and every apparent find makes the fandom hungry for more. I was blown away when I first read a theory which found a perfect correlation between the order of knights at a tourney and Sansa's suitors, extrapolating that she would one day be betrothed to a Targaryen. Reading the books, I was ecstatic to realize for myself that Euron was likely a previous candidate for training by Bloodraven. I could go on. A YouTuber I like did, for seven hours . Are the Starks descended from the White Walkers ? Art by Oriana Wiesner When it became clear that HBO's Game of Thrones was going to enter territory not yet revealed in the books, many fans feared being spoiled for the future of Martin's brilliantly constructed world. It felt like a genuinely troubling concern at the time, especially given the show's tendency toward dull simplification of its source material. But looking back, that fear is nothing short of hilarious. The show veered so far from the core themes of Martin's work that even if major story beats do happen in both, it will be so different as to be unrecognizable. (I like the theory of Bran travelling to the Isle of Faces and having authority as the last greenseer, but having him sit on the Iron Throne is unimaginable.) It has been interesting to see the fandom's response to the show, trying to refute the possibility of different show plots or re-interpret them to fit their understanding of Martin's books. Other than the few decade-old TWoW preview chapters and the supplementary books Fire and Blood and The World of Ice and Fire , the show is the closest thing to new material that the fandom has to work with. Is Jon Snow (currently dead) Azor Ahai ? Art by acazigot Winter is Coming I could write about this stuff for hours, and, clearly, so could the community. The ASoIaF fandom has constructed a world of meaning around not just Martin's books, but also their love and interpretation of them. There are some extravagant stories that fans have extrapolated from a handful of sentences written by George R.R. Martin, which to some feel just as canon as the five books they first fell in love with. If The Winds of Winter does ever come out, I think it will be a gut punch for this community. Not just because of how connected we feel to these characters and how much danger they are certainly in, but also because every sentence will have the potential to crush theories which define peoples' connection to the books and community. Was distant Asshai the site of a nuclear holocaust ? Art by Anton Ek But even more likely is that many theories will never be proven. There is simply so much symbolism, parallelism, authorial winks and foreshadowing in this series that to confirm every part of it would take a significant portion of the book. So rather than be disappointed, I'm happy to enjoy the theories as they stand and will let myself enjoy any which are furthered or confirmed by the text. And for the sake of thousands of fans' sanity, I hope they are able to do the same. Thanks for reading!

Music can be a conduit for potent emotional storytelling I've always felt a strong connection with stories told through music, especially by artists exploring the nebula of genres between and around rock and metal. I stumbled onto the German band Mono Inc. a few years ago and quickly grew to appreciate their gothic/folk style and the types of themes they explore through music. Although I think essays could be written about many of their songs, I wanted to write about 'The Book of Fire' because I think its message is broadly relevant and emotionally impactful. I'm also reading a very thematically relevant book right now, The Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence, which approaches the same ideas from a different angle. Book of Fire - Generated with AI The story of the song is fairly simple: the sum of human knowledge and history, including our hard-won understanding of magic and healing, is held in 'The Book of Fire' and lost in a bare moment when the book is burned. It is clearly an experience of great loss, yet the song is fairly upbeat in a way that perhaps questions the possibility of hope and catharsis by beginning anew. "Wise men and shamans They all added lines They all added drawings and spells Warlocks and witches Sages and signs There's more between heaven and hell Now everything is wasted The fables and the truth It's all reduced to rubble Beyond excuse All our race had ever learned Ever learned about life A legend told, dateless old Lost within one night All the magic, dead and gone The wisdom we desire There was thunder and light It was raining all night But it burned with the book of fire" The baseline reading of this song is powerful in its own right. The lyrics evoke countless lives dedicated to science and discovery, in hopes of improving the human condition and striving to give future generations a better world. It also speaks to me of fantasy tales which end with the death of magic in the world. Witchcraft, hunts and trials are a major theme of the album, also titled The Book of Fire . The music video above leans into this interpretation, where perhaps witches take sole representation of our relationship with both magic and the living, natural world around us. This song resonates with me now more than ever because of the relentless assault we are seeing on science, education and critical studies of history. I know that Trump isn't the first president to threaten to dismantle the Department of Education, but right now it doesn't look like there's anything stopping him from burning America's book of fire. The pyre is clearly already lit , and The Handmaid's Tale feels like it's two to three years away at most. Burning - Generated with AI "Distemper and healing Science and herbs Collection of knowledge and charm Sketches and karma Potions and rites Instructions to fortune or harm Now everything is wasted The guidance and the hints And we're deaf, dumb and blind Ever since There was thunder and light It was raining all night But it burned with the book of fire We cannot turn back the time We have to live with this disgrace and blame It's been all written down for us So we don't have to do the same mistakes again Now everything is wasted Too late to make a change Our history and future Went up in flames" Lyrics by Martin Engler, Simon Zlotos The alternate reading, of hope and catharsis, is certainly still bittersweet. Like a forest growing stronger after a destructive blaze, it simply encompasses the hope that the next cycle will escape the mistakes which became ingrained in the doctrine of the previous society. But that seems tough, even with a push in the right direction. To return to Margaret Atwood, her book Oryx and Crake explores the idea of a 'fresh start' with a group of genetically modified humans inheriting the Earth after their creator does his best to wipe humanity off the map. Yet it quickly becomes evident, in that story and many others, that starting fresh isn't as hopeful as it might sound. Doomed to repeat and whatnot. Official cover of "The Book That Wouldn't Burn" by Mark Lawrence Grimdark fantasy author Mark Lawrence's newest trilogy takes place in and around an infinite library, with multiple species warring for millennia for control of the knowledge held within. A key element to this world is that society is constantly being 'set back to the stone age' because of violence and the misuse of knowledge. There's also a faction in power who use the library mostly to find books that happen to agree with their racist, isolationist, militaristic dictates – but they'll also forge books when needed, since in an infinite library any book is plausible. I loved this book both for what Lawrence has to say about current and past politics, and for the many clear inspirations he is nodding to throughout. I'll definitely be covering this book in a sequel to my Narnia/Magicians post, since he also writes in the Wood Between Worlds. Flickers of Firelight So, support education, authors, libraries, musicians – pretty much anything except for the profit seekers who would burn it all down for a dollar. Consider reading some Mark Lawrence and Margaret Atwood or listening to more Mono Inc. – or Epica, who my next 'Lyrical' post will almost certainly be about. Thanks for reading!

First impressions, tension, humour and beyond This post reflects my personal experiences and opinions on the relative readability of different books and the reasons they might have succeeded or failed for me. I hope that some aspects ring true for you and your experiences as well! A Book by its Cover If only there was some useful cliché… ah well. I’ve analyzed and sung the praises of a wide variety of books in my posts that few people (if any) would consider based on their cover and title alone. They are valuable and fascinating for their content, rather than their aesthetics or social media hype. After all, the Bible seems to be doing ok despite offering just about as plain a presentation as can be. External qualities of a book – cover, title, author, length, blurb, online ratings, discussion and so forth – are not necessarily tied to what constitutes a good book, but they can sure as hell increase a good book’s chances of being recognized as such. I’ve written before  about my willingness to put down books I’m not enjoying, and recommended that others do the same. Yet I’ll admit that a book’s presentation can often be the determining factor in how much effort and patience I’m willing to extend to works that I’m struggling with. I recently tried two quasi-military science fiction books: Artifact Space by Miles Cameron and The King of the Dead by Ariel Viloria. Both novels offer complex worlds, action-filled space adventures and hint at potential fantasy elements; both were also free for me, since I found the former as a paperback on the side of the road and received the latter as an e-book review copy through Netgalley. Covers of Artifact Space and The King of the Dead Yet Artifact Space came from an established (Torontonian!) author, featured beautiful cover art including a fun stylized title and had a strong Goodreads presence with over 3,000 ratings averaging to over 4.3/5. The King of the Dead offered none of these draws: Ariel Viloria is either a pseudonym or someone without online presence, the cover only makes me question whether there's something on my screen and I remain the only person to ever review the book on Goodreads. So which would you be more likely to believe was a good book, without having read a single word of its prose? (Not a trick question: I enjoyed most of what Artifact Space had to offer, and the author even made some attempts at non-binary characters and Tchaikovsky-like aliens. TKotD was, to be generous, a number of genuinely fun ideas wrapped in 750 pages of rambling mess that I skimmed after slogging through the first chapter.) Pages per Attempt As I’ve discussed here previously , my relationship with reading is inexorably tied to my ADHD. Years of difficulty focusing on th e simple task of reading have embedded a belief within me that being able to read a book for hours on end is great and that becoming frequently distracted is a bad sign.  I hope this is generally self-evident, though it becomes a little complex when it comes to complex idea- and emotion-rich works, which can require time between sittings to digest properly. This observation has been lurking in my mind for a while, but came to the fore thanks to the book I’m currently reading: The God of Endings  by Jacqueline Holland. I’m really enjoying it so far and imagine it will end up somewhere between Circe  and The Library at Mount Char  in both theme and my opinion of it. Yet I consistently find myself setting it down after only a chapter or two, where lesser books have held my attention for hours on end. Generated with AI Reading a number of popular non-speculative fiction over the past year has given me some insights into this. Sharp Objects , The Heart’s Invisible Furies , Demon Copperhead  and Where the Crawdads Sing  were all easy page-turners for me, despite offering little to nothing in connection to my usual interests. Whatever factors lead these books to being smoother reading experiences for me have almost certainly played a role in their success and popularity, and I'd argue their categorization as 'good' books. Linear Storytelling I believe a telling difference between speculative fiction and generally successful novels is the baseline assumption of how a story should be told. In most of the books I just listed, the narrative follows a single perspective on a linear journey through time; even if there are large skips, progress always moves forward through a single pair of eyes. The opposite assumption seems to be true in science fiction and fantasy (less so in horror and myth). Whether it stems from Lord of the Rings , A Song of Ice and Fire or some other work, the average SFF book has (at least) two characters' perspectives narrating its story or jumps between two timelines of a single character. I'm not here to rip this aspect of the genre to shreds; Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive is a behemoth of intertwined perspectives and timelines which uses converging themes and narratives to deliver what I believe are among the greatest moments in literature. But for every triumph of convergent storytelling, it feels like there are a hundred books just trying to fulfill expectations. And I think there is a real cost: if not carefully constructed, multiple threads can rip a reader's momentum (if not interest) to shreds. This is my current struggle with The God of Endings , which narrates a single character's past and present, among dozens of other experiences. Tension Whether threading one narrative or multiple, tension is the key to holding a reader's attention. Baking tension into narrative is the secret recipe of romances, mysteries and crime thrillers' endless popularity on both page and screen. It's the reason I could read eighteen of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files novels without breaking a sweat, but his epic fantasy Furies of Calderon took me months. Demon Copperhead by Katty Huertas (sad how little fan art there is outside SFF!) Books like Demon Copperhead and The Heart's Invisible Furies supply their tension by building the audience's empathy for their protagonists and their loved ones. We feel for Demon and Cyril as they struggle against forces both external and internal, and we keep reading because we want to see them overcome their obstacles and thrive. The very idea of cutting away to another character's narrative is antithetical to why these stories work. A Song of Ice and Fire and many other works try to maintain tension and momentum by ending every chapter on a cliff-hanger; entreating the reader to continue by always dangling a carrot 3-5 chapters ahead. It can work, but it can also reveal flaws: many readers will start skipping certain characters completely. And unlike in a Sanderson novel where everything comes together beautifully at the end of each book, you could easily skip certain characters' multi-book stories without missing context for the parts you care about. A Laugh per Day I can't recall giving up on a book that genuinely made me laugh. It's a fairly rare reward of reading speculative fiction, but when it comes I find that it soothes many of the frustrations a book might be causing me. Long exposition, slightly uncomfortable topics or perspectives, gaping holes in my suspension of disbelief? When it's funny, it simply doesn't bother me to the same degree. The Stranger Times and Zoey Ashe are just plain fun series. If I'm being honest, C.K. McDonnell's The Stranger Times series is rarely coherent enough to build any real tension for me, instead keeping me interested in the next brutally British joke or outlandish take on SFF tropes. Zoey Ashe is the opposite, with never-ending tension that is only heightened by the characters' gallows humour in the face of their dystopia. Unless I'm fully invested in liking a book, there's often a steady growth of frustration at small details as I read. If it grows too fast, I'll probably set it down. Humour has an incredible way of clearing that frustration entirely, and I think it is incredibly important to storytelling. About the Author So there are my observations on what makes books easier and harder to read! Notably I didn't cover vocabulary once, so it's likely others will have their own opinions. Let me know yours!

Burying emotions is more trouble than it's worth (Thematic and character spoilers for both Inside Out 2 and Dimension 20: Mentopolis ) This week I went out with a couple friends and saw an animated Disney film in a theater for the first time in at least fifteen (perhaps closer to twenty) years. Inside Out 2 managed to exceed my expectations in just about every way – other than failing to deliver on fans' hopes for queer representation. The film follows thirteen year-old Riley as she navigates emotional changes through a weekend hockey camp at her future high school. Official Poster of Riley's Emotions The new emotions – Anxiety, Embarrassment, Ennui and Envy – each get their own brief character introduction as they join the previously established Anger, Disgust, Fear, Joy and Sadness in the control ce nter ‘ Headquarters ’ of R iley’s mind. Yet the film is functionally just about Anxiety and Joy’s struggle for leadership. Having battled anxiety my entire life, I really appreciated the character’s portrayal: she’s all about planning, alertness and above all, predicting and avoiding bad outcomes. I love that she at first offers real help, justifying her gaining more and more control over Riley’s decisions through the course of the film. Joy’s trajectory is incredibly important as well, though I’m not sure it sticks the landing in a way that kids will universally understand. Before the new emotions’ arrival and Anxiety’s coup, we get a glimpse of how Joy has been running the show. (It’s at this point that I must confess to never having seen the original Inside Out ; parts of this may have been justified in the first film.)  New memories and experiences take physical form within Riley’s mind as coloured glass spheres (the colour seems to correspond to their dominant emotional charge, given that all of Anxiety’s are orange). Joy has been sorting these memories based on her opinion of them. Deeply positive experiences are carefully chosen to form beliefs in the ‘memory pool’, which in turn shape Riley’s Sense of Self. Average or mundane memories (the vast majority) are placed in a labyrinthine library to be accessed when needed. Finally and crucially, Joy has been hurling negative experiences into the far and unknown reaches of Riley’s mind. (The film shows us Joy introducing this concept, but given her shock at seeing the mountain of negative memories we see later I theorize that she has ‘invented’ this many times. After all, why remember your solution to bad memories when you’re trying to forget they exist.) The emotions watching as Riley meets her hero, Valentina "Val" Ortiz Conflicted Predictably enough, Anxiety’s total control eventually leads to Riley utterly paralyzed by a panic attack. Perhaps less predictably, the only way for the exiled emotions (the original five, including Joy) to return to Headquarters is by riding a cascade of negative memories directly into the memory pool. Notably, Joy doesn’t decide to do this because she realizes it was wrong to bury all of the negative and painful experiences. Instead it’s her only option in the moment, and she says she’ll deal with it later. It's only when a diverse and fleshed-out Sense of Self is ultimately the answer to breaking Riley's panic attack that Joy finally remarks on the lesson. This outcome simply isn't as effective as so much of the other imagery in the film. What is ultimately happening is that both Joy's and Anxiety's created Senses of Self were almost entirely built of experiences which correlated to them; the solution is to re-introduce memories associated with the other seven emotions in order to create a more resilient and experienced Sense of Self for Riley. But my friends and I felt that that meaning was glossed over (along with those seven emotions) to the detriment of the film's overall message. I love the characterization of Anxiety as always seeming helpful, even if it sometimes feels more like extortion than guidance, and I imagine many kids will be helped in some way by having seen this visual and narrative representation of it. Yet I think the moral of not burying the negative emotions is also deeply important, both for kids and for many adults. So much cruelty in our world is based on these buried experiences of repression, abuse, rejection and more alongside their associated emotions, and I think the film could have done a better job of conveying that moral. Another Life Anastasia Tension by Allison Cooper Certainly inspired by the success of Inside Out , Dimension 20's Mentopolis is a live-play role-playing game set within the film-noir world of a single person's mind. The talented cast of comedians take on the role of different neurological functions as they race against time to solve mysteries and save lives inside and outside the brain. Hunch Curio, by Allison Cooper Mentopolis is very much the adult to Inside Out 's pre-schooler. Game Master Brennan Lee Mulligan prepared for the six episode season by speaking with multiple neurologists and constructed the game's world based on real human biology and a whole lot of puns (though cast member Mike Trapp still surprised him with 'Brainstorm', which Inside Out 2 used as well!) Pleasure personified, by Allison Cooper Emotions are barely touched upon here, replaced by a complex economy of wants and needs. An incredible and unique aspect of the season is that every character trait and action can be taken to reflect the life and characteristics of Elias Hodge, whose mind they inhabit. Attention and Curiosity are characters in the game, and where they go Elias' mind goes too. When Hyper-fixation eliminates a distraction, Elias stays focused on the task at hand. And the above shapes the below as well: the university at the hippocampus "defunded the arts years ago", given that Elias is a dedicated scientist. Conrad Schintz, by Allison Cooper But central to the season's plot is player character Conrad Schintz, a small and frightened child who embodies Elias' conscience. Working under a powerful corporation on a dangerous piece of technology, Elias reaches a moment where Conrad must rise or be crushed forever under the heel of ambition and avarice. There is a strong parallel between Elias and Riley, in that both must embrace a buried part of themselves to move forward. For Riley it is accepting her flaws and her humanity, for Elias it is nurturing his conscience and standing up for what he believes in. So consider watching Inside Out 2 , especially if you have kids, and Mentopolis , especially if you don't. They're great stories with a great message, even if the former doesn't meet all of my expectations. For a little more about accepting different parts of oneself, check out my post about a pivotal moment in Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive series. Thanks for reading!