The Red Threads of Fortune, by J. Y. Yang

The Red Threads of Fortune by J.Y.  Yang

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I'll second all those who say to read The Black Tides of Heaven first. Though the events are loosely connected temporally, all the world building happens in the first book. The world is still involved, we have the magic-using Protectorate vs. the technological Machinists, and both are making progress. But that dynamic is only lightly explored and is peripheral to this story. It's really all about the relationships. Mother to child, husband and wife, and non-binary lovers all get an interesting treatment. Many reviews focus on the non-binary relationship between Mokoya and Rider, and it is in front, but what makes it interesting for me is the way Yang is able to set it with other, more familiar relationships that allow us cis-gendered readers a way to bridge in. I am partial to big-picture social and technical stories so maybe was not as interested in this, but it's still good. I began to tire a bit of Mokoya's getting in her own way, but that's real too. It just feels to me like if the author allowed herself double the pages she could actually double the depth, and we'd have something really special.



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Compulsory, by Martha Wells

Compulsory is a story from the Murderbot Diaries, the first of which was All Systems Red.  The story is very consistent--our angsty teenage Murderbot defies its programming and inclinations to be more humane than allowed, and saves the humans it is charged mostly to protect from each other.  It's a decent story, I'm just still cheesed by how All Systems Red managed to win an award while neither of Sarah Pinsker's excellent, thoughtful SF stories got a smell.  Anyway, if you like All Systems Red you will want to read this.

Maximum Outflow, by Adam Rogers

Maximum Outflow is one of the true dystopian stories in the Wired Magazine Future of Work series.  The protagonist is a maintainer in a closed post-apocalyptic environment--a terrarium, as one of the characters puts it.  He isn't thought to be very bright, but he is plenty observant and notices a very minor imbalance that threatens to kill everyone.  It's a very exciting and well-told story, possibly an award contender.

The Branch, by Eugene Lim

The author of The Branch is a librarian, and the conceit of the library as a central experience is very much the focus here.  You go there for answers, for therapy, for a religious experience, to disconnect.  Nice try, and I think libraries will actually continue to be relevant in a way like this but less over the top.  But this is a bit overdone.

The Third Petal, by Nisi Shawl

The protagonist in The Third Petal is trying to organize an alternative mutual aid community, and the government is having none of it.  They have created the Antitrust Authority, a nationwide police force tasked with monitoring social arrangements, and hers is no good.

The invasiveness is believable enough, but it needs more motivation than a short tale like this can provide.  Interesting structure for the protagonist's positive approach, however, which is where the title comes from.

The Farm, by Charlie Jane Anders

The protagonist in The Farm is a writer.  He is tasked with writing a news story in such a way that it doesn't trigger a critical mass of artificial personalities in an artificial crowd hosted by an AI.  I had never thought of this, and it's highly plausible.  And it is quite possible for it to be set up in such a way as to frustrate a real author.  But AIs are already capable of writing the stories, so I think the author here is superfluous and the dialog could all be inside a machine.

Placebo, by Charles Yu

The machines do all the doctoring.  Our protagonist is a "doctor" hired to provide bedside manor.  His actions are strictly prescribed by what the client pays for.

I see this happening.  At some point in the not too distant future computers will be more consistent diagnosticians than actual doctors, as long as they have data.  For most conditions it doesn't even take AI.  Bedside manor will be provided in a more clever and better way though, most likely with someone posing as a nurse (or a real one, they will be harder to automate).

The Trustless, by Ken Liu

The Trustless centers on de-skilled legal work--law clerking, lawyering, even adjudication.  The protagonist does work just above AI level on smart contracts--automatic execution once conditions are met, so no issues with fulfillment.  But it's pretty menial work, and there are plenty in the same boat.  The effect of the gig work is to push people apart, making everyone think they are alone fighting to stay afloat.  Any chance of pulling together?

Understated but affecting, it's a pretty good Ken Liu piece.

Real Girls, by Laurie Penny

This is the first in a series of short stories that appeared in the Wired Magazine January 2018 issue on work.  They are paywalled.

Real Girls starts with a protagonist with a newly minted degree in English, a lot of debt, and no direction.  Good recipe for desperation.  His girlfriend is ready to give up on him.  Thus he ends up with a gig as a "robot" girlfriend for someone 8 hours away.  The girlfriend is supposed to be a chatbot, but they aren't good enough at it so the company hires text actors.  He's making some money, and his girlfriend is getting interested again--but he can't quite bear things staying just the same.

It's a nice story but not too intense or engaging.  The ending is kind of not motivated by the rest of the story.

The Atrocity Archives, by Charles Stross

The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I might have read "The Concrete Jungle" 14 years ago but I don't recall it. In the end I enjoyed both of the stories, but overall I can handle Stross pretty well. I love hard, full-on geeky SF and he scratches that itch here. The afterword is very helpful for those of us that like to analyze writing in these reviews. He draws parallels between his work and others that treat mathematics as magic, or as a connection to other universes.

The series is humorous, but it's both dry and dark. There's a certain density to his writing that means I wouldn't read all seven of these in a row. The contrast of dreary government bureaucracy and utterly insane saving-the-world-from-monsters stuff is interesting but eventually gets wearing. I think he's trying to convey that Bob Howard gets a lot of satisfaction from his job even though it's painful on so many levels--perhaps because of that.

I've read other stories in the series and while they actually stand alone OK, they make much more sense now that I've read the first one. Not sure when I'll follow through on the rest, but I'll be willing to do it at some point.



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Children of Thorns, Children of Water, by Aliette de Bodard

Children of Thorns, Children of Water by Aliette de Bodard

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Children of Thorns, Children of Water is an interesting story and adds more depth to the Dominion of the Fallen universe. The baking element really does add an interesting twist. Whether it's enough to keep me going--not sure, I think I'm just a bit worn on Great House feuds, and beasties in the walls aren't quite enough to save them. Oh well.



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The House of Shattered Wings, by Aliette de Bodard

The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I just read this one, considering whether to read the series. I read books nominated for major awards, and de Bodard gets nominated a lot. And while she uses a variety of settings--Southeast Asia, Central
America, France, spaceships--the structure of the setting seems to end up very similar. We have feudal Houses vying for control of a space and culture. In this one, it seems like a lot of reviewers got frustrated with de Bodard for presuming that we understand how the characters would sacrifice for a Great House, rather than building that understanding. As far as I can tell it's just how she rolls.

I enjoyed this book more than most of hers, actually. The writing is engaging and flows well. But it's the same old stuff. Made worse by the fact that this Great House stuff is a Thing now, and it seems like most of the award nominees structure their narratives around sparring feudal houses. I actually think the characters have potential to drive the plot further. But please tell us a new story!



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Waiting On a Bright Moon, by J. Y. Yang

Waiting on a Bright Moon by J.Y.  Yang

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I read this on the TOR website. It just didn't evoke any particular feelings for me. The second person perspective was somewhat forced. The most generous interpretation I can come up with for the overall tone of the story is that we're watching (or, since it's second person, being) someone who has detached herself emotionally in order to deal with the disappointments of her life and her current status. That could have been conveyed by third person better, and allowed for more of the warmth later in the story to come in. It's nice, but not super memorable.



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Waiting on a Bright Moon