Golden State, by Ben H. Winters

Golden State by Ben H. Winters

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Well the premise of this book is not the least bit subtle. The worship of Objective Truth is front, center, and all consuming through most of the book. Winters does an interesting job of showing how people navigate being in a world so committed to what is So, and rejecting the lies that (according to the Golden State) swallowed up the rest of the world. All the unsubtlety hits you over the head repeatedly--the Golden State is California, and its successful resistance to the politics of today has put it where it is now.

But most of the novel is about Speculator (enforcer of Truth) Laszlo Ratestic, seen through his inner monologue. The character saved the novel for me, through its not-so-subtle plot twists and assertions. Laszlo lives in his more talented brother's shadow and is totally committed to that life. How he experiences that life, and the inevitable (because you can't miss it) disappointment it brings him, made it worth reading for me. Not going to go down as one of my all time favorites, but it didn't need to in order for me to think it is worth reading.



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Planetfall, by Emma Newman

Planetfall by Emma Newman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I read this one since I'm thinking about catching up the series. It didn't start off as a real grabber, so I understand some of the negative reviews, but after a few chapters I got into what the author was doing. The real meat of this story is protagonist Ren's (Renata Ghali) struggle with keeping a secret about the way the colony was founded, and what this costs her. The price she is paying gets ever more clear as it goes along. One of the better depictions of PTSD induced mental illness (in this case hoarding) that I have read. Some have been disappointed in the ending--I was not, because I expected it to lead up to more books. Interesting storytelling and well-set speculation. I wasn't sure if I would catch this one up but it's now in strong consideration.



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