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(1962) Book 3 of the “Time Traders“ series has not aged well. The idea is that in order to colonize a distant planet, the West sends a team of Apaches who have been regressed “into prototypes of their ancestors“ (because blablah survival blah) -- only to discover on arrival that the Commies have done the same thing only with Mongols. The story is well-intentioned and has strengths but it's the kind of thing that makes you say “It is of its time.“

The tagged book opens with the dramatic destruction of the major Italian cities on 9-11 2077 from a meteorite. This catastrophic event, & scientific advancement, leads to a watch organization for future events. Eventually an object of interest, traveling at unusually high speed, is flagged & spaceship Endeavor is sent to intercept & investigate. What they find is a massive ship that is described as more of a world & by the end (CONT)

“The columns were not transparent from every angle or under all illuminations. As one walked around them, objects would suddenly flash into view, apparently embedded in their depths like flies in amber, & would then disappear again. There were dozens of them, all different. They looked absolutely real & solid, yet many seemed to occupy the identical volume of space.“

Clarke's 2001 is one of my favorite SF books of all time. I think it's even better than the movie, which is saying a lot bc I love Kubrick. This is my second Clarke read & a word that keeps popping up is perihelion: the point of a planet, asteroid, or comet at which it is closest to the sun
#weirdwordswednesday @cbee
Side note: Villeneuve hinted at an adaptation, but typing the definition, I'm reminded of the excellent D. Boyle movie “Sunshine“

Holy crap on a cracker. I did not expect to adore this book. It‘s a cozy, low-stakes sci-fi that is more character-driven than plot-driven. It focuses on identity and found family. I genuinely, truly loved this. I sat up late into the night reading because I didn‘t want to leave. Becky Chambers shared Zoë van Dijk‘s artwork for the folio edition, and it is everything. So many green flags. It‘s thoughtful and thought-provoking. Beautiful.

Four robots reactivate and find themselves in a restaurant, abandoned by the owner, and with lots to still pay on their contracts. So, they work together to create a noodle place. It‘s 2064 California and we get to see where society is and why it‘s transformed. I liked this, especially how clearly it is a metaphor for transness.

While this was still enjoyable, it felt like maybe my least favorite Murderbot book. We are getting to where there are just too many characters for me to lightly keep track of which is bogging me down a bit.

I am still excited to read the next in the series, because I just adore Murderbot, but hoping for less side characters and more humor.

While I really enjoyed Mickey 7, I just couldn't get into this book. The humor felt very forced, and I found the lead character dull and too given to just letting things happen instead of taking charge.

My December #BookSpinBingo list!
@TheAromaofBooks