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mar's reviews
383 reviews
Mission Child by Maureen F. McHugh
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I don't think I've read a sci-fi book that felt this thoroughly human in a while.
I originally picked it up because I had the vague notion it had some interesting stuff going on with gender, and I was certainly not disappointed - Jan/Janna, the protagonist, is what I'd call genderqueer, by the end describing themselves interchangeably as both & neither a man or a woman; their journey to that realization is portrayed with a thoughtfulness and authenticity I did not expect from a 1998 science fiction book.
There's so many more fascinating themes explored beyond just gender, though, with some of the ones I found most resonant being cultural frictions, language, and things lost in translation; longing for a nonexistent home, what it feels like to be a stranger/foreigner everywhere you go, and how those impact your sense of self.
It brought to my mind Ursula K. Le Guin's Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction - the novel as a medicine bundle, holding many things amonst which conflict is just one of the many ways they can relate to one another, a place for the untold life story rather than the Hero's story. This is one of those, this is a life story. There is no traditional plot, there's just Jan's life, sometimes grim and brutal, often slow and aimless. Won't be for everyone, I'm sure, but it touched something within me in a way I can't quite put into words.
I originally picked it up because I had the vague notion it had some interesting stuff going on with gender, and I was certainly not disappointed - Jan/Janna, the protagonist, is what I'd call genderqueer, by the end describing themselves interchangeably as both & neither a man or a woman; their journey to that realization is portrayed with a thoughtfulness and authenticity I did not expect from a 1998 science fiction book.
There's so many more fascinating themes explored beyond just gender, though, with some of the ones I found most resonant being cultural frictions, language, and things lost in translation; longing for a nonexistent home, what it feels like to be a stranger/foreigner everywhere you go, and how those impact your sense of self.
It brought to my mind Ursula K. Le Guin's Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction - the novel as a medicine bundle, holding many things amonst which conflict is just one of the many ways they can relate to one another, a place for the untold life story rather than the Hero's story. This is one of those, this is a life story. There is no traditional plot, there's just Jan's life, sometimes grim and brutal, often slow and aimless. Won't be for everyone, I'm sure, but it touched something within me in a way I can't quite put into words.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Animal death, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Blood, and War
Minor: Drug use, Cannibalism, and Fire/Fire injury
a graphic birth-giving scene; sexual/gender-based violence comes up a lot, but is mostly discussed/implied rather than directly depicted
Alien Earths: The New Science of Planet Hunting in the Cosmos by Lisa Kaltenegger
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
seems like it'd be a great book for a layperson completely new to the subject, but doesn't go into enough detail for my liking
The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
definitely has a charm to it, but falls flat in terms of plot & characters, imo
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Racism, Blood, Murder, and Colonisation
The Employees: A Workplace Novel of the 22nd Century by Olga Ravn
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mesmerisingly off-putting, i enjoyed it a lot
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Gore
The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans
emotional
medium-paced
5.0
hi for the love of god hello...........
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, and Grief
Moderate: Gun violence and Racial slurs
Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
GOD.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Misogyny
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault
Cursed Objects: Strange but True Stories of the World's Most Infamous Items by J.W. Ocker
2.0
huh. idk if i was expecting this to be more than just a rather repetitive list of cursed object stories, or if i was expecting the stories to be more captivating than they were, but in the end i just found this book to be rather boring
Space Oddities: The Mysterious Anomalies Challenging Our Understanding of the Universe by Harry Cliff
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
CRAZY. CRAZY!!!!!!!!!
can't believe this book managed to get me excited about particle physics, my most hated area of physics
can't believe this book managed to get me excited about particle physics, my most hated area of physics
Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Road to Ruin by Hana Lee
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
this was sooo fun in the most self-indulgent kind of way