Category Archives: Culture

Reading Well: The Gate to Women’s Country by Sheri Tepper

Posted on June 11, 2016 by Daniel (@MKNN)

Sheri Tepper‘s story is personally encouraging: since her first novel was published in 1983, when she was 54, she has released over 30 more and has received a World Fantasy Award for “Life Achievement.” So, note to self, late-starting and … Continue reading →

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Reading Well: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Daniel (@MKNN)

Mary Doria Russell‘s The Sparrow (1996) is one of the most satisfying reads I’ve had in a while. The core idea is fantastic: contact is made with an alien species, so the Jesuits decide to send a mission to make contact … Continue reading →

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Reading Well: The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

Posted on May 20, 2016 by Daniel (@MKNN)

Cixin Liu (刘慈欣) is probably the best-regarded contemporary Chinese science fiction author, and The Three-Body Problem (2007, 2014 in English) his best known novel (certainly, at least, in the English reading world). It is what is sometimes referred to as hard science fiction, … Continue reading →

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Reading Well: The Electric Michelangelo by Sarah Hall

Posted on May 13, 2016 by Daniel (@MKNN)

Sarah Hall is the first author to appear twice in Reading Well: check out my thoughts on her Daughters of the North if you’re interested. The Electric Michelangelo (2004) belongs simultaneously to two genres: first, it documents the life of Cy Parks, tracing his … Continue reading →

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@The Movies with PopPop: The Hateful Eight

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Daniel (@MKNN)

Watched The Hateful Eight, the latest Quentin Tarentino movie last night via Netflix. As with many Tarentino movies, the rap about it is only tangentially accurate. Yes, there is violence – but quite little until late in the movie, and some … Continue reading →

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Reading Well: The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf by Ambelin Kwaymullina

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Daniel (@MKNN)

When I wrote about Some Sing, Some Cry, I was struck by how difficult it is for books to be successful. It takes a magic combination of timing, marketing, critical reception, and, yes, inherent quality. The more cynical you feel, the … Continue reading →

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Reading Well: The Black Company by Glen Cook

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Daniel (@MKNN)

Since The Black Company was published in 1984, Glen Cook has come out with nine further novels surrounding the adventures of the titular band of mercenaries. This is the only one I have read to date, and I did so without knowing … Continue reading →

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Reading Well: Nekropolis by Maureen McHugh

Posted on April 20, 2016 by Daniel (@MKNN)

I first read Maureen McHugh via her collection of short stories, After the Apocalypse, which is highly recommended–the best stories are magnificent, the rest merely good. Nekropolis (2001) is the first novel of hers I have read (at about 250 pages, it could even … Continue reading →

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Reading Well: Oscar & Lucinda by Peter Carey

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Daniel (@MKNN)

Somehow, Oscar & Lucinda (1988) by Peter Carey got onto my radar via a fantasy-inspired recommendations. It doesn’t belong anywhere near that kind of categorization: instead, it’s a pretty straightforward historical romance, albeit one where little works out as expected for the characters … Continue reading →

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Reading Well: The Vorrh by Brian Catling

Posted on April 3, 2016 by Daniel (@MKNN)

The Vorrh (2007) by Brian Catling (credited as B. Catling) is a fantastically imaginative book, but also a troubling one. The language is bright and inventive, and the characters–an unstoppable hunter, a cyclops raised by wooden robots in search of wider … Continue reading →

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