A speculative mind

  A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine is one of those gigantic worlds in a book. An epic start to what will surely be an epic series (the Teixcalaan series). But if epic series scare you, don’t worry. This book has a nice resolution and is a complete story unto itself. The main character, Mahit is an ambassador from a small system with no habitable planets (everyone lives on space stations, and they call themselves Stationers). She has been assigned as an ambassador to the gigantic Teixcalaan Empire. Her job is to keep her system from being gobbled up by the empire. She is replacing the previous ambassador who is dead. How he died is one of the first things she must figure out. The Stationers like Mahit may not have the rich culture of the empire, but they have a secret. They have a machine (an Imago) infused in their brain that gives the host access to the memories of a previous host. It’s not really immortality, but it is a way to keep memories and experiences alive. In ...

  It takes courage to tell people what they don’t want to hear. Often times doing the right thing is not doing the easy thing. Politicians struggle with this and usually fail. It is a rare politician who tells an inconvenient truth to his constituents. With good reason; said politicians are usually not reelected. And that serves to reinforce the problem. “You see, I told you not to tell people that bridge needs to be replaced. You deserved to lose!” “But it’s going to collapse and kill people!” “That’s somebody else’s problem.” The fault is not really the politician’s. The fault is the voters. As Walt Kelly’s character said “We have met the enemy and he is us.” We enable this behavior.   If you are not willing to vote for, or even listen to someone who is telling you bad news, then you are in trouble. If you only listen to a news source that reports the stories you want to hear, then you are deluding yourself. This problem is not limited to one political party. It appl...

  Andy Weir, best known for writing The Martian , wrote my latest read: Project Hail Mary . I have seen the movie The Martian , but not read the book. After reading Project Hail Mary , I think I need to read it. Andy Weir is a good writer. Project Hail Mary begins as a “how did I get here” kind of a story. The mystery slowly unfurls as the story progresses. We gradually see that because of an unexpected development, the Earth is facing a mass extinction event that will drastically change the habitability of Earth over the next 30 to 40 years. There are two ways humanity can react to a situation like this. They can deny it. Or they can take it seriously and throw every resource at it. In this story, I am glad to say, they took it seriously. This is good because in this case anything less than total commitment would be the end. The world leaders have given administrator Stratt almost total power to acquire whatever team and resources she needs. She latches onto our hero, Ryland Gr...

  Dismantling the remnants of a life. Removing the material possessions of one who lived so long. “I’m sorry you will have to deal with all my stuff,” she had said. “It’s not so much,” I replied. “There’s more than you think.” She was right. More and less. Perhaps there should be more to show for a life so well-lived. But the stuff is just stuff. The important things are the memories. The lives she touched. That makes up a world.

  This is the list of the best books I have read in 2021. Not all of these books came out in 2021, but I read them this year. This is a completely subjective list that I myself might take issue with were I in a different mood. Take it with a grain of salt. Given my tendencies, you might assume these would all be science fiction. There are a number of science fiction or fantasy outings on the list but not all. I present them in no particular order because, trying to order them is just wrong.   The Murder of Mary Russell by Laurie King I have very much enjoyed the Mary Russell books by Laurie King. Mary Russel is the young wife of the retired Sherlock Holmes, and is very much his intellectual equal. Watching the two of them putting themselves in peril and figuring out how to get out again is a delight. But this particular book focuses on the backstory of Mrs. Hudson. I am kind of a sucker for taking a minor character and making them major.   The Network Effect b...

  NANOWRIMO (the National Novel Writing Month) is in full swing and about to come to an end. Those of us involved have until Tuesday evening (November 30 th ) to attain our 50,000 word goal. Most of us know by this point whether we are going to make it or not. Some are already past 50,000 word. Some are plugging away, and some have given up.   I have not attained 50,000 words yet but I am well on my way and expect to make it by Monday or so. I did have an issue though. My story went through its arc, reached its climax, and came to a conclusion before reaching 50,000 words. A novella then, rather than a novel. So, what to do? I am writing a short story to make up the difference. I could include the short story into the novel if I can make it fit. I could have one of the characters tell the story. Sort of a sitting around the campfire thing (not an actual campfire because they are on a planet with a methane atmosphere, and inside their base, well fire would probably not be a ...

  It struck me the other day about how we as humans aren’t very nice. An alien species looking at the way we treat each other would wonder how we got where we are (or perhaps they would be worse, and if that is the case, we definitely do not want to meet them). We judge people, or dislike them, or even hate then for reasons they have no control over.  In school, kids are bullied for being different. If you have a disability, either physical or mental, the best you can hope for is that you will be ignored. At worst you will be made fun of or bullied. Why is this? It’s not you fault if you have a disability. You did nothing wrong to earn this scorn. Or, if your skin color is different, you are a woman, you belong to another religion, you have a facial deformity, or you are gay, you can expect to be shunned, verbally abused or even physically attacked. What did you do to earn this? Nothing. Yes, a person can change their religion but that can be a tough pill to swallow cultural...