northie

Martha Wells The Murderbot Diaries My rating for the series: 4.5 (out of 5 stars); individual stories vary from 3 to 5 stars I went through a phase of reading sci-fi in my teens but very little since. When one of my Goodread's acquaintances posted a rave review of the latest instalment of The Murderbot Diaries, I read the review, shrugged, and passed on. Then someone else did the same. This time, I both read the review and wandered off to see what all the fuss was about. Martha Wells certainly attracts a large coterie of devoted fans. I find my tastes don't often coincide with what's 'hot'. Anyway, it's a title that lingered in my memory. When Audible UK offered the first four novellas for free (if you're a paying member), I took the plunge. You might say, the rest was written in the stars. Yes, it's sci-fi, but with the sci-fi comes added snark, starkly relevant societal critiquing, and the joy of watching someone discover emotions, the ties of friendship, and what they mean. It's also diverse - a nothing-to-see-here acceptance of sexuality, gender, and family structure which comes with humans of every natural hue. Murderbot's existence has been as an enforcer, an overseer, a guard-for-hire for the corporations who, in Wells' universe, own entire planets and sometimes the populations who inhabit them. Certainly these corporations employ workers on terms that are barely above being a serf. Then one day, it hacks its governor module (another form of serfdom) and gains its freedom. This where the series starts. Murderbot is still working. As a human/bot construct, it has the capacity to experience emotions. Emotions are weird. Frightening. Too closely tied to the stupid humans it has to guard. To pass the time, it now consumes endless hours of human-produced entertainment. One side benefit is the very gradual insight it gains into how humans interact and why. In the first novella, All Systems Red, its employers are academic planetary surveyors, humans from outside the Corporation Rim. They are different. Very different. They talk to Murderbot, treat it as if it matters, and try to involve it in their lives. They refuse to abandon it when everything goes wrong. From such a kernel comes this first story and the other six, full of adventure, mystery, discovery, humour, bad guys and good guys, and a touching, profound core. Highly recommended.

Or indeed, over breakfast, just before you set out for work... 🕷🕷

Well, more thanks than usual for persisting. 🤨😊

👍👍 That's what I like to read. 🤨😊

Oh, wow! 👀😄 Thanks, Cia. Not to be read if you're an arachnophobe. Otherwise enjoy this early slice of horror/humour. 🕷🕷

The seasons of a lifetime with a companion. One who might not be able to talk with you but who otherwise was perfect. Love without conditions. Thanks for this poem which in its way is also perfect.

So much verse! Of the haiku, 1, 8, and 14 spoke to me the most, though I recognise the deep feelings that permeate 5 and 6. 14 is so true - there are so many invertebrates and small plants just waiting to be discovered and admired. 'Secret' with its hard-earned self-knowledge is one to be read and re-read, understanding where you are now and where a variation of the same journey has taken me.

That you manage to produce verse every April always strikes me as a minor miracle. That you're doing so this year, feeling somewhat less than wonderful, is more so. And each piece is considered, worked upon, and recognisably yours. Number 4 is my favourite - 2 Tik-Tok length videos are conjured up, the cinematography focused, sympathetic, and filled with your admiration and love. Bravo. 😘

That must've been amazing. Thanks for reading. 😊

OK... Satan writing poetry. 👀🤨 They do it pretty well, if you don't mind the gloating and revelling in people's troubles. 😄 Thanks for this - a fun read and good on you for taking on the challenge.

I think we all have memories of that one elusive day when the weather was Elysian perfect (or so we remember it 🤨😄).

Thanks, Gary! I'm glad it connected with you. 😊

It is always a privilege to be invited into your memories. This is no exception. In fact, it drew me closer because what you describe is way outside my experience. 'which make to tease and tempt and tantalize' - my favourite line, I think. The repeated 't's slow everything down, making you savour every single word.

This sun of ours Succumbs to winter's Never-ending dark, dank Blast This sun of ours Freshly burnished Gleams brightly with renewed Hope This sun of ours Plays hide and seek with Gentle clouds and billowing Rain This sun of ours Conjures up that single Legendary summer's Day This sun of ours Surrenders to livid, towering Skies, heralding floods to Come This sun of ours Glows, satisfied with Nature’s Ripened bounty nearly Done Thi

Poem written for the 2024 Poetry Antho.

Personification is one of my favourite prompts. You can have such fun and it really makes you think about how whatever you've chosen would act, think, feel.

I like the new survey / feedback form for this vote. Easy to use and pretty familiar if you've completed any online survey.

James Hynes Sparrow My rating: 4 out 5 stars For a nearly eighteen hour long book, this was peculiarly riveting. Even more so when you realise there are hours of the story during which nothing much happens. And yet, those hours draw you in with their vivid descriptions of life at the tavern / brothel which forms the central locale of the novel. They make you care about the various characters, especially the young boy who narrates from old age what it's like to be a nameless slave living on the Spanish fringes of a slowly dying Roman empire. The trundling, closely-observed nature of the general narrative makes any points of conflict stand out all the sharper. And be warned, some incidents may be distressing, especially the one which turns the boy (and I mean, a boy) into a 'wolf'. And under all of this is a pervading sense of uncertainty, of instability, of the idea that a slave is disposable, a possession that might be sold, or damaged, or thrown away on a whim. Having spent all that time building layer upon layer of realism, I thought the ending was a cop-out. Maybe I missed something, but I don't think so. That apart, this was a surprisingly satisfying read. Theo Solomon as narrator helped. A lot. He caught a boy's tone perfectly and managed to differentiate all the other characters (there are many) with conviction.

And so they do - mostly for the better, but not always. Thanks for reading and I'm pleased you enjoyed it.

Thanks for reading. 😊

Thanks for saying so. Glad you enjoyed reading the story.

👀🤨😄 Now there's a thought. Thanks for reading, Def, and I'm glad you like it.

I imagine most people reading will probably identify with either Andi or Leo. Thanks for reading.

What a compliment! Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it, despite there being a lift. 🤨😄

If he was someone I didn't know, I certainly would not appreciate this.