Leapfire

Jun. 20th, 2025 09:39 pm
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[personal profile] nineweaving
Wishing all of you joy at the summer solstice.

After yesterday's oppressive heat, it was perfectly lovely, with a little wind that stirred a dip and dazzle in the leaves, and carried on it an elusive scent of lime-flowers.

I spent part of it telling stories to Fox (age 8), of kite-battles and the Borrowers and all my summer camps, and part revising Lightwards. When I went out to walk the labyrinth to celebrate the day, I kept running into folks in garlands. Very pleasant.

Nine

Shroud, by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Jun. 20th, 2025 10:18 am
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While on a commercial expedition, an unexpected accident causes Mai, an engineer, and Juna, an HR person, to crash-land on a pitch-black planet called Shroud. They can't get out of their escape pod because the air is corrosive and unbreathable, and they can't call for help. Their only hope is to use the pod's walker system to trek all the way across the planet... which turns out to be absolutely teeming with extremely weird life, none of which can see, all of which communicates via electromagnetic signals, most of which constructs exoskeletons for itself with organic materials, and some of which is extremely large.

As readers, we learn very early on that at least some of the life on Shroud is intelligent. But Juna and Mai don't know that, the intelligent Shroud beings don't know that humans are intelligent, and human and Shroud life is so different that it makes perfect sense that they can't tell. As Juna and Mai make their probably-doomed expedition across Shroud, they're accompanied by curious Shroud beings, frequently attacked by other Shroud creatures, face some of the most daunting terrain imaginable, and slowly begin to learn the truth about Shroud. But even if they succeed in rescuing themselves, the predatory capitalist company that sent them on their expedition on the first place is determined to strip Shroud for materials, and doesn't care if its indigenous life is intelligent or not.

This is possibly the best first contact novel I've ever read. It's the flip side of Alien Clay, which was 70% depressing capitalist dystopia and 30% cool aliens. Shroud is 10% depressing capitalist dystopia and 90% cool aliens - or rather, 90% cool aliens and humans interacting with cool aliens. It's a marvelous alien travelogue, it has so many jaw-dropping moments, and it's very thematically unified and neatly plotted. The climax is absolutely killer.

The characterization is sketchy but sufficient. The ending is a little abrupt, but you can easily extrapolate what happens from there, and it's VERY satisfying. As far as I know this is a standalone, but I would certainly enjoy a sequel if Tchaikovsky decided to write one.

My absolute favorite moment, which was something you can only do in science fiction, is a great big spoiler. Read more... )

New to me

Jun. 20th, 2025 12:01 pm
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


This is a painting by Édouard Frédéric Wilhelm Richter, who I had never heard of. As well, it's an example of "orientalist" painting, which I had also never heard of. Seems to be depictions of the east (starting at the middle east), as imagined by a painter whose online bio does not mention having ever visited the east.

Some interesting detail work in the expanded version.
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


All that stands between Alessa Li and freedom from Hellebore Technical Institute for the Ambitiously Gifted is a single carnage-filled rite of passage, or as the unspeakable teachers call it, dinner.

The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw

i am a leaf on the wind!

Jun. 20th, 2025 02:31 am
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[personal profile] tsuki_no_bara
hello my flist! my roommate has officially (if not entirely) moved out! by which i mean she left a lot of stuff in the kitchen, i think mostly food, and there's still some stuff in her bedroom and she seems to have left her coats but by and large she's out. she's coming back this weekend to clean (not sure what she expects to clean since i'll still be packing and my shit will be everywhere) and get the rest of her stuff but i now have space! so i can finish packing! so exciting! last weekend my sister and i measured my new place so i even know where everything is going to go. and i can bring my dining room table which is kind of a relief. i'm getting rid of two smaller bookcases - i listed them on facebook marketplace and they went like *that* - theoretically the woman who claimed them will come get them tomorrow - but everything else will fit. i really didn't want to get rid of my dining room table.

today because it was like 90º and we had the day off for juneteenth my sister and i went to ikea while my roommate moved out. we didn't get anything but i looked at new bookcases and coffee tables and my sister looked at armoires and i should have made her wait while i looked at lamps - there's no overhead light in either the living room or my bedroom in the new place - but part of me wants to move in first and then see what i need and where it will fit. ikea was CROWDED. which. well. it was exceptionally hot and a lot of people no doubt had the day off and what else are you going to do when it's brutally hot besides go where there's a/c? right? besides, ikea. :D

and then we went back to her house and had salad for dinner (god bless whole foods and their prepared foods department) and watched the first mission: impossible because last weekend after the measuring we went out for dinner and saw mission: impossible - the final reckoning which went on a bit too long in places but was overall a really good ride. it probably helps to have seen the previous mission: impossibles but i've seen maybe half of them and could still follow along. if it's your thing and you've seen dead reckoning part one i highly recommend it.

and then sunday and the rest of this week i packed around my roommate's shit and sorted kitchen stuff and tried to imagine what it will be like to not have to wait ten minutes for someone to get out of the bathroom when you desperately need to pee. yesterday was the monthly support staff lunch at work and there was hardly anyone there! it's been quiet all week altho to be fair it's the summer and summer is generally quiet.

last wednesday was the admin retreat which is really half a day of professional development (the most useful speakers were the two folks from campus police because they had actual information rather than the kind of vague info we got from the time management guy) (it's important to know who to call in an emergency) and half a day of social stuff. the theme this year was carnival - like carnival side shows like you get with the circus - so the social stuff this year was carnival games and bingo and general hanging out at the boat house. one of the admins a dressed up as a fortune teller and told us our fortunes and mine was that i would see a cute dog. and as we were walking back to the building i saw two - count 'em - cute dogs. this is a future i can totally get behind.

and the weekend before that (so like almost two weeks ago) was family graduations - cousins j&m's twins graduated from high school and while we missed the actual graduation (it was moved inside on account of rain and they didn't have enough seats for all the extended family) we went to the party and then cousin r of j&r got her phd and we went to that party. both parties on saturday! the twins first and then cousin r (whose party was going to be outside but did i mention the rain? torrential. so she moved it inside) and my mom even came up for all the celebrations. my sister had a brunch on sunday for cousins from the other side of the fam and that was fun too and then monday mom went home and my life was consumed with moving again.

and now it's HOT. i finally took the flannel duvet cover off my bed last night. it is the MIDDLE of JUNE. wtf.

in totally other news scientists have actually created the world's smallest violin. no word on whether or not it plays my heart bleeds for you.

was there something else i wanted to tell all you lovely people? i don't remember! us politics are a shitshow and we will not be rehashing them right now and serenity was on tv half an hour ago and i still really like it. resident alien is back and i still really like that. (speaking of things alan tudyk has been in. :D ) and i finally finished the rewatch of andor s1 and am on to s2! i've only seen the first ep tho so don't tell me what happens.
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A timid immortal cyborg searches for valuable plants in a Tudor England torn between Anglicans and Catholics. What could possibly go wrong?

In The Garden of Iden (Company, volume 1) by Kage Baker

Last night in Fabula Ultima

Jun. 19th, 2025 08:58 am
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll
Rather than use a group of interchangeable mooks, the hostiles had two brutes (one who was accurate, one with multiple attacks), a mage with a couple of decent multi-target attacks, and a mage adept at protective spells. It worked pretty well, esp the part where the healer kept the other NPCS upright. It would have worked even better had she not been prioritizing their boss, who is currently enthralled by an artifact of doom and not much good in a fight.

Bundle of Horror: Raven

Jun. 18th, 2025 02:25 pm
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Raven: A Gothic Horror RPG – the core rulebook, scenarios, & GM Screen in both English and Spanish versions!

Bundle of Horror: Raven
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


For what purpose has someone summoned a ten-story-tall mountain spirit to Aftzaak, City of Books?

Magus of the Library, volume 8 by Mitsu Izumi

Every Kind of Craft now open!

Jun. 17th, 2025 07:02 pm
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Do you make crafts? Do you like to look at crafts? Would you like to get (or give) advice about crafts? All crafts are welcome. Share photos, stories about projects in progress, and connect with other crafty folks.

You are welcome to make your own posts, and this community will also do a monthly call for people to share what they are working on, or what they've seen which may be inspiring them. Images of projects old or new, completed or in progress are welcome, as are questions, tutorials and advice.

If you have any questions, ask them here!
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When the target world proves too inhospitable for colonization, colonists make a desperate bid to return to Earth on a failing starship.

Disgraced Return of The Kap’s Needle by Renan Bernardo

Bundle of Holding: Troika Warehouse

Jun. 16th, 2025 02:27 pm
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


Many supplements and adventures for Troika!, the acid-fantasy tabletop roleplaying game from Melsonian Arts Council.

Bundle of Holding: Troika Warehouse

Clarke Award Finalists 2001

Jun. 16th, 2025 09:48 am
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll
2001: Labour narrowly wins a second overwhelming victory, Simon Darcount finds his calling, and Jeffrey Archer distracts people from that time he was accused of stealing three suits.

Poll #33257 Clarke Award Finalists 2001
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 63


Which 2001 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?

View Answers

Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
43 (68.3%)

Ash: A Secret History by Mary Gentle
27 (42.9%)

Cosmonaut Keep by Ken MacLeod
18 (28.6%)

Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler
29 (46.0%)

Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds
22 (34.9%)

Salt by Adam Roberts
5 (7.9%)



Bold for have read, italic for intend to read,, underline for never heard of it.

Which 2001 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
Ash: A Secret History by Mary Gentle
Cosmonaut Keep by Ken MacLeod
Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler
Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds
Salt by Adam Roberts

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