Lisa MS

Humanity’s progress toward Mars

Revisado: 04-28-25

I have enjoyed the series and hoped to like this one too. I didn’t feel like this was a very compelling plot, it dragged in places, and the dialogue often seemed out of place. I can’t imagine that during a spacewalk, people would be talking about very mundane things that had nothing to do with the task at hand. One of the most annoying things throughout the book was the focus on sexual jokes and innuendo, and how much sex the crew is having. In very stressful times on Mars, I can’t imagine that they would just be able to set that aside and focus on sex as if they are hormonal teenagers.
But the discussion of racism, and human prejudice of every kind, and how that might play out in a scenario like this was very good, and thought provoking. I do wish there had been more discussion about world building on Mars, and how unexpected challenges would always be arising.

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A wonderful classic

Revisado: 01-10-25

This story is a balm in our times. A slower pace of life, a deeper sense of right and wrong. Wonderful story, with exceptional narration.

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Great overview of China

Revisado: 11-23-24

This book weaves history and more recent events together. A great overview of the land, culture, politics and people of China. The book is very well written but the narrator is overly dramatic, and I found that distracting.

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Depressing, hopeless

Revisado: 09-14-22

I should have trusted my gut after reading The Overstory by Richard Powers. I was reluctant to try another book by him. He is a good writer, but his books leave you hopeless and depressed, which is the opposite of what he’s probably trying to accomplish in motivating us to slow down climate change.

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Favorite in series

Revisado: 06-07-22

This is my favorite of the Wayfarer series. I love the interaction of the characters, and the fact that humans don’t even appear in this book.

I am not a fan of the narrator for this series. She has a pleasant enough voice, but her cadence and emphasis are often jarringly wrong when she’s in narrative sections. She seems to do well with dialogue but must “zone out” while she’s reading the narrative.

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My favorite yet

Revisado: 06-07-22

I have listened to the Wayfarer series, but this is my favorite Becky Chambers book yet. I like their love of scientific inquiry, the imagined worlds, and even the uncertain ending.
The narrator is MUCH better than the narrator for the Wayfarer series.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

I wanted to like this book, but . . .

Revisado: 02-06-22

I have for many years felt that quantum physics speaks to my spirituality. I love following the latest developments in string theory (written by physicists such as Brian Greene), and I was a hospice chaplain for 25 years. I have had spiritual experiences and heard about many more over the years. So I thought this book would speak to me. Instead, I found it to be the height of hubris. The author leaves no room for mystery or the possibility that we, tiny beings on a tiny planet, might not be able to comprehend or explain the ultimate nature of reality. He wants the reader to believe that not only does he understand the mysteries of our entire universe, but also exactly how it is connected to the non-local universe of string theory and how we can access that non-local “energy-verse” through meditation.
He is also repetitive, sloppy with the science, and uses endless quotations from physicists and mystics. I do not recommend this book.

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An antidote for these stressful times

Revisado: 10-05-21

As usual, the Number One Ladies Detective Agency series renews one’s faith in humankind. And of course the narrator is so gifted and makes the experience even more enjoyable.

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Hopeless or hopeful?

Revisado: 09-05-21

Way too long and obvious in making its points. I stuck it through to the end, hoping for redemption and hope but found only vagueness, New ageism, and faith in tech. The prose and images were beautiful at times, but characters were one dimensional.

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