(Lau)(ren) > Recent Status Updates

I actually am very fond of Kay, but by far the most annoying thing about his books is how his male main character is always ridiculously attractive to women for no apparent reason. The lack of this in The Lions of Al-Rassan isn’t the reason it’s his best book but it certainly contributes.

I don’t remember Kay writing with these clipped, subject-less sentences. At first I thought it was just from Thierry’s pov, but it’s all the characters. It’s distracting!

Omg why did they not let Ben read this????? His voice is great, and this reader is so incredibly dry and flat.

If these people weren’t so obscenely rich and powerful, their weird cultish theology would be hilariously embarrassing.

I’m just so angry!!! We know how to handle contagious diseases!!! We just don’t do it because capitalism!!!

It’s almost like gutting our public health infrastructure during the 70s and 80s means that our failures re: COVID were inevitable. Anyone who was paying attention should have seen this coming.

Human beings are so incredibly intelligent and so incredibly foolish. I wish we were stupider but wiser.

Oh dang. This is going to be one of those I have to immediately reread to see how the author did it, isn’t it?

It’s a miracle that the human race survives at all.

Truly so impressed by this feat of reportage-meets-science-writing but I’m side-eyeing the claim that it was gay men who were responsible for Stonewall. Come on, Laurie. Even in 2009 we knew that it was trans women.

I am not trying to downplay the immense suffering, trauma, and loss of life individuals and humanity in general experienced during the Covid pandemic. But honestly, what I'm taking away from this book is that we got lucky in that it was SARS-CoV-2 and not something much, much worse.

Okay the part about what it actually took to eradicate smallpox made me weepy. Maybe the greatest thing humans have ever accomplished?

Did not expect the sudden appearance of “The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction” but I was happy it happened!

Okay, I've changed my mind. The narrator, who's perfectly fine when reading about Peiresc trying to figure out longitude, just doesn't work when he's reading direct quotes from riot grrrl zines. YIKES.

This chapter on Chartism is making me want to reread Freedom & Necessity, still the only fantasy novel I’ve ever read featuring Friedrich Engels.

(Btw the narrator for this one has the same vocal delivery as my dude Rick Steves, so I’m inclined to like him even if prefer the author to read the book.)

Rest and Qven are the most interesting take on the arranged marriage trope I’ve seen in a while We have hit the mutual pining section of the book except with a very body horror twist.

Here we gooooo

Okay, there is NO way it’s coincidental that until the narrator said his name I was sure it was Brent Spiner’s voice I was hearing. Well played, casting director. I DO want Data to read this book to me.

Go OFF, Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut!

David Graeber mention! lol

Having to take this one slowly because it’s a lot

God, I’ve been waiting my whole life for this book.

Actually, you know what? Life is too short for this Gary Stu nonsense, even for my beloved book club. I just can’t and so I won’t.