Michael Sands > Recent Status Updates

Fonda Lee must have been in HR at some point. Future Samurai HR

The cool is there. But so is the occasional unclear chapter. Nothing like a dude blending uploaded memories of someone else, while planning a gig and remembering an old gig all at once without clear lines between them in the narrative.

Still very entertaining but wondering if it has 40% left in it. Will need to crank it up i think.

Fun so far and great to return to Gibson.

This is getting really good...

This is the most deliberate cyberpunk novel I've read so far. All the pieces are there and relevant but strangely underutilized for any dramatic effect. Everything in this world just exists and feels pretty natural to it. I like that but it also comes with the cost of being almost routine. I can see why this would be claimed as a 'paragon of queer fiction', however. Very well explored literally and philosophically.

Coen-Brothers-level subtle humour mixed with endearing scrappy characters who go on a 40s era pursuit of a dream. Slow start but starting to love the way this is written above all else going for it.

The episodes within often make me question if they are connected to the overall story but often am relieved that they are. Still feels jarring sometimes but I'm starting to trust.

I get Ghostbusters (without the humor mostly) and X-Files vibes but its also nothing like those. It touches parts of my mind that are truly chilling when activated.

So much fun already lol

Lots of focus on 'differences' between men and women. I will be pissed if there is no twist that gives Mina more agency in this latter third as she has had quite a progressive amount up to this point. I would assume it to be so except it was written at the end of the 1800s.

Cute so far. Stakes seem lower but fun.

This is a very slow burn. Hopefully it pays off. I dont dislike any of it so far but I still feel like we need a little more spice or something.

Bram has some mixture of patriarchal 1800s culture and christian mythos intertwined into a very strange but entertaining series of letters. I can't tell if he truly believes young male blood is the 'strongest' but it fits the blend i just mentioned and feels accurate to the world he is creating. However, if that were true, Dracula must like 'weak' blood more. Also blood types weren't discovered yet so that sticks out

This is very well written and I can see why it spawned an entire subgenre of horror. So far I am enjoying it immensely. The familiarity of the, now, tropes is like a warm hug.

Still great. MOSQUITO CRUSADES!? WTF America. Its crazy how much has changed thanks to an environmental perspective.

An excellent and compelling start. Kind of a cross between Sapiens and Guns Germs and Steel but with more heart and an eye for future solutions. Excited to continue.

Enjoying this a fair bit but will need some more for it to become a favorite.

A slow burn for sure. I'm happiest when I feel like I'm in Viktor's shop in cyberpunk 2077. So far still interested and the components (ICEpicks etc.) keep me hoping they will eventually become pivotal for problem solving.

Aight, you got me Shauna. Hitting me in the parent feels while also establishing a moral argument that will drive one of the main POVs? Good chapter that.

I didn't really read what this was prior to starting and went in mostly blind. I'm pleasantly surprised that this takes the form of historical fiction, even though the fantasy elements are present and I imagine quite important. Looking forward to seeing how this plays out and both female main POVs are compelling.

Still building but I am confident this will keep me for a while longer. Still waiting for emotional connections to build but it is early yet. I like the main character so far and the world building is drawing me in. Irish setting is doing lots of work so far and the audiobook narration is great as well.

A little more matter of fact than the movie but still beautiful so far. Very digestible bites for the kiddo. The chapters are pretty much too short imo and border on 'shorts'. Thankfully they are not too episodic in nature and more like paragraph breaks for ideas.

Sheeeeeeesh. I've enjoyed the hell out of this but if the ending doesn't tie it together well I might feel less enthusiastic. Still an incredible achievement so far. No way any of this could have worked without the writing being this good.

Progressing a little too slowly i think. Will need to dedicate more time to keep it together in my mind and meaningful. So far a pretty simple story with potential.

As enjoyable as this is, I cant help but feel like Ruocchio routinely misses the mark on making the weaknesses believable for the ruling powers that are exploited for the plot. I have 0 belief that a criminal society could just exist on a snowy planet occupied by the empire and not just be scorched from orbit. Worse still when they poke the bear, taking down shuttles/raiding, and still have no response to scale.

Enjoying this audiobook/novella more than expected. Scrappy fellow.

Nice to be in someone else's head other than Hadrian's...