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snowbenton
Yawn-inducing, trite, gag fest. The most irritating and predictable story. Calling these characters two-dimensional would be an undeserved compliment.
What a genius cookbook.
"The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" really grabbed me because it felt like Sinbad, and I loved those stories as a child.
"Exhalation" I read years ago, and I don't think it's any better the second time.
"What's Expected of Us" is a great concept but Chiang should have done more with it.
"The Lifecycle of Software Objects" feels like an absurdly long outline. It lacks any flesh or feeling to make it worth the unbearable tedium of its current length.
"Dacey's Patent Automatic Nanny" has a great setup.
"The Truth of Fact, The Truth of Feeling" is a fascinating (if a little ham-fisted, but I can forgive that as a necessity of the short story format) discussion of memory and we both preserve and distort it. I feel like this was one of the stories where his spark of an idea hit the page with the same heft that he intended.
"The Great Silence" was SO SAD. OH NO.
"Omphalos" is an interesting new take on science and religion and how they intertwine. Feels like it's a ring from the bell that "What's Expected of Us" struck.
"Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom" was a cool concept, I liked how many different story lines there were.
"Exhalation" I read years ago, and I don't think it's any better the second time.
"What's Expected of Us" is a great concept but Chiang should have done more with it.
"The Lifecycle of Software Objects" feels like an absurdly long outline. It lacks any flesh or feeling to make it worth the unbearable tedium of its current length.
"Dacey's Patent Automatic Nanny" has a great setup.
"The Truth of Fact, The Truth of Feeling" is a fascinating (if a little ham-fisted, but I can forgive that as a necessity of the short story format) discussion of memory and we both preserve and distort it. I feel like this was one of the stories where his spark of an idea hit the page with the same heft that he intended.
"The Great Silence" was SO SAD. OH NO.
"Omphalos" is an interesting new take on science and religion and how they intertwine. Feels like it's a ring from the bell that "What's Expected of Us" struck.
"Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom" was a cool concept, I liked how many different story lines there were.
Heart warming and effervescently lovely.
Reading this series is like baking chocolate chip cookies on a Tuesday. You always know what to expect because you always use the exact same recipe, and it isn't going to be mind-blowing, but if you just want a nice treat, Wicked Witches of the Midwest is the way to go.
This one did have an awesome new development that I'm excited about.
This one did have an awesome new development that I'm excited about.
Spoiler
Bay is a necromancer!
I liked the premise that the ballad Scarborough Fair is actually a curse that has to be broken. But everything felt so blah, like there was no real tension. This needed a subplot or more depth.
The perfect accompaniment to my umpteenth replay of Dragon Age 2.
This tried to be grimdark gritty, but turned out to be sand-in-your-teeth gritty. Lackluster with a stupid ending.