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Time spent with relatives provides time to read, too... (and post WIP chapters)
Children of Time, Adrian Tchaikovsky
I absolutely loved this one! It's about uplifted spiders, basically, and – look, I love the Uplift series. I love the uplifted spiders! All the Portias (and Biancas and Violas and Fabians) through the ages were wonderful. Especially the daring Portia who stole the antenna from the ants! And the ending was wonderful and endearing and everything I wanted. Definitely going to read the sequel, Children of Ruin (which apparently concerns squid), and check out the rest of the author's science fiction works. (I'm also holding out for something involving trilobites, based on how he said he'd like to see how trilobites would react to sentience on a Worldcon panel.)
A Code for Carolyn, V. Anne Smith
This was not nearly as well written on the technical level – the heterosexuality subplot was visible from miles away, as was the resolution to the mini-misconception, and things happened a bit too patly when the plot demanded. The protagonist also wasn't to my tastes in her catastrophizing. That said, it's basically an infodump connected by action sequences, which is pure id for me, and there's a mini-textbook at the back which contains spoilers for the story and which I plan on heavily referencing for Guardian fic.
I have two more books, after which I'll either have to start raiding the local bookshelves or studying Chinese in my laptop-is-charging time. I'm pretty sure I'll get them read before Yuletide reveals. Looks like I'll be AFK for the 25th and 26th, but I have lots of time to faff about before that.
Children of Time, Adrian Tchaikovsky
I absolutely loved this one! It's about uplifted spiders, basically, and – look, I love the Uplift series. I love the uplifted spiders! All the Portias (and Biancas and Violas and Fabians) through the ages were wonderful. Especially the daring Portia who stole the antenna from the ants! And the ending was wonderful and endearing and everything I wanted. Definitely going to read the sequel, Children of Ruin (which apparently concerns squid), and check out the rest of the author's science fiction works. (I'm also holding out for something involving trilobites, based on how he said he'd like to see how trilobites would react to sentience on a Worldcon panel.)
A Code for Carolyn, V. Anne Smith
This was not nearly as well written on the technical level – the heterosexuality subplot was visible from miles away, as was the resolution to the mini-misconception, and things happened a bit too patly when the plot demanded. The protagonist also wasn't to my tastes in her catastrophizing. That said, it's basically an infodump connected by action sequences, which is pure id for me, and there's a mini-textbook at the back which contains spoilers for the story and which I plan on heavily referencing for Guardian fic.
I have two more books, after which I'll either have to start raiding the local bookshelves or studying Chinese in my laptop-is-charging time. I'm pretty sure I'll get them read before Yuletide reveals. Looks like I'll be AFK for the 25th and 26th, but I have lots of time to faff about before that.