oarditi

oarditi, 7 months ago to fantasy

I re-read this after 35 years—and found it to be action-packed, baroque, philosophical, freakishly inventive, and utterly hilarious.
#michaelmoorcock #theeternalchampion #eternalchampion #fantasy #fantasyfiction #sf #sciencefiction #books #bookstodon @bookstodon

oarditi, 5 months ago to SF

This is an audacious, brilliant follow-up to ‘Three Body Problem’, marred for me by politically naïve worldbuilding and writing of women characters that is frankly misogynistic.
#sf #sciencefiction #liucixin #cixinliu #thedarkforest #thethreebodyproblem #remembranceofearthspast #books #bookstodon @bookstodon

oarditi, 2 months ago to fantasy

I’ve just finished this very enjoyable, pan-historical garden fantasy (is garden fantasy a genre? It is now!), ‘Threading the Labyrinth’ by Tiffani Angus.

#fantasy #fantasyfiction #historicalfiction #historicalfantasy #gardens #faerie #threadingthelabyrinth #tiffaniangus #bookstodon @bookstodon

oarditi, 5 months ago to SF

Interzone 296 keeps its standards as high as ever. For me the best stories were Alexander Glass’s multiverse/Chesterton/art-history mash-up ‘Sfumato’, and Alex Penland’s Classical gender yarn ‘We Are Only Ourselves’.
#sf #sciencefiction #fantasy #fantasyfiction #horror #horrorfiction #sff #sffh #sffh+ #shortstories #shortfiction #interzone #alexanderglass #alexpenland #bookstodon @InterzoneMag @manyoyo @bookstodon

oarditi, 5 months ago to sciencefiction

Le Guin’s first three novellas. A masterclass in economy: these stories are as epic, as deep, as wide ranging, and as emotionally powerful as some entire series of lengthy novels!
#worldsofexileandillusion #ursulakleguin #rocannonsworld #worldofexile #cityofillusions #sciencefiction #sf #novella #novellas #hainishcycle #books #bookstodon @bookstodon

oarditi, 3 months ago to Neuroscience

Robert Sapolsky’s ‘Determined’ is a very thought-provoking, enjoyable book, and a surprisingly easy read for such a hefty tome.
#robertsapolsky #determined #neuroscience #science #philosophy #freewill #morality #books #bookstodon @bookstodon

oarditi, 1 month ago to fantasy

Why nobody has taken by the scruff of the neck and made me read N.K. Jemisin before is an abiding mystery. ‘The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms’ is right up my street.
#fantasy #fantasyfiction #books #nkjemisin #theinheritancetrilogy #thehundredthousandkingdoms #bookstodon @bookstodon

oarditi, 8 months ago to Games

A beautifully stated observation from a game whose rules are a work of literature in their own right.
#games #ttrpg #storygames #books #bookstodon #thornygames @bookstodon

oarditi, 29 days ago to fantasy

New on my blog is the second half of my top 10 imaginary worlds. I get a bit deeper this time (or go on a bit more!), as these are ones that have shaped me as a writer.

https://oliverarditi.com/2024/05/06/my-top-10-imaginary-worlds-part-2/

#fantasy #fantasyfiction #sf #sciencefiction #worldbuilding #imaginaryworlds #ursulakleguin #earthsea #alwayscominghome #genewolfe #urth #frankherbert #dune #tolkien #jrrtolkien #middleearth #thelordoftherings #books #bookstodon @bookstodon

oarditi, 8 months ago to books

The dedication of the book I’ve just started reading. By an insane coincidence, today (September 26) is the anniversary of the day Stanislav Petrov saved the world. Bonus points if you tell me what book it is!
#books #bookstodon #stanislavpetrov @bookstodon

oarditi, 7 months ago to SF

My latest read. This issue of @InterzoneMag has a particularly excellent crop of non-fiction writing. The standout story for me was Nozaki Mado’s ‘The Fifth Horizon’, trans. Cat Anderson.
#sf #sciencefiction #fantasy #fantasyfiction #horror #horrorfiction #sfcriticism #bookstodon @bookstodon

oarditi, 4 months ago to SF

Finally got around to reading Suzette Haden Elgin’s brilliant ‘novel of ideas’, ‘Native Tongue’. It was well worth the wait!

#sf #sciencefiction #linguistics #translation #conlanging #feminism #feministsf #suzettehadenelgin #nativetongue #books #bookstodon @bookstodon

oarditi, 3 months ago to SF

This wonderful short book is both a blistering polemic and a moving, immersive story-world.
#sf #sciencefiction #thewordforworldisforest #ursulakleguin #books #bookstodon @bookstodon

oarditi, 3 months ago to fantasy

My sickbed reading. This brilliant, mind blowing book becomes even more of a swirling, psychedelic fantasia if you read it in a semi-delirium 🤣
#michaelmoorcock #thecorneliusquartet #thefinalprogramme #acureforcancer #theenglishassassin #theconditionofmuzak #jerrycornelius #theeternalchampion #multiverse #fantasy #fantasyfiction #sf #sciencefiction #experimentalfiction #bookstodon @bookstodon

oarditi, 1 month ago to fantasy

Still trying to find that elusive epic fantasy series that I completely vibe with. Tad Williams’s ‘The Dragonbone Chair’ surprised me with some great characters/worldbuilding and the high quality of the prose.

#fantasy #fantasyfiction #epicfantasy #highfantasy #tadwilliams #thedragonbonechair #books #bookstodon @bookstodon

oarditi, 2 months ago to fantasy

Just arrived for me at the library, from Forest Hill in Lewisham.

#fantasy #rfkuang #babel #fantasyfiction #academicfantasy #translation #library #libraries #bookstodon @bookstodon

oarditi, 2 months ago to fantasy

The latest episode of my free grimdark fantasy serial can now be read on my blog. In ‘Prize Fighter’ the company’s second-in-command is attempting to assess a new recruit, but his efforts are hampered by an impromptu wrestling match.

https://oliverarditi.com/2024/03/25/the-blackswords-s1e5-prize-fighter/

#fantasy #fantasyfiction #grimdark #fiction #shortstories #shortstory #worldbuilding #theblackswords #theinnerworld #bookstodon @bookstodon

oarditi, 2 months ago to journalism

Hilary Mantel’s posthumous ‘A memoir of my former self’ is of course of great interest to fans of her fiction, but every one of the disparate, beautifully written pieces in this book is worth reading on its own merits.

#hilarymantel #amemoirofmyformerself #nonfiction #memoir #journalism #filmreviews #essays #reithlectures #books #bookstodon @bookstodon

oarditi, 2 months ago to books

I haven’t been keeping up with random book news! First ‘Attending Daedalus’ arrived in the post, to much excite as I’ve wanted it for years and never before found a copy under £100. Then I accidentally bought a stack at Eastercon. Then the next Expanse book arrived for me at the library. So many read! 😝

#books #genewolfe #attendingdaedalus #eastercon #levitation #theexpanse #sf #sff #sffh #sffh+ #sciencefiction #fantasy #fantasyfiction #horror #horrorfiction #bookstodon @bookstodon

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oarditi, 1 month ago to fantasy

I’ve just dealt with the middle volume of Mike Brooks’ ‘God-King Chronicles’ series. Very entertaining, likeable characters, gripping plot, solid worldbuilding. I had a lot of fun reading it!

#fantasy #fantasyfiction #epicfantasy #mikebrooks #thegodkingchronicles #thesplinterking #books #bookstodon @bookstodon

oarditi, 14 days ago to poetry

Well, this turned out to be one of the most devastating books I’ve ever read. ‘Song of Stars’ by Guus Luijters, trans. Marian de Vooght, is a beautifully written attempt to recuperate the memory of a Jewish girl from the Netherlands, murdered by the Nazis.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6481612245

#poetry #holocaust #holocaustpoetry #guusluijters #songofstars #books #bookstodon @bookstodon

oarditi, 1 month ago to poetry

Read as a whole body of work (which has taken me many months) Gerard Manley Hopkins’s poetry is a tragic and audacious testament to an extraordinary creative spirit.
#gerardmanleyhopkins #poetry #books #bookstadon @bookstadon

oarditi, 1 month ago to SF

Full disclosure: I know Alex Cochran. But that’s not why I was so knocked out by this book. ‘The Pollutant Speaks’ is a beautifully written exploration of themes I’m already obsessive about: social justice, the philosophy of language, aliens, big spaceships…

#sf #sciencefiction #alexcochran #thepollutantspeaks #language #books #bookstodon @bookstodon

oarditi, 19 days ago to SF

For all the wonderful writers contributing to this shared-world anthology, it really reads like so many extra yards of the Jerry Cornelius novels. The best writing is by Hilary Bailey, who turned a lovely sentence.

#sf #sciencefiction #scifi #michaelmoorcock #multiverse #jerrycornelius #thenatureofthecatastrophe #thenewnatureofthecatastrophe #eternalchampion #theeternalchampion #books #bookstodon @bookstodon

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6485325434