posts from @Handyandy tagged #whatcha reading
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So I just recently finished this one from Daniel Immerwahr. I think I was expecting something a bit more interested in exploring American imperial power in the the non-territorial ways it is expressed.
However, the book was pretty much laser focused on all the physical territorial claims and outposts that the US has had over its history, from territories & colonies, to small military bases. A lot of time spent discussing the Philippines and Puerto Rico, reasonably so.
Because of this, it does miss some of the ways the US has imposed its imperial will over the years, e.g. in South America where it has never had any large explicit territorial claims despite long influencing the political trajectory of the region. I think this and similar things left out are probably the major shortcoming. I really wish it had included the way the US influences other nations through mechanisms that aren't explicitly physical occupation.
The style was also kinda weird to me. It was written in a very Good Morning America voice, for lack of a better term. It is very easy to read, but the tone just seems a little too "You'll never believe what's next" the whole way through in a way that grates after a while.
Still, overall a pretty interesting book. I learned a good deal, especially about the Pacific, including lots of stuff around the time of WW2.
(No real spoilers, but that might depend on your sensitivity level.)
So I have started (re)reading Urth of the New Sun, the sequel to Book of the New Sun. As mentioned in previous posts, I started a reread of New Sun to read alongside the Shelved by Genre podcast. However, I got way to caught up in things, and am now obviously way ahead.
I am really excited to be back into this one, as I think it is the one I have the least memory of from the entire 12 book Solar Cycle series. Right off the bat, I am appreciating that it's introducing more cosmology, a bit more of a traditional sci-fi look and feel, and bringing Severian's style right back to the front. I don't think focusing on the world building in the way it does is as compelling as how things are presented in BotNS, but it is still fun to see Wolfe take a crack at it in this way.
And while it's only a small scene, I just love the way the Hierodules are presented again in this one. I can't quite explain it, but the way they interact with Severian has always been so memorable and interesting to me.
I actually don't remember much about where all this one goes. I know in very broad strokes what journey is covered in this book, but I really don't remember in much detail what characters, places, etc. are involved. Seems like we'll be hearing a good bit about Tzadkiel if no one else.
I do have some other books I want to get to reading, but I'm going to try to really absorb this one on this read. BotNS looms so largely and clearly in my mind, and I would like Urth to be a part of that picture too.
The Shelved by Genre podcast inspired me to do a re-read of Book of the New Sun. I thought I would maybe follow along with them and read something else on the side. Well, that didn't work out so much, as I have been too caught up in it and have read far ahead at this point.
This morning before work, I began The Citadel of the Autarch.
I think what I have forgotten most over the course of reading these isn't so much the details such as characters or plot events, but mainly about when in the narrative different things are introduced. For example, I could have sworn the named Hierodules (Ossipago, Barbatus, & Famulimus) were introduced much earlier. I thought they appeared in Claw in the House Absolute for some reason. Idk. Many such things like that as I've been reading.
Another thing that has struck me over the course of re-reading these, having since read Long Sun & Short Sun and some other Wolfe stuff, is how much Wolfe really seems to be primarily occupied with a few core ideas or themes over the course of his entire bibliography. It's kind of astonishing to go back to New Sun and see the same thematic threads reintroduced that you've been reading about in all these other books too. The man is absolutely obsessed with self-identity (not so much in the categorical sense, but in the sense of self-conception/self-perception), truth as it moves through different layers of communication, memory (e.g. Severian = "perfect" memory, Latro = "no" memory), religion obviously, symbols, narrative in general... explorations of all of these are pretty much present throughout all of his works.
I think I will just read through Urth b/c that's where Shelved by Genre is stopping. I am interested to see what they say about Urth, since I think at least one has said they don't like Urth. But anyway there is too much other stuff I want to read, I don't want to commit to a full Long Sun + Short Sun re-read at this point.
Okay, so I completed Citadel of the Autarch on my lunch break. Turns out I had also forgotten what events were in Citadel vs what were in Urth of the New Sun.
No spoilers or anything, but I am pretty happy with how this one plays out overall, especially once we get back in touch with the Autarchy proper. (Don't think that's a spoiler, since the whole BotNS is framed as being written from Severian's perspective as Autarch at time of writing.)
I'm glad that the Ranged Touch guys took this one on b/c it was nice to have an impetus to re-read. I know I am way ahead of the podcast, but I think I'll just keep the momentum rolling into Urth and close it out, indulging my reminiscent curiosity instead of attempting to first read something else distractedly.