Book Reviews by Eitan

This is not quite a review, more a collection of thoughts I have about A Memory Called Empire . I first read this book when it came out last spring, and have come back to it many times since, so these ideas have been marinating over time and don't really represent my gut reaction to the book like most of my other reviews. But with the Hugos coming up, and an excerpt of the sequel, A Desolation Called Peace , recently posted, I thought it would be a good time to return to it. All the material below is full of spoilers, so don't read it if you haven't read the book; it won't make sense and will ruin a lot of the good twists in the process. This is a story that is, at least in part, about the narratives that shape how we see ourselves and who we want to be. Martine's characters are very aware of the context they are in--the norms they must follow, what resonances their actions may have--and so is the overall plot. Not only do the characters use allusions and callbacks ...

Here is a partial list of the books that I've read for the first time in 2020, in rough chronological order: Gnomon by Nick Harkaway Catfishing on Catnet  by Naomi Kritzer The Unspoken Name  by AK Larkwood A Darker Shade of Magic  by VE Schwab A Gathering of Shadows  by VE Schwab A Conjuring of Light  by VE Schwab Exhalation  by Ted Chiang American Gods  by Neil Gaiman The Bear  by Andrew Krivak Anansi Boys  by Neil Gaiman The Ten Thousand Doors of January  by Alix Harrow All Systems Red  by Martha Wells Artificial Condition  by Martha Wells Rogue Protocol  by Martha Wells Exit Strategy  by Martha Wells Network Effect  by Martha Wells The City in the Middle of the Night  by Charlie Jane Anders Shorefall  by Robert Jackson Bennett The Calculating Stars  by Mary Robinette Kowal The Fated Sky  by Mary Robinette Kowal Wolf Hall  by Hilary Mantel

Hello, and welcome to my blog! I'm a PhD student in the Department of Economics at MIT, and in my spare time I read and share my thoughts on what I've read. On this page you can find lists of books I've enjoyed and movies I've seen , short reviews, and commentary on things that I've found particularly interesting.

Zero Sum Game is a great take on the thriller genre that takes the idea of "killer math skills" literally. It's a fast, edge-of-your seat read, and I finished it in a single (several-hour) sitting because its dynamism kept pulling me forward. While I generally prefer to read more "standard" sci-fi, the pacing and clever sequences kept me more than entertained. The ending just starts to hint at more depth to Cas's math skills, and I'm eager to see what comes next. 4 out of 5.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a review, which is why my review is being posted before the (coronavirus-delayed) release date. Non-spoiler review first, since this is coming so early: the short version is, you should absolutely be excited for this book. It's a sharp turn in many ways from Yoon Ha Lee's previous work--there are no space battles, little math or technical language, and characters don't spend much time sharing each other's bodies or experiences. What it does retain are carefully crafted images, an unflinching look at the pain and human toll of war, and clever use of the physical world to ground emotional and metaphysical ideas. Once again, Yoon Ha Lee immerses us in a world where magic is not just a fact of the world, it's an emotional reflection of the way it works--painting literally captures the way we see and shape the world. Even if you thought Machineries of Empire wasn't for you, this book is worth a second look--and if you di...

Note: this review contains spoilers for the Machineries of Empire trilogy (Ninefox Gambit, Raven Strategem, Revenant Gun). Read no further if you haven't finished those, and don't start these stories until you have! Almost five years on from publication, Ninefox Gambit remains my favorite science fiction book of the 2010s, and one of the most original in both premise and style. In this short story collection, Yoon Ha Lee continues to give us more of what he's best at--rich, technical prose that takes abstract concepts and seemingly dry ideas and turns them into moving, thoughtful stories. The short story format lets his talent for scenes shine; "How the Andan Court" and "Seven Views of the Liozh Entrance Exam" are basically nothing but, small vignettes full of striking visualizations. In more plotty terms, several of the stories give us some much-appreciated background on the infamous Shuos Jedao, filling out his past in ways that are both entirely consi...

As a big fan of Yoon Ha Lee's Machineries of Empire, I got an early copy of this book from Netgalley and was able to review it before it was officially published. This made my month, but I did my best to remain objective in my review. It’s hard not to have mixed feelings about what is almost certainly the last time I’ll see characters I’ve gotten tremendously attached to, at least in full-length novel format. It’s especially hard when the ending is on the bitter side of bittersweet on the personal level, even if not on the societal one. That aside, Revenant Gun delivers in the same style as Ninefox Gambit and Raven Strategem, providing a conclusion that fits the tone of the rest of the series while still pushing in different directions. We still don’t get to look directly in Jedao’s head, but Revenant Gun gets us as close as we can be to the inner thoughts of Jedao and Kujen. Their love-hate, same-but-different relationship is really at the heart of Revenant Gun in the same way Che...