What I Read in 2022, Q2
Shifted away from sci-fi these few months…to an adjacent genre, in fantasy! In reading order:
Vita Nostra. Originally written in Russian by Ukrainian author-couple Marina and Sergey Dyachenko, the title comes from the phrase Vita nostra brevis est brevi finietur – “Our life is brief, soon it will end.”
We follow Sasha Samokhina as she is tested, accepted to and progresses through the Institute of Special Technologies, which, in the words of the text, “turns people into Words.” Perhaps this quote encompasses the goal of the school:
“With time, during the learning process, they will come out of their human skin and become Words, tools of Speech, the bones and tendons of a highly complex text that is called reality. Words know no fear, and no death. Words are free and conform only to Speech. And Speech — Sasha knew this! — is the core of harmony.”
The novel’s preoccupation with language was what first drew me in and what unfolds is an absolutely incredible story that pulls you into its world, incomprehensible though it may be. I’ve never read anything quite like this, though it does strongly remind me of Isaac Asimov’s The Last Question (in the way the story concludes). Others have mentioned that it’s reminiscent of Kafka’s Metamorphosis and I don’t disagree either, especially the period when Sasha is in her reconstruction phase. The Dyachenkos were apparently fascinated by scholastic cultures and modes of learning and it shows through the narrative!
The Fifth Season. The first book of the Broken Earth trilogy, which has won multiple Hugos and a Nebula. It’s definitely not what I expected from a Hugo novel in general – it feels primarily like (and apparently is!) setup for the later novels. Progressive themes were inserted with all the subtlety of a rhino, as unfortunately seems typical and even encouraged nowadays. All in all, it was interesting but I probably won’t be reading the rest of the series.
Warbreaker. My first Brandon Sanderson book! It wasn’t one of those stories that draw you in such that you can’t put it down, at least not for me personally. But it was always easy to continue reading. I enjoyed Sanderson’s annotations for the book explaining his thought process, what he had set out to achieve with certain characters and plot points, the way some scenes had went better or not as well as he’d hoped. Nothing stands out from the story in particular, but I think that’s more testament to how it was a solid, smooth read from start to finish. I enjoyed it enough to start on the more famous Mistborn trilogy which is also shaping up to be great!