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PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   3033 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 6, 2025

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So, what are you reading?

I'm picking up With and Without Galton, an open access book on Vasilii Florinskii and Russian eugenics, or as the author calls it, 'eugamics' (ie. well-married), as distinguished from Galton's eugenics.

Miles, Mutants and Microbes, a Miles Vorkosigan anthology. It’s got a very different voice than either the stereotypical or reactionary flavors of modern sci-fi. More to say on this once I’ve finished it.

I’m reading it as a palate cleanser from those John McPhee geology essays. The last one was about California fault lines, which are simultaneously awe-inspiringly massive and, uh, kind of dull. Not my favorite. Plus, I was too young to remember the 1989 World Series earthquake which kind of inspired the piece, so that was lost on me.

Louis McMaster Bujold is always a blast. Sometimes a little preachy in the later works, but great howdunnits. Miles, Mutants, and Microbes is a little weird of an anthology since "Labyrinth" touches on topic the topic but not as heavily on the plot points of the other two works, while Diplomatic Immunity is more dependent on Cetaganda than either of the other two stories.

DI can stand alone or as a sequel to Falling Free, but it's an odd editing decision, even by Baen's standards.

You see that Vorkorsigan-like tones more often in fantasy -- Diana Wynne Jones is a little less high social drama but similar -- but it does seem pretty badly underserved in scifi. Maybe some of the Ciaphas Cain series, if you're into Warhammer?

Louis McMaster Bujold is always a blast

Used to be. But Gentleman Jole unfortunately has been like chewing cardboard. I understand why she wrote it, but can't recommend reading it to anyone. The Flowers of Vashnoi (the last work in the Vorverse for now, AFAIK, and probably for ever) is a little better but I wouldn't also go as far as calling it "a blast" - nowhere on the usual spectacular level.

Fair on Jole; like Ethan of Athos it feels like it's putting too much effort into trying to answer Le Guin's 'taking life versus giving it' problem, but without the big narrative tension from a speeding deadline. Flowers felt stronger if a bit more repetitive and is certainly no Memory or Komarr, but I still enjoyed it about the same lines as Cryoburn.

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