(posted by ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
alias_sqbr on May. 19th, 2026 03:23 pm)
alias_sqbr on May. 19th, 2026 03:23 pm)Masterlist.
I started writing a "short summary" for people who haven't played and to get my thoughts in order, then realised it was (a) getting long and (b) would be easier if I looked up a plot summary to remind myself. So lets go episode by episode until I finish or get bored haha. You can also just read the wiki page I referenced yourself but mine is shorter, if you can believe it, and has a few extra thoughts.
I mostly go through the mystery stuff, there's a bunch of humour and character moments which aren't captured in this summary. I'll avoid anything that significantly spoils later Episodes until a later post, but will not be super strict when it feels more logical to mention things now, or if I have current speculation that I either did or could have come up with at the time.
Please do not leave any comments which spoil past episode 1! I have played up to partway through Episode 5 but some people reading might not have.
( Spoilers for Episode 1 )
I started writing a "short summary" for people who haven't played and to get my thoughts in order, then realised it was (a) getting long and (b) would be easier if I looked up a plot summary to remind myself. So lets go episode by episode until I finish or get bored haha. You can also just read the wiki page I referenced yourself but mine is shorter, if you can believe it, and has a few extra thoughts.
I mostly go through the mystery stuff, there's a bunch of humour and character moments which aren't captured in this summary. I'll avoid anything that significantly spoils later Episodes until a later post, but will not be super strict when it feels more logical to mention things now, or if I have current speculation that I either did or could have come up with at the time.
Please do not leave any comments which spoil past episode 1! I have played up to partway through Episode 5 but some people reading might not have.
( Spoilers for Episode 1 )
(posted by hannah on May. 18th, 2026 09:27 pm)
hannah on May. 18th, 2026 09:27 pm)It took two needles, but the second one worked, and I got to give blood today. I always think of it like that these days, getting to give blood. It's a privilege to be able to do it, and I don't take that lightly.
My iron was 14, my blood pressure 110/70, I was told my blood is also Code 96, and probably because my veins weren't cooperating it took over six minutes thirty seconds to fill a bag. If I could figure out a good hydration and exercise schedule for the days leading up to a donation, I might be able to manage another rapid tap. I scheduled my next session for July before I left, eight weeks to the day, so I'll take those early July days to try increasing my liquid intake even more. It should give the nurses more volume to work with.
I haven't done many other things today, and having done this one important thing is carrying me forward.
My iron was 14, my blood pressure 110/70, I was told my blood is also Code 96, and probably because my veins weren't cooperating it took over six minutes thirty seconds to fill a bag. If I could figure out a good hydration and exercise schedule for the days leading up to a donation, I might be able to manage another rapid tap. I scheduled my next session for July before I left, eight weeks to the day, so I'll take those early July days to try increasing my liquid intake even more. It should give the nurses more volume to work with.
I haven't done many other things today, and having done this one important thing is carrying me forward.
(posted by alias_sqbr on May. 19th, 2026 05:48 am)
alias_sqbr on May. 19th, 2026 05:48 am)I've been watching a Let's Play of the classic, epic Japanese visual novel "Umineko: When they Cry" by Ryukishi07, and am currently up to Episode 5 of 8. I'm quite enjoying it but it's LONG. The LP is 168 episodes which are 30 minutes to two hours long.
I'll try and write a proper review when I'm finally done, since the story keeps reinventing itself, but so far it's a family drama and murder mystery with supernatural elements, which explores events from different angles in ways which cleverly play around with narrative, both from a storytelling perspective and as a way of exploring how people view the world and each other in different ways.
It's very much worth going into unspoiled if you are interested. But content warnings for violence and gore (mostly just text), suicide, child abuse (well written but harrowing), gender essentialism, male gazey character designs and and "joking" perviness (sometimes condoned by the narrative, though it's better about female characters than you might initially assume)
No unambiguous consent issues so far asides from some rape jokes but it feels like the kind of story where that could definitely be a Thing.
I'm watching Jokrono's let's play, which involves two young male gamers sometimes being thoughtlessly Unfortunate, especially about Japan. I'm sure there's others out there but this is the one I was recced and I'm overall enjoying it.
( Just cut for length, no spoilers )
I'll try and write a proper review when I'm finally done, since the story keeps reinventing itself, but so far it's a family drama and murder mystery with supernatural elements, which explores events from different angles in ways which cleverly play around with narrative, both from a storytelling perspective and as a way of exploring how people view the world and each other in different ways.
It's very much worth going into unspoiled if you are interested. But content warnings for violence and gore (mostly just text), suicide, child abuse (well written but harrowing), gender essentialism, male gazey character designs and and "joking" perviness (sometimes condoned by the narrative, though it's better about female characters than you might initially assume)
No unambiguous consent issues so far asides from some rape jokes but it feels like the kind of story where that could definitely be a Thing.
I'm watching Jokrono's let's play, which involves two young male gamers sometimes being thoughtlessly Unfortunate, especially about Japan. I'm sure there's others out there but this is the one I was recced and I'm overall enjoying it.
( Just cut for length, no spoilers )
(posted by hannah on May. 17th, 2026 09:09 pm)
hannah on May. 17th, 2026 09:09 pm)Along with strawberries and rhubarb, sticky nights have arrived. Not each night, not yet, and I'm savoring that - another couple of weeks and it'll hit, but for now, there's still a few where it's simply gentle.
Continuing with my Steven Spielberg kick, I've now seen all his kids-focused CGI stuff and say with some confidence it's only going to get better from here. The Tintin movie felt uncannily like I was watching a movie-length video game, down to the inventory puzzles and room searches. After this, it's people. Well, people and a horse.
Continuing with my Steven Spielberg kick, I've now seen all his kids-focused CGI stuff and say with some confidence it's only going to get better from here. The Tintin movie felt uncannily like I was watching a movie-length video game, down to the inventory puzzles and room searches. After this, it's people. Well, people and a horse.
(posted by hannah on May. 16th, 2026 10:10 pm)
hannah on May. 16th, 2026 10:10 pm)I know it's odd of me to not do the baby-talk voice to my niece A. when she's around, and I'm sticking with my usual register and cadence just the same.
Her mother didn't show, but she did call once when I was around to hear it - checking in to find out if my brother J. had fed A., and then hanging up. He'd apparently send her a text earlier, but she'd called, and after getting what she wanted, quickly hung up. I don't know her week's schedules, and I don't know what her day looked like. I can only state the events as I witnessed them.
Her mother didn't show, but she did call once when I was around to hear it - checking in to find out if my brother J. had fed A., and then hanging up. He'd apparently send her a text earlier, but she'd called, and after getting what she wanted, quickly hung up. I don't know her week's schedules, and I don't know what her day looked like. I can only state the events as I witnessed them.
(posted by umadoshi on May. 16th, 2026 03:22 pm)
umadoshi on May. 16th, 2026 03:22 pm)Reading: I thought Sarah Rees Brennan's All Hail Chaos was a very satisfying followup to Long Live Evil, which is always a relief. One more to go! (The third book's title has been announced as Kill Your Darlings; I don't think a release date has been set yet?)
Someday I'll learn to properly make note of whether an ebook is a novella. Fonda Lee's Untethered Sky? A novella. Hopefully I got it on sale, given novella pricing in general, but I did really enjoy it.
Current read: To Ride a Rising Storm (Moniquill Blackgoose), just a few chapters in.
I also read The Vegetable Gardener's Bible (10th anniversary/2nd edition) up to the point where it starts going vegetable by vegetable, and then only read about the ones we're planting. (And I skipped the chapter on compost, because it's about making compost, and WOW do we not have space for that, even if we had the inclination.)
Watching: Another episode or two each of Justice in the Dark and Witch Hat Atelier.
Growing:scruloose got the planter assembled last weekend (IIRC) and we put a fair amount of soil in at the time (enough to keep it solidly in place, basically), but today we finally got out and finished filling it with the veggie-friendly soil and compost and actually planted the various lettuce and spinach seeds, leaving room for (we hope) a basil plant and a cabbage to go in. scruloose also got the frame for the planter's covers assembled and installed (the mesh cover is in place now).
We still haven't decided the ultimate fate of the disappointing Bloomerang lilac, but while we were out therescruloose gave it an aggressive pruning back so that it isn't taking up such a large proportion of our very limited space.
I just checked out the window, and as of 3:10 PM, the shade line is riiiiight at the edge of the planter and about to start creeping over it. (Any tomatoes we buy and the other type of cabbage will be going in pots on the other side of it, so hopefully will get at least a bit more sunlight each day.) I don't know yet what time that space starts getting direct sunlight in the morning.
ETA: By 3:40 PM, the planter is completely shaded, and the shade line is hitting the edge of the pot we had the Tiny Tim tomato in last year.
Someday I'll learn to properly make note of whether an ebook is a novella. Fonda Lee's Untethered Sky? A novella. Hopefully I got it on sale, given novella pricing in general, but I did really enjoy it.
Current read: To Ride a Rising Storm (Moniquill Blackgoose), just a few chapters in.
I also read The Vegetable Gardener's Bible (10th anniversary/2nd edition) up to the point where it starts going vegetable by vegetable, and then only read about the ones we're planting. (And I skipped the chapter on compost, because it's about making compost, and WOW do we not have space for that, even if we had the inclination.)
Watching: Another episode or two each of Justice in the Dark and Witch Hat Atelier.
Growing:
scruloose got the planter assembled last weekend (IIRC) and we put a fair amount of soil in at the time (enough to keep it solidly in place, basically), but today we finally got out and finished filling it with the veggie-friendly soil and compost and actually planted the various lettuce and spinach seeds, leaving room for (we hope) a basil plant and a cabbage to go in. scruloose also got the frame for the planter's covers assembled and installed (the mesh cover is in place now).We still haven't decided the ultimate fate of the disappointing Bloomerang lilac, but while we were out there
scruloose gave it an aggressive pruning back so that it isn't taking up such a large proportion of our very limited space.I just checked out the window, and as of 3:10 PM, the shade line is riiiiight at the edge of the planter and about to start creeping over it. (Any tomatoes we buy and the other type of cabbage will be going in pots on the other side of it, so hopefully will get at least a bit more sunlight each day.) I don't know yet what time that space starts getting direct sunlight in the morning.
ETA: By 3:40 PM, the planter is completely shaded, and the shade line is hitting the edge of the pot we had the Tiny Tim tomato in last year.
(posted by hannah on May. 15th, 2026 11:18 pm)
hannah on May. 15th, 2026 11:18 pm)Last summer, it was two showings each of Top Gun and Top Gun Maverick at the MOMI; this year, it was in IMAX on one of the biggest screens in the country. Last summer I took the subway under a river; this year, I rode a bike about thirty blocks. Last summer it was Top Gun on 70mm and Maverick in Dolby in the same theater; this year it was the same theater again, with Top Gun on an elegant film-to-digital transfer and Top Gun Maverick where I finally saw it with the full aspect ratio shift.
Both years I took the same local friend with me to at least one of the showings, and had even more of a blast because of her company.
Both years I recognized a few familiar faces up at the front of the line, and they recognized me too, all of us pleased that sometimes it isn't that big a city or that wide a world.
Both years I started and ended with Maverick, which was necessitated last year by the MOMI's programming and allowed this year by my deliberately choosing that order.
What's quite nice about the theater is that it's such a huge screen, there's exits up at the very top of the theater, the rows all the way in the back. What this means in practical terms is that not only does it increase safety and help reduce a bottleneck at the bottom of the stairs, there's extra bathrooms up there, plus a space where I can easily avoid the more annoying previews. Having to get back to my seat in the pre-screening "turn off your phone" bumper is a small price to pay for that. Trust me, after four screenings I can tell you which ones were worth my time.
I'm thinking I could probably squeeze in a couple more showings of one or both of them, and I'm also thinking that in terms of real-world practicalities - scheduling, costs, errands, chores - as well as in terms of keeping the mirroring motif consistent, I should say that doing it twice each is enough, and to be content with having been able to get as many showings in as I've already managed. It's a local theater, and it's also a time commitment. So, I'll take what I've got as best I can.
Rather amusingly, the original Top Gun score got classified by my music player as "new age." Though perhaps, given things like box office records, theatrical runs, National Film Registry selections, knock-off effects like sunglasses sales and military recruitment, it isn't wrong. A new age, indeed.
Both years I took the same local friend with me to at least one of the showings, and had even more of a blast because of her company.
Both years I recognized a few familiar faces up at the front of the line, and they recognized me too, all of us pleased that sometimes it isn't that big a city or that wide a world.
Both years I started and ended with Maverick, which was necessitated last year by the MOMI's programming and allowed this year by my deliberately choosing that order.
What's quite nice about the theater is that it's such a huge screen, there's exits up at the very top of the theater, the rows all the way in the back. What this means in practical terms is that not only does it increase safety and help reduce a bottleneck at the bottom of the stairs, there's extra bathrooms up there, plus a space where I can easily avoid the more annoying previews. Having to get back to my seat in the pre-screening "turn off your phone" bumper is a small price to pay for that. Trust me, after four screenings I can tell you which ones were worth my time.
I'm thinking I could probably squeeze in a couple more showings of one or both of them, and I'm also thinking that in terms of real-world practicalities - scheduling, costs, errands, chores - as well as in terms of keeping the mirroring motif consistent, I should say that doing it twice each is enough, and to be content with having been able to get as many showings in as I've already managed. It's a local theater, and it's also a time commitment. So, I'll take what I've got as best I can.
Rather amusingly, the original Top Gun score got classified by my music player as "new age." Though perhaps, given things like box office records, theatrical runs, National Film Registry selections, knock-off effects like sunglasses sales and military recruitment, it isn't wrong. A new age, indeed.
(posted by hannah on May. 14th, 2026 08:12 pm)
hannah on May. 14th, 2026 08:12 pm)My older brother J. announced his plans to come to Manhattan this Saturday with his child A., and no mention of his wife E. I can't say I'm at all surprised at that.
I'm looking forward to it a reasonable amount. I'd like to get to know A., though as she's quite a ways from talking, it'll be a while before much of anything can happen there.
What I found odd on the phone call where he told me was the number of times J. used 'um.' Easily two or three times a sentence, and I'm not exaggerating. I'm someone who pays attention to what I say - I realized today I'd used "just" as an intensity modifier when I hadn't needed to qualify my statement at all, and I'm going to try to pay attention to that going forward, and I know what people say, and I still struggle to internalize that because of how much effort I put forth. And I'm not even very good at this.
I'm looking forward to it a reasonable amount. I'd like to get to know A., though as she's quite a ways from talking, it'll be a while before much of anything can happen there.
What I found odd on the phone call where he told me was the number of times J. used 'um.' Easily two or three times a sentence, and I'm not exaggerating. I'm someone who pays attention to what I say - I realized today I'd used "just" as an intensity modifier when I hadn't needed to qualify my statement at all, and I'm going to try to pay attention to that going forward, and I know what people say, and I still struggle to internalize that because of how much effort I put forth. And I'm not even very good at this.
(posted by lilly_the_kid posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
vidding on May. 14th, 2026 06:06 pm)
lilly_the_kid posting in vidding on May. 14th, 2026 06:06 pm)Fandom: Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)
Music: I got a Name by Jim Croce
Characters/Pairing: Thunderbolt/Lightfoot
Summary: If you're going my way, I'll go with you.
Warnings: injury, sadness
here on AO3
Music: I got a Name by Jim Croce
Characters/Pairing: Thunderbolt/Lightfoot
Summary: If you're going my way, I'll go with you.
Warnings: injury, sadness
here on AO3
(posted by hannah on May. 13th, 2026 10:25 pm)
hannah on May. 13th, 2026 10:25 pm)I managed to successfully "I have food at home" myself tonight, and I don't expect a medal or a commendation. Mostly, I wanted to mark it down so I'd have it on personal record. The better to remind myself to stay in the habit going forward. Same with doing the dishes before I head out.
Somehow, this doesn't stick for going to bed early. It's going to take a more substantial effort than knowing there's tasty leftover chicken in the fridge.
Somehow, this doesn't stick for going to bed early. It's going to take a more substantial effort than knowing there's tasty leftover chicken in the fridge.
(posted by hannah on May. 12th, 2026 08:35 pm)
hannah on May. 12th, 2026 08:35 pm)Someone canvassing for an upcoming local election talked to me today, and not wanting to walk off in the middle of a sentence, I stopped to talk to them for a bit. She didn't know if her candidate had a stance one way or another on compost or the proposed pied-à-terre tax, and encouraged me to check out a Youtube video. I pointed out if I couldn't look up her candidate, find the website, and find the link to the video on the website, she'd need to have a talk with the campaign manager.
I also said I wasn't going to watch the video, I was going to read the transcript since I can read faster than they can talk. I also said I wasn't going to go to any local debates, just look up the candidates' positions and track records and vote from there. She asked why I wasn't concerned with interviews or debates, and wanted to know why I didn't want to hear about their passion.
I told her passion was what cost Carter a second term.
From the look on her face, she wasn't at all prepared for me. Not for someone who didn't want passion informing their vote and not for someone to cite Carter. Especially when she said she hadn't known anyone who voiced wanting to vote Reagan in 1980.
I agreed the hostage situation was a factor, and suggested that if he'd been harsher in the debates - "Hey, Reagan, did YOU piss radiation for six months?" - it would've helped, but passion was no small part of it. So I didn't want to expose myself to any of it and would rather judge the candidates by their actions and political alignment.
I don't know what she hoped to find, and I don't think I was it. Nevertheless, I got some entertainment out of it, so I can't say I'm all that upset about having been waylaid this afternoon.
I also said I wasn't going to watch the video, I was going to read the transcript since I can read faster than they can talk. I also said I wasn't going to go to any local debates, just look up the candidates' positions and track records and vote from there. She asked why I wasn't concerned with interviews or debates, and wanted to know why I didn't want to hear about their passion.
I told her passion was what cost Carter a second term.
From the look on her face, she wasn't at all prepared for me. Not for someone who didn't want passion informing their vote and not for someone to cite Carter. Especially when she said she hadn't known anyone who voiced wanting to vote Reagan in 1980.
I agreed the hostage situation was a factor, and suggested that if he'd been harsher in the debates - "Hey, Reagan, did YOU piss radiation for six months?" - it would've helped, but passion was no small part of it. So I didn't want to expose myself to any of it and would rather judge the candidates by their actions and political alignment.
I don't know what she hoped to find, and I don't think I was it. Nevertheless, I got some entertainment out of it, so I can't say I'm all that upset about having been waylaid this afternoon.
(posted by kingstoken posting in sherlockbbc on May. 12th, 2026 06:29 am)
kingstoken posting in sherlockbbc on May. 12th, 2026 06:29 am)![a collection images of Watsons from various adaptations](https://i.ibb.co/6Jt4xF8p/Watson-Birthday-Prompt-Fest-smaller.png")
Description: Returning for 2026, the Watson Birthday Prompt Fest! According to some sources, John Watson's birthday is August 7. So, lets celebrate it, by having a prompt fest!
Come over to the Ao3 collection and leave a prompt or claim a prompt. Open to all Sherlock Holmes related fandoms, and all genres, ratings, and relationships (ships, gen, etc). The main rule being that all fanworks should focus on our beloved Watson.
The goal is to have lots of fanworks to enjoy for Watson's birthday on August 7th
Schedule: Prompting and claiming will be open until August 7, 2026
Links: Fest
(posted by umadoshi on May. 11th, 2026 03:29 pm)
umadoshi on May. 11th, 2026 03:29 pm)Reading: I had a pretty good reading week--I read both Role Model and The Long Game, so I'm caught up on the Game Changers books until whenever the new one comes out, and read Platform Decay once my hard copy finally arrived on Friday night. (Tracking info put it in the city by last Sunday and it got delivered around 8 PM on Friday. WTF.)
I also read The World Central Kitchen Cookbook: Feeding Humanity, Feeding Hope.
And tomorrow All Hail Chaos (Sarah Rees Brennan, sequel to Long Live Evil) comes out! So that'll be my next read. (I'm going to get it in hard copy and also in ebook, and doing so will only cost a few dollars more than buying Platform Decay did in hard copy alone. Fucking book pricing.)
I also need to browse my manga collection and decide what to read next from it.
Watching: A few more episodes of Justice in the Dark, and we also watched ep. 1 of Witch Hat Atelier. (I read a volume or two of the manga quite a while ago, and remember essentially nothing about it.)
I also read The World Central Kitchen Cookbook: Feeding Humanity, Feeding Hope.
And tomorrow All Hail Chaos (Sarah Rees Brennan, sequel to Long Live Evil) comes out! So that'll be my next read. (I'm going to get it in hard copy and also in ebook, and doing so will only cost a few dollars more than buying Platform Decay did in hard copy alone. Fucking book pricing.)
I also need to browse my manga collection and decide what to read next from it.
Watching: A few more episodes of Justice in the Dark, and we also watched ep. 1 of Witch Hat Atelier. (I read a volume or two of the manga quite a while ago, and remember essentially nothing about it.)
(posted by seascribble on May. 11th, 2026 08:37 am)
seascribble on May. 11th, 2026 08:37 am)Wasn't going to see Project Hail Mary but Samantha liked it so much she sent us money to go see it, and I'm glad we did because Perry had been in kind of a fannish slump and now is having a ball recording all the weird shit zir friends are writing in that fandom. I enjoy Andy Weir's books, I read both The Martian and PHM on the bus to and from Toronto during my IUIs so they were kind of loadbearing for me for a bit. I think he's very good at writing a compelling narrative and uhhhhhh writing a certain kind of guy. It's always the same guy, and I don't particularly like the guy, but that's fine. Fun books. He's very evenhanded in how he treats female characters, which is to say they're no shallower than anybody else.
I thought PHM suffered from some of the same problems as The Martian film adaptation (mostly that they just don't have the time or narrative space to let things breathe or include information that the books do which makes some things feel rushed or illogical), but I liked it more probably because I also liked the book more. FRIENDSHIP SAVES THE UNIVERSE.
Continues to be hysterical to me that Andy Weir is like "there's no politics in my books and the best parts of Star Trek are the parts without politics also." Like my man. What. Related, my bsky friend wrote this meta about all the Christian metaphor in the PHM movie, most of which I did not pick up on but which I find super interesting. https://www.tumblr.com/tharacelehar/816096519151321088/i-had-to-make-a-post-because-i-felt-like-an-insane I can't imagine it was intentional in the book, but possibly moreso in the film, and you can never underestimate the degree to which Christian cultural hegemony has seeped into all of us.
Anyway, it was a good movie, I enjoy Ryan Gosling very much, delighted by their use of sets and practical effects and puppets. Two main beefs: they would NOT be scared of each other come on, they're so excited to meet an alien look at those nerds, and that simply is not how linguistics works. The book wasn't how linguistics works either, but at least Andy tried a little harder. Best addition to the film that wasn't in the book: Carl.
***
I have been mainly seeing overwhelmingly positive (but vague) reactions to the new Murderbot book. And! I have not quite finished it yet so maybe my opinion will continue to evolve, but I just had a really hard time getting into it. It felt off, tonally? Almost like all the Murderbot-ness was cranked up to 11, like, the parentheticals have tipped from being a useful and interesting tonal marker to being every other line (and sometimes nested, which is fine in moderation but is happening constantly), and I don't feel like the narration has the bite and subtly of previous books. The pacing also feels a little off to me, although from about chapter 5 or so I feel like it evened out a little and is making more sense (it feels a lot like the end of Exit Strategy now). I have like two chapters left to read, I think.
IDK, I would love to hear other people's thoughts on it, positive or negative, because I feel conflicted. Maybe it's just not the right time?
I thought PHM suffered from some of the same problems as The Martian film adaptation (mostly that they just don't have the time or narrative space to let things breathe or include information that the books do which makes some things feel rushed or illogical), but I liked it more probably because I also liked the book more. FRIENDSHIP SAVES THE UNIVERSE.
Continues to be hysterical to me that Andy Weir is like "there's no politics in my books and the best parts of Star Trek are the parts without politics also." Like my man. What. Related, my bsky friend wrote this meta about all the Christian metaphor in the PHM movie, most of which I did not pick up on but which I find super interesting. https://www.tumblr.com/tharacelehar/816096519151321088/i-had-to-make-a-post-because-i-felt-like-an-insane I can't imagine it was intentional in the book, but possibly moreso in the film, and you can never underestimate the degree to which Christian cultural hegemony has seeped into all of us.
Anyway, it was a good movie, I enjoy Ryan Gosling very much, delighted by their use of sets and practical effects and puppets. Two main beefs: they would NOT be scared of each other come on, they're so excited to meet an alien look at those nerds, and that simply is not how linguistics works. The book wasn't how linguistics works either, but at least Andy tried a little harder. Best addition to the film that wasn't in the book: Carl.
***
I have been mainly seeing overwhelmingly positive (but vague) reactions to the new Murderbot book. And! I have not quite finished it yet so maybe my opinion will continue to evolve, but I just had a really hard time getting into it. It felt off, tonally? Almost like all the Murderbot-ness was cranked up to 11, like, the parentheticals have tipped from being a useful and interesting tonal marker to being every other line (and sometimes nested, which is fine in moderation but is happening constantly), and I don't feel like the narration has the bite and subtly of previous books. The pacing also feels a little off to me, although from about chapter 5 or so I feel like it evened out a little and is making more sense (it feels a lot like the end of Exit Strategy now). I have like two chapters left to read, I think.
IDK, I would love to hear other people's thoughts on it, positive or negative, because I feel conflicted. Maybe it's just not the right time?
.