Lian Hearn / Emperor Of The Eight Islands / Terrific Japanese Historical Fantasy

Lian Hearn, pseudonym, for Gillian Rubinstein
Knows her Japanese History
She knows her cultures
She knows the little things
That make her stories rich with detail
All this, and in no way pedantic

Emperor of the Eight Islands
Book 1 of The Tale of Shikanoko
So rich with characters, you like/need the list
Characters you enjoy getting to know
Characters you get invested in

This is a sprawling tale
War, Conquest, Mystery and Mayhem
Protagonists you willingly follow anywhere
Characters complex enough to make you wonder

Feudal Japan writ large
A little romance, but as it should be
Complicated

Family values
As complicated as feudal Japan can be

Loyalties? Dynamic
Always Interesting


Music
Cleopatra by the Lumineers

Malka Older / Infomocracy / Where Politics May Be Headed / A Screamer

What the heck is post-cyberpunk?
Oh, Not plugged in, Nose to the screens
Like, where some live right now
Add a Meta Mega Overload of Data

This near future thriller is superb
No nation-states, no corporate-states
Just lots and lots of 100K population mini Democracy's

I was coasting along
A character says something like
"Your vote really counts" (oh sure, really)
The book owned me

Not going to give the machinations away
It's just too good to spoil
This is terrific Science Fiction
Think
Human Condition blazing on a false background

Malka Older, remember the name, may he write more Soon
Infomocracy, not to be missed

Loved Ken Liu's back cover blurb
"Smart. ambitious, bursting with provocative extrapolations,
Infomocracy is the big-data-big-ideas-tecnoanalytical-microdemoglobal-post-everything
polotical thriller we've been waiting for."


Music, let there be music in your life
Detour by Cindy Lauper
Mighty fine Classic, old school, Country Music