Month 25: You are someone else

Month 25 of 260 (9.62 percent)

Size of list: 85,470 pages (dropped 8 pages from Cyteen based on actual page count)

Pages read: 12,559 (14.69 percent)

H-list: 3,729/23,114 (16.13 percent)

N-list: 4,797/36,694 (13.07 percent)

O-list: 4,033/25,662 (15.72 percent)

Finished: Cyteen

Reading: The Shadow Rising, The Transition of H.P. Lovecraft 

My working definition of good science fiction is a story that changes something about the world and then explores the consequences. Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man and The Stars My Destination are my Platonic ideal of this idea, but Cyteen also matches it.

What if you were someone else, a duplicate, a clone? C.J. Cherryh's answer is that you'd be someone cloned on purpose because the original was someone extraordinary, and we wanted another. But nature and nurture, so you'd be raised in a way that matches the original's childhood, even if that means your mother disappears when you're eight. And you would have the pressures of being a replica of the original, inheriting allies and enemies. And the society that created you would be able to create other people, as well, and to shape their personalities, creating not just more extraordinary people — "Specials," in this world — but people designed to be servants. They're called azi in Cyteen, and they're basically slaves. Cherryh doesn't fully deal with the issue of azi slavery as we would expect in today's political climate, but there are abolitionists in the story. 

Cyteen took forever because it's huge — 680 pages, but large format, so it'd be something like 1,200 pages if it were mass-market paperback dimensions. So even bigger than The Shadow Rising, which is pretty much tied as the largest Wheel of Time book, which I'm also reading.

Also, I've started the second volume of the Complete Lovecraft, and while I've been aware of people talking about his racism, "The Street" is a filthy piece of racism-dressed-as-patriotism, the kind of bilge I'd expect from today's white supremacist websites. Blech. I proceed onward, noting that it's listed as one of his early stories, and hope he at least hides it better as we go on. 

Month 24: Nothing to report

Month 24 of 260 (9.23 percent)

Size of list: 85,478 pages (9.9 percent greater than starting size)

Pages read: 12,145 (14.21 percent)

H-list: 3,610/23,122 (15.61 percent)

N-list: 4,502/36,694 (12.27 percent)

O-list: 4,033/25,662 (15.72 percent)

Finished: none

Reading: Cyteen, The Shadow Rising

Added: Life Debt, Empire's End

More change on the denominator than the numerator: I gave up on the idea of reading the remainder of the Aftermath trilogy to my teenager and just threw them on the list. I might shoot for one this year; they're fast, and Cyteen is slow.

Month 23: Nothing to report

Month 23 of 260 (8.85 percent)

Size of list: 84,625 pages (8.8 percent greater than starting size)

Pages read: 11,763 (13.90 percent)

H-list: 3,431/23,122 (14.84 percent)

N-list: 4.299/36,694 (11.72 percent)

O-list: 4,033/24,809 (16.26 percent)

Finished: none

Reading: Cyteen, The Shadow Rising

Added: none

Progress is slow. 

Month 22: Saviors and Avatars

Month 22 of 260 (8.46 percent)

Size of list: 84,625 pages (8.8 percent greater than starting size)

Pages read: 11,406 (13.48 percent)

H-list: 3,195/23,122 (13.82 percent)

N-list: 4,178/36,694 (11.39 percent)

O-list: 4,033/24,809 (16.26 percent)

Finished: A Case of Conscience

Reading: Cyteen, The Shadow Rising (Wheel of Time 4)

Added: none

A Case of Conscience, the 1959 Hugo winner, was the fourth Hugo winner, and better than its two immediate predecessors. It, oddly, fits alongside 1987's Speaker for the Dead in the microgenre of Catholics in Space. It concerns the fallout of a mission to another planet, in which only four men are sent, but they all have different roles and different goals. The Catholic, the main character, is the one with the titular conscience. And it's followed by a reverse mission, in which the aliens come to Earth, with very different results.

The book reminded me of the movie Avatar, to the point where I wondered whether the book provided at least unconscious inspiration. There are humans seeking to exploit another planet, and other humans trying to stop them, and a tree plays a pivotal role.

Despite being a relatively short novel, this is one where I sometimes had trouble keeping straight the cast of characters. The priest and the alien were clear; the supporting characters less so.

And, of course, I can't avoid mentioning the parallels between the alien going on TV and the demagoguery out of the White House. He was possibly meant as an extraterrestrial Father Coughlin, but today seems more like Sean Hannity. Over and over again...

Month 21: New Crobuzon and New Orleans

Month 21 of 260 (8.08 percent)

Size of list: 84,625 pages (8.8 percent greater than starting size)

Pages read: 10,855 (12.83 percent)

H-list: 2,865/23,122 (12.39 percent)

N-list: 3,857/36,694 (10.78 percent)

O-list: 4,033/24,809 (16.26 percent)

Finished: Perdido Street Station

Reading: A Case of Conscience

Added: The Obelisk Gate, The Scar, All the Birds in the Sky

I moved Perdido Street Station up on the list because in a book I read last year, A Trip to the Stars, Mala takes an apartment on Perdido Street in New Orleans. Well, if this book takes place in New Orleans, I'm the only one who believes it. It's a far-future post-apocalyptic multi-racial/species magical fantasy, that at times felt like a fantasy version of Infinite Jest. I quite enjoyed it, although I enjoyed the worldbuilding more than the plot, and unlike Infinite Jest it dragged a bit in the final third, as the plot was taken care of. The final chapter ties up one loose end and throws a haymaker, and I loved it. It was definitely good enough to add the sequel to my list.

The book was on the list because it was recommended in the D&D Inspirational Reading list, and it got me thinking about a game set in a single sprawling city. The icons of 13th Age would be great for something like that, with the Emperor, the Archmage, the Crusader, the Priestess, the Prince of Shadows, the Lich King and the Diabolist all representing factions within a city. I'd toss out the race-specific leaders and replace the High Druid with a lord of the sewers, maybe a Rat King or something. 

I added The Obeslisk Gate because it won the Hugo, and I added All the Birds in the Sky because it was a close second -- actually getting more first-choice ballots -- and I love Charlie Jane Anders anyway.

Time to read more!

Month 20: A Decided Lack of Progress

Month 20 of 260 (7.69 percent)

Size of list: 83,279 pages (7.1 percent greater than starting size)

Pages read: 10,364 (12.44 percent)

H-list: 2,793/22,674 (12.32 percent)

N-list: 3,538/36,116 (9.80 percent)

O-list: 4,033/24,489 (16.47 percent)

Finished: none

Reading: Perdido Street Station

I read 54 pages this month. Plus some Hugo reading, but still. This is not progress.

Month 19: No more exceptions

Month 19 of 260 (7.31 percent)

Size of list: 83,279 pages (7.1 percent greater than starting size)

Pages read: 10,310 (12.38 percent)

H-list: 2,793/22,674 (12.32 percent)

N-list: 3,484/36,116 (9.65 percent)

O-list: 4,033/24,489 (16.47 percent)

Finished: The Dragon Reborn

Reading: Perdido Street Station

This month, I finished The Dragon Reborn, the last book on my plan that I'd already read, because it counts as part of the ultimate whale of fantasy, The Wheel of Time. From here on out, it's all new stuff.

The Dragon Reborn is better than its ending lets it be. The titular character, Rand, is barely in the book. It's as if Jordan realized at the beginning that Rand was whiny and boring, so he went off on three other stories: Egwene and the other women at Tar Valon, Perrin dealing with his wolfishness, and Mat dealing with his luck. A few more characters come in, but it's really about those three, and it's fine, until the end features a big climactic battle between Sir Barely Appearing in This Book and Ba'alzagain, the Evil Lord of Being an Evil Lord, which is just boring because who cares about either one? 

I've started into Perdido Street Station, which is kind of weird because I went in assuming it takes place in New Orleans, but it doesn't, it's in New Crobuzon, so I keep watching for a sign that it's really in New Orleans. I'm only about a quarter of the way through, so more reports later.