"Just because some of what led Earth to this crisis is our fault, yours, mine, doesn't mean we can't still do real good. We're still here. Alive. We have the ability to act, and choose, and achieve. That's real. Even if it seems dwarfed by past mistakes, those mistakes aren't a negative number, they don't cancel out the good things we do now, don't make an insurmountable pit we have to climb back out of to start at zero. We can do good, and our pasts don't take that possibility away, not while we still live and breathe. And try."
Remember this when people say "nothing that requires someone else's labor is a human right".
When something is ridiculously expensive while the laborers who provide it are grossly underpaid, those who demand it be classified as a human right aren't demanding more of the laborers. They're demanding that the needless profiteering be cut out while the laborers are justly compensated.
it's like. you can blow up the power grid and rob banks and make grandstanding declarations but the most material good we see anyone do is benicio del toro giving people a roof to sleep under. do you see what i'm trying to say.
I stare out of the train's window, pondering upon the glory of language and the beauty of the world, while also musing upon the sorrow and heartbreak that fills this existence.
I swear I have several memory gaps from last semester since it was HELL, but I just remembered the wildest shit like two hours ago and I actually can't believe I forgot about it 😭
Ken Liu initially wasn't in the syllabus for a sci-fi seminar I took and the reason why the professor decided to include him like three weeks into the semester and we had to read something from The Hidden Girl was because the first short story I wrote for the seminar reminded him of some of the stories from the anthology and I didn't even knew about Ken Liu's existence until that moment
?!?!?!?!
What I still don't know is why I didn't fall into the Pantheon rabbit hole last year during the seminar, holy shit
I threw together a little rec list for fans of Murderbot :)
This is aimed at fans of the novellas and the TV show and I tried to capture various different elements of the story and characters.
Text of slides below the cut
The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard
Adult science fiction novella
Imagine Sherlock and Watson if Watson was a sentient, traumatized spaceship and Sherlock was a human detective investigating a murder
Faster-than-light travel, deep space unreality, mind-altering herbal teas
Spaceship POV
The spaceship really enjoys reading/watching period dramas
Vietnamese-inspired sci fi setting
No romance
One Day All This Will Be Yours by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Adult science fiction novella
The grumpy last survivor of a catastrophic time war lives a solitary life…until other time travellers try to disrupt his carefully curated retirement
The main character has a pet dinosaur
Darkly funny, misanthropic narrator
If you liked Murderbot’s first-person POV in the books, you’ll probably enjoy the narrative voice of this novella
The Butterfly Assassin by Finn Longman
Young adult dystopian thriller set in a walled city ruled by assassin guilds
Isabel Ryans is a former child assassin and the daughter of a notorious scientist
Wanting nothing more than to live a normal life, she escapes and assumes a civilian identity…but finds her past and her assassin training harder to leave behind than she’d hoped
“Raised as weapon” character grappling with violence, morality, and friendship
Aromantic asexual main character with PTSD and severe hand scarring
No romance
The Wolf Among the Wild Hunt by Merc Fenn Wolfmooor
Adult dark fantasy novella
Scythulf, a wolf shapeshifter, was raised to be nothing more than a pit fighter until he’s rescued by Brennus, a knight who offers him a new life
When Scythulf accidentally kills a corrupted nun, his only chance at redemption is to run with the Wild Hunt, a trial of blood and courage
“Raised to be a weapon” protagonist; aspec rep; strong platonic bonds
Aroace protagonist; aroace nonbinary queerplatonic partner, queernorm fantasy world
No romance
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Adult science fiction novel
A motley spaceship crew finds adventure and friendship on their voyages through the universe
Episodic storytelling and found family dynamics
Interesting alien characters and cultures
Queer characters + F/F relationship
Cursebreakers by Madeleine Nakamura
Adult fantasy novel
Adrien Desfourneax, a disgraced physician turned professor of magic, finds himself investigating a dangerous curse while grappling with his own mental health and a dangerous ally
Gay main character with bipolar disorder; autistic-coded side character
If you love rotating TV!Gurathin in your mind, you will probably find Adrien a very interesting character
Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace
Young adult fantasy/dystopia
A young ghost hunter joins forces with the ghost of a supersoldier to traverse the underworld in search of the lost ghost of his partner and answers about their post-apocalyptic world
Characters shaped by ruthless dystopian worlds learning to claim their autonomy and identity
Strong M/F friendships that don’t turn into romance
Aroace-coded main character + no romance
Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutskie
YA science fiction novel
Hundreds of years in the future, the last survivors of the human race travel through space in a fleet of ships, searching for a new habitable planet to settle
When two girls join the order of cyborg soldiers who keep order in the fleet, they find themselves questioning their loyalties as violence brews
Explores bodily autonomy and privacy through sci fi elements
Main characters of color + ace main character
No romance
The Outside by Ada Hoffman
Adult science fiction novel
Cosmic horror x space opera
In a galaxy ruled by AI gods and their ruthless cyborg-angels, young prodigy scientist Yasira develops new technology that could change the trajectory of humanity–until her work backfires and is declared heretical
Offered her life in exchange for hunting down her vanished heretical mentor, Yasira must decide who to trust as her world’s fate hangs in the balance
Autistic lesbian main character of color
Redshirts by John Scalzi
Adult satirical science fiction novel
Ensign Andrew Dahl is excited for his new position on board the the starship Intrepid…until he begins to realize there’s a mysterious pattern of low-level ensigns like himself dramatically dying on missions…and the reason why might reshape his very understanding of reality
For the enjoyers of the TV’s take on Sanctuary Moon being a Star Trek parody
The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei
Adult science fiction novel
Anti-colonial space heist
Maya Hoshimoto, an art thief turned grad student, finds herself pulled into one last job to retrieve an artifact that could save an alien species–and possibly doom humanity
Alien-human friendships, explorations of sentience and consciousness
Japanese diaspora main character with chronic migraines
Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove
Adult science fiction inspired by classic horror stories
Demeter is a spaceship that transports humans across galaxies–except her passengers keep dying in mysterious paranormal murders
To prevent herself from being decommissioned, Demeter must track down the ultimate evil behind her passengers’ deaths: Dracula
In a near-future dystopian America, salvager Valentine runs odd jobs in the wastelands of Utah in hopes of earning enough for the gender-affirming care he desperately needs
When he encounters Osric, an AI forced into an android body, he’s offered a job that could pay him everything he needs–but at the cost of his own morals
Explores sentience and autonomy through a science fiction lense
Android/human romance
Gay, trans man main character with ADHD; gay main character
Bluebird by Ciel Pierlot
Adult science fiction novel
In a galaxy ruled by three warring rival factions, gunslinging inventor-turned-thief Rig has abandoned her former faction and is happy as a rebel–until her former faction ransoms her twin sister for what she stole from them
Alongside her librarian girlfriend, a mysterious bounty hunter, and a network of resistance contacts, Rig embarks on a journey across the galaxy to save her sister–and maybe tear down the factions for good
Rip-roaring romp of a sci fi story full of action
Alien protagonists
Lesbian main character; amputee representation
Emergent Properties by Aimee Ogden
Adult science fiction novella
Scorn is a state-of-the-art AI investigator who becomes entangled in brewing corporate warfare
When Scorn wakes up one day day on the moon with no memory of zir past ten days, ze begins a hunt into zir own past that leads them to uncover far more explosive truths than ze could have expected
How AI-skeptic Professors Can Still Help Students Write Papers
This legitimately made me tear up. I've expressed to people before that I'm glad I stopped university tutoring before the LLM apocalypse – the idea of grading a bunch of vapid ChatGPT garbage makes me want to kill myself – but there are good teachers out there helping kids care about learning, still, with strategy and sympathy and sheer force of will.
I so badly need to see a Pantheon au where Maddie and Caspian are just. LIVING. NORMAL. LIVES. IMAGINE THEM CHASING EACHOTHER IN THE RAIN AFTER MADDIE PUSHED CASPIAN INTO A PUDDLE. SNEAKING OUT TO MEET AT MCDONALDS FOR A MIDNIGHT SNACK. LYING DOWN ON A FIELD TOGETHER. LEANING ON EACHOTHER ON A PARK BENCH FOR A COUPLE MINUTES. They didn't deserve all they were put through man, i miss my lil guy meow meows so much
BSD Book Recommendation: The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Brothers Karamazov was considered Dostoyevsky’s most personal work, his last masterpiece. It is an enormous piece of writing that tackled challenging themes and questions, featuring incredibly complex characters and their fascinating dynamics.
Special thanks to @akai-koutei for keeping me company while reading this tremendous work, and @anantagonist for the lovely graphics as always!
A note on the author and the work
After his return from prison and exile, Dostoyevsky dedicated his life to writing greatly influential works, drawing from his extraordinary personal experiences. The commonly mentioned themes in his writing of this period included morality, religious faith and social issues stemming from the rise of nihilism. The Brothers Karamazov tackled these themes in consistency with Dostoyevsky’s prior works; however, the novel was to take a sharp turn after a personal tragedy altered his course for the story. Dostoyevsky’s son Aliosha died of epilepsy at age three. In the story, his grief and loss was clearly present. The author gave his hero the name Aliosha, along with the qualities he deemed the most noble and honorable. Children’s suffering and death is also a theme frequently mentioned in the novel.
Notable characters
Alexei Karamazov (Aliosha) is the hero of the story. The reader follows his journey and encounters with people, some of whom challenged his faith, some of whom let his faithful love transform them. A being who can forgive anyone and anything, who can love the most lowly of creatures, Aliosha is fully aware of and understands sins and evil, but he is committed to loving everyone universally. Where other people place themselves above the rest and condemn others, he places himself humbly among them.
Dmitri Karamazov (Mitya), Aliosha’s eldest brother, is a passionate and empathetic man, who is easily taken over by his emotions. He may harbor sinful thoughts and base passions, but his intentions are not founded on evil. Dmitri struggles between living as a slave to his passions and genuinely striving towards spiritual redemption.
Ivan Karamazov, Aliosha’s second brother, is an intellectual man whose own intelligence and faith drives him to despair. His moral and spiritual crisis haunts him constantly, as he struggles with the reality of needless suffering where there is a loving God. Unable to reconcile his wish to believe in a righteous God and the brutal reality where good and evil are a fraud, Ivan finds himself in a standstill, caught in between the conflict of moral faith and free will. He argues that the moral degeneration he witnesses among people are a sign that there is no higher order, and thus he has to reject God. Ivan’s struggle is a hopeless one; his journey is one set towards despair.
Notable quotes
“I think if the Devil doesn’t exist, but man has created him, he has created him in his own image and likeness.”
“It’s possible for one who doesn’t believe in God to love mankind, don’t you think so?”
“Is there in the whole world a being who would have the right to forgive and could forgive? I don’t want harmony. From love for humanity I don’t want it. I would rather be left with the unavenged suffering. I would rather remain with my unavenged suffering and unsatisfied indignation, even if I were wrong.”
“You will see great sorrow, and in that sorrow you will be happy. This is my last message to you: in sorrow seek happiness.”
Some trivia stuff
The Brothers Karamazov influenced several well-known writers, philosophers and public figures, including Albert Einstein, Franz Kafka, Haruki Murakami, Sigmund Freud, Kurt Vonnegut, and Ludwig Wittgenstein among others.
An important part of the novel, a poem titled The Grand Inquisitor, highlights Ivan’s struggles with free will, existentialism and moral ambiguity. References to the poem can be found in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World Revisited and David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest.
The Brothers Karamazov has been featured in various modern media, including anime and light novels. For instance, the characters in the novel were used as a source of inspiration for characters in the work Empire of Corpses. There is also a Japanese drama re-telling the novel in a modern setting!
TL;DR: A very friendly exploration of a philosophy I’ve heard of but didn’t know many details. Source: Netgalley! Thank you so much! I also purchased my own copy after completion.
Structure: This includes essays from Ken Liu about the translation and his thoughts on several of the chapters which really helped add to the overall message and understanding.Readability: This is very newbie friendly…
Just finished reading The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu (a short story collection) and so here is my ranking of all 19 stories
Ghost Days- I would teach this one (which would entail reading it repeatedly)
Grey Rabbit, Crimson Mare, Coal Leopard- I wish this was a full novel that I could read
The Reborn- It's a really interesting exploration of ideas about memory and identity
Maxwell's Demon- really good blending of historical fiction and fantasy/science fiction
The Hidden Girl- Fun concept, good execution. Would watch this one as a movie or short film.
The Message- A sweet character piece, and some good thematic material
Cutting- This is like a page and a half long, it's not really a story, more of a snippet of an idea but its an interesting idea
Thoughts and Prayers- this story is gut-wrenching and very effective and kind of horrifying
Real Artists- well done but far too close to real life right now to be more than depressing
Staying Behind-- of the Singularity stories this is the most interesting precisely because it's the most human
Memories of My Mother- it works and it is interesting
Altogether Elsewhere, Vast Herds of Reindeer- In the Singularity stories this one has the most affecting look at human experiences
The Gods will not be Chained- the start of this trilogy is the most interesting
A Chase Beyond the Storms- it's not a short story, it's an excerpt from the third book of a novel series, and that's what it reads like. It's not uninteresting but it doesn't stand on its own particuarly well. It dissuade me from reading that novel series but it didn't convince me either.
Dispatches from the Cradle: the Hermit-- Forty-Eight Hours in the Sea of Massachusetts- Some interesting ideas but ultimately lacks real narrative drive and thematic development
The Gods Will Not Be Slain- this trilogy and the singularity stories dragged more and more as it went on
The Gods Have Not Died in Vain- see above. Also weirdly pro-letting the machines take over?
Byzantine Empathy- way too much of this story is spent explaining cryptocurrency. Ultimately it has some interesting themes but it is super boring (and at times reads like a cryptocurrency sales pitch)
Seven Birthdays- I literally don't know what this story is about. The good parts of it are basically what Memories of My Mother did better, and then it has the boring over-explaining of Byzantine Empathy (but without being totally clear about what it's explaining or what's happening), and is the worst of the Singularity stories about having a weirdly reductionist view of humanity
Side note-- The Singularity stories, which all take place in the same world and feature a future where people's minds are digitially uploaded and a new "digital humanity" replaces human existence, all reference something called "the singularity" and after reading all six of them, I have no idea what the singularity is.
1-8 on this list are all really good and well worth reading.
9-12 are pretty good
13-17 are okay with that endorsement getting progressively less enthusiastic as you go
18-19 I don't recommend though I think 18 has a salvageable idea within it and gives glimpses of a much better version of itself
Additional thoughts:
As much as I liked some of the early ones on this list, Liu's best story is Paper Menagerie and you should read that one (and that one I have taught and hope to teach again and the kids also like it)
I would not have named this collection after the Hidden Girl because that story is one of the most atypical of this collection. Most are hard sci fi and that and two others are fantasy. I think Ghost Days, Staying Behind or the Gods Will Not be Chained are all more indicative of what the book is (though I suppose mentioning ghosts or gods does give more fantasy vibes).
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