Enthusiastically Ambiverted Hopepunk
Book 43 of 2025: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fun story with a definite anarchistic political sensibility about a group of people (some human, some…less so), trapped on a cursed train…oh, and it’s smut, so there’s lots of explicit sex. One of Iron Circus’s standalone erotic graphic novels, outside of their Smut Peddler line, but with the same gender/sexuality/ability/body type inclusivity that they focus on.
Book 42 of 2025: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(Collects Fugitive Telemetry and System Collapse.)
The final two Murderbot novellas (so far), though the novel Network Effect takes place between them, so I read the first half of this book, paused to read the novel, and came back to finish this off. As good as the rest, and Murderbot and ART make such a good pair of characters.
Book 41 of 2025: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
These are just so good. Kidnapping, rescues, mysterious ships and colonies, and all with Murderbot’s eternally exasperated outlook on the humans around it…who for some reason, keep causing it to have to deal with emotions. The first novel in the series gets a slightly grander scope and cast of characters, but still easily holds true to the heart of it all.
A less eventful week this week. I worked and met a friend at Dicks for a nice lunchtime chat on Thursday; my wife stayed home and concentrated on healing. Not a lot to report for this week, really.
Continuing on my Murderbot binge, I read the first half of The Murderbot Diaries, Vol. 3, then hopped over to read Network Effect, since it takes place between Fugitive Telemetry and System Collapse, the two novellas collected in Vol. 3. I’m almost done with that (will likely finish it tonight), and then back to Vol. 3 to finish it off.
One of my wife’s recovery binge shows has been The Tudors, which we finished on Saturday, and then followed that up with a double feature of Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Since we were then in a movie mood but wanted something a bit more modern, we watched Blast from the Past and Clueless for some ’90s comedies.
No new albums, but I have been getting some entertaining requests for the Worldcon dance that I’ve had to track down to add to my collection.
(Posting this one a couple days late and backdating it….)
🕺🏻 Saturday night a friend of my wife’s came over to spend the night so that I could have a night off from caretaking, so I got to head out to the Mercury for the first time in a couple months. It was a rather slow night (competing with the Capitol Hill Block Party and a Stabbing Westward concert), but picked up a bit towards midnight. No worries, though, as the music was good, and I got to hang out with a friend and chat about convention drama.
With Worldcon coming up in just a few weeks, I’m binging my way through the Murderbot series by our guest of honor Martha Wells. This week, I read The Murderbot Diaries, Vol. 1 (collecting All Systems Red and Artificial Condition), Compulsory, Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy, The Murderbot Diaries, Vol. 2 (collecting Rogue Protocol and Exit Strategy), and Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory.
🖖🏻 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is back with the first two episodes of season three! I enjoyed both episodes…but with reservations (which I posted behind a content warning on Mastodon to protect against spoilers).
Two new albums this week:
The Kpop Demon Hunters soundtrack for DJing the Wednesday night dance at Worldcon (with both “Golden” and “Soda Pop” being strong contenders).
Peter Gabriel’s Flotsam and Jetsam collection of rarities and remixes.
The ICG Pat and Peggy Kennedy Memorial Archives: Decades of costuming photos collected by the International Costumer’s Guild.
Kai James at The Conversation: How was the wheel invented? Computer simulations reveal the unlikely birth of a world-changing technology nearly 6,000 years ago: “It has long been assumed that wheels evolved from simple wooden rollers. But until recently no one could explain how or why this transformation took place. What’s more, beginning in the 1960s, some researchers started to express strong doubts about the roller-to-wheel theory.”
Ari Daniel at NPR: Stand back! This explosive cucumber is bursting with seeds: “But what the squirting cucumber lacks in palatability, it makes up for in a feat of ballistic seed dispersal.”
Book 40 of 2025: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Another very short glimpse into the world around Murderbot. Brief as it is, I really liked the look at how Mensah is dealing with the trauma and PTSD of her experiences, and how Murderbot is integrating into its new situation. They way these two are relying on each other is really nice.
Book 39 of 2025: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(Collects Rogue Protocol and Exit Strategy.)
Brings the overall arc of the first four Murderbot novellas to a close, as Murderbot continues to investigate the circumstances behind the events of All Systems Red, and learns ever more about itself in the process. Really satisfying, and even as a neurotypical person (as far as I know, at least), it’s all too easy to identify with Murderbot’s confusion and irritation with human behavior.
Book 38 of 2025: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A short story in the Murderbot universe, but without Murderbot, instead following one of the other characters. Answers some of the outstanding questions about this character in very interesting ways, but I suspect there is much more coming later in the series.
Book 37 of 2025: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A very quick read (just a few pages). Chronologically comes before All Systems Red, but I’m glad I found out about it and read it after reading Artificial Condition, as it takes place at a time frequently referenced in that book. Just a tiny little glimpse into Murderbot’s past.
Book 36 of 2025: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(Collects All Systems Red and Artificial Condition.)
I’d read the first half of this back in 2018, when All Systems Red was nominated for the Philip K. Dick award, but until now, hadn’t gone any further into the series. Having Martha Wells as a Guest of Honor for this year’s Worldcon was a great reason to pick these up and read them all.
Definitely enjoyed All Systems Red as much as I remembered from the first time around, and Artificial Condition is just as fun, picking up almost exactly where ASR ends and exploring more of Murderbot’s past. Murderbot is such a great character.
