This is a stand-alone novel in the Discworld series, set in a country called Borogravia. In it a teenage girl, Polly, cuts her hair short and joins the army in an attempt to find out what has happened to her elder brother who enlisted the year before. The country is ruled by a Duchess that no one has seen for many years, and who would be extremely old by now. They have been attacking their neighbours and starting wars for as long as people can remember, and now it seems like it is catching up to them.
Stuff about Books I've Read
I’ve used the Vim text editor for over twenty years. When I was a system administrator managing Linux servers it was the tool available to me for editing files on them. For a long time I didn’t really understand how to use it properly, I was just able to make simple edits and had learned how to save and quit. Over the years I started picking up little tricks here and there, using the dot key, moving through paragraphs, changing the contents of parentheses. It wasn’t until I read the first edition of this book that it really clicked and I understood the mindset of using this editor.
I found the first sequel to Dune to be a big let down. The majority of the book is people just explaining the plot to each other, with most of the characters behaving nothing like they did in the first book. I get that a lot of this is intentional, Paul is frozen by destiny, he is struggling to make any choice at all because he is trying to avoid disasters he is foreseeing. The disasters are actually happening though, billions are dying in a jihad.
Dune is a classic science fiction book from 1965. It tells the story of Paul Atreides, the son of Duke Leto. Their family is taking control of the planet Arrakis near the start of the novel. Due to an arrangement with the emperor, the Baron Harkonen who currently rules the planet is handing it over. It is clear to everyone involved that this is a trap, and that they cannot be trusted. The opportunity is too great to pass up however, and the first section of the book is detailing the training that Paul receives and planning the move.
This novel tells the story of two children who are left to fend for themselves in a world that is hostile to their existence. They have a mother, but she is covering shifts for her ill sister in a hotel for very rich people. They are being looked after by Leif, who is their Mum’s boyfriend. When they return home from a visit to see her, the house is circled by a line of red paint. They all climb into their camper van and sleep in a supermarket car park, but then the camper van is also encircled. Leif gives the children some money, and tins of food, leaves them in an abandoned house and claims he is going to return with their Mother.
I first heard about this book on The News Agents podcast, and then saw the author being interviewed by Gary Stevenson on YouTube. I’d read Gary’s book, The Trading Game, last year and have watched his videos occasionally since.
This is a 2025 dystopian novel by Laila Lalami. In it the main character, Sara Hussein, is detained in a facility for the rehabilitation of people who have committed no crimes but are predicted by the state to do so in the future. It starts after she has already been detained and her stay has been extended multiple times for the slightest of infractions of a large book of rules.
This is a short Dystopian novel from Sweden, released in 1940. It begins with the protagonist, Leo Kall, explaining how he is in a prison and separated from his wife and family. He begins to detail his life leading up to this moment, and in particular his discovery of a drug which acts as an effective truth serum. The drug is named after him, and is the title of the book: Kallocain.
This is a memoir by the creator of the Web. In it he details the events that led to its creation, the constant battle to keep it free, and his thoughts on its future.
This is the first time I have read the 2003 revised edition of this book. I had a copy of the original when I was a teenager, and remember liking it a lot. The book came up in a discussion I was having in the dystopian novels book club. The person I was talking to was talking about how much she loved this series, and this book in particular. When I was reading the series it was incomplete. There were only three books, and it ended with The Waste Lands. It’s a little daunting how much there is of it now that it is complete, but I think I’ll make my way through it.
In this story a new virus has infected large portions of the human race. The virus causes some people to have locked in syndrome, where they are aware and conscious but cannot move in any way. Technology has developed to allow these people to take control of robots, which then effectively become their bodies. There is also another group of people who were infected, but did not become locked in. These people can become “integrators”, which means that they can allow sufferers to take control of their body. This allows the sufferers to have a more direct experience.
I have no idea how many times I have read this book. I certainly read it when I was in primary school, after one of my teachers read parts to the class at the end of each day. It is a wonderful adventure story, and feels absolutely timeless.
The real name of the main character of this book is never revealed. He is referred to as Theo throughout the story. Theo is the name of his friend at University who lived in the room next door. That friend was murdered in a duel with a rich sociopath also attending the University. This happened over an argument over how said sociopath was treating a woman at a house party. After the murder the main character adopts his friend’s name and life, since he has no real future otherwise and Theo’s parents and family are effectively estranged.
This book takes place in an alternate history, set in the UK. There are three identical boys in what appears to be some kind of orphanage. They are being cared for by three women that are taking shifts and are called Mother. For instance the woman that wakes them at the start of the day is Mother Morning. She notes each of their dreams down in a large book.
This is the thirteenth Discworld book, a stand-alone story set in Omnia. It tells the story of Brutha, a trainee monk who has a photographic memory and the Great God Om, who is currently stuck in the form of a tortoise.