lucymonster: (skeleton)
lucymonster ([personal profile] lucymonster) wrote2024-03-15 07:28 am

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Books

I read Translation State by Ann Leckie, but tbh, I should probably have DNF'd it. I kept pushing on because I've loved Leckie's other work so much - the Imperial Radch trilogy is up there with my absolute favourites of all time - but I really was not the target audience for this book, which was basically just a heavy-handed YA simplification of themes (gender diversity, consent, autonomy) that Imperial Radch handled with far more nuance. It had three protagonists, but they were all kind of samey, despite the fact that one of them was a Translator and should have been utterly unhinged by human standards. All three were underqualified nobodies thrust unwittingly into an adventure of galactic proportions, for reasons just a bit too contrived for my taste, and the ultimate outcome was telegraphed so far in advance that the tension just wasn't there for me. I'm disappointed because I was really motivated to like this book, but I think I'm probably just going to discard it from my personal Radch canon.

I'm currently about halfway through A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine, which I'm enjoying much better, though still not quite as much as I wish I was. I picked it up because I was desperate for more space lesbians after finishing the Locked Tomb books, but I think it suffers unfairly for that - my space lesbian expectations are just too sky high at the moment. But the worldbuilding is really fun, with lots of linguistics details and tidbits of in-universe meta at the start of each chapter. 

TV

I've been seeing a lot of hype about Deadloch on my flist - [personal profile] fiachairecht and [personal profile] delphi, looking at you - and holy shit you guys were right, this show is brilliant. It’s an eight-part Aussie crime drama/black comedy about a buttoned-up lesbian cop and a crass, douchey, delightfully gender nonconforming detective who team up to solve a series of grisly murders in a small Tasmanian town. The cast is chock full of complicated women, the humour is dry and daggy in a quintessentially Australian way, the atmosphere is tense and spooky, and the feminism pulls no punches. I talked my sister into watching it as well and we both went absolutely feral for it. 10/10 would recommend to everyone.

Music

I’ve been seeking out new music for a playlist I’m calling ‘metallic goth’. If gothic metal is metal that draws inspiration from goth, this is the opposite: a true goth rock sound, with heavy metal influences. Some faves so far:
  • Cemetery Echo - I've been loving their EP, Come Share My Shroud, which uses a really compelling range of vocals: heartfelrt cleans, blackened screams, and gravelly spoken word.
  • Babylon Whores - Sol Niger has made it onto the very short list of songs that Mini willingly lets me play in the car! Variety! Yay!
  • Horror Vacui - atmospheric deathrock with heavy, driving rhythms. Mini does not let me play In Darkness You Will Feel Alright in the car even though it has everything in common with some of his favourite music, but I sneak it into rotation sometimes when he's asleep in the back.
spookykingdomstarlight: (Default)

[personal profile] spookykingdomstarlight 2024-03-14 09:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Agreed with you re: Translation State sadly. I also just kind of ignore it and prefer to imagine better Translator takes. I also kind of wish I hadn't slogged through it, alas.
fiachairecht: (Default)

[personal profile] fiachairecht 2024-03-14 09:21 pm (UTC)(link)
YES YOU WATCHED DEADLOCH I AM SO HAPPY IT IS SO GOOD!!

I keep telling myself I should read Nona and finish out TLT before going to A Memory Called Empire but I have ... so little desire for Nona ... perhaps I should just skip ahead ...
pauraque: bird flying (Default)

[personal profile] pauraque 2024-03-14 09:30 pm (UTC)(link)
I just got Ancillary Justice out of the library and am looking forward to checking it out! I've heard great things about the main trilogy, though I've also heard from others that they were disappointed in Translation State.
theskywasblue: (Default)

[personal profile] theskywasblue 2024-03-15 03:52 am (UTC)(link)
If you're looking for more Sci-fi Lesbians, I would suggest my current read: Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta. Personally I liked A Memory Called Empire, but I did find myself wanting to like it more in the beginning. I found it a bit more engaging as it neared its conclusion. I'll have to pick up the sequel at some point.
walgesang: a drawing of a humpback whale with wings (Default)

[personal profile] walgesang 2024-03-16 12:15 am (UTC)(link)
Aaaaaaaaaaahh Deadloch was SO good. I binged it just over a day (oops). So damn good. (I really need to stop watching so much TV and read books)