#marthawells

[quirkycatsfatstacks]

City of Bones ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Oh wow. I'm not going to lie, guys; I wish I had read City of Bones sooner. It's SO good! I instantly fell in love with this world and genuinely wish there was more of it (I checked, and I can't find any proof that the story continues into a series? Please tell me I'm wrong).

The story is split into two perspectives: Khat and Elen. Both come from vastly different lives and seeing how their stories wove together was a delight. Likewise, I enjoyed reading about this world's magical and political systems. Martha Wells is brilliant when it comes to worldbuilding.

Speaking of, you can see glimmers of her other series in City of Bones. Khat has some elements in common with other protagonists. That's not a bad thing. I love seeing authors play with similar tropes and designs, perfecting them as they go.

It's been far too long since I dove into a dystopian fantasy. I forgot how much I enjoy these complex elements and storytelling styles. I need to treat myself to books like this more often.

All things said and done, reading City of Bones has further convinced me that I desperately need to read through the rest of Martha Wells' backlog – ASAP. I'm clearly missing out!

Highlights: Dystopian Fantasy Magical Archaeologists Complex Fantasy System From the Author of MurderBot Diaries

[fredhandbag]

All Systems Red by Martha Wells is the first book in her Murderbot Diary series. “On a distant planet, a small group of scientists is conducting research accompanied by their Company-supplied security android. Unknown to the group their SecUnit has hacked his own governor module and refers to himself as “Murderbo” He hates all human interaction and prefers to spend as much time as he can watching entertainment vids. But when a nearby group of researchers goes quiet, it’s up to Murderbot to get to the truth.” How can you not want to read a sci-fi novella with a character called Murderbot. He doesn’t do any murdering, just protects his group from the compromised androids. This reads like classic sci-fi (Asimov and Heinlein, not Jules Verne) There is technology here but the story is about the characters not space ships 🚀 and worm holes. A nice change-of-pace and a quick read. This was published in ‘17 so I’m headed to read the rest of the series. Do you like a little sci-fi? #allsystemsred #marthawells #themurderbotdiaries #scifi #sciencefiction #novellas #tordotcom #sciencefictionfantasy #bookstagram #bookshelves #booknerd #readinglife #bookphotography #bookcommunity #bookblogger #sodacityreads #suspensebook #bookhaul #literarycrimefiction #homelibrary #bookrecs #actionsuspense https://www.instagram.com/p/CqLF4ldLj2f/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[girlwithinfiction]

WHAT'S POPPIN'?!! These are new and upcoming releases I am (and, you should be) most excited about.

✨ Endpapers by Jennifer Savran Kelly (February 7, 2023)

✨ A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon (February 28, 2023)

✨ She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran (February 28, 2023)

✨ Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou (June 13, 2023)

✨ System Collapse by Martha Wells (November 14, 2023)

ig: girlwithinfiction

[marithlizard]

Martha Wells gave a speech about machine intelligence and her character Murderbot, and it's fascinating even if you have never read the books. Some choice quotes:

"[Asimov's three laws of robotics] seem to be built on the assumption that the robots are going to want to hurt and kill us as soon as they roll off the assembly line. Why are we so sure of this? Maybe because a bunch of us asked for it. :cough: Tech bro oligarchs :cough: The third law also stipulates that robots are expected to die for us, despite their inherent desire to kill us." "(Maybe ChatGPT is sentient, and that's why it keeps producing books that tell humans to eat poisonous mushrooms, and cookbooks for diabetics that are full of sugar-heavy recipes.)"

"People also mistakenly think Murderbot was not a sentient being until it hacked its governor module. [...] I think that's another aspect of humans ignoring things, though this time they're ignoring things that are too horrible to think about. It's self-protection, rather than a form of self righteousness.

In that way, we're kind of like that cow in The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. I wonder if Douglas Adams was also thinking about that."

(I love these books so much, and learning that they came from the sense of helpless rage and stress from a lifetime of unfairness and then 2016....yeah that tracks so hard.)

[destinationtoast]

There are a lot of people who viewed All Systems Red as a cute robot story. Which was very weird to me, since I thought I was writing a story about slavery and personhood and bodily autonomy. But humans have always been really good at ignoring things we don't want to pay attention to. Which is also a theme in the Murderbot series.

Really enjoyed this keynote speech from Martha Wells.

[annleckie]

Oh, and to tide you over until Translation State, there is a NEW MARTHA WELLS OUT TODAY not Murderbot but VERY FUN give it a go!

[shadow-words]

How to Socialize Your Aeriat: Imprinting and Husbandry

_How to Socialize Your Raksura: Imprinting and Husbandry_ continuing meta about my favorite bee-dragon people. @bookstodon@a.gup.pe @fantasy@a.gup.pe @marthawells@wandering.shop #books #booksoftheraksura

The first essay in this series introduced the concept of ring species and detailed some of the basic worldbuilding of the Books of  the Raksura setting. Some comparisons to Jennifer Roberson’s Chronicles of the Cheysuli were made to address the way the Fell appear to be a “alignment: evil” species. The reasoning being, that the Ilhini in the Chronicles are literally written as being evil people…

[davidcarlton]

It's a very personal story to me, and probably the character I put most of myself into. From the readers who responded to it, and told me about their own experiences, I learned I was on the autism spectrum. (And wow, that explained a lot.) I started anxiety medication. I realized that my father, who was a World War II veteran who had been in a prison camp and had a wound that hadn't healed for years afterward, had untreated PTSD. These are all connections I'm not sure I would have made if I hadn't written Murderbot. When Murderbot hacks its governor module, it could go on a killing spree, which is what its society expects of it, but it makes a choice to do something else. Instead of exploding in rage, it decides it's going to half-ass its job and watch entertainment media instead. Obviously, this is a choice many humans have made and will make in the future. Humans making that choice is probably one of the reasons we still exist as a species. But for all the anxiety, depression, angst, and fear that went into its creation, at its heart, Murderbot is a story about achieving bodily autonomy and mental autonomy. It's set in a far-future which is an extrapolation of what happens when you don't have labor unions and corporations have more human rights than actual humans. Murderbot is about the idea that maybe having huge existential thoughts about our place in the universe is not something everybody aspires to. Maybe some of us are put on this earth to a: not hurt each other and b: find happiness in games, books, art, and streaming channels. And that's okay.

marthawells | Jack Williamson Lecture 2024

[libraryinthecountry]

★ What is the last fantasy book you read? Would you recommend it? I’m unboxing @illumicrate’s May 2023 ‘What Lies Beneath’ box! The book of the month was The Witch King by @marthawellswriter. I’ve loved the Murderbot Diaries and am excited to read this new fantasy, too! This edition features: bonus content, stencilled edges, endpaper artwork by @isabeau_backhaus_art (different front and back!), foil design on the hardback, and it’s signed! Also included in this box was: - Daughter of Smoke and Bone inspired cloth book organizer designed by @rosdottir - House of Hollow inspired plant pot designed by @thistlemoon - The Whispering Dark inspired phone grip designed by @thebitterseason - Witch King (book of the month!) inspired metal bookmark designed by @dalandan.ielle Swipe to get a closer look at everything! I loved the theme of this box a lot, and especially loved the plant pot (as I think we all did!). Use LIBRARY5 to save on Illumicrate subs! ★ HASHTAGS //⠀ #illumicrate #illumicratemay2023 #thewitchking #marthawells #daughterofsmokeandbone #houseofhollow #thewhisperingdark #fantasybooks #readfantasy #bookaddict #bibliophile #booklover #booksofig #booksofinstagram #bookpics #booknerd #goodreads #bookstagrammer #booksofinsta #bücherliebe #bücherwurm #libroslibroslibros #librosmiadiccion — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/azXn0OI

[swampsiren-piratefairy]

New Martha Wells book is coming!!

[jeannereames]

A very important address from the incomparable Martha Wells.

[quirkycatsfatstacks]

The Cloud Roads ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Holy cats. Why did it take me so long to read this series?! Okay, I know I'm only one book in – but I'm going to dive into book two asap because this series is everything. Don't believe me? Picture Gargoyles (the '90s cartoon), but for adults, you'll have a general feel for this series.

The Cloud Roads introduces us to a complex world full of magical creatures, war, and so (SO) much more. Moon is but one character in a surprisingly wide cast, as the world is as expansive as it is fascinating.

Honestly, there's a lot to appreciate about this series. There's action, drama, romance, and even some more humorous undertones that run throughout. It made for so much fun to read. I'm grateful that there's more to The Books of Raksura because I'm already incapable of saying goodbye.

Highlights: Epic Fantasy First in a Series Romantic Fantasy Gargoyle Vibes

[thomasbombadilius]

I’ve just finished The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. This series came highly recommended on the Sci-Fi and Fantasy sub-Reddits as a funny lighter Sci-Fi story. The story is of a Security Droid that hacks its own internal safeguarding system. But rather than killing all humans it decides it would rather watch soap dramas instead! This is the brief summary that drew me to this series and, whilst it was good, I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as I thought I would. The humour was there but it wasn’t quite to the level or consistency I thought it would be. This isn’t the fault of Wells who’s writing was excellent, more it was the fault of the way it was sold to me. Oftentimes it bears repeating to take recommendations with a pinch of salt, especially ones where humour is the main reason for recommending a book as humour is very subjective! One good thing about this series is that Wells just gets Sci-Fi right. With the description of the surroundings and the way in which hacking is presented, this is really what I wanted from William Gibson’s Neuromancer series! Anyone wanting a decent Cyberpunk-esque story should check Murderbot out! #bookstagram #books #scifi #murderbotdiaries #marthawells @torbooks #torbooks https://www.instagram.com/p/CWxt6uqMuDQ/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mademoiselle-luz]

#bookpile #marthawells #murderbot #murderbotdiaries #seananmcguire #waywardchildren #waywardchildrenseries #inthewatchfulcity #sqiouyilu #linarather #sistersofthevastblack #black #grey #green (à Épinal) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVF-BSztdus/?utm_medium=tumblr

[considermycat]

Started #reading All Systems Red by Martha Wells. #fiction #books #sciencefiction #marthawells #murderbot #kindle https://www.instagram.com/p/CSkhlfSH-xp/?utm_medium=tumblr

[hollow-keys]

This dreamwidth account is linked on her official website.

Here's a link to the original post also.

[Sigh] Whitewashing? A cis man playing a non-binary character? In 2023? The portrayal of Murderbot's ethnicity has already been inconsistent (see: the official Japanese cover having it as a blonde with blue eyes but the official English release art having darker skin) but this is something else. Maybe the Japanese cover was more the publisher's fault, but Wells signing on to a TV adaptation where a non-binary person of colour is played by a white man is on her and it's not a good look.