#Shadows in Flight

[theonlyendersgamefan]

No spoilers

SHADOWS IN FLIGHT IS ACTUALLY GOOD??

I genuinely forgot that Orson Scott Card is a competent sci-fi author. Every other shadow book has me like “please let this be a normal feild trip” and then you get 100k words of the slowest Mormon manifesto disguised as political thriller. (Except for shadow of the giant (they could never make me hate you, shadow of the giant))

Shadows in flight is classic 80s sci-fi and relative to the rest of OSC’s library it only has a little bit of sudo-incest. But even outside of that I’m also just really engaged with the story and junk. And even if the story was entirely non existent Cards distinct writing style from Enders game and speaker for the dead, which was lacking in the first half of the shadow saga imo, returns here which is a breath of fresh air.

I feel I should mention this early on just for transparency sake but, a positive book review by me is entirely useless because I will rate a book 5 starts purely based on my own ability to creat fun mental visualization out of it.

Let me explain. Delving truely a tiny bit into spoiler territory.

At some point a group is in a hallway in 0g and they’re all geard up. My own interpretation of this scene has this group, who is not usually especially discreet, be as disciplined as a highly trained swat team. In reality, text on paper, their gear is no more then rudimentary. Just as a consequence of not needing anything more. They are probably moving as instinct guides them. In my mind, however, they are fully bravo 6 going dark. No wasted movement, swift and efficient. The entire atmosphere of the story changes, they are having conversations through coms and I will mentally add in radio chatter even if it doesn’t make sense. Or I’ll make up a whole dramatic sequence for them opening a hatch or turning a corner. It’s fun as a little brain exercise but it’s not black on white text so my review of the book, which is based partly on the above, is biased because I imagined it in a way that I would like best.

What I can say is that this book is much less intrusive than the rest of the shadow saga. Orson Scott Card still can’t help but tell us directly what we’re supposed to think and HIS interpretation but in this book I feel that he’s taking a similar approach as speaker for the dead. Each character is written strongly enough that they can disagree on a conclusion based on the same information and neither is pitted to be explicitly wrong by the book (like a couple other shadow books I could name (I HATE SHADOW PUPPETS (Why waste such a goo name on such a boring book))).

Overall the book does give you more space to breath and more time in between receiving information and the characters declaring their own opinions. I actually several times got to the conclusion of one of the characters before they did because they all think their conclusions out. Instead of starting with the answer and condescending to everyone about how obvious the reasoning is later.

I’m also a big fan of the tech in this book. It’s much more grounded then in say xenocide. Advanced but based in concepts of physics and chemistry and biology that are common enough knowledge. You don’t feel overwhelmed or like you just have to accept that this is true and not gibberish.

Anyway SHADOWS IN PEAK.

I definitely didn’t write out all my thoughts here partially because I’m trying to stay as far from spoilers as I can and partially because I’m just writing down ideas as they come to me (is that obvious. I’ll write more about this book for the foreseeable future actually, it’s becoming my favourite shadow book (shadow of the giant in a close second but it’s becoming a more distant second which each page of shadows in flight)

I also haven’t actually finished the book.. I’m half way through and had to talk about it, soz.

[cultivating-wildflowers]

2024 Reading - July

Finally, things are turning around! I managed to pick some good books to read this month; even the printed books weren't the trial they have been for me lately.

Total books: 10  |  New reads: 8   |   2024 TBR completed: 6 (1 DNF) / 26/36 total   |   2024 Reading Goal: 44/100

June | August

potential reading list from July 1st

#1 - All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy - 5/5 stars ('24 TBR, audio)

mild content warning for language and some sexual content

McCarthy's writing is some of the most gorgeous and atmospheric writing I've ever read. It's also incredibly depressing. I want to continue with the rest of the trilogy but I'm in such a mental funk after finishing All the Pretty Horses that I'm scared to keep going.

More like this: McCarthy's writing reminds me of Wendell Berry in some ways. They both have a soothing, melancholic style that is deeply immersed in the period and setting of their chosen stories. But where Berry tends more towards righteous anger, McCarthy tends toward bleak inevitability.

#2 - The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson - 5/5 stars ('24 TBR, audio)

Not at all what I was expecting from this long-time resident of my TBR. Thoroughly enjoyed. Absolutely would not recommend to most people, but I DID recommend it to Kenzie:

#3 - Shadows in Flight by Orson Scott Card - 2/5 stars (audio)

Possibly the worst missed opportunity in this series yet. We could have had so much fun with this one. It could have destroyed me emotionally. ANYTHING could have happened. Instead we had the most dull, drawn-out little episode where Bean is basically a vegetable (heh) and his bratty children argue for 200-odd pages. The discoveries aren't incredible, the revelations fall flat, the emotions don't exist, the characters are artless caricatures, and near the end I was yelling in frustration because Card had to go and get snotty and superior in the name of writing a "realistically hyper-intelligent person". All of the little things I dislike about Card's writing? All here.

Side note: I got the actual, physical audiobook CDs for this one and when I went to pick up my holds, the librarian looked at me, looked at the CD case, and said, "You know these are CDs, right? Some people don't realize that." Hoopla didn't have this one on audio and I was already physically reading two books with two more fresh from the library, so I was kind of desperate. The downside is that I can't speed up an audiobook when it's physical CDs.

Second note: The part that had me yelling in frustration had to do with Card's prediction of why artificial wombs might be outlawed in most places in a futuristic world, and why his characters thing most places are unreasonable. His take: "Because they're unnatural. Or they deprive surrogate mothers of a livelihood. Lots of reasons, but it comes down to the real reason: artificial wombs suggest that women aren't necessary, and that really bothers a lot of women." Your Mormonism is showing, Orson.

#4 - Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens - 4/5 stars ('24 TBR)

the usual content warnings apply

This book, something I probably never would have picked up on my own, came to me as a recommendation. There was some content I didn't care for (easy to skim), but the writing grabbed me from the first page and the pacing, characters, and setting were incredible. I haven't finished a printed book this quickly in ages.

#5 - The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karin Yan Glaser - 4/5 stars ('24 TBR, audio)

Simply adorable.

More like this: I've only seen the movie, but it immediately reminded me of "Ramona and Beezus". The description also says it's in the tradition of "The Penderwicks", which I haven't yet read.

#6 - A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters - 4/5 stars (audio)

Tumblr rec time! Some of y'all have been chatting about this one, so I snatched it up.

It was a fun, cozy sort of read. I definitely enjoyed it for the most part, though I felt like the ending kind of dragged. Not particularly interested in pursuing this series.

More like this: I'm not a huge fan of Father Brown (personal taste), but this had the same tone that I recall from the Father Brown collection I've read.

#7 - Network Effect by Martha Wells - 5/5 stars (reread, audio)

As good as ever.

#8 - The Food Explorer: The True Adventures of the Globe-Trotting Botanist Who Transformed What America Eats by Daniel Stone - 5/5 stars

What a treat!!! I was recommending this to people before I even finished it. Quick, fun, engaging, and informative; one of the best nonfics I've read all year. Now I want a buddy adventure film about Fairchild and Lathrop.

More like this: "Salt: A World History" by Mark Kurlansky.

#9 - Agent Garbo: The Brilliant, Eccentric Secret Agent Who Tricked Hitler and Saved D-Day by Stephan Talty - 5/5 stars ('24 TBR, Top 5 Anticipated Read)

"There are three kinds of people," [Pujol] wrote later, "those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened."

Ahhhhhhhhh this one was fantastic. Like many, I was first introduced to Agent Garbo via tumblr, and I was really hoping this book would do his story justice; it absolutely does. It is expertly compiled and written. An adventure from start to finish.

Side note: I read excerpts of this to my dad on our drive to church and already have him interested in it.

More like this: "Agent Zigzag" by Ben MacIntyre. <- also shared this one with my dad (he read it in two days) and he loved it and others from MacIntyre.

#10 - System Collapse by Martha Wells - 4/5 stars (reread, audio)

Still not quite sure exactly how I feel about this one, but I enjoyed it overall.

DNF

On Death and Dying by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross ('24 TBR) - Either I'm dense or this (at least in the first chapter) is another case of someone with a highly specialized field of study interpreting the larger world through that lens, combined with some historical nuances that I'm completely missing. Possibly it's a worldview conflict and I ought to have pressed on for my own edification, but every page was a fresh slog.

The subject matter itself is fascinating, as is the viewpoint of someone in the medical field in the 60's. (Hello, common practice of fully sedating women during childbirth. I hate you.) The delivery is dry and academic. (Side note: I didn't realize until browsing reviews that THIS BOOK is where THE five stages of grief comes from.)

The Last Shadow by Orson Scott Card - Gave up within the first chapter after rolling my eyes every other paragraph. Hot garbage, which the good folks in the Ender subreddit confirm. I don't care how the series officially ends. Children of the Mind was a good enough conclusion for me.

The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner - Not my style at all. The man took his self-ascribed title of "grump" way too far.

Updraft by Fran Wilde - Somehow I didn't really pay attention to the fact that this was YA fantasy until I started reading. That's on me. But between an incoherent opening action scene and over a dozen Special Words introduced in the first chapter alone, it quickly became obvious that this wasn't for me.

Currently Reading:

Disorderly Knights by Dorothy Dunnett - As expected, I'm still working through this one.

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell - I just started this one.

[avenoire]

knock knock sonadow nation, may i come in?

🚪🧍‍♂️

[crandairy-juice]

i feel like harrow would be like, on some site like neopets or flight rising and just have the game’s marketplace in her pocket. just a fucking, billionaire tycoon on some low stakes virtual pet game. blows off steam manipulating the economy and fine tuning her creatures to be Perfectly Goth with the same account she had since she was 10 named xXgl00m_m1str3ssXx

yes she is using gideons gaming chair and headphones

[888-fr]

sketch > final

[emberhope-fr]

so i had a thought after buying a dragon from a friend

bruce the parrotlet and his "eating dome"

[stories-in-the-wind]

Intruders unwelcome in the foxfire bramble

[neondarkfr]

A canonized look of one of my dragons (featuring my bfs dragon in the comic) hes my version of a shadow elemental god, kinda old though unfortunately I really need to update this Hes often called Bound or Vantos

[beastyeastfreak]

I was literally just here for the fluff side of the x reader stuff but I wh-

Honestly that anon is lucky they remembered to say that anonymously, cause if they had it off dude people would've found them out.

But like.

Yeah it was gross imo (asexual so eww), but I mean. People got their own opinions I guess.

Besides, you're Freak Fairie, right? Technically I think it's in the right askbox lol.

Anyway, on a more serious note, uh uhm could I suggest an x reader who is a nervous shy bean who idolizes them?

Honestly i dont know why the freak anons chose me but yeah i guess it fits. Would love to see less nsfw asks and more asks like this ngl not that i mind writing smut XD

Cw and tags: Fluff, romantic, overall very sweet, nothing bad

Written pre silent salt update

Mystic flour

🌾 - Mystic Flour enjoys how your view of her mixes with your nervousness when shes around. She spares you for this, you were perfect in her eyes. You listened to what she had to say as if each word was a divine message and treated her with a kind of respect she had not had in a long time. For this she’ll give you a role closest to her, maybe just a personal assistant or something higher.

🌾 - She likes having you close to her, quietly watching her as she handles affairs with other beasts or turning cookies to flour. When it gets silent, and you’re staring at her when you think she doesn’t see, she’ll run her hand over the back of your head in an affectionate way. Her hand, if not in its usual position will rest on your back, watching as her mere touch makes your face turn darker.

🌾 - I like to imagine she sees you often near that one decoration, the altar of the seeker. You didn’t have to be one of her disciples praying to her but she notices you close to it quite often, anything that reminds you of her for that matter. You get startled when she approaches you, stammering as to why you were there.

🌾 - She’ll find it especially interesting if you become more confident when shes not around. Someone insulted her ideology, you immediately shut it down and take get angry they’d say that to your face. She’d mention it later, she wont let you know she saw you defending her until you’re close to her, she’ll quote your words and watch you hide your face in her shoulder.

Burning spice

🏜️ - It didn’t matter if you were a spice or a cookie from another kingdom, it was only right for you to idolize him! He was The Great Destroyer, he was a god. You seemed to be a prevalent visitor in the spice temple, or perhaps you were a consistent bystander that was always at the scene of his destruction. However he meets you, he immediately finds you interesting when you aren’t begging for mercy but fawning over him.

🏜️ - He likes to show you off and hold you close, feeling your cheeks warm and the only responses you can muster are words you stumble over. You’re timid around him, he first’s interprets it as fear of his strength as always, but he slowly realizes thats not the case. His proximity to you made you bashful, in the way someone would become shy around someone they love.

🏜️ - He likes to hold your face on one side and kiss the other side, squishing your cheeks in the process and feeling them begin to burn up as he does. He’s the most likely to smother you in kisses all over your face until you’re stiffly standing covering your eyes shyly.

🏜️ - He’ll give you clothes or accessories that match him in some way. Much like Mystic Flour he appoints you to a role to keep you close to him. He knows you’ll begin to fumble with a task when he grows near, apologizing profusely at your mistake which is why he gives you that job in the first place.

🏜️ - In some way, hes like a big body guard. He doesn’t tolerate any talk about you. Someone calls you a liability? He will have a word with them. You’re one of if not his most loyal follower, anything said about you he interprets as directed at him.

Eternal sugar

🌷 - You were an angel within her garden, another for her to care for. But she noticed how fond you were of her. For the bringer of happiness, she had to do little to please you. Just to see how deeply ingrained she was in your perception she handed you a fruit, you thanked her but as you turned it you found it was half rotted. She played it off apologetic and unknowing but you thanked her regardless, she had to stop you from eating rotten fruit.

🌷 - She’ll lean against you as you’re sitting together, she feels you flinch but slowly lean into her as well. She doesn’t mind your nervousness at all, she knows that not all flowers bloom but even still they exist and should be loved. She’ll tell you that as you shy away from her. Your nature was to be bashful, but in your heart your desire was her presence.

🌷 - She savors how you look at her, how one would admire a brightly shimmering star. She was your star… She liked that, she liked you. Pavlova cookie seemed to like that idea too, buzzing around her head all dream like, he didn’t even have to shoot his arrow!

🌷 - She adores being close to you because you’re always conflicted. She’ll place her hands on your waist while whispering affection and your hands will hover in place, conflicted where they should go, if you were allowed to touch such a being? She’ll giggle, moving your hands for you and kissing you, telling you she wants you to see her as a cookie, and to shed her titles when she speaks to you.

Shadow milk

🃏 - He doesn’t use the term “Number one fan” lightly, but when he saw a reoccurring face in his crowd every one of his shows, when he saw your face light up every time he took the stage, he knew that it was you. You didn’t ask for an autograph though strangely, he actually watched you hesitate before walking off. You were shy! Awwww, he’d have to come to you it seems.

🃏 - He pretended to bump into you after another show, he turned around and expected you to try and talk to him but instead you stared like a statue before muttering an apology with wide eyes and walking away. He floated after you, playing you like a deck of cards. You showed up to his shows so often, would you want a behind the scenes. Then he had you, and it was pretty easy from then to court you.

🃏 - You always get a VIP seat anytime he preforms, he calls most things he does performances, especially fighting. So anytime something is about to go down you’re always placed on some high area where you can watch him best, occasionally winking at you causing you to blush. After he’s done he’ll come to you, how did he do? He knows what you’ll say before you say it.

🃏 - One time he tries to incorporate you into a surprise performance as a sort of gift, he failed to factor your nervousness in. You were a great actor, if the role was a plank of shaky wood. He doesn’t make fun of you though, he discreetly had one of his minions pull you off stage and continued on.

🃏 - I like to imagine he kisses you as good luck before he does anything. Its almost like saying break a leg or some other theater superstitions. Whether he does this because something bad actually happened when he didn’t, or he’s just making up reasons to fluster you who knows.

[silis-fr]

her :)

[haaaaaaaaaaaave-you-met-ted]

Hunter, Outcast Sergeant by Mickael Balloul

[wizard-frogg]

I've been reading @dapper-lil-arts's story The Great Tartarus Heist and this scene was so cool!!! Tempest Shadow makes me explode she is so cool and well adjusted and she does not need to talk to anyone about her past at all <3

[graveyard-guardian]

the sinister Mr. Mimicker

[avenoire]

personal headcanons :D

[pestilentbrood]

Arachnida’s lore

[acoraxia]

How have you made so many people so down bad for a hedgehog.

I’m still over here begging for some shadow content

i think people just really like sonic man idk- uh- speaking of shadow

u gets a lil drawing of him, freshly woken up to this weird lil friendship being presented to him, on the house