Reviews and Comments

The first Doctorow's book I consumed, by listening this time. Felt a bit like a road movie. Somehow not so urgent like many of his essays. I guess I also enjoy his twists and reserved poetics more when related with reality than with fiction.

But listening time was really enjoyable and the book is easy to recommend. Non the less because it is generously stuffed with technicalities of surveillance and resistance methods (even if sometimes exaggerated), which aren't often heard of and seem to be very worth noticing.

Thanks @pluralistic@mamot.fr

Skaitėsi visiškai be aistros: nebuvo jokios empatijos ir net simpatijos personažams. Tačiau situacijos buvo sukonstruotos pakankamai intrguojnčiai, o moksliškumas minimas pakankamai dažnai, kad būtų nuolat smalsu, kaip čia viskas išsiskleis. Todėl ir vadinu detektyvu. O galvosūkiai dažnai išskleidžiami tikrai originaliai, bent jau technologinės vaizduotės prasme. Yra ir politinis dėmuo, ir naujosios Kinijos istorijos įvykių - bet jie pateikiami kaip force-majeure aplinkybės, asmeninių tragedijų generatoriai, kuriems atskiro dėmesio neskiriama. Visgi vertėjas S.T.Kondrotas pasistengė puslapius pripildyti kontestus paaiškinančiomis išnašomis, tad perskaičius Kinija atrodo kiek mažiau svetima. Ir norisi pagirti už senos geros fantastikos tradicijos laikymasi: mąstyti dideliais masteliais. Tai visuomet džiugina.

I appreciate the direction Bastani is heading towards a lot. All the basic premises about global overproduction, growing inequality and climate crisis are decently analysed. The cause of this mess is also correctly attributed to politics. Yet many things made me shrug: from heavy leaning on the idea that economic progression curves are doomed to continue as they did before, to the very concrete economic proposals, which require much more context to evaluate (at least in my case). I expected more direct politics (apart from just advocating populism), and probably general inspiration. However, in my eyes this is a work born of urgency, and it does its job. It helps setting up an extremely important civilisational discourse by articulating perspectives and proposals to discuss. Bastani should simply be praised just for that.

Several things to love this book for. Firstly, a brief story about architect Galina Balashova, and how she designed very early space stations to be more earthly than on Earth. Secondly, inclusion of manifesto by Hans Hollein, arguing that architecture is all encompassing media. Also, this book is an entertaining way to get a broader, concise view of all lunar missions. But I wouldn't call it good literature, as the writing is clearly contaminated with internet age thought jumping and general ignorance on style. Even architectural style - the attempts to evaluate lunar objects as architectural objects are usually limited to describing functions, shapes and colors, or recognizing that a space object looks a little bit like something else (e.g Eiffel tower). Either way, if you tend to think about architecture as media, or need a comfy reference of lunar missions, this is a good book to get.

Even if the plot itself is not really memorable, the world around it is brilliantly coherent. As if black mirror series were supercharged with black humor and artistic quality. Media as the main weapon, westen culture in self-deceiving bubble paying for the murderous show. 'Urkaina' of artificually constructed 'lower race', 'orcs', was conceived merely a couple of years before occupation of Crimea and war in Donbas. It is all about power of images to skew the reality itself. One of most influential books by Pelevin for me.