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Ian Brown

igb@books.hccp.org

Joined 2 years, 5 months ago

XML apologist. Erlang enthusiast. Currently JVMs & Performance stuff at Netflix. Previously JVMs & performative stuff at Twitter. He/him.

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Ian Brown's books

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Currently Reading (View all 15)

2025 Reading Goal

37% complete! Ian Brown has read 9 of 24 books.

John Wyndham: Trouble with Lichen (2022, Random House Publishing Group)

A strong open, and a big idea, is undone by a weak ending.

A strong open, and a big idea, is undone by a weak ending.

As usual, Wyndham takes a simple premise and peels it apart to tease out contradictions and consquences invisible from the surface. Buried within the prose are occasional aphorisms that apply nicely to our current predicaments. But, by far, the most striking aspect of this book, published in 1960, is how it reflects (and supports) that era's nascent feminist wave. Worth a read, even though it waters out in the last act.

Matt Ruff: Lovecraft Country (2016, Harper Perennial)

Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu Chicago wgah’nagl fhtagn.

Fascinating concept, and a narrative that leverages the rot and evil of America, and the racist AF legacy of H.P. Lovecraft to create a more...realistic universe. The writing was a little weak, though the narrative arc was well-sustained through a number of stories. A fun, quick read and ultimately worth it. Beats watching it on TV I suspect.

John Wyndham: The Kraken Wakes (2022, Random House Publishing Group, Modern Library)

It started with fireballs raining down from the sky and crashing into the oceans' deeps. …

C'est toujours l'écroulement.

Content warning Mild spoiler alert. Read the book first. It is a good one.