In a far distant future when the Sun is dying + the Earth along with it, a journeyman torturer disgraces his guild and is banished to a distant town to serve as a headsman. The text is ostensibly a translation of his recovered memoir in which he recounts his travels. It’s a masterful puzzle box that rewards an attentive reader. The protagonist is an annoying liar (I personally found this a challenging and engaging thing about the text). I highly recommend Ada Palmer’s introduction, if you can find that particular edition. This is the book that got me back into sci-fi but it’s not a particularly casual read.
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May 3, 2024

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The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress flips the usual robot-takeover trope on its head with Mike, a supercomputer who becomes sentient and decides, instead of ruling humanity, to join the fight for lunar independence. Born from Earth’s practice of shipping prisoners to the Moon with barely enough to survive, the colony has grown into a tight-knit, self-sufficient society. When Earth’s exploitation pushes them too far, Mike and the colonists band together in a daring revolution full of political intrigue, clever strategy, and high-stakes rebellion. It’s a visionary story that’s as thrilling as it is thought-provoking.
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