If you liked The Murderbot Diaries, you should read “Mickey7” by Edward Ashton.
The book is set in a future world where humans have left Earth to colonize other worlds.
Mickey is an Expendable and he is called upon whenever some dangerous-to-suicidal work is needed to be done. If it results in death, the scientists can bio-print a copy of him which means that Mickey is actually immortal.
But when the last mission goes wrong Mickey doesn´t die as expected…
Will have to check it out.
Current audiobook is a long-awaited new entry in the Revelation Space Universe by Alastair Reynolds, called “Inhibitor Phase”.
I finished Reacher and The Tourist series (both season 1) on Amazon Prime and HBO Max, respectively.
Still enjoying Star Trek Picard series, season 2.
Think I forgot to mention the “Winning Time: Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” series on HBO Max has been really good. It is how they went from duds and almost bankrupt in late 70s to drafting Magic Johnson and new owner Dr Jerry Buss changing the culture/image/brand. The acting seems high-quality and really enjoying it so far.
Dreamer
ps…you already did a Good Stuff 2.0, so next time you could do “Good Stuff 2.0 of 2.0” or “Good Stuff 2.123” or for the mathematically illiterate, just go with “Good Stuff 2.0.1.2.0” and just use as many periods as you see fit.
I realized that I had already done it some months ago, but it was too late.
Alistair Reynolds is one of my favorite writers, I´m gonna check it out.
I read all Lee Child books, so I tried to watch the tv-show, but I didn´t like the guy.
PS: Shorting a couple of stocks 2 weeks ago was a mistake that cost me 10% of my portfolio.
After watching the first 4 episodes I gave up on “Severance” (which reminds me of Kafka - yes Kafka, not Orwell).
An interesting ideea though, even if for me the show is way too slow.
I realize that my expectations are very often far too high.
Reminder: “Mickey7” might be the best SF of the year.
So far, of course.
Watched “DMZ” on HBO Max. Kind of like a modern post-civil war setting in Manhattan, with feel of Warrior where clans oppose each other. Not as good as Warrior though, but passable entertainment. Some good actors, just a bit predictable and only 4 episodes so things move unrealistically fast.
Picard continues to be very good.
Lakers Dynasty on HBO continues to be fun stuff.
Walking Dead having a good final season. Interested in return of Madison on Fear the Walking Dead.
Anxiously awaiting Kenobi on Disney+!
Also waiting on final episodes of Ozark later this month, on Netflix.
Finished Lost in Space. It got better, but feel like it had more potential than it produced.
Dreamer
DMZ - I watched the trailer and I like Hoon Lee a lot, so I´m gonna give it a try.
I love post apocalyptic landscapes!
the post-apocalyptic stuff is somewhat limited. It serves more as the setting/backdrop.
reminds me more of Escape from New York…more anarchy vs bombed-out.
They don’t get into why the civil war happened between USA and FSA (Free States of America) it is just what happened.
Reminds me a bit also of Handmaids Tale in terms of a split America setting, but plays out more like Warrior / Escape from New York.
Dreamer
Vikings Valhalla was solid.
Russian Doll season 2 was a good deep thinker, and i am a mark for natasha lyonnes crazy cool voice.
Better Call Saul final season off to great start!
Final episodes of Ozark land this weekend.
But all roads…lead to Kenobi.
Dreamer
I will watch the vikings in the weekend, thanks.
Yesterday I watched the first two episodes of BCS: I find (the anti hero) Saul a little bit boring, but I like Nacho Varga and Lalo Salamanca A LOT!
I love the Spanish dialogues, the Mexican Spanish (slang) is beautiful.
I also watched the first episode of “Tokyo Vice” which looks pretty promissing especially because Ken Watanabe is in it. The main character doesn´t seem to convincing (for now), but I am a fan of the Japanese culture and this is reason enough to watch the show. Besides Tokyo looks much better in the movies than in reality.
I saw that “Mickey7”, which I recommended some weeks ago, has also been released on audio.
I watched “Outer Range” on Amazon.
Josh Brolin is a stud.
Also had an actor from Banshee and Ozark in it. Solid cast overall.
The story is…bizarre.
I feel it was right on the edge of being awesome, but that a grad student did the editing (or lack of editing).
Overall, I enjoyed it and binged it in a couple days.
It ironically starts to make more sense right at the literal end.
Don’t want to give too much away, but you need to understand the anomaly uncovered revolves around time or time travel. Then the rest makes more sense.
Sets up for a season 2, and I hope they pick it up.
Hitting a bit of a lull while waiting for Kenobi. Better Call Saul on tonight.
Walking dead on a break.
Oak Island season ended. (they didn’t find the treasure yet…gasp!)
Did watch Nakamoz S-245, which I believe is a Turkish-made film, on Netflix. Overall ok, but like a lot of foreign series/films, you realize that the U.S. (and maybe BBC) are head and shoulders above rest of world in acting ability/script and special effects.
Although I would rank all of these as highly watchable:
Norsemen (they speak English, but not US-made)
Squid Game
Money Heist
Ragnarok
Been on an audible tear lately.
Figured out how to get british voice actor Toby Longworth’s versions of the Arthur C Clarke Rama series. Listened to all 4 books, and excited they plan on making a series or movie now. I have very fond memories of reading these books by the pool in Summer many moons ago, so it was great to revisit them about 12-13 years later.
Dreamer
Outer Range - I watched a trailer some weeks ago and I wasn´t too enthusiastic (thought it´s a horror western). JB is one of my favourite actors, so I´ll give it a try.
After Nacho Varga´s death, BCS has lost of a lot of its charm.
Lalo is still alive, though.
But Saul and his wife…I like them less and less: the plot looks too childish and difficult to believe.
Money Heist has been a huge succes in Europe. But I stopped watching it after the first 2 episodes.
The last book I read is one from the Mitch Rapp series, which I don´t recommend.
The first couple of books were OK, the last ones are just garbage.
Just like the Jack Reacher series.
If you liked The Norsemen, you should watch “The Northman”, which is a pretty good viking movie.
Better Call Saul had aeries finale. What a great show! Will miss the breaking bad universe.
For All Mankind had another incredible season…really hooked on that show.
Kenobi was solid…looking forward to She Hulk, although it looks cheesey.
Watching Westworld newest season and while never as good as first season or two, still entertaining. Current episode i am watching is called “que sera sera”. So you know it is a Dreamer show.
House of Dragons debuts soon…i hope it is good but GoT set bar too high.
Final season of Expanse left too much unresolved. Good quality, but the audiobooks were better.
Dennis E Taylor, author of famous Bobiverse, had a solid audiobook w “Roadkill”.
I have a great tan, but Summer is over.
Dreamer
enjoying House of Dragons
Trying out new LoTR series on Amazon tonight
Animal Kingdom series finale was last week. Somewhat good/rushed and therefore a bit unsatisfying of an ending. I think the younger “Smurf” was way better character to dislike than older Smurf, and it explains the origin stories better. They needed to do a more complete ending for Deran and Craig I thought. Overall it was a good ride, but just always below the greatness of a Sons of Anarchy type equivalent.
I hit a bit of an audiobook lull, and re-listening to a few old series to pass the time until some new pre-orders finally arrive.
Books looking forward to are:
Commune part 5, Joshua Gayou
Khaos, Jeremy Robinson
KTF part 1, Jason Anspach
Critical Mass, Daniel Suarez
These are all sequels or part of ongoing book series I have enjoyed.
I did finish “Eversion” by long-time favorite author Alastair Reynolds. Normally a space/sci-fi guy, this book is more mixed genre with traveling from days of pirates on ocean up thru space-faring. His usually solid, if not a bit thinking-man’s fare.
“The Signal” by Joshua Calvert was also interesting. Think; scientists find futuristic tech and capitalize on it, regardless of unknown consequences or hidden agendas of where it came from.
I don’t know of a ton of upcoming movies I am psyched for, but hopefully I get surprised.
Off top of my head, there is:
Blonde
Black Adam
Black Panther 2
Avatar 2
Then in 2023
Feb - Antman 3
March - Creed 3
March - John Wick 4
May - Guardians Galaxy 3
May - Fast X
June - Indiana Jones 5
I guess Solomon was correct about 2900 years ago when he wrote Ecclesiasts 1:9
“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”
God only knows how he predicted the movie release schedule of 2022/2023. Enjoy the holiday weekend all.
Dreamer
Been a while…dusty in here!
Finally watched “Peripheral” on Prime, and it was good. A mix maybe of Fringe and Ready Player One or Matrix (in terms of dystopian/caste system future). Got a bit of VR/tech and multiverse things going on. I know clubber or others pushed for this show, but the first half of first episode didn’t do a ton for me, mostly because I thought the show was going to stay largely in the present and the lead characters family seemed so depressing, but it got better in a hurry. Ending left a lot of questions and hope they are careful not to get too lost in the time/multiverse science of it all as that can become more convoluted than entertaining. Looking forward to season 2. Ironically so much better than Amazon’s boring disaster of LoTR series.
Next season of Titans is underway on HBO Max, and while still ok, I feel like they waste a ton of potential with this show sometimes. Last season was fairly good in spots.
Curse of Oak Island is underway, and they are, like, totally going to find, like, a ton of gold/treasure this year. I just know it. Yeah. Ha…addictive either way. Hard not to root for these schlubs, and I wish I could dig on the island for a week as an intern or something.
The Walking Dead ended…mixed bag. They killed off the hottest character on the show…gonna miss that woman. (sigh) Not sure how I feel about the spinoffs. Some of these shows try too hard to be woke vs focusing on good/interesting storylines. End of an era either way.
Heard Last of Us debuts in January…should be a new zombie show and hopefully good.
I didn’t see Black Panther 2 or Black Adam…worried I am not doing my part to stave off the end of movie theaters.
Andor was so good. Surprisingly good writing/story-telling. I didn’t get why a show about this character, but now it makes so much sense, as it is more about the roots/advance of the rebellion.
Dreamer
The Peripheral is one of the best SF series I have seen in the last years: it has something modern in it, you can feel the progress, the evolution of the SF genre on TV.
My attempts to read the book have failed so far, but I´m gonna give it a try again in the next weeks.
“Last of Us” looks very promising, I dont know why but in a way it reminds me of “The Road”.
I haven´t seen Andor yet, but I´ll watch it in the next weeks.
Diego Luna was amazing in Narcos Mexico (one of my favourite series, which I watched in original with subtitles, because of the beautiful slang).
The other day I discovered The Tulsa King, a show in which Sly Stallone does a very good job, despite his age. There´s nothing new in it, but I like it.
I can’t say the same thing about “The Old Man” (where Jeff Bridges is way too old for the role!), a show I abandoned very fast because of the bad character choices and horrible flashbacks that destroy the narrative. The book is pretty good though, that´s why I don´t understand how they could come up with such a poor script.
New SF books are hard to find, I might start rereading the older William Gibson series.
I didn’t mind the Old Man…fan of Jeff Bridges, but I agree harder to suspend disbelief. Keep in mind that Stallone is up there at about 76 yrs old now.
I also have been watching Tulsa King. Formulaic, like you said, but entertaining regardless. Interesting to see Stallone in a series vs movie.
Audible Stuff:
One of my favorite series was “Space Team” by Barry Hutchinson. Very funny, great characters. Helped me get thru crappy work period in 2019 and in early pandemic too. Then the author seemingly stopped writing. Turns out he wrote under an alias “JD Kirk” and wrote two sets of somewhat inter-related Scottish Crime thrillers that are laced with a ton of humor from their hard-nosed Scottish detectives. You will find “DCI Logan” as a series and “Robert Hoon” as another. I read them out of order (Logan comes first) but it doesn’t matter. The narrator has a fairly strong (to me) Scottish accent, but I got used to it fairly quickly and the dialogue cracks me up, and the crime/mystery/suspense is well-done too.
A ton of new books, really all sequels in longer series, are out, making for a good holiday listening season for me so far:
Craig Alanson “Failure Mode” (getting redundant though)
BV Larson “Sky World” (see above)
Jeremy Robinson “Khaos”
Olan Thorensen “A Fearful Symmetry”
RR Haywood “The Elfor One”
Jason Anspaugh “KTF Part 1”
Some of these series are over 15 books now…so they are getting repetitive, but the world is so familiar and comforting that it is like a new season of a favorite tv show. I think some should wrap up soon though.
On the lookout for new books, hopefully soon, by Benjamin Wallace, Dennis E Taylor, Keith Blackmore, Peter Clines, John Scalzi, Alastair Reynolds, Scott Meyer, Daniel Suarez, and Andy Weir, among others.
Dreamer
Gary Oldman at his best in “Slow Horses”, one of the funniest crime tv-series of the moment (on Apple TV+).
I read that as “Gary Coleman”.
But I also have covid. Blah.
Going back to sleep.
Dreamer
I hope you get better soon, Dreamer!
Right now I´m reading “Racing the Light” by Robert Crais, one of the writers who has managed to maintain an extremely high standard in all his books. The Elvis Cole (and Joe Pyke) series are well written, extremely realistic and very cool (unlike the Jack Reacher books who have become too simple for my taste).
The next book waiting on my ereader is “The Shards” by Bret Easton Ellis (the author of two of the best novels ever written: “American Psycho” (which I probably read over 20 times between 1992 and 2010) and “Glamourama”.
I´m waiting for “Critical Mass” the new Daniel Suarez SF thriller, which will appear by the end of the month.
“Tulsa King” was not bad (maybe a little bit too naive once in a while) and “Slow Horses” was a wonderful surprise (Mick J_agger´s theme song is sooo gut!).
Tonight I´m gonna watch the first episode of “The Last of Us”.