MagPiper
I'm Mags, a queer autistic book reviewer in grad school for English literature + interning in publishingšš
516 points
MagPiper finished reading and left a rating...
Ursula K. Le Guin wrote that the rational utopia is "pure structure without content; pure model; goal. That is its virtue. Utopia is uninhabitable. As soon as we reach it, it ceases to be utopia." The utopian society of A Psalm for the Wild-Built, where people have everything they need and live peacefully with the natural world, comes at this dilemma by questioning the human side of the problem through the exchange of ideas between a monk and robot. On the face of it, the novel is enjoyable enough. It's a twist on the historical format of a utopian novel since the time of Raphael Hythloday, where a traveler visits the perfect society and returns home to report on all the ways things are done differently over there in order to critique how things are actually done in the real world. In this story, the robot Mosscap is the traveler, and it's come to learn from our monk, Sibling Dex. But while Dex maintains how great everything is going in society, they themself struggle to articulate why no matter what they do, they are never satisfied. In this case, however, the worldbuilding you would expect from a novel like this was really lacking. The dialogue between Dex and Mosscap needed more context, and particularly since this story makes the conscious choice to focus on character rather than plot, it needed more depth to the cultural influence driving Dex's struggles. For me, the dialogue alone wasn't enough; I wanted the story to speak for itself, and I'm not sure it did that. It was a short and easy read, and a nice cozy story for late-night reading/listening. But I'm not sure if I'll be picking up the second installment. āā I listened to the audiobook version of this
0Post from the A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1) forum
Done! To be honest I'm slightly disappointed, but that might be because my expectations were too high. I'm not the biggest fan of stories where the characters just blatantly say to your face what the point of the story is. I'd rather the story speak for itself, and I'm not sure that this did.
0MagPiper commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
Hey! Does anyone have any tips for a first-time author wanting to work to get their work published? I have a collection of short stories I want to be published but it's less than 150 pages and I'm not sure how to go about reaching out to publishers/editors/etc. Thank you :D
1MagPiper commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
I am brand spanking new to TikTok and feel very silly with my 1 singular friend on there. Anyone want to exchange follows?? Iāve also been on bsky for a few weeks (ish?) and am always looking for folks who review/recommend books over there too! Iām @magpiperreviews on both :)
13MagPiper commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
I love getting incentive for reading more! Especially a points/awards based system. I hope to show off all my awards on my profile and maybe in the future we can see an app of this site?? It would make it easier to update but i know that takes time and money so for now i am definitely satisfied
7MagPiper commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
Maybe a strange question haha but I have to drive my mother to several eye appointments in the near future and itās over an hour each way so I want to listen to an audiobook. Most of what I read is queer speculative fiction. My mom mostly reads memoirs and historical nonfiction. Any idea what we could listen to??
16MagPiper commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
I am brand spanking new to TikTok and feel very silly with my 1 singular friend on there. Anyone want to exchange follows?? Iāve also been on bsky for a few weeks (ish?) and am always looking for folks who review/recommend books over there too! Iām @magpiperreviews on both :)
13Post from the Pagebound Club forum
I am brand spanking new to TikTok and feel very silly with my 1 singular friend on there. Anyone want to exchange follows?? Iāve also been on bsky for a few weeks (ish?) and am always looking for folks who review/recommend books over there too! Iām @magpiperreviews on both :)
13MagPiper commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
Maybe a strange question haha but I have to drive my mother to several eye appointments in the near future and itās over an hour each way so I want to listen to an audiobook. Most of what I read is queer speculative fiction. My mom mostly reads memoirs and historical nonfiction. Any idea what we could listen to??
16Post from the Pagebound Club forum
Maybe a strange question haha but I have to drive my mother to several eye appointments in the near future and itās over an hour each way so I want to listen to an audiobook. Most of what I read is queer speculative fiction. My mom mostly reads memoirs and historical nonfiction. Any idea what we could listen to??
16Post from the Lessons in Magic and Disaster forum
Okay so it wasnāt chapter 4 I was getting into ā every few chapters thereās a jump back in time to a different story, and THATāS the one Iām enjoying. This main story has its moments but it is SO slow. Like reading this is actually tedious for me. But I have a rule to never dnf arcs so letās keep going I guess
0MagPiper commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
I have two: Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones (every damn time I read itš) and Dancing After TEN by Vivian Chong (which is not my usual genre but wow it packed a punch). What books wrecked you emotionally??
18MagPiper wants to read...
Nettle & Bone
T. Kingfisher
0MagPiper joined a quest
Cozy Fantasy āØāļøš¤
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Fictional books that feel like a warm hug, featuring magic and whimsy and perfectly happy endings. These are lower on stakes and higher on good vibes!
0Post from the Pagebound Club forum
I have two: Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones (every damn time I read itš) and Dancing After TEN by Vivian Chong (which is not my usual genre but wow it packed a punch). What books wrecked you emotionally??
18MagPiper commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
It might just be a me thing haha but I've noticed I have a much easier time reading books with shorter chapters. If a chapter is 20+ pages, something in my brain has a hard time focusing even when I'm very invested. For example I read The Priory of the Orange Tree recently, and the book is long, but the chapters felt sooo long. Now I'm reading Heir of Fire and some chapters are 2 or 3 pages and I find it better to read this style of writing for some reason. Was curious how others felt, or if maybe I'm just the odd one š
25Post from the The Empress of Salt and Fortune (The Singing Hills Cycle, #1) forum
Iām enjoying this but the audiobook is definitely a little hard to follow. Thereās no warning when it jumps between timelines.
1Post from the The Empress of Salt and Fortune (The Singing Hills Cycle, #1) forum
Iām enjoying this but the audiobook is definitely a little hard to follow. Thereās no warning when it jumps between timelines.
0MagPiper started reading...
The Empress of Salt and Fortune (The Singing Hills Cycle, #1)
Nghi Vo
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