Read Jen Williams’ The Winnowing Flame trilogy, induced by two British Fantasy Awards associated with the first two volumes. This is quite a disappointing series, the more one goes through the story. At the start, while I found the story rather simplistic in its world building and in repeating the all-too-common pattern of a very few individuals saving the planet from a recurrent alien invasion (and even more the blob nature of said aliens!, as I am adverse to blob scenari, ever since as a teenager I wrote a terrible short story on a blob invasion!!), I appreciated the character of Vintage (!), both vigneronne and femme savante. A most unusual combination in fantasy books. However, I disliked the mix of fantasy (multiple kingdoms, swords, dragons, and a mostly primitive society) and science-fiction (spaceships, magic-driven trains). The cliffhanging final chapter of each of the volumes was rather heavily predictable and the inconsistency in the characters’ psychology a major flaw, including interminable back-and-forth between their respective feelings. And a poor ending to the trilogy due to the ever changing nature of the invasive creature(s) that survives all attempts at destruction until it doesn’t. Plus laughable mundane parts worrying about clothes and picnics while the entire world is under existential threat.
Had consecutively whitlow and singles, which gave me the opportunity to seek the English version of those viral infections. The former was possibly caused by gardening barefoot and quickly got away, while the later was a bit of a mystery, since it is not contagious (even though I cannot but relate to the fact my mother got it two weeks earlier). It got circumscribed to one eyebrow, but a general itching along the cranial nerves that has not yet vanished. Fortunately, it did not impact my running times!!
Watched Glitch, a Korean sci-fiction series, so absurd it is hilarious. Painfully slow as usual, but with a surprising ending. And the second season of The Wheel of Times, loosely following the second volume, The Great Hunt, still burdened with a kitch rendering of the WoT universe, predictable twists, caricaturesque characters (Liandrin!, Matt!) and too much inner questioning.
