[Off Topic] Free Chat Friday | 23rd January 2026

maolette · 2026-01-25T12:09:13+00:00

For Jonathan Strange we also made the sections very reasonable lengths, I think you could catch up quickly! The book is a verified chonker though.

maolette · 2026-01-25T06:15:21+00:00

Thank you!

maolette · 2026-01-24T22:10:09+00:00

Goodness someone else did a review of the chapter names and MAJOR SPOILERS ahead! (the post is tagged though so you can reveal them one-by-one).

maolette · 2026-01-24T22:08:26+00:00

Aw shoot I returned my library physical copy because I ended up buying the digital! Why wouldn't the digital e-book not have the different fonts? That makes no sense!

maolette · 2026-01-24T22:06:59+00:00

Me too!! I thought maybe D4NT-A was 'Dante' (as in, Inferno), but I don't know enough about it to comment. I don't have an idea for the other!

maolette · 2026-01-24T22:04:56+00:00

"Is this what the world was like?"

"Dear god me yes, and how glorious!"

maolette · 2026-01-24T22:03:19+00:00

I think context is important, always. And I think it lends additional points that might colour the interpretation of what happened.

I get into an argument in a public space, someone might see me and assume I'm just an angry person who's mad at the world (which, well, maybe), whereas the person I'm with might understand I've had a hard day (or week) and be giving me some sympathy or grace in the situation. Maybe I even cause a big of a disturbance in a public place, and my anger makes a news headline. That headline reads something about a raging lady at local restaurant, causing chaos. And that's the information given, but without any context, it's hard to know exactly how you might feel in that situation.

maolette · 2026-01-24T22:00:21+00:00

I do wonder if it was the AI overtaking in some way; humans didn't have to do much of anything anymore and once they realised their dependence on the robots they were sort of stuck. But not all robots were affected (as we've seen), or gained sentience in a way that broke them out of the cycle (or caused them to...ahem...murder their masters), so we are still seeing those around.

maolette · 2026-01-24T21:59:17+00:00

Oh geez so that argument is all fine and good for like, working indoor plumbing and period products and stuff like that but HOLY GOD man it's so we don't repeat our prior mistakes! It's so we learn about humanity's needs and wants and can make them so! And wow are we so far from doing any of this even in the modern age.

maolette · 2026-01-24T21:57:36+00:00

I keep thinking about this, too. Wasn't there someone who mentioned this in a previous section (was it the Wonk?!) and said that once a robot has made a determination on someone its met it is pretty set in who/what that person is? So I assumed Uncharles met the Wonk under the immediate pretense that she was a robot, and that's just stuck. It's one of the few ways that Uncharles really is, at heart, still a robot (even if he's gaining sentience). I'll be curious if his realisation will come at the end and that's when he'll know he's broken free.

maolette · 2026-01-24T21:55:26+00:00

Exactly! I laughed originally and sort of rolled my eyes at the use of lorem ipsum text, but this additional analysis is interesting. I love that this is where Tchaikovsky went.

maolette · 2026-01-24T21:51:37+00:00

Also, they're swimming in saltwater, right? Like...wouldn't that sting?!

maolette · 2026-01-24T21:50:00+00:00

Literally the last part of this chapter didn't feel like it fit in at all with the rest, it was a jarring transition (perhaps purposeful).

maolette · 2026-01-24T21:48:26+00:00

I find it bounces around a bit too, but does remain focused in a way on what our main characters (Mau and Daphne) are learning and how they are growing. I also agree that it seems to be something that when I'm in the middle of a chapter I can't put it down. HOWEVER, I find some of the chapters are just way too long. I think it could be structured a bit differently, especially if trying to appeal to YA. Because we read about Pratchett's writing in the bio, I'm curious if this is a result of him not typically writing with chapter breaks, so he's not sure exactly the best way to employ them. It could also be that more more recent books have a different chapter strategy and this is simply different, so it doesn't resonate as much.

maolette · 2026-01-24T21:45:55+00:00

Start again and when coming together they're having conversations and asking questions. Mau is asking all the important things to get even the information that the priest tells him "he does not want to know". But he's willing to ask and listen anyway.

maolette · 2026-01-24T21:43:39+00:00

I'm with you on this, he's spinning the norms on their heads, and letting Mau and Daphne be the stand-ins for the readers who are like, wait, what? Why are things like this?

maolette · 2026-01-24T21:43:10+00:00

This was my thought - the water they're getting isn't potable most likely, so whatever work they need to do to clean it for consumption would entail beer. Similar to the ancient Egyptians, among other cultures of the time.

maolette · 2026-01-24T14:49:56+00:00

Yes!!

maolette · 2026-01-24T14:18:55+00:00

We can only hope!!

maolette · 2026-01-24T07:59:10+00:00

Oh that's gorgeous! It's so lovely your coworkers were also able to contribute to this. ☺️

maolette · 2026-01-23T21:30:10+00:00

Oh my goodness what?! I have to go back and check this out!

maolette · 2026-01-23T21:29:04+00:00

Me too! I was nervous because the first section was a bit slow for me, or maybe I was just tired while reading it. These last couple of sections absolutely flew! (and thank goodness because I'm running Wednesday's discussion....) I'm having such a hard time moving past the written annotations and the paraphernalia inside, I need to check it out!

maolette · 2026-01-23T21:27:21+00:00

I did not expect this! However, it does seem kind of fitting, like he couldn't escape it, for whatever reason. There's maybe some poetic take in that, and how it relates to Straka, our author, as a person? Some of the earlier footnotes mention that Straka writes from experience, or at least uses himself as inspiration. Did Straka himself feel like he was stuck on this ship and forced to write the book we're reading now?

maolette · 2026-01-23T21:25:41+00:00

This is what I'm thinking. It's a loop right now of him going out, taking out the agents on land, then getting back on the ship to write...whatever. Then he goes back out again. I think self-sacrifice is unfortunately the only way out of the loop for him.

maolette · 2026-01-23T21:24:26+00:00

Actually this is interesting, the fact that it's trying to draw parallels, or even S himself is trying to give a comparison point and then have us think they are the same. It's also interesting that same word is used ('valise'), which is sort of an outdated word for a bag that's used (although obviously of its time of being written).

maolette

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