skygiants: Jadzia Dax lounging expansively by a big space window (daxanova)
[personal profile] skygiants
I recently succeeded in convincing enough other people to read Julie Czerneda's Species Imperative trilogy that I had to reread it myself, and was delighted to find that I still enjoyed it approximately as much or more as the first time I read it in 2015.

([personal profile] genarti, who had to spend several days listening to me enthusiastically recapping plot events that she had already heard me enthusiastically recap for the first time seven years ago, may not have been quite so delighted.)

I pretty much stand by everything that I said in my post from the first time I read the books, but, because I'm still in a trilogy-hangover point when all I want to do is talk about them ad infinitum, I am nevertheless going to indulge in a brief recap of the best qualities of the books:

- the deeply affectionate enthusiasm for the minutiae of scientific research and politics
- the willingness to dive deep into alien mindsets and imperatives and push at the inevitable misunderstandings that may arise from mistaken cultural assumptions
- the wide range and compelling variety of extremely romantic dynamics in all of Mac's vitally important platonic relationships, including "we have been grimly battling for years over the bureaucratic administration of this protected land trust and as a result when push comes to shove you're the only person whose motives I trust," "we are star-crossed research partners and I love you but am deeply betrayed by your lack of genuine commitment to salmon migration patterns," and several iterations of "you're a beautiful and fascinating alien and our earnest attempts at cross-cultural communication have accidentally caused me to pledge you an unbreakable and intergalactic-civilization-altering loyalty"
- the deeply effective tragedy of [spoiler]
- how much time Czerneda spends lovingly describing her dream marine research facility
- how much time Czerneda spends lovingly describing her dream mountain vacation cabin
- how much time Czerneda spends lovingly describing her dream interstellar conference facility
- in fact the entire second book is 50% Ylvis' The Cabin (with aliens) followed by another 50% lovingly described interstellar academic conference and this is why it is the best book of the trilogy
- the fact that Mac's plaintive cry of "I study SALMON!" when presented with increasingly wild alien plot developments remains genuinely funny throughout the entire series

Date: 2022-07-19 03:10 am (UTC)
sheliak: Handwoven tapestry of the planet Jupiter. (Default)
From: [personal profile] sheliak
So delightful!

Except the love interest, who was cardboard. And even he was more interesting in his short-lived bureaucrat disguise before he revealed himself to be Love Interest TM.

Date: 2022-07-19 04:11 am (UTC)
alias_sqbr: the symbol pi on a pretty background (Default)
From: [personal profile] alias_sqbr
Yes it's so good!

Date: 2022-07-24 02:29 pm (UTC)
alias_sqbr: the symbol pi on a pretty background (Default)
From: [personal profile] alias_sqbr

Same!

Date: 2022-07-19 04:19 am (UTC)
landingtree: Small person examining bottlecap (Default)
From: [personal profile] landingtree
I'm only not leaping to start these immediately because I already leaped to start Anne Ursu's Breadcrumbs because of an old post of yours I read two days ago - this is a happy time for book recs!

Date: 2022-07-19 04:46 am (UTC)
ironymaiden: (Belle)
From: [personal profile] ironymaiden
This and the Inda books are my two “why the hell aren’t these beloved classics” series

Date: 2022-07-19 07:14 am (UTC)
vass: Small turtle with green leaf in its mouth (Default)
From: [personal profile] vass
Think I'm going to need to read this. *heavy sigh at already terrifying TBR list*

Also, thank you for Ylvis' 'The Cabin'. I hadn't seen it before, and it's incredible. (I had captions turned on, and they turned out to be in Italian, which definitely added an extra shape and dimension.)

Date: 2022-07-20 07:43 am (UTC)
vass: Small turtle with green leaf in its mouth (Default)
From: [personal profile] vass
"a large number of friendly spiders" is a rollercoaster of a phrase. Better than if they were actively hostile, of course, but I for one would prefer a smaller number of very aloof and reticent spiders.

Date: 2022-07-19 07:22 am (UTC)
lacewood: (Default)
From: [personal profile] lacewood
I read this years back following your rec, A+ ride, would read again if I can get around to getting hold of the ebooks. Beloved nemesis Charles Mudge was a DELIGHT and I completely agree "let's solve our inexplicable alien invasion problem with a PROPERLY ORGANISED ACADEMIC CONFERENCE" was the BEST plot.

Date: 2022-07-20 04:13 am (UTC)
lacewood: (Default)
From: [personal profile] lacewood
Ha, yes, the pandemic was probably the only way I could have ever gotten through the Gormenghast omnibus by virtue of never leaving the house and therefore never having to carry a small brick around >_> I love physical books but the siren song of being able to read books for the low low weightage of "my phone that I was already holding" is just too much to resist....

One day I aspire to creating a frenemy-ship as hilarious AND beautiful as Mac and Charles! Honestly I feel Nic would have been more fun if he just hadn't been shoehorned into being a Love Interest, Czernda is so good at writing interesting friendships? Stick with that?!?!

Date: 2022-07-19 07:53 am (UTC)
salinea: (Default)
From: [personal profile] salinea
oooh i have fond (but vague because it's been a while) memories of that series!

Date: 2022-07-19 01:06 pm (UTC)
asakiyume: created by the ninja girl (Default)
From: [personal profile] asakiyume
Wow, this sounds right up my alley! Making a note.

Date: 2022-07-19 01:48 pm (UTC)
sixbeforelunch: image of a cat peaking out from behind a row of books, no text (cat and book)
From: [personal profile] sixbeforelunch
Oh intriguing! I found the first book on Kobo for $4 so I'm going to give it a shot. :)

Date: 2022-07-20 05:50 am (UTC)
genarti: Knees-down view of woman on tiptoe next to bookshelves (Default)
From: [personal profile] genarti
Oooh, that's useful knowledge, thank you! I AM interested but my ability to read a three-volumes-in-one physical doorstopper in any kind of timely fashion has significantly decreased over the last few years. Kobo, however, is a much more practical format for me...

Date: 2022-07-31 11:45 pm (UTC)
shadaras: A phoenix with wings fully outspread, holidng a rose and an arrow in its talons. (Default)
From: [personal profile] shadaras
y'know I meant to reply to this when you first posted it but then my brain went NAH

I love Species Imperative! :D It's great! I should reread it again at some point! I own the first two books in paperback (and thought I owned all three, but apparently when I got the m from a used bookstore ages ago they only had the first two! alas.), and am saddened to hear you could only find them in omnibus form; I love the covers for the paperbacks.

I don't think I ever read her other books successfully, though I know I tried, because I really loved Species Imperative and expected to like her other books but they didn't quite click the right way for me somehow. xD If you do read more of her work, I'd be curious what you think!

(also +1 to the above comment about Inda, which I read in its entirety while recovering from top surgery, which was an absolutely fantastic way to spend days of enforced "no really you gotta chill". I keep thinking about rereading it, too, whenever it comes to mind...)
Edited (additional note about a different series) Date: 2022-07-31 11:47 pm (UTC)

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