Mark Schiffer

Walton is a treasure

I wanted something cold and powerful, and by god this was both

Gave me exactly what I wanted, a critical and enjoyable collection of essays examine every piece of media in the Myst franchise. Loved it.

A success on such a large scale that it's difficult for me to write about. Check it out!

Really enjoyable and informative, if a bit self congratulatory? Easy reread at some point though.

This and Batuman's previous The Idiot are both fabulous campus novels which I'd recommend to any former humanities student.

Suuuuper dark/bleak characters, otherwise the dopest underwater sci-fi horror out there.

A new favorite. These essays have been guiding my sci fi reading a ton

“Not since Gone Girl!” - Blazingly fast read

Perfectly readable queer coming of age in San Francisco. Easy recommend, tons of great history but never feels stodgy or overwhelming. The human element is always prioritized.

Some of the most fascinating worldbuilding I've encountered. Bleak, human, liminal. Unputdownable. Exactly what I needed.

Some pretty wild linguistic work building up what actually is a pretty straightforward space opera. A bit of “pushing through” at the beginning totally paid off, easily my favorite Delany so far.

Must-read

Easily my favorite Le Guin I've read so far. Ranks with Borges and Calvino. Glorious, meta-anthropological explorations. Chill vibes, perfect prose.

Not an easy read emotionally but such a trip psychologically. I guess this is my favorite “new wave” novel.

I found this unbelievably diverting. Read like a novel.

Tore through this one-super compelling and readable character centered horror.

It was fine, but I think listening to the audiobook actually hurt my reading of it. Kind of disorienting. Might have to revisit this one in physical form.

I thought I'd burned myself out on ghoulish horror novels set in the British countryside, but I settled into this one like a warm bath. Easily my favorite of the Taylor I've read so far.

Not sure I know understand what it meant but man this was cool.

Nothing revelatory, but solid setting and structure. Diverting enough thriller.

Really loved this one. Incredible characters and dialogue driven set pieces. Excited to see Yang's TV show based on it.

Well intentioned but maudlin and simplistic

Reread, really enjoy a great pop culture study.

Solidly structured and engaging historical fiction

I needed something cozy and this gave me that and more.