The first two books in the “Imperial Radch” trilogy seemed pretty inconsistent to me. Ancillary Justice was great, but Ancillary Sword failed to reach that standard. That’s why my hopes were high when I opened Ancillary Mercy; it’s also why my expectations were not. One of my complaints about Sword was its lack of character development. It left behind the most interesting relationships from Justice, and it didn’t do too much with the new people it introduced.

“Walking simulator” is probably one of the least appealing names of all the video game genres (though nothing beats “shmup”). That hasn’t stopped people from getting pretty excited about them, though. Gone Home is both one of the first games to earn the title and one of the most well-received. That’s why I chose it to finally see what the genre is all about. You play as Katie, a young woman returning to her parents’ home after a yearlong trip abroad.

Before I started reading, I wondered if/how author Ann Leckie would preserve the feeling of mystery that dominated Ancillary Justice. That’s not to say I had a good handle on everything. The previous book, a revenge plot, concludes with an uneasy alliance between the robotic protagonist and its adversary. This development, along with the author’s refusal to nail down the robot’s value system, made the space opera’s direction feel kind of, well, nebulous.

A lot’s been said about Mitch McConnell’s refusal to convict Donald Trump for high crimes and misdemeanors. The little I’ve read focuses on two criticisms. First is the tenuousness of his objection–that the Constitution forbids trying Trump now that he’s left office. Second is McConnell’s own role in delaying the hearing. Even if you support his interpretation, and even if you don’t suspect that he manipulated the circumstances, there’s still reason to object to his defense.

Years ago, I had this idea for a gimmicky MP3 player. It wouldn’t have a screen or any buttons; instead, it would play music and podcasts on a pre-defined schedule. I’d build it into an antique radio so that using it might feel a little like listening to an authentic radio station. The idea sat in the back of my mind for many years. The challenge was a bit outside my comfort zone, so I generally worked on more familiar projects.

Inspired by my buddy Boris’ yearly review of his favorite articles. Here are mine (though a handful were only “new to me” in 2020). Lifestyle How to shop without Amazon - a little repetitive, but a good message I Have Everything, but I’m Still Sad and Angry - written months before the pandemic hit the Western world, this ended up being even more important than I realized when I read it back in January The Singer Solution to World Poverty - Peter Singer’s The Life You Can Save influenced a lot of my thinking this year; this article is an extremely concentrated version of the moral argument The Cow Who… - an impressive melding of linguistics and ethics Blatant Benevolence - one of the more nuanced topics also covered by The Life You Can Save How to make a Personal SLA to find balance at work?

For me, picking up Ancillary Justice felt a lot like starting Hyperion. It wasn’t about their themes; in terms of subject matter, the two novels have very little in common. But both are almost universally acclaimed, and both are known for their ambitious, epic scale. So once again, I was bracing myself for ambiguity that comes from world-building in fanciful settings. It’s a good thing, too, because things get confusing fast.

Late last year, Edward Snowden published Permanent Record, a memoir focused on his role as an NSA whisteblower in 2013. The book appealed to me as a substantial account presented on Snowden’s own terms. As much as I enjoyed it, there was no getting around the risk of bias. Secondary sources started to seem more appealing to me because they could help understand if/how Snowden’s take was inaccurate. Although there was a wealth of such sources to choose from, I wasn’t convinced any of those authors could write authoritatively on the disclosure itself.

Continuing my careful, uncertain return to gaming, I decided to pick up the 2014/2015 title, Broken Age. Like so many Grim Fandango fans, I helped fund its development when it was first announced in 2012. I stopped playing video games over the course of its lengthy development process, but I never forgot about it. It’s surprising to realize that it’s been over eight years, but I tried not to let that affect my expectations too much.

“It’s pulpy, but it’s good,” my brother said as he handed me All Systems Red. I didn’t understand the distinction, but I was on board regardless. As he predicted, I read that quickly and went on to read the other three novellas in the series, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, and Exit Strategy. Not for nothing, these really ought to have been published as a single novel. They were released over the course of about a year and a half, so it’s not as though they individually required substantial research or revision.