"This is a story of two people--one human, one inhuman--who linger in the hazy twilight that separates night from day. "
This manga is wonderfully strange and atmospheric. In this fairy tale like story, there are two kingdoms: "the Outside, where twisted beasts roamed that could curse with a touch, and the Inside, where humans lived in safety and peace."
In this tale we spent time with, and get to know, a young girl called Shiva, and a monster she calls Teacher. The thing to remember (and we often forget this), what is monstress is in the eye of the beholder. I loved the sweetness of their relationship, and the black and white art wonderfully sets the mood for this dark tale, but there are so many things that are not clear as of yet. Things are revealed slowly, and I expect future volumes to fill in the blanks. This is a fun quick read. Rating: 3 stars.
142. The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún Vol. 2
Just take a look at the cover art. It's a good example of how wonderful the art is in this Manga series.
This installment of the story shed more light on this dark fairy tale of a story. To be touched by a monster makes you a monster, and Shiva has been touched by one. What does will happen to her?
There are some wonderful sections in this one, especially surrounding the relationship between young Shiva and Teacher. However, there are also sections (the lake and creatures for example) that do not make sense, but I'm sure there is a larger tapestry that I am unable to see at this reading. I continue to love the art, but the story is not fleshed out enough yet for my tastes. Rating: 3 stars.
143. The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún Vol. 3
Oh, I understand so much more with this installment of this fun Manga series. Things are starting to make more sense in this sweet and dark tale. The art continues to be lovely and I could look at these detailed pen and ink frames, with what looks like the crosshatching of a person not entirely sane, for hours. There's more action, and not as many tea parties in this one, but I think this is the best in the series so far. Since, there is not much I can say without spoilers, all I'll say is that I'm on board for the ride and cannot wait for the rest of the series to get published. Rating: 4 stars.
144. Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow
I listened to the audiobook, which is wonderfully narrated by Derek Perkins.
His book Sapiens was the best book I read in 2015, so when Harari released this one I got my hands on it as soon as I could. Then it sat on my TBR pile, not because I wasn't excited to read it, but because this author makes me work.
Reading his books is not an easy thing to do. He writes about the history of humans, and then projects us forward in time to possible futures. He writes about religion, philosophy, and all the isms, about technology, and medicine, and science, and social media, and the meaning of life, and really almost everything about what what it means to be human. And he does it all in a very easy to understand, accessible manner. So when I say it's not an easy read, it not about how he writes, but rather what he writes about. He makes me think, he makes me question, he upsets my mental models, and as I expected, he changed how I look at myself, humanity, and our future. That's where the work is. This is not a light, fluffy read, so wait until you are in the mood to do some heavy lifting, mentally speaking, and then settle in for a read that will change how you see yourself and the world.
I'm not going to summarize the main points of this book, because I want you to experience those Ah-Ha moments for yourself. But here's a teaser: Did you know that in 2014 a Japanese venture capital firm, Deep Knowledge, named an artificial intelligence (AI) to its board of directors? The robot, named Vital, was chosen for its ability to pick up on market trends ‘not immediately obvious to humans.' It wasn't a one-off either.
The evolution from Homo Sapiens to Home Deus is a thrilling, scary, fascinating, horrifying, enlightening, terrible, educational, entertaining, compelling, and humbling ride. Highly recommended for every human who doesn't want to go the way of the Dodo. I am not the same person I was before I read this book. Is there any higher praise? Rating: 5 stars.
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