Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson

Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Epic fantasy with a map. And a dramatis personae. And a glossary. Assassins, wizards, gods, and soldiers clash over one of the few remaining free cities, as the imperial forces advance.

All right, I suppose. I'm not overtaken with any of the foaming fervor of some of this series' hardcore fans, but then again I suspect its real strength lies in the complexity achieved over ten books. Because this was a pretty good epic fantasy, with complicated politics and destinies at stake and great powers moving, but the ideas far outshine the writing. The most obvious comparison is to George R.R. Martin, and Erikson makes a decent standing there, but his dialogue is overdramatic in places, his characters a bit too hastily drawn, and his prose perceptibly wobbly. And ultimately, I'm not running out right this second for the next book, though I will get to it.

I could see myself really getting into this a few books down the road, though, with the bigger tapestry unfolding. We'll see.

View all my reviews >>

Disability Bioethics

Disability Bioethics: Moral Bodies, Moral Difference by Jackie Leach Scully


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Argues that bioethics to this point has approached issues relevant to disability – genetic screening of embryos, refusing cochlear implants, etc. – without adequately addressing how the normative project of ethics can be squared with non-normative experiences of disability. That bioethics has been approaching disability from the perspective of the able-bodied frame of reference, which in my experience is completely true. She advocates for greater empirical and experiential work on ethics and disability, and suggests some fascinating ways that atypical somatic experiences can inform a person's subjective moral understandings, and thus a person's ethical beliefs about medical care.

Short but dense. I wouldn't recommend it for a newcomer to disability theory, certainly, as it's much richer with a contextual background. I was particularly interested in the chapter deconstructing narratives of disability in memoir and literature, and the brief but penetrating discussion of the enormously negative mainstream responses to chosen disability (disabled parents who choose not to prevent the birth of a disabled child, etc.). Smart and disturbing, and very helpful in my current thinking.

View all my reviews >>