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Posts published in “Book of the Week”

Book of the Week is an Opinion culture column created by Keenan Yates ‘23 used to give weekly book recommendations in the form of short blurbs and reviews.

Exploring the abyss in VanderMeer’s ‘Annihilation’

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer follows an unnamed biologist tasked to explore the mysterious “Area X,” which has been cut off from civilization, with a group of three other unnamed characters with different career backgrounds tasked with the job of studying and observing the tainted land.

New fantasy books are just built different

Recently, I have had a problem where the book I’ve bought and the book I read are completely different. This is not an issue of thievery but rather an intriguing description of overpromising and underdelivering consistently.

Educated: a semi-love-letter to the public education system

We often take for granted the ubiquitous things that we assume everyone has. Access to clean drinking water, access to food, and access to a warm place to sleep are things we are aware of that not everyone has access to.

A Tale of Two Cities: Dichotomies in violence and justice

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” The line is infamous in English literature as Charles Dickens’ 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, to frame the motif of duality throughout the seven monthly installments of the novel to-be.

Beggars in Spain: Sci-fi gene editing from future’s past

Human genetics remains a largely unexplored frontier in which our dabbling becomes an ethical debate of playing God. Before CRISPR gene editing technology was mainstream, the 1993 sci-fi novel Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress is set between 2008 to the 2030s and offers social and ethical commentary on present-day genetic engineering.

Brandon Sanderson advertisement

Brandon Sanderson has, over the past few years, become a very well-known figure in the fantasy community. His expanded universe, which contains several best-selling book series, Cosmere, has become one of the standout pieces of fantasy fiction in recent years.

The Comeback: The little ship that could

The oldest continuous trophy in sport that is still being competed for today is the America’s Cup. In 1851, an American-designed and built schooner, ‘America,’ began to compete in various regattas in the United Kingdom.