Small thoughts on the books I've finished during November:
Shadow Prey (John Sandford, 1990): Fun thriller, better than "Rules" in a lot of ways, somewhat problematic in others. The almost "For the Evulz" mentality of the main villain is somewhat underwhelming. Could it be published today? Maybe, with some tweaks, especially regarding Shadow Love.
Viajeros en la Noche (George R.R. Martin, compiled 2012): I've read two stories from this Spanish compilation of science fiction stories by GRRM.
a. The Stone City: Didn't like it too much. A bit obtuse for me, I think. The ending had a very "House of the Undying" from AGOT feel.
b. The Way of Cross and Dragon: I liked it much more, maybe because it felt closer to me in some way. Reminded me of the Endymion duology by Dan Simmons.
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c. "Patrick Henry, Jupiter, and the Little Spaceship": Quite a somber story, and made me feel bad for the protagonist, even if at the same time I think of him as a sort of proto-Elon Musk (who I don't like) and SpaceX (a waste of resources).
d. Fast Friend: A tale of loss and coping with it. This time the intermixing of past and present was more effective, in my opinion. What happens to one of the characters made me think of a sci-fi version of dementia.
e. This Tower of Ashes: Another one I didn't really like. The MC is a bit entitled, and the mystery of what actually happened at the end is not really interesting.
f. Night Shift: Showing a sci-fi world from the perspective of a character that finds no wonder or excitement from it, I think it's one of the most interesting stories in this book. If it weren't from some sci-fi machines, it would almost describe any packing/shipping plant.
g. Bitterblooms: This one is also interesting, and (a common sentiment in this collection) also sad. I think the main character is the most fleshed out in the book, by far.
h. Nightflyers: Captivating read. At first I thought the theme was going to be something related to voyeurism, since it paid a lot of attention to how the characters were being watched all the time. I was a bit surprised when it turned into horror/mystery. The characters were well-defined. I felt like the ending didn't really hit the mark, though. The truth about the volcryn felt rushed.