Oracne's Brain Radio

Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench and Brendan O'Hea grew out of a series of interviews O'Hea intended for archival purposes, about Dench's memories of all her Shakespeare roles. After her grandson overhead them talking, the idea arose to turn their talks into a book, which was a great idea. I enjoyed reading this so very much I didn't want it to end, and now I've realized I should probably find a production of Cymbeline and watch it, as well as the rest of the Henry plays. This is a chatty book (since it originated as actual chatting between old friends) that also is supremely informative about how this particular actor interpreted her parts, and her philosophy on the art of acting, and what she learned from her various mentors. I loved that she would sometimes say she wished she'd play a certain part differently if she did it now. There's also a fair few anecdotes about productions and working with different directors and actors. If you're into theatre, or into Shakespeare, or just interested in an entertaining person talking, definitely check this out.

They're Gonna Give You Hell by unlimitedInk is an epic Mandalorian farce that also has some important found family and leadership themes. Shortly after dropping off Grogu with Luke Skywalker, Din Djarin missed him painfully and goes to mope around Tatooine. I'm not sure how much to spoil of this, but I'll just say a swathe of different Mandalorian sects become involved in trying to figure out who will lead them and where they will go, a couple of unexpected sentiences are revealed, more than one Armourer shows up, and Boba Fett is grumpy. If you are a Bo Katan fan, don't read this one.

Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair by tigriswolf is a very sweet Winter Soldier story; shortly after freeing himself from Hydra, he encounters an asthmatic child who's run away from abuse and immediately becomes protective, which leads to him slowly recovering himself and learning to be a person again, while putting the child first. He and his adoptive daughter make their own family and make a home; only then is able to bring Steve Rogers back into his lift.

Dark Side of the Moon by imogenbynight is a Supernatural AU in which Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak are astronauts. Dean, an engineer, is on the moon when an unthinkable tragedy happens and he needs rescue; Castiel is part of the rescue crew. Aside from being able to travel back and forth to the moon without orbital constraints, this is a somewhat realistic space story, with some spooky parts in the middle.

An Ever-Fixed Mark by AMarguerite is an epic Soulmark AU of Pride and Prejudice in which Elizabeth Bennet's soulmark reads "Fitzwilliam." And she marries Colonel Fitzwilliam, who in this story is terrific, but fair warning, he dies of a wound, and then, slowly, Elizabeth comes to realize she a second happy marriage might be possible. I enjoyed this a lot and did I mention it's epic? Buckle up, it's a long ride in a bumpy carriage with lots of intriguing meta examination of Soulmarks and the various ways they could be interpreted.

I've found it difficult to get a post in on Wednesdays, because I am now in the office that day and don't feel like getting back on the computer when I get home. So I've been compiling for when I do have time to post, and still using the same tag to keep everything together.

The Building of the House by kvikindi is set in the X-Men movieverse after X-Men: Apocalypse, and is a terrific interpretation of Peter Maximoff's speed powers through narrative style. Peter is the pov character and his breathless very very long digressive sentences, skimming along the surface of truths he doesn't want to admit to himself, are just brilliant. Peter's finally met his father, who is a grim supervillain; what is he going to do about it?

the wires for empathy by napricot is a slow burn romance and road trip story about The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. They work at finding ways to use super powers for making things better without punching people; replacing destruction with community. It's great.

stop the world (for a moment) by azurewaxwing for thievinghippo is an ice skating AU of the Chinese show The Untamed, which I haven't seen in its entirety; I am sure I missed some in-jokes. Set in the modern day, Lan Zhan is a popular erudite figure skating commentator whom the network has unexpectedly paired with motormouthed former skater Wei Ying. The near-opposites turn out to work well together. I particularly enjoyed how they practice together by commenting on other sports.

A Series of Unfortunate Collisions by Scourge_of_Nemo is a Star Wars AU in which bounty hunter reality shows are a thing. Hardscrabble hunter Din Djarin, striving to support his adoptive son Grogu and the children of his covert, only slowly realizes he's in a slow burn romance with major figure Boba Fett. I always like seeing art from the artist's side, and I loved that Fennec Shand's editing skills are highly valued.

My Heart Will Be Your Home by dr_girlfriend is a sweet Avengers AU and Bucky Barnes/Clint Barton romance. Clint had left the spy life behind when he and his wife Bobbi Morse had a child; now divorced, he's a single father who encounters the Avengers in the midst of an attack. It's a sweet story about two people with a lot of regrets and pain learning to move forward.

Not a Second Time by FaustianSlip is an epic M.A.S.H. sequel, set during the Vietnam War. B.J. Hunnicutt has not been in touch with Hawkeye Pierce since they left Korea, and he also hasn't told Hawkeye why. Drama ensues when Hawkeye's elderly father dies and, overwhelmed by loneliness and loss, he enlists in the Army. Margaret Houlihan tells B.J., who realizes he can't suppress his feelings any more. This story had a very old school slash feel, with some excellent historical detail, and a lot of same-sex relationships playing out despite the less-welcoming time period.

The last of my January reading! I'm going to try and keep up with this better; I have been devouring fanfiction but not writing everything up.

Anamnesis by linman is for Simon Illyan fans; it's a collection of missing scenes from Lois McMaster Bujold's Memory all relating to the memory loss Simon experiences in that book, and how he adjusts afterwards. If you haven't read the book, this story probably won't make sense, but if you have, I found it beautiful.

unless you play it good and right by trell (qunlat) is a Vorkosiverse slash casefic in which Ivan Vorpatril accompanies Byerly Vorrutyer on a mission for ImpSec, while pondering how to tell By that both he and his Jacksonian wife are interested in a romantic relationship if By is also interested. By, of course, is also pining for Ivan but feels he's now off-limits because he's married. It all works out great in the end.

The Blood in Your Veins by Aelaer is a Marvel universe alternate universe that sets up the beginning of a Tony Stark/Stephen Strange relationship. Mostly, however, it's about Hollywood science, being held captive, and then escaping. Set during Tony's palladium poisoning in Iron Man 2, he's been captured by the Ten Rings. An assortment of doctors, including pov character Strange, have been kidnapped to keep him alive. Strange is early in his career and is characterized as lonely and socially awkward but still confident in his abilities; he develops connections with the other doctors. Content warning for one upsetting death of an original character.

Our Guard (a docu-holo sponsored by the Coruscant Communications Bureau) by FortinbrasFTW is yet another Star Wars fixit for the events of The Clone Wars. Point of view character Fox, head of the Coruscant Guard, is being followed around by a camera droid when he accidentally causes what he thinks is a disaster but of course is really, really not. I enjoyed how The Force was portrayed in this story as well as the ins and outs of how the war is ended.

the ship in port is the safer one (but it's not the reason it was made) by KiaraSayre is a direct sequel to the first AU Star Trek movie (with Chris Pine). What happens when a recent cadet is placed in charge of a starship? While their first mission is simple, the many problems a captain must solve are not. This story is all about problem-solving and learning experiences, so I enjoyed it a lot.

Some Honorable Deed by Maykenfan is a Vorkosiverse Alternate Universe in which Aral Vorkosigan returns to Beta Colony with Cordelia instead of returning to Barrayar after the death of Prince Serg. They're settled in, Aral's in therapy, and they've banked embryos when Simon Illyan arrives to inform them of the death of Emperor Ezar. Aral becomes Regent, but while some major events adhere to canon, many others don't. I enjoyed this in the way I usually enjoy AUs, especially the relationships that played out differently due to the branching-off point, and more characters living through the story than in canon. Padma Vorpatril lives, and his relationship with Aral is a delight.

Far from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson is a murder mystery set on a spaceship that starts out slow and then grows steadily weirder. I enjoyed it a lot, mostly because it didn't follow patterns I expected. The worldbuilding includes interstellar travel, but no massive empires, only isolated habitats and colony worlds that rely on AI pilots and sentient "artificials" who are often in humanoid form. There's an underlying theme of the harm capitalism can cause, and the results of unchecked power attained without compassion. Content warning for a bit of gore and being trapped on a spaceship you can't trust.

Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree is a prequel to Legends and Lattes, set early in orc narrator Viv's career as a mercenary. When she's sidelined in a small town by a leg wound, boredom leads her to make new friends and try new experiences in a way that will influence her later in life, after she retires and opens a coffee shop. So, basically, it's very similar to Legends and Lattes, and if you liked that one, you will very likely enjoy this one as well. I actually liked it a bit better because of the deft commentary on genre books and reading and what those things do for us as people. It was soothing and hopeful. Recommended.

I have managed to remove three more things from my To Be Read bookshelf! I visited Chez drinkingcocoa Saturday, and while she assembled a plant stand with a very satisfying small mallet, I read books which have been on my shelf since they came out approximately fifteen years ago (ouch!).

The Good Neighbors by author Holly Black and artist Ted Naifeh is a series of three short young adult graphic novels: Kin, Kith, and Kind. The art is black and white and very Goth-y in style, which suits a creepy, atmospheric story of dark Faerie intruding on the mortal world. When the first installment opens, teenaged Rue's mother has been missing for several weeks and her father is in a stupor of depression; Rue's shocked when he's accused of murdering one of his students as well as her mother, a mystery which is not entirely solved until much later. Rue sometimes sees strange beings invisible to others; of course it turns out she has faerie blood, and with her boyfriend and two other closest friends, is soon caught up in trying to prevent an incursion of immortals. As usual with Black, the teenagers are vividly realistic with complex problems resonating with the supernatural plotline.

The Royals And The Ramblers by copperbadge includes a lesbian romance, but also there is a pregnancy/surrogacy plot and an adoption plot along with lots of new characters, most of them Eddie Rambler's family. Since I was reading this for the characters, I was not fussed about the many plots happening and enjoyed spending time in this world.

Are You Out There, Can You Hear This? by lannamichaels is a Vorkosiverse AU in which Duv Galeni was a DJ of Komarran music, and Emperor Gregor became a fan of Komarran music through listening, while maintaining his anonymity. Part Two of this series explores the online bulletin boards for Komarran music in a very realistic and broad-ranging way, and gave me a profound nostalgia for the topical bulletin boards and mailing lists of the 1990s, which I suspect the writer might share.

This is actually several weeks' worth of reading.

Mutiny on the Reliant by WerewolvesAreReal is a Temeraire AU in which Laurence and newly-hatched Temeraire are set adrift and end up in charge of a pirate fleet, as one does.

Declensions by dustorange explores Dick Grayson's, or in this story Rasit Grisijo's, life with Bruce Wayne from Dick's point of view. It starts with the murder of his parents, his Romani father and Turkmenistani mother, so his sense of isolation and distrust when he's taken into Gotham foster care and then adopted by Bruce is palpable. Writer Devin Grayson was the first to assign Robin/Nightwing Romani heritage, pointing out that there was no prior canonical ethnicity to the character, and it was picked up by several authors after that.

Lost and Found by Gwynne is set in the Vorkosiverse (Lois McMaster Bujold) after Gregor and Laisa have children; while book characters all have large roles, original Vor characters are the focus. This series felt, to me, a bit like Georgette Heyer in tone, with a romantic couple in each of the two main stories. I enjoyed it a lot.

One of Many Great Fires by delgaserasca is a Star Trek alternate universe in which Vulcan did not join the Federation but is now considering it if a Starfleet officer will enter into an arranged marriage with a Vulcan. James Kirk gets volunteered. The potential partner is T'Pring, currently bonded to Spock, who tries to save the treaty by helping Kirk. Romance ensues...but very, very, very slowly and with a subplot about Spock's mother Amanda, who survived an assassination attempt, a lot of fun speculation about Vulcan culture, and some terrific T'Pring characterization.

I've been reading The Desert Storm by Blue_Sunshine for roughly two weeks, and am almost done. It's over a million words of Star Wars time travel AU: when Luke and Leia are small, Ben Kenobi is caught in a sandstorm on Tatooine and ends up in his own past, when Anakin Skywalker is only three or four. Ben takes Anakin and his mother Shmi to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, not revealing his identity because his younger self is around, and starts trying to make changes to save the Jedi Order and the galaxy from the Sith. This is taking him a while. There're a bajillion characters from the various Star Wars cartoons as well as the prequel movies, and some original characters, and of course each change causes more changes. I very much enjoyed all the elements about Jedi culture, Mandalorian culture, and Alderaan, without knowing what was canonical and what was original. The story gets indulgent at times (appropriate for fanfiction!), and needs serious proofreading, especially for certain homonyms, but that didn't stop me from reading this epic as a way to get through a difficult time.

I am assuming that eventually the Sith are defeated. There's a subsequent series that's still in progress. I'm not sure if I'm going to go on to that one or not, but I subscribed so I'd know when it was done.