- I'm an Infinite Regressor, But I've Got Stories to TellMarch 8, 2025I have not yet finished reading it, as it’s a web novel that is continuously updated, but I still added it here, in case I forget about it. This novel does so many aspects well. Oftentimes, when you read novels, you wonder why the author even added this gimmick or trope because it’s not properly utilized. This is, for example, often the case with isekai novels, where isekai is used as a cheap trick to make the protagonist more relatable, instead of what it should really be— a second chance (the anime/novel Mushoku Tensei does this, for example, well). The same is true for regression. In this novel, the regression trope is expertly utilized. What makes regression great? Allowing the reader to see how situations in the story might differ if the protagonist had handled them in another way. This is exactly done by the framing of the novel, in which the novel is a diary for the protagonist, where he tells various stories from his life.
In addition to this, the author incorporates other tropes/clichés and memes from the zeitgeist very well and creatively. My favorite example for this is when the protagonist convinces a bunch of communist fairies to work as his supermarket (they all wear uniforms that consist of t-shirts with the face of Che Guevara printed on them) by promising them that, through this way, they can “bring the word of communism to the brethren of all nations.” Another plus point is that it incorporates a recent hobby of mine—philosophy. From simple namedrops (such as the friend of the protagonist being called Schopenhauer, referencing the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer or Wittgenstein) to parodies of philosophical positions (such as communism with the fairies).
My favorite arcs so far are Internationalist and Breakdown, which you can find starting at chapter 15 and 86, respectively.In the end, I want to leave you with this beautiful text passage:
“Finding reasons to live is good. That alone is already great. But I hope you live with as many reasons as possible, not just one.”
“…….”
“If a single drop of rain can make a person decide to die, a single line of music can give them a reason to live. When helping someone, try to create several reasons instead of just one. Gain. Goal. Curiosity. Self-examination. Simple amusement. Curiosity. Those thousand reasons can be reasons to kill someone and at the same time reasons to keep you alive.”
- Children of DuneMarch 7, 2025Children of Dune is the third installment in the Dune series and a sequel to Dune Messiah. It’s a fun book to read—I liked the direction it took, especially the final confrontation where all the characters meet up. Though I read the book a bit hastily, I think reading it more carefully would have given the dialogue and poetry much more meaning. Certain chapters were a bit boring, but that’s the nature of novels with multiple character points of view. Sometimes, you end up reading about a character in a situation you like less and just keep thinking, “When are we going back to the interesting points of view?”
Besides that, I loved what they did with the Preacher figure. I wonder if the author drew inspiration from Jesus for that character? - Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)March 6, 2025
This movie is a prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, which seamlessly connects to it. I watched it after Fury Road, which was kinda lame because you already knew how it ended. Just like Fury Road, it is a batshit crazy action movie with great VFX. Though I think the ending hammered the theme “revenge bad” a bit too hard—it could have been compressed more. 7/10.
- Dune MessiahMarch 6, 2025Dune Messiah is the second installment in the Dune series and a sequel to Dune. Many people dislike the book because Paul Atreides goes from being a hero in the first book to more of a villain, though I like that shift. The book’s theme—that it’s dangerous to trust a single messianic leader who promises salvation—is a timeless message, just as important today as it was in ancient times.
Besides that, the novel itself is fun to read—many moving parts, people scheming against one another, complex dialogue, the occasional interesting poem or song, and great worldbuilding and lore. - A Mathematician's LamentMarch 4, 2025It’s a short story that critiques how the current schooling system teaches math—robotic and algorithmic—which leads to few people being interested in math, many people hating it, and in the end, not much being learned. The author instead proposes teaching math more like a creative art form, where techniques and problems are set in a historical context, and problems are explored more playfully. This approach encourages students to come up with their own solutions, rather than simply using a prepared proof structure or applying a shown method.