REVIEW: Stone and Sky (Rivers of London, #10) by Ben Aaronovitch (3-stars)

 I’ve been a fan of Ben Aaronovitch’s “Rivers of London” series since my good friend Matt first loaned me books 1-5 of the series many years ago.  I thoroughly enjoyed the sense of humor, the urban fantasy worldbuilding and its commitment to diversity. I have been looking forward to the latest installment in the series – which includes graphic novels and novellas.  

Unfortunately, plot and character seem to fall short in “Stone & Sky,” and I found more than a few distracting representational and structural issues that reduced my overall enjoyment.  More than previous installments in this series, this one (combined with my recent reading of the “Springtime Masquerade” and the two most recent graphic novels) illuminated questions about authenticity, authorial gaze, and the limits of metaphor in fantasy fiction.  

From uneven portrayals of queer relationships to the infantilization of magical beings, from the overuse of white male cultural references to the stylized rendering of dialect and slang, Stone & Sky reveals cracks in the series’ inclusive veneer. What emerges is a pattern of selective authenticity—where some identities are explored with depth and care, while others are flattened, exoticized, or reduced to narrative shorthand.

Queer characters have been present throughout the series—Thomas Nightingale, the emotionally reserved wizard, and Augustus “Gussie” Berrycloth-Young, a flamboyant figure in The Masquerades of Spring. Yet their romantic or sexual lives are treated with restraint, stylization, or humor. Nightingale’s queerness is acknowledged but rarely explored with emotional intimacy. Gussie is rendered as a campy, comedic figure whose attraction to men is more implied than deeply felt.

In contrast, Stone & Sky devotes significant narrative space to Abigail Kamara’s emotional and romantic attraction to Ione, a new female character. Abigail’s feelings are described with vivid emotional texture—her longing, her confusion, her desire. This disparity raises a critical question: why is a teenage girl’s same-sex attraction rendered with such depth, while adult queer male relationships remain emotionally muted?

Abigail is portrayed as a teenager in Stone & Sky, though her exact age is never explicitly stated. Based on the series’ internal timeline, she was born in 2000, which would make her 24 or 25 if the book is set in 2024–2025. However, the tone of the narrative—and the way her emotional development is framed—suggests she is still in her late teens. 

The narrative lingers on Abigail’s feelings for Ione in a way that feels less like a teenager discovering her identity and more like an adult imagining what that discovery might feel like. The emotional intensity, combined with the sensual framing, risks crossing into voyeurism -- especially given that the author, a white man in his 60s, is writing from the perspective of a teenage girl.

Writing across lines of identity—age, gender, race, sexuality—is not inherently problematic. But it requires care, humility, and a deep understanding of the lived experiences being portrayed. When a teenage girl’s romantic feelings are described with more emotional and sensual detail than any adult relationship in the series, it raises questions about authorial intent.

Is this Abigail’s authentic voice, or is it Aaronovitch’s projection of what a teenage girl might feel? The line between empathy and appropriation is thin, and in Stone & Sky, it feels increasingly blurred. The result is a portrayal that risks centering the author’s imagination more than the character’s truth. Back to Abigail’s voice in a moment.

Complicating matters further is the fact that Ione is not just a girl—she’s a siren, a magical being capable of manipulating human emotion through song. This raises a fundamental question: is Abigail’s attraction to Ione genuine, or is it the result of magical influence?

If Ione’s presence or voice can enchant anyone, then Abigail’s feelings may not be uniquely queer—or even uniquely hers. They could be induced, universal, or illusory. The narrative does not clearly interrogate this possibility, instead presenting Abigail’s emotional / hormonal / pheromonal experience as unquestionably real. This ambiguity undermines the authenticity of the queer representation the book seems to offer. If the attraction is magically induced, then it’s not a story about queer identity—it’s a story about manipulation and consent.  Is Abigail truly consenting if she’s under the influence of glamour?  Ione is presented as being at least 18 and heading off to uni – which further complicates the consent issue.  

The Rivers of London universe is populated with magical beings—faeries, selkies, talking foxes, river gods—who often serve as metaphors for marginalized or misunderstood communities. While this can be a powerful narrative device, it also risks reinforcing stereotypes through fantasy proxies.

The fae are portrayed as beautiful and emotionally distant; the foxes as tribal and cunning; the rivers as territorial and often exoticized. These portrayals can feel like stand-ins for real-world racial, ethnic, or social groups—especially when their behaviors are framed through suspicion or danger. As Borowska-Szerszun (2021) notes, Aaronovitch’s work attempts to challenge the “habits of Whiteness” in fantasy fiction but also reveals the “friction and negotiation” involved in representing difference.

When magical beings are used to explore social issues without naming them directly, it creates a safe distance for the author but also a lack of accountability in how those metaphors land.

Characterization of voice, intelligence and other traits is another very noticeable part of “Rivers of London.”  I remember the first time that I read D.H. Lawrence and couldn’t understand the dialect representation of the “lower class” manner of speaking.  Aaronovitch frequently and unevenly represents Jamaican patois, Scottish, Irish and Caribbean English phonetically as “dialect,” while “standard” British or American English is not, implying a linguistic norm and effectively othering some of the characters.  Using this technique can reinforce caricatures or reduce characters to their accents.  It also creates a power imbalance in representation – regional or ethnic pronunciations are marked as “different” or “exotic” while others are normalized.  

For example, more than in previous books in the series, Abigail’s dialogue is peppered with contemporary London slang, including terms like “bare,” “peng,” and “peak,” which are common in Multicultural London English (MLE). This is consistent with her earlier portrayals as a sharp, streetwise teen from South London who is very smart, picks up Latin and is training to be a wizard. However, in this novel, the use of slang feels exaggerated—almost performative—and stands in contrast to the way other young characters speak. Ione and her cousin Duncan, despite being close in age to Abigail, speak in a more neutral, almost formal tone (aside from occasional “Scottish as dialect” representations).

This inconsistency raises questions about why Abigail’s voice is so heavily stylized. Is it meant to emphasize her “urban” identity? If so, it risks reducing her to a stereotype—especially when other characters of similar age and background are not written with the same linguistic markers. It also reinforces a sense of “othering” within the narrative: Abigail becomes the “voice of the streets,” while others are allowed to speak more generically.

Rather shockingly – there are assertions made about the communication abilities or styles of other species / characters in the book.  The selkies—mythical seal-people—are depicted as unable to speak English. Instead, they “bark,” and their communication is described in animalistic terms. This portrayal strips them of linguistic agency and positions them as less-than-human, even though they are sentient beings with their own culture, and clearly intelligent enough to be pursued and enslaved/indentured to work on deep marine oil projects. 

This is compounded by a moment in which Beverley Brook, a river goddess and Peter’s wife, mentions attempts to communicate with bottle-nose whales—and dismisses them as “kind of stupid.”  While this may be intended as a humorous aside, it reinforces a troubling pattern: magical or non-human beings are often portrayed as primitive, unintelligent, or linguistically inferior, especially when they don’t conform to human (and specifically English-speaking) norms.

The portrayal of the talking foxes adds another layer to this critique. These creatures are shown to be technologically advanced—they have specially adapted tools to access the internet, maintain networks with humans for medical care and transportation, and operate with a high degree of autonomy. Yet Peter remarks, “if someone taught them to be spies then their teachers left some major gaps in their vocabulary.” This line, while humorous, undermines the foxes’ intelligence and agency.

Moreover, the foxes’ speech is rendered in a simplified, stylized dialect. They use phrases like “big diggy thing” instead of “boring machine,” which may initially seem charming or whimsical. But this linguistic reduction can also be read as a form of intentional infantilization—a way of making their intelligence appear quaint or incomplete. It’s possible Aaronovitch intended this as a commentary on how the foxes perceive human language, or even as a subversive joke about humans needing things “dumbed down.” But without clear narrative framing, it risks reinforcing the very stereotypes it might be trying to critique.

In effect, the foxes are presented as a paradox: technologically sophisticated, yet linguistically and culturally “othered.” Their dialect becomes a marker of difference, and their intelligence is constantly undercut by the way they are spoken about—and made to speak. This mirrors broader patterns in literature where dialect is used to signal inferiority or exoticism, especially when applied unevenly across characters.

This kind of framing echoes real-world colonial and racial narratives, where language and intelligence have historically been used as tools of dehumanization and domination. When magical beings are denied language—or mocked for their perceived lack of intelligence—it reinforces a hierarchy in which human (and often white, Western) characters are the default standard of intellect and civility.

In a series that otherwise tries to explore multiculturalism and magical diversity, this kind of portrayal feels regressive. It undermines the richness of the magical world by reducing some of its inhabitants to caricatures or comic relief.

Finally, let’s address a few of the larger, overarching tropes including the “Immortal White Wizard.” Thomas Nightingale, born in 1900, is over 120 years old in the Rivers of London timeline. Yet due to magical intervention, he appears to be in his early 40s—an ageless, elegant figure at the peak of his physical and magical power. He is consistently portrayed as the most powerful practitioner, the calm center of magical authority, and the one who saves the day when things spiral out of control.

In contrast, Peter Grant—young, Black, and the series’ protagonist—is often associated with chaos, improvisation, and collateral damage. His investigations are messy, his magic unpredictable, and his victories often come at a cost. While this may reflect a more modern, fallible hero archetype, it also reinforces a troubling dynamic: the older white man as the eternal, infallible guardian, and the younger man of color as the well-meaning but unstable apprentice.

This dynamic is further complicated by the fact that Nightingale’s age is magically concealed, allowing him to retain the visual and narrative authority of a man in his prime, while Peter is constantly reminded of his limitations—by others and by the narrative itself. For example, someone mentions that they “pulled a Peter” in the story.  Ouch.

Why does the old white man get to be timeless, powerful, and composed, while the younger Black protagonist is framed as volatile and reactive? This imbalance echoes a long tradition in fantasy literature where wisdom, power, and control are embodied in white, male, often aristocratic figures, while characters of color are positioned as learners, disruptors, or comic relief.

I also saw that the canon namechecking to be rather overbearing and too “insider-y” to be enjoyable.  Throughout Stone & Sky, Aaronovitch peppers the narrative with references to iconic figures and franchises—almost all of them white and male:

• Star Trek (Gene Roddenberry)
• Saruman (J.R.R. Tolkien)
• John Connor (Terminator)
• Darth Vader (Star Wars)
• Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who)
• The Lord of the Rings (“One does not simply…”)
• Neil Gaiman, referenced via the phrase “Neil Gaiman black”

These references are often used for humor or shorthand, but cumulatively, they reinforce a very narrow cultural canon—one that centers white male creators and their visions of fantasy, science fiction, and heroism.

This is especially jarring given the book’s attempt to foreground a young Black British girl as a protagonist. Why is Abigail—who is otherwise written with a distinct voice and cultural identity—constantly filtered through the lens of white male geek culture? Why not reference Octavia Butler, N.K. Jemisin, Marjorie Liu, or even Afrofuturist icons like Sun Ra or Janelle Monáe?

Even the reference to “Neil Gaiman black” is problematic— not only because it reduces a complex aesthetic to a single figure, but also because Gaiman himself has faced recent criticism for his public behavior and comments. In a book that already struggles with authenticity in voice and representation, this kind of namechecking feels less like homage and more like cultural defaulting—a reliance on the familiar, rather than an effort to expand the canon or reflect the diversity of its characters.

A quick visit to any online forum or fan site will reveal that many longtime readers have noted that the series has become increasingly formulaic. Each book introduces a magical disturbance, a new creature or system, and a procedural investigation that resolves with a mix of magic and logic. In Stone & Sky, this formula is stretched even thinner. The early chapters focus heavily on a family camping trip, with little narrative urgency or magical intrigue.

While this may be an attempt to deepen character relationships or explore quieter moments, it contributes to a sense of narrative drift. The stakes feel lower, the pacing more meandering, and the once-vibrant magical world increasingly routine.  There’s simply too much padding in this book.

One recurring distraction in Stone & Sky is the level of detail devoted to what characters are wearing and how they look—often with commentary that feels judgmental, class-coded, or simply unnecessary. For example, a character named Mason is described in terms that go beyond observation and veer into critique:

“He was a short white man in his early thirties, brown hair, curls on top and short at the sides that didn't really suit a square face with a prominent nose and thin lips. At least his head matched the rest of him - broad shoulders, short legs, but a much better suit than I would have risked wearing to work. Dark brown wool, bought off the shelf, I reckoned, but then tailored. Despite the weather, he wore a lambswool pullover over his shirt.”

Peter is mixed-race, younger and from a working-class background -- why would he be even care if someone’s suit was bought “off the rack” and then tailored? I understand he wouldn’t want to risk wearing expensive clothing to work since he often ends up in situations where his clothing is damaged – but why would that matter in a passing evaluation of another person in a different role?

Descriptions like this don’t just paint a picture—they evaluate the character’s appearance, often through the narrator’s subjective lens and many of these observations come across as mean-spirited or superficial, especially when repeated across multiple characters. These moments rarely advance the plot or deepen character insight. Instead, they feel like narrative padding—a way to fill space rather than build momentum.

This kind of detail might have worked better in a graphic novel, where visual storytelling could convey these elements more efficiently and with more nuance. Given the success of the Rivers of London graphic novels, it’s easy to imagine Stone & Sky functioning more effectively in that format—especially given its visual settings, magical creatures, and dual perspectives.

Final Thoughts: Stone & Sky attempts to expand the emotional and magical scope of the Rivers of London universe, but in doing so, it exposes several representational and structural weaknesses. Queer male characters are emotionally sidelined; a queer teen girl’s feelings are spotlighted with intensity that may not be her own. Magical beings are used as metaphors for social difference, but often in ways that reinforce rather than challenge stereotypes. Linguistic choices—from stylized slang to infantilizing dialect—further complicate the portrayal of identity and intelligence.

The series’ once-fresh formula is losing strength and its cultural references remain narrowly focused on white male creators. Even as it strives for diversity, Stone & Sky often defaults to familiar tropes and voices—leaving its most radical possibilities unexplored.

Aaronovitch’s work has always aimed to be inclusive. But inclusion without critical self-awareness can lead to distortion. If Stone & Sky is meant to be a story of queer awakening, magical discovery, and emotional growth, it needs to ask harder questions—about power, about authenticity, and about who gets to tell whose story.

References (Other than the "Rivers of London" related books):

Borowska-Szerszun, S. (2021). Ethnic and cultural diversity in Ben Aaronovitch’s urban fantasy cycle Rivers of London. Journal of Contemporary Literature, 12(3), 45–62. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335318094

Follypedia. (2023). Abigail Kamara. Retrieved from https://follypedia.fandom.com/wiki/Abigail_Kamara 

Follypedia. (2023). Thomas Nightingale. Retrieved from https://follypedia.fandom.com/wiki/Thomas_Nightingale

© Jennifer R Clark. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You may share and adapt this content with proper attribution.

REVIEW: The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami (5-stars)

Set in a chillingly plausible near future, this novel imagines a world where nearly every aspect of daily life is filtered through surveillance and algorithmic decision-making. Airports operate more efficiently thanks to SCOUT, an AI border agent that scans faces and moves passengers quickly through security. Homes are equipped with intelligent systems that remind residents of appointments, suggest meals based on fridge contents, and generate shopping lists.

One particularly unsettling innovation is a cerebral implant called Dreamsaver, designed to optimize sleep—and record dreams.  The data is incorporated into a broader government initiative focused on “risk management,” a decades-old program intended to prevent violence by assigning every citizen a risk score, much like a FICO score. These scores are calculated from a "holistic" body of 200+ data sources, including the criminal records of long-lost cousins. Much like Minority Report, this system flags individuals as potential perpetrators of "future crimes" based on subconscious patterns— including troubling dreams.

Sara, a historian with a PhD, works as an archivist at the Getty, handling rare analog collections. She’s also a new mother of surprise twins, navigating intense exhaustion and the widening gap in her marriage. Her husband already uses a Dreamsaver implant to stay well-rested with only a few hours of sleep. Reluctantly, Sara decides to get one too.

Soon after, her dreams—disturbing but private to her—are flagged, and her risk score spikes. Without committing a crime or even understanding what she’s done wrong, Sara is detained at a remote facility in the Southern California high desert. Though it's technically not called a prison, detainees—euphemistically called “retainees”—are held indefinitely “for their own safety.” The name and setting evoke chilling historical echoes of Manzanar.

The logic is Kafkaesque: stress causes nightmares, which worsens her score, which causes more stress. The male attendants enforce arbitrary rules—like citing her for an "unauthorized hairstyle"—which extends the length of her "retention." Meanwhile, retainees are "free" to work on Mechanical Turk-style digital labor classifying video clips for media companies to identify AI-generated content.

In an insidious twist, it turns out that the makers of Dreamsaver have embedded a marketing experiment in the facility, using a researcher posing as a retainee to test dream-based product placement.  The experiment was not entirely successful.  -- instead of the brand name product, Sarah has been seeing the general type of item in her dreams. Sara, who has been keeping a dream journal, begins noticing recurring objects in her dreams—generic items instead of specific brands—signaling the experiment's flawed execution.

At about the midpoint of the book, we see Julie (aka Einsley) outside the facility following her 3 week stint in Madison.  We see her at the office reviewing data and later home hosting a dinner party with friends where they ask her questions about her time at Madison. 

This helps us to understand the broader context of the facility's operations, including the unethical corporate experiments tied to Dreamsaver and the power dynamics between the for-profit corporations (the detention facility, the communications company that provides email, the official online store which is the only place family can make purchases for retainees, and the government). According to the Dreamsaver folks - everyone who has the device agreed to all these experiments and data use which ties back to whether people can really agree to 15 page terms of use in repetitive and obscure legalese. 

Einsley/Julie reaches out to Sara via e-mail to see how she is doing following the wildfire on the area and to offer support via contributions to her commissary account.  She accidentally signs one email as "Julie" -- which sets off a chain of events.  Sara realizes what we, the readers, have already figured out and this catalyzes her to lead a collective resistance by refusing to provide their labor.  If no one cooks, cleans, or works on the digital media contract piecework, the facility can’t function.

After nearly a year of being "retained" for her "safety"  -- Sara’s expedited release comes not through legal recourse or proof of innocence, but because she refuses to work despite the institution increasing punitive measures by reducing her privileges (email, commissary, shower and library) and began to withhold food from her at mealtimes. 

Lalami’s novel is deeply timely. It probes pressing questions about AI, surveillance, predictive analytics, and justice. It also draws urgent parallels to real-world issues like the use of prison labor by tech companies and the shocking number of incarcerated individuals harmed by faulty data, flawed legal processes, and systemic bias.

Some reviewers critique the book’s pacing. I’d argue the slow buildup is intentional: we’re meant to inhabit Sara’s disorientation and anxious introspection. The first half mirrors her foggy mental state—hopeful but uncertain, overthinking every move. 

I was intrigued by the author's details about the former elementary school now serving as the "retention facility" -- Perris, CA is in fact about 90 minutes drive from Victorville (where they take refuge during a wildfire).   It's nearly equidistant from LA (71 mi) and San Diego (81 mi) which would make it a good location to take "retainees."  There's also a Spanish revival style museum that was formerly Sherman Indian High School that is steeped in its own history of forced institutionalization.  

Finally, the author does reference a number of other books which influenced her -- such as "The Age of Surveillance Capitalism" by Shoshana Zuboff.  While some of the concepts may land a bit heavily at times, they ground the story in a recognizably imminent future and presents a relatable scenario for a future we may all soon inhabit.

REVIEW: The Dream Hotel  by Laila Lalami 

RATING: 5-stars

© Jennifer R Clark. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You may share and adapt this content with proper attribution.

REVIEW: AI Shepherds and Electric Sheep: Leading and Teaching in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Sean O'Callaghan (3-stars)

 The authors attempt to draw parallels between theological premises with AI -- landing squarely on the heart of Value Sensitive Design (VSD) and Human-Centered AI (HCAI).  They aim for their audience to learn to engage with AI in specific ways that contribute to human flourishing, countering dystopian fears of AI replacing humans.

This book serves as a sound primer on AI for non-technical readers. The authors provide extensive background on theological premises, the nature of intelligence, transhumanism, and basic concepts like fact-checking information online. It reminds me of annotated bibliographies from graduate-level history courses: over 30% of the ebook ARC consists of selected references and endnote annotations. While the author has clearly researched the topic and includes a wide array of older, secular references, he quotes Yuval Noah Harari—a figure known for misogynistic, bigoted, and anti-religious views. For less widely-read individuals, this may not be an issue, but it raises questions about why a theologian would include someone whose beliefs contradict the book's goals.

Ultimately, this book is akin to "Omnivore's Dilemma" but with guidelines like: be judicious in your use of AI due to its real-world consequences (e.g., resource consumption altering landscapes) and intellectual/social impacts (e.g., perpetuating biases, affecting attention spans). As they write, "Technology is not neutral. It is value-laden."

They encourage their readers to use AI wisely—such as for translating content—but don't rely on it for creating sermons or songs of praise. Creation of praise is a human act; machines cannot pray. "Worship is something done for God and by humans." Such praise should be "authentic, unassisted, and unsullied by technology." One cannot become a Christian simply through desire or reading—"Christian formation and discipleship require deep rootedness in a faith community."

The authors recommend the following: 

• "Lectio Divina" --  Deep reading and reflection, including private prayer and group discussion, to ensure information becomes part of one's inner self.
• Active Interaction with People --  Reclaiming the art of conversation, switching off AI (e.g., social media fasts), and setting routines so homes do not revolve around AI.
• Focal Practices -- Engaging in activities like reading actual books uninterrupted, practicing music, playing sports, creating arts or crafts, or walking in nature.

By seeking tangible, concrete practices, we recenter human experience on the immediate, material world and people—in other words: mindfulness.

Here's the plan that the authors recommend:

1. Embodied habits:  cooking meals, nature walking, fishing, birding, painting, pottery, knitting, visual arts and crafts at least once a week.
2. Place habits to "anchor humans into a particular terra firma" such as gardening and homemaking (which encompasses hospitality, creating a warm welcoming atmosphere).
3. Time-bound habits: silent listening, prayer, sitting by a window quietly without devices, planned breaks from devices/social media, and observing the liturgical calendar which "is a richly communal and ecclesial way of engaging in time-bound habits."
4. Social habits: taking communion, sharing meals with others (like potlucks), mentoring others. 

Overall, choosing intentionally those habits and activities which "rehumanize us against the dehumanizing effects of technology."  Even as a non-Christian, I fully support these kinds of recommendations.

"We need to have grown-up conversations in our seminaries and churches to prepare" and "to really understand the technology and to live Christian lives in this new world."   Finally - the authors affirm "we remain dedicated to a human-centered perspective, which emphasizes the materiality of creation and the creatureliness (the corporeality or embodiment) of humans."  Machines are not people and never will be.

REVIEW: AI Shepherds and Electric Sheep: Leading and Teaching in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Sean O'Callaghan

RATING: 3-stars

REVIEW: Medieval Cats: Claws, Paws and Kitties of Yore by Catherine Nappington (4-stars)

Thanks to NetGalley for sharing this ARC for me to enjoy on a cold rainy caturday. 

Really enjoyable, light read with plenty of interesting tidbits.  I wonder if the final book will include an appendix or go through a fact checker.  The claim that Pope Gregory's call to kill cats resulted in the Black Plague is a myth.  I also am curious why the Clan Chattan wildcat and motto "Touch not the cat" are not included as it is of medieval origin.  

Many of the cats have human looking faces - which is weird - and a lot of pictures of cats licking their butts.  Fun compendium and would make a nice gift book. 

REVIEW: Medieval Cats: Claws, Paws and Kitties of Yore by Catherine Nappington 

RATING: 4-stars

© Jennifer R Clark. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You may share and adapt this content with proper attribution.

REVIEW: Co-Intelligence: The Definitive, Bestselling Guide to Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick (2 Stars)

I wanted to love this book -- and while it's funny and humorous, it's basically a long blog post or online message board discussion. The conversations with AI are amusing - but not substantive.

The author talks about anthropomorphization -- and dismisses people talking to their pets as the same as talking to their cars or other inanimate objects. And yet - he wants to make a case for AI being some kind of "alien mind" - when he's making a stronger case for it as a mirror of our own expectations.

Throughout the book he talks about how AI is filling in the most probable or likely response -- so if you say "To be or not ___ " it's going to say "to be" since that is the most probable. If you say "The alien ate a banana because ___" you'll get more variety every time you ask the question because it's not a topic or subject reflected in the AI training corpus.

AI is just another way for us to summarize back all the stuff we've written/created with words or images -- to us. It's more like a fun-house mirror than an intelligence.

My cats are more intelligent and capable of communication than an AI -- so where does this leave us?

Humans want to imagine that AI is more intelligent because it sounds like us and tells us what we want to hear. AI is very conformist - it will rewrite and reshape your thoughts and ideas to make them more appealing based upon the corpus of information it has already digested. It will align your communication to meet the greatest common denominator. You can ask it questions and it will tell you to analyze "Heart of Darkness" vis a vis Jane Austen's marriage plots -- and come up with some reasonably interesting points based on what it expects are most probable points from what we have already fed it. NOT because it's thinking of these things. Rather, AI acts as a sophisticated tool for summarizing and regurgitating information in a manner that aligns with human expectations.

I'd like to see a deeper exploration of AI's capabilities and limitations beyond surface-level interactions examining the fundamental nature of AI and its true intelligence compared to human and even animal cognition.

The author quotes someone who says that humans are just a historical point in the evolution of "intelligence" as if that is an autonomous being or subject. I'd contend that it is not -- we aren't merely vessels for "intelligence." There's no hierarchy of value based on "intelligence."

However, I do appreciate the author's optimism that AI will remove the boring/redundant tasks from human labor and his call to consider universal basic income and healthcare as real needs as humans move toward an era where we should focus our attention on tasks and activities that are more intrinsically rewarding to us and which do not require a 40 hour (or more) work week.

The mythical 4 day work week has been promised for decades, the practicalities of achieving a reducing "full time" work weeks remain uncertain. Striking a balance between dystopian and utopian visions of AI's impact on society is crucial for informed decision-making.

Co-Intelligence: The Definitive, Bestselling Guide to Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick

RATING: 2 stars

 

REVIEW: The Future by Naomi Alderman (4-stars)

 In my quest to distance myself from the surplus of dark, dystopian fiction portraying grim futures, I've sought narratives with a more positive outlook. I chose to read this book to explore the author's vision of the future following the redistribution of power through the abduction of several influential figures.

Similar to Alderman's previous work, "The Power," this new novel delves into a critical examination of societal structures, power imbalances, and the impact of technology and greed on human behavior and the planet. The characters grapple with ethical dilemmas as they find themselves uniquely positioned to instigate substantial positive change.

In contrast to Shakespeare’s "Julius Caesar," the conspirators in this tale successfully counter tyranny, avert environmental destruction, and catalyze numerous positive transformations in the world.

A mixed chronology is employed by the author to establish multiple narrative hooks. If you're accustomed to a sequential chronology in your media consumption, this book may pose a challenge to your expectations.

Readers who enjoy the interactive nature of "Choose Your Own Adventure" or appreciate works like “Rayuela,” along with language enthusiasts treating books as tools, might relish the mental challenge of assembling the narrative pieces. For those who, like me, explore books as tools, skipping around and investigating, a rewarding discovery awaits at the end:

“Zhen, I found it. I know you loved up in secret fuck cave or whatever, love is great. When you want to know the truth, email me. mariuszugravescu@gmail.com"

An email to that address is rewarded with an auto response that is very gratifying in an old-school “multimedia” sort of way that fills in a partial “who dunnit” for those of us who don’t believe the concept of “spoilers” exists (see the end of my review).

Since I’m currently enrolled in a product development and marketing class, and I’m thinking in terms of score cards – here are some of the things that came to mind when reading this book over the weekend.  Here are some of the archetypes that I ticked off my list for this reading:

Archetypes Explored:

• The Hero's Journey: The inner circle orchestrating the disappearance of powerful figures embodies the hero's journey archetype, ushering in positive change.
• The Trickster: Both conspirators and billionaires pursue specific outcomes, with differing goals—individualistic for the billionaires and pro-social for the conspirators.
• The Rebellion Against Tyranny: The classic archetype of rebelling against tyranny is explored, but the conversion of conspirators against billionaires raises skepticism about their altruistic motivations.

Character Development:

• The Sacrifice: Characters compromise integrity for the greater good, exemplified by sending loved ones to a well-provisioned island for indefinite entrapment.
• The Fall from Grace: Instead of proving the wrongdoing of billionaires, a scenario is staged for their disappearance, allowing societal and environmental changes in their names.

Narrative Elements:

• Cultural Details: Attention to detail varies, with vivid scenes like the Singapore shopping mall contrasting with less engaging aspects such as the Enochite cult and message board descriptions.
• Technology and Environment: Technology and environmental descriptions are mainly conveyed through "telling," with the notable exception of the engaging "happymeal" implementation.
• Character Dynamics: Martha's character, portrayed as somewhat villainous, could benefit from more development. The challenge lies in the narrative primarily unfolding from Zhen's perspective, limiting insight into other conspirators.
• Symbolism and Themes: The Fox vs. Rabbit concept is richly woven into the story, but the tale of Martha and the bear is symbolic, representing her "coming of age" rather than a literal event.

The Shortcomings:

• Character Development:  Overall development of the four primary conspirators was thin – and the billionaires were very thin.  The majority of the character development was spent on Martha, followed by Zhen.  As primary actors in the conspiracy – Selah, Badger and Arthur fell flat – while Zhen’s friend Marius had more sparkle and interesting development. 
• Forced Diversity: The author includes non-heteronormative characters, but the relevance of their queerness is not relevant to the plot.  Aside from mentioning that Selah is straight, heterosexuality and gender binary are still the assumed default in this story.  Although lip service is paid to non-heteronormative characters (they gay billionaire ousted tech CEO, the enby antifa child of a tech CEO, lesbian survivalist and lesbian child of a survivalist cult leader “gal Friday” of tech CEO) – I’m not getting a strong sense of how Arthur’s homosexuality really matters in this story.  I can’t imagine that the near future is still so accepting of gay billionaires, lesbian survivalists and enby Antifa activists that we have to mention their orientation or gender identity – without doing the same for heterosexual characters. 
• Cultural Details:Attention to detail was really fantastic in some areas – like the highly detailed scene in the Singapore shopping mall, but the Enochite cult and the message board details were so much “tell” and not show.  The retelling of the Bible stories was entertaining but also felt a lot like filler.
• Character Dynamics: I wanted to see more of Martha as a primary character so that I can cheer for her – but she’s still played off as a bit of a villain (even at the end, Zhen sees a “heavyset figure” – when her physical shape wasn’t mentioned earlier).  Arthur “tells” us the tension for Martha (i.e., father figure issues).  Zhen’s security / safety and mother issues are also narrated for us throughout.  

One of the challenges of this book is that it’s told primarily from the perspective of a very interesting but non-primary character, Zhen.  Yes, she’s an important part of the plot as she was used as a guinea pig to create a potentially fatal proof-of-concept demonstration for technology that was used to persuade the billionaires of its efficacy (and a critical part of the means of duping them).  

Overall development of the four primary conspirators is thin – with Martha (the lover of Zhen) having considerably more character development, followed by Badger, Selah and Arthur.  Their stories are often told in third person, not through Zhen’s perspective.  Selah and Badger feel pretty “flat”. 

Symbolism and Themes: In addition to the whole Fox (hunter gatherer) vs Rabbit (farmer) concepts spread thickly across the story – the story about Martha and the bear was not actually about a bear.  Think about it:  the “bear” didn’t exist.  It was her “coming of age” and the bear with the rotten jaw represented her father.   

Just a little bit of research (or talking to anyone who goes hiking in the Western US) would tell you:  black bears are typically the least aggressive and smallest bears found in the US, any survivalist (or child in California) would know you don’t climb a tree to get away from a bear. Bears don’t typically suffer from dental disease.  If the bear wasn’t scared by the arrival of two people in a pickup truck – and was really starving – why not attack those people?  

The whole fantasy of climbing up a tree to evade and fatally wounding a skinny, young black bear before hibernation is just a weird detail that didn’t work for me unless you just look at it as symbolism.

The Strengths:

• Unique Narrative Structure: The the mixed chronology and the use of multiple narrative hooks,  was a lot of fun.  I liked the inclusion of the chatboard content but maybe a bit less of that would have allowed for more character development.  This narrative structure might challenge readers accustomed to a more sequential chronology.
• Interactive Element: The inclusion of private messages added an intriguing layer to the narrative, revealing character motivations and potential conflicts.
• Thematic Exploration: The book successfully explored themes of societal structures, power imbalances, and the impact of technology and greed on human behavior and the planet.
• Engaging Scenes: Scenes like the one in the Singapore shopping mall had a ton of details and played really well as an action film scene (leave it to a Doctor Who fan!).  As a great example of “showing” rather than “telling” -- the implementation of the "happymeal" worm in various social media platforms was well executed. 

Here's the text from the email bounceback; sharing it here because one never knows how long the email will continue to function: 

<spoiler>

Private message log from ntd/enoch

> ArturoMegadog

Look, I can't say this publicly on the forum but I am actually very sympathetic to your point of view here. Lai Zhen never should have said what she said. Someone needs to teach her a lesson. 

> SavedByEnoch

I just want to meet her. I want to tell her what I think face to face. She ought to be afraid. 

> ArturoMegadog

Right, I think that's all we're talking about isn't it? Just scaring her. So she won't go near any of this ever again. 

> SavedByEnoch

Enoch's teachings helped me believe there was a future for me again. She's a worthless piece of shit. 

> ArturoMegadog

Yeah no I get that. We all need to believe in a future. So listen, I do have a way you can track her. I mean it's not hard to get in touch with her, she has all her speaking engagements listed on her website. But if you need to track her down to have a more private conversation... just to scare her, right? I can help you with that. 

> SavedByEnoch

I'll know what to do when I see her. 

>ArturoMegadog

OK, looking at the schedule... how do you feel about a trip to Singapore? 

</spoiler>

REVIEW: The Future by Naomi Alderman 

RATING: 4-stars 

© Jennifer R Clark. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You may share and adapt this content with proper attribution.

REVIEW: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari (1-star)

 This book is one of those "big history" books where the author attempts to explain all of human history -- anthropology, sociology, pop psychology and pop economics -- through the objective lens of his own narrow perspective.  Frankly, I'm not sure why I kept listening in the hopes that he would uncover something novel or interesting.  I had intended to borrow the e-book to do a re-read but there are plenty of critical reviews out there of this book.

An excellent critical review here: SAPIENS BY YUVAL NOAH HARARI: A BRIEF JUSTIFICATION FOR CHAUVINISM

There's nothing new or groundbreaking in this book except that the author could manage to slide in so many sly, sexist references.  His treatment is hardly objective -- he repeatedly inserts sexist, racist and biological deterministic comments that had me laughing out loud. This book gets such rave reviews - why?  (See also: The Dangerous Populist Science of Yuval Noah Harari)

He's a good story teller - but he does drone on and on --  sneaking in many biased statements and utter nonsense as "factual."  He even weaves in his own Western appropriation of Eastern spirituality in ways that seem to justify and excuse injustice throughout human history.  For example: 

"suffering is not caused by ill fortune, social injustice or divine whims. Rather, suffering is caused by the behavior patterns of one's own mind." 

I did a bit of research and he's practices meditation -- but it's really the racism and chauvinism that get me:

"In 1880, the Chinese empire did not operate a single railroad."  Why?  "they lacked the values, myths, judicial apparatus, and sociopolitical structures that took centuries to form and mature in the West and which could not be copied and internalized rapidly. France and the United States quickly followed in Britain's footsteps because the French and Americans already shared the most important British myths and social structures.  The Chinese and Persians could not catch up as quickly because they thought and organized their societies differently."

He claims that  "This explanation sheds new light" on the mid-to-late 19th century because there were no tangible advantages in the West or other explanations for their increased rate of industrialization.  Huh, ya don't say? 

He repeatedly talks about "feminism" as an ideology and in several repeated rants about the woes of individualism, he implies the negative consequences of women being able to vote, have checking accounts, divorce abusive husbands or choose not to marry at all.  

In more than one way - he makes it clear that he identifies with the successful, monied classes. This line was so laughable I bookmarked it:  "A government may impose heavy taxation on industrialists and use the money to give lavish unemployment benefits which are popular with voters."  Clearly, he doesn't understand how unemployment benefits work (ie, workers pay toward this fund) and his definition of "lavish" may need some examination.  Here in California, the maximum unemployment benefit is $450/week which is hardly a cause for celebration much less paying one's rent. 

Finally, he wraps up his conclusion with a dystopian prediction of a future occupied by cyborgs who have their feelings managed, and yea, even experience feelings we cannot imagine.  It's all a very "Gattaca" + "Blade Runner" + "The Fifth Element" kind of future and I had to rewind through the conclusions because it had me hooting and giggling so much.   YMMV.

Stick with Thomas Piketty's "Brief History of Inequality."

REVIEW: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari 

RATING: 1-star

© Jennifer R Clark. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You may share and adapt this content with proper attribution.

REVIEW: Real Flow: Break the Burnout Cycle and Unlock High Performance in the New World of Work by Brandi Olson (4-stars)

This book covers three important topics critical for the health of an organization and, ultimately, its success. The integral, systems approach is a mainstay of digital transformation - but that topic can be difficult to tackle. Brandi Olson approaches the topic in accessible language, with excellent illustrations -- both graphics and metaphorical.

Much of what she describes is not new: Max Weber and Emile Durkheim, among others, wrote about these kinds of issues over 100 years ago.

Olson issues a challenge: "you (and everyone else) will need to stop settling for the appearance of productivity and performance rather than the real thing."

The author describes the challenges faced in organizations and low-key leads up to a discussion of the roots of corporate culture in a white supremacist, colonialist mindset which not only results in overworked, burned out employees but which also perpetuates the same dysfunctional system, reinforcing the lack of diversity of cultures, people and ideas.

"Burnout is energy-consuming and self-perpetuating. It fosters a monoculture: if everyone is operating on a burned-out and overworked level, no one has the brain capacity to think that perhaps things could and should be different."

Most organizations respond to symptoms -- burned out employees are compelled to use up their vacation time before the year-end, company potlucks or online "coffee/happy hour" chats (or worse: Yammer) substitute for connection and culture. More is seen as "better" and forcing employees to jump between many different projects always leads to no clear successes or improvements.

What organizations fail to realize is that “peak performance means making the greatest possible impact over the longest period of time.” That means addressing root causes -- finding the smallest changes you can make that will have the biggest impact (Pareto principal), implementing changes incrementally and iteratively to have time to reflect on the impact throughout the ecosystem (ie "butterfly effect"), and avoiding toxic perfectionism ("better > best").

"Flow is the experience of energy, creativity, and value moving from ideas to results throughout your entire organization." This is achieved by making your work visible throughout the organization -- put it on KanBan boards, for example (or open up access in Confluence to all enterprise users).

In John Doerr's "Measure What Matters," he similarly advocates for cross-functional sharing of goals so that individuals, teams, departments and divisions can work together to ensure they all help each other meet their goals (and thus all the company/enterprise level goals).

When an organization is "flooding" -- they are taking a shotgun approach which may inevitably result in some losses: limiting growth opportunities, trapping people in a "wash, rinse, repeat" or dooming teams to failure like Lucy's chocolate factory speed-up.

Olson offers a lot of practical tips to get people thinking differently about how to identify the challenges and keep track of the work: switch from small screens & spreadsheets to big whiteboards or walls, establish "work in progress" (WIP) limits. Olson's analogy on how a WIP functions:

"Have you ever been to one of those gigantic waterslides where you first spend 25 minutes climbing up six stories, only to whoosh down the slide in approximately 93 seconds? Have you ever noticed that, in order to keep everyone safe, they have a one person on the slide limit?"

Work that has been started but not finished is a big liability - it represents unrealized value (and may end up as waste). This is why prioritization is critical -- but rather than prioritize, many organizations would prefer to continue piling up the work and ignore the costs in turnover as people burn out from constantly being spread too thin or having to switch projects too frequently.

"Productivity without outcomes is not real productivity." Building a bridge is an output while people safely crossing that bridge is an outcome. Migrating a website to a new content management system is an output while enabling marketing team members to update their own pages quickly is an outcome. "Outputs answer the question, How will we do it? Outcomes answer the question, Why does this matter?" -- or "When can we open the champagne?"

Olson also talks about the importance of focus and the damage of "multi-tasking" -- an organization that is flooding is multitasking across the enterprise, busy without achieving meaningful outcomes.

Let's jump ahead to characteristics of white supremacy work culture outlined in “White Supremacy Culture” --

1. Perfectionism - focusing on what doesn't work, punishing people for mistakes, not leaving room for learning and continuous improvement.
2. Sense of Urgency - everything is a "high priority" where I work, probably where you work, too. "There is little time for thoughtful decision-making, short-term fixes come with long-term costs."
3. Quantity over Quality - conflict avoidant environments with a focus on productivity and output over EQ and the underlying mechanics that enable the establishment of teams with high levels of trust where creativity can flourish.
4. Document-Driven Communication - leaves little time for conversations and exploration.

A key takeaway:

"By making work visible, limiting work in progress, and being clear on prioritization, you can create time, focus, and energy for teams to have difficult conversations, get to know each other personally, build trust, and identify significant opportunities for learning how to do and be better."

As the author states: the future of work is PEOPLE - who need to be in environments designed to for cross-functional collaborative teams where they can develop trust and work toward shared outcomes:

• The team must have all the cross-functional skills and expertise to do the work from start to finish
• The team must work together long term
• The work must be transparent so the team can be in flow

There is no such thing as "best practices" -- start by identifying what you do now, create a map of your ecosystem. Make improvements - better not best., and don't obsess with a "big bang" of fixing "all the things."

"If everything changes at once, you’ll overwhelm the system and slow down learning."

"...empower people to do their best work, solve problems, and be better leaders—no matter where they are in the organization."

"better is always better than best."

REVIEW: Real Flow: Break the Burnout Cycle and Unlock High Performance in the New World of Work by Brandi Olson 

RATING: 4-stars

© Jennifer R Clark. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You may share and adapt this content with proper attribution.

My Favorite Plant-Based Cheeses

 

In the intervening decade or so since I started this blog,  many vegan-friendly, plant-based cheeses have come and gone (looking at you, Nacheez & Nacho Mamma). Fortunately, being in the Bay Area, there are always a lot of enterprising locals who create amazing vegan options. 

BAY AREA ARTISANAL PLANT-BASED CHEESE

Miyoko's Creamery - so many options!  I love the Sharp English Farmhouse - it's one of my favorites for eating with bread or crackers. https://miyokos.com/collections/all 

• Liquid Mozzarella - this stuff is great for pizza, but it also works for open-faced toasted cheese in the toaster oven, and on nachos.
• Roadhouse Cheddar - this is amazing stuff.  It tastes just like cheddar cheese log cheese, but in a good way.  Maybe I'll make a nut log with it this holiday season. 
• ALL THE CHEESE WHEELS:  the "Double Cream Classic Chive" tastes like goat cheese. The Sharp English Farmhouse and Smoked English Farmhouse are also favorites.  They are ALL good.

Vegan Butcher's Son Feta - packed in salty brine with a bay leaf or two, this feta tastes exactly like the dairy based version to me (granted, it's been 15+ years since I've eaten any dairy cheese). It's got a great texture - crumble it onto salads, eat with crackers or fruit.  You can buy it in person or through delivery services at   https://www.thebutchersveganson.com/

The Uncreamery - Smoked Gouda, Truffle Brie, Ghost Pepper Jack -- great right out of the white paper.  This stuff is so delicious with a nicely uniform, delicate texture.  It never lasts long enough in my house to cook with it, ymmv. https://www.theuncreamery.com/ or any number of stores, including Rainbow Grocery.

OUTSIDE THE BAY AREA

Portland-based Vtopian makes a lot of amazing cheeses.  Any time I am in Portland, this is a required stop and I always end up eating Vtopian cheese with bread for my meals on the road trip home.  You can visit them in Portland, or find their cheese in stores all around the Bay Area (SF's Rainbow Grocery has an awesome selection): https://www.vtopiancheeses.com/ 

Bandit Barn Cat --great with bread, dried fruit and on sandwiches.  This savory delight is wrapped in black ash and white paper, this cheese is so delicious and tastes like a blue cheese.  I purchased this at the vegan grocery at Little Saint in Healdsburg, and there may be options near you. https://eatlikeabandit.com/products/barn-cat

Renegade Foods makes amazing plant-based salame (not GF) -- https://renegadefoods.com/ - also available at SF's Rainbow Grocery.

NON-ARTISANAL CHEESES FOR COOKING: not all vegan cheeses possess the cultured, tang and texture that makes them ideal for eating with bread or as part of your charcuterie. However, there are quite a lot of non-artisanal cheeses that work pretty well cooked in your broccoli rice casserole, nachos or macaroni and cheese. 

Nachos - I like Violife and Daiya shredded cheeses.  They melt pretty well under the broiler of my wee toaster oven. 

Open-faced toasted cheese tastes just like I remember it (plus my version of Grandma Clark's Pottsville Relish) when I use thin slices of Daiya's Grilling Cheese Block (I'm also a fan of Daiya's "Smoked Gouda" and "Jalapeño Havarti").

REVIEW: Vegan Africa: Plant-Based Recipes from Ethiopia to Senegal by Marie Kacouchia (4-stars)

This book is beautiful:  the photos, layout and fonts are all a pleasure to the eye.  There are several really strong recipes that are very eye catching, such as "Cauliflower Tabbouleh with Pistachio and Lemon Confit" -- which I cannot wait to put into action. Some of the simplest recipes sound the most appealing - like sauteed spinach, mushrooms & ripe plantains.  Plantain beignets sound really amazing as do the "Sweet Pepper and Corn Cakes" and I will be planning a meal from this book very soon.

The recipes are very accessible -- some much more than others, making me wonder about the target audience for this book.  Some of the recipes remind me of recipes in a book about ancient Roman dining -- particularly the "Cauliflower Yassa with Olives" and "Cumin Spiced Orange and Chickpea Salad" -- making me wonder about the cultural exchange between Africa and the ancient Romans.  

The main drawback of this book is that  there are a lot of filler recipes in the book such:  sprinkling the spice blend ras al hanout on popcorn, lemonade, iced tea, hot tea and avocado-based chocolate mousse.  

Some recipes assume access to items that might not be normally found in most grocery stores such as the "vegan brioche" called for in the Coconut-Lime French Toast -- Where?  Hook me up!   At least 3 recipes call for harissa.   There's no recipe for harissa in the book, which feels like a loss. Likewise leaving out instructions for creating your own "ras al hanout."

Overall - this is a good starter book for someone who is not an experienced cook and there are enough novel recipes for people who are not lucky enough to have grown up with this kind of food to keep experienced cooks interested. 

REVIEW: Vegan Africa: Plant-Based Recipes from Ethiopia to Senegal by Marie Kacouchia 

RATING: 4-stars

© Jennifer R Clark. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You may share and adapt this content with proper attribution.