this is stuff you like and once upon a
time when I was so much less sleep
deprived I made my first video about
grand central arena by Ryk Spoor
which is the first in the arenaverse
series of novels. and the third book in the
series challenges of the deeps has
just come out and so... you know it's funny
I don't think there's another book
series in the world which so perfectly
embodies the spirit of this show because
it is in no particular order fannish
nerdy way overthinking things packed
full of references to other stuff in a
charmingly everything and then also
the kitchen sink kind of fashion and
utterly utterly bonkers in the most
enthusiastic way possible. It's in the style
of Pulp sci-fi while not being hideously
racist sexist or homophobic and it's
also fanfic, kinda, in that it's clearly in the
vein of a particular style of sci-fi
novel with larger-than-life characters
and it desperate need to go go go! the arena
verse series mainly revolves around the
character of Ariane Stephanie Austin who
starts out as a an adrenaline junkie
racing pilot in a near utopian future
where no one has to work anymore people
still do though because you know
sometimes work is fun. some scientists in
her world discover faster than light
travel and then try to do it and then
because of reasons end up in this other
verse called the arena where things are
not quite as you would expect them to be
and there is intrigue and adventure and
lots and lots of alien life. Ariane who
is the captain by dint of being the
human back up on the entirely
ai-controlled ship becomes a default
leader of the faction of humanity and
stuff ensues and then keeps ensuing
because Ryk Spoor never met a stake
he didn't want to raise and believe me
when I tell you (as someone with an
ever-decreasing tolerance for boredom
while reading) that it doesn't take too
long to get going and then it just
doesn't stop it's also funny though I figure
I'm missing like at least thirty percent
of the jokes because I don't know
anything about anime I'm absolutely
positive there are hundreds of
references in there which would be
hilarious if I had ever watched dragon
ball z for example again Ryk Spoor
is a giant fan boy many of the fandom
references are in relation to the
Hyperion project which is something of
the dark side to the utopian future
basically a bunch of gene scientists
decided that they were going to take
fictional characters turn them into real
people and then put them in artificially
created worlds full of artificial
intelligences what could possibly go
wrong? how do you explain the books more
generally... okay if some books are a steak
dinner best enjoyed with much meditative
chewing and prone to sudden character
insight at 3am I'm some books are like a
very rich dark chocolate mousse sort of
brief and bitter and very intense then the
arenaverse is like someone's saw a
fairy cake and went, nah, we could do
better than that and then proceeded to
bake a rainbow layer cake covered in
glitter and sprinkles and chocolate
stars and it tastes amazing I think this
analogy got away from me a little bit
Never mind. the point is that while
serious things may happen in the books
they don't take themselves really
seriously and just when you think that
things can't get any more ridiculous or
amazing they do and it's great the reason
I say that they're kind of like the
literary version of this show is that
they're just so gleeful in a way that a
lot of books aren't I don't have a
problem with serious books per se but I
do have a problem with books that want
to impress their seriousness upon you we
are serious books about serious issues
the arena verse however is Ryk Spoor's
irrepressible optimism about humanity
compressed down stuck in a spaceship
covered with glitter and then thrown
with surprising speed and accuracy
directly at your head that metaphor
definitely got away from me but you take
my point as the years have gone by the
show has moved from straight up
recommending of things more to analysis
of things but for these I will make an
exception because not enough of you have
read them to make a discussion of the
plot or characters anything other than a
spoileriffic waste I love challenges of
the deeps it is truly beautiful pulpy
over-the-top sci-fi and I'm sitting here
grinning like an idiot just thinking
about it so grand central arena is the
first book in the series and you can
read a big chunk of it for free at the
link in the description the second book
is spheres of influence and the third book
is challenges of the deeps which I
just read. if I had to sum it up in
phrase then I would steal that phrase
from a Goodreads reviewer who called it
BIG SILLY SPACE OPERA and if I had
to sum it up in a word: whee!
thank you for watching be sure to check
out the link to the free sample in the
description follow me on twitter at
JillBearup check out patreon if you want to
support the show and I will see you next
time for something that you've probably
actually heard of. wonders will never
cease.