Category Archives: Things of 2024

A collection of consumed media in the year 2024.

Take Us to a Better Place: Stories, published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

A Thing I’ve Read 02/24: Take Us to a Better Place: Stories, published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

A short story collection I came across because it holds one vaguely Murderbot-adjunct one by Martha Wells. All the stories are supposed to be health-related, mental/physical/community/…, and it’s your usual mixed bag of a collection. However, imo none of them was actively bad, even when they didn’t track for me.

Also, it’s free – just download one and see for yourself.

The cover of Take Us to a Better Place: Stories, published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It shows in an abstract art style and outdoor-scene: in the background a futuristic city, a bridge and a lighthouse under the sun. On the left a person leading a horse below a tree with one green branch with a snake curling around it, in front of a terrace style garden with people gardening. On the right, people enganging in various activities: playing, cycling, fishing, sitting-on-benches.

System Collapse (Murderbot VII) by Martha Wells

A Thing I’ve Read 01/24: System Collapse (Murderbot VII) by Martha Wells

The cover of System Collapse, the seventh Murderbot-story by Martha Well. On a rocky landscape grow a few stalk-y plants. In the middle of the picture kneels a humanoid figure, clad in sci-fi body armour, facing away from the viewer. In the background an eight-legged robot rears on what counts as its hind-legs.

In which our beloved SecUnit has not only to deal with wannabe corporate overlords trying to enslave a full planet, but also the pesky side effects of having human neural tissue fully capable of developing mental health issues.

I would not recommend this as an entry point (start at the beginning), but if you liked the other stories… why are you still here?