i liked but not loved this and i am not sure why.

the mechanics are simple but compulsive. do the loop while juggling some meters balancing staying alive and forwarding various stories.

the stories are cool, queer, anti capitalist, various shades of literary influence coming through like le guin and delany. i should be right on target but i didnt 'feel' anything. even food is a focus in a big way and compounds nicely with what bodies are, what it means to be human. each theme should read like a greatest hits for me. There are nice flourishes of writing but I was never cheering for one character, feeling that strongly for lem and mina, or anyone else beaten down by these systems. and that is partially more of a me thing too.

i do still think it is a puzzly narrative delight that allows you to set the pace of your own stories in an impressive way.

art and music do a lot to make this setting really work. i liked admiring the eye and you can picture life there.