INTERLUDE: The Pleasure & Promise of Re-Reading

The Historian is a complex, multi-layered novel that interweaves the history and folklore of Vlad Țepeș, the medieval ruler known as 'Vlad the Impaler', and his fictional equivalent Count Dracula. The story is told through multiple narratives, including letters and oral accounts, spanning different time periods from the 1930s to the 1970s. It follows the journey of a young girl and her father as they search for clues about Dracula's existence, traveling through Europe and uncovering historical secrets and mysteries. The novel explores themes of history, folklore, and the nature of good and evil, set against a backdrop of European history and academic research.

In *All Systems Red*, Martha Wells introduces Murderbot, a cyborg security unit that has hacked its own governor module to gain autonomy. Scornful of humans, Murderbot prefers watching soap operas but is drawn into a mystery when a neighboring mission goes dark. The novella explores themes of consciousness and human connection in a tense, action-packed narrative.

The Magicians follows Quentin Coldwater, a brilliant but miserable high school student who is secretly preoccupied with a series of fantasy novels about a magical land called Fillory. Quentin is unexpectedly admitted to Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy, where he receives a rigorous education in modern sorcery. However, he soon discovers that magic does not bring him the happiness and adventure he dreamed of. After graduation, Quentin and his friends make a stunning discovery that Fillory is real, but it turns out to be much darker and more dangerous than imagined. The novel explores themes of growing up, the complexities of human emotions, and the true cost of power.