I wanted to like this book and tried to make an exception for all the mundane details about building up a town. There are some interesting and complex aspects about the story that I usually like in a story that not all stories that I’ve read have. However, hearing the author’s main character reference a spoof movie about college students who were Black being called a “Black Ghetto movie” because he quoted them saying “Run #itch run” was problematic for me. But I wanted to give it a chance anyway hoping that would be the last of it. Then in book 2 while continuing to listening to long drawn out details about developing the town, I hear “I’ve always wanted to call someone Blackie.” and at that point I decided no. The amount of focus and effort to continually add statements specifically about Black people in an offensive manner to make the character sound, I don’t know, more human, more relatable (?) is offensive. But it is very likely that those type of references do appeal to certain people and these references aren’t a problem for them. It always amazes me how sci-fi/fantasy stories can almost always accept aliens and other fantasy characters that look, behave and believe differently, but some still can’t accept difference from earth. And usually, the characters ARE from earth. And yet many of these stories focus on leaving in harmony with the different races within the fantasy world(s).