In a post-apocalyptic world, mostly covered by wasteland, humanity can only survive within large cities. In an attempt to recover some of the old civiIn a post-apocalyptic world, mostly covered by wasteland, humanity can only survive within large cities. In an attempt to recover some of the old civilisation, the rich rely on research of the ancient artefacts.
Khat is a human-like creature, part of a race developed by the (extinct) ancient mages to survive in the wastelands. At odds with his original family, he now works as a low-level relic dealer in the city of Charisat. Experience has taught him to keep his dealings secret and his head low, as nothing good ever came from mixing with the upper class. Until of course news of his talents reaches said upper class, and he gets basically strong-armed into accepting a job.
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When it comes to world building, Martha Wells once again managed to build a very interesting society. I was truly fascinated by how masterfully she manages to depict multiple settings by relying mainly on social segregation. I love the dichotomy between the insane amount of education of the upper class and their naive world view as an inevitable result of their "privileged" lifestyle.
Truth be told, I very much wanted to like this book, so I ended up doubly disappointed by its many downsides. I spent about 70% trying to make sense of the confusing politics, 20% bored by some scholarly exposition, leaving only the remaining 10% to enjoy. If you thought Witch King felt confusing and incomplete... wait to see the end of this one.
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The character development was... sometimes good, sometimes weird and cryptic, while other times more like an after thought. The friendship was great, the political machinations intriguing, but the romance rather stilted. I was also a bit weirded out by the way sex was handled, i.e. mostly fade to black, except for that one scene where Khat needs to hide an artefact on short notice. I'll let you guess where he stashed it.
Score: 3.4/5 stars
I chose City of Bones specifically because it is a stand-alone story that would hopefully not end things on a cliff-hanger. Plot-wise, I got what I wanted, but when it came to character development, I rather wish that the romantic aspects had been skipped. Not because they didn't make sense in the context, but more due to the author's reluctance to give them sufficient screen time.
I will definitely continue to check out the author's other works, keeping in mind that her earlier works' would benefit from a bit more polishing....more
If you've ever been pissed at all the crap corporations ask you to rate, this novel is for you. If you've ever 5-stPublished in English as QualityLand
If you've ever been pissed at all the crap corporations ask you to rate, this novel is for you. If you've ever 5-starred a service you disliked just out of laziness, this novel is for you. If you've ever skipped rating a subpar service, out of preemptive frustration, this novel is for you. If you've ever been dissatisfied with a service, this novel is for you.
... and finally: if you've ever wanted to take on a corporation just for the principle of things, this novel is your Bible!
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Imagine a world where everything is and must be rated: corporations, countries, services, gadgets and even people. And further imagine that said rating is taken very seriously, especially if it's anything less than a perfect evaluation. Because in this world the mere notion of anything being less than superlative is quite literally outlawed.
So be careful. If someone asks you what you think of QualityLand, don’t just say that QualityLand is a wonderful country. It’s not a wonderful country. It’s the wonderfullest country there is!
This utterly hilarious dystopian novel, tells the story of Peter Jobless (names like Smith and Miller are sooo last year) on his quest to return an undesired pink dolphin-shaped dildo, to a corporation (i.e. definitely-not-Amazon), that refuses to acknowledge its mistake.
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My only complaint is related to the format I chose for this book. With an attention-span in the negative digits, I can very rarely enjoy audio books to the fullest. I inevitably get distracted by one thing or another, and end up having to re-listen to chapters, or just go with the flow... and wonder where all the extra characters come from.
Score: 4.6 / 5 stars
My first (rounded-up) 5-star read of this year! *throws confetti* I just about died laughing while listening to the author's wonderfully dead-pan narrative voice, the clever corporate puns, and the overall ridiculous state of things in Qualityland. That is, before I realized just how painfully accurate the parodied concepts are in today's reality.
Is it ironic that I 5-starred a book that cautions against using this very practice thoughtlessly? Perhaps. But I did really like it. Cross my heart and hope to... live to a ripe old age?
In a future that has most of the planet under water, 17-year-old Jasna is lucky enough to have a job. Working as a caretaker at a psychiatric hospitalIn a future that has most of the planet under water, 17-year-old Jasna is lucky enough to have a job. Working as a caretaker at a psychiatric hospital may not exactly be a dream job, but it comes with room and board. Granted, most of the residents are hell'a weird, especially as of late... but, in general, things are great!
Then all of a sudden, our heroine finds herself under Emerick's radar, the hospital's most (in)famous patient. I mean, the guy's clearly a hottie, and rocks the fashion sense of his grandpa even though he's not much older than Jasna. Unfortunately, he's also quite clearly suffering of schizophrenia, so existential discussions should not be part of his treatment. Regardless of how intriguing our heroine may find him.
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I have a soft spot for mysteries, be they events, settings or character backstories. I gobble them up like no tomorrow, buuuut I expect to be thrown at least a few bones along the way, and a grand finale where things get revealed down to the last detail.
Tanja Heitmann got the mystery part down fine, occasionally throwing in some bits and pieces to keep me hooked. Unfortunately, she forgot to eventually explain some of the more cryptic stuff. As a matter of fact, occasionally she was even cruel enough to end thing on a paltry (if rather intriguing) note of "it doesn't really matter now, anyway".
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Deciding to set the bulk of the action in a children's psychiatric hospital, definitely gave the author leave to play with some truly unconventional individuals. And she does provide a number of interesting characters whose illnesses make the reader wonder about possible hidden purposes for the hospital.
That said, this was also an excellent excuse to just throw in a whole host of unnecessary explanations. Or, better yet, to shroud even the most basic concepts in mystery by means of convoluted descriptions.
Score: 2.55/5 stars
For all my complaints, Emerick and the sleeping guardian was not a bad book. It had an intriguing premise, a whimsical story line, and a whole host of interesting characters. The writing style wasn't bad either, making me see the merit in a sequel or two.
Nevertheless it often felt like it was trying too hard: too many cryptic details, too much poetic waxing, and just too much all around mystery.
===================== ARC provided by and in exchange for an honest and fair review...more
Two scientists want to experiment with artificially increasing a horse's intelligence. Enter Buttercup (the horse), who suddenly finds itself (himselfTwo scientists want to experiment with artificially increasing a horse's intelligence. Enter Buttercup (the horse), who suddenly finds itself (himself?) with a box attached to its head, and a lot more awareness about his surroundings.
Predictably, the scientists are not prepared for their experiment getting much smarter than anticipated, so they continue adding more and more computing power to Buttercup's external brain, all while the horse barely just passes their IQ tests... allegedly. Until the scientists suddenly realize that it has, in fact, been eating the Internet, bit by bit...
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If I were to put this story in the most simplistic terms: think of it as a hero's quest to rid the world of evil monsters. Only most of the cool battle scenes are taken out, keeping just a few ones, where the hero and the chief monster are throwing veiled threats at each other. The remainder of the plot is taken up by the hero perfecting his increasingly sophisticated weaponry, in order to erm... conquer the monsters' world? Because by this time, he realizes that taking over the monster world is a much more efficient way to subjugate his foes.
I started out extremely enthusiastic, very much excited for a whimsical comedy, wherein a horse ends up mistakenly(?) kicking the end-of-the-universe button. And what an amusing tale the button creation was! Predictable? Maybe, but at least it's funny...
Instead, the novel took me on a crazy ride, involving the ethical aspects of animal experimentation, extraordinary technical advances, and some sort of twisted idea about what should make a story interesting. Or so I think. I wasn't 100% certain of... ugh... anything, by the end of it.
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Following Betty's dogged attempts in trying to mold Buttercup's IQ into a specific type of intelligence, certainly horrified me. And I definitely welcomed the horse's eventual rebellion. But when it came to the atrocities that followed the (first?) epic show down... I just didn't get it.
Am I one of those people, whose pitiful attention span can only process a single epic showdown? Entirely possible. Am I ashamed of it? Kiiiiiinda.... ? Do I want to know how it all ends? HELL NO! GET ME OUTTA HERE!!!
Score: 1/5 stars
My constant whining about the book's increasing weirdness not only put me off it, but my friends too. They went so far as to threaten to lynch me, should I continue with my self-imposed reading flagellation sessions.
So, you know, it was a matter of life and death, by this time.
Gordon Frost is a small time drug dealer, who's had years and years of practice in evading the law. Orphaned as a small kid, fallen in with a truly duGordon Frost is a small time drug dealer, who's had years and years of practice in evading the law. Orphaned as a small kid, fallen in with a truly dubious crowd, with only a single friend to speak of, he had long since resigned himself to dying young. Nevertheless, stumbling into Adam Blake's criminal arms doesn't make Gordon all that eager to meet his maker.
Adam an agent for a super secret anti-terrorist organization, has botched up his current mission, and needs a place to lay low for a while. Gordon's apartment just so happens to be a good choice for a temporary haven. Although used to cleaning up after nosy civilians, Adam finds himself reluctant to dispose of Gordon. Instead, he decides to creepily stalk him... and very predictably ends up falling head over heels in lust with the guy. Not that you'd suspect, with the way he treats poor Gordon.
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I may keep telling myself that I'm finally over my "In the Company of Shadows" (a.k.a. iCoS) obsession, especially given the amount of Captive Prince fanfiction I've consumed lately... yet I still find myself rereading my favorite chapters from the books every so often. In other words: was anyone actually expecting me to pass on a book set in the same universe?
Even so, I tried to resist buying the book, due to the controversy surrounding Santino Hassel. I even went the extra mile and watched this about his(their?) misdeeds, in order to try and put my mind off this novel... and I almost succeeded. But then someone had to try and shame me for *gasp* DARING to recommend the series to someone asking for m/m recs, which pissed me off enough to actually pay for this book.
I'm not quite sure what point I was trying to prove, but clicking the buy button on Amazon totally made me feel vindicated.
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Ahem... so about After Midnight: as a side story set in the ICoS universe, I would definitely recommend it to fans. It shows a different side of agent life, that of people outside the elite, unlike Sin or Boyd. And of course there's also the interesting aspect of how a civilian views the mysterious comings and goings of The Agency.
My personal favorite bit was this little quote:
"I hope you're not intending to shower with me," [Adam] said, not making a move to cover himself. "Ha. Not on your life asshole. I don't care how cut your abs are, there's only three men I'd fuck in this shithole and they are Agents Beaulieu, Vega or Trovosky, hopefully at the same time."
Don't get me wrong, Wanda is a real bitch otherwise, but that assessment there is made of so much win. *squeals*
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Are you tired of my fangirling yet? If so, I'm sorry to say that there's not much left for you in here. Except for a lot of sex, gore, and some arguably needless cruelty, peppered with a slim dose of backstory.
Score: 3/5 stars
Do I regret buying this? Hell no!
Would I recommend this for fans of ICoS? Sure.
Would I recommend it for fans of the genre? Only if they're into lots of gratuitous sex and violence....more
After the rather ominous ending of the prequel, I felt ready to jump into Boyd's lengthy undercover mission, and yearn alongside him for the much antiAfter the rather ominous ending of the prequel, I felt ready to jump into Boyd's lengthy undercover mission, and yearn alongside him for the much anticipated reunion with Hsin... but the authors had a completely different idea about that. They skipped right through those particular horrors, and straight into the utter despair of a changed home life.
When I say that a book made me cry, I normally think of a few sniffles I let loose at the end, generally at the expense of children or animals suffering. In here, I was in full on sob-fest for the duration of the first 200+ pages, and still felt the need for the occasional encore later on. Since I read an average of about 50 pages/hour, I'm sure you can appreciate the lovely Sunday I've been having. Yes, I'm that slow... moreso when things get depressing.
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So I resorted to reading reviews, to try and assure myself that things couldn't possibly be at their worst... only to quickly move back to reading the actual book, for fear of spoilers. When the oppressive depression got too bad, I considered mixing things up with some feel-good fanfiction of what-if scenarios from Vermont, but my mind kept being pulled back into Boyd's inevitably bleak, if surprisingly determined, present mindset.
In essence, this book felt like one big package of a never ending list of unfairness, starting with the new Marshall, ending with Vivian Beaulieu's raison d'être, and interspersed with every single one of Boyd's anguished screams.
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... so I totally had to come back later, to reread all those shmexy and fluffy scenes I was too stressed to properly appreciate before.
Score: 4.7/5 stars
ICoS was such a contradictory series for me. On the one hand it has all the writing pet-peeves that I ran away from in M/F stories, and it's depressing enough to be perpetually illustrated by wind-swept, and rain-soaked greyscale GIFs.
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But at the same time, it's also a love story between two wonderful, broken and incredibly twisted men, that has kept me obsessed for a month a half now. Despite the insane amount of pain, suffering and overall unfair situations that Boyd and Hsin are constantly thrown into, I could weather through them all, knowing that there would be a final scene, with them riding off into the sunset. What can I say: I'm such a sucker for the happily-ever-after.
After the jarring roller-coaster ride that the previous book put me through, I was in urgent need of a break. Something lighter that wouldn't try to sAfter the jarring roller-coaster ride that the previous book put me through, I was in urgent need of a break. Something lighter that wouldn't try to shred my feelings every step of the way. I almost managed the switch to Netflix... for about a minute, or two... until I decided to sneak juuuuuuuuust a small peak into the third book. And the rest is history.
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I was expecting to be hit with yet another bout of depression, but somehow ended up laughing hysterically right from the first few pages. No one can resist Emilio Vega's charms. He can waltz in on Carhart having sex, nonchalantly wait for the guy to finish, then brazenly demand to move in... and I'd just nod, and point out the be-- er couch. Definitely the couch. Logically, I knew I should've been appalled on the woman's behalf, but all I could manage was some baffled gaping, followed by manic laughter. *swoons*
The Interludes were juuuust the thing to get me out of the post-Afterimage blues: they were funny, bitter-sweet, cute, occasionally heart-wrenchingly painful, but most of all simply... perfect. It was like my favorite feel-good fanfiction, that gives a brief glimpse into the characters' more domestic activities. It even let me indulge in "forbidden" fantasies, but most importantly: it provides irrefutable proof that the authors always know best.
In other words: for all that I may find Boyd and Kass totally sizzling together, nothing compares to the perfection that is Boyd and Hsin as an OTP.
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I wish I had stopped to savor this book more, instead of jumping head-first into the sequel.
Score: 5/5 stars
This was hands down my favorite of the four (five?) ICoS books. For all that it took me 4 days to get through, by the end of it I felt like not even a day has passed. I honestly have no idea what else I was up to during the reading process... I mean, my time sheet is proof that I must've gone to work at some point, so that's a good thing. Hopefully. *cringes*
Well... this was depressing. Though I didn't walk around crying my eyes out (I saved that for Fade), there was always a general feel of listlessness aWell... this was depressing. Though I didn't walk around crying my eyes out (I saved that for Fade), there was always a general feel of listlessness around me. I didn't really want to do anything else aside from reading THIS. PARTICULAR. BOOK. I tried to resist, believe me, but nothing held my attention: no manga, no fanfiction, no TV series, and not even life in general.
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The fragile truce from the end of Evenfall, which allowed our protagonists a bit of respite, is swiftly coming to an end. Sin's hallucinations are getting steadily worse, causing him to distance himself more and more from Boyd. Not that the latter suspects much, what with the unexpected offer to try out for a promotion.
Even though a 3-month isolation seems perfect for Boyd's 'safety', Sin is not entirely convinced that he can defeat his daemons on his own. Add to that, Kassian's rather close friendship with Boyd, and our resident super-assassin is not a happy camper. As far as he's concerned, Kassian should just restrict his advice to other level 10 trainees.
If only Boyd weren't so dismissive. Then maybe our two protagonists could talk things through, and Sin's mental health would stop its descent into utter despair. Maybe...
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For all that I love Sin in all his gloriously murderous and prickly package, I could always relate much more to Boyd. Every single one of Boyd's decisions from this book felt completely understandable to me.
They weren't necessarily kind, and often times utterly painful to witness, seeing as I, the reader, was also privy to Sin's side of things. Still, those two didn't communicate in any way, so from that point of view I could totally see myself making the exact same decisions. And I say all this while having my heart broken all over again over Sin's declining mental health.
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Score: 4.7/5 stars
This book was long! I mean truly enormous, with a lot of passages I could've done without. At one point I even started picturing the ridiculousness of Boyd's innumerable inner musings. It felt as if replying to even the simplest question would first cause him go through a half-hour mope fest. It's a wonder no one picked up-- oh wait, never mind.
This book was addictive enough to not let me be able to concentrate on anything else. I wanted to put my entire life on pause, and just immerse myself in the books. And that ending: just plain brilliant. It made me feel equal parts excited, angry, elated, annoyed as well as hopeful. This level of obsession alone warrants a 5-star rating. Dia darling, you've ruined me for anything outside this series *wails*
The first two books painted an incredibly bleak picture of Roland's world. Said to have "moved on", just teeming with monsters, demons and the occasioThe first two books painted an incredibly bleak picture of Roland's world. Said to have "moved on", just teeming with monsters, demons and the occasional unexpected horrifying incident.
As a passive observer, I could definitely see merit in learning more about it, but the highlight of each episode was by far the possibility of leaving it behind for the relative 'familiarity' of New York. Granted, I've only seen pictures of the city, but compared to the horror of fighting and eating lobstrosities on a daily basis, it at least felt safer.
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The third book however, brought on a subtle change in atmosphere, but it was enough to get me more interested in the post-apocalyptic world. I can't say I'm normally very keen on being mauled to death by giant bears, nor look forward to getting glimpses of crazy sick people, or the odd vivid monster feast or two. As long as I was reading however, the world of our heroes certainly seemed riveting enough.
The billy-bumbler just stole the show for me: totally adorable, occasionally heart-breaking (I even shed a tear of two during the bridge crossing scene), it managed to put me in an all-around good mood.
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For all the excitement that I felt, compared to the previous two books, I couldn't honestly say that this one has held me completely spell-bound. I certainly liked to read it, and I definitely felt extremely excited about picking it up, however I didn't exactly dream about it while waiting for the chance to pick it up again.
Some passages were rather difficult to follow: such as the elders' stories about old Lud. Probably due to my unfamiliarity with the language of this world, not to mention the weirdly fragmented manner people told things.
Score: 4/5 stars
Stephen put it best in his review: the "Shardik-Lud Expedition".
Not sure if it's mostly due to the improved writing style, or even just the cliff-hanger ending, but I'm definitely looking forward to the next book.
Mexico: the place to let loose, indulge in life's forbidden pleasures, and reward the loyal reader who suffered through an inordinate amount of UST inMexico: the place to let loose, indulge in life's forbidden pleasures, and reward the loyal reader who suffered through an inordinate amount of UST in volume 1. Far enough from the Agency's threatening reach, yet close enough to other, much more dangerous, entities' claws, Sin and Boyd can finally relax. As soon as they're done complaining about Monterrey's sweltering July heat.
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Luckily (for the frustrated reader) our two protagonists don't waste too much time to grant us a very explicit glimpse into their more heated encounters. And it's a testament to the authors' writing prowess, that despite looking forward to it the minute they set foot on Mexican soil, I was just as invested in all of Boyd's inner musings, with all his self doubt, self blaming, and random angry outbursts. If it hadn't been for other characters pointing out his lack of professionalism, I would have been ready to storm the Agency's HQ alongside him.
From the secondary characters, I very much enjoyed Kassian Trovosky's scenes, the Agency's only other level 10 agent. I sincerely adore every single snide comment that Sin may deign to throw at us, but Kassian's completely different approach to missions was a joy to get through. I'm sooo looking forward to meeting him again in Afterimage. Heck, I haven't been so keen to pair up a character, since my Harry Potter fanfiction craze.
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Score: 4.8/5 stars
For about a week after finishing I couldn't concentrate on anything else. I felt so emotionally drained, that I just wanted to lose myself in Sin and Boyd-shaped fantasies. Their relationship brought to mind all those brilliantly written Harry/Draco fanfiction, that had me forget to live, if it meant I could read another chapter.
While it's not quite perfect, with plenty of boring scenes of Boyd casing out his surroundings, or the inexplicable fast-forward of the protagonists' post-mission meet up, not to mention all that Mexican slang that should've been linked as footnotes, it's been a long time since I got so excited about a series and its characters. Yay for my first 5-star read of the year!
Recommendations and I just don't seem to be able to coexist peacefully. Not because I'm some sort of superior specimen of a reader, that doesn't lowerRecommendations and I just don't seem to be able to coexist peacefully. Not because I'm some sort of superior specimen of a reader, that doesn't lower herself to read the mundane. If I were to keep track of all the yaoi manga I read, you'd realize just how filthy my reading list is. And no, I'm not giving you a sneak peak. Certain things are better left up to one's imagination.
... but then every once in a while, I stumble on this absolute gem that tempts into all sorts of improbable promises. "Thou shall not wait YEARS to check out those recommended books"... or at least, TRY not to. It's the thought that counts after all. Riiiiight?!
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Sssso: about Evenfall: Volume 1. I wanted to see the apathetic Boyd unleash his inner genius and somehow ace all his special agent training. I wanted the crazy Sin to do a sudden 180 and rethink his murdering ways. But most of all, I was hoping to hell that none of my suspicions would come through, so I could keep fiddling with this intriguing new puzzle of a series.
In the end, I can't say that I was a big fan of the action scenes. For all that I love action movies, I just never manage to follow such scenes in writing. Most especially not, when 99.99% of them are episodic, and tend to start in the middle of a mission. I could hardly wait to skip them, and get to the - ahem - fun stuff. Would Sin finally snap and maim Boyd? Would Boyd inadvertently set off yet another one of Sin's rampages? Would they form a tentative friendship? Or would there be something... more?
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I would read standing up, I would read while my software was installing, I would spend half an hour preparing to wash my teeth because I was loathe to interrupt the story. Incidentally if someone knows how to brush teeth, read AND occasionally turn pages, let me know.
Score: 4.4/5 stars
I have a new obsession. I got so excited that I started looking into gossip about the authors. BIG MISTAKE! But then what did you expect, when you greet me with a pink background that references authors misbehaving? Rabid fans are some of the most dangerous beasts. Moreso when they're spurned.
In a not-so-far-off future humanity has all but achieved its lifelong ambition: depleting the planet's natural resources. Parents born into a land of In a not-so-far-off future humanity has all but achieved its lifelong ambition: depleting the planet's natural resources. Parents born into a land of plenty, are now forced to raise their kids in "the stacks", fighting for every inch of breathing space.
[image] Nowhere left to go
Faced with the bleak prospects of reality, the virtual world of OASIS is humanity's only alternative. Its users can spend all their lives in a holographic world: go to school, work, and even get married from the confines of their very own... dilapidated truck cabin.
The death of OASIS' creator, gives its users the possibility to compete for ownership rights of the system. And I do mean everybody: from the 18-year-old stack-dweller Wade Watts, to the multi-billion company execs of I.O.I., the Easter Egg hunt is open to all.
[image] People watching James Halliday's testament
I grew up in the 90s, with my entire childhood firmly parked in that decade. The grunge hair, cheesy music videos, and plenty of trendy neck-chokers are what my nostalgia is made of. My birth certificate may of course make a case for the 80s, but for the life of me I can barely recall any of it. The family picture album on the other hand, is full of black and white photos of me reciting poetry, while balancing on one foot. Yes, I was a weird kid.
My lack of fancy for the 80s, would explain how I managed to read NOT one, but TWO, books inspired by this one, BEFORE tackling the original. Although I had enjoyed the world-building aspect in both of them, the numerous dismissive reviews with their comparisons to Ready Player One made me wary. Too many compliments always make me suspicious. But then Hollywood had to get involved, releasing an awesome-looking trailer, so... I couldn't possibly be expected to resist, right?
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It's probably a testament to Ernest Cline's writing abilities, that I found myself eagerly following our hero's every single step in his virtual reality. I loved all the aspects regarding privacy and single-account enforcement thrown in. I enjoyed all the old video game plays, not to mention the generic geeky stuff.
Truly, all I can possibly complain about are the overly YA-ish romantic scenes: the amount of cheese in there was just staggering!
Score: 4.4/5 stars
This was one of the few books where I truly forgot to check my progress percentage (on Kindle). The action-packed story just grabbed me, threw me smack dab into a D&D reenactment, and just completely blew my mind.
I'm definitely looking forward to the movie, although I must admit I'm a bit wary of how they'll handle the romance aspect. If the trailer is anything to go by, I fear they might make it even more cheesy...
P.S. Yes, the original really IS much better than the 'copies'. P.P.S. I liked the book better than the movie.
Roland is forging ahead determined to find the three people prophesied by Walter Padick at the end of The Gunslinger. As the Universe in our hero's wRoland is forging ahead determined to find the three people prophesied by Walter Padick at the end of The Gunslinger. As the Universe in our hero's world seems to have a particularly twisted sense of humor, the gunslinger is given a heavy handicap at the beginning of the story. Some huge lobster-like monsters (a.k.a lobstrosities) bite off the first two fingers of his right hand, which puts quite a dent in his shooting skills
Threatened by both blood loss, as well as the constant chatter of monsters, Roland's quest seems to be getting more and more... sinister every step of the way. Not that it had been a walk in the park before, by any stretch of imagination.
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I am still not entirely on board with the author's writing style, however the character development just blew my mind. Being rather impatient by nature, I always like to try and guess where the story and characters may lead the narrative thread. I tend to do exceedingly well with highly predictable genres (eg: historical romances), have the occasional success with murder mysteries, but miss the mark entirely when it comes to more complex world building and/or character development.
As I tend to get annoyed with predictability when it comes to anything other than the blindingly obvious, following Roland Deschain through the mysterious beach doors kept my mind locked in an epic story chock full of incredible action sequences, heart-breaking resolutions, liberally peppered with graphically horrifying slaughter scenes.
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There were several dull sequences, generally courtesy of lengthy descriptive passages, that still caused the reading experience to drag significantly. However the sheer unpredictability of everything, along with the masterful character development couldn't really justify anything lower than a 4-star rating.
Score: 3.8/5 stars
Should you find the review incredibly vague, and maybe even a bit misleading, that is actually intentional. I even chose relatively pretty and nondescript pictures this time around, partly because I didn't wish to spoil the action unnecessarily, and partly because googling images for lobstrosities freaked me out... even in retrospect.
At this point, there are probably very few people (myself included) who may not know of/about the series' plot. Even so, I find that this proved to be an integral part of my... well definitely not enjoyment. How about sense of wonder? And I mean that in the most horrifying sense imaginable.
The fastest way to get me to start a series is by making a Hollywood movie of it, and subsequently come up with a trailer just packed with cool, slow-The fastest way to get me to start a series is by making a Hollywood movie of it, and subsequently come up with a trailer just packed with cool, slow-motion-like action scenes.
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Now keep in mind that I did say fastest, not surefire. In the case of Mortal Instruments for example, I was perfectly content to giggle over its cheesiness at the movies, without any further attempts at self-flagellation. Then again, which idiot in its right mind would put Stephen King and Cassandra Clare in the same sentence? No need to answer that.
The entire world-building, coupled with Roland and Jake's character development were brilliant. Their thought process in a brutally unforgiving dystopian universe, where nothing sacred remains, left me speechless. Jake's scornful (view spoiler)[desperation (hide spoiler)] upon realizing Roland's plans for (view spoiler)[him (hide spoiler)] was unexpectedly deep, and haunting, and riveting... and just insert any dramatic epithet that you can think of.
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But - yes there is a but - no dystopian world is complete without an ample description of its desolation, and Stephen King's brand of descriptive sequences just don't do it for me. I actually had the same issue with Salem's Lot: having to repeatedly reread several paragraphs, because my mind just kept drifting away.
Maybe there is something wrong with my sense of aesthetics, but I find passages like these utterly boring:
The desert was the apotheosis of all deserts, huge, standing to the sky for what looked like eternity in all directions. It was white and blinding and waterless and without feature save for the faint, cloudy haze of the mountains which sketched themselves on the horizon and the devil-grass which brought sweet dreams, nightmares, death. An occasional tombstone sign pointed the way, for once the drifted track that cut its way through the thick crust of alkali had been a highway. Coaches and buckas had followed it. The world had moved on since then. The world had emptied.
...*yawn*
Score: 3.3/5 stars
I have since watched the movie, and realized that other than mentions of the world moving on, and a mysterious dark tower, reading the book didn't really help.
That said, the characterization and the world building are exciting enough to make me want to keep reading... and in hindsight, the book itself was actually not that bad quite good. Hopefully the rewrite has improved the descriptions in the following book.
In a world plagued by such terrible winters, that most people prefer to spend the time hibernating, Charlie Worthing is happy to take up a job watchinIn a world plagued by such terrible winters, that most people prefer to spend the time hibernating, Charlie Worthing is happy to take up a job watching over the "sleepers". For all that the job of a Winter Consul is fraught with dangers and virtually no one survives it unscathed, it's still a significant pay bump compared to domestic duties.
All this of course doesn't stop Charlie from making a huge blunder on the very first assignment. So now our intrepid protagonist gets to spend the remainder of the book making up for it.
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Jasper Fforde's been sort of a hit and miss author for me. On the one hand, his humor (when it hits) is absolutely brilliant. On the other hand, said humor often feels much too elevated for my limited general knowledge, so it can come off as pretentious.
Luckily for me, Early Riser was happy enough to rely on minimal snobbery, focusing instead on wordplay, lots of situational humor, and a vaguely disturbing tendency to depict horrific events as hilarious.
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There's no denying, that the novel has a lot going on for it. Starting with Charlie's ambiguous gender, to the characters' constantly shifting morals, not to mention my own nostalgia about a trip to Wales from some years ago... nevertheless, the book's highlight proved to be its world building. I especially loved how it starts out as a dystopian bleak future, only to gradually reveal itself as an alternate reality with relatively minor difference to our own. Aside from the whole winter hibernating stuff, of course.
Score: 4.4/5 stars
There were a bit too many universe-specific terms that would confuse me along the way, and I wasn't exactly thrilled with the switch in narration style in the final chapter. It felt needlessly contrary, as if it was trying too hard to be original. Nevertheless, I greatly enjoyed the story, the characters as a whole, and have resolved to check out more of Fforde's other works....more
Melanie is a very bright little girl, who just loves school. And why shouldn't she? After all classes are the highlight of her day. Except on Sundays,Melanie is a very bright little girl, who just loves school. And why shouldn't she? After all classes are the highlight of her day. Except on Sundays, which are also her least favorite days of the week. To be fair, who could blame her? She is living in a rather small, dark cell, being moved around strapped to a chair, and most everyone treats her like she is a monster.
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Melanie's favorite teacher is Miss Justineau, who's always so nice to everyone. Melanie secretly hopes though, that she is the young teacher's favorite student. After all, didn't Miss Justineau stroke Melanie's head just last week? All in all, Melanie used to be pretty happy with her life. The only dark spots in it were the occasional disappearances of some of her classmates after Dr. Caldwell had asked to see them.
Eventually it becomes Melanie's turn to be 'seen'. She knows that she will likely never come back, and never get to see Miss Justineau again... but miraculously something goes so terribly wrong (or goes well, depending on your point of view), that our young heroine escapes. Her, and Miss Justineau, and Sergeant Parks... and even Dr. Caldwell now get to go on an adventure!
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This was nice. Well, OK maybe the subject matter is not exactly that. I guess, I'm thinking more along the lines of how certain action movies are nice: as in, the money spent on movie tickets was not a waste.
Still, from there to "if you only read one novel this year, make sure it's this one" is a long way to go. It's definitely an action-packed story, with several adrenaline-filled scenes, plenty of 'tear-jerkers', lots of character development... and also one of the more unusual takes on this particular apocalyptic plague. But I can't say it made me think of the story/characters more, after having finished reading the book.
Speaking of the plague: if it weren't for the reviews, I would've enjoyed the first 10-15% of the book a LOT more. As it is, knowing that (view spoiler)[Melanie is a zombie (hide spoiler)] right off the bat, made things less thrilling.
Score: 3.3/5
This will probably make for a great action-movie, featuring lots of nail-biting moments, and the ending will definitely be one of the more... unexpected ones. Other than that, I didn't find it a particularly memorable novel....more
Ms. Smartarse
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Books:
dystopia
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