Andrew Adam

I enjoyed it, but it was very much evident that this was a YA author branching into adult fantasy. Really great social commentary, love the politics, the author is searingly good on intersectional issues, and whilst others might have seen a certain revelation about Theo coming, I was very happily blindsided, and it elevated the book from what I thought it was going to be. HMRC an enjoyable play on acronyms, but CIA pushed it too far!

I feel very conflicted. It was very readable, and Sanderson is very explicit in making it clear that he's using the White Room trope as featured in the Bourne Identity and Project Hail Mary; however, I felt the execution wasn't as satisfying as the latter - not indeed as Blake Crouch's Recursion, which it also reminded me of. Maybe I'm just in an unforgiving mood today.

Minor gripe - a bit confusing to give such a Norse-sounding name to the big bad (from Seattle) in a book that features actual Vikings.

I enjoyed this tremendously - some very distinct and relatable narrative voices, laugh-out-loud scenes and turns of phrase. The tragedy, comedy, and the bits in between were well-balanced.

Probably a 3.5, but feeling generous! Low key and warm - if you want gritty realism, look elsewhere. Background knowledge of D&D useful but not essential.

Considering the amount of fantasy I've read, it's surprising it's taken me this long to read my first Brandon Sanderson! It came across as a bit trope-y at times, but it was very readable, and I enjoyed the mechanics of allomancy. Looking forward to exploring other elements of the Cosmere in due course.

Very interesting as an example of the literature of the time - and to see the origins of found footage in several of the stories as a framing device! Most stories lack the impact they would have had at the time, and Lovecraft is (as I'd heard) rather racist...

This book is bleak - I knew that going into it (don't read the Goodreads blurb, it contains spoilers), but it's incredibly impactful, and feels scarily true. I'm amazed that this was published in 1993, it's cleverly written enough to be timely and timeless.

And yet it's full of hope and everyday kindnesses, and for that I'm grateful.

Nice to revisit this world after a few years away! I felt left with a lot of unanswered questions at the end of this - maybe I rushed it and missed some important details, but it felt like it would have benefitted from being treated as a novel rather than novella (at 210 pages, feels like it's headed in that direction anyway?)

Also, the author loves a romance subplot, which felt a little superfluous.

Like its predecessor, warm, reflective, and hopeful. I sense this will be a source of comfort and inspiration via many re-reads in the years to come.

If you're thinking of reading a Cory Doctorow vision of a future subverting capitalism, I'd recommend Walkaway instead of this.

Overall, interesting ideas, and I completely agree with the central premise of a long, long shadow cast by our current populist politics. And the red tape in the way of urgent action (and the way tensions between environmental and humanitarian might thus be exploited) struck close to home.

But the narrative voice felt indistinguishable from Little Brother, and the characters very simple/prefect (and interchangeable in terms of personality). I applaud the inclusivity on a surface level, but cannot fathom a left wing movement where everyone basically agrees with each other on everything. There's a lot of author polemic in the group discussions, as in his other works - often interesting, but thinly disguised.

My pet peeve - the blurb of this 2023-published book says it's set 30 years in the future. It's explicitly set in 2035/36 (at least in the hardback I read, maybe they picked that up for future editions?). The science and developments would have fitted the 2050s much better (and one line, name-checking Musk & Bezos, seems to imply we're in the 22nd century, not the 21st).

Overall, I partly agree with the cover quote - this is more effective as an instruction manual for revolution than a novel. But it was eminently readable, I binged it in not much more than a day around work and childcare.

Wildly relatable for me, and full of self compassion - borrowed from the library, but I'll be buying a copy to sit on the shelf for times when I need a pep talk. She doesn't flinch away from the darkness and despair that can be part of living neurodivergently, but the way she aspires to hope and compassion - whilst recognising they're bloody hard work - sets a brilliant example.

A brilliant fairy tale, rooted in reality, with moral quandaries and excellent riffs on what it means to strike a bargain, owe a debt, and care for your neighbour.

Very silly, very enjoyable. Pokes fun at the source material whilst clearly feeling affection for it.

I say I've finished it - I think I went down every possible pathway, but there are a lot!

My only criticism? Because it's an adult chooseable path adventure based on a classic of literature, it's much heavier than its youthful peers, which gives your wrists a perhaps excessive workout whilst reading it and trying to mark six different pages at once. But a quibble. Thank you!

Just a delight. Soul affirming and hopeful, the world needs more of this!

I enjoyed it tremendously, but have found it an enlightening experience to read through the reviews on Goodreads. I definitely didn't engage critically with it whilst reading it, just got thoroughly absorbed. I'm cautious to call it escapism, given the bleaker moments - but would compare it to The West Wing, in terms of having laugh-out-loud humour alongside serious themes, all wrapped up in a bundle of progressive views. In short, it was exactly what I needed this week.

Possibly the most emotional of the series so far, delightful writing as always, and a good mystery to unravel with the usual red herrings.

Not his finest or most creative, but an enjoyable enough way to pass the time. A sequel to The Code of the Woosters (maybe the fourth novel feat Gussie Fink Nottle and Madeleine Bassett?), so worth reading its predecessors first.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, since I tend to prefer plot driven to character driven novels, I wouldn't say I enjoyed this, but I did appreciate and admire it. I found the email exchanges particularly thought-provoking, reminding me of the importance of reading to spark fresh ideas and perspectives. Glad I tried it!

A brilliant fleshing out of the potterverse that I now consider canon.

As gripping and twisty as I'd expect from Brookmyre. Some I saw coming, some I didn't!

Some interesting themes on generational trauma, but didn't quite seize me.

A bit let down by the blurb on the back and the Derry Girls comparisons, but on its own merits, I enjoyed it. The everyday calculus of the Troubles (upstairs pub = less attractive to gunmen) and the impact of a corrupt, misogynist few on the wider society are very well conveyed. In 30 years, it's amazing what's changed, and what hasn't.

Very different to anything I've read this year - a good lesson in critical thinking and history being written by the victors. Writing style is very of its time, but I enjoyed it, it's a long time since I've read something from that period other than Wodehouse. Ironically, I was very convinced by its conclusions, only to become (slightly) less so once I'd looked at some other sources.

I think graphic novels are often wasted on me - I tend to give more attention to the text than the images. But I enjoyed the poignancy of this, looking at the toll taken on relationships by hidden illness. Space, therapy, love - lots of themes I enjoyed, I'm now reflecting on the deeper parallels and imagery that I might have overlooked.

A very satisfying end to the trilogy, with some excellent revelations and an open enough ending (not everything tied up with a pretty bow). The globehopping felt a bit disjointed after the claustrophobic setting of the first two books, and we maybe just visited one enclave too many? Could have done with slightly more depth and slightly less breadth. But I'm nitpicking, it was as enjoyable as the others and I finished it in barely a day (an excellent distraction from redundancy consultations).