Brig Berthold

Holy crap, I LOVED this experience. Wolf Larsen has joined the lineup of my favorite literary characters.

Ugh

An even 3/5

I LOVED this book until the very end. That's when my principle issues surfaced and remain problematic.

Why did they need to travel to Vegas? Because plot? If Trash Can Man was headed there, anyway, I can't figure out why the four were required to embark on their perilous, though noble, journey.

It wasn't to inspire the “wicked” to question their fear-based discipleship and “repent” or “reform” or whatever we are calling it. They all died. No reason to experience remorse for the evil they had facilitated, abetted, or perpetrated.

It wasn't to cleanse themselves. The only survivor never completed the full pilgrimage. Nor could he return with the full weight of knowledge of events. He simply assumed the truth based on preconceived notions of atomic fallout.

It wasn't to obtain some everlasting wisdom required to re-write the future and ensure a more prosperous society, devoid of man's previous follies. The intimation is that those are humanistically inevitable; hence Fran and Stu's departure.

Regardless, I simply must give it 4/5 stars. So much to love. Such rich characters. So poignant given the 2020 pandemic, social and institutional responses, etc., which are (arguably) secularly prophetic.

Damnit. I wanted more from the finale.

A little slow to get started for me. But once it picked up, this was awesome!

Shusterman is just so good.

This was pretty good. 3.75 stars.

How does this story not have an epilogue? The narration suffered frequently but the tale is engaging. I really enjoyed the parts of the story the author chose to let us puzzle out versus the explicitly detailed elements. I felt respected as a reader but guided in my understanding of the complexities of chess. The brilliance of this story is the parallels between Beth's character and how she plays chess.

Fantastic.

So much fun!

Not bad! I enjoyed the characters and the story. I wasn't overwhelmed with enjoyment but it was absolutely solid.

This was fantastic.

Well-balanced. Great pacing. Excellent characters. Very easy to recommend. Not for kids.

So so good.

The film is better.

Fast-paced, snarky, fun brain candy.

There are some really good things about this little story but, I'm afraid, most of it just wasn't that entertaining. I'm going to chalk it up to being desensitized by more modern stories.

Better than I expected. Will read more.

Holy Crap!
This reads like a novel in the first person. I can't make heads or tails of it and that's actually brilliant. Ronson does his thing but he also takes us on a bizarre journey of the bizarre. What do we believe? Where is the line between fantasy and reality? Is anyone guilty can anyone be truly innocent? Are we all not both parts of this hypocrisy at our core? Without ever posing these questions, these are the themes explored in, what I think is, a brilliant balance between journalism and sensationalist narrative. It was certainly entertaining, thought-provoking and climactic. I can see some hating the ending but I loved it. Brilliant conclusion to the precise point of the entire narrative.

2.75 stars. It wasn't unenjoyable.

I haven't read another book quite like this, before. Drawing the parallels between these two personalities and their career arcs has helped me see new sides to both the boxer and the broadcaster. Somehow, this interpretation of their lives has been among the most honest I've ever encountered; particularly regarding Ali. At least, that's how it felt.

Much of the criticism and praise for this book seem well-placed. Caught in Ali's shadow? Absolutely. Worthy of his own recognition and a place among boxing legend? Not a doubt. My issue was the writing/editing. Who decided we needed to know that Joe rode a 1500cc motorcycle from Beufort to Charleston to hop a plane? This level of immaterial detail clouded the entire narrative and was distracting. It caused me to wonder whether Joe wrote it himself (his name on the by line), at which point I forgive him for not being a writer, or it was a ghostwriter (plausible, of course) who is barely passible, or the editing was amateurish. Either way, as much of this delivery was awful as were the interesting stories and details that made Joe's life worthy of a book.

Loved it. Love these characters. Love this series. Loved the ending leading to more.

This was an incredibly interesting read. It's very raw. If even half of this is true, Tyson should make a lot more sense. By the end, I found more empathy and more condemnation for this man.

I know I risk a lot by giving this such a low rating. How do you articulate that you didn't enjoy something so beloved?

Pro: Tom Bombadill is a truly terrific character and why the story couldn't be about him, I'll never understand.
Pro: The linguistics in this book are off-the-charts incredible. The rhythmic speech was, at times, intoxicating. Almost dry, his rhymes are metered so well you can tell that Tolkeien was as much scholar, as anything.
Pro: Sam is such a terrific sidekick.
Pro: Without Tolkien, there may have never been a Robert Jordan, Patrick Rothfuss, or James Islington... unimaginable horrors.

Con: The story drug on. Pacing was awful, even for part one of a sweeping epic.
Con: Frodo's chief attributes, those which make him perfect for the task to which he's called, are mostly his lack of desire and his ignorance. “Frodo, we believe you really are the only one suitable to carry the ring because you do not understand its power and, if you did, it wouldn't matter because you have nothing driving you which would leave you susceptible to it's power.”
Con: The (incessant) singing. Which, much of the time, felt like a gimmicky plot device to pack-in exposition late.
Con: Too much of any good thing is bad and the bouncing, rhythmic wit of Tom Bombadill was completely lost when employed by other characters; Frodo, in particular.
Con: Did I mention the pacing?

I'm sorry. I promise I still love story. Just not this one.