Kireth
It has been more than a day since I finished blitzing my way through this book (finished in a week!) yet the ideas and moments are recurring images in my brain. I believe it is because of the excellent character work amidst this busy science-fiction-meets-fantasy world, with individual triumphs and failures and continual drives being tested in the worst of conditions. Lessons of power, morality, good and evil and the forging and testing of the human spirit are all on display in Red Rising.
Yet the novel is not perfect; it has its flaws. A frenetically paced writing style (I learned afterwards that the author needed to slim the page and word count down in order to get his first book published, having written five before this) lead to moments where I wish I had more explanation, or time to slow down and absorb the details amidst the breakneck pacing. For me the real snowball effect started from around the 45% mark, with the book's entire second half - which is really the meat of the plot and action - being an awesomely and horrifyingly epic scaled education combined with war. To say anymore would be a spoiler, but everything in the first half now oddly reminds me of The Shire in The Lord of the Rings - absolutely necessary fundamental worldbuilding that establishes the motive, precedent and ignition for the later combat.
Darrow is a simple yet effective character. Smart, burdened, born into the wrong time and place. Everyone else is secondary, but all have a clear role in this novel - practically anyone named actually has a significant interaction which surprised me.
Will I continue reading this trilogy? Hell yes. I understand why this book has sat so high among many Sci-Fi reading lists, it is a great modern introduction to the genre much like Mistborn is for Fantasy. I will enjoy reading the entire trilogy, especially as I heard they only get better, and then likely books 4-7 as well.
A fast breeze to read through that surprisingly relies on an overall understanding of the Cosmere's direction especially in its 2nd half. I'm conflicted over the versions of Dusk's story - the original format built up suspense and ended in an ominous manner, whereas the new one contrasts past and present very nicely between its chapter transitions. Dusk becomes more likeable and human, which was to be expected as he is thrust into educated civilisation, and the antagonists provide an interesting dimension to those who have loved original Cosmere characters.
The flipside of this is Starling, who broadens our Cosmere understanding and presents dazzling powers and perspectives as a young Dragon in this advanced stage of the timeline. She's also the neice of the (behind-the-scenes) acclaimed dragon Frost, friend to Hoid and creature with deep knowledge of the history of this universe.
The second half of the novel in particular expands the Cosmere’s future state, with residents and representatives of other planets heavily featured and advanced technology on display. The ending is an interesting magical conundrum, and whilst a bit simple, I think Sanderson does a solid job of merging and respecting the traditional with the futuristic.
I don’t really see Isles of the Emberdark as standalone, instead like The Sunlit Man a treat and world building expansion for dedicated Cosmere fans. Something to tide us over until Mistborn Era 3 Ghostbloods in 2028.
<i>“We’re each a new person every day. The world changes, and is new each day, and we must change with it.”</i>
A sweeping epic across the stars of the DC Universe that finally concludes this DCeased saga. Somehow, despite all the death, hope remains a core tenant of this series, and meaningful sacrifices stand out amidst the ingeniously captured short character interactions and insane power combinations on display. Like a child's sandbox of superhero and villain action figures, yet against a backdrop of bloody, dread-inducing darkness and with the elevated storytelling of an adult who has been through too much. A surprising gem in the DC canon that does justice to all, especially the super and bat-families.
Book Club book of May 2026!
A single drop of water travels from Babylonian times to 1800s London and then to the river Tigris in 2014 before returning to the Thames in 2018. The first location is featured only in a prologue-like sequence but the bulk of the story rotates between the 3 latter places and perspectives in King Arthur of the Slums and Sewers, a young Yazidi slowly going deaf with a storytelling grandmother Narin, and a hydrologist Zaleekhah who is on the edge of leaving a comfortable life. The way all three storylines intertwine and connect was enjoyable, though I felt it either could have been stripped back or taken further - I wasn't quite satisfied with where they landed. I also would have loved more page time given to the ancient setting, but Nineveh is a place that connects all three storylines and the rivers our characters live on.
The writing was beautiful, and the first half full of promise and adventure. Arthur's storyline is the standout, a truly epic tale from beginning to end, and I learnt a lot about Yazidi culture and recent Middle East political struggles through Narin. Her grandmother in particular was an irritatingly fun character. There are emotional moments and this is a book that is ambitious in its approach. The range of diverse historical and social issues covered meant I learnt a lot across this read. But at the centre of it all was water, and there were poetic lines and moments related to this important and too often overseen element of the world around us.
What chance does such a sweet, innocent being have in a world full of sin, sorrow and suffering?
'This is what happens when you love someone - you carry their face behind your eyelifs, and their whispers in your ears, so that even in deep sleep, years later, you can still see and hear them in your dreams.'
While it is true that the body is mortal, the soul is a perennial traveller - not unlike a drop of water.
There are extraordinary people who appear unexpectedly on our paths, and, just as suddenly, they disappear, leaving their indelible marks and a sense of regret. Brief and bright, like a match striking a flame in the dark, they heat the damp kindling of our hearts and then they are gone.
For a moment it feels as if they are sitting around a sparkling, popping fire in the open air, the wind laced with smoke and words, held together by a common thread of narrative. It feels ancient somehow.
"You are tiny, the fire is massive, what do you think you'll achieve with your itty-bitty water?" But the frog said, "If I were to do nothing, would I be any different from you?" Now that was a wise frog...
Awesome ride through the magical and New God areas of the DC Universe. Despite there being a 5 year time-jump, the plot moves very quickly once our Earth-2 heroes return to the site of the Anti-Living.
All the build-up of Hope at World's End and Unkillables enhances this climactic volume. There were some real emotional moments, and the action was suitably epic and cross-universe in scope. Overall made the DCeased series feel worth it, as this was a real closer where the hope translates into tangible action and it actually feels like the end of all things.
Surprisingly emotive, but I think I can see why people love reading Tom Taylor now. He is hope-filled, gives each character an iconic moment and has banterous dialogue in-between.
This DCeased spinoff is about the individuals who can't be killed by the Anti-Life techno-virus, and some of them are not exactly heroes. It nicely complements the DCeased: Hope at World's End book, and both occur pretty much simultaneously so you can read them in either order. Red Hood, Cassandra Cain were great and I learnt a bit more about Deathstroke and his daughter Rose Wilson.
Middling to interesting, Black Adam and Khandaq was a focus point alongside Jon, Kent and Damian. And of course, photographer and optimistic side character Jimmy Olsen! Can't believe I found myself agreeing with Lex Luthor and Talia Al Ghul at the end. Some more obscure DC characters (Jotunheim, monkey detective?) which tickled my brain but otherwise indeed more hopeful even in the apocalyptic scenario at world's end.
Honestly a blast (of dead people bits and blood against the hope of DC's superheroes). Taylor nails the essence of each hero, from their seriousness to levity in a true elseworlds story that rips through the entire character base as we know it with no time to spare. Equal parts depressing and hopeful, DCeased reminded me why I loved these characters even as they ultimately fail against each other.
Hazel has to get a late-stage abortion as Squire and Ghus await the family's return and are closed in upon by the telepathic reporters.
I actually enjoyed the brave Western crossover for the first half of this entry, and then found touching moments throughout the middle and ending sections with both Hazel and Squire. Also good to see more magic and technology on display from other races and places. I can also see a sliver of light at the end of the tunnel as the series barrels onwards through Hazel's upbringing, which is good as I am keen for this to end...
Hazel goes to school in prison and meets some helpful individuals. Marko and Alana fight for their daughter, and Prince Robot V turns his son into his namesake, a Squire. There are developments here but this issue felt slower than the last, perhaps because of expanses of time being passed as Hazel ages up.
Interesting approach to storytelling the history of the human race, but I feel I've walked away with anecdotes and a very opinionated perspective, rather than objective reality and numbers across the world. Also there is a strong atheist view underlying the bookends of this one - no personal issue with it, but it does impact the "universality" of this brief history lesson.
The best Batman comic I’ve read yet. A gritty noir tale set over a year in Gotham City, which masterfully blends Italian crime influences like The Godfather with the whacky loons in Batman’s rogue gallery. I was impressed with how the holiday dates perfectly fit the comic medium, and while reading I wondered what it would have been like to be part of the comic community when the issues were published monthly.
Sale’s art was excellent, with the emphasised character traits and forced perspective backgrounds really working for my immersion in this world and story. Batman is an impressive masculine figure, his cape swirling and mask snarling when appropriate, but very much a man in the middle of his career as the city transitions from organised to supervillain crime. The writing was also top-notch, as we view three paragons of justice trying to fight the corruption of Gotham without breaking themselves in the process. Jim Gordon, The Batman/ Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent who I did not realise would be such a focal point of the narrative. Whilst I missed the backstory of Bruce and Harvey being friends in their youth (or was that something added later by writers like Snyder?), everything about him from quotes to chiaroscuro art was excellent. The crime families and Catwoman in particular also impressed me in their characterisation and presence on the page. I was left guessing until the end as to various aspects of the story, and I loved watching the city of Gotham go through a year of significant events and holidays, touching upon the psyche of the people and Bruce Wayne.
I see how the graphic novel has influenced films like The Dark Knight and The Batman spinoff Penguin, but I also feel that there is so much more from this left to explore. The Long Halloween stands as my all-time favourite Batman comic now, followed closely by A Court of Owls, Year One and then The Dark Knight Returns.
My first Andy Weir book and I see why he has appeal in the mainstream reading audience. However, I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would, and it has me hesitant to read The Martian (although I loved the movie). The writing style was easy to follow and felt conversational, and I was enlightened by all the proper scientific knowledge used in the book’s events. I did not like a few racial remarks made, but I also loved the simplistic approach taken in describing humanity’s response to the impending cosmic disaster. The double-hander of present day action in deep space and flashbacks to earth’s past was fun at the start but felt unnecessary by the film’s middle - I would have loved to peek more at Earth now. I didn’t get rich descriptions of other worlds or a deep exploration of interspecies relations and moral implications - or even a necessarily worthy hero as the protagonist. What I did enjoy was the relationship at the heart of the book, the science used in the extraterrestrial set-up and interstellar travel, and the snappiness of the novel’s events. The second half, especially the last 15%, was meaningful to me. Overall a fun, light and quick hard sci-fi read. Also a very fast turnaround to a film adaptation. I will be interested to see what they keep and cut for the big screen with Ryan Gosling.
I should have listened to my friends and read this sooner!
An instant modern classic. One of the most heartwarming and eloquently written books I’ve read yet. We are in the Metropol Hotel with Count Alexander Rostov for the majority of the book’s proceedings, yet through those swinging doors walk in comrades, enemies old and familiar and friends and family of all kinds. The way certain characters and moments are given life by their descriptions makes this plainly one of the most pleasurable reads I’ve had recently. I appreciate how Towles weaves in significant European and especially Russian cultural moments from the 1920s through to 60s. The writing is especially unflinching in the face of some of the socialist country’s darkest moments, yet the writing embraces sorrow and the seasons of life without delving into a depressive read. Life really is captured in this hotel and gentleman’s life, in all its shades from greed to loss and joy. This will stay with me for a while.
Feels like an overblown mystery surrounded in pessimism and climate change. The third act had twist after twist after twist. I enjoyed the way the story unfolded through the various voices, but I didn’t necessarily enjoy reading every POV. I did love the setting though and all its fauna especially. There were some fantastical descriptions of the flora and skies, alongside the eerie essences sitting at the edge of our POV visions, which I actually really enjoyed. At the core it is a story of parents and children, and the intergenerational trauma of childhood and coming-of-age moments in a world that is burning, drowning or being beaten at every moment.
science fiction meets smallville as we get a reimagined Kal-El and supporting cast that still retains the core of the character. an immigrant from another world, one who has all the power at his fingertips but can't solve every problem every where, who cares for all equally and respects the very stone/ dirt he fights on.
Superman.
art is spectacular, especially anything with rain/ dust on both Krypton and earth. some of the Lois writing is weak/ exposition but I respect the new direction she's taken in. highly relevant and good representation of AI and writing.
solid overall themes and great use of the medium, with the news panels and paranoia in an almost dystopian future. story wavered in parts across the four books, from cool to grunge and a little bit too gruff.
understandable why it's so revered and impactful on the genre. I think year one is slightly stronger