Kireth
4.5/5
I found this to be a beautiful tale of storytelling, atonement and science that is closer to magic. In something out of an Arabian tale, Fuwaad ibn Abbas encounters a merchant specialising in intricate metalworks but whose prized possession is a a Gate through time using wormholes in the fabric of space. One side allows his arm to travel seconds into the future, the other sends it backwards through time over the same period. The merchant than conveys three stories, which Abbas then conveys to “His Majesty” the caliph as he explains his story. However, the key concept across each fable is that both past and future cannot be changed.
Recommended to me by my marketing mentor, Start With WHY is an interesting collection of business case studies exploring the underlying motivation to work for and purchase from brands. This is very much an examination-style book, with Sinek's unique voice (recognised from all those LinkedIn/ Instagram videos) infused into every sentence.
Unfortunately, the book suffers from repeating many ideas around WHY-driven leadership, processes, customer buying patterns and business decisions. This definitely could have been a lot shorter, and ultimately is more of a presentation rather than an introspective experience for the reader. It seems like my own homework to now find my WHY, although I am grateful that I better understand the differences between successful businesses and those that struggle.
Full book summary here.
Read this out of order according to which parts required prioritisation. Some chapters are pretty barebones/ the minimum, others can be found on Thomas Frank's Youtube channel. However, it was still a beneficial read, and I highly recommend it for late high school and early university students.
Detailed summary can be found here on my website.
2.5/5
This was an underwhelming start to the long Wheel of Time series, although it holds promise for successive novels. For every great character moment, there was an equal number of frustrating choices, mostly stemming from an overbearing reliance on established tropes within the Fantasy genre.
Full review here on my website!
WHY: I recently finished the heartbreaking Clone Wars TV series which naturally leads in to Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith, but did not want to rewatch the film - instead opting for a novelisation and my first Legends material due to the stellar reviews.
DIFFERENCES: I really liked some of the additional story material and artistic vision presented here, especially in the first half of the novel. There's a deeper introspection into Anakin's thinking and character through his perspective, as well as masterful manipulation from Palpatine in both the condensed timeline and manoeuvring of key players. Further, I really enjoyed the image of Coruscant bathed in blood-red flames and smoke due to the opening battle, and wish this detail was more relevant in the canon - it fits the story's themes of darkness and subterfuge.
WRITING: The writing overall was good, but unfortunately I had a few issues with the exploration of the dark and light theme. At times it was very cool, especially in regards to Yoda and Sidious, but also had me confused with its concluding message after being prominently interweaving itself through the plot. Also, some Star Wars action just can't be translated to page - whilst it was interesting to learn about different droid thinking and different lightsaber forms, it is much more captivating to watch a space battle or Jedi and Sith duel.
WHO: Really, really for the hardcore Star Wars prequel trilogy and Legends fans. Otherwise, this novelisation is very much skippable for the rest of the reader base. The film and its visuals not just cover the story better but add more perspectives and emotion.
WHY: Revisiting Riordan's Greek mythological world with my girlfriend before attempting to read the Heroes of Olympus series together.
STORY: This Percy Jackson companion novella includes three short stories, with camper interviews, world-building details and book puzzle games throughout.
The Stolen Chariot adds to the rivalry turned begrudging friendship between Clarisse and Percy as they track the title's namesake from sons of Ares Deimos and Phobos throughout Staten Island Zoo. The Bronze Dragon includes two romantic pairings and is of particular importance to the Heroes of Olympus series, introducing Festus as Beckendorf is trapped in a Myrmekes nest during a Capture the Flag game at camp. The Sword of Hades is definitely the best one, combining every fan's dream of the big three children Thalia, Percy and Nico with a trip into the Underworld featuring angry spirits and the River Lethe.
All three stories are also effective in increasing suspense for the final book in the PJ series, as this is set after the penultimate fourth entry but before The Last Olympian.
WRITING: Classic Rick Riordan humour integrated with just enough detail for a short story format. Whilst there are a few funny bits in the interviews, I found them very skippable (with the exception of Annabeth).
WHO: If you enjoyed the Percy Jackson series you will enjoy this. I'd say it is almost necessary reading if you plan on starting the Heroes of Olympus.
PREVIOUS: [b:Monstress, Vol. 3: Haven 37491890 Monstress, Vol. 3 Haven Marjorie M. Liu https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1531356957l/37491890.SY75.jpg 59101846]STORY: The Chosen returns to the more Maika-family-backstory centric style of Volume 2, this time with the introduction of her father as the bloodlines granting her the monster within start to make more sense. His subsequent formation of the tactically superior Blood Court to challenge the Baroness's union of the Dusk/ Dawn Courts, and the Cumea witches using Ancients through mask fragments pushes the human-arcanic conflict to the brink. Kippa and nekomancer Ren have their own sub-plots, with a twisting conclusion that sets up a conflict-heavy series ending in Volumes 5 and 6.ART & WRITING: Again, the artwork in this series is amazing. The writing was much easier to understand with the main players having been established, and the groups and their relationships to each other becoming more clear. The Blood Doctor himself is a classic seemingly-benevolent villain and there is great, if cliched, dialogue between himself and Maika. NEXT: [b:Monstress, Vol. 5: Warchild 52637764 Monstress, Vol. 5 Warchild Marjorie M. Liu https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600742631l/52637764.SY75.jpg 78402003]
WHY: Continuing the series in lockdown with awesome free delivery from my local library.
STORY: Unlike The Blood's journey across waters to the Isle of the Dead God, Haven is set completely in the city of Pontus, neutral in the Arcanic-Human war. Maika is trying to survive as the Blood Queens, Dusk (and Dawn) Court, Prime Minister and Pontus themselves try to use her and the ancient within for their own ends. There are a lot more POVs this volume, a welcome return from Volume 1 that helps the worldbuilding, and the plot seemed a lot more streamlined - war tensions are simmering, Pontus needs its shield from the old times to be activated and an Old God is straining against its bonds to enter this realm. The cats are also doing their own thing as usual, though this time it intriguingly includes the pure fox Kippa.
ART & WRITING: The art in this series is just amazing - the darkness seeping through the page, facial expressions and changing panel size and structure each page which drives energetic action and creates huge moments of dramatic tension. The themes of power and bloodlust are represented visually in graphic destruction, and otherworldly tales and creatures are visually engaging. I definitely take longer to read the writing here than with other graphic novels due to the sheer density of backstory to the world and inference of character motivation and relationships. The dialogue is brutally uncensored, gender flipped and still influenced somewhat by the Asian setting just like previous issues; "brother-f**ker/ father-f**ker".
WHO: If you are enjoying the Monstress series, then just keep reading it. I know that there's always something new to discover, although this definitely leaned more towards the style of Awakening which I preferred.
WHY: With Sydney in lockdown again, my local library service offered an amazing free delivery service for online reservations. I was able to secure Dream Country, and continue the universal, gothic and mind-bending journey of Neil Gaiman's Sandman.
STORY: Unlike previous issues, Volume 3 presents four unlinked stories which intermittently feature Dream and his sister Death. Calliope was brutal, featuring a Muse from Greek mythology and a struggling writer who rapes her. A Dream of a Thousand Cats was really interesting, with a pet's dark perspective on humanity prompting a journey through dreaming which leads to revelations and a message. The most-acclaimed story, A Midsummer Night's Dream, was a faithful covering of “Shakespear's” play with actual Faeries from another plane being Morpheus's guests, but I found myself less emotionally engaged here. Finally, Facade takes DC's Element Girl and humanises her through depression as she adopts faces to fit into society after losing her job to an off-page corporate entity.
ART & WRITING: I've been impressed with the art and writing in Sandman from Volume 1, and whilst Dream Country lacks a singular overall cohesive narrative, the shifting gutter structure and shadowed details within the layout of different panels made this a great read visually. Even when I was less invested in the plot, the density of details comprising each issue and sheer inventiveness of Gaiman's writing and perspectives constantly kept me captivated.
WHO: Although I recommend Volume 1 for anyone into dark horror and dream mythology, Volume 3 can be read as an entry-point or even standalone to the series due to its overall design. I will definitely be continuing this tale in the much thicker Volume 4!
WHY: Continuing my Clone Wars TV show full chronological experience and coming off the back of [b:Dark Disciple 23277298 Dark Disciple (Star Wars) Christie Golden https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1419965425l/23277298.SY75.jpg 44980862], Son of Dathomir is the final stop before the much-hyped Siege of Mandalore ending arc.STORY: Whilst it initially seemed intriguing to follow Lord Maul's perspective at a critical gap in his timeline (between his S5 capture by Palpatine and S7 return to power with the Shadow Collective), the graphic novel instead contained leaps from action set-piece to action set-piece. With Maul's Mandalorian forces quickly freeing him and Dooku giving chase, the plot unfolded to become a tactical game between the incorporeal Mother Talzin and Darth Sidious fighting for revenge and dominance of Separatist forces. Grevious, crime bosses and Jedi masters Obi-Wan, Tuplee, Windu and Secura all make brief appearances as well. ART & WRITING: The art was great, with tight and expansive action panels covering space battles and saber duels. Some faces were a bit rough, but for the most part there was enough detail on the page. The writing really did feel like a compressed 4-episode TV show arc, with stripped dialogue and a focus on action. The typical comic book stylistic features of speech bubbles and sound effects worked well here.WHO: Again, this companion piece is really for the die-hard Clone Wars fans. Although it is more accessible than any of the other accompanying material simply due to its format, it doesn't make much sense if you haven't watched the show all the way through and fails to deliver any new insight on the character of Maul or the Clone Wars conflict.
WHY: My cousin's royal blue ‘Voyager Classics' edition of ROTK has sat on my bookshelf for almost a decade, next to a fat FOTR movie tie-in edition of the LOTR. With uni break, lockdown, my girlfriend's reminiscence and that annual itch for an Extended Edition rewatch I decided to finally finish the literary trilogy that I struggled with so long ago due to its pacing and detail, and found myself pleasantly surprised with how epic this was.
DIFFERENCES: Since most are already aware/ others have covered it before, I'll instead recap the differences between the film adaptation and this genre classic - spoilers ahead! The war with Aragorn and ring with Frodo storylines are split between Books 5 and 6 respectively in ROTK. Book 5 picks up with Gandalf en route to Minas Tirith with Pippin, warned by the Palantir and Saruman from TTT of the danger coming to Gondor. They spot the lit beacons on their way, and Beregond and his son Bergil serve the Steward Denethor who is not mad but tired from warring with Sauron through his seeing stone. Meanwhile Theoden is already mustering the Rohirrim to arrive, and our favourite multi-race trio takes the paths of the dead alongside the very cool Grey Company of the Dunedain (rangers from the North). Everyone meets in combat with a change of wind and there is a whole other Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth, a whole other group & city! Whilst this beefed-up storyline ends on a depressing cliffhanger, Sam is attempting to rescue Frodo from the clutches of an orc stronghold. Together they embark through Mordor and orc-company swinging from depressed to happy, reaching Orodruin in a surprisingly fast manner. There is a lot more wrap-up when compared to the films, describing the House of Healing, coronation and lengthy walk back to the Shire. As the elves and Mithrandir depart Middle-Earth, the hobbits face a final trial by taking back the Shire from Sharkey (aka Saruman). Frodo is severely shaken from the tolls of the ring, and finally departs Middle-Earth in peace.
WRITING: But wait! It doesn't end there. Like a literary paper, Tolkien added the Appendices. These are honestly insane, describing the history of Middle-Earth and whole bloodlines of Kings and Hobbits. We find out more about what happened to all of the fellowship members years after the LOTR, especially Aragorn whose backstory (including his romance with Arwen and travels to the North and South) is tantalisingly covered. I will admit I skipped through the entry on language, as the extremely thorough explanations just failed to add value to me, although I definitely appreciate their existence. These all just reframed to me how beautiful Tolkien's writing could be, and made me respect all the small details from his comprehensive worldbuilding.
WHO: Having read a lot of modern novels recently, it was refreshing to experience Tolkien's at times poetic and unabashedly detailed writing, in what I feel was the strongest entry in the trilogy - it is highly cathartic in one of the darkest times possible. For me, the final ranking stands: Hobbit > B4 > B5 > B6 > B3 > B2 > B1. What surprised me the most was that I am now keen to read the surrounding lore through the Silmarillion and the rest of Tolkien's works!
—
“It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule.”“There is no real going back. Though I may come to the Shire, it will not seem the same; for I shall not be the same. I am wounded with knife, sting, and tooth, and a long burden. Where shall I find rest?”“Well, here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the Sea comes the end of our fellowship in Middle-earth. Go in peace!”Then a great beauty was revealed in him, so that all who after came there looked on him with wonder; for they saw the grace of his youth, and the valor of his manhood, and the wisdom and majesty of his age were all blended together. And long there he lay, an image of the splendour of the Kings of Men in glory undimmed before the breaking of the world.
WHY: Following from [b:Kindred Spirits 26147458 Kindred Spirits Christie Golden https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1479639588l/26147458.SX50.jpg 46102280] and supplementing my Clone Wars TV show experience, Dark Disciple was one of the parts I was really looking forward to - 8 abridged episodes spanning a massive arc featuring a Jedi and Sith working together.STORY: This opens with a massacre by Dooku, and with the war dragging on the Jedi council make a dark decision against the Jedi code - sending Quinlan Vos, a Jedi, to assassinate the Count with the support of ex-apprentice Asajj Ventress. As he attempts to win her trust, acting as a bounty hunter and going on shared missions, he finds himself falling in love with the changed villain. This was unfortunately the weakest part of the plot for me, as I found it hard to believe how quickly things happened - although this led to two great twists, at the midpoint and conclusion of the book. I also found myself in disbelief at certain actions made during other key confrontations of the story, but from a bigger picture perspective the writers could not kill characters who need to appear later in the saga. On the other hand, the dark side is also explored more deeply here but in a newly-depicted restrained manner which was liked.WRITING: I loved the seamless integration of TV series characters and locations, which made it easy to read and visualise these as a set of actual 22-minute episodes. The writing was minimal in this sense, as the reader should know a lot about these characters and story archetypes before beginning the book. However, I enjoyed how Golden was able to uncover more about Vos and Ventress's individual personalities through their perspectives, with the latter especially becoming one of my favourite characters from the Star Wars saga.WHO: This is really for the die-hard Clone Wars TV show fan who wants to know absolutely everything about the series cut short due to cancellation. It is harder to recommend for even broader Star Wars fans, as it relies a lot upon knowledge of the show and characters established in it. I'm now keen for the Son of Dathomir graphic novel, and plan on reading The High Republic: Light of the Jedi after finishing the Clone Wars, but am unsure of my Star Wars reading media plans beyond that...
WHY: Have loved the movie for a long time, and did not even know it was adapted off a novella or that the story was penned by Steven King. As I'm trying to read more older books and more King, thought I would give this a go.
DIFFERENCES: Surprisingly, the movie was extremely faithful to the short story - with most of the memorable and impactful lines literally coming off the page. Written through the first-person perspective of prisoner Red, I will admit that I struggled to read his voice as an Irish and instead imagined Morgan Freeman and his dulcet tones were reading to me, which worked really well for immersion into the story. We get all the details of Andy Dufresne's life here, from the trial to the sisters to the financial dealings of the prison guard and warden. Whilst here the wardens rotate, and the twist is hinted at and explained a lot more, I still found this to be a really enjoyable tale about the persistence of hope in the darkest conditions - a theme that stood out a little more here than when viewing.
WHO: Honestly, despite thorougly enjoying this read it is very hard to recommend it over the 1994 oscar-nominated film - if you haven't seen it, go watch it in one sitting. This is really for the die-hard fans of King, or any super fans of the movie, which is one of those rare adaptations that gets all the major beats and themes right, and then adds some.
WHY: I saw this on the bookshelves at QBD in February this year, and it fits with my concerted effort to read various sport biographies/ autobiographies for personal interest. Having grown up in Australia, the NRL has been a constant presence in the media but apart from some outdoor classroom activities and lunchtime games when I was younger I've never tried to fully understand the game or its key players. There was no better place to start than with a legend of the modern game, Cameron Smith.
CONTENT: Smith does an excellent job of covering his entire professional playing career, from junior rugby in Logan, QLD to the NRL competition from 2002 to 2020, the year of publication (he ended up announcing his retirement from the game in March 10 2021). I learnt a lot about the coaching staff, styles of play and key opposition members from the Melbourne Storm, QLD Maroons all the way to the Australian team. Conversely, there aren't a lot of private moments or funny teammate stories in here - The Storm Within sticks to recapping Smith's key games and career, as well as providing his perspective on the controversies that arise with being an elite sports star.
WRITING: The chapters were laid out chronologically, and each one was a good digestible length. Smith gives the reader enough information on the sport, personalities and contextual details like the weather to help you envision the atmosphere surrounding an event. He also provides a few thoughts on the reasons behind his individual and team's success, although this isn't designed to be an inspiring or mental guide book, but more an personally approved playing life summary. Smith goes beyond this however by reflecting on the changing nature of the NRL with technology, sensationalism and evolving trends within society. The one personal thing that is clear about his personality and lifestyle is that Smith is strongly loyal to his teammates and club, and prioritises family even higher. The evidence of his on-field mannerisms (his conversations with referees, lack of involvement in fights) and recognition of the sacrifices made by his wife Barbara made me appreciate his voice, and assisted in framing him as an honest and humble country bloke.
WHO: If you've been a massive fan of rugby, I feel like this isn't the book for you - there just isn't enough material on the actual sport itself to warrant a read. If you're a) a massive fan of Cameron Smith or the Melbourne Storm, b) want a recap or introduction into his playing career, or c) are curious as to how an elite athlete's life is impacted by the media, you'll definitely get something from this read.
WHY: Having pretty much immersed myself in Clone Wars TV show at this point, I am going for the full chronological experience. With a half-length Season 6 prematurely ending the show (until being revived for a proper finale in Season 7 that aired at the beginning of 2020), quite a few episode scripts were turned into the Dark Disciple novel. This short story is the prequel to that book.
STORY: Amazingly, this was like a condensed episode from the Clone Wars show, following reformed Bounty Hunter Asajj Ventress and a new ally Lassa Rhayme as they dealt with Weequay pirate Jiro and his boss Hondo on the well-established Florrum hideout. There is a small personal stake for Ventress, with one of the job's protected items making for a more impactful ending.
WRITING: Detailed enough to capture all the expressions and backstory you would expect from an episode of the TV series. Since I read this from a digital archive of the Star Wars Insider Magazine from September 2015, there was some fantastic artwork of the truly evolved character and her yellow lightsaber.
WHO: Whilst I'm unsure of Kindred Spirits exact link to Dark Disciple, it was definitely a fun read and I can whole-heartedly recommend the extremely short read to any Clone Wars fans curious about the character of Ventress after Season 6.
WHY: Having read Demon Road back in 2019, I saw both books 2 and 3 from the trilogy in my library a few weeks ago and decided to pick them up and complete the trilogy.
STORY: No longer on the run, it is now Amber who is hunting her demonic parents as the representative of and service-bound to Astaeroth. Initially, this seemed to be an exciting premise but not much is done with the role except for increasing hallucinations, which give way to an interesting family (dead siblings) backstory. The plot really picks up when nearly halfway through the book Amber is rushed into trying to break her contract and escape Hell's clutches. There are some interesting foes along the way, including a dangerous Trucker who is a representative of Demorial (like Milo and his Charger once were) and various creatures in the Blood-Dimmed King's castle.
WRITING: Whilst Landy retains his signature ‘snarky or scared' dialogue style, it is less prevalent in this entry simply because of how concise this page-count is, which is appreciated. Interestingly, there is a mix of ‘normal' and dark settings here, including a funny Dark Places author/ TV cast convention, and Amber's dangerous adventures increasingly blur the lines between these realities. This was much more exciting than the previous entry's decision to stay in Desolation, but comes at the cost of actually fleshing out the world and overall story - places are jumped to and from so quickly with threats not clearly being established that it's hard to say you are left with a strong impression of this trilogy's setting.
WHO: Whilst still an entertaining read, and one that Landy himself stated was meant to be a fun side-thing, it's hard not to wish for more development after what was a really great setup and first book in the trilogy. As a conclusion this works, bringing back fan-favourite characters and doing more of the right things than less interesting ones from the series, but it will ultimately be forgotten unless you really enjoy demonic horror YA fiction.
WHY: Was chatting to my cousin and we were looking for ways to better utilise our time as we go through university and working life, finally giving me motivation to pick one of the popular non-fiction books off of my ‘want to read' list. Atomic Habits is one of the more well-known, highly-read and rated books from that selection, and we thought why not start with the best one.
CONTENT: I really loved all of the content in Atomic Habits, revolving around the discussion of small changes accumulating in an almost non-quantifiable manner to make large differences. There were a lot of great gems within, especially relating to setting up systems rather than goals, chaining good actions together and being efficiently lazy. I also appreciated the advanced section, which explains what the Goldilocks Rule is (balancing difficulty and achievement), and the dangers that can arise when you live a habitual lifestyle and forget continual improvement.
WRITING: Clear has a great structured approach to the book, building upon the cue-craving-response-reward process across the book's sections. Each chapter is streamlined to the key information, which is dressed by anecdotes, diagrams, sub-headings and summaries that all work together in keeping the reader engaged and learning. I also appreciated how Clear pairs positive-leaning changes that build habits with negative ones that can break undesired behaviours.
WHO: Honestly, this is one of those books which I feel I need a physical copy of on my bookshelf, so that at different times of my life (and for different people who may need it) I can just pull it down and flick to the section that is relevant. This is definitely one I recommend anyone read at any age when attempting to improve any area of their life - along the way, you'll probably end up using at least one or two of these tips in other areas, and these little changes will assist in building the identity you want for yourself.
WHY: Whilst I had always heard about Kobe Bryant in the periphery of pop culture, I resolved to better understand what “The Mamba Mentality” was after his tragic passing last year. Basketball as a sport is something I'm slowly gaining more interest in, and I've also been reading various sport biographies/ autobiographies for personal interest.
CONTENT: Unlike other non-fiction books, there were countless short (1-page) chapters preceded by an image from Kobe's playing career, sometimes with handwritten notes on the photograph. Whilst I initially found these bite-sized gems of raw information refreshing, it became monotonous after a while, especially with the lack of timeline structure. Interestingly, there were a lot of features on specific coaches, teammates and opposition players.
WRITING: A great foreword, and then Bryant has a very clear, easy-to-understand voice throughout the text.
WHO: I would have given this a 4/5 if I was a basketball player/ fan, especially during the second section “Craft”. Honestly, I got a lot of surface-level knowledge on the sport of basketball and its characters during Kobe's era, but some of the terminology flew past me, and I felt as if I had to create my own understanding of “The Mamba Mentality” from the disparate headings.
WHY: Following the Arthur Penhaligon days of the week series, Sabriel was an amazing death-magic book I read when I was younger, and featured some intriguing WW1-era worldbuilding, with the fantastical Old Kingdom separated from the very English Ancelstierre. [b: Lirael 47624 Lirael (Abhorsen, #2) Garth Nix https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1266458951l/47624.SY75.jpg 2067752] did not feel like a direct sequel, with the bulk of its plot (through a new protagonist) leading to a cliff-hanger for a “big bad”. Well, here I am years later finally completing the trilogy.STORY: It took a few wiki visits to refresh myself on the characters and story, but this really did feel like a second part of Lirael, although this time the titular Abhorsen-in-waiting and newly revealed Wallmaker Sameth are together for the majority of the plot, alongside magical companions the Disreputable Dog and Mogget. There are some great interactions here, and I enjoyed watching their journey to the fallen Nicholas Sayre and the Red Lake. The villains, and countless dead, were genuinely scary at times especially when framed against the Ancelsterrian army. Sabriel and Touchstone are referenced throughout after the rather shocking opening. What was most interesting to me was the walk through the 9 gates of Death, and the great and uniqye magic system between necromancy, Free Magic and Charter Magic. When it all came together in the conclusion, I did feel like there was a strong story that tied the trilogy together through the several bloodlines working together, but it did not impact me that greatly.WRITING: Nix varies the perspectives and does a great job at providing each character with a different voice, despite them all having strong convictions to do good. The world isn't described in rich detail, but there is enough to picture the characters and especially the magic.WHO: Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this now nearly as much as I would have when I was an adolescent, and I still feel Sabriel is the best of the trilogy in terms of presenting the unique magic system, having a tight story and providing great themes to YA readers (honestly, Lirael was good at this as well). Whilst a necessary conclusion for the trilogy, I won't be reading the sequels in this series - but recommend at least the first book to all younger Fantasy readers, especially women for its great characterisation.
A decent YA read that is skewing towards older readers. I have always appreciated Landy's writing style from the Skulduggery Pleasant series, and so started the Demon Road trilogy in 2019 with an exciting, larger book that followed the teenager Demon-on-the-run Amber and her associate Ghost Highwayman Milo across the Dark Roads of America. This second book picks up straight after that, and I appreciated the recaps of key previous events through monologues and conversation. This time however, Landy settles the story in the town of Desolation and introduces two new POVs, the elderly citizen Virgil and a human good guys crew featuring Kelly.
Unfortunately, Landy's distinct quippy writing style comes to the surface and seems to be applied to many characters, both in the POVs and town citizens, and sometimes the lack of description + use of many names left me with vague impressions of certain characters. He definitely knows how to make others stand out though, especially the villains, and whilst the central mystery was rather simple to unpack Hell night is the purge with demons, I enjoyed the questions surrounding them as well as various individuals' involvement and dubious moralities in regards to Desolation Hill.
Apart from a pretty average story with very detailed cannibalism and visceral violence, I was also surprised by two beats that I thought were not developed enough beforehand: Amber being a lesbian/ bi(?), which also strangely puts this as one of my first LGBT reads with a main character (excluding possibly The Apollo Trials series). Then, the ending of Amber signing her soul to Astaroth to work for the Devil that was meant to be shocking but failed to impact me strongly. Overall, looking forward to finishing the trilogy and hoping for more of the first book's message and drive.
I really wanted to give this book a 2/5 because of my own personal enjoyment of the read, but I cannot deny the depth and detail of research that Eig conducted into Muhammed Ali's life, from birth till death. This one was truly worthy of the post-colon title “A Life” as it left me astounded with the recall of dialogues, descriptions of the day and keen insight into the boxer's mind. This dense really enlightened me as to the truth behind the legend; Cassius Clay definitely is not and was not a perfect figure and there were times where I found myself almost loathing him for his selfishness, particularly in regards to women. But through Eig's objective history, including counterarguments and questions at key decisions, the reader can tragically see how a naïve but kind-hearted boy was simultaneously disciplined and controlled by external parties, and how a young man became embroiled in his own image and allured by green bills. He truly was an American icon, and it was the parts of the book that covered his connection with and influence over the 1950s-80s national landscape and the toxic truths behind celebrity culture that fascinated me the most. Glad I finished it, and definitely going to keep pursuing non-fiction reads to balance my reading hobby.
Contains spoilers
“Empires do not suffer emptiness of purpose at the time of their creation. It is when they have become established that aims are lost and replaced by vague ritual."
This was by no means a bad book, and I give Dune Messiah credit for attempting to maintain its own identity, but perhaps it suffers from being a follow-up to the truly epic Dune.
Right off the bat I was intrigued at Herbert openly laying out the conspiracy against Emperor Paul, again giving readers multiple perspectives on both sides as individuals began to politically manoeuvre themselves amongst and against each other. This was in addition to a lot of discussion on philosophy, and pondering of leadership, governments and their costs. This was where I wish the book was actually longer, and made some more concrete statements or raised interesting discussions, as I instead watched the story go in an interesting but rather straight line.
"Eternity takes back its own. Our bodies stirred these waters briefly, danced with a certain intoxication before the love of life and self, dealt with a few strange ideas, then submitted to the instruments of Time."
Moreover, the lengthy conversations and Herbert's third-person omniscient writing style that constantly changes character viewpoint sometimes made events difficult to follow, and I was left wondering what true outcomes were achieved in individual scenes. I did enjoy some of the descriptive sections, and the varying epigraphs worked well in terms of framing, but most of all I found myself rocked by the ending. Keenly moving on to Children of Dune soon!
Originally posted at kirethwritesabout.com.
This read definitely held some gems for aspiring elite athletes, although I did have a few issues with it. I liked the idea that each chapter would focus on a particular sporting individual, and through this case study style exploration readers would learn something about the athlete mindset. However, these chapters were long and sometimes bogged in sport-specific detail, making it difficult to get through them. Additionally, I realised after some time that all the examples were endurance sports, and although I understand why the book was not marketed as such I felt slightly disappointed in this aspect. However, the physiological model and mindset learnings that Fitzgerald was able to both infer and pull from these real-life legends was astounding, and I definitely gained a new understanding and respect for individuals pushing themselves in whatever level of sporting arena they were in. I do wish that there was a condensed version of just the key lessons, but I can attribute some of my frustrations towards not being well-read in non-fiction generally.