Jacob Tender

DNF.

This book is tedious and insufferable. Smells of zero editing input. Unlikable and unrealistic characters. Who talks this way? Nobody in cyber-security that I've ever met. Especially not ones in their late 60s. A genuinely, laughably bad book.

A slight improvement on the previous adventure. Simultaneously a return to form for Brown and a too-familiar pace of plot. Many familiar turns and character archetypes that, this time, made their presence too known. Brown's been known to repeat himself, even within a given book. That's noticeably present here.

Still, it’s a Langdon novel which I very much enjoy. Brown is great at introducing areas of academia that I inevitably spend weeks reading about in the non-fiction sections of the world.

If I were to select one passage I liked most in this book, it was near the end with two female characters discussing the idea that the most common response to a fear is not fight or flight, but selfishness. I’m glad he got that part in.

It seems to me that the trick to a successful novella is making up for time with personality. Murderbot’s quirks align closely enough to my own neurodivergences that I can look past this book’s shortcomings.

In many ways the first half of All Systems Red feels like a paraphrasing of a book. So much is glossed over or taken as read. Things start to click after everyone involved is on the same page. Even with just a few dozen pages left to go, I found myself tripping on awkward sentences that would have benefited from more words and different punctuation.

This was a funny read in such close proximity to Becky Chambers’ Monk + Robot duology. Brief reads about quirky robots trying to find ways to help humans while also prioritizing their own interests.

I think I can visualize how this show would play out enough that I’m not convinced I’ll watch it. At least not until I finish the next installment.

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy takes everything that’s great about its predecessor and elevates it. Curiosity grows, relationships grow, and so does the world surrounding our monk and robot duo.

I was surprised to learn at the end that the first book was written pre-pandemic and that the second was written during its earliest stages. I would have sworn they were a reaction to it. Tonally it feels that way to me.

A superb duology. I’d recommend it to any open-minded someone looking for a quick, optimistic, and thought-provoking read.

I can’t say this held my interest for long after the turn. Sociopathic anti-heroes don’t tickle me like they did when I was younger.

Still, I admire the boldness of the text and its brevity.