Mer Barr
Updated a reading goal:
Read 100 books in 2026
Progress so far: 25 / 100 25%
Story 5 of 5 - although there is an emphasis on what's going on, I'm not a big fan of battle strategy, tactics and the blow-by-blow of preparations and actual battles, which this book has a considerable amount of. The pace of the story seemed to pick up sometime after the halfway mark and just kept going. I was a bit saddened by the last couple of chapters which seemed to hit me from out of nowhere.
Character 5 of 5 - the relationships between the characters has been my favorite part of books 3 thru 7. The deepening of the main characters' relationships and the additional of new characters that have significance to Carl is also great (along with bit of their back stories).
Setting 4 of 5 - as with the previous books there's lots of world building
Language 2 of 5 - the writing style and choosing of descriptive words is not an emphasis for this book.
I'll move on to the next book which is not out yet.
Story 5 of 5 - although there is an emphasis on what's going on, I'm not a big fan of battle strategy, tactics and the blow-by-blow of preparations and actual battles, which this book has a considerable amount of. The pace of the story seemed to pick up sometime after the halfway mark and just kept going. I was a bit saddened by the last couple of chapters which seemed to hit me from out of nowhere.
Character 5 of 5 - the relationships between the characters has been my favorite part of books 3 thru 7. The deepening of the main characters' relationships and the additional of new characters that have significance to Carl is also great (along with bit of their back stories).
Setting 4 of 5 - as with the previous books there's lots of world building
Language 2 of 5 - the writing style and choosing of descriptive words is not an emphasis for this book.
I'll move on to the next book which is not out yet.
It's been quite awhile since I'd read the first book in the series and I was feeling a bit lost becuase this book takes up a short while after the first book ends and assumes you remember the details. I'd forgotten all the intrigue from the first book and this book has much more political intrigue to it (which I hate) so I stopped reading and won't read any more in the series.
It's been quite awhile since I'd read the first book in the series and I was feeling a bit lost becuase this book takes up a short while after the first book ends and assumes you remember the details. I'd forgotten all the intrigue from the first book and this book has much more political intrigue to it (which I hate) so I stopped reading and won't read any more in the series.
Story 2 of 5 - this book is not a page-turner and it's not exactly action packed but it's also not cerebrally slow either.
Character 5 of 5 - the unique characters and species in this universe are definitely a focal point. The coming together of a group of individuals that normally would not have met, and the creation of a group that has each others' backs is a story I like to read.
Setting 2 of 5 - there is some world-building related to the different species of the universe and their planets but it's not where the emphasis is.
Language 2 of 5 - the choice of words and writing style is not an emphasis of this book.
Story 2 of 5 - this book is not a page-turner and it's not exactly action packed but it's also not cerebrally slow either.
Character 5 of 5 - the unique characters and species in this universe are definitely a focal point. The coming together of a group of individuals that normally would not have met, and the creation of a group that has each others' backs is a story I like to read.
Setting 2 of 5 - there is some world-building related to the different species of the universe and their planets but it's not where the emphasis is.
Language 2 of 5 - the choice of words and writing style is not an emphasis of this book.
Added to listNot Yet Publishedwith 5 books.
First time I read this, back in the 90s most likely, I gave it 4 stars. Today I've quit reading before the halfway mark because the plot is not drawing me in.
First time I read this, back in the 90s most likely, I gave it 4 stars. Today I've quit reading before the halfway mark because the plot is not drawing me in.
Unique characters and their world that are well thought out and believable. With an interesting human parallel. I found myself becoming anxious, not because of the spiders but because the author gives you no clue as to the amount of time that passing. Very disorienting, I've never experienced this in a book. And the sciences involved are just as robust as my very first science fiction reads by Isaac Asimov.
I'm not sure if I want to read the next story. I was unable to complete the book before I had to return it to the library, but I was already struggling with where this story and universe could go?
Unique characters and their world that are well thought out and believable. With an interesting human parallel. I found myself becoming anxious, not because of the spiders but because the author gives you no clue as to the amount of time that passing. Very disorienting, I've never experienced this in a book. And the sciences involved are just as robust as my very first science fiction reads by Isaac Asimov.
I'm not sure if I want to read the next story. I was unable to complete the book before I had to return it to the library, but I was already struggling with where this story and universe could go?
Hilarious characters, complex multiple plots, baudy language, and a murder mystery. I loved it!
Hilarious characters, complex multiple plots, baudy language, and a murder mystery. I loved it!
It's been a very long time since I read a book with a unique perspective. Who's ever heard of a murder mystery crossed with nursery rhymes from the 1950s? And on top of this, the author has done a great job of humor, complexity, and characters you love getting to know.
Definitely moving on to the next book.
It's been a very long time since I read a book with a unique perspective. Who's ever heard of a murder mystery crossed with nursery rhymes from the 1950s? And on top of this, the author has done a great job of humor, complexity, and characters you love getting to know.
Definitely moving on to the next book.
An incredible amount of science is shared related to the subject of PTSD; so many different situations presented where this disorder can arise. I think this is a book I could trust, seeing as the author is someone in the field of helping people become aware of the root cause of their pain and learning how to reconcile with their trauma in a way that they can acknowledge and move into the present moment with. The author says he was one of the champions for getting the disorder described and acknowledged in legal and practice fields.
The history, science, and understanding of the disorder takes up about 60% of the book with the remainder being the methods used to help with recovery.
An incredible amount of science is shared related to the subject of PTSD; so many different situations presented where this disorder can arise. I think this is a book I could trust, seeing as the author is someone in the field of helping people become aware of the root cause of their pain and learning how to reconcile with their trauma in a way that they can acknowledge and move into the present moment with. The author says he was one of the champions for getting the disorder described and acknowledged in legal and practice fields.
The history, science, and understanding of the disorder takes up about 60% of the book with the remainder being the methods used to help with recovery.
Story 4 of 5 - the storyline and the underlying messages / ideas this story has in it, are well-written, abundent and timely.
Character 5 of 5 - the emphasis of this story is on the uniqueness and depth of the characters, especially how the recent war impacted each.
Setting 3 of 5 - the world of this story does have some depth as it relates to the history of the characters and it is unique compared to other worlds I've read about, but worldbuilding is not the focus of this story.
Language 2 of 5 - the emphasis of this story is not on the beauty of or feeling you get from the words, but the author does have great skill in storytelling.
Story 4 of 5 - the storyline and the underlying messages / ideas this story has in it, are well-written, abundent and timely.
Character 5 of 5 - the emphasis of this story is on the uniqueness and depth of the characters, especially how the recent war impacted each.
Setting 3 of 5 - the world of this story does have some depth as it relates to the history of the characters and it is unique compared to other worlds I've read about, but worldbuilding is not the focus of this story.
Language 2 of 5 - the emphasis of this story is not on the beauty of or feeling you get from the words, but the author does have great skill in storytelling.
