Mer Barr

For some reason I thought this might be humorous but it was more a study in a life extinction event. Not a bad thing but definitely not expected.

Great characters and more great storytelling on an unusual topic.

It's been a long time since I read my last Shannara book. All that sounded familiar in this new book is bits of the geography and the fact this world is post-apocalypse. But it was really nice to get back to the author's writings and the universe.

This book is not a continuation of the prior book's main character's story but does mention him in passing. It is in the same universe and does include one of the characters from the prior book but this books main character is new.

Still alot of interesting technology and ethics to contemplate, still good writing.

Well-written, thoughtful, full of insights. Not only how to see your medical practitioners as people but how medical practitioners can improve their lives by bringing more balance into them, as wells as the lives of their colleagues.

My favorite fiction books are those focused on unique, well-crafted, characters who interact in a small area. In this book there are plenty of characters to choose from and all the story is within an environment I would be so happy to have access to. A bookstore that has tea and wants their customers to get comfortable and stay awhile.

There are some moments where the story stalled a bit but then picked back up. It was nice to see people mature, grow, and improve over the several years of the storyline.<spoiler>Also glad the store owner's sadness at the very beginning of the story was spelled out at the very end, rather than upfront, as so many authors like to do.</spoiler>

This book seems to be well-rounded on Luther and his break with the Catholic Church. It has alot of details about different debates between Luther, the Emperor, the Pope, and the different interpretations of Catholic belief. The author refers to alot of source documents which I like to see when it comes to non-fiction, however I have no desire to confirm their accuracy or validity. The author did a good job of trying to tell Luther's story.

I wanted a high-level understanding of his why and how so this book had much more than I really needed.

Interesting concept, interesting people, well written, no sidetracking but the author lost me with the plot. At the halfway mark there doesn't seem to be any forward motion. It seems to be people living their lives, trying to deal with disconnects and unrequited desires, and interacting with others. And maybe a hint of mystery.

I do love good stories about unique characters and their interactions with each other but this story isn't about that.

It wasn't the murder mystery element that interested me but the dynamics of the cities. The beginning is great as you try to understand the rules, the middle is quite slow because it's mainly the murder, but the really interesting part of the story is towards the end; during the big reveal. The pace is, of course, quicker but trying to keep up with both the reveal and the dynamics is to fascinating part.

Lots of interesting factoids, history and unique individuals.

I'm so glad someone else went there, came back, and wrote a book about it so I could check it off the list of places I'm curious about. I hate the cold and don't deal well with many days of darkness.

More thought provoking subjects.

I grew up hearing about Jim Jones and his group when they were here in the US and then the shootings and deaths in Guyane. I still hear the phrase "drink the koolaid" now and again. So it was good to get some background on why the man was the way he was and it did explain to a certain degree why people chose to remain in the group despite the ever-growing darkness and conspiracy thinking, in the culture.

Holy crap! I'd forgotten how scary and creepy King could write in the 90s. Thank goodness I'm an adult and no longer jump from the doorway to the bed--after turning off the lights--to avoid something sinister under my bed.

This is a bit confusing due to the number of characters involved and all the jumping back and forth across the different storylines (both backstory and present). However, there is no wandering down non-relevant rabbit holes, stalling the forward motion with too much or non-relevant information, or alot of extraneous words; all things I don't like in a story.

Good for storytelling some dark night around the campfire with adult friends and family.

A strange read for me; it was good enough for me to get well past the 25% mark where I will drop a book that's just not grabbed my attention and yet I'm not sad that I'll be returning the book to the library before getting to the 50% mark.

It's a huge book! 13 hours, and I'm not even halfway in. Based on the storyline so far, alot of books would be at the back side of the highpoint and winding down to the finish by now. What the heck more does this author intend to present?

I will say the storytelling is really good, very creative environments and characters, but these characters aren't really drawing me in and this is the main reason I'm not sad about not completing this book.

You have to get the audio with the author narrating. Turn this on after you've crawled into bed and listen to Stephen Fry read you to sleep. For adults only; adult themes come up now and again.

The trials and tribulations of many of the demi-gods of Greece, with lots of facts and ties to our times today.

The author does a good job of focusing on other topics than the blow-by-blow of the fights. And the technologies are new to me so very intriguing. The characters are interesting.

I'll read the next in the series.

A bit depressing but the storytelling is good, the interactions between characters is great, the timeline jumps aren't too jarring, and lots of unexpected twists.

Sort of funny but definitely not laugh out loud. It actually makes my head ache, trying to keep up with the jumping back and forth between stories and time periods and the science (or science fiction).

This is the type of science fiction and young adult that I enjoy; alot of technology and not alot of young adult angst. It also has a plot that moves along, no side tracking for topics that aren't relevant or pausing for too long, and characters that have some depth to them.

A rare form of parallel and intersecting stories <spoiler> where the stories don't merge into one story </spoiler>. And a bit disconcerting as the stories move back and forth through time to before, during, and after the two main events. But once you relax into it, it's really quite an enjoyable story, excluding the two main events of course; with interesting takes on how people react to their trauma.

I'd be curious to see how the world and people continue.

I read this almost ten years ago, thinking it was about folks working on the Manhattan Project. I remember feeling a bit confused but didn't remember why. Today I understand why.

This book is 2/3rds biography of the author's family, an uncle's science fiction book that was based on top secret work he was involved in, and 1/3rd about the science his uncle, relatives, and their coworkers were creating. Sciences like radar, radiation, microwave, and cyclotrons to name a few.

I don't really have a desire to revisit my teen years so I'm not fond of listening to that age-based anxiety in my books. It's not the majority of the book so I was able to wait through these parts to enjoy the rest of the story.

One of the better Robin Cook books because not alot of time is spent on describing the technology / biology. Though, I wish there wasn't a requirement to visit the incredibly darker side of some people, to have a good mystery.

Just a cameo from Mr. Cook's medical examiner's team.

Amazing read! The author is also the narrator and he has a great speaking voice; his timing and modulation keep your focus well.

The material is broken into chapters that designed for relatively short reads over a seris of days. And I like that he's interspersed some of his own story into the telling.

I highly recommend this for folks wanting to get a new take on US history.

A very quick read; not the author's usual big books. Her usual, interesting stories, pictures big enough you can see some of the detail and an interesting logic to the sequence of the images.

One of the books the 2022 streaming series is loosely based on. Still an exploration of the Joe Leaphorn character, which I think is great.

Good pace and a pretty complex mystery make for a good story