Ethan Manning
My 2nd Dostoevsky novel, the first was TBK. The characters in this explode off the page, there's an exuberance that I'm never quite ready for but always draws me in. I loved this book, it's moral (the pensive reflection that is contagious), there are great characters and monsters at times, great foils, and the ending. THE ENDING. Just so beautiful, honest and perfect.
Better than book 2. The Jordan quirks are still there and still annoying. But the different story arcs were more consistently interesting compared to the first 2 books, and the finale was also better. I was definitely impressed with the quality improvements in some areas, I felt much more balanced and there was an improved pace to the story. But it still has long plain descriptions, juvenile relationships and conflict, a weird gender dynamic with heavy undertones of repressed sexuality, and the main plot is just good and evil. It can still be fun despite all this. I'll say I hope future books have setting/culture changes because each place feels the same and the people act the same with paper-thin cosmetic changes.
To the point, episodic, thoughtful, a fantasy story about an eccentric sorcerer king who must quest to help his kingdom and save someone. Loved the dynamic of living up to the traditions of your culture vs wanting to improve it through some kind of enlightenment. There is tropey "damsel" element to the story, but it was small and hopefully said character gets more agency further on. This was a weird one but thought provoking, great character introspection, cultural reflection, and interesting things that manage to fit into the story rather than stand out or too bluntly mirror our world.
Rating 2.5
Better than Book 1, a fun fantasy adventure, will read Book 3 eventually.
Pros: Better story than TEotW (still a grab bag of fantasy tropes), the climax was more original and easier to follow, worldbuilding gets cooler, more lore from certain POVs, more balanced story and pacing.
Cons: repetitive and un-beautiful prose, simplistic characterization, tiring boy/girl obsession-romance (it's not even really romance just crushes that are cringy). The perspective of men and women in this world is weird, we're constantly reminded that men need to marry women, men need women to “settle them down”. It almost feels like you're trapped in a house with fundamentalists that constantly bring up their odd black and white views of gender norms.
I can't put my finger on it completely, because on the surface the world is matriarchal and seemingly has a refreshing anti-patriarchal complexion (given the role magic wielding men have played in the history of this world) but even still there are contradictory undertones. The descriptions dance around the “shape” of some of the women a little too much and it feels sly and deceptive for an otherwise wholesome story afraid of crossing lines, there's a sect of Aes Sedai that eschew warders and hate men (a man hating lesbian undertone if you will). There's more too to this sloppy hypothesis, I will try to update this at a later date.
A very intricate and slow burn novel. Here Dickens is not in a hurry, and the spread out side characters are challenging to remember...the story's end was tragic and sad but then very tender and happy. Dickens manages to tell a mystery, and also a coa story, and a tragedy. I know this story contained nuances that I missed and I plan on reading it again, I do not blame Dickens style for this I think I needed a different approach. Read this book with other people, a buddy read, bookclub, take your time and you will get the most out of this winding work.
4.5 Stars. Extremely well written and well researched - books like this normally are dry, yet Mattei's writing is clear and invigorating. I learned a lot about economic Austerity, and Italian and British history in the interwar period. So many footnotes.
Recommended to anyone looking for a book about Austerity.
This book was amazing, and funny, and thrilling and beautiful. Wurts' writing is startlingly poignant and aggressively different than the majority of fantasy writing. She packs in details about things that makes the world feel more real (ex. horse/horse riding knowledge). The main characters were fascinating and very appealing, the world itself has so many mysteries I can't wait to read more. This book plays on a lot of fantasy tropes, exploring them from different angles and confronting ugly aspects of fantasy/quest/prophecy stories that are often overlooked. Can't wait for what's in store.
2.5 stars.
This book has some rough edges, combat scenes were hard to follow, and there was not a strong hook in the beginning. But through flashbacks, getting to characters I recognized, and warming up to some new ones I ended up enjoying myself. It was very cool seeing this fantasy world through its co-creators eyes.
The flashback with the “Sword” was a highlight, as was the man who walks edges, and a certain Mage with a queue.
3.5
A unique fantasy book that makes use of intergenerational oral traditions, an interesting framed narrative, and mythology. There were times I wanted different things out of the tale, and the resolution was a bit clunky. That being said the authorial voice of this story is very unique, how different local POV's are woven throughout. I have not read anything quite like it.
This 2nd trilogy begins with a fantastic premise, everything has changed. We get to explore and try to discover both why, and how to fix things. Donaldson gets a lot of mileage out of this conceit.
I enjoyed that Covenant is different this time, he feels matured or at least at peace with his life and history. This “tilted” quest is very good, the new sidekick is extremely intriguing though their arc does not get finished. In fact this whole book very much so feels like 1/3rd of a story - so the conclusion is not super conclusive (more on this later).
I think the themes have to do with how things that we are supposed to love and cherish get corrupted, by ourselves, and others, and how facing and experiencing that affected “thing” can be extremely hard, but that it is worth risking yourself in order to make things right (I think. I'm only ⅓ into a trilogy). Corruption is built on falseness, in word and deed. In this novel the corruption of words and the record of history is explored and leads to profound moments.
The book drags a little bit in the third act and the familiarity of fantasy quest tropes made it a little repetitive. But remember how I said the conclusion isn't conclusive? Well it IS cathartic - Donaldson manages to make you forget the larger story and dwell on a bow that needed to be tied. What we got was one of the most powerful and good feeling moments in all of his work I've thus read. Home run of an ending, it was both perfectly logical for his story and also a rabbit out of a hat.
Some unforgettable characters in Oliver Twist, a good story that felt rushed at the end. My 2nd Dickens novel, as I read it I began picking up on how many other stories and series drew from this book. Also, Dickens writes quite affectingly about death and facing death, those moments leapt off the page, under the skin, and into the soul.
4.5 stars.
A mesmerizing sequel. As always the story is deeply psychological for Covenant, but this book also included a fascinating foil for his character that puts Covenant's relationship with his...circumstances in stark relief, and adds a new war/battle dimension to the story. Covenant is not a hero, but I felt it is written in a way where you actually understand and process with him what that means for a world that cannot help but see him as a hero. He's conniving and selfish, a lesson in what not to be but also a reflection on the worst parts of human nature. The third act was amazing.
How Donaldson followed up on certain “events” from LFB was unsettling and curious.
Refreshing and short, this is the most accessible Russian novel I have read. It covers changing worldviews, father son dynamics and changing relationships, and most of all the vast differences between two generations. The 1860's in Russia is a fantastic setting to explore the latter theme too, so much is being debated and challenged.
I loved this book. The prose was very different but when you get accustomed to it things even out. His sentences are longer but that's his style. Speaking of, when Dickens spends a passage describing something stark and evil, you feel it, when there is a dramatic and righteous condemnation, it is poetic and cutting. Also this book is FUNNY, once you get a feel for the style and type of humor. I have heard Dickens focuses a lot on the problems with Victorian society too and some of his books can be a downer but Nicholas Nickleby is not a downer. There was a main character to root for, there was hope in the midst of misfortune and that made this book quite enjoyable. The villain is a cruel money lender (an excellent character), and there were loads of entertaining side characters BUT it was unfortunate none of the female characters were given the same dimensionality as the male ones . The books ending was surprising and affecting.
A disturbing read, sometimes frustratingly meandering. My first takeaway is the sticky impression of the life of drug addicts (as Dick portrays them) it's like a traumatizing job shadow. The impenetrable monolith of authority and the State in this book is also a character in itself, and it contrasts the few individual agents we meet. The humor is understated, sometimes this means waiting to see how X pans out and then you're there, staring at a cynical cruel joke. While my experience was uneven, the ending was great and somehow satisfying without providing catharsis.
A decent sequel to Red Mars, I was most interested in the continuation of the political storyline. Some of the familiar characters had good sections, others were a little too introspective for my taste. For some reason the technicalities of the geology and terraforming bored me, and there was something missing from the narrative that RM had. The Convention and third act are the best parts. For all my problems, the “point” of this series and what it's exploring is too interesting to put down. There's little like it that engages with what a revolution or alternative econ. structure would look like (with nuance and critical detail) if it was to be built alongside the modern neoliberal capitalism model. It's not perfect but it's refreshing, and relevant to modern day with parallel crises occurring on the periphery/Mars and in the interior/Earth.
I loved the richness of this story, from our main characters unique personality and adventures, to the long family saga we become familiar with. The POV of a young person accentuates every part of this book, kids are at the mercy of adults, there is a powerlessness and a refuge found in imagination and invention and our main character embodies this. I don't remember reading a book that so carefully and exhaustively renders the inner workings of a kids mind. We see her in full dimensions, we know what drives her, her curiosity for the wide world, we see her try to understand things that kids can't really understand, it's stunning character work. Tartt also weaves into this the relations between white society and black housekeepers in Mississippi, it was powerful and sad esp through the eyes of a kid.
Rating is 3.5
Overall:
The world Donaldson has created holds lots of promise. Thomas Covenant is a tortured and at times very frustrating character to read, but when he makes progress it feels very touching and real. The beginning of the book really grounds TC's character, it helps to explain why he is the way he is, this was critical to appreciating the character growth. Lord Fouls Bane is controversial to many, but for what it is I think the fantasy genre is much better with it, and all that has sprung from it, than without it.
Minor cons:
The narrative is blatantly structured like The Lord of the Rings, so make sure you read it after a long rest from Tolkien and classic high fantasy narratives. Donaldson's prose is at times rough, and the long passages without dialogue can test ones patience. In the end I still enjoyed this story and the character arc of Thomas Covenant. I'm hoping the writing improves.
This was a very good book, the intrigue is set in front of the reader like a delicious appetizer, the pace is quick and what follows is a compelling story. Meluch creates an interesting future of interstellar empires and questionable utopias, her world building was impressive given the page count. The character study that is the protagonist was intriguing and mutli-layered, there's interesting surface details, and a mysterious underside that is hinted at. It's the strongest part of the book and when it develops...buckle in.
Meluch also delves into “murky” waters of religion, fanaticism, race, and human supremacy in such a way that it would take forever to untangle all of these elements. Her conclusions were a bit opaque to me.