Tom Merritt
I definitely enjoyed this book. As a huge fan of “If on a winter's night a traveler” by Italo Calvino, the idea of interrupted stories is not a bad one for me. And what a perk to get to see them finished. The nested nature of the second halves was elegant and enjoyable. I wrestled with whether I would classify this book as “important” as some have said. It's themes are well expressed and its issues well defined but rarely was I shocked by them. However I was always entertained enough by the stories not to have minded. And then there was Robert Frobisher. Without spoiling anything, I can only say the end of his story moved me. And provoked new thoughts in me. And I feel, was important. And that's not to take away from the other stories which are magnificent. It's a book well worth reading.
I have had so much fun discovering this series, I'm only upset that I now have to wait for Abaddon's Gate. The crew of the Rocinante really gels into a likable unit in this book and the new characters of Chrisjen and Bobbie do not disappoint. My only regret and also relief is that nobody you love dies. An excellent follow-up to Leviathan Wakes.
I thought this book was, well I'm not going to tell you exactly what I thought it was. That would distract you from the point. The point is I read this book and I enjoyed it. Isn't that more important? Enjoying something? Anything? I don't mean the empty enjoyment empty-headed morons talk about when they say they enjoyed the afternoon. They can't even remember half of what they did and only say they enjoyed it because they have no better sense. No I mean I read it in less than 24 hours because I couldn't put it down. That it proved thoughts and stirred emotions and desires to find out what happened next.
Some of the concepts of the Hyperion world are fantastic, especially the far casters, the Hawking drives, the biotech and even the meta sphere and the data core. I also think the writing is beautiful and compelling. But for some reason the overarching story in Fall left me a bit cold. I definitely enjoyed he characters and even geared up over the ending.I absolutely love Saul Weintraub's story. But the bits about the UI just fell flat for me and I'm not certain why. Maybe I'm just not understanding it well enough. Even so I recommend the book to anyone who wants challenging concepts and a grand universe. Especially if you can out up with a slight touch of poetic pretension.
This to me is perfect scifi. There's enough acknowledgement to reality and physics and tech, and loads of evidence that the writer(s) is(are) a geek (are geeks) that I don't feel put upon with unlikely scenarios. On the other hand it's also not a physics textbook. I like physics textbooks, especially ones with stories, but that's a different choice of reading. When I want fiction, this is what I want. Adventure, differentiated and believable characters tight writing, and mystery that pulls you through.
If I had any criticism, it would be that I wanted more relation on the the evil schemes of Protogen. Also I want to know why all the ships constantly have to accelerate and pull Gs. Do they never each cruising speed ever? Ok ok. The chase scenes would not be very tense if they were “Reached cruising speed Captain” “Ah good,” said Holden, “I shall enjoy this soothing mint tea while we await the resolution of this chase.” so it doesn't bother me much.
I'll be honest I didn't think I was going to like this book much when I first started reading it. The descriptions of Devin and his singing group left me uninspired. I felt like I was looking at yet another fantasy world of magic and towers and bards and despots without much new.
Then the hunting lodge. And it all turned.
The themes of identity and country and suppression played on many things I've studied or thought about and I loved the depth in which Kay treated them within his otherwise familiar fantasy world. Yes, his prose can tend towards the flowery, but I have no issue with that. To my ear it's good flowery prose. If your tastes don't run that way, it may bug you, but it's not overdone in my opinion.
And the characters are bright and believable and rich. Score one for the Sword side of genre fiction.
Nobody should ever be compared to Douglas Adams. It's unfair. Not to eulogise the dead but Adams is literally incomparable. That's why I respect the bravery of Eoin Colfer. Now there's an idea. Rob Reid matches and often surpasses the wit and glorious absurdity of Eoin Colfer. Year Zero not only paints a beautiful tale of the absurdity of our laws but packs the story full of excellent geeky nuggets both musical and Monty Python. Plus there's some damn fine science fiction concepts packed in like the ideas of wrinkles and The Townshend Line. Absolutely a pleasure to read.
Oh my. Where do I start? Do you like superheroes? How an noir ace detectives? Or perhaps steam punk? Alternate realities? Robots? If you're not absolutely salivating with geeky lust, then move along. There may be nothing to see here. But to those cleaning the drool off their tablets and laptops, stop now. Go to book store website. Buy Empire State. It's absolutely awesome. I want more Skyguard. I want more Detective Rad. I want more drinks at Jerry's. I want more robots. Well done Mr. Christopher. Island and applaud. Slow clap.
Loved it. I'll admit it took me awhile to get familiar with the world. Moreso than usual with fantasy novels, which always take some getting used to. And it took awhile to make clear that this was not a spires and wizards tale a la T.H. White. In fact that's one of the things that endeared me to it in the end. Without going dark, it played as a believable telling of ruffians in an ancient world of magic. I love Joe Abercrombie and Patrick Rothfuss, and because of them I don't need another dark gritty world. Lynch has made a world that's realistic and I suppose gritty enough, without relying on that all the time. The fight between Locke and the bad guy at the end (avoiding spoilers) is damned dark, sure, but that's not the continuous tone. I like the hinted at past of the elders and their glass. I like the fact that there's gods-d,Ned magic that isn't scinc, yet there's alchemy that is, with a bit of magic thrown in. And I love the pantheon of the thirteen née twelve new thirteen. Crooked Warden, but I ended up loving this book. When Locke is crying “I just have to hold you until Jean gets here” near the end I had gods-damned tears in my eyes, I did. And the cons within cons never end. I liked Sawyer in “Lost” too. We named our dog after him. And Locke is in the same vein. Well done Mr. Lynch. On to the Red Seas for me.
What a thoroughly enjoyable story. From the respect of science, through the centering on Africa and China to the positing of how a world would be shaped by a loss of privacy and the experience of surviving catastrophe, I find very little unpleasant in Blue Remembered Earth. In fact at the moment I can think of nothing. It is. Mystery and adventure story with robots spaceships, intrigue and murder. And while you may guess certain points along the way it will surprise you often. Read it.
The only thing I don't understand is why the Milkweed Triptych doesn't get more attention. No Wikipedia entry. No wild fan sites. This is an outstanding series and I wait with excitement to read the conclusion and have that usual feeling of dread at its concluding and leaving me with no more. Good thing Tregillis is signed to do a new book after the last Milkweed one. Even if it's not in the same universe, I know I'll snap it up.
The more I read of Lev Grossman's Magicians the more I like them. I'm dying to see where Quentin goes next. I was a huge fan of CS Lewis growing up, and Grossman's weaving of Lewis allusion, geeky references to code, hackers, comics, and fantasy lore really entertains me. I also love his ability to create a traditional fantasy world that has characters that act real and curse and wonder the same things I would wonder about how things would really go down if I were to end up in Narnia... or in this case Fillory.
Fantastic. Such a wonderful critique and send up of fantasy classics like C.S. Lewis, T.H. White and obviously newer fare like J.K. Rowling. It seems to answer the question of what people today would do if they were confronted with classical magical worlds. This is a modern book by far but e love of lore shows through in every curse word and every disdainful ennui filled sigh of its very modern characters.
The story is good. It's compelling and suspenseful and fun. Sure it may have some small holes, but nothing you'll fall through and hurt yourself. But the world is magnificent. Especially to anyone who ever played video games, watched TV and movies or listened to music in and around the 1980s. This book is glorious.
Well this book was a slog, just like a war but I feel quite satisfied after finishing it. I don't know why it took so long. It seemed every time I picked it up I got interrupted or had started too late in the evening to keep awake. But that's not to say the book put me to sleep. Far from it. Some of my favorite scenes in fantasy are in this book. The moment where Craw says his last goodbye to Beck is gold. And I very much like the way Mr. Abercrombie is weaving a lofty back story of Bayaz and the Dark ones high above the heads of these genre novels. Nice bits for us fans of the Dogman, Shivers, and Logen too. All in all an excellent read. Just don't expect to rush through it, i fyou're anything like me.
My only critique of this book is that I feel like it stops right when it's getting very good. A common critique for a good book in a series I suppose. But I felt much of Dany's storyline felt like prelude and only got meaty in her last chapter. Jon Snow's bits were more satisfying, but my what a cliffhanger! And Tyrion while extremely entertaining seems to float upon the top of the plot without yet getting to his purpose. I could have done with a few more chatters on Ty and Dany, but then again I wouldn't have wanted to wait a few more years to get them!