Jake Wharton
Very shallow on details of each system, focusing instead on breadth of those covered. Makes for an interesting flick-through, especially if you had an esoteric system at some point (Intellivision myself), but you probably won't return to it. The popular systems are given more details, but it still left me wanting.
Very shallow on details of each system, focusing instead on breadth of those covered. Makes for an interesting flick-through, especially if you had an esoteric system at some point (Intellivision myself), but you probably won't return to it. The popular systems are given more details, but it still left me wanting.
An entertaining take on the classic time loop trope with ever-increasing stakes.
An entertaining take on the classic time loop trope with ever-increasing stakes.
A meandering tale devoid of clear plot. Definitely not a style that I enjoyed reading, and even after learning the reasoning in the afterward it did not improve my opinion. There certainly were elements that increased my interest at times, but I never engaged with the story and felt it mostly a chore to finish.
A meandering tale devoid of clear plot. Definitely not a style that I enjoyed reading, and even after learning the reasoning in the afterward it did not improve my opinion. There certainly were elements that increased my interest at times, but I never engaged with the story and felt it mostly a chore to finish.
The execution of the storyline isn't done as well as Wool, but the choice to deviate from what would otherwise be the predictable next chapter absolutely is worth the payoff in the end. If you have the patience for the author's world building in this episode then the final book becomes all the more meaningful in its conclusion.
The execution of the storyline isn't done as well as Wool, but the choice to deviate from what would otherwise be the predictable next chapter absolutely is worth the payoff in the end. If you have the patience for the author's world building in this episode then the final book becomes all the more meaningful in its conclusion.
I felt somewhat lost in the overall plot for a large portion of the book not able to see why others lauded it so. Once the big picture snapped into place somewhere past the middle it was hard to put down. The breadth and depth of the world building always left me wanting more as it never felt implausible that this universe is far from what would actually happen given the events actually took place.
I felt somewhat lost in the overall plot for a large portion of the book not able to see why others lauded it so. Once the big picture snapped into place somewhere past the middle it was hard to put down. The breadth and depth of the world building always left me wanting more as it never felt implausible that this universe is far from what would actually happen given the events actually took place.
Pretty much exactly what I'm looking for in a modern science fiction epic. The writing style is a bittersweet treat because it's approachable to all but causes the story to be over far too soon and leaves me wanting to come back.
Pretty much exactly what I'm looking for in a modern science fiction epic. The writing style is a bittersweet treat because it's approachable to all but causes the story to be over far too soon and leaves me wanting to come back.
An all-around brilliant adventure whose writing keeps consistent plot development despite the life of the protagonist being repetitive and monotonous for most of the time period. Having seen the movie first, I would say the book is an unnecessary read. The movie does the book justice, and its omissions and additions are tasteful for its medium.
An all-around brilliant adventure whose writing keeps consistent plot development despite the life of the protagonist being repetitive and monotonous for most of the time period. Having seen the movie first, I would say the book is an unnecessary read. The movie does the book justice, and its omissions and additions are tasteful for its medium.
A decent premise brought down by the very questionable writing of the characters and the increasingly improbable events which lead to the climax. Still thoroughly enjoyed the pace and overall writing style which is very reminiscent of his other two works, but aside from being a palette cleanser between denser works, you're much better off elsewhere in his catalog.
A decent premise brought down by the very questionable writing of the characters and the increasingly improbable events which lead to the climax. Still thoroughly enjoyed the pace and overall writing style which is very reminiscent of his other two works, but aside from being a palette cleanser between denser works, you're much better off elsewhere in his catalog.
