If it's a Stephen King book, I'm going to find something to enjoy. Something about his writing style is magnetic. Conversational, but not dumbed down. Down to earth, but out of this world. Frankly, I consider him a national treasure.
Fairy Tale, however, is not among my favorites. The first half, was outstanding. Really drew me in, and I couldn't put it down. About half-way when things ... changed? ... I started to lose interest. There were parts that felt extremely drawn out. Maybe some aggressive editing could have helped? I wonder if there was an opportunity to split this into two books and stretch out each half to its own book? We'll never know.
All in all - I enjoyed it, but this took me a while to finish as some parts felt like a slog. Not his best, but still Stephen King.
As far as good summer reads go - this one hit the spot. Not the least bit challenging, but the character development was good (John is a compelling protagonist), and the main conceit was entertaining. As I was reading I got the feeling that this was “lite” space-opera, but that's fine. No need for pretense. This just wasn't as out there (for me, at least) as, for example, Iain Banks' work is.
I guess the measure of how much I liked this is to consider how likely I'll dip into books 2 and 3. The answer to which is “yes”.
Excellent read. As a member of the “tech community” I, we, would do well to get MORE of this sort of first-hand look at this industry. For a book that feels like you can't put it down, it paradoxically makes you stop and think about how what she's writing about is so common in the day to day. Tech culture is weird. It's flawed. It could use a big shake-up. I hope things evolve in the next 10+ years.
This guy was a walking paradox. Brilliant yet stupid (all fruit, all carrot diets? Cmoooon). Completely void of empathy but put user experience above all. Sensitive and cries at the drop of a hat but cold and cruel. I could go on and on but the one thing remains - this guy was our generation's Einstein or Ford.
Beautiful, multi-layered and sad. Amazing piece of work. Glad to have finally taken the time to read it.
A word of advice - just read it. Don't watch the movie. Tried watching the movie after just finishing the book and it felt like ... pudding skin. Just a thin layer sitting on top of something much more satisfying underneath.
Ruth sucks.
Just finished this - the first programming book I've ever read from start to finish. Russ Olsen does an amazing job making the subject interesting and digestible. As I got through the Metaprogramming chapters I really started feeling like I was getting it ... like I was leveling up my skills.
Can't wait to put some of these new concepts and tricks into practice.