Nikki Bright
Contains spoilers
- Prose: 2.75/5
- Theme: 5/5
- Magic System: 4/5
- World: 4/5
- Characters: 3/5
- Plot: 3.5/5
- Overall: 3.75/5
Prose: 3/5
Good not great. There were a few nice turns of phrase, but overall if you're looking for prose on the level of Robin Hobb, or even Christopher Ruocchio, you're not going to find it here.
Theme: 5/5
To be honest, I’m a sucker for anti-colonialism and anti-capitalism themes. And I thought it was all executed quite well here. Woven into the plot, magic system, characters, and world without feeling too heavy-handed or preachy.
Magic System: 4/5
I loved the Will/Imbuing magic system and how it supported the anti-colonial themes. So much so that I almost didn't have a separate Magic System rating here! Impressive stuff. 4/5 only because it seemed to have the illusion of depth more than actual depth. The concept was strong, but in execution the system was softer than I was led to believe. I get the impression that might change as the series progresses, though!
World: 4/5
It took me until at least 50% through, but the world ended up wowing me. Again, everything, including the world, wove together spectacularly to support the themes of the book. The Hierarchy was grand but bland, obviously crushing most facets of cultures it dominated but adopting anything it thought worthwhile. <spoiler>Suus was beautiful, especially through Vis's eyes, and who knows wtf is happening with these alternate dimensions or whatever??</spoiler>
Characters: 3/5
Vis as a main character needed more early work, in my opinion. It wasn’t until the last half of the book, <spoiler>when he was in Suus</spoiler>, that I finally really cared about his arc.
It would be a bit cliche for the genre, but I think this book would have benefited from some flashbacks or something. Even just during part one. To instill that emotional connection before he is thrown into these situations that challenge his relationship with his past.
With the exception of <spoiler>Vis’s paramour</spoiler>, I did enjoy the side characters. <spoiler>Callidus and Eidhin were great, the other Thirds were great (except for the one previously mentioned).</spoiler> The romance didn’t feel justified to me.
Plot: 3.75/5
I thought the outline of the book could have been better. I didn’t really care for part one, but I enjoyed all of his time at <spoiler>the Academy</spoiler>. And the climax was killer!
I thought the book didn’t quite hit the right balance of questions answered to new questions asked, by the end. Wrapping up the first book in a fantasy series, especially one as grand in scope as this one, I think requires a delicate balance of wrapping mysteries up, leaving some hanging, and introducing new ones. And, for me at least, I wish there were more of the first.
Overall: 3.75/5
It took me a lot longer than I’d like, for a book this long, but I did come around and had a great time with the last ~30% of the book. Once the climax started I had no choice but to sprint through to the end!
Overall Rating - 5.5/10
Plot - 6/10 Above average. Plot was medium-paced with some interesting twists and went in some fun, unexpected directions.
World/Concepts - 7/10 Good. Digging through the Lovecraft canon for spooky stuff to put into the world was lots of fun. I love math so it was an easy win for this book when mathematics was integrated with the Lovecraftian lore.
Characters - 6/10 Above average. Nothing to write home about in my opinion. The main cast was characterized well, but development there wasn't much exploration or development.
Prose - 4/10 Below average. Mostly average writing, but there was a lot of telling not showing and towards the end there were some odd tense changes that really took me out of it.
Themes - 3/10 Poor. Lovecraftian fiction is fighting an uphill battle in my opinion. So few authors are able to truly drive home the themes around cosmic horror and get readers to feel small, insignificant, and frightened by their unimportance. Unfortunately, Howard doesn't stick the landing here. His tendency to tell instead of show made it difficult to immerse in the moments that made the characters feel those sweet sweet cosmically horrific feelings.
Enjoyment - 7/10 Good. Overall I had fun reading Carter & Lovecraft. Noir + Lovecraft is such a fun pairing, regardless of how well or not it was executed. There were elements I didn't enjoy, and the writing wasn't for me, but nothing could get in the way of how enjoyable it was to read the main character encounter a bunch of eldritch BS integrated into a modern setting.
Overall Rating - 8.5/10
Plot - 9/10 Excellent. The Sunlit Man is Sanderson's homage to “old westerns and their modernized versions, like the Mad Max films.” It's fast-paced and dope as heck. I was gripped the whole time, eager to reach each beat. Plot, character, and world were intertwined in a way that improved each one and kept them all moving forward.
World-building - 10/10 Outstanding. Sanderson, as usual, masterfully creates a vibrant world here. It's unique, complex, and creative. The Sunlit Man is set on Canticle, a planet with one hemisphere always covered in deadly daylight that incinerates those unfortunate souls caught in the sunrise. The planet's inhabitants must always stay on the dark side of the planet, so live in mobile cities that are constantly moving forward. This is a standalone novel but I just know there are so many stories that could be told here.
Characters - 8/10 Very good. Reviewing Cosmere books can be a little weird, because I'm unable to know what the experience would be like if I didn't have a self-awarded MCS (Master of Cosmere Studies). The main POV character, Nomad, is a side character from a different book, so I came into this already having thoughts and feelings about him. That said, I absolutely loved his arc in this book. Nomad is characterized pretty clearly, and his development is satisfying. And as usual, Sanderson weaves that development into the plot in a satisfying way. Rating would be 9/10 if so much of his backstory wasn't “locked” behind spoilers for upcoming Cosmere novels. That made it more difficult for me to really dig into what motivates him.
Prose - 8/10 Very good. I've heard it said that Sanderson doesn't have very good prose. That his writing is too simple/straightforward. And for his first few published novels, I would agree! Here's the thing though: Sanderson is a veteran of putting out well-written, cohesive, creative, and compelling books (I think he said this is his 15th novel?). With that depth experience, his prose are far from lacking at this point. It's not super flowery/poetic, true, but he uses language well, describes places and events in the perfect level of detail, and he conveys the emotional impact of character moments with skill. Also, he writes a DAMN good fight scene.
Theme - 7/10 Good. I don't usually see conveyance of theme as one of Sanderson's greatest strengths. I care enough about his plots, worlds, and (sometimes) characters that theme doesn't really stand out for me. I think he's starting to change that, however. Although I didn't walk away from The Sunlit Man thinking about life in a new way or questioning my perception of morality, Sanderson did communicate themes of redemption, self-realization, and compassion well enough to add fuel to the fiery plot and character moments. Felt big feelings, y'all.
Overall Rating - 7/10
Plot - 7/10 Good. A coherent and satisfying plot with multiple well-crafted arcs and engaging twists.
World-building - 6/10 Above average. The world was slightly more than a standard backdrop to the story. There were many interesting elements, but not much time was spent fleshing it all out.
Characters - 7/10 Good. Satisfying depth and development of the main character. The side characters were a bit flat, but had personality and were quite lovable.
Prose - 5/10 Average. Meets expectations but nothing about the writing quality stands out.
Theme - 8/10 Very good. An impressive execution of theme, entwined well with the character work.
Narration - 8/10 Very good. Kim Bretton knocks it out of the park. Her delivery was engaging and immersive with well-differentiated characters and fluctuating tone that fit each situation well.
Kings of the Wyld has great reviews, and I heard it was inspired by 70s rock-n-roll stories, so I had no choice but to try it out. It's not every day that I find something that meets me in the center of the venn diagram of “fantasy books” and “rock music.”
Holy hell this book kicks so much ass. It's like it was written with specifically my brain in mind.
Wowza. 10/10/ characters, specifically for their relationships. The boys in Saga have such a beautiful friendship.
The worldbuilding was also wonderful. Eames built an expansive and interesting world in the background by telling about the main characters adventures when they were younger as well as their current quest.
The plot was a pretty traditional “group on a quest to save girl” tale, but it was a perfect frame for showcasing Saga “getting the band back together.”
The action was adrenaline-pumping and the humor was gut-busting. Lots of references to rock-n-roll that gave me a good chuckle, and the characters had a perfect balance of seriousness and not taking things TOO seriously.
I'm hard-pressed to think of a single thing wrong with this book. Thus, Kings of the Wyld has jumped into my shortlist for books I recommend to new fantasy readers. It has it all.
TL;DR
Plot: 8/10
Style: 9/10
Overall: 9/10
Audiobook: 9/10
“I only steal because my dear old family needs the money to live!”Locke Lamora made this proclamation with his wine glass held high; he and the other Gentleman Bastards were seated at the old witchwood table. . . . The others began to jeer.“Liar!” they chorused“I only steal because this wicked world won't let me work an honest trade!” Calo cried, hoisting his own glass.“LIAR!”“I only steal,” said Jean, “because I've temporarily fallen in with bad company.”“LIAR!”At last the ritual came to Bug; the boy raised his glass a bit shakily and yelled, “I only steal because it's heaps of fucking fun!”“BASTARD!”
“I'm not going to kill you,” said Locke. “I'm going to play a little game I like to call ‘Scream in pain until you answer my fucking questions.'”
“We're a different sort of thief here, Lamora. Deception and misdirection are our tools. We don't believe in hard work when a false face and a good line of bullshit can do so much more.”