Stas Yamkovyi

As a person who can relate to some of the experiences of the author, I find my feelings about the book quite mixed.

While quite finely written, it’s just an another statement of irrationality of war and politics we as humanity are not going to learn from.

Brett Axel does a very convincing job portraying a traumatized vigilante who battles his inner demons while slaughtering the outer ones. His quest for a life purpose, the revenge driven storyline and a long list of 999+ mental issues trigger a wide spectrum of emotions - from sincere compassion to pure disgust. And that makes him feel disturbingly real.

I really liked that there was no attempt to romanticize the character. He’s difficult to judge, but ugly in far too many ways to be comfortably admired.

The book’s moral ambiguity around good and evil and a little pinch of trauma porn add an another rich layer to the story.

Overall, it was an unexpected find that turned out to be a very solid read.

Roses are red, violets are blue, big tech corporations care about the profits and not about you.

WOW.

Rather simple and linear story about how a lot of potential, a little bit of passion and persistense jointly with a bottle of green pills can get you far in life.

A very unusual book with a very specific vibe, bringing back the days when the world was young, full of wonders, myths and the gaps in its understanding were filled with the wild flourish of imagination.

Imagine a man imagining this world.

That’s how you meet Baudolino.

Well, maybe for some kind of white-collared hothouse flowers this book might be revealing and provide for the “raw life” kink.

But literally any person from small depressive town/country from anywhere in the world can tell you much more gruesome, almost primal stories of love, hate and death.

Probably you should be thankful to however or whatever you believe if the experiences described in this book somehow impress you.

These two lunatic potters will break your heart and you will love it.

Сказати б «та, це ж всі знають», але на жаль не всі. Сказати б «та, шо тут складного», але мало хто вміє.

Невеличка, але інформативна книжечка на тему того як порозумітися і з дитиною і з собою.

Pinol is literary and literaturely a box of chocolates from Forrest Gump - you never know which one you’re going to get. This is applicable both to his books and even the chapters in them.

It starts as a historical adventure, moves on to political and war satire and ends dramatically, while maintaining perfect balance between history and fiction. Something pretty close to Gashek, Vonnegut and surely “Legend of Ulenspiegel”. And the worldbuilding and the development of the characters are done with so much detail that it feels an even a little wasteful not to have an option to follow the entire life of Zuviria after the book’s story ends.

Witty, cynical, unbelievably well written and full of sincere and (do not confuse with blind) love to Catalonia and Barcelona in particular.

Also, though I assume that I’ve guessed the Vauban’s Word right at the moment when he has asked it, well… to be 100% sure about it, supposedly, you have to be a Maganon

Charming, painful and beautiful love-song for the predecessors of millennials - last witnesses of the pre-Internet world, generation X.

Deliciously old-fashioned SF.

Comparing to “Endurance” this book can provide the reader with much more dramatic entertainment and good takes on leadership and why is it important too keep your documentation up to date if you are planning to start a mutiny.

The bitter understanding of this book was something I've never asked from life.

Monster of a book. Vibey, slow-paced, stylishly and well-written monster.

First half of the book Bacigalupi spends showing the reader a beautiful and innocent puppy surrounded by the wolves, and the second half is mostly about this puppy getting stomped with heavy boots.

Painfully enjoyable read.

Ковток свіжого повітря в кімнаті, яку проперділи бізнес-гуру, експерти з особистого розвитку та інші хакери здорового глузду.

I don't want to be rude but I believe ChatGPT or any of its analogues would provide me a more whole, better written, detailed and way shorter explanation of the ideas the author promotes.

It's not a book rather a slightly structurized collection of rushed rambling notes on ergodicity, which is as a definition gets mentioned in the text way more times then the cases it practically helps with.

Also the vibe from the book gives me flashbacks of that typical independent consultant your CEO impulsively hires during his phase of the company's “productivity improvement”.

You know, that guy who breaks in the existing workflow throwing out meetings and new “optimized” processes from both hands, talks a lot about synergy and direct workflow, creates a couple dozen of very important pages in Confluence... and shortly you never see him again.

Why do I enjoy this type of books is mainly because they give you a feeling that whilst the world isn't clockwork and perfectly logical, there's often a reason for the things to work the way they do.

And it's very important to at least try understanding this reason before jumping to conclusions and quick “effective” solutions.

It's a social sature in its worse and its best.

Quite well written overall but Jason Pargin literally uses every possible monologue or dialogue by any set of the characters to deliver a MESSAGE. At some point the book absolutely abandones the attempts to be a fiction and turns into a blend of sermons and parables.

High-quality smart preaching that could take a little less air time.

The book which appeared unexpectedly, read easily, was gone quickly leaving me a head full of thoughts.

Трохи компактніше ніж хотілося б, але добра структура ключових етапів/подій/особистостей в контексті історії міста.

Немає другого Дніпра.

Brutal, gory, funny, dramatic, raw ride.
Simple formula but what an execution.
Absolutely loved it.

A small collection of thoughts and observations upon life you will find enjoyable if you relate to the philosophy and views of Sivers.

I sincerely did.

It's a hidden gem and a breath of a fresh air in a smoky room of entrepreneurial success stories.

The book is brief but to the point in its every small chapter. Stick to thy values, love thy clients, focus on what you want to achieve instead of playing with tools as toys, be fast in making decisions and changing them, leave the unnecessary behind...sound like every other business book, right?

Yeap, but this one is only about 100 pages long, efficient, looks honest and most of all - sets you as a North Star metric a goal to be happy.

Perfection.

Absolutely imperfect but very entertaining tale. Somewhat gory, somewhat ironic and with plenty of social satire incrustations. Could be something brought to the screens by Tarantino or Guy Ritchie.

But what's the most important - it's so refreshing from the POV on the widespread Christmas rituals - festive looks with forgotten old ideas under the rusty hood.

Never liked hypercasual western world Santa much.

Team Krampus - unite!

Це буде мабуть остання книга, яку я прочитаю у 2024 році і водночас найкращий книжковий фінішер I've ever had. Водночас як і окрема книга так і трилогія.

Мені подобається буквально все, що вдалося зробити Павлу Деревʼянко. Світ, створений на межі альтернативної історії (нехай автор в епілозі декілька разів наголошує що це не вона) та темного фентезі, персонажі, які вийшли не ляльками, а живими людьми - із проблемами, недоліками, втратами.

Єдине що мені не подобається- це сюжет, але не подобається він не тим що він поганим, а тим що певною мірою дзеркалить болючу й незручну реальність. Але через це він й ще більше переконливий.

Чудова робота, дякую автору.