Veronica
Some books take a while to dig into. The first few chapters set up the story, introduce you to the main characters and build a framework for the tale to come.
Wool sets up the story too, but in a heartbreaking and gripping way that has you consuming the book as quickly as possible, if only to learn the answer to: “that's not really about to happen, is it?”
There are moments in Wool when I wondered if maybe the book was too dark. I mourned for characters and didn't know how they would possibly get themselves out of the messes they (or others) had gotten them into. I won't say it worked out for everyone, but there is enough hopefulness and light in the book to brighten the darkest depths of this silo.
Wool is not a long read (even shorter when you can't put it down and read it over two nights) but it is one that will stick with you.
“5 stars!” You exclaim. “For a Vaginal Fantasy pick!?”
Yes, and let me tell you why! Ghost Planet surprised me in a big way. I've read quite a bit of science fiction in my day, and this particular premise seemed very new and inventive to me. In fact, I feel like this book could have continued on to a more flesh-out series, since there's so much more we can learn about the planet and how it works.
Elizabeth, the female lead, is something of a Mary Sue. She's beautiful, intelligent, and can fight her way out of a pickle if she needs to. However, I found myself relating to the character. There was a lot of common sense thinking in her situation, which (unfortunately) we don't always see in the VF picks.
So yes, 5-stars for a really enjoyable book with an interesting premise (and some decent sexytimes). Plus, I very much enjoyed hearing Murphy's Irish accent in my mind :)
I feel bad. I finished this book two days after we recorded the episode of Sword and Laser where we wrap it up (first time I haven't finished a book for the audio show). I blame [b:Outlander 10964 Outlander (Outlander, #1) Diana Gabaldon http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1304187141s/10964.jpg 2489796] for being too long.Anyhow, I wish I had made it to the end, because coming away from the book now I feel much differently than I did at the 75% mark. If felt like the silliness that was almost a distraction for me came together in the end in a really beautiful and meaningful way. You all said I'd feel different, and you were right. I should listen to you more often.
Well, this is definitely one of those cliffhanger ending books, as many people warned me. So.... close.... yet so far away.Anyhow. The book was excellent, I loved the independent narratives and the writing style. This book made me want to learn so much more about the universe it's based in/on. The allusions to classic poetry and literature were very fitting to the story line, and I think they'll only deepen with what I've read so far of [b:The Fall of Hyperion 77565 The Fall of Hyperion Dan Simmons http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1329610795s/77565.jpg 1882596]. Yes, I immediately went out and bought the next book in the Hyperion Cantos, since I HAD to know what was going to happen to the seven pilgrims next, Well played, [a:Dan Simmons 2687 Dan Simmons http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1202439650p2/2687.jpg]. Well played.
Three stars means “I like” a book, even though it feels more like a “meh” when you see those three lonely stars up there on a review. However, in this case, it rings perfectly true: I liked Empire State.
I'm having some trouble being objective in this review, because I follow Adam Christopher on Twitter, he has been a friend to Sword and Laser, etc etc. But I had a hard time truly getting into this book as much as I wanted to.
Part of the problem is that the storyline is purposely convoluted. We're thrown into a world that features alternate dimensions, time-shifting, doppelgängers, and a murder mystery... all wrapped into one. The intentions and loyalties of the characters are constantly in flux, and I frankly found it hard to keep track.
This is not a book of hard science fiction: the science used to explain the “fissure” between these two worlds (or rather, the Origin and the Pocket) is murky at best, but that's not really the important thing here. Was it an entertaining story? Yes! Did I like the characters? I think so (when I understood what was happening)! Was the ending satisfying? Hmmm... mostly. Ended somewhat with a fizz rather than an explosion.
But overall, I thought the storyline was original and interesting. Though it felt a little unclear to me at times, it's entirely possible that this was a fault of mine, not the books.
Rule 34 is interesting in many ways: it deals with a subject matter that is deeply interesting to me (artificial intelligence and what that means for society), is ripe with memes that any internet savvy reader would find amusing, and uses a unique second-person narrative style that takes some getting used to.
The first half of the book is something of a slog: you're introduced to the “main” character (at least in my mind) Liz, and we get an info dump on the world we're going to be visiting for the next 368 pages or so. It's the not too-distant future, and I found the technology to be believable (and intriguing).
I finished the book feeling like I wanted to know more, but I also felt a little confused and lost. I understood what had happened, but I felt like there were loose ends that I needed to know more about. Overall, I probably won't continue with the series (but in the interest of time and many other books that need reading) but it's definitely a book worth discussing.
Felicia made me do it.UPDATED:So, Grave Witch was actually a pretty fun book. It reminds me a little bit of [a:Jim Butcher 10746 Jim Butcher http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1205261964p2/10746.jpg]'s Dresden Files, though with a female lead and with an extra bit of sexiness thrown in.There were some exciting moments (not just exciting in the sexy-sense) and I found Alex Craft to be a likable and relatable character. Who hasn't only had a hot dog left in their fridge during rough times?Overall, a fun quick read. Some of the writing was a little repetitive, but I was able to overlook it for sexy faerie-men detectives.
Ready Player One is one of those books that I'll be recommending to people for a long, long time. If you love geeky media... books, videos, TV shows, music (and especially if it's from the 80s) this book will be a favorite of yours as well.
The characters are engaging, the descriptions of the scenes inside OASIS are vivid, and it's fun (and thrilling) at the same time.
Does the 80s trivia come on a little thick? Yes, but that's kind of the point (and the plot).
[b:Bossypants 9418327 Bossypants Tina Fey http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1300386015s/9418327.jpg 14302659] is the kind of book that makes you feel like you could be the author's best friend. In fact... [a:Tina Fey 4385839 Tina Fey http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1286658273p2/4385839.jpg], will you be my best friend? I really think we have a lot in common. Like this quote, for example:“My ability to turn good news into anxiety is rivaled only by my ability to turn anxiety into chin acne.” I also find this to be true! We have the same self-success loathing anxieties! (Is that not a thing? I think I just made that a thing.)Anyhow, even if we can't all be best friends with Tina Fey, hearing her talk about her background, rise to glory, and inner-most thoughts on breast feeding is hilarious and enjoyable. Plus, it's always nice to hear an author read her own book, though there were some audio issues (weird fade-outs, vocal asides that were almost inaudible) but otherwise I give this book two thumbs up!
This book was an interesting read, especially the “hard” science aspects of it... though I'm still not buying the whole “vampires in space” idea. In fact... you could have taken vampires out of this book entirely (or replaced them with werewolves or witches) and I'm not sure that it would have changed the story at all... that's how peripheral they seemed to me.
And the ending felt totally tacked on, and I'm still not very clear on the “why's” of some of the character's motivations.
I was worried, like many others, that this would be a blatant Sookie Stackhouse rip-off. I'm sure the author gets that a lot, and frankly, it's undeserved. This book (I listened in audio form) is filled with wry humor and a fun new take on the vampire coming-of-age story. Jane Jameson is a likable and relatable heroine, in many ways reacting far more convincingly to vampires in her world than the Bellas and Sookies.
As far as fun Summer reading goes, this series is off to a good start for me!
I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about this book. There was so much going on, and so much left to our own interpretation (not necessarily a bad thing) that even by the end of the book I felt like I was swimming in its own ideas.Definitely worth a read if you're a fan of [a:China Miéville 33918 China Miéville http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1243988363p2/33918.jpg], but I would more highly recommend [b:Perdido Street Station 2. Der Weber 71268 Perdido Street Station 2. Der Weber China Miéville http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170757666s/71268.jpg 10823949] over [b:The City & The City 4703581 The City & The City China Miéville http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266894982s/4703581.jpg 4767909].
Seth Grahame-Smith does an excellent job combining history with fantastical fiction, and it all comes together with gruesome detail in this book. I half expected this to be a comedy (not having read anything else by him), but I was definitely surprised by some of the turns this story took. Not for the squeamish!
I took this review from a 5-star to a 4-star in my rereading. It's Dragonflight still an excellent book? Yes. But perhaps I read now with more of a critical eye than I did almost 20 years ago.
The Chronicles of Pern contain some of the most believable and relatable dragons in fantasy, and they're truly the mold from which other dragons in the genre are cut. However, I find my issues now revolve around the human characters in the story.
Lessa and F'lar, specifically, seem pulled from a YA novel of today. This isn't really meant to be a YA book, of course. But Lessa's incessant need to prove herself (and to whom, exactly? She was chosen) and F'lar's incessant need to... well, shake Lessa, grew tiresome (and even became a point of humor towards the end of the book, so many this was intended).
It's a book very much of it's time. It can also err on the side of the cheesy:
Mother of us all, he was glad that now, of all times conceivable, he, F'lar, rider of bronze Mnementh, was a dragonman of Pern!
The best part of the book, in my opinion, is the way McCaffrey deals with time travel. It's never an easy topic to deal with, but the entire setup comes together perfectly at the end of the tale.