yacoob
I think I was expecting more of a personal story. There are some inside it, but there's also plenty of relatively dry facts. Some of the stuff I'd expected is missing (nothing about Ez2Dancer or DanceManiax). The whole book is also rather US-centric. On the other hand it does contain plenty of stories about people who loved their games and went to extraordinary lengths to enjoy them :)
I think I was expecting more of a personal story. There are some inside it, but there's also plenty of relatively dry facts. Some of the stuff I'd expected is missing (nothing about Ez2Dancer or DanceManiax). The whole book is also rather US-centric. On the other hand it does contain plenty of stories about people who loved their games and went to extraordinary lengths to enjoy them :)
Well, they did jump a shark. Gone are any traces of any moral quandaries, replaced by lightnings and ker-blams. Too bad. Will still finish the series though.
Well, they did jump a shark. Gone are any traces of any moral quandaries, replaced by lightnings and ker-blams. Too bad. Will still finish the series though.
This one is a tough one to judge. Sure, Japan's condition is rather bleak but I don't think it's this dire.
After flipping through first three chapters I was rather depressed. I knew about Japan's bureaucracy problems, but never thought them to be so severe. Around middle of the book, I found a factual error. At the end of the book, I've discovered why the picture seems so bad - most of the sources for Kerr were other concerned citizens. This moves this book from a document to “collaborative angry rant” shelf.At the same time, some of the concerns were genuine and most likely indicative of long standing problems, that cannot be fixed easily. The “education” bit was especially sad and worrying - and, as far as I can see, mostly true. I'd recommend this book to anyone who's interested in Japan - although take it with a decent amount of salt, and verify those stories on your own. Also, bear in mind that this book has been written >10 years ago. “Unlike other new systems, which are truly wireless and satellite-linked, PHS sends signals to small relay boxes”. I'm not quite sure what was Kerr's reference point for “other new systems” but most popular mobile networks today are NOT satellite based, and still require on-ground receivers. Perhaps this was about cell size - PHS' cells are smaller than GSM's, but not enough to be a factor in urban areas.
This one is a tough one to judge. Sure, Japan's condition is rather bleak but I don't think it's this dire.
After flipping through first three chapters I was rather depressed. I knew about Japan's bureaucracy problems, but never thought them to be so severe. Around middle of the book, I found a factual error. At the end of the book, I've discovered why the picture seems so bad - most of the sources for Kerr were other concerned citizens. This moves this book from a document to “collaborative angry rant” shelf.At the same time, some of the concerns were genuine and most likely indicative of long standing problems, that cannot be fixed easily. The “education” bit was especially sad and worrying - and, as far as I can see, mostly true. I'd recommend this book to anyone who's interested in Japan - although take it with a decent amount of salt, and verify those stories on your own. Also, bear in mind that this book has been written >10 years ago. “Unlike other new systems, which are truly wireless and satellite-linked, PHS sends signals to small relay boxes”. I'm not quite sure what was Kerr's reference point for “other new systems” but most popular mobile networks today are NOT satellite based, and still require on-ground receivers. Perhaps this was about cell size - PHS' cells are smaller than GSM's, but not enough to be a factor in urban areas.
Read that book in one go, during travel back home. I was expecting more action oriented story, but although it isn't that action-packed, it was still a very good read. At the verge of being bit psychodelic, but very precisely controling the story. Interesting mood and topic - great book for every fan of SF stories. It reminded me a bit of Solaris by Stanislaw Lem.
Read that book in one go, during travel back home. I was expecting more action oriented story, but although it isn't that action-packed, it was still a very good read. At the verge of being bit psychodelic, but very precisely controling the story. Interesting mood and topic - great book for every fan of SF stories. It reminded me a bit of Solaris by Stanislaw Lem.
Well, what can I tell.It was quite good - far better than I expected. Bearing the ugly mark of “novelisation” or “franchise story”, but better than your average novel from that bunch. Compared to other Warcraft book I've digested (like Cycle of Hatred), it was far better. Focused on poor Arthie, and his downfall to become a popsicle, it had enough of good story and action to keep me hooked, and satisfied (well, sort of).As for flaws of this book, there are a few. One that I found most annoying, is the fact that parts of the story seem to be... well, missing :) No doubt those are described in different Warcraft books, but this move lamed otherwise good book, stripping credibility from the story. One moment Arthas is convinced that this new shiny sword will help him fight undead, next chapter - he's absolutly fine with helping undead plague spread further. And the explanation is rather well hidden.Second annoying thing was adjective abuse. I'm getting a feeling that this approach is popular in fantasy novels (of which I'm not that fond of), but it was very annoying and prominent in Arthas. Perhaps author decided that it will help developing the climate of the story - it didn't. And as a result of that, instead of simply throwing back his hood, Arthas had to hastily, yet steadily throw back his silky hood ornamented with golden thread. This gets old and tiring really soon :)Still, I had fun reading. If you're Warcraft fan, it's probably even more worth reading (you'll be recognizing names of places, people and, heck, even items :). Just don't set your expectations too high.
Well, what can I tell.It was quite good - far better than I expected. Bearing the ugly mark of “novelisation” or “franchise story”, but better than your average novel from that bunch. Compared to other Warcraft book I've digested (like Cycle of Hatred), it was far better. Focused on poor Arthie, and his downfall to become a popsicle, it had enough of good story and action to keep me hooked, and satisfied (well, sort of).As for flaws of this book, there are a few. One that I found most annoying, is the fact that parts of the story seem to be... well, missing :) No doubt those are described in different Warcraft books, but this move lamed otherwise good book, stripping credibility from the story. One moment Arthas is convinced that this new shiny sword will help him fight undead, next chapter - he's absolutly fine with helping undead plague spread further. And the explanation is rather well hidden.Second annoying thing was adjective abuse. I'm getting a feeling that this approach is popular in fantasy novels (of which I'm not that fond of), but it was very annoying and prominent in Arthas. Perhaps author decided that it will help developing the climate of the story - it didn't. And as a result of that, instead of simply throwing back his hood, Arthas had to hastily, yet steadily throw back his silky hood ornamented with golden thread. This gets old and tiring really soon :)Still, I had fun reading. If you're Warcraft fan, it's probably even more worth reading (you'll be recognizing names of places, people and, heck, even items :). Just don't set your expectations too high.
Wow, that was quick. Almost 400 pages, snap, done.Even though it's fifth book in a cycle, it's still as good as the first one. Mind you, I'm far from saying that it was the most awesome book ever, but it was a very light and cheerful story to consume. Quite a banal plot, but it's not the plot that's captivating in Thursday Next's world - it's the absurd and twisted layers of both realities that makes you laugh your sides off. I was a bit afraid, that the decline in quality is inevitable in cycles - I'm very happy that Jasper Fforde proved me wrong. The usual peril threatening the world, Thursday Next standing firm with her morals and solving a plethora of problems with one hand, plus obligatory stack of nonsensical and funny events. Terry Pratchett should really learn from this :)On the other hand, this book could have used some more death and gratuitous sex :D
Wow, that was quick. Almost 400 pages, snap, done.Even though it's fifth book in a cycle, it's still as good as the first one. Mind you, I'm far from saying that it was the most awesome book ever, but it was a very light and cheerful story to consume. Quite a banal plot, but it's not the plot that's captivating in Thursday Next's world - it's the absurd and twisted layers of both realities that makes you laugh your sides off. I was a bit afraid, that the decline in quality is inevitable in cycles - I'm very happy that Jasper Fforde proved me wrong. The usual peril threatening the world, Thursday Next standing firm with her morals and solving a plethora of problems with one hand, plus obligatory stack of nonsensical and funny events. Terry Pratchett should really learn from this :)On the other hand, this book could have used some more death and gratuitous sex :D
What a pleasant surprise.I found this book better than The Amulet of Samarkand. Stroud has avoided the trap of overengineering the world he has created, and concentrated on his characters instead. And that worked really well. Bartimaeus got some depth, Kitty got some personality, and Nathaniel... Nathaniel (IMO) got purposefully degraded to a background character. I like how his position in the world contrasts with Bartimaeus remarks from first book. Nathaniel has become all of the things he has loathed in his old master - and more. He's still trying to come back to his innocent time - but without much success. I think it has given the book very needed depth and realism - it isn't the sweet dreamy world of Harry Potter, reality bites :)If there's one thing that I don't like about the book, it's the scarcity of details about the world. There's more of those than in first book of the cycle, but some parts could use better descriptions. We roughly know the layout and composition of major forces in Stroud's world, but we can only guess on what's the level of technological development. With world full of obedient servants, there might have not been big push for developing some machines, or pursuing some ideas...This way or another, I've greatly enjoyed the book, and I'll definitely read third part of the cycle.
What a pleasant surprise.I found this book better than The Amulet of Samarkand. Stroud has avoided the trap of overengineering the world he has created, and concentrated on his characters instead. And that worked really well. Bartimaeus got some depth, Kitty got some personality, and Nathaniel... Nathaniel (IMO) got purposefully degraded to a background character. I like how his position in the world contrasts with Bartimaeus remarks from first book. Nathaniel has become all of the things he has loathed in his old master - and more. He's still trying to come back to his innocent time - but without much success. I think it has given the book very needed depth and realism - it isn't the sweet dreamy world of Harry Potter, reality bites :)If there's one thing that I don't like about the book, it's the scarcity of details about the world. There's more of those than in first book of the cycle, but some parts could use better descriptions. We roughly know the layout and composition of major forces in Stroud's world, but we can only guess on what's the level of technological development. With world full of obedient servants, there might have not been big push for developing some machines, or pursuing some ideas...This way or another, I've greatly enjoyed the book, and I'll definitely read third part of the cycle.
I'm very happy.Ok, I can still pick on this one. The rehabilitation of Nathaniel didn't fly that well with me - it'd make the book much more realistic, if Nathaniel would remain his John Mandrake self - angry, blind with pride and feverishly devoted to the Government. That wasn't the case. Still, author narrowly avoided Hollywood ending, and come up with a truly brilliant book. And I was surprised how many moral dilemmas Jonathan Stroud managed to squeeze into this relatively short book. Excellent book, completing an excellent series - well thought, well planned, well executed.Oh, and although it's possible to read this book on its own, don't. Read the whole series. It's well worth it.(And the best moment? “Duck.” :)
I'm very happy.Ok, I can still pick on this one. The rehabilitation of Nathaniel didn't fly that well with me - it'd make the book much more realistic, if Nathaniel would remain his John Mandrake self - angry, blind with pride and feverishly devoted to the Government. That wasn't the case. Still, author narrowly avoided Hollywood ending, and come up with a truly brilliant book. And I was surprised how many moral dilemmas Jonathan Stroud managed to squeeze into this relatively short book. Excellent book, completing an excellent series - well thought, well planned, well executed.Oh, and although it's possible to read this book on its own, don't. Read the whole series. It's well worth it.(And the best moment? “Duck.” :)
It's been a very long time since I read a book this good. Goodreads doesn't let me score it 6 stars though :)What can I say? A very good book. I'd put it in one row, next to 1984 and Brave New World - it's a dystopian story for new generation of readers. Well planned, well written - and rather darker than Fforde's previous books. Still, it has touches of the same insane humour, and is crazy enough to be funny in its own, twisted way. The only downside is that it's only part one - and we'll have to wait till we learn more about Chromatic society.
It's been a very long time since I read a book this good. Goodreads doesn't let me score it 6 stars though :)What can I say? A very good book. I'd put it in one row, next to 1984 and Brave New World - it's a dystopian story for new generation of readers. Well planned, well written - and rather darker than Fforde's previous books. Still, it has touches of the same insane humour, and is crazy enough to be funny in its own, twisted way. The only downside is that it's only part one - and we'll have to wait till we learn more about Chromatic society.