Anne True

I gave the Doomsday Book four stars out of five because I came into it with no expectations. I chose it at random from my library's combined sci-fi and fantasy shelves, and I found it striking. The dual narrative threads kept me curious through the story, and when the final act came down I discovered that I was invested in the characters.
Thus, three stars of the four are due to reader impact. I would not read this book again.
The technical side of the book is a mess; it is designed to be read once through, so there are constant repetitions and what feels like filler to the reader. Yes, it could be condensed down to a short story. No, it should not be, as the current length keeps the impact of the story.
I am not well-versed in history, but I definitely noticed what may be popular misconceptions. Yes, marriages were often at young ages in medieval times, but marriages pairing incredibly young teens with old men were rare. Small tidbits such as that gave the impression that the book was rehashing popular perception of the time; giving a theme-park version, if you will.
Take what you will, it's not for everyone. Now that I know what to expect I will not read any of the other books in the series.

I enjoy Dan Abnett. Ravenor was one of those books that stuck with me, long after I read it. That fondness is what drove me to take the risk on reading another WH40K book.

It was all right. First & Only is typical of the series, pulpy military fiction that is easily forgettable. I was hoping for a more character-driven story, but perhaps later books in the series will take advantage of the characters he does have; they certainly have potential.

My review comes as two stars: It was acceptable. I can't bring myself to enjoy pulp anymore, hence not giving three stars. If you're new to the WH40K universe, maybe this book isn't for you.

I was content with the book, but I would not read it again.
My opinion of this book depends solely upon my life experience and frame of mind while reading it.

Other reviews here quite thoroughly cover the failings of the story, the prose, the characters.
Most tragic of all the failings are the repetitive and poorly executed ideas.

What held my attention were the snippets of my own life's truths scattered through the book.
To borrow from the Vorkosigan saga regarding total surrender: “When you give each other everything, it becomes an even trade. Each wins all.”

The Night Circus is one of my transient favourites due in large part to my love for dark carnivals. I was impressed with the writing, and the evocatively imaginative imagery.
I recommend this book wholly, based on the writing. Loving descriptions and well-imagined acts make for a fantastic escape from reality.
The mix of fantastic elements and high-fashion are well-suited to each other, and the wonderful prose elaborates in great detail over both the appearance of the circus and the various acts. There is no sense of whimsical comedy to this book, everything is gorgeous or serious or both.
This book does not necessarily feature its darkness as prominently as other books. There is a very real psychological component of mind-control sort, and other psy-thriller aspects.
The romance worked, I enjoyed it though I did not particularly focus on or care for it. I'm not one to judge romance, after all.

I enjoyed the Johannes Cabal series as a whole. Dark carnivals in particular hold a soft spot in my heart, so this first book of “The Necromancer” kept me entertained. I laughed and had a fun time reading it, and the book has joined the ranks of my transient favourites. I would not recommend this series to everyone, however, because much of the humour is based around in-jokes and nods towards the culture. The Johannes Cabal series is stylistically similar to a tabletop campaign, with a protagonist-centric view and a focus on questing. Tabletop gamers and other geeks will probably find this right up their alley.

For the technical aspects, I must reiterate the in-crowd effect: the novel is built upon references to other literature, most notably the Cthulhu mythos. The story is self-contained, but the reading will be less fun if you aren't with the in-crowd and therefore miss the jokes.
For the characters, they are about as average as any player character–which is to say, driven and with enough complexity as to be interesting. Special mention must be made of Horst, though he receives less than his fair share of the spotlight in the novel. The plot appears contrived, but I found it simple enough to suspend disbelief and to enjoy the aesthetic.