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Brian Davison's Most Popular Reviews
A fun enough read except for the part in the middle that felt like a chapter-long Tesla commercial. That, and when the book spends the first 80% teasing a big reveal and the reveal turns out to be an uninspired let down, you begin to wonder if you really liked the first 80%.
This book starts slower that most of Tan's other stuff, but once you get going, it's enthralling. The main characters are well drawn and likeable, similar to her characters from 100 Secret Senses. One warning, the characters that you are supposed to dislike are very dislikeable...I frequently got angry reading this book.
The closest comparison I can come to the absurdity of the plot is probably Douglas Adams... that's not to say the writing is as good or the absurdity is as entertaining, but in a pinch, when you've read Hitchiker's Guide 5 times already, try this.
Possibly the only book in the humor genre to tackle the fire-bombing of Dresden, Germany. Points for that alone.
What a poorly written mess. Even once you get past the fact that the author doesn't know the difference between “must've” and “must of,” it doesn't get better. Every character other than our hero serves simply to praise the hero for every action he takes, no matter how ridiculous. And the repetition. The ceaseless repetition of information we already know. Three times in four pages the character “smiled” because a situation reminded him of ancient kings negotiating. Twice to himself, and then he announced it to the group. This book sorely needed a capable editor. If you want a book about America after technology stops working, do yourself a favor and read “Dies the Fire” instead.