Kireth

3.5/5

A lot happening, and mostly set-up for The Final Battle. There are a few gems in the opening chapters, then a lot of trudging. This is mostly due to Sanderson having to wrap the less interesting characters and storylines after the awesome story of TGS. The ending is strong, but I'm way more excited for the next book now that all the pieces are finally in place. 13 books (and a novella)! 13 months baby. Will finish The Wheel of Time by the end of November hopefully.

3.5/5
Former zoo-trainer Ana is given a unique opportunity in the meta-verse, raising digital pets with the moniker Digients who are powered by Artificial Intelligence. We also get the viewpoint of Derek, a visual designer on these cute beings who are initially products to be sold and played with in online worlds.

What grows from this initial start-up experience is a true love and attachment to the pets, as well as all the real troubles of running a business and maintaining personal hobbies. I thought this was one of Chiang's strongest character works, as both Ana and Derek have believable lives and motives that shift over the course of the narrative as obstacles arise. This is likely due to the fact that The Lifecycle of Software Objects is Chiang's longest work to date, something I could unfortunately feel throughout my reading experience.

There was also a lot to take in technologically here, with quite a few different developments that each have multiple outcomes. The story is also unafraid of exploring a whole range of growing experiences, questions and products. However, a short story is short and not everything can be properly explored here. Whilst I appreciated Chiang's emotional through-line, it leads to a somewhat heavy-handed and didactic conclusion that leaves the rest of the world's storytelling and discussion potential untouched.

I have to admit I loved how the Digients and their competitor counterparts developed, with Marco, Polo, Jax and others all wearing suits and exploring the tactile nature of the physical world before slowly but surely learning to read and possessing independent thinking concepts that shape a unique worldview. I found the central message of the story much more digestible after reading Chiang's Story Notes afterwards, which explains how robots/ AI can learn certain things at “hot-house”/ fast computer-only speeds, but will likely always need to undergo experiences including making and living with life-consequences to properly be free-thinking beings.

14 books (and a novella), 11,000 pages, 4.4 million words, 15 months. And it's finally over.

Reading A Memory of Light was an emotional rollercoaster, a final rally of light against dark with some brilliant battle tactics and a lot of casualties.

Despite bringing me to tears, it doesn't quite reach the heights of previous moments in the series and at times seems to tick off large moments in a massive list. But this was truly momentous and I loved so many parts of it.

I am definitely not re reading this series however :'-)

WHY: With Sydney in lockdown again, my local library service offered an amazing free delivery service for online reservations. I was able to secure Dream Country, and continue the universal, gothic and mind-bending journey of Neil Gaiman's Sandman.
STORY: Unlike previous issues, Volume 3 presents four unlinked stories which intermittently feature Dream and his sister Death. Calliope was brutal, featuring a Muse from Greek mythology and a struggling writer who rapes her. A Dream of a Thousand Cats was really interesting, with a pet's dark perspective on humanity prompting a journey through dreaming which leads to revelations and a message. The most-acclaimed story, A Midsummer Night's Dream, was a faithful covering of “Shakespear's” play with actual Faeries from another plane being Morpheus's guests, but I found myself less emotionally engaged here. Finally, Facade takes DC's Element Girl and humanises her through depression as she adopts faces to fit into society after losing her job to an off-page corporate entity.
ART & WRITING: I've been impressed with the art and writing in Sandman from Volume 1, and whilst Dream Country lacks a singular overall cohesive narrative, the shifting gutter structure and shadowed details within the layout of different panels made this a great read visually. Even when I was less invested in the plot, the density of details comprising each issue and sheer inventiveness of Gaiman's writing and perspectives constantly kept me captivated.
WHO: Although I recommend Volume 1 for anyone into dark horror and dream mythology, Volume 3 can be read as an entry-point or even standalone to the series due to its overall design. I will definitely be continuing this tale in the much thicker Volume 4!

Dream is one of the Endless. Picking up after he regained his home and power in the first volume, Gaiman dives deeper into the creepy gothic horror angle as we follow the seemingly-normal Rose, who is in fact a dream vortex, find an unknown grandmother and search for her long-lost younger brother. This was honestly the least intriguing part for me, with the many characters occupying her “doll's house” not being developed enough for me to be interested in them. However, I love how layered the story was, with a larger doll's house being seen from Desire's perspective (hearts pop up a lot in this graphic novel!), dreams themselves being structured as doll's houses, and whether the Endless are puppets of mortals or vice versa. The plot varied in personal interest, with the best issues being the oral tale from the ancient tribe in the prologue, the surprisingly profound century-woven interlude Men of Good Fortune, and the shiver-inducing Cereal Convention in later parts. Despite how trippy everything could be (art was amazing and sometimes flipped 90 degrees), I appreciated Gaiman retaining some structure through Sandman tracing his four missing servants Brute, Glob, Corinthian and Fiddler's Green. Also, loved that Edgar Allan Poe inspired raven/ dude Matthew.

Recommended to me by my marketing mentor, Start With WHY is an interesting collection of business case studies exploring the underlying motivation to work for and purchase from brands. This is very much an examination-style book, with Sinek's unique voice (recognised from all those LinkedIn/ Instagram videos) infused into every sentence.
Unfortunately, the book suffers from repeating many ideas around WHY-driven leadership, processes, customer buying patterns and business decisions. This definitely could have been a lot shorter, and ultimately is more of a presentation rather than an introspective experience for the reader. It seems like my own homework to now find my WHY, although I am grateful that I better understand the differences between successful businesses and those that struggle.
Full book summary here.

Wise Buddhist teachings. Will revisit this one

"We awaken this bodhichitta, this tenderness for life, when we can no longer shield ourselves from the vulnerability of our condition, from the basic fragility of existence. In the words of the sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa, "You take it all in. You let the pain of the world touch your heart and you turn it into compassion."

"The poet Jalaluddin Rumi writes of night travelers who search the darkness instead of running from it, a companionship of people willing to know their own fear. Whether it's in the small fears of a job interview or the unnameable terrors imposed by war, prejudice, and hatred; whether it's in the loneliness of a widow or the horrors of children shamed or abused by a parent, in the tenderness of the pain itself, night travelers discover the light of bodhichitta."

"The path is uncharted. It comes into existence moment by moment and at the same time drops away behind us. It's like riding in a train sitting backwards. We can't see where we're headed, only where we've been."

"In what do we take refuge? Do we take refuge in small, self-satisfied actions, speech, and mind? Or do we take refuge in warriorship, in taking a leap, in going beyond our usual safety zones?"

"Do everything as if it were the only thing in the world that mattered, while all the time knowing that it doesn't matter at all"

The siege of Luthadel. What a slow-moving, grand and investigative second chapter in this trilogy. 763 pages is undoubtedly a lot, but it seemed to just fly by. After what I thought was a rushed conclusion to The Final Empire, Well of Ascension picks up almost a year later and we find our team of heroes facing a wealth of new problems. The A-plot regarding the capitol's seige by the various noble factions filling the void left by the Lord Ruler did not have much action, but there was a lot of political intrigue and interesting isolated battle moments. The B-plot follows the more magical side of things with the book's namesake, and its ending in particular left me shocked and amazed at Sanderson's subversion of genre tropes. This book is definitely carried by its characters, Vin's doubts, Elend's growth into a king, the new Mistborn Zane and trusted kandra Oreseur. There are definitely some powerful moments in the conclusion and I was left extremely satisfied, but also wanting to take a break before tackling the huge final book. And the tragic action in that conclusion, my goodness. I was hooked.

Read this out of order according to which parts required prioritisation. Some chapters are pretty barebones/ the minimum, others can be found on Thomas Frank's Youtube channel. However, it was still a beneficial read, and I highly recommend it for late high school and early university students.

Detailed summary can be found here on my website.

Well, this book had a perfect opening Prologue and Sanderson definitely drew me into the ash-covered world of Scadrial. While the dual-protagonists Kelsier and Vin drew me in, both on different sides of the same coin, it was the plot's sense of build-up and combination of many of my favourite things that excited me - the LOTR fellowship/ heist-style team, the metal-based magic system that is surprisingly and logically laid out early, the class-based system and the near-invincible scary villains. As the book went on, there were definitely twists and turns that forced some great emotional development, and I was surprised at how I barely noticed the characters were growing because it felt so natural during the plot's events. However, in addition I felt Sanderson's writing style become a bit simplistic and repetitive, and knowing that this was one of his early works I couldn't rate it as a perfect 5/5. I am definitely returning to the Cosmere however and will read the sequel soon, as this first book teased a lot more of the world than just Luthadel and I can't wait to explore it!

A highly intriguing fantasy tale hampered by its writing style and story structure, both of which are forgiveable seeing as it was Sanderson's first published novel. The short prologue sets up the central mystery at the heart of the novel - what happened to the once great magical system and city of Elantris? Sanderson then quickly introduces the three rotating perspectives of ‘dead' Prince Raoden, widowed Princess Sarene and red-cloaked Gyorn Hrathen. This unfortunately immediately burdens the plot, as we're introduced to separate casts and multiple ideas with varying interest within the town of Kae, whilst also realising this ‘last stronghold' is key for larger forces at work throughout the land. There were a few repeated ideas such as nobles, balls, deities and religions, and I only became attached to the characters around 40-50% through, when the story and pacing picked up. Whilst I'd say to most keen readers this novel is unnecessary when wanting to read the Cosmere, it was still a fun read introducing a lot of ideas and then having Sanderson's trademark payoffs at the end. In fact, the ending opens more story possibilities in the future, which hopefully we'll see after Stormlight 5?

A great return to Pittacus Lore's world and the Lorien Legacies. As a short story this one skimmed on details, but gave enough of an arc to Six and characterisation to her mentor/ Cepan, Katarina, to be satisfying. It's interesting to see the differences in her upbringing and training when compared to “I am Number Four” protagonist John's, and the world-filling backstory was most importantly entertaining.

4/5
Difficult to rate something that is so subjective to its reader's own religious beliefs. Neil Fisk is a recent widower, whose wife died painfully during an angel visitation before her soul ascended to Heaven. He now seeks Heaven over Hell, which many souls are destined for and seems not dissimilar to the mortal plane. A similar visitation gave legs back to formerly disabled motivational speaker Janice Reilly, and she is followed by Ethan Mead who always believed he would have a higher purpose.

The force of nature like descriptions alongside names of different angel visitations creates a realistic description of such biblical events, albeit in stark contrast to what general audiences may expect. Chiang admirably tries to touch upon the idea of God through constant discussion around finding faith, different motivations for praying and general approaches to living with visitations in Hell is The Absence of God. However, the powerful stream of consciousness conclusion ties this idea together, and was personally as satisfying and disatisfying as one could expect when describing an indescribable phenomena. However, not every reader may feel the same.

Very cool dreamworld journey featuring mythical gods and creatures. The Sandman himself is a well-fleshed out protagonist with a clear arc and quest. The artwork is sublime, depicting indescribable places and creatures with emotion. I did feel the story went up and down at times, even if minutely, and just held this back from a five. But Gaiman is truly magical with some really open-ended questions and thought-provoking moments in the graphic novel.

After hearing about this book and waiting to read it for years, I was a bit letdown (especially as I unfortunately knew the twist). The plot itself was exciting, as it seemed nearly every Batman character was wrapped in this growing mystery, but it soon became a “fight-the-villain-of-the-issue” type affair. Hoped for more mystery and different kinds of combat, and whilst there were small deviations which threw me off course and I enjoyed, overall the book didn't hold any thematic exploration of who Batman or Gotham was as a character. A very good read if you just want an awesome Batman story though.

A solid introduction to the world of content strategy that also acts as a comprehensive summary of the steps involved. This book was recommended to me by my manager as I got really stuck into the work during my first internship, and realised that there's much more to content marketing than just scheduling a campaign and copywriting.

Read the rest of my review and summary at my website life-of-karrot.com.

Though the conclusion tied everything together, this book felt a bit all over the place compared to previous efforts. There's still the overhanging theme of global conflict between nations, but a lot of time is spent on Bean and Petra's blooming romance and then the potential of Bean's children. This definitely makes the second half more exciting, especially when things actually happen, but after an intriguing opening the plot's first half seems to lose all wind. Card also has a style of writing that glosses over days and weeks in sentences, which here I felt could have been expanded upon with some more visual or character description. The story jumps around from character to character, and this is where things get exciting, but unforunately there seems to be a layer of separation between the reader and the protagonists Bean and Petra. Most longstanding plot threads are finally resolved, particularly those with Achilles and Peter, and the ending pushes the Shadow saga in a new direction - hopefully a faster-paced, exciting and descriptive one.

3/5

Ah... so, this was an improvement on The Eye of the World. Personally, The Great Hunt was very up and down. There were moments where I was hooked on the story, and then stretches where I was wondering how long more I had to read before returning to a point of motion in the story. The book is long, and when you read it in the context of a larger series it isn't that bad - but as a single novel, it doesn't really have an identity of its own.

Full review here on my website!

Oh man. What a retelling of the dark knight's beginning's, definitely the definitive Batman origin story for his time as a young man returning to Gotham. What was really cool for me was seeing how moments from the Batman Begins and The Dark Knight movies were directly inspired by this key entry in the mythos. Some scenes felt a bit cut-up or cut short, but overall the graphic novel gives a great story with some very cool moments.
What surprised me was the dual-perspective of Lieutenant Gordon and Bruce Wayne, which meant less time with Batman but more time with the inhabitants and city of Gotham itself. It is presented as a dark, gritty and very adult world but the dialogue and brilliant art draw the reader in. And the theme of luck concludes in the beginning of a long-term friendship that adds realism to the tale by considering what is and isn't plausible in the Batman world.

3/5

Hmm, did not anticipate my rating being this low for a Brandon Sanderson novel. I think this one suffered from being less of a Mistborn sequel and more of a Cosmere expansion. Another factor in my rating was definitely the time gap between novels, both in my own reading and in real life - six years have passed since Mistborn #6 Bands of Mourning was released, and this timing is also reflected in the novel's characters.

We pick up with Wayne and Marasi as a constable duo with a solid track record, and Wax and Steris sitting well-established in Elendel's politics. Our entire cast is still working towards uncovering the plans of shadowy organisation The Set, and their strange other-worldly God Trell. Harmony and the Kandra aren't doing the best job, and no progress has been made on finding The Survivor.

It took me a while to get into this one, as the Part 1 really takes it's time in showing us where the characters and world are. The emotional maturity of our cast and discovery of the Southern Continent has meant a lot of off-page development between the books, but rest assured Sanderson sets our quartet up with satisfying and impactful arcs over the course of the story. By the end of Part 1 I was fully hooked into the story and its threat, with Sanderson taking smart cues from human history (especially photography and WWII).

However, I found myself losing interest during Act 2. Firstly, I felt there was a bit too much monologuing and questioning by our cast. Secondly, this book definitely opened the Cosmere up. Having only read Mistborn, Elantris and Emperor's Soul at this stage, I found myself overwhelmed with information that didn't exactly excite me. On a different note, I was pleasantly surprised at how in-depth and scientific the magic systems were, especially when Sanderson compared real-world science and other Cosmere magic against each other. The Cosmere as a whole is definitely a rigorous, if less interesting, science system.

As expected, the Sanderlanche was fantastic. All of the action in Act 3 was awesome, even if the emotional moments were not as impactful for me personally. When I can follow what is happening and the stakes are clear, our characters become superhuman beings of power and destruction.

I look back on Mistborn Era 2 with fondness. You didn't blow me away the same way Era 1 did, but I appreciated your lighter approach and inventive action. Thank you to Wax and Wayne for your adventures these past years, and I need to give full credit for Sanderson actually developing his fantasy world realistically by steadily adding technology into the mix.

I will be catching up on the rest of the Cosmere before the real big-scale battles begin in Era 3.

WHY: Following from [b:Kindred Spirits 26147458 Kindred Spirits Christie Golden https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1479639588l/26147458.SX50.jpg 46102280] and supplementing my Clone Wars TV show experience, Dark Disciple was one of the parts I was really looking forward to - 8 abridged episodes spanning a massive arc featuring a Jedi and Sith working together.STORY: This opens with a massacre by Dooku, and with the war dragging on the Jedi council make a dark decision against the Jedi code - sending Quinlan Vos, a Jedi, to assassinate the Count with the support of ex-apprentice Asajj Ventress. As he attempts to win her trust, acting as a bounty hunter and going on shared missions, he finds himself falling in love with the changed villain. This was unfortunately the weakest part of the plot for me, as I found it hard to believe how quickly things happened - although this led to two great twists, at the midpoint and conclusion of the book. I also found myself in disbelief at certain actions made during other key confrontations of the story, but from a bigger picture perspective the writers could not kill characters who need to appear later in the saga. On the other hand, the dark side is also explored more deeply here but in a newly-depicted restrained manner which was liked.WRITING: I loved the seamless integration of TV series characters and locations, which made it easy to read and visualise these as a set of actual 22-minute episodes. The writing was minimal in this sense, as the reader should know a lot about these characters and story archetypes before beginning the book. However, I enjoyed how Golden was able to uncover more about Vos and Ventress's individual personalities through their perspectives, with the latter especially becoming one of my favourite characters from the Star Wars saga.WHO: This is really for the die-hard Clone Wars TV show fan who wants to know absolutely everything about the series cut short due to cancellation. It is harder to recommend for even broader Star Wars fans, as it relies a lot upon knowledge of the show and characters established in it. I'm now keen for the Son of Dathomir graphic novel, and plan on reading The High Republic: Light of the Jedi after finishing the Clone Wars, but am unsure of my Star Wars reading media plans beyond that...

So much fun. In doing something rare in the fantasy genre, Sanderson has revealed the much bigger picture of where the Cosmere could be going. Set about 300 years after the dark (ash-filled) ages of the Final Empire/ Mistborn trilogy, Scadrial is evolving through scientific progress, much like late 1800s-early 1900s America in our world. There are skyscapers, electricity and returning to the city as a noble house lord is Waxillium Ladrian, who has spent 20 years out in the frontier Roughs acting as lawman and investigator. Our original heroes and their story has become history for the current crew, which involves Wax's partner eccentric slider Wayne and the wide-eyed but shyly intelligent Marasi. This time around, Mistborns are extremely rare (if they exist at all), but feruchemy has become more prevalant in the population and there are a few updated metals in allomancy meaning each character has a very interesting combination or subset of skills, especially our heroic Sherlock/ Watson style duo. The villain was certainly interesting and a foil, and a lot of the mystery beats were like a Western in a city emerging from the industrial age, but I'm amazed and keen to see where Sanderson takes this next.

Short, heartfelt with the annotation regarding Emily Sanderson's student Matisse. This little side tale reveals how much is truly going on in the Elantris novel, with the New Elantris city being more properly explored and represented through the perspectives of Matisse and Mareshe. The focus on children and emotional attachments between characters was nice, and there was the same tonal/ action shift in this story as in Elantris's conclusion. Most intriguing to me were the opening and closing sections, which provide teases as to what happened to our characters after Elantris.