Noel Griffin

Cant say this booked grabbed me the way it seems to have for so many others. Reluctant to return to it meant it took far longer to get through than it should have. Thought it started interestingly enough but sagged in the middle. Never really connected to any of the characters but was disappointed to find the ending so predictable. Still enough things to like about it, including the writing style, to look forward to future work by the author.

This was a pretty shocking read both in terms of the quality of the novel itself but also considering how it has near universal praise.

I was very surprised at first that this read more like cosy sci-fi than the hard science fiction that I was led to believe that Andy Weir wrote.

At first it felt like a bit of a school science teachers wet dream a sort of remake of Under Seige where instead of a bunch of terrorists it's some intergalactic bug and our protagonist is “just” a school teacher rather than just the “cook”. However, there was far more drama and tension in that crappy old film than in this book despite the stakes being the survival of everyone on the planet.

None of the characters have anyone other than tired stereotypical traits. Our protagonist is practically invincible and able to do everything, ‘cause that's what science teachers do.

I'm fine with cosy fiction and quite like unlikely hero's saving the world but this was such a hard read. Felt more like a giant vanity project read more like pretty poor YA, not that I'm dissing YA.

Don't think I'll be risking another one of his.

Despite owning a number of books by Glenn this was, shamefully, the first one I got round to reading (it's not even one of the books I actually own). Started off as a slow read but ended up reading the last two thirds one sunny day in early June. I guess some books just need a little longer spells in their company. I found it an enjoyable and thought provoking book in the end.

An enjoyable enough read. However, I'm not sure I see why the casual derogatory comments about Vera's weight. They didn't seem to do anything other than conform to usual stereotypes. They don't add anything to the story or to the character development in any positive way. Just made me think of the casual racism that sometimes pops into Agatha Christie's books which I'm sure wasn't the authors intention.

Probably my favourite of all these books, so much more stronger than the last few. Much more focused and coherent plot. Decent way to end the series and finally getting rid of so much of the unnecessarily side plots that dragged so much of the series down. With that done would be happy to see the protagonist come back again sometime in the future.

I really thought I was going to like this a lot more than I did. The first 100 pages or so flew by with an almost intoxicating pace. (apart from the very clumsy front end of the very clumsy bookends of the novel). Thought this was going to be a 4 or 5 star read.

It is not a new or novel idea but there is nothing wrong with that. There is a lot to like in the book but it is too muddled in may of its themes and looses too much momentum in the middle and never quite recovers. Shame really.

Maybe if these ideas are new to you then perhaps it would have more impact. However, I do think that Naomi has a much better book in there waiting to come out.

This is a hard one to rate. It took me ages and ages to read. I kept leaving it and coming back to it and in the end I have to say I really liked it.

It's the third novel in the same universe. Rather than follow any particular character or sorry as the previous two did this seeks to explore the Exodus fleet which in the future is the remaining heart/home of humanity.

It is not so much that nothing happens as in there is no real obvious plot although by the time you get to the end you can see there was one in the background.

I suspect I would have enjoyed this much more had it not been for the pandemic. The sudden lack of life in general didn't lend itself to books without a clear plot.

This is perhaps closer to a 3.5 stars but for the moment it's sitting with a 3.

A fun easy read with a pretty refreshing basic premise. While I wish there was a little more nuance especially when it came to the anthropological aspects and it really could do with some more characters who are women. Not that there really are characters other then the Bob's. However, it was still a pleasant light read.

Finally finished this on the second attempt. Quite enjoyed it. The back cover states that “Ariel finds herself swept into a thrilling adventure of love, sex, death and time-travel. All cool, however not entirely sure why female characters who like sex have to be suffering from some sort of trauma and daddy issues as a way of explaining why they are really just self harming.

Their was so much to like about this book but somehow it lost me a number of times and it took far longer to get through than it should have. World building is great. It also feels like a different voice but I don't think I really engaged with any of the characters and the plot didn't really work for me. I will however give the second book a go. A strong 3+star.

This was ok. Really think the series would benefit from some resolution to the personal life of the main character. Doesn't need everything sorted but stretching more or less the same issues out over what is now 5 books is getting a bit much to be honest. Also the coincidences of how some of the recurring characters are thrown back together are becoming a bit too thin.

As for the plot of this book, well sort of revealed itself a little too early on and doesn't really surprise at all.

Ah the last Disc World novel. It is not his best as you can tell that Terry wasn't finished. However, it is still well worth reading and is a fitting end to the series.
The fact that he managed to finish 5 novels after being announcing that he had been diagnosed with a nasty form of early onset alzheimer's is nothing short of miraculous.