Rob
This a really fun mix of Clash of the Titans and Ender's Game. It rockets along at a great pace and uses the Greek mythology characters really well. Can't wait to see the movie now!
This would have been a great book at half the length but the over describing and tiny chapters flitting between the various characters really slowed the momentum down and made what was a good ending too drawn out.
Just like the mystery of the book, the plot seemed simple for most of it until all is revealed at the end and you realise what you've been reading. Interesting read.
A bit disappointed by this instalment from King, especially after the heaps of praise showered on it. I was really enjoying the set-up but as soon as the story moved locations I felt like it ground to a halt and lost all interest. Worst of all is that felt too predictable from the middle onwards.
Another family book club read and I really enjoyed it. Great ideas and fun powers, I can see why my son enjoys the series so much.
I could immediately see why this book had won so many plaudits. Its world building is very impressive and leaves you vividly aware of what it's like while not explaining key parts, leaving you to figure out how and why things came to be how they are. I loved the characters and their varied motivations and enjoyed how the author played with and subverted the usual gender stereotypes. I did not see ‘that revelation' coming and the last line of the book made me want to jump straight into the second one. Great book!!
It took a while to get going but when it finally did the time spent building the characters really payed off. This combined with a cracking end made me go straight to the next book in the series.
I enjoyed this book but it felt a bit too much like Bridget Jones' Apocalypse at times. Sometimes the character felt like she was written in the 90's and all of the other characters fell into well worn cliches (apart from Susan, she's my favourite character by a mile).
This was an enjoyable read but I think it lacked the ‘strangeness' of Kings most effective works and lacked a mind blowing reveal at the end.
The plot of this one is fairly clichéd with mysterious artefacts being discovered across the planet but where this was distinguishes itself from the rest is how it tells the story, using only interviews and reports with no external narrative at all. Once you get used to it it's surprisingly effective.
Pet Sematary really snuck up on me. Around half way it was 3 stars all day long and although enjoyable it was a bit pedestrian; however, slowly it got it's claws into me and before long I was severely invested in the family and even considered not finishing it when the sadness hit.
Well written story with some potentially emotional parts; however, I found the main characters slightly insufferable, which undercut any connection I may have felt with them
This book was ok I but I fail to see why it gets such high plaudits, not to be negative but although it was interesting the thing that saved this book was its brevity and a good final few chapters. If anyone can shed some light on what I missed then please do.
There's not much I can say about this book that wouldn't do it a disservice so I'll just say that Charlie's story will stay with me for a while.
The Death House was a sweet book that worked due to its small size, any more and I think I would have got tired with the slow pace and lack of wider world context. Worth a read if you're looking for a romantic story with a difference.
Sometimes it's hard for an author to stand out in the crowded dystopian virus field but for me the author managed it. The combination of original virus mechanics and the father/son relationship at the heart of the story really worked for me in a way i wasn't expecting after reading the synopsis.
Not the best of the series but still a fitting send off for the characters in way that's consistent with their arc throughout. It also ties up all the loose ends of the plot in a solid if not a little predictable way.
Not one of King's best but the last third really hits the spot with the father daughter story bringing a lot heart to the story,
I read this with my son and although we both enjoyed it I don't think it has aged particularly well when you compare it to ‘children's' books released these days.
I'm surprised this book doesn't get more recognition as a sci-fi classic. Octavia Butler has a real talent for nailing both the characters and the pace of her stories and in this one she raises extremely prescient ideas that seem more relevant today than when they were written.
All the build up from the first one paid off in spades in this one. The characters were great and the plot was right up my street. Hopefully the conclusion lives up to it!
For such a simple story it really does pack a lot of ideas in and raises some really interesting ideas. I loved reading it and was totally absorbed but I felt the ending dipped slightly so it just missed out on 5 stars
This book felt more of an african fable instead of a science fiction book, which gave it a feeing of age and heart some books lack.
Nicely chilling book where the characters avoids some of the more annoying cliches you normally come across.
Just like the Author's experience, the main character grew on me throughout the book. He started as a fairly unsympathetic character but I ended up really caring about what happened to him.
Almost 5 stars but it slowed down around the middle, just dropping it down to a 4.
As enjoyable as the book was, the one thought I consistently had was why isn't this talked about more, as The Handmaid's Tale and The Power etc are. It touches on themes that have come to the fore over the past few years with the second half especially dealing with how men's behaviour/nature affects the world and the women in it. Whether you agree with the premise or not it raises some interesting questions.