Josh

This is a grimdark novel so you get the things associated with that like violence and morally ambiguous characters. It's not overly dark though and part of this is because Abercrombie's writing style is layered with wit and sarcasm which adds an element of amusement that lightens things up.

As far as a story though there really isn't one...at all. The first novel is basically a 501 page introduction to the characters. You get their motivations, their personalities, and so on. Basically everything that makes them tick. This is obviously an intentional choice by the author and while I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with it, even as a person who enjoys character driven narratives, I still found myself wishing for a bit more story wise. Ultimately though that's going to come down to a matter of preference.

Going back to the characters, I would say this is the strength of the book. I mean it better be if you're using your entire book as a intro to the series. You have a good variety of characters and I enjoyed most of them. I'm a sucker for wit, sarcasm, and cynical characters and this book has those in spade. Sand Dan Glokta in particular with his sardonic attitude greatly amused me at times, while at others I found him absolutely repulsive.

It's a similar story with the other characters where at times their personality resonates with you, but at others you realize they're heavily flawed and a times to put it bluntly, assholes. The nuance there makes for very compelling character writing which was enough to immerse me in this book. So much so that even without a story I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I really enjoy reading Gaiman's prose and I think he excels at combining multiple genre's till you have a book that is really hard to categorize as it checks so many different boxes. This novel appeals to me on that level and I had a good time with the overall plot/characters. If I had to sum it up I would used the word “solid”. Nothing blew me away and I'd rate it a slightly lower than American Gods , (3.5 compared to 4) but a solid novel that was interesting despite me not being very emotionally invested in the characters.

As far as the comedy goes, which this book is marketed heavily as being humorous, Gaiman just doesn't do it for me. Not only do I tend to not find him funny, but often times it's lost on me that he's even attempting to be funny. So it's not that the joke doesn't land (although sometimes this is true), it's that I often don't see the joke to begin with. I don't really hold that against Gaiman though because that's not a reflection on his writing in any way, it's just something that I ironically find amusing.

 On the edition I read there is a blurb on the back by Joanne Harris that says “Some books you read. Some books you enjoy. But some books just swallow you up, heart and soul.”

I don't think this book could be summed up any better than that. It's a engrossing story that has an atmosphere that just sucks you in. 

This book is interesting from an anthropological standpoint. I enjoyed learning about the customs and culture of the Igbo. However, as a novel this just wasn't for me. Each chapter is basically a small snippet of their lives before moving on in time in the next chapter to get another little window. Essentially it felt to me like a collection of short stories because of how it's structured and because it has no over-arching plot. There was just no tension, no buildup, just events that occur out of the blue and/or feel contrived.

The character side of things didn't have much on offer either as I personally found Okonkwo to be rather reprehensible. It is very difficult to empathize with a character who in most circumstances seems to be void of any empathy himself. It also was difficult to appreciate the culture at times because it was through his eyes.

I can actually see why it's often assigned to read in Highschool or University because there is an interesting conversation there to be had, but I can't say I personally enjoyed it as a story. 

A compelling and thrilling read, which I enjoyed immensely. My only complaint with it would be that there were times when this book felt very slow as it includes a lot of mundane details that are quite dry to read. Sometimes this was purposeful, where as others it felt like it could have been left out with no real loss. None the less I look forward to continuing on with the characters as they solve their next mystery in book 2.

Definitely mind the trigger warning though if it's something you're considering reading. 

I don't read a whole lot of memoirs, but this one had everything I could ask for and more. As a comedian you'd expect the book to be amusing and while it is, it's also so much more than that. There is a significant difference between reading in a History book about apartheid and reading a first hand account. To put it simply and succinctly it's just an incredibly interesting accounting of his life. Part heartbreaking, part frustrating, and part inspiring. More than anything else though it's a love letter to his mother.

The only complaint I have is at times the time frame is a bit hard to grasp because the book is not told linearly and there is a lot of jumping around. This didn't bother me that much, but it is something to note cause I do see how that could be a major annoyance for others.  I really enjoyed the casual writing style though as I felt it really captured his voice and felt very authentic. Highly recommend!

The rating for this was much closer to Little Women than I anticipated. Given that I had never heard of Little Men, nor had my wife, it seemed to me that the book must not have been able to live up to the prequel.

I was pleasantly surprised, because while the same criticisms certainly are still there so are a great number of the strengths that I enjoyed. Jo was always my favourite, her school for boys is quite amusing and filled with some characters I can't help but root for. It doesn't quite measure up to Little Women as there are some characters that don't really serve any purpose, but it's very close. 

Much like the second part of Little Women (The Good Wives) I didn't enjoy the story as much when everyone was going their own ways rather than the story being centered on family. This one even more so though because not all of the boys are interesting and the plot felt like it was very meandering during sections. 

The plot lines that I enjoyed though, I did so immensely, so it evened it out some. Definitely the weakest of the trilogy though imo.

My impressions of Alexis after reading this is that he is the hype man, the promoter, the pusher, the people person behind Reddit and his other ventures. He made the logo and spent an inordinate amount of time creating business cards. That's fun I guess. He was not involved with the technical aspects of the site and that perspective is missing from the book, which I personally thought was unfortunate. I don't really think you can speak to why Reddit was successful without it.

The title covers more than just reddit though it also touches on how the internet has changed things. From internet activism that led to the prevention of SOPA/PIPA laws, to the impact of crowdfunding. I did find these sections significantly more interesting so there is that.

The biggest detractor for me though is just in how everything is structured. It felt to me like a string of reddit posts, put into book format. Complete with meme culture/jokes, sound bytes, jumping around in topic, and a significant amount of repetitive information. Just not really my cup of tea when it comes to writing styles.

 “This hurts too much to touch with words.” This quote from the book sums up this entire series. If you've read the first two then you already know what the series is and this is a fitting conclusion to it.

The only other thing I could really say is that I thought this book was the most flawed of the three, but simultaneously the best among them. This was easily my book and series of 2022. 

As one of the most well regarded hard Science Fiction written in the last decade I was quite excited to read this. In some ways it lived up to those lofty expectations and in others it didn't. I quite enjoyed the themes of the book. Those centering around Science, religion, and human nature. The first and third being the stronger themes in my opinion.

I was invested in the book from the start, because the backdrop of the first chapters it that of the Chinese revolution. I absolutely love historical fiction so this was an unexpected bonus. In the middle of the book the author lays out a vision for the Three-Body Problem. I don't want to spoil anything, but suffice to say I found both the visual representation painted and the Science presented very compelling and at this point I was absolutely hooked...or so I thought.

In the latter chapters of the book they are almost entirely an info dump that personally I found very hard to follow. Not just because the concepts themselves are advanced, but because there's just so much information being presented in a short time. This left me with a rather sour taste in my mouth at the book ending. While it ends on hopeful note, this did little to alleviate the disinterest the handful of chapters previously had brought about. Still not enough to damper the joy I had with reading about the actual Three-Body Problem. 

The biggest issue I have with the book though isn't specific to any one part of the novel but rather it's the characterization. The characters come across as very flat and devoid of emotion for the most part. I can understand why the author chose the particular style he did in 3rd person, but for someone who is as character driven as they are story driven, it leaves something to be desired to say the least. Characters and even prose suffering in hard Science is not unusual. Often times it feels like the scientific ideas take front and center over everything else. That's something I do think this novel runs into as well.

It's definitely good enough that I'll be checking out the next book in the trilogy at least, but with as praised as it is within the Sci-Fi community, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed.

A mark of a great author is the ability to take a story you're familiar with and tell it in a way that makes you feel something new. Very well done.

For book two in the series my criticisms of the previous book largely apply here as well but to a lesser degree. There are still info dumps, but they are less frequent and are not quite as long winded as in the previous book. The ending in particular in this go around is written in a much better and easier to understand way while still getting the pertinent information out.

The characters still are not the strong point of the novel, however several of them do feel a bit more fleshed out than previous iterations. Zhang Beihai and Dai Shi in particular being two I enjoyed. It's still very much a series of big ideas and little characters though. Common enough in hard sci-fi and while there's nothing inherently wrong with it, my preferences typically don't lean this way.

Not everything is improved though. Where the first novel did have significant female characters, this one really doesn't. Not only does it forgo the stronger female character but it takes two steps back in many ways for the females that do exist. Luo Ji's storyline in particular, just struck me as extremely odd. Keeping away from spoilers, I can only say that it's very creepy and there are some tropes present that I was uncomfortable with as they do dip into sexist territory imo. This can work if there's a compelling reason for it or if there's repercussions for characters attitudes, but neither are true in this case. It doesn't add anything to the novel and it's not important to the little characterization that does exist. So that was a bit off putting.

After slogging through the first 200 pages, the book really opens up. It deals with some of the same themes as the previous novel, minus religion, as the ETO is largely gone from the novel. Watching humans teeter between defeatism, escapism, and triumphalism was very compelling to read through out parts 2 and 3. It's often very bleak, but in a way that you could see playing out to some degree in real life. It's that balance that is just very intriguing to me and kept me glued from part 2 onwards. And the Dark Forest itself tied everything up beautifully and that theory just on it's own provides so much to think about. 

It's not without it's flaws, but if you can make it through the first 200 pages, it's definitely a hell of a ride.

This one's a difficult one to recommend to anyone. It's not focused on the thrill aspect of a crime, but rather on deducing who the criminal is. I typically like those much more than the thrillers so for the most part I did enjoy this. However, I couldn't recommend it to hardcore mystery reader's, because the novel does take quite a few leaps of faith with it's logic. I did deduce who the killer was, but there were a lot of things presented as ‘clues' that were definitely a reach. But not enough to completely ruin it for me, still enjoyable.

The novel is also basically just a bunch of interviews in terms of the ‘detective' work. I didn't mind this at all, but I know it won't be some people's cup of tea. Granted I do think the book could be significantly shorter as some of the side stories could be cut out with nothing at all lost. But hey I know a little something about being long winded too. ;)

Something that wasn't my cup of tea though, was the prose. I do think JK Rowling is a great author, but something I noticed in Harry Potter that continues here, is her use of formal language. For example, if I wanted to know what time it was and my character was wearing a watch I might write “he looked at his watch” or something to that effect. In this novel that line would be “he consulted his watch”. It's grammatically correct of course and it can certainly work in many types of novels. Here the issue for me is it stands in stark contrast at times to the dialogue writing which can be very off putting.

To end on a high note though...one of the main aspects of this novel that I really enjoyed is the dynamics between Robin and Strike. I will actually continue this series, entirely because I find those dynamics so interesting and want to see how they continue to develop and change over time. All in all was enjoyable enough that despite it's flaws it was a 3/5 for me.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. It's highly derivative to the point if you've read any YA dystopian fantasy of any kind...you'll likely know exactly where it's going and how it's going to end. For me as well with YA, one of the biggest pet peeves I have is how relationships and romance will be shoehorned in to advance the plot...but hey at least it's kicked up a notch with a love square! Triangles are so passé.

I don't want to sound like I hated this book though cause that's not the case. As I said mixed feelings. I love a good story about throwing off the yoke of oppression and confronting the powers that be. Plus superpowers in the mix that are passed down through blood? I'm there for it. To see those that are considered less than because of their blood rise up and show the silvers that they aren't inferior or as weak as they think. That's a story that I wanted and still want to read. The ending, while predictable, did a lot to bolster my hopes for this series as we moved beyond the love square that was so stifling in the majority of the novel. 

I'll be continuing on for at least one more book because the potential is definitely there.

It's heavily inspired by other popular middle grade fantasy like Harry Potter, but unique enough that it never feels completely derivative.  There are a few pacing issue's imo, but overall I found it to be quite the well written, whimsical tale with a fun cast of characters. I look forward to seeing how the books progress after this introduction to the world and inhabitants of Nevermoor.

After reading this I looked at some of the reviews as I was curious what some of the common criticisms are. I saw things like the book is old fashioned/traditional in terms of the family unit (it is), that the morals are very on the nose (they are), and that it can be preachy (it can be). 

They're all valid criticisms that I also see, yet, part 1 for me was an easy 5 stars. I was just enthralled with the families dynamics, the characters, and the familial love radiated off the page. Part 2 I didn't enjoy as much because some of that coziness is lost with them going their own ways, but overall I had a good time with this. I look forward to continuing with Little Men cause Jo was always my favourite anyhow.

Low-stakes, slice of life fantasy has been pretty big in Asia for a long time so it's nice to see them gain some traction in the West. When you do stories like these it's incredibly important to nail the atmosphere and characters and I think this book does a fine job in both areas. 

It's not my favourite within this niche but it was enjoyable and as many people will undoubtedly describe it, cozy.

In the last book the ending gave me hope that this was going to end up being something I'd greatly enjoy. Yet, through 300 pages this is not the case. Instead the novel got incredibly repetitive with Mare's inner monologues. “Cal....I have feelings for you but I can't” “Maven...I have feelings for you but I can't.” “I can't trust anyone and I'm so sad.” “No one trusts me and I'm so sad.”

The words change a bit, but these same monologues are repeated over and over and over again. I'm just not really interested when it's offering me nothing from a character standpoint but wallowing. Still I don't think it deservers one star because the plot is interesting. Unfortunately though for me, it can't overcome the characters so this will be my first DNF of 2023.

Admittedly I was looking forward to a sequel more so then a prequel, but with that being said if you can get over that  and enjoyed Legends & Latte's you'll probably enjoy this one as well. It's the same formula with the same strengths and weaknesses.

Not the type of book I could read on a regular basis, but a nice treat here and there.

This was my first Backman book and I've heard people say that his prose are something to behold. I would wholeheartedly agree that his writing style is beautiful. So credit for him and for the translator as well. 

When I started reading this book, I thought it was just going to be a book about hockey. But that's not quite right at all. Hockey is just the backdrop to a much larger story that asks questions about loyalty, tribalism, community, passion, morality, idolization and so on. It's a heart breaking tale in part because of how well written it is, but also because we've all heard this story in similar contexts in real life and I know it will be told countless times in my lifetime.

I can't do justice to the emotional roller coaster I felt during this novel. I was legitimately angry with characters and/or circumstances at points, incredibly frustrated to see how some things unfolded, disappointed in some of the action's characters took, saddened over what some have to overcome, heartbroken over what others have to carry, and laughed along with some jokers. 

I have always cherished books that illicit a strong emotional response from me and this novel is the epitome of that. That being said because it deals with rather serious topics, it can be uncomfortable to read at times, so it's hard to throw a blanket recommendation out there. Something each individual will have to investigate on their own.

This go around in the universe established in The First Law trilogy we have the children of the characters from said trilogy and what's really compelling is watching these young people strive to make a name for themselves. The naivety some of them possess is quite amusing to witness. Nothing I quite enjoy more than watching ideals meet reality and buckling under that weight or in the rare case standing strong...but mostly it's the dashing of young people's dreams. ;)

The setting of this trilogy is pretty interesting as well. Beginning of an industrial revolution and all that entails for nobility/commoners is quite an interesting backdrop. But it's not all praise. I was disappointed with the plot. I was left wanting more, but not necessarily in a good way. The tension is built to the bursting point around several events, but the payoff was too quick and not very rewarding imo. 

It doesn't help that while the character writing overall is still great overall, it doesn't fly nearly as high as the first trilogy managed. I felt like a couple of the POV characters feel as if they're missing the nuances and complexities that all of the characters in the first trilogy had. Be that as it may, the elements and characters that do click with me, do so at such a high level that I still find this book incredibly enjoyable.