Ryan
Amazing. I grabbed this book on a whim and then read everything Abercrombie has written over the next week or two. Dark, bloody, violent and messed up, but you won't be able to put it down. I tend to start a new book the moment I put the last one down, and one story often bleeds into the next in my mind. Not this one (or anything by Abercrombie). These books stuck with me, and I couldn't be happier as a reader.
If you love swashbuckling thieves, underworld conspiracies and so many twists and turns that it's hard to remember who you're rooting for, get this book.
I am a sucker for books about thieves, assassins and organized crime, but this book wasn't just a great example of that subgenre; it was just a great book. One thing I appreciate is that the main character is complicated and is forced to make choices he doesn't like. I tend to get annoyed when characters keep making crazy plans, out witting everyone and then have everything work out in the end. This book is messy and more relatable because of it.
Anyhow, great story, great characters, interesting world. I couldn't put it down and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.
One of my favorite books/series and has become one of my go-to book recommendations when people ask me about fantasy books. Action packed, characters the reader cares about and a tight consistent magic system. Sanderson is the man. If you haven't read this, get it now!
Got about 3/4 of the way through and decided I had better ways to spend two hours than finishing a book I really didn't enjoy. My main gripe is that the main character is so stupid that I don't care what happens to him. While early on it was less annoying because he had time to grow as a character, his whiny insistence that “he has to do something” continued non-stop and it became grating. A moderately (if mostly unoriginal) premise is ruined by crappy character development. Too bad.
Enjoyed the book for the most part, until the “twist” near the end. I don't like when authors make a choice because it is the most shocking or disgusting. Great world as always, compelling characters, unnecessary and unbelievable things happening near the end, specifically around personal relationships between characters. It just felt lazy. Hmm, what would really screw with the reader...I know! These characters that finally realize how they feel about each other? This relationship you've been following the whole book? They're siblings! Hahahaha, bet you feel gross for enjoying that now, don't you? It's cheap. Then guess what? Those other two characters who broke up? They're going to show up and then the two pairs of ex-lovers trade partners unwittingly at a party! Doubly lazy and triply disappointing. Bummed that I'll likely pass on the rest of this series.
The prologue was interesting but my initial fears of boring descriptions of everything (show me don't tell me!) were borne out. After like 50 pages of these descriptions instead of real character development, I gave up. Disappointing... after so many good reviews I was really looking forward to reading this book.
Let me first say that I love sci-fi, I love fantasy and I respect the place “Dune” has in the history of these genres. That said, I found the settings confusing (is it a future of interstellar travel, lasers and shields or is it a medieval fantasy of castles, dukes and sword fighting?), the characters flat and archetypal (he basically tells you who is good and who is bad at the beginning) and the “intrigue” provided no tension whatsoever (when you know who the traitor is and what bad guys plan, what's the point in reading anymore?). I think this world has some interesting potential, but I can't help but think how this story world be told/structured if it were published today. I really wanted to like this book, but I kept hoping for something bad to happen to Paul or for him to fail at something just once to break up the monotony and his one-dimensional character. My dad loved this book when he read it 40 years ago; I truly wish I could feel the same way.
This book was a bit slow to get into; the unique first person narration and cultural oddities of gender in the Radch made for a confusing start, but it builds to an exciting and very satisfying final third.
A fresh and different take on a galaxy spanning sci-fi revenge story; definitely worthy of the Hugo!
I couldn't finish. As other reviewers said, I think there is much potential here, but the author insists on telling instead of showing. I don't need to know how perfect a character is, let me learn by observing him and make my own judgements.
I have also personally grown tired of wholly good characters fulfilling prophecy by battling wholly evil characters, so it also just didn't work for me on that level.
I'm not writing off this author, but this book just wasn't for me.
Fun young adult novel with an interesting alternate take on superheroes. I have enjoyed everything by Brandon Sanderson, and this is no exception. Great story telling filled with witty characters in a dark world.
To be honest, I was super disappointed by this book. The fleet tactics were interesting, as was the speculation about how a never ending war changes people, but the characters were such one-dimensional caricatures that I couldn't take any of them seriously. They were either eager sycophants, brainless and defiant arguers or a hero that is always right, true, honorable and perfect while carrying on a ridiculous internal monologue attempting to convince the reader he's an actual human.
If you like fleet scale space battle with actually interesting characters you might care about, you'd be better off looking elsewhere.
In one word: tedious. Gave up with a hundred pages to go, but thought about it a hundred pages earlier. Nothing dispels tension like a heroine who accomplishes every challenge put before her not through her wits, but because she is psychic and sees everything before it happens. Nice try, but needless to say I won't be checking out any of the other books in this series.