Tshania Sedai

So... my overall impressions after reading the book is that I am not as blown away as I had hoped to be. That doesn't mean this is a bad book. I think having read somewhere that this series is the equivalent of “literary crack” I just expected a bit much. I mean, the general consensus that this is a more realistic, gritty, shades-of-grey type fantasy world than can be found in other novels is a rather accurate depiction. And I actually do like that aspect of the book. The writing is very good, and I usually enjoy a political intrigue type of story. However, I am just not loving and obsessing over this book as much as I do with a lot of the other series I have read. I think perhaps it is because I just don't love a lot of the characters. I mean, I appreciate the characters - they are interesting and multi-dimensional. I wouldn't say a single character is boring. However, even the best of the bunch have their dark moments and there aren't a ton of characters who are entirely likable. Which, I suppose, is how it is with real people in real life. Which also adds to the realistic nature of this story. And even in this first novel there is some character growth and development, which is good. And yet... there were very few people I actually really liked. I ponder if it is because I don't feel like I can trust any of these characters, at least not fully. And even those I do trust... I worry about getting too attached because they seem to make some stupid, all be it noble, decisions that don't really give me much encouragement for their longevity.

The other lasting impression I have of this book is that it is very much a beginning. I think this books shows a lot of plot threads that could potentially all come together in a bout of awesome at the end of the series. I think that perhaps that is the other reason I am still not obsessing over this book is that I am still waiting for the series to go somewhere. Which isn't to say that important things didn't happen in this book, because they most surely did. However, all of these things leave the impression of events just starting to get into motion. Even the ending of the book (which was quite satisfying, I might add) feels more like the start of things yet to come, rather than a culmination of the events of this part of the story. I think many fantasy stories start with many of the characters together, then branching out on their own adventures, and finally coming together for an epic ending. However, in this case, I feel like most of the characters have been spread apart to begin with, and will hopefully come together in the end for some sort of epic ending.

Overall, I am not super obsessively loving this book. However, I do think it was a good book and well worth reading. I am starting in on the second book because I am afraid I will forget all of the little details if I wait too long. Also, the second book picks up right where the first book left off, so I think reading the entire series (such as it is, as it is yet unfinished) as continuously as possible will probably enhance the story. Hopefully the second book will leave me loving the series a bit more... I am hoping that my lackluster reaction really is due to the slow start and not me losing interest in fantasy novels and other nerdy pursuits. I mean, I haven't even seen the last few Harry Potter movies. Lately my sewing has been more practical than fantastic, and my bedside stack of “to read” has shifted from fat fantasy novels to technical sewing guides. I don't know. I seem to be having less of an interest in the nerd pop culture as of late and I wonder, am I losing my nerdiness? I hope not. But I suppose time and a few more fantasy novels will tell.

I found myself enjoying this way more than I expected. The characters all grew on me, and I got totally wrapped up in the story by the end. I had a moment where I thought, wow I'm halfway done and nothing has really happened yet, but I also didn't really care, because I was enjoying it. The audiobook narration was awesome, which totally added to my enjoyment. I think If I'd read this in paper format I'd have rated it 3 Stars, but as audio I want to give it 5 Stars, so I averaged it out to 4 Stars.

The Goblin Emperor can perhaps be described as the most interesting book I've ever read in which nothing really happens. I mean, things happen, but not in the epic way that I think many fantasy readers have come to expect. The Goblin Emperor is the story of Maia, a half-elf, half-goblin who falls into the position of Emperor of Elfland when his father and half brothers are killed in an airship crash. Maia is whisked to the capital where he has to learn how to navigate tricky political waters and govern his kingdom. The entire novel resolves around the policies Maia must learn and the rules he must abide by, as he tries to fit in to the world of the Elven elite, while trying to maintain his own individual identity.

I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. Maia is the sort of character who will win over a reader with his utter goodness. He has a sort of wide-eyed innocence that isn't uncommon to people thrust into a new situation, but he somehow manages to maintain it even as he learns to deal with the less glamorous side of politics. Some people have complained that this makes him too good, or uninteresting, but I think the writing of Maia is so good I don't really care. I don't think this book would have worked any other way, really. It would have caused to book to completely loose its charm. And it's Maia - once you've read the story it is very difficult to imagine him any way other than how he is written.

Throughout his journey through the realm of Elven politics, Maia is lucky to have a (mostly) great team of advisors and staff to help him (Especially Csevet. Love me some Csevet.), but he must learn to deal with the history of his family (and the loss of them) on his own. The characters are fun and interesting, though it is not an uncommon complaint about the internets that the names did not have to be quite so difficult to pronounce. I don't know if I agree with this - the names really are quite beautiful once you grasp the sounds of them - and honestly many of the longer, more complex names have stuck with me over the shorter or more common ones precisely because of their interesting collection of sounds. In a book with so little action (we barely leave the palace), the naming conventions really did help me feel like I was in another world. I think the world building is really fantastic - you get a very real sense of what life (well, court life at least) is like in Elfland, and how the cultures are different elsewhere. Some of the themes of the book a bit obvious (he's building a bridge!), but none are out of place or bring the story to a stop.

All in all I have to say that this was a great book. It is a quiet story - not a typical epic hero's journey at all - but that is what I like about it. Maia is the sort of heartwarmingly good character you need in your life every once in a while. Especially if you've just read Game of Thrones. He's like chicken soup for the fantasy reader's soul. The writing is good, the world is interesting, and the story is full of interesting and subtle court driven politics. Definitely a fun read for anyone who likes historical fiction or fantasy, though I think any reader would fall in love with Maia and enjoy his story. Highly recommended.

Ready Player One is set in a rather bleak future-Earth. We've depleted our resources and never quite managed to bounce back from the most recent economic crisis. Rather than deal with the problems outside, people take to the OASIS - an online virtual reality that has become the center of most people's lives. The obsession only grows when Halliday, the OASIS inventor, dies and leaves his vast fortune to anyone who can use the clues to complete his epic quest of 70s and 80s pop culture puzzles. Ready Player One follows the journey of Wade Watts as he works to solve the riddles and claim Halliday's ultimate prize.

Looking at this story objectively, I really shouldn't like it as much as I did. It is the same old, over-used hero's journey (read some Joseph Campbell if you don't know what I mean) set in a virtual reality. We get the same sort of plot and tropes and life lessons we always get. The only difference is that most of the time spent in this world is used to geek out over pop culture references that the characters would never have experienced or cared about in their normal lives, but that the readers (most likely) will have a great deal of nostalgia for. I'll be honest - most of the references outdate even me, and not being a hard-core gamer growing up, there were a lot of references I didn't necessarily know about before reading the story. However, I had enough of a frame of reference that I still got more than a little excited when PAC-MAN, R2-D2, and Firefly class space ships showed up. And the writing was so good for the rest of it that it really didn't even matter that I'd never experienced it for myself; the character's experiences and the descriptions were enough to keep me immersed in the story.

What this book does so brilliantly is give us everything we've ever love about science fiction and fantasy (and I mean everything - if you liked it, it probably exists on OASIS), while still making the story feel new and exciting. A large part of that is due to the writing, which was absolutely fantastic. This was the sort of book I wouldn't have put down if I hadn't had other obligations. Like, you know, skating and eating and stuff. Sleep... may have been compromised in the finishing of this story. But it was worth it because it was good! So good. The worst part about this book is that it is over. And while I could re-read it, it won't have that same sense of exploration and discovery and danger and excitement that the reader has the first time through.

So anyway, this book is my new obsession. I loved it so much I may have even used the Ready Player One Fan Soundtrack Page to create my own iTunes playlist. Which I've listened to several times already. I'm wanting to go back and re-watch old films I haven't seen in years. I'm trying to figure out ways to play vintage video games. Heck, I might even want to search out Ladyhawke.

In conclusion, Ready Player One - READ IT!

Unlike the previous two books where I was draggin my feet, with this book I found I wanted to read it constantly, but had a problem finding the time! What with sewing so many skating costumes for other people, I barely had time to finish things for myself, let along get around to reading a book for fun. Even so I managed to read the first half of the book at a fairly steady clip until about mid-May, and then didn't get back to it until near the end of August. When I literally could not put it down. Seriously.

I said in my previous reviews that it felt like the series was building to something, and oh boy did we get there. Total pay-dirt. I mean, there are still big huge things that need to happen (clearly, since the series isn't completed yet), but so many of the little open-ended things have finally been put to rest. Kinda of. In a way. And by “put to rest” I mean opened a whole new can-o-worms that will be dealt with in next few books (I hope). So much stuff I don't even know if my brain can handle it all. I mean, seriously, you guys, it is good. Really really good.

So, I am officially a fan now. I mean, I liked these books before, and I have always appreciated the craftsmanship with which they were written, but now I am officially joining the fandom. Not the crazy hard-core I will tattoo “Winter is Coming” on my back fandom, but, you know, the generally George R. R. Martin obsessed readership fandom. I would write more, but I really don't want to spoil any of this book (because, ah, so much so good!) so I suppose my overall assessment of this book is: Read them. Go. Do it now.

In the meantime I will be starting on book four...