Dušan Jovanović

I don't know if all modern fantasy and sci-fi series are written in this manner but this is the second first-book-in-a-series I've read in which nothing substantial happens. It only sets up the world and the characters. How do sequels to these books get green lit? Do authors nowadays receive three book deals in advance so they know they can take their time. But how can they be sure people would be interested in the sequels if the first book doesn't have a hook.

The world is interesting enough but there isn't much meat on the bones in terms of story. You don't feel a sense of urgency in any of the three main storylines. Yeah, there is a war brewing in the North. And the wizard is gathering a ragtag team for a mission. But that's kind of it. The book ends with the team being formed with no mention of what their objective is.

It is competently written and the author is well versed in writing action scenes. But I could've done without a few of them if it would've meant we would get a some glimpse into the overarching plot and what our protagonists were getting themselves into.

I tried reading this book in high school but I didn't finish it because I couldn't understand what was going on. Now, about 25 years later, and after watching the new films, I decided to give it another try. There is nothing I can say that hasn't already been said before. The book is that good and it still holds up to this day. The amount of ideas, themes, and characters Herbert was able to competenly weave into the story is amazing. Melding sci-fi, fantasy, philosophy, religion, politics, magic(?), into one (relatively) cohesive narrative, it is remarkable the story didn't collapse under its own weight. All this accomplished with an unconventional writing style I haven't seen in modern fiction. I have a feeling he was sleeping with a thesaurus under his pillow.

The book isn't perfect though. The middle section is a bit of a drag and the ending is a bit anticlimactic. There are some inevitable differences between the book and the films. The dinner chapter is completely ommited from the film. As are a few characters. But I enjoyed it immensely nonetheless.

I don't know if all modern fantasy and sci-fi series are written in this manner but this is the second first-book-in-a-series I've read in which nothing substantial happens. It only sets up the world and the characters. How do sequels to these books get green lit? Do authors nowadays receive three book deals in advance so they know they can take their time. But how can they be sure people would be interested in the sequels if the first book doesn't have a hook.

The world is interesting enough but there isn't much meat on the bones in terms of story. You don't feel a sense of urgency in any of the three main storylines. Yeah, there is a war brewing in the North. And the wizard is gathering a ragtag team for a mission. But that's kind of it. The book ends with the team being formed with no mention of what their objective is.

It is competently written and the author is well versed in writing action scenes. But I could've done without a few of them if it would've meant we would get a some glimpse into the overarching plot and what our protagonists were getting themselves into.

It's never a good sign when you are reading a book and you recognize a skippable paragraph (or few). By the last section I was skipping whole pages. The writing in this book is bloated and redundant that makes me wonder how long the first draft was or if it was edited at all. And there are quite a few stylistic writing choices. The worst one for me was persistently repeating what's already been said. This got really old really quickly. Why use one word when three would make you look stylish.

When you have 10+ main characters then none of them are given a chance to rise above the rest. Some characters even get introduced in last third of the book! and are given equal importance as the characters we've been following all along. Following is a strong word. You start a chapter with one character, get their back story and then you move on. In the next chapter a secondary character from the previous chapter gets the spotlight and the cycle continues to no end.

If reading pointless back stories about each (and every) character hasn't made you tear this book up then the lack of plot will surely push you over that ledge. It's supposed to be a multigenerational time-hopping story that spans decades. Story is also a strong word here because, other than the fact these people live with (or near) each other, there is no narrative string tying them together. Even though the author will make sure to tell you where each (and every) character has been, you don't get satisfaction of knowing where any of them are going. They are just thrown into random situations reminiscent of TV sitcoms and their stories serve more as a commentary about the life of (first and second generation) immigrants, rather than building blocks of a coherent storyline.

There is an attempt, at the very end, to merge each individual story into a crescendo but it's done clumsily and comes off as too little too late. By that point I just wanted the story to be over and couldn't care about the last-minute twist the author pulled out of her ass.

I don't know if all modern fantasy and sci-fi series are written in this manner but this is the second first-book-in-a-series I've read in which nothing substantial happens. It only sets up the world and the characters. How do sequels to these books get green lit? Do authors nowadays receive three book deals in advance so they know they can take their time. But how can they be sure people would be interested in the sequels if the first book doesn't have a hook.

The world is interesting enough but there isn't much meat on the bones in terms of story. You don't feel a sense of urgency in any of the three main storylines. Yeah, there is a war brewing in the North. And the wizard is gathering a ragtag team for a mission. But that's kind of it. The book ends with the team being formed with no mention of what their objective is.

It is competently written and the author is well versed in writing action scenes. But I could've done without a few of them if it would've meant we would get a some glimpse into the overarching plot and what our protagonists were getting themselves into.

Asteroid/moon hopping space murder mystery with a backdrop of political intrigue sprinkled with a pinch of horror. It's a fun ride. The two main characters are broad archetypes that could've use a bit more development. The worldbuilding got me interested enough to continue with the series. I do want to find out more about the dynamics between Earth, Mars and the Belt.

Asteroid/moon hopping space murder mystery with a backdrop of political intrigue sprinkled with a pinch of horror. It's a fun ride. The two main characters are broad archetypes that could've use a bit more development. The worldbuilding got me interested enough to continue with the series. I do want to find out more about the dynamics between Earth, Mars and the Belt.

Asteroid/moon hopping space murder mystery with a backdrop of political intrigue sprinkled with a pinch of horror. It's a fun ride. The two main characters are broad archetypes that could've use a bit more development. The worldbuilding got me interested enough to continue with the series. I do want to find out more about the dynamics between Earth, Mars and the Belt.

Going into this book, I never would have thought that reading it would be such a chore. But, at the same time, I can see why it was so influential when it was first published. The prehistoric section was an interesting intro to the whole book. And then pace takes a dip. It picks back up when Hal starts doing his thing. And then the last section was interesting and boring at the same time. The main thing that I didn't care for was the exposition, even though Bowman found himself in an extraordinary situation. It was a roller coaster of a read and I really had to concentrate in order to not lose interest in some sections. I don't know if I'll continue on with this series.

I don't know if all modern fantasy and sci-fi series are written in this manner but this is the second first-book-in-a-series I've read in which nothing substantial happens. It only sets up the world and the characters. How do sequels to these books get green lit? Do authors nowadays receive three book deals in advance so they know they can take their time. But how can they be sure people would be interested in the sequels if the first book doesn't have a hook.

The world is interesting enough but there isn't much meat on the bones in terms of story. You don't feel a sense of urgency in any of the three main storylines. Yeah, there is a war brewing in the North. And the wizard is gathering a ragtag team for a mission. But that's kind of it. The book ends with the team being formed with no mention of what their objective is.

It is competently written and the author is well versed in writing action scenes. But I could've done without a few of them if it would've meant we would get a some glimpse into the overarching plot and what our protagonists were getting themselves into.