Pieter

“The moon blew up without warning and for no apparent reason”

This captivating opening line sets the stage for what I believed would be yet another exceptional 5-star book by Stephenson.

The book consists of three parts. The first part reveals that the world has only two years left until the complete annihilation of humanity. The central question is: How do we ensure the survival of humanity?

Part 2 begins with the apocalypse and the aftermath, while Part 3 presents Stephenson's vision of humanity's development after 5000 years.

I love speculative fiction, especially when it delves into profound philosophical questions. It's okay if you don't grasp everything immediately; in fact, I enjoy nerdy elements. “Anathem” is one of my favorite books because of these aspects.

So, what's the issue with this book? Ensuring the continuation of humanity does indeed pose a grand question.

The first part covers about a quarter, and the last part around one-third of the book. That leaves roughly half (a bit less) for the second part. In the initial part, Stephenson explains potential solutions for humanity's survival. It has a good pace and provides ample food for thought: how does humanity confront an impending end? Of course, in Stephenson's signature style, he delves into technical and scientific topics. However, as the story progresses, there's an excessive focus on engineering-like solutions, with every “solution” being over-analyzed. This begins bothering me somewhere in the latter part of the first section and doesn't stop.

There are explanations about orbits, orbital plane changes, apogee, perigee, Newtonian physics in weightlessness (very important for matial arts in space), solar flares and Stephenson's endless obsession with chains, chain links, and bullwhips (I wonder what Freud would have thought about that). While it's all quite interesting, the middle section of the book suffers from an overload of “instruction manual”-like technical explanations. Perhaps it would have been better to dedicate more pages to the first part and further explore the social and political consequences of the impending disaster. Also, a few extra pages for the third part could have given it more substance. Alternatively, about 250 pages could have been trimmed.

On the other hand, the end of the second part was fascinating, though it left me feeling like I emerged from a sort of IKEA-desert.

The third part was more speculative. Despite its 300 pages, which could have been a book on its own, the storyline felt thin and one-dimensional. It seemed more like an appendix than the culmination of an epic tale.

What began as a 5-star book gradually dwindled to 3.5 stars in my view. It's by no means a bad book, but given my high expectations, it was somewhat disappointing.

In my review about the Wolves of the Calla I said that King took the Dark Tower series to a next level of weirdness, not knowing what was to come in this book.

Everything starts to blend. King explores the borders of reality and fantasy. He went in meta-mode, big time. Multiple times, multiple worlds, multiple personalities.
As this book is relatively short, it is fast paced. I thought the pacing was better then in the previous books.

THen there is of course the controversial decision from King to make himself a character in the book. I liked it, it was weird, but it worked.
It gave the story an intimate and personal charge, especially together with the coda in the form of a diary.
As a reader you can feel King is very much involved in his Dark Tower series, more then with the rest of is oeuvre.

4.5 stars for me

The 5th installment in the Dark Tower series.

When you think by now that the Dark Towers series is a bit weird then you are in for a surprise. King takes some story elements to the next level of weirdness. Most books, even Kings own books, are in one prevailing genre, mixed with some elements of other genres.
But here, King takes western, robots, werewolves, vampires, ghosts, magic, SF, horror and creates a hotchpotch. And it works! As with other authors this probably would end up in one giant train crash, King is able to create a cohesive and immersive story.

King is at his best in small town settings, describing the different characters and the interactions between the villagers. This is the overarching storyline, where, in between, we get the backstory of an old acquaintance from Salem's Lot.

Parallel, there are developments around Susannah. This was, to me, the least attractive part of the book and makes it a 4 star book instead of 4.5 to 5 stars

This has been a truly fascinating read. Best non-fiction read of the year so far.
Marcus du Sautoy, who is a professor in Oxford himself, takes the reader on a journey through the history of mathematics and specifically number theory. I never knew how fascinating this world actually is. You really don't need to have a PhD in mathematics to understand this book, the author is really trying to explain concepts in laymens terms. Some average highschool math skills is enough to be able to follow and appreciate the book. Having said that, at points some advanced theories can't really be explained in easy ways and you need to take the authors word for it. I was more then ok with that, as it never stood in the way of the overarching story.

When I was at highschool, a shocking long time ago, I learned quite some math (for the Dutch among us, wiskunde A and B at VWO level). I never liked it, not really. I was not particular good nor bad at it, I just thought it was boring and tedious. As a consequence I almost forgot everything.
If there would have been one teacher who would have been able to show the beauty of number theory as Marcus du Sautiy does in this book, I am sure I might have chosen a different study and career path...
This book made me go back to my old math books and, while I still don't understand what I understood 30 years ago, I appreciated it way more then I ever did.

If a book can do that, it is definitely worth 5 stars.

This is already one of my favorite reads for 2023.
It is a slow paced book but chapter by chapter it sucks you in.
At the heart of the book is the character development and the relationships between the characters. It is about loyalty, love and making choices in life and live with the consequenses.
This book is easy to recommend to anyone, whether you are a Western fan or not. Lonesome Dove goes beyond the boundaries of genres.

Dit was vroeger mijn favoriete jeugdboek, samen met boek twee: Geheimen van het Wilde Woud.
Om nostalgische redenen en om het leesplezier van vroeger geef ik 5 sterren.
Als ik nu, bij herlezen als volwassene, objectief kijk valt het toch op hoe oubollig het taalgebruik is. En hoe stereotiep het plot en de karakters zijn.
Aangezien dit boek 60 jaar oud is, is de ouboligheid eigenlijk niet aan te rekenen.

Zou ik het boek nu voor het eerst lezen dan ben ik bang dat het de 5 sterren niet haalt, misschien zelfs geeneens 4......

“Night” by Elie Wiesel is a moving and impactful account of the author's experiences during the Holocaust. The book takes the reader through the brutal reality of the Holocaust and the effect it had on his life. Wiesel's writing style is straightforward and effective, making the reader feel the gravity of the events described. The book is a personal testament to the atrocities committed during that time and will linger in the mind of the reader long after finishing it.

One of the most striking aspects of the book is how Wiesel manages to convey the immense suffering and trauma of the Holocaust in a raw and personal way. He does not shy away from describing the concentration camps in detail, but also delves into the emotional and psychological impact it had on him and those around him.

A concise journey through the basic principles of mathematics.
I enjoyed this book. Strogatz can vividly explain abstract mathematical principles.
In the past, I had to solve integrals at a reasonable level without really knowing what I was doing.
A math teacher lik Strogatz would have made all the difference. Strogatz shows the principles behind Algebra and Calculus in a very understandable way without explaining how to do it.

I read it with pleasure.

I am a caster of nets. Tyrants and emperors rise and fall. Civilizations burgeon then die, but there are always casters of nets. And tillers of the soil, and herders in the pastures. We are where civilization begins, and when it ends, we are there to begin it again.

Midnight Tides is the fifth book in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series, but despite that, it can almost be read as a stand-alone. The plot unfolds like a classic tragedy.

The book explores various themes. The most prominent is the theme of imperialism, but not through the Malazan method, rather through the Letherii method. It depicts an extremely capitalist society where almost everything is expressed through debts. Erikson holds a mirror to the current capitalist society without being very specific in his allegory.

Furthermore, the book delves into family, family ties, loyalty, and fidelity. This is evident in the storylines of the Sengar and Beddict brothers. Simultaneously, it explores deception, influence, use, abuse, and power. This dynamic is expressed on multiple layers.

In addition to these rather heavy themes and sometimes extreme violence in the book, it is also very humorous. Erikson weaves a very funny storyline, in the style of Terry Pratchett with a Wodehousian touch to it. There have been several moments when I laughed out loud. In between the cyclones of bones.

All of this is tightly composed into a very focused story, with minimal digressions. The pacing is immaculate. The ending may not be what you would expect from a high fantasy book with aspects of military fantasy, but it is fitting. It leaves the reader with the question of whether, despite everything changing, anything has actually changed. Very well-written book. 5 stars.

And now the page before us blurs. An age is done. The book must close.


To cut to the chase, I give this book 5 stars. Not that the entire book is worth 5 stars, but it's mainly appreciation for the ending of the book and for the series as a whole. Undoubtedly, one of the best (fantasy) series I've ever read.

Since “Dust of Dreams” and “The Crippled God” should be seen as one book, the book doesn't start with a prologue. The reader picks up where “Dust of Dreams” left off.

During the first half of the book, you don't feel like you're reading the last few hundred pages of a 10,000-page epic fantasy series. Actually, as a reader, you don't really have a clear idea of where it's heading. The ultimate destination gradually becomes clearer, but the focus doesn't seem to be there yet. There are still seemingly random background stories shared about characters you met six books ago. I couldn't bring myself to care.

With any other writer, I might start to worry a little. Thankfully, Erikson's trust, based on the previous nine books, was not betrayed.

The last few hundred pages of the book are like a rollercoaster. No doubt now that you're in the finale of an epic fantasy series. Not all storylines get a conclusion, and not all the ones that do are concluded satisfactorily. But the main threads are brought to an end in a very sophisticated way. Emotional, brutal, but also with a lot of compassion. The two epilogues are very satisfying.

What Erikson has delivered with this entire series is a true tour de force. Thematically, everything is expertly tied together.

Vengeance yielded a mirror to every atrocity, where notions of right and wrong blurred and lost all relevance.

“Memories of Ice” is the third installment in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. And so far, each book is getting a bit bigger.
We are once again back on Genebackis, the continent from “Gardens of the Moon.” Most of the main characters from the first book return in the third book, along with some additional characters.
From “Deadhouse Gates,” readers may already know the vivid imagination that Steven Erikson has when it comes to violence, torture, and perversions. He once again uses this ability to full effect in this book.
The fact that he even conceives of it is remarkable, but he describes it with a detached perspective that makes the impact even greater.

Fortunately, this is not the only thing worth mentioning; nowhere do I, as a reader, get the impression that the author is trying to shock for shock's sake. Multiple storylines unfold, layer upon layer, and they come together masterfully in a truly epic conclusion.
Although it is clear that Malazan does not follow the pattern of the “chosen one” on a quest for redemption, Erikson suddenly incorporates a Christ theme into this book. And not even in a subtle way, but rather “in your face.” While it is not clear to me whether this is intended as a nod, it does create a very emotional plotline. One of the many deeply emotional storylines in this book.

When you, as a reader, finally reach the epilogue, it's a moment to catch your breath. However, when the dust settles, there are still some rough edges for me, which is why I'm not giving it a full 5 stars.
Just like in “Gardens of the Moon,” the first book, there are plot twists that seem a bit too convenient. This may be a result of the structure that Stevenson employs, where nothing is explained, and the rules of the ‘game' only become clear as the story progresses. This carries the risk that some ‘rules' seem to suddenly emerge. Is this now a Deus Ex Machina, or an Erikson ex machina, if you will? Or was everything thought out in advance and seamlessly fits into the overarching story without plot holes? I'm not entirely sure, hence deducting half a star.