John
Feels a bit lighter than the previous two but still provides a satisfying ending to the story.
This book almost should have been a novella, in terms of how much story there is to tell, so it sometimes feels a bit repetitive, but it's still a very quick and fun read and a perfect closing to a great trilogy
Well written, solid construction and characters, but don't expect a Sherlock / Agatha Christie plot, the story is mostly an excuse to develop the characters (2 past stories that establish who they are and a present story that gives them reasons to rehash the past)
Overall a good 3.5
Solid story & writing. Dark. Checks all boxes of the genre. Just not as rich as Five Decembers (same author under another alias)
Not for me
I'm all for fast-food books : fun page-turners, not memorable but enjoyable
This is junk food : bloated and badly written, peppered with the author's toxic politics (violence is bad but non-violence is equally bad, that's why true Americans need to carry guns) and pretending to be smart (the main character's head hurts when trying to understand time travel paradoxes)
Some cool ideas but the writing and characterization are sadly disappointing
Read the Carpet Makers instead
Great worldbuilding, nice mix of geopolitical and human-scale drama, of action and emotion, full of smart ideas and originality. The only downsides : a fairly abrupt ending and the sometimes unrealistic behaviour of the characters
This should probably work better as a comic book. Kick-ass hero, lots of action and violence, fighting an all-powerful evil organization. She has a quite original if a bit unrealistic super-power and, when that's not enough, she gets rescued by an even more unbeatable super-friend. Add a bunch of civilian sidekicks such as the computer nerd and the wise detective and you've got your page-turner ready to go.
Agatha Christie murder mystery meets rashomon, with a touch of time-skipping and body-hopping. What's not to like ? Yet it did not do it for me. Nice concept but the pace felt slow and the plot twists over-engineered
There's no better proof of the amazing quality of the storytelling and character building in this series than the level of anger and sadness that the authors are able to generate by playing with the reader's feelings (and patience)
Did not finish. Dozens of variations around the same theme. Average quality writing. Not for me.
The junk food version of literature: fast, trashy, fun but essentially empty
Probably not worth your time
Great story, world building and plot, lots to digest in the first 100 pages but it's worth it
What if James Bond was a bored, fat, semi-retired spy who doesn't trust anyone. Begrudgingly leading a small team of ex-spies who, like him, are punished for having fucked up, they turn out to be smarter and more resourceful than their career-obsessed former colleagues. There's a kidnapping to be solved, but it's mostly the characters, their interconnected backstories and the complex web of office politics that makes it a page-turner
Gave up at about 30%
Underwhelming writing style. Slow plot. Boring cliché characters. Not for me
Smart, impressive, bursting with original ideas and concepts, a classic,... All that is true
4 stars only because of a slightly slower section in the middle part but still worth your time
Fun standalone novel. Don't miss it if you're a fan. Skip it if you only want to read the best books (like the watch, witches and death series)
Not bad, really. Another page turner from a skilled writer. But the central theme of the “smartest man in the world” is hard to pull off and even harder to do in an original way. Resulting in a bit of a déjà lu feeling
Philosophical and scientific, expanding our current world (and issues) into the near-future, bursting with ideas, carried by well-crafter characters, short chapters that should be quick to read if you were not pausing all the time to highlight a sentence and think of it. Not your typical page turner but a pleasure to read.
Easy to read techno-thriller. Who wouldn't want to read the adventures of a cat burglar with a unique “super power” as she fights an evil corporation whose social media/ life tracking app threatens civilization ?