Nomad Scry
Normally I would complain about the non-ending, the way that the story doesn't actually confirm if the war was actually avoided or not. But, instead, I felt fully satisfied with where Sanderson left things. The funny/scary thing is that I read about a third of the first draft of Warbreaker a few years back and, while I don't doubt that Sanderson probably tightened up the writing quite a bit, the story as I remember it and the story I just listened to are the same. Which is to say, “wow!”
It's been nearly twenty years since I read Moby Dick so I really don't remember much. Just two main things, really.
1. The tattoo guy? Pretty freakin' cool.
2. Entire chapters of blah blah blah... I'm sorry, what where we talking about?
I'm pretty sure that if I had read some children's abridged version of Moby Dick, I would have enjoyed the storytelling a lot more. As it is, the story is derailed entirely by the insertion of essays throughout.
I will not be purchasing a copy to share with my children.
Despite my initial annoyances with the narrator's voice, I really fell into the story. So much so, in fact, that I drove right past my street on the way home one night. I know that I'm at risk of being horribly disappointed with however Rothfuss winds up the story, but for now, simply wonderful.
I loved the way the early story is wrapped within the current story, how it points out mysteries of greater scope, and the great in-character humor.
Very interesting mix. It reminded me of the old cyberpunk RPG with the magic and elves.
Very fun read with interesting characters and a great creep factor. I think my favorite moment is when the detective realizes who he is and it spirals away from him.
The first 4 hours were a slog. The rest was delightful. I'm still not sure who the “good guys” are and that is awesome.
Considering the target audience seems to be 8 to 12 year old boys, I'm mildly surprised at the amount of noise I'd heard about #4 or Pitticus Lore. Maybe it was something non-story related? Whatever. I enjoyed the story, though not enough to make me want to read further. Maybe the inevitable movie adaptation will change my mind.
I've grown too hipster, I guess, because the only complaint I have is that it was too smooth. Ha. Honestly, this was worth a read if only for the dog's voice. He was quite a trip.
For a 16 hr book, this was 10 hrs to long. The first 12 hours could have been done in 1st or 3rd person in 2 hours and had a four (I really liked it) it five (I loved it) star rating.
At one point Harrow find herself in the military almost entirely so the author can make a pun about baristas. The entire scene contributes nothing to the story.
The characterizations are even stronger in this one, and I laughed out loud close to a dozen times at the various witty things Ish said or thought. Considering the level of improvement from Quarter Share to Half Share, I can't wait to start the next book. Eee!
This is the reason that I read Pratchett. Everything else is good, but this is, in the words of Tony the Tiger, G-G-G-GREAT!!!
This was a great read by a great reader. I keep hearing Dresden's voice in my head, hours after I finished listening. My three favorite things were [no spoilers] the smoking gentleman, the concept of what Dresden initially thought the big bad was, and the ambiguity of the last line of the book. My only real complaint goes back to the “Hey, wait a minute” way I felt about Micheal just showing up. I think I understand why, given how much more enjoyable I found this book compared to the first two. Dresden, wearily and sneakily, doing the right thing and being contrasted sharply against Micheal, also doing the right thing, albeit in a righteous and upright manner, really made the book for me.
I'm looking forward to reading (okay, listening to) the next one, and I don't think I'm going to wait a year in between.
It's probably just me, my interpretation of how the secret agent would act, but there are two scenes near the end of the book where she sat idly on the sidelines while an important fight took place and I just could not believe that she would do that. It felt wrong, and kind of ruined the little enjoyment I was having.
My other main issue is possibly due to listening to the story, rather than reading it. Basically I don't understand the ground rules of the world. Tavi is unique because he has no furies. But that means that the Knights, the Legionaries, and Cursors all have furies. So... what's the difference? The Knights Aeris (spelling guess?) can fly around but the others cannot? Maybe? The Legionaries act like none of them are able to call the furies. But that would make Tavi no longer unique. I just don't understand the rules here. And that confusion was annoying, which made me simply annoyed with the story.
I'm disappointed because I quite enjoy the Dresden Files, and this is no Dresden Files.
This is what I would consider to be a “junk” read. Delightful and fun, and exactly on trope. Despite the protagonist being an adult, the tenor of the story is decidedly YA - which makes the explicit sex scenes feel a little jarring and out of place.
This is the first book in a five book series, and the next one is due later in 2023.
Had a tough time deciding to finish. Bad things are happening and it's the child, of course.
Boy, it sure is telling when Bannon comes out the hero of the tale. And that's a vile taste.
I only picked up Feed because I found out that it was written pseudononymously by a fantasy author whose short stories I've found very stirring. I should have known that my personal apathy towards zombie tales would overcome good writing and good storytelling. I think it's because I somehow consider zombies to be comedic fodder.
The only other thing that I could possibly complain about in Feed was the idea that bloggers would still be some newfangled illegitimate newsies thirty years in the future. I know I'm ahead of the curve, but blogs are old-hat to me. I get 99% of my news from Twitter and blogs, so how could bloggers fail to be mainstream that far into the future? Maybe that's one of the problems of writing near future fiction. By the time the book reaches the masses, your predictions for the future are actually already old news.
But, enough about me and my foibles.
If it weren't for me getting in the way of my own enjoyment, Feed was a neat story with a pretty cool take on the zombie origins. I think my favorite parts were the sections in between chapters where George and the other “After the End Times” crew had mini-articles. The tone and musings were really cool. And the twist that isn't a twist, that was great. I am not spoiling a damn thing, but that was great. I probably should have seen it coming, but I didn't and it got me but good.
Basically, if you like zombie stuff, this is one of the better zombie stories I've read. That said, I don't read much zombie fiction, so my opinion is probably useless. Sorry.
(I'd read some discussion of an incestuous relationship between the siblings, and I gotta say I didn't see that at all. George, especially, struck me as “merely” asexual.)
Slightly disappointed that the escalation of tensions wasn't exactly matched by Ishmael, that the resolution wasn't a result of his actions or inaction. Still a great read and well recommended.
Some very interesting ideas, almost more interesting than the story being told. I was discomforted to find myself switching allegiance halfway through the book, wanting the “good guys” to stop fighting against the Daemon.
Absolutely wonderful. I don't know how it is that is never heard of this author before, because he does it right. The characters are fantastic, the world is a treat, the plot is clever, and the way it all lies together... Bennett knows what he's doing. Very recommended.