Nomad Scry
Some of the magic wore off for me. I got really pulled out by just how ridiculously random it was for the first person John meets back on Mars os his old sword buddy. And that's pretty much how the whole book went for me. I enjoyed everything and then deus ex machina would annoy me.
It didn't help that I didn't like this narrator. Something about his style made it really hard for me to maintain focus on the story instead of SQUIRREL!
And finally, in the end, the cliff hanger conclusion annoyed me. Which is kind of funny, I guess, since Princess ends in much the same manner and I recall satisfaction with that ending.
Best Cat & Bones so far. I always seem to enjoy it when a human (or in this case, human-ish) steps up and accepts vampire responsibilities.
The elements that make this series unique are better melded this time and what should have been a love triangle is mercifully not.
It isn't quite fair, but Haywire puts me in mind of the Fifth Element. It certainly isn't as goofy, but Haywire certainly has the same love of big action at a badda-boom pace. (And it has an actual ending!)
Very nice introduction to what Marx really was wanking on about, though the commentating was a bit high-handed.
While the beginning was numbing, the further I got, the more I was drawn in. Each continuing revelation of further layers of complications and deceptions made me glad that I had decided to stay on board. I just wish the next part of the story was already available to me. ☺
How is this written by Ellis? The language doesn't feel anything like any of the rest of Planetary, so I assumed it was some other writer... but it's not?
I actually READ this! With written words and everything!
I think this is the only book I read all year, so kudos Mr. Wallace. Ha!
Wildly original. My only complaint is that I felt the sheer uniqueness was slightly dampened by the inclusion of angels. Which isn't much to worry about.
If I weren't an almost compulsive book finisher, I would have quit before the halfway point. I can't even put my finger on why I was bored, but I'm glad I kept going because there are a few happenings at the very end that, as a father, put a big knot in my throat.
Imagine the author read Phule's Company 3 times in a row, then set out to write an epic fantasy.
Beyond issues with the male narrator sounding like an excited 13 year old and not a tired 18 year old, I really enjoyed my time here... So much so, that I've immediately begun the sequel.
I'd never considered just how the Christian reinterpretation of the Old Testament must be baffling to Jews.
Scattered thoughts: I didn't realize this was a second book and while I normally prefer to jump in cold, I was a bit overwhelmed with the number of characters and story threads going on.
There is a sex scene that doesn't fit the tone of the book and really feels like a stopgap measure to make the book fit in more with the Urban Fantasy genre.
I think that the main problem with this book, and the reason that I found it in the bin at an “Odd Lot” store, is the cover. The cover is wretched. If I had not already read this author, I would never have picked up the book. The cover screams cheap and confused, which is surprising considering that the publisher is Tor.
The text is entertaining (in a pompous “1337er than thou” way) but the code examples seriously needed an editor; they are wrong more often than not.
Depending on well you deal with the protagonist being a whiny stalker for most of the book, this is better than the first book... if only because Amma doesn't spell words all the damn time. Fantastically annoying in an audio format.
The problem with the abrupt ending of the prior book is that I had no idea what the hell was going on here. So much so, that I thought I must have accidentally skipped a book.
I guess I am a bit disappointed, though. I can't recall what happened and I just finished! It couldn't have been that fantastic.
It took me awhile to figure out what was really wrong with Heku. Right up front, it's pretty obvious that the writing would have strongly benefited from a good editor. The idea of “show, don't tell” doesn't seem to have been something the author understood or accepted. Now, that doesn't necessarily have to be a deal breaker. I mean, I've read some fanfic that was entirely engaging and never painted a picture of the goings on. This... not so much.
The real issue, I think, is that there doesn't seem to be a story here. Stuff happens, but it never engaged me. There might have been a villain, but he gets offed early on. The male lead is a bastard, but that would have been okay if he hadn't been one to the female lead, or if he had shown any character growth throughout the story. The female lead, well, I think there might have been some character growth, but it was so miniscule that I am not sure it actually happened.
There were an awful lot of words and unimportant things and very little story and I'd recommend skipping Heku.
A little less science and a little more history/diary than I was expecting, but I've got a much better appreciation for the difficulties researchers go through to keep clean DNA samples.
Excellent resource for those suspecting their ADHD and those recently diagnosed. Possibly not as applicable for women?
Very very good. i want more strange and despairing stories like this, and more that are this.