Alex Norton
A hoot of a tale. For a sailing nerd I loved the unapologetic technical accuracy even though 80% went sailing over my head (or googling like mad) The characters, so far, are pretty one dimensional, the plot is no more deeper than a shipping log, but I understand that both are fleshed out in subsequent books. It is, however, a very cozy read, familiar, even though I cannot quite put my finger on why. I can myself dipping into the next ones as I get a chance.
I loved the movie and I loved the book. Two different beasts - where one is a visual feast with outstanding directing/art design and acting they chose to follow the main recounting of events but removes itself from being a POV perspective.
The book, instead, is strongly POV, the first familiar to the movie viewer, the second, form “Bella's “POV which , of course sows confusion and doubt.
My first Mieville was The City & the City and I, unusually for me, often think about it. Not so much for the plot but the for the rather remarkabe atmosphere the author was able to create. I probably wanted to love Perdidido StreeT station more than i did but too many times i found myself lost in the narrative and although the writing is sumptuous I had trouble keeping my barings. That is a reflection on me, not the book.
I read this when first published many years ago and I held it in high regard. I was perhaps hoping it would remind me why, but my powers of concentration perhaps did not do it justice second time round. This is a time-slip novel set in two periods but I found my self frequently going back to understand where we were and how the parallel plot was evolving. It is certainly a learned book in the vain of Umberto Eco
A perfect gentle book for a long drive.Set in Sussex but could be any English village. Replete with stereotypes but deftly avoids the heaviness that usually accompanies all the English village clichés.
I never really got into Terry Pratchett way back whene, and apart from Good Omens was somewhat diffident of dipping my foot into such a long established world. But someone on reddit suggested Going Postal as a taste that stands alone and I am so glad I did. Thoroughly enjoyable, whimsical, lovely characters. I think i will be back for more.
Ive always known I wanted to dip into Rebus, given Rankin's reputation amoungst his peers so felt it best to start form the beginning. Let's say this is obviously a first book that comes over as exactly that, a freshman first attempt that has the right direction but has a few too many tropes thrown in. It wont stop me though as so many comment on how the writing tightens up and gets so much better.
Within it's category it is a perfect book, Didactic, but very readable - it explains the issues and how science helps in uncovering “who did it” and also some little jewels along the way (how to estimate the umber of bodies when all you have is a pile of bones is a good one. Coincidently i really enjoyed the Mary Rose chapter having just finished a Novel that climaxed on the the ship on its last days. I will go back and read her earlier ones.
A very solid four stars, reminding me a lot of VaL McDermids mix of disturbing uncomfortable reading with deeper look into characters. Might not be for everyone but Liz Nugent is accomplished and she is now on my tbr list
Do not read this one until you have read the others. The reason is simply because Osman is getting better and better at it and there is a chapter in this book that is so masterfully written that it would deserve a sixth star on its own. But it does because of how Osman sets it up with the previous three books.
This is everything you want from Scalzi - Witty, quickpaced, always an original viewpoint on an old trope. Really only knock is why is it over so damn quickly.
By now i know that I will be troubled by Cosby's books, that they will make me uncomfortable. One was a heist novel another was a worst case buddy book, now he goes into Val McDermid territory with a tale of horror. The backdrop is the same but each book is distinct.
Very readable and engaging story of not just the Wager but also the conditions aboard a ship in the early 19C
Highly layered fantasy book centered in a library. Had me at that, i guess. Not sure i followed all the transitions but it is a fine book.
Came down my Library hold and wasn't sure what to expect but it had been on the goodreads fantasy awards so i had placed it in my queue. Well it was a very pleasant surprise., especially from a new author. It is a very simple tale, and coming off the heels of reading Becky Chalmers, I enjoyed the fundamentally positive tale
3.5 bumped up in spirit of encouragement. Jones is a Historian first, author second and I fear it sort of shows. He could have fleshed out the characters more, but more than that I wound have more development of the political strategy rather than just go from battle to battle.
Diving into this a second time to prepare for the third and last installment that has just been published. It probably re-kindled my interest in historical novels as I see myself returning to the genre much more than I used to. And the best part is that, second time round, you are not furiously trying to commit to memory the bewildering number of characters.
My first Octavia Butler and I can see what the fuss is about. The book is huge in Scope (Sapiens' survival and continuity) but very small in structure (the Alien ship) and Butler has kept part 1 essential and this lack of information about the aliens actually keeps it focused. All I know is that as I grow older and lived through the clusterfuckery that is people's response to COVID is that we simply do not deserve any Alien who actually wants to keep us alive, whatever their ulterior motive might be...
A perfect companion for a long drive from San Francisco to Orange County. It is very trope heavy with the UK vs French stereotypes but the writing is light enough to not be too heavy and Moore does have some funny turn of phrases.
I did not hate it, but it never lost its timidity to either invest time in the world forming (literally) or the characters and it seems a bit flat on both. With these kind of books where science, ecology, social sciences, economic sciences collide you choose to go into the potentially alienating 700 page route that allows you to flesh things out, or split it into three books. With this book we got it all condensed in an earnest “do goodness” that fell a bit flat. Douglas Adams, in one page, with the Cow coming to the table selling their best parts to restaurant patrons achieved far more moral discussion in my mind that 30 pages on bioengineering sentient cows but not “using” them for milk.
Not quite Holmesian” as it lacks that structure, and also a slight miss on the SciFi side as it presents potentially interesting topics but does not really develop them. I enjoyed the story but felt it could be more.
Although i appreciate the period, and I think O'Farrell writing was less florid than Hamnet the sum of the parts on this made up less than my appreciation of Hamnet.
Mixes of Miéville, of Gaiman (and probably Pratchett although i yet to read him) a dash of Abercrombie. This Tchaikovsky is very different from the SF one. More playful but just as complex. Satisfying.
I really have to admire how Harris has mastered the art of historical research without penalizing other aspects of the story. In fact Harris' painting of the period adds so much to the context, both in the UK and the US side of the story. This was my second Harris book but I will be going back to read more.