Chris
This was a tough book to rate for me. Overall I really thought the story was compelling and the premise was really interesting. Atwood is a great writer and the descriptions and prose where amazing.
The issue I had is her writing and prose did not fit the story. This was a “found diary” from Offerd. Unless Offerd was a literary writer, no one would write or speak like this in a diary.
Really was a 2 most of the way through but the ending picked up and it was just enough to get a 3 star. Maybe if I picked this up when I was younger and have not read a lot of fantasy series before it, I would have liked it more. I also listen to the audiobook so maybe that had a little to do with it.
Michael Kramer who does the narration, I like everything else he has done and read. With this book I do not know if it is him or the writing or both. Just about everyone in the series so far are the most whinny and annoying people I have found in a book. Over the top whinny and annoying. To the point I almost stopped many times. The bigger story is good and I keep hoping they characters will grow out of it. The main group of younger characters act like 10 year old spoiled brats that are over reacting. The writer seems to think the way they react is normal.
I am going to try and couple more to see if the writer can grow and work out how the act.
I read these to follow the story which I like but I really do not like the writing. After reading so many other sci-fi and fantasy books that are amazing this is such a letdown. I get that they are written like this for a reason but I could be so much more. Instead of something deep and rich it is more like it is written like a screenplay.
Finally got around to this book. Been wanting to read it for awhile. It just did not do much for me. It was well written, but I just did not get anything out of the story. I did not like the way the boy was written. The kid was annoying throughout most of the book.
If you want a good Fathe/Son Apocolypse story, go read The Walking Dead.
I really like this. The narrator took a little bit to get used too but after a while he grew on me. Only gave it a 4 rather than a 5 because I just wanted a little bit more detail in the tech. I guess I wanted just a little bit more Neal Stephenson. I think it would have added more to the story. Looking forward to the next 2.
Actually one of my favorite Star Wars books. It is Young Adult but still well worth it. My only thought on all the Star Wars book I have read is I wish there was more to them. There is no depth. They are all written basic enough that you could turn any of them word for word into a TV series or movie. That is good in some respects but after reading other Science Fiction or Fantasy books. I want more out of them. Write them as a deep book with backstory and details. Then turn into a movie and cut what you cannot get in.
First loved the movie. I saw it twice and then decided to listen to the book. I thought the book was even better. Add a few bits and pieces throughout that added to the story or to the characters.
Here is the thing that I do not like about most of the Star Wars book, at least to the ones I have read. They are all just short bits and pieces of the universe. Nothing epic no depth to anything. I would rather have a long epic book(s) written then broken up into movies. Rather than the book being written like they are going to made into a 2 hour movie.
I still love the movies. I just wish there was more depth in the books.
I have to agree with most of the 3 star reviews in here. Probably would have given this 3.5 stars. First book was amazing, 2nd was great, 3rd was meh! Such a let down. I am not going to go into to detail but read the other reviews and they are right on. Anthony Ryan created a great, epic, sprawling story. The first 2 books were great character stories that you could not wait to read more and find out what happened. The last book though brought back so many characters that it was tough to follow as some points. Everything that made the first books great was gone. This was just a war story,march here and fight, march here and fight. Other than 1-2 characters I could have cared less what happened to anyone by the end. Anthony Ryan is a great writer and I will read his next book but needs to work on story arc and how to finish a story.
This one is tough to rate for me. I really like the concept and story. The history/fantasy work. The problem I had was there was no meat on the bone. It felt like a screenplay. I would have preferred more detail, backstory, anything. What was there was great it was just not enough. The concept needed more. It almost seemed like a novelette or side story to a bigger world. The whole first part of the book could have been a full long book on its own with the second part a side story.
Great book. Much better than book #4. A lot of my favorite characters coming back.
Issues. Spoilers.
This books is only really a 1/2 book. It is a good 1/2 book and short so it is not that big a deal but seems like a book to give people more back story and to get people into place and to get the group back together.
One thing that really kept me from giving this 5 stars is how really bad the the setup was at the beginning. The ship is being worked on for a few months so everyone decides to leave or gets a call to leave at the exact right time to go to all the exact right places in the solar system. There they run into the right people at the right time to all save those people or to find out the exact same plot to destroy everything. Come on! The writers are better than this!
Even with than the story is great and a great read/listen.
Just finished my second time through both books. Want to give it a second chance to see if my feeling would change on it. Well it has not. The artwork is amazing. The characters are amazing. The individual issues are great and the writing in each is great. It is not even a slow read the pacing is good. My problem with it is each is issue is like a individual story and you just jump from one to the next with sometimes no tie to the last one. So half the time I spent thinking what the hell is going on. Later things start to tie together but even then I did not care. Made it a little better but way to loose with the bigger story of the universe. The character stories tied together nice. Some one else review mentioned that there is so much in each individual issue that they could be there own story. That is my issue with it. I would have like explanation and depth on the world with the characters. Make it 3 books would have been better.
Let me start by saying this is one of my favorite series. The first book was one of my favorites. The second was great too but not quite as good as the first for me. As for this one..my least favorite of the 3. Was it good? Yes but no where near the first two. I guess by the end I felt like this was more like a Part 1 or 2 books. I loved the back story, The Locke and Sabetha story and current interactions were great. I think what was off for me was the ending of both stories. Seemed like the current story and the election just kind of ended. The whole competition seemed like just friendly banter between them and at the end no one cared. The Magi stuff was great but I could careless about them. Seems like this books was needed to get us into the next one. Same issue with the back story. The twists and turns where great up until what happened at the end. There was no closure to what happened next. Seemed like a lot was held for the next one.
i have a feeling the next will be more like the first and should be awesome.
A short book but one of my favorites. Even better in the audio book version because Wil Wheaton reads it. He fits the part or the main character Jack Holloway perfectly. If you get a chance get the audio book of this. If not it is a great story even in the printed version. Also if you have not read anything else be John Scalzi go out right now and get the “Redshirts”, and “Old Man's War”.
