Nadine K
Really should’ve read this trilogy before the Tawny Man Trilogy but reading it after the Tawny Man Trilogy is really it’s own fun too.
Fantastic. Reminds me why high fantasy will always be my home genre.
RJ Barker’s superpower is his creative world-building. How every universe he breathes to live is so different from our real world and somehow also so unique from each other but still infused with humanity. From The Wounded Kingdom Series to The Tide Child Series to this new one.
Adrian Tchaikovsky author of the Children of Time series was quoted to say, “ One of the most interesting and original fantasy world I’ve seen in years” in reference to the Tide Child series and somehow the same can be said for this entry into Barkers newest universe.
It’s astounding.
One thing I’ve noted about Barker’s writing in the past is that the first books of his series do not do justice to how good the whole thing actually is. That is not the case at all for this book. Gripping from the start and hopefully til the end.
Still, that is not to say it’s without it’s flaws. The beginning of the book is a tiny bit messy, though this only lasted the first couple of chapters. Also, the dialogue can be cheesy at moments but I can let it all slide because I had so much fun with the story.
600 pages isn’t enough. I need Sanderson level page counts.
I eagerly wait for book 2. (I am frothing at the mouth.)
Not as good as Network Effect which is apparently my barometer now. Still fun, still love Murderbot. Interesting development! It's definitely becoming more human (poor thing).
Great characters and lovely romance. Sadly could see the ending a mile away.
Charming like a fairytale if you can let go of the anachronisms that come with Sanderson's world-building. (Personally, I just roll with it.)
Hoid is not nearly as clever or charming a narrator as he believes himself to be and that took me out of the story at some points. Also I hated the character illustrations so much.
I must admit, Sanderson is not the best writer technically speaking, but he is exceedingly good at one-liners. His work feels like the Marvel Studios of the fantasy world, not necessarily a diss. He's enjoyable and fun where it counts.
That is to say it was a good simple read and exactly that I needed to take my mind off THAT book.
Oh what a beautiful ride this book was.
“My people are dead of trying, or headed that way, addicted as we are to keeping ourselves alive.”
Coming of age Americana with my favorite kind of character (self-hating, down on his luck, boy with a heart of gold). Inspired by Charles Dickens' David Copperfield, it is a study on class inequality in the modern US from a point of view rarely explored, rural Appalachians. Touching and full of heart as it is of tragedy. I personally am tragedy averse so I had anxiety reading through a lot of this book, expecting the worst, but this is far from tragedy porn. It is a story of perseverance and love.
Set in the mid-to-late 90's up until the early 2000's, Demon Copperhead tells the story of the titular character's life from his unfortunate beginnings, to his turbulent and violent ejection into young adulthood, to his stumbling missteps into his approximation of adulthood. He isn't alone in this journey, he has friends who come and go, a family who equally supports and rejects him, and many people both with good intentions and bad surrounding him. The story itself, told in first person with Demon's own words and memories, is later revealed to be his recovery journal as he recounts where it all went wrong in his road to the straight and narrow.
It ends on a high and hopeful note leaving the characters' future open just how we readers of his story have always wanted for him.
Gorgeously written. Realistic and heart-wrenching characters. A distinct voice. 5 stars no notes.
From the reviews this seems like a pretty divisive book but honestly, I liked it.
Klara is observant, optimistic, and relentlessly naive so I get how she could read as bland or annoying to many but I liked her.
It feels like she has full sentience without the full range of human emotions. She remains childlike and naive throughout her entire lifespan with minimal fear, anger, and sadness. Personally, I think that this was a nice choice (but maybe it's because I don't actively seek out emotionally challenging books). And while I agree that sometimes her perspective leaves much to be desired, I was still on board throughout the novel with Ishiguro's writing and the slow reveal of the world. Anyway, I still think she deserves better than the end she got.
There is one thing left vague in the novel that I don't know whether I like or not because it seems like a sudden departure from the genre, but it's give or take. I don't mind too much either way.
If you're looking for a sci-fi book that delves headfirst into the good and bad of human nature, this is not the book for you. It's reads more like one of those cozy books with a tiny kick.
That being said, I did like it.
These thousand page high fantasy classics (TOMES) are always so fucking rewarding, how could I ever want to read anything else?
I loved it. I wish I read it sooner. I wanted to dive into the next book right away but I also feel like I need a breather.
I'm a very character motivated reader and I got attached immediately to Kaladin and Shallan. I feel like this series has the potential to destroy me and that is exciting.
I love this series so much. I adore Muderbot and ART and as much as I loved their interactions in Rogue Protocol, it's so much more fun and also strangely adorable in this one.
Finally a whole Muderbot novel... it's really what we deserve.
The art is GORGEOUS and so so magical.
Coco is a sweetie and I can't wait for her to learn more magic.
AND IF I WEEP????
10/10!!!! 5 STARS!!!
I see Ray Bradbury wherever I go (and I'm not complaining). Uncannily reminded me of a mix of Dandelion Wine and Something Wicked this way comes, two of my faves but, as I read on, it turned into something absolutely fantastic and uniquely original.
This book takes its time, not a second more and not a second less. Slow like molasses with intense payoffs. I was charmed immediately by the end of part 1.
To quote the book directly:
“It meandered like the river, and you never knew where you were going until you got there, but the journey was sweet and deep and left you wishing for more.”
And I cannot stress how much it means to me that this book called “Boy's Life”, after hundreds of pages of the magic of “boyhood” ends in an epilogue where our main character is all grown up with a family of his own, with a daughter, and says that it's a girl's life too. It does mean so much to me.
I'm a sentimental person (hence the Bradbury fangirling) and this is just what I needed.
An aside: Sad that magical realism in americana is always relegated to coming or age or childrens stories. Plausible deniability probably. Westerner's wouldn't be caught dead believing in magic.
The funniest volume so far. The story is finally picking up. Finally excited to read the series lol.
Still waiting for Izutsumi.
Tonal shift!
Not as many jokes and quips as the last books, noticeably a bit duller but still good.
I initially felt neutral towards Miki but that ending for it, man. Genuinely so sad.
Good ending (although there are more books in this series).
A solid completion of a character arc, I'm glad Murderbot made peace with the idea of a home.
A bit cheesy sometimes and not as funny as the first 2 books but I really enjoyed it. I relate to Murderbot too much and I think that's a problem. Accepting being cheesy and having emotions is part of the mortifying idea of being known (and human) so, in that sense, it and I are the same.
Will definitely read the other books but I think this was a good original endpoint and will treat the rest as either bonus content or a “new season” so to speak.
Insane how something written so masterfully, so beautifully, with such care and thought could leave me with so so so much psychic damage.
I'm in pain and it was horrifying and made me so sick I near cried. But like 5 stars I guess, fuck. The characters are fantastic and charming and all so lovable, which is exactly why they were able to devastate me so.
I'd write the trigger warnings but you can easily look those up. If I were given the trigger warnings upfront I don't know if I would have proceeded. (That's a lie, I totally would have on the merit of the writing and characters alone.)
To be clear, I'm agnostic, I believe in God but not religion. I don't think a single religion on Earth is right about God, and that's where I stood and still stand on the matter.
UNDENIABLY 5 STARS. One of the best books I've read this year and that is not an exaggeration. (Not saying best because I finished the Remembrance of Earths Past trilogy this year and that series changed me as a person on a fundamental scale.)
Chaotic and absurd. Hilarious and horrifying. Beautiful beautiful ending. Absolutely everything.
Scott Hawkins has an absolutely unique and colourful voice as an author. Just remembering his words as I write this review has my heart pumping.
In the beginning it reminded me of a darker more fucked up Umbrella Academy and as I progressed it reminded me of a more put together, focused Homestuck. Absolute banger. Perfect in every way.
Sadly boring with bits of truly interesting moments scattered throughout. The pacing was so off it was a struggle to get through but I did like the story.
This is where everything starts getting really dark, I assume?
“I've always wanted to be someone else but now all I want is to be me” got me fucking bawling.
