Victor Hugo Kebbe
Mind blowing – I’m still seriously thinking about this book. It was clearly a long journey, brightened with several very impressive ideas. Perhaps this is the great merit of Revelation Space, that of bringing an almost infinite succession of impressive ideas in stunning and richly detailed and imaginative scenarios. If I keep thinking about the book, even after it’s finished, I think it’s a quality to be noticed.
However, the book is also marked by the author’s truncated writing. For me it was clear that Reynolds likes to “show and not tell”, which seems like an interesting idea (and very overvalued these days). However, Speculative Fiction books (such as Fantasy and Science Fiction) still depend a little on a more traditional approach, just when the book brings so many innovative ideas. For many and over again I saw myself rereading some excerpts and wondering if I had lost something in the middle of the way.
Some readers complained that the author is long-winded and that the book could be smaller in relation to the number of pages. I don’t consider this a problem at all. However, the author could have been a little clearer and more direct in presenting some of his ideas, but I understand that it is a matter of style.
This is one of the best Ancient History books today. Its tiny size is misleading if you think it’s a short text book: the author proposes a bold theory to rethink Ancient History as being, in fact, the history of connections and exchanges and the entire Mediterranean Sea. From this new perspective, everything needs to be rethought: Greece, Egypt, Tyre, Carthage, Persian Empire, Roman Empire, Hellenism... the theoretical gains are immense.
It's hard to rate this one. Since it was part of my childhood, it's hard to shake off the nostalgia. However, it's even harder to escape the prejudices of its time. Almost all Tintin comics are full of prejudice and racism, exalting the alleged intellectual and moral superiority of the white European man.
In this particular title, we see the courageous Tintin killing wild creatures in the forest, doubting that the “indians” can be medical doctors and deceiving the native population with his scientific knowledge. It's really hard to read these things nowadays.
Path of Deceit is one of the first titles of Phase II of Star Wars High Republic. I decided to give the new phase a chance, knowing that I did not have the best experience with Phase I (I lost the desire to follow this series at the time thanks to the book [b:Light of the Jedi 51637946 Light of the Jedi (Star Wars The High Republic) Charles Soule https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582619576l/51637946.SY75.jpg 76212411], by [a:Charles Soule 1641284 Charles Soule https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1679508257p2/1641284.jpg], a book that was sold as being for adults, but was practically written as a YA book). This time I saw that Path of Deceit was written as YA, which helped me adjust my expectations. Compared to the themes of Phase I, Phase II seems much more interesting. The idea of explorers and Pathfinders is really cool and the threat to the established order makes more sense than the space bikers who are the Nihil. I intend to continue following Phase II.It's not easy to judge or analyze a YA book as an adult. We assume that some tropes are expected and others should be avoided. There isn't much room (nor the intention) for the development of more three-dimensional characters, which means these books don't provoke some kind of connection with mature readers.With Path of Deceit it's no different. The characters are flat and do not show great development. For example, the character Marda Ro, who is a naive and fanatical teenager from the Path of the Open Hand sect, ends the book as a naive and fanatical teenager (perhaps even more fervently fanatical than before). Kevmo Zink, the Jedi padawan of the story, is the same: he appears and disappears in the same way he appeared, without significant developments.I have this impression that, unfortunately, the current Star Wars YA books follows the same formula, which focus on two teenagers of opposite sexes living a forbidden or impossible romance. This appears in [a:Claudia Gray 1192311 Claudia Gray https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1234643683p2/1192311.jpg]'s book [b:Lost Stars 25067046 Lost Stars (Star Wars) Claudia Gray https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1539015804l/25067046.SY75.jpg 44751860], but perhaps because of its novelty, [b:Lost Stars 25067046 Lost Stars (Star Wars) Claudia Gray https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1539015804l/25067046.SY75.jpg 44751860] was better in this respect.In Path of Deceit we have the same formulaic solution of the love-struck couple who cannot get involved, but ends up being the focal point of several major events happening in the background, such as the theft of Jedi artifacts on one side and a plan to destroy the Jedi Order on the other. As the goal of the story is to tell about this romance and not about everything else surrounding it, other characters and/or factions appear more or less unbalanced. If you expect to read a book with a Jedi adventure or something similar, perhaps this title will be a disappointment.Despite my criticism, the writing is fluid and very well articulated. [a:Tessa Gratton (Author) 30190959 Tessa Gratton (Author) https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] and [a:Justina Ireland 5833089 Justina Ireland https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1601064644p2/5833089.jpg] know what they're doing. I would have loved this book if I had read it at 15 years old. The book deepens some knowledge of the Star Wars universe and expands a bit more on canon. I confess that I am not excited to continue with [b:Path of Vengeance 61176500 Path of Vengeance (Star Wars The High Republic) Cavan Scott https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1665326764l/61176500.SY75.jpg 96437193] by [a:Cavan Scott 87934 Cavan Scott https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1654767185p2/87934.jpg] (mainly because of the author's writing style, which I am not very fond of).
The third book in the New Jedi Order series was a very frustrating reading experience. As I had promised myself that I would read all the books in this arc, I ended up reading it after several attempts. I felt bogged down at several moments. It took a while for the reading to flow satisfactorily. Later I listened to the audiobook to remember some events to write this review.
Honestly, I have mixed feelings regarding James Luceno's writing. The verbose and encyclopedic writing style ends up becoming obstacles to a more fluid or organic narrative. At some times it seems that the author's concern is to talk about the origins of the “Corellian Bloodstripes” in Han Solo's pants instead of focusing on really important topics.
As I said previously, it is not and has never been the objective of Star Wars to debate serious topics, despite them appearing in the text and moving the narrative. The book presents the struggle of the New Republic (or rather, just a few people from the New Republic, like Ambassador Leia Organa Solo) to help the various waves of refugees from the war against the Vong. This is an urgent topic that is present in our real world.
This book also provides closure to Chewbacca's death. Finally Han Solo abandons his depressive stance and decides to embody something more nihilistic. He is our hero without purpose, however, he forgets his role as a father and husband and abandons his family at such a critical moment, which is the scenario of war.
This Solo narrative about the “need to find balance” is portrayed in the book in a controversial way. Leia is presented as the always compliant and understanding woman/mother, ignoring her own more pressing needs. This is a sexist reading and unfortunately quite common in the franchise's books during the 1990s (after all, the vast majority of these books were written by men).
Another problem with this book (but perhaps it was my expectation redirected to the wrong place) is that I imagined we would have a more in-depth presentation of the religious dimension of the Vong. I say this because the main villains in this book are Vong priests and acolytes. However, this is all presented shallowly and without depth (it was a missed opportunity).
To conclude, I read this book for the first time very recently, but I didn't remember almost anything that was written. I went to listen to the audiobook as if I were encountering this title for the first time. This feeling left me quite disappointed and says a lot about this installment.
[b:Dark Tide II: Ruin 320357 Dark Tide II Ruin (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #3) Michael A. Stackpole https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331429816l/320357.SY75.jpg 1134103] brings us the direct continuation of the events that occurred in the first volume of the Dark Tide duology. [a:Michael A. Stackpole 17739 Michael A. Stackpole https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1207602690p2/17739.jpg] manages to keep the pace of the narrative steady, but intense.In this book we have two new interesting points to be added to the political tension present in the first volume. Firstly, we have a growing distension within the Jedi, largely motivated not by divergent philosophical or religious thoughts, but by ego and naivety. Kyp Durron leads a more individualistic and short-sighted faction of the Jedi, while Luke takes a more moderate and cautious stance.One of Durron's followers, Daeshara'cor, ends up being motivated by revenge against the Vong, threatening to build a powerful weapon like the Death Star to put an end to the alien invasion. For those who know the reckless Kyp Durron from [a:Kevin J. Anderson 4845 Kevin J. Anderson https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1215310030p2/4845.jpg]'s Jedi Academy trilogy, the only and best thing I can say is: “like master, like apprentice”.I would like to say that “for the first time our heroes have some secret or McGuffin capable of defeating the Vong”, but that is the constant of each book in the series. Our heroes always manage to contain (at least for now) the invasion, but the costs are extremely high. However, how they do in this book gives us a great sense of satisfaction.The ending, which in turn involves Senator Elegos A'Kla, is quite tragic and, perhaps, one of the darkest moments in Star Wars so far, perhaps comparable to what happens with Chewbacca in [b:Vector Prime 192214 Vector Prime (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #1) R.A. Salvatore https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1412181316l/192214.SX50.jpg 2799032] (in my honest opinion, what happens to A'Kla is even worse).I don't need to say that this is a duology and it only makes sense to read both books to have a better reading and entertainment experience. [a:Michael A. Stackpole 17739 Michael A. Stackpole https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1207602690p2/17739.jpg] doesn't disappoint and I guarantee it's hours of frantic fun.
It was a very interesting journey. For fans of Vampire: The Masquerade and Vampire: The Dark Ages, this is a novel that brings some very cool things, such as the crusade of Latins and Franks who invade Constantinople in the 13th century and end up putting several wheels of fate in motion (This is Medieval History, not spoilers).
I can't say it's a great work of fiction and fantasy, but it's engaging. I feel that those who do not know the aforementioned RPGs will not be able to fully understand everything that is happening in this novel (which is a flaw, in my opinion).
I just finished rereading Star Wars – The New Jedi Order: Onslaught. I don't know if it's because I've read this book several times in the past, but it definitely brings a warmth in the heart. I really like the way [a:Michael Stackpole 19077986 Michael Stackpole https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] writes and makes us feel at home. I really like the way he approaches the main characters and makes the reader feel connected with the Solo brothers.It is worth saying that, despite being a small book, a lot happens! There are several scenes and adventures and all equally important. [a:Michael Stackpole 19077986 Michael Stackpole https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] has always known how to balance and tell the narrative in an agile way. It's no surprise that he's one of the big names in the Expanded Universe, mainly due to the books in the X-Wing series.One of the main points of the book is about the political tension involving the New Republic. Despite having lived alongside the great heroes of the Rebel Alliance, the current politicians presented in this story seem much more concerned with personal agendas than with the political stability and security of the new government. Apparently, pettiness and smallness still haunt the world enough for people to forget the atrocities done by the Empire (it's a very current issue in our real world, considering I'm writing this in the beginning of the XXI century).I really liked Luke Skywalker's initiative in creating reconnaissance missions led by cells of Jedi Knights. Each group has its own adventures and series of difficulties, but gathering information that will be important in the end. Of these, I really like Luke's trip with Jacen Solo to Belkadan, when they really begin to realize the size of the problem and the threat that the Vong are. Bioengineering was one of the major themes of Science Fiction in the 1990s and is very well represented here.It is a book that has no philosophical depth. Despite touching on sensitive topics (environmental issues, our current relationship with technology, recurring family issues, etc.), it does not promote any deeper discussion about any of it. That is not and has never been the goal of any Star Wars movie/comic/book, but it is a fun book after all.
I've been struggling with Star Wars High Republic, to say the least. I've been trying to read [b:Light of the Jedi 51637946 Light of the Jedi (Star Wars The High Republic) Charles Soule https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582619576l/51637946.SY75.jpg 76212411] since 2022, but to no avail. I don't know what happens, but I must say I don't enjoy Charles Soule writing (comic books included). Instead, I moved to “the old, but gold” New Jedi Order and I've just finished Vector Prime, by [a:R.A. Salvatore 1023510 R.A. Salvatore https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1671730815p2/1023510.jpg]. I also have my problems with Salvatore, but this book is so much more compelling.One of the best things of going back do the old Star Wars Expanded Universe is... going back to the Expanded Universe! I really like that idea of Han and Leia having children, and the marriage of Luke Skywalker (and a kid also), that was interesting. It showed us that Star Wars was growing old with its readers in a respectful manner. Sometimes I think the new Disney cannon patronizes its readers because the writing is a little bit lazy. I have read several books and comics of the new canon and for several times I have had the impression of being treated like a kid. It seems clear to me that the new editorial policy of Disney Publishing is aimed solely at YA. Whether by the way these books and comics are being written, or by the absurdly childish plots. Star Wars has never been the supreme of literature, but it also does not mean that its readers are dumb.Of the new books, some writers are really great. I really like Claudia Gray's writings and Alexander Freed's Alphabet Squadron series. However, two writers are not enough to sustain a whole new canon. The old Expanded Universe ends up being more solid and consolidated than much that has been published in the new canon.The first book in the New Jedi Order series has some flaws. Still, Vector Prime is an excellent opening for this series of 19 books. The series itself presents the Star Wars characters aimed at an adult audience that has already established their families and has to deal with the hardships of everyday life.In this book something happens that marked the history of Star Wars as a whole. A great character in the franchise ends up dying, showing in fact that the characters are not immortal. The scene itself was shocking and impactful. However, my favorite parts are those where we have Luke and Mara Jade. I was really scared when they end up making a great and terrible discovery: their first meeting with the Vong. The way this chapter was written was really interesting and effective. Another very good point of this book is that it already presents the dimension of the great threat in a clear way. Both the characters and the readers already learn from a very early age the severity of the situation and in a very real way. The characters and the readers are not dumb! This is very different from the construction of the “Great Accident” from the book [b:Light of the Jedi 51637946 Light of the Jedi (Star Wars The High Republic) Charles Soule https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582619576l/51637946.SY75.jpg 76212411], which develops the plot in a too nebulous way.
It's a great installment of old Star Wars Expanded Universe and it was made to be an epic (with all its hits and misses included). Tom Veitch writing emulates the dialogues from the classical trilogy (episodes IV, V and VI) and the artwork by Cam Kannedy is amazing.
There are some minor loopholes here and there and some bad design choices for starships and vehicles. I must also mention Empatojayos Brand, one of the most bizarre character designs I've ever seen. The main villain is also poorly written, despite being a major villain in Star Wars universe. I can't understand why, if the great villain, who claims to predict the whole future, lets slip so many banal things.
The first two thirds of this trilogy are great, mostly because of Veitch/Kennedy collaboration. Kennedy's artwork is really remarkable and stands off everything else.
Nonetheless, despite its flaws, it has a lot of accolades. The Dark Empire trilogy was responsible to revamp the Star Wars vibe in the 1990s' altogether with Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy and it's a big deal because it launched the old Expanded Universe (called Legends nowadays). It is a must read to every Star Wars fan.
If you like the political intrigue from Star Wars episodes I-II-III this book is for you. It tells how Palpatine ascended to power in detail and it's quite great to know how he became a Sith Lord. He is not a mastermind alone: he's following his Master's steps, Darth Plagueis. The book is well written and it feels you're seeing the prequel trilogy from behind the scenes. Several important questions are answered in this installment. Darth Plagueis is a great character in this grand scheme of the Revenge of the Sith, although the book is misleading. Although the book is called Darth Plagueis, the character is practically secondary to his apprentice, Darth Sidious.
My problem with this title is that it's quite exemplary of how bad old SW Expanded Universe has become in its final days (I'm not saying that the Disney Cannon is better either; I still prefer the old EU). It shows this unnecessary (and quite annoying) urge to connect all the dots between movies, previous books, videogames and comic books as well. I was constantly thinking about the huge library research Luceno did to “fill all the gaps” just to fulfill the LucasBooks Licensing editorial demands. Sometimes it seems it was more important to know when and where this or that came from than the story itself (ie. if you want to know why Count Dooku uses his well tailored cape, you will find the answer here; what that matters to the main plot Is the big question).
What do Dooku, Tatooine, Kamino, Jabba, the Hutt and those beautiful chrome-nosed Nubian starfighters of Naboo have in common? Apparently everything, and that is the problem. I have this feeling that Star Wars galaxy is amazingly small because everyone knows everyone and everyone lives and/or goes to the same places because of this unjustified need to connect all previous publications. I still don't understand why they have to be at Tatooine all the time (I don't know what's so appealing with that huge dust ball) or even to meet Jabba the Hutt just because he's an iconic character.
Anyway, if you're looking to take a different look at what happened before the prequel trilogy and you really dig the political schemes from episodes I-II-III, it's a must read.
I've read other titles from the Cyberpunk 2077 series, released by Dark Horse Comics, and I definitely have my favorite. Your Voice has a broken, fragmented narrative, however, a connoisseur of the Cyberpunk 2020 RPG and its other iterations such as Cyberpunk RED and the videogame Cyberpunk 2077 will be able to recognize iconic characters and references in this volume.
What caught my attention the most was the impressive artwork. I've read several comic books that call themselves cyberpunk, but this is one of the few, alongside Ghost in the Shell, that manage to bring graphic, aggressive (PUNK) and incredibly beautiful art. It was definitely one of the surprises of 2022.
I've read other titles from the Cyberpunk 2077 series, released by Dark Horse Comics, and I definitely have my favorite. Your Voice has a broken, fragmented narrative, however, a connoisseur of the Cyberpunk 2020 RPG and its other iterations such as Cyberpunk RED and the videogame Cyberpunk 2077 will be able to recognize iconic characters and references in this volume.
What caught my attention the most was the impressive artwork. I've read several comic books that call themselves cyberpunk, but this is one of the few, alongside Ghost in the Shell, that manage to bring graphic, aggressive (PUNK) and incredibly beautiful art. It was definitely one of the surprises of 2022.
Neuromancer is one of my favorite books, which I have read and reread over the past two decades.
I really like the cyberpunk genre of Science Fiction, with Neuromancer being one of the fathers or founders of “the movement” (I can't leave Mirrorshades aside, nor other seminal Gibson tales that are there in Burning Chrome...).
Neuromancer has it all. A lot of younger people don't like or even don't understand the vision we had of the future in the 1980s. The Matrix and Cyberspace were just some of our fantasies of the future. It is “curious” that nowadays any child has access to this universe on a tablet, accessing the Matrix while sitting on the sofa in the living room.
Gibson's writing is incredibly vivid. The way he play with words has, in my opinion, its apex in Johnny Mnemonic, earlier work, but Neuromancer also contains these characteristics.
I also like the characters and how they live in this nihilistic madness so characteristic of cyberpunk. Call me nostalgic, but that's the truth.
For Science Fiction lovers, Neuromancer is a must-read. Gibson reset those old sci-fi standards. Contrary to what many can say, cyberpunk remains very relevant and far from dead. Long live the Neuromancer.
A fun reading, quite entertaining. The ending is full of twists and turns, but it seems to me to be in a hurry given the information to be revealed.
I've never called Vatican City and Rome so much, but I confess that I felt like visiting the places mentioned in the book.
I prefer the Langdon presented in the Da Vinci Code. In this book he seems to me more naive and whose deeds do not interfere so much in the narrative.
