F.

A few good ideas amidst crappy writing, tons of nonsense, and an all-around detestable style of story-telling. What a (f*cking) stupid book...

I found it somewhat perplexing that Pratchett's best Discworld book would be this one (for me).

The series on Death and the one on Miss Weatherwax were always my favorites. Rincewind is simply boring. But ‘Going Postal' really takes the cake. It's quite clever and touching.

Besides, it made me feel respect for Vetinari, almost wanting to know what our world would be like with a benevolent dictator.

This is, unlike many Discworld books, not just a light read, but rather an inventive book about greed and the pride of a job well done. The way the “clacks” were run mirrors that of many corporations of our own world, which was in itself gripping enough. It's hard not to like a book that pokes so much fun at managers and the rich.

I don't know how I feel about the ending, but damn, what a terrifically excellent book. I didn't even know this was a genre, but it hits the right notes. Brilliant!

I understand now why the 2013 movie got hit by the critics. The Great Gatsby is a sad book. The movie fails to capture the melancholy of Gatsby's dream, and the empathy you feel on moments of pure humanity throughout the book. Tobey Maguire isn't a proper Carraway to me, but as the character himself says:

‘In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since. “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.”'

The only part of the book that failed to interest me was Nick's description of the people that came to Gatsby's parties. I felt for a moment as if I had picked up War and Peace. It's nothing but a long, very long list of names. Perhaps the author is trying to give you a sense of how extensive was the group of people that “crashed” Gatsby's parties, yet failed to be there he most needed them.

Well, I'm not a proper critic and can't write clever reviews, so I'll state simply: The Great Gatsby is excellent.

Maybe age has finally gotten to me, and M:tG books are no longer as enjoyable. Although, having just finished “Rath and Storm” — which I found to be rather good —, perhaps it's just that the Ravnica cycle feels uninspired. Mr. Herndon's work on the Mirrodin books was perfectly fine with me, but here we have too many characters, too many new words, too many plot points, going back and forth, which makes it all a bit uninteresting.

The ending was especially lacklustre: you can't quite build up the primary antagonist to be this iconic, legendary, 10 thousand years old vampire, but also have him finished in 10 seconds by an aging cop. Something doesn't quite add up there. Mirrodin's Memnarch went down in an epic series of events, so the author can clearly deliver a good villain's downfall.

I don't intend to be too harsh, after all Goodreads labels the 2-star rating as “It's ok.” And that's what this particular book was.

EDIT: I've just started Mercadian Masques, and it's been very pleasant by comparison.

This is one of the best Discworld books. Death is the most likable character, and Pratchett is in top form here. I'm currently reading it in French and have to admit it's sometimes even funnier, given the excellent work of the translator.

I don't expect M:tG novels to be top tier, but that they at least connect to the whole of this universe and provide a decent, light read.

That said, “Prophecy” is appalling.

This was a bore, it dragged insignificant details on for so long, and I found myself skimming more than I'd do a self-help book. It's not a terrible book, but I really wish I hadn't spent time reading it. It also ties poorly with this cycle.

Basically, it all boils down to this:

=== SPOILER ===

The Phyrexian plague is spreading in Dominaria, and the Keldons are to blame. They're also awful, slave-owning, war-mongering people. Rayne dies, Barrin is upset, and Teferi is... well, the usual.

That's it, only stretched meaninglessly for hundreds of pages. I don't mean to be rude or dismissive of the author's work, it's just that this one wasn't for me.