Joel Hill
I've got no problem recommending this to fantasy fans. It's got cool magic, interesting politics, and the characters have a lot of depth. My only complaint is that it wraps things up almost too quickly. I was left wanting more, which is good, but the end of the story arc comes at you so fast that you almost can't process a lot of the heavy material thrown at you.
For a while I thought I would end up giving this a slightly lower review, but it just didn't feel right giving it only 3 stars and the last 3rd of the book really picks up! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4!
I'm really torn on where I land with this book. Lyra is such a fun character, the bears are awesome, and the overall world is really neat. On the other hand the main character has a device that can answer any question you could imagine and she NEVER uses it.
Overall I think if you're looking for a fun and unique fantasy read it's a safe bet you'll enjoy it. It was a great book club pick and gave us a lot to talk about!
If you like fantasy you NEED to read this book.
The Way of Kings is a journey through a world like nothing I've imagined before. A place ravaged by storms so harsh that topsoil is alien and the only living Flora have adapted to hide in porus rock or retract into shell-like exoskeletons. Horses have been replaced by giant hermit crabs, and man's best friend has antenna and six legs. To top it all off, the ruling class are determined by their eye colour and the most powerful kingdoms are those that posses “shards” and “plates”; magical swords and armor leftover from a forgotten era. More I learned about the world the more I grew to love it, and despite being so alien it was never so off-putting that I was pushed away. It pulled me in and kept me wanting to experience more.
The story is told through the perspectives of wildly different characters: an uncle to a king, a slave in the king's army, and young woman on a quest to become a renowned scholar. There wasn't a single character I didn't want to know more about, and when the perspective changed from one to the other I was always eager to progress through their personal journeys.
This book has everything. Magic, epic battles, politics, tragedy, humor, redemption, forgiveness, betrayal, and delicious campfire stew. I seriously can't recommend it enough. Do yourself a favour and read this book!
I finished the book last night and I still feel like I'm wrapping my head around the insanely imaginative world Liu Cixin created. I wasn't driven to read this book for the plot or for the characters, but to watch the universe unfold as I flipped the pages.
If you've read the first two books in this series then you know exactly what you're getting into with Death's End, however it is probably the best of the three. The translation was phenomenal and the scope and scale of the story was so much more grand than The Three Body Problem or The Dark Forest.
I can't recommend to everyone, but if you're into hard SCI FI this series needs to be on your list.
Not something I'd recommend for everyone, but for me this was almost perfect science fiction. It's full of wild and mind bending ideas and it will keep your imagination running at top speed the entire time.
My only critique is that I didn't connect well with the characters, but then again they aren't really the focus of the book either. They are mostly there as a vehicle for the story of humanity and the Trisolarians and that's fine.
Awesome book, and I'm looking forward to the third chapter!
It's a fantastic read all the way through, but I think the last two chapters may have convinced me that this is one of the best books Stephen King has ever written. The past paragraph actually gave me chills.
Every person in this book fights so hard to stay alive and by the end of it all you're just left wondering why.
I don't even know where to start, it was such a good read! The dialog between the children felt a little awkward at first, but the book moves on quickly and it's tough to put down once the story gets rolling.
If you like Stephen King you'll like this book. If you've never read Stephen King you could start here and be happy.
This was a tough book.
The Radchaai have been on a several thousand year long campaign of violent expansion and have a complex culture centered around family houses, social standing, and religious devotion. Ancillary Justice is story told from the perceptive of a ship AI serving the Radchaai, who is, for all intents and purposes, omnipotent until her primary vessel is destroyed and only a fragment of her once vast consciousnesses survives in a human body. The author (Ann Lecke) throws you into the middle of that drama without any preamble. You are in the mind of Justice of Toren and as the reader you are forced to piece together a very alien universe from her perceptive.
This book took me almost all summer to get through, and there were times when I almost put it down and walked away. I didn't find the plot to very engaging (at first), and everything about the setting and narration was complex and difficult to follow. I'd find myself reading pages and paragraphs several times just to understand what was happening. I felt very dumb.
Although it was a challenging read, it was also incredibly rewarding. It takes place in a rich universe, the characters are complex and flawed people, and it touches on some really profound philosophical topics. What is the “self” when it is spread across thousands of minds and bodies?
I can't really recommend this book to everyone, but if you want to take on something that will really make you think you should give this one a shot. I didn't really “enjoy” the book until about 70% of the way through, but I was engaged and interested the entire time.
I kind of fell off the reading train in the middle of this one so it took me a long time to finish. I really liked it, and I'm going to jump right into the third book.
My only thought coming out of Shift is that I would have been happy not learning what happened to the world. It's not a side of the story I was itching for after the first book, and it was an awkward shift (ha) in perspective. Still very good though, and I loved the story of Jimmy and Shadow.
Nope, not for me! There seem to be two groups of people out there: those that love Ninefox Gambit, and those that didn't finish it. I won't be finishing this book.
If you like to be dumped into a complex far out SciFi setting where nothing is explained and every other word was invented by the author, then shoot me a message. I'll mail you my copy.
The Expanse had turned into my favorite book series and it's gotten to the point where I really can't be critical about them anymore. I'm so invested in the story and characters that it's hard for me not to like whatever James S.A. Corey comes up with.
Having said that, this book really felt like a step above the rest. It dealt with themes of loss, legacy, and death in ways that made it feel mature while still being fun and exciting.
Can't wait for the next (and possibly last?) book!
Excellent! It was better than the first book, however the conclusion was not nearly as satisfying and is more of a segway into book three.
My only criticism is that the world started to feel small after we discover who some of the players in the game are. I want to keep my review spoiler free, so I'll just say that I found the “big reveals” to be a bit underwhelming in the grand scheme of things.
All in all, it's been a great series so far and I'm glad I've stuck with it. On to book three!
Well I though this was the last of a new Mistborn Trilogy... Nope! Apparently we are waiting for a 4th book?
Either way, I think this was just as strong as the other entries in the series, if not better. The all of the characters have grown and continued become interesting people, and the plot kept me guessing until the end.
My only complaint, and I'm not sure how valid it is, is that I'm having a hard part keeping up with the technological changes in the Mistborn world. I suppose I can relate to Wax, everything is changing so quickly and I feel left behind.
I think this was better than the first book. We get a more in depth look at the three main protagonists, a greater story arc is taking shape, and it's even started to expand on the greater lore of the Mistborn series. Very much looking forward to the next book and the conclusion of the Wax and Wayne trilogy!
It feels great to be back in the Mistborn universe, but wow, what a change! The technological leap after 300 years has landed us in the wild west and it is awesome! Gun fights, trains, electricity, and skyscrapers.... And yet somehow it still feels very much like a Mistborn book.
The Alloy of Law is a faster paced action story that has a “buddy cop” kind of vibe. It's a refreshing change, and it sets up what may be another dive into Mistborn lore. Really looking forward to books 2 and 3 in the Wax and Wayne trilogy!
Mars is definitely “Hard Sci-fi” and maybe isn't for everyone. I LOVED the detailed and imaginative story of the planet, however I had a really hard time caring about the characters. They would pop into the narrative and become the focus of the story only to be unceremoniously removed once their part of the book was over.
I'll probably forget about the characters soon after finishing the book, however it sparked my imagination and I'll probably dream about Mars for a long time.
Giving it three stars because I consider that to still be a good rating, but I really can't recommend this book to everyone.
I don't even know where to start, I liked everything about this book. Circe is an amazing character, and it's a joy to see the world of Titans and gods through her eyes over the centuries of her life. Story aside, it's also a joy to read. It felt like every paragraph was clever, poetic, and steeped in meaning.
It may not be for everyone, but I thought it was fantastic and I might want to read it again sometime.
