Joel Hill
I'm still deciding on where I land with this book, 2/5 might be a bit harsh. Maybe a 2.5 or even a 3?
It's definitely one of the weaker SK books I've read, and it's the latest in a string of his books that I didn't enjoy
Its so hard to sum up why this book is 5 stars for me, I just loved it.
I need time to think, and if I have more to say later on I'll add it here.
I don't even know how to review this book, I have no idea what I just read. The entire narrative felt like a bad acid trip (in a good way) and I felt like I needed a shower and maybe a hug after I was done reading it.
If you like science fiction and horror there's a lot to chew on here and I recommend it if you want more of a challenging read.
I'll probably continue to read the other books in the series eventually. I've left Area X for now, but did it leave me?
I'm surprised I enjoyed this as much as I did since I'm awful at sticking with books where the science fiction “doesn't make sense” or “isn't possible” (which is absurd, I know). The book requires you to suspend your disbelief and just accept that the fictional technology is so far advanced it may as well be magic. If you can do that the rest of the story is incredibly rewarding and beautiful.
It wasn't perfect. Some parts of the narrative were confusing to me (but then again I also read the book quickly and maybe I should have taken my time with the more complex passages). It also has the audacity to end before I wanted it to.
Overall, This is How You Lose the Time War was pretty great and I'm probably going to be recommending it to a lot of my friends.
The First Law is now my go to recommendation to anyone who might like fantasy. I think the sequel trilogy (Age of Madness) is superior, but The First Law has a charm and an emphasis on the supernatural that feels missing in later books.
I really, really, hope Abercrombie continues the story into the future with another generation of characters, but I know I'm going to be waiting a while for that.
I only have the three middle “one-off” books left and then what will I read?! Other authors???
This book was hilarious and heartfelt and I think I'm going to end up recommending it to a lot of people. I'd maybe lean closer to 4.5/5 but the stars are a silly rating system any so who really cares?
Yeah, great book club pick and I look forward to hearing what people have to say about it. Probably not a book for everyone but I really liked it!
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 should have “made my heart a stone”, I'm never going to emotionally recover from this
Oh man, what a ride! I could not put this book down and I really don't know if I'll be able to resist immediately picking up the next entry in the series!
I'm so completely invested in every single character in these books (some more than others), and I could not stop reading towards the end (you'll know why). I find myself cheering for both sides of every conflict even though some of them are honestly terrible people.
My only real complaints are fairly minor. It was heavily focused on a smaller subset of the overall cast and I was looking forward to exploring some storylines outside of the inner Union politics. It was also occasionally difficult to follow the plot due to the barrage of family names, but, meh.
All in all I'm recommending this series to everyone I talk to. It's so. Damn. Good! Perfect? No. But I don't know what else I'd give 5 stars to, so yeah, 5 stars!
I feel bad ragging on a book club pic and a story about a holocaust survivor... But damn, this really isn't a good book. The writing is bland and somehow manages to suck all emotion out of what could have been an engaging story.
If you want a holocaust story look somewhere else
Actually read this a while ago and forgot to update my status. Also forget a lot about the book but I think I liked it?
I actually finished this a while ago and forgot to update Goodreads. Good book and great bookclub discussion followed!
Out of the 4 stories, I loved one of them (Rat), really liked another (If It Bleeds), and found the other two to be just alright. They all held my interest well though.
Word of warning, your milage may vary with this collection if you have not read The Outsider or Mr. Mercedes. If It Bleeds, the longest of the 4 stories, is a sort of continuation of those books.
Overall, yeah it was fun :)
The Mistborn Trilogy is by far the most intricate, well planned, and just plain cool plots I've ever read in a fantasy book. Every little detail in all three books plays its part, and every plot line was eventually concluded beautifully while still somehow serving the greater narrative.
Like the other two, this book spends about 2/3s of it's length setting up the ending. It's a slower read, but it always had my attention and it always left me wanting to see what happens next. Oh, and that ending... wow. Sanderson pulls no punches here.
I'm really not sure how to rate this book. I don't think it was written as well as the previous two, however I'm also at a loss for words on how well it's wraps up the story told by the trilogy as a whole. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say this: read these books!
This was really good, but also quite short! I don't think it needed to be longer mind you, it's just that if you're looking for a longer story this ain't it.
I listened to the audio book and I'd really recommend that format, the narration was excellent.
I was a little let down by the conclusion. It made sense but I was hoping for a different outcome. That's subjective though, and I'd love to hear what other people think.
Great book club pick!
It handles the topic of death with grace and humour, but I found the plot a bit thin. Not as good as “Guards, Guards!” But I still really enjoyed it! Probably closer to 3.5.