Siah

Rating: 3.5/5

There's a grand scope to the story, one that feels cinematic and intricate in a lot of ways. On the other hand, the characterization could be more fleshed out and, for certain readers, the book leaning into dense scientific topics and jargon can be off-putting. This fits right at home in the hard sci-fi subcategory.

Three Body Problem does read like a prologue to a larger story, and in a way, that probably does more harm than good. But for what it lacks in characterization and breathing room, the book offers the opportunity to explore the first contact trope in a way that is intriguing and clever, to say the least. For those who are used to the “you have to read the next one to get the full story” angle in book reviews, this is such a book. YMMV.

All that being said, I'm curious to see how the Netflix adaptation will turn out. Like I said, this book feels cinematic, and may offer readers a fuller picture of what Liu set out to do here.

The strengths in Childhood's End come from its three part structure, which offers glimpses of humanity at different stages of its first contact story, as well as the overall philosophical, religious, and scientific questions that Clarke presents through his human, and alien, protagonists.

The first part of three is structurally the best, following the expected first contact plot threads while adding an air of mystery and intrigue. Although it's the shortest, it offers a genuine look into what the story is aiming to explore: what if aliens came to Earth, not to conquer it, but to usher it into an era of peace?

The next two parts do not hold up as well, however. Despite its rather dated approaches to race, especially around black Americans , including a brief section about how the n-word is just a commonplace word, much like "republican or methodist, conservative or liberal," and has lot all its taboo-ness in polite society, that offer nothing for the story other than an awkward commentary, the narrative suffers from pacing issues, leaving much less interesting characters to follow for the remainder of the story. By the time one part of the story gets interesting, it falls off in favor of moving on to a different perspective.

The ending, while interesting in concept, feels heavy-handed with large chunks of info-dumping that could have been formatted differently through normal exposition or dialogue. The ending leaves the story on a rather somber note, and while I wasn't expecting a happy ending from a story that seemed to be on a downward spiral since its second part, I do wish there was a finality to it.

Of course, it's easy to pick at a classic through a modern lens and a back catalogue of current sci-fi works that have propelled the genre in a streamlined manner. Childhood's End is a classic for a reason. Despite its shortcomings for me, the thought process that went into crafting such a narrative is still admirable, and you can feel its lasting impact in tons of sci-fi stories today.

MS. MARVEL VOL. 1 by G. WILLOW WILSON ★★★★★If you're new to Marvel comics and you're trying to find a jumping-on point, this is a great book to start with. Here is the classic coming-of-age story for a heroine who didn't expect her life to take a wild turn. Kamala Khan is a wonderful and relatable character, set with lovable friends and family, with a new outlook on life after encountering the Terrigen Mist (for more on that, look up the Inhumans). This story really looks into the life of a modern Pakistani-American teenager living with devout Muslim parents against the backdrop of Jersey City. The opening chapter in Kamala's life is so rich in just eleven issues that it's amazing to think that there are eight more issues in this current volume. There's a definite beginning, middle, and end in this book, and it wraps up just nicely. In today's current Marvel line-up, Kamala's becoming a staple character alongside fan favorites Miles Morales and Sam Alexander. I can't wait to see these three grow up in the Marvel Comics Universe, and I'm still waiting on the day we can see these characters fully realized in the cinematic universe.

I gave it three stars because it's the last book in the trilogy and it was somewhat enjoyable. But in the end, I couldn't get through the lack of actual conflict, the writing, and just the blandness of it all. I ended up reading the book's entire summary and still have no desire to finish the rest of it any time soon.

With Mistborn being my first proper introduction to the Cosmere as I get ready for Stormlight: Rhythm of War in November, my main positive is the magic system Sanderson sets up for the trilogy. I had to keep flipping back to the reference to get a handle on each aspect of the system, but it's structured rather well and easy to catch on to as you read further. Kelsier and Vin were the highlights of the book, as they should be as the protagonists, and I found myself gravitating towards Elend as well. I think my biggest gripe with the book is that it felt longer than it needed to be. Some scenes should have been refined or removed, in my opinion, to make the story tighter. Also, the setting wasn't as exchanging as I'd thought it would be. The story was more contained to a particular set of people and locations, which is fine, but when references were made to other settings and factions of people, I didn't really get a strong picture of how it was affected by the story. It's one of the reasons why it took me so long to finish the story, and I even considered moving beyond the series as a whole and starting Stormlight, but I'm going to stick to it since the story itself isn't bad and I did end up enjoying the ending. I'd definitely recommend it to people who want to get into Sanderson's work and want an easy way to get into the Cosmere as a whole. It's digestible fantasy that, while slow at times, picks up the pace and delivers an engaging experience.

Light spoilers in the third paragraph, but these spoilers aren't necessarily story-specific, more so just small scenes or descriptions.

I don't read many novellas, so it was a nice change of pace to finally get around to reading one from Daniel, whose BookTube videos are engaging and put together nicely, and topped off with a dash of charm and zaniness. The story alone is decent, and the twist in the story is pretty good and just enticing enough to make you want to pick up the next entry. However, while the story concept is strong, the novella is lacking in its overall atmosphere and character development.

I do believe it could've benefitted from a few more chapters and more room for the story to breathe. Due to the novella's size, you hit the ground running in the story, but each character is lacking particular elements that would make them truly relatable/likable. The worldbuilding is minimal, which I can forgive since it will most definitely be expanded on in later stories, but there wasn't much to truly visualize. It seemed like the basics covered were civilians, cops, and religious followers. Again, it can be fine for most people, but for some it may not be enough to keep reading.

There were some weird sections in the story that felt weird, namely a part about cops beating up civilians for an intimidation factor, which can be interpreted as a commentary on today's climate, but felt off-putting and ill-written, as well as a brothel owner slapping one of the male sex workers, who had a quote-unquote “extraordinary erection” before leaving the scene. Both times made me scrunch my face as to why they were included, but that's neither here nor there I suppose.

At the end of the day, I think the novella is a decent start, but not one I felt over the moon for. I'm not entirely against continuing the series, but I'm also not eager to do so.

I feel like this book would satisfy a handful of diverse readers: those who are fans of Wes Anderson films; those who find enjoyment in the mundane aspects of the popular anime, Mob Psycho 100; and those who like slice-of-life stories following peculiar individuals, to name a few. The majority of this book follows the everyday life of a curator, of sorts, as he interviews and follows the lives of these symptomers, or people in the early stages of the next evolution of mankind. Think low-level mutants a la Marvel Comics' X-Men.

The best parts of the book come from its relaxed writing style as well as the personality that oozes from the pages. While the narrator/protagonist does not have much characterization, you definitely get a sense of his personality and feelings towards his occupation. The book is funny, thought-provoking, strange, and heartfelt all wrapped in a tight 300 pages. Its concise style makes for an easy read that would befit any setting, from a late night read before bed, to a midday read during lunch, to a late afternoon visit to the park. At some point, you no longer feel like a reader, but instead an observer of these people and how their “symptoms” impact their lives and our protagonist.

Towards the end of the story, there is a semblance of a plot that starts to brew, but it unfortunately does not get enough time to properly offer anything substantial to the story as whole. It would've served the book much better if these plot threads were spread out throughout the book, leading to the appropriate climax that would allow the book to come full circle.

In the end, the positives outweigh the negatives here. The Cabinet is a fun and relaxing read that is sure to find fans as the years go on, and already feels like a classic in the making.

My journey into the romance genre is still in its infancy, but this book has already set a bar for what I'd look for in a romance. The main characters, Alex and Poppy, feel fully realized, both inside and outside of the friendship. They both are able to stand on their own and bring a unique perspective to their friendship (and possible relationship). What also makes the book special is how you see glimpses of their journey from their early days in college to now having to face the “adult world” and contemplate life, love, and their purposes.

The technique of using their numerous vacations as building blocks to inform their characters, as well the environments and their current states of life, was a welcome decision that could have been easily overused if not crafted carefully. The chapters are structured in a way that you begin to see the full portrait of two friends holding their feelings back from the other, but also processing the world in their own way. The surrounding casts that also populate these flashbacks help bring the story from an initial idea to a fleshed out framework that brings such an idea together.

I appreciate the conversations outside of the romance aspect. You don't primarily see two characters go back and forth in a will-they-won't-they scenario. Instead, you follow these two people with deep, sometimes buried, feelings and experiences that explain why they are doing the things they do. Even though the story is mainly told from one point of view, I didn't feel like I missed out on not seeing a POV from the other character. I would've loved a second POV, because I enjoyed both characters, but the story is written in a way where you understand them completely, and may be able to empathize with them.

I do not have many criticisms for the story. At one point, I did wish the conflict for the third act was hinted at earlier, or at least approached earlier. The initial setup happens within the first one hundred pages or so, but we don't really see it come up again until there's about less than eighty pages left. The early aftermath of the conflict did feel a little forced to add some tension between our main two, but when thinking about it, it does make sense how it happened and why it happened when it did. And the last few chapters ultimately made it work, in my opinion. By the end, I was a sappy mess, wanting the best for these two people, wanting them to continue therapy and desiring more for themselves. And in a way, it helped me process my own feelings and thoughts. Let's just say I may have related to our protagonists a little too much.

In the end, I enjoyed this as a romance book, but it also reads as a book about people (especially millennials) looking for themselves and deciding what they want their futures to look like. It's about the growing pains of becoming an adult, holding on to your past or wanting to escape it, and being honest with yourself and your heart. And as our main character puts it, it's about finding your home, not necessarily in a place, but in a person.

Moderate spoilers ahead for anyone still interested in reading the book!

TLDR Rating: 3.5/5

Came for the enemies-to-lovers trope, stayed for the situational rom-com antics in the middle, but left with a different feeling once the story wrapped up. Since I'm not that well-read with romance fiction, SLD was my first foray into the genre. I came into it pretty much blind, except for the few clips of reviews I saw about it (or, the few people raving about the enemies-to-lovers trope itself). In the end, it was a decent read, and there were hints of enemies-to-lovers, but it wasn't as fleshed out as I'd hoped.

While the draw for the story is two co-workers pretending to be in a relationship for a wedding, the story doesn't truly start until two-hundred pages, or fifteen chapters, in. There's a subplot surrounding the main character, Lina, having to organize an open house for new clients that doesn't really add much to the story other than offering tense situations between her and the love interest, Aaron. There's a black character whose only purpose in the story is to provide more backstory for Aaron. There's also hints of sexism and workplace harassment with one of the older male co-workers, which is fine, but it's handled in a way that feels loose and, again, only serves to prop up Aaron's character in my opinion.

Once we get to Spain, things take off and the story gets better, but to me, the transition from enemies to lovers is handled with little friction or challenge. It's nice getting comedic scenes with family, such as Aaron and Lina having to pretend that they were about to have sex to explain a broken bed frame to Lina's cousin, Charo, but in this sense, the book leaves much to be desired as far as actual enemies having to figure out how to keep up appearances for family. In the end, it's actually Aaron, who goes all in on "pretending," when in reality he's actually liked Lina all this time and is treating everything as real. So in this case, it's more like a hint of unrequited love with sexual tension, I'd say.

Even the handling of personal drama, such as Lina dealing with her ex, Daniel, and Aaron revealing his mother dying from cancer, and eventually his father getting cancer feels like an afterthought. Lina and Daniel's relationship, which is the whole reason for this new situation with Aaron, is handled in a handful of paragraphs, while Aaron's backstory is dedicated to the last three or four chapters of the book. It made me wonder why the first two-hundred pages of the book were spent running around before the actual plot, when it could have been used to build on character and relationship, and sowing the seeds for when the enemies would really become lovers.

There's more that could be dissected from the book, but at the end of the day, my belief was suspended for the most part and I still enjoyed the story as a whole. After being in a reading slump for a while now, this was the book that held my attention and interest the most. I was also glad to explore a different genre and read a book that, while not the greatest example of the trope it was exploring, was still an engaging read with likable-enough protagonists.

This was a strangely relaxing read about a topic that's not often brought up in casual spaces. Doughty approaches the topic of death in a humorous, yet educational manner. The book is divided into thirty-ish bite-sized sections that can be read (or listened to) at your own pace. Doughty does not overload the reader with tons of information. Instead, she eases readers into anecdotes or aptly-timed jokes before displaying the truths, myths, and falsehoods around death and dead bodies. The audiobook is just as good, and being narrated by Doughty herself, you feel like you're chatting with a quirky friend who also just happens to be a mortician.

While the book is a good way to break the ice around talking about death, there are some sections in the book that, in my opinion, don't stick out as well as other chapters. For example, there is a chapter on Viking deaths that, while interesting from a historical standpoint, feel like it'd appeal to a handful of readers. The chapter itself isn't bad, but it's such a specific topic for a specific reader. I suppose I expected a more general approach throughout the book, but that may just be me.

I do recommend this book to anyone who's interested in death, processes for morticians, funeral homes, the transformation of the body after death, etc. The topic may be touchy for some and weird to others, but it is one of the few things that connects all of humanity. And who knows, you may come away from it being just a little bit more comfortable with death.

rating: 3.5/5

I didn't know what to expect going into this story, except for the fact that it'd be following writers who have this bet of sorts to write their next manuscript in each other's genre. In a lot of ways, this story is fun, cheeky, and relatable at its core. Emily Henry continues to construct characters and relationships that feel as real as they can be, despite following some trends of romance plots that can seem overdone or cheesy for the sake of it. Even with those cliches, there's enough nuance to care for the leading couple and a desire to see their endgame.

There were tinges of enemies-to-lovers in the beginning, though I'd say it felt more like acquaintances-to-lovers, which was interesting. January and Gus's pasts spill out throughout their interactions, from their early days in college to their early adulthood, and each glimpse into said past informs how they approach each other and the world around them. Their interactions in real-time feel angsty, but there's enough charm in their dialogue to make it plausible. There are even cute moments in here that have you rooting for them, and by the end, I can't say I wasn't satisfied.

I do wish the subplots got more time to develop, since they were genuinely interesting. Gus's failing marriage with his wife, Naomi, and January reeling from her late father's affair would've been interesting plot points to explore throughout the book. Instead, most of the story is centered around January and Gus's writing bet. For the first few sections of the book, it was fun seeing things unfold and the two of them growing closer, but towards the last third of the story, I did feel that a change-up was needed to keep the story going.

At the end of the day, though, I do think the story accomplished its initial goal, and even ended with the general idea of living in the moment and not fantasizing (or worrying) about what tomorrow could bring, which I think fully encompasses what the book is all about. No one is ever perfect, no story is ever tightly written, and time isn't promised to us, and I believe January and Gus effectively get that idea across.

A rather heartwarming read that has a similar charm to it that Harry Potter and A Series of Unfortunate Events have in their respective series. In some instances, it does feel like it could fit in a corner of the Wizarding World, especially with certain character and organization names. For some, that may help ground them in the world and story more, even if it can come across as a little too similar to others. The story, however, is sincere, good-natured, and even comical enough to stand on its own.

I would classify this as more character-driven than plot-driven, and given the slice-of-life nature of the story, some readers may feel the story drags on a bit before getting to more interesting plot points. There was a point in the book where I found my interest waning, but I stuck with it and found the story picked up the more I read. Klune, in my opinion, tells this story with the idea that you're in it for the characters, first and foremost, so just something to think about.

The slow moments in the story did leave me with an initial 4-star rating, but the ending worked for me and bumped the story up to a 5-star must read. The prose, the characters, the romance (subtle though it was until the last third), and the minimal but intriguing worldbuilding definitely outweigh the few qualms I may have had with it.

3.5 / 5

This collection of short stories (and one novella) has its ups and downs. While the stories are well written in a clear and stylistic manner, most fell flat for me towards the end. With that being said, each story succeeds in offering a unique perspective on human relationships and journeys. Even with the stories that I didn't enjoy as much, there were still relatable elements within them. So in that regard, the collection is enjoyable, despite it dragging on through my reading in some stories.

Favorite Stories:
- Boys Go to Jupiter
- Why Won't Women Just Say What They Want
- Anything Could Disappear
- The Office of Historical Corrections

2.5/5

While the book offers queer BIPOC representation and interesting plot elements, such as strained relationships, accepting change, and parent/child dynamics, the author fails to really expand on such elements. Instead, the book feels like a meandering narrative, following underdeveloped characters without much plot. The second section is more enjoyable than the first and third, if only for the fact that it feels more active in its direction. But there's not much else to take away from the story. The formatting also does not offer anything creatively; It arguably hinders the story more than helps it. Under a different writer or direction, there's a story to tell here. But in this case, there's much left to be desired.

3.5/5

At the end of the day, this book offers a good primer on social issues and environmental racism. Although I don't read many thrillers, the book laid enough mystery and suspense to keep me on the edge of my seat, and the two points of view offered a good contrast between those who've lived in their homes for generations, and those who are coming in through gentrification. Given its “Rear Window meets Get Out” accolade, I'd say the book has the mystery and voyeurism of Rear Window, but it lacks the subtlety that makes Get Out work in terms of its antagonists. While the author makes it a point to showcase racism in its entirety, most scenes come across as over-the-top, and because of this, most of the antagonists come off as one-dimensional and simply designed for you to dislike them. Whereas in Get Out, you got the sense that there were racists, but it was more entertaining to see the layers peel back as the story progressed. WNOIW instead just gets the ball rolling, which is understandable, but it kinda took me out of the story at times. Other than that, as my first introduction to the author, I'd say it's a strong enough entry.

I became familiar with George through The Grapevine, a YouTube series of panel discussions involving black millennials and the racial, gender, and sociopolitical issues that still impact us today. Getting to read his personal story, from childhood to early adulthood, was special while shedding light on the issues that queer Black youth continue to face within their families and out in the world. From sex, gender, and toxic masculinity, to the intersectionality of racism and homophobia, this self-proclaimed “memoir manifesto” is another personal account of one's experience growing up marginalized in a system that wasn't designed to uphold them–one that I think most would enjoy reading about, simply for its honesty and desire to not hide the truth from anyone.

3.5/5

Whoever keeps approving the “Game of Thrones Meets [X]” tags needs to stop. If anything, this book was more Gladiator meets Spartacus, without much that could lead someone to think that it's in the same vein as Game of Thrones. The book is actually good without the comparison.

Tau is an okay protagonist with an arc that is simple and easy to follow. Most of the supporting characters lack true depth, in my opinion, with some being more of a name than an actual realized part of the story. But it's not a huge detractor from the story if characters aren't the biggest necessity for you with a book. I actually think the book would have benefitted from multiple points of view. There were a few chapters that would follow different characters with stories that would've been fun to follow throughout the entire book. It also would've given a nice break from Tau's perspective, which felt flat at certain points in the book to be honest.

What makes the book rise above its shortcomings is the world that Evan creates. While the world would've been more engaging had we seen more perspectives in the story, it's enough to go off of for you to want to see more. The third act of the book, while convoluted in some places, is an exciting end to the first book and a preview of what's coming next. Not only is the African/Xhosa influence prominent and intriguing, but the political landscape set up in the end sets the second book high on my list of anticipated reads.

Overall, The Rage of Dragons is a good introduction to Evan's world and future installments. On its own, it's a good read with an easy-to-follow plot, a few slow moments, and an action-packed third act. I'm eager to get a glimpse of the next book!

I can't say I was super excited about reading this book, but I was interested. I'm a fan of Bobby Hall/Logic and think he's a capable storyteller, given his sci-fi inspired concept album, The Incredible True Story has a good story in my opinion. Suffice it to say, I was interested to see what he'd bring in a narrative format. Unfortunately, there's not much promising about Supermarket, from the third of what I've read at least.

It's a rather juvenile first attempt at telling a story that has potential, riddled with thinly-conceived characters and racially stereotypical caricatures I couldn't help but roll my eyes at (such as a black character named DayDay who refers to Flynn, the main character, and Ted, their branch manager, as white niggas.). The protagonist Flynn is, for all intents and purposes, a stand-in for Bobby, placed in a colorless setting surrounded by characters only meant to push his story along instead of breathing life into it.

As I said, the idea behind the novel shows promise, and could make for an interesting mystery/thriller. But the narrative style and structure do not match its potential. Bobby frames the first chapter good enough, but then uses flashbacks to give us details on Flynn's life and how he ended up in the situation he's in. But the backstory is one-dimensional at best and doesn't elicit any kind of sympathy from the reader. There are high and low moments, but no room to let them breathe as Bobby goes from one scene to the next, giving his own “peace, love, positivity” spiels any chance he gets.

The book reads more as Bobby talking to you rather than you actually exploring a character. Of course, someone inexperienced with a first-person perspective could fall into that trap, and unfortunately Bobby does just that. He tells the story in a way that feels convenient rather than challenging. There's no payoff for events happening, no cause and effect. The events are just happening linearly, but there's nothing surrounding them to give them weight.

I don't know how this book was published in the state it's in. More than likely, it got pushed as hard as it did because of Bobby's rise in popularity following his third album Everybody, which touched on topics such as suicide, race, and anxiety. But at the end of the day, Bobby needs to work on honing his literary craft if he's looking to publish more books. I feel he has good concepts, but taking the time to craft a decent outline, write multiple drafts, and go through numerous editing sessions is needed in my opinion. I didn't expect Supermarket to be an amazing book, but I didn't think this is what we'd get.

Having watched the show before finishing the book, I knew ahead of time that not much would be different in terms of the plot. It was still nice to sit down and spend some more time with the world as the story opened up. Miller's POV is definitely the stronger of the two since his follows a more formulaic structure, but Holden's POV has its highlights. The world is fully realized and feels like a future that I could see humans embarking on in a couple hundred years. The characterization felt slightly flat for the most part, but there was enough to go off of to get a feel for each character; this is something I think the show did a little better, but visual media has that added benefit. Had I not seen the show beforehand, my opinions may be a little different. All in all, a good start to a series that I plan on finishing in the coming year, hopefully in time for the final book.

The style and structure of the novel, the setting, and characterization of Elio and Oliver are the novel's strengths. There weren't many dull moments that I could highlight. Armie Hammer does an exceptional job narrating the audiobook as well. I hung on his every word as he grasped the emotion that Aciman conveyed through his words. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.

No matter where you stand in the upcoming 2020 presidential election, this book is worth a read or listen. It urges the reader to begin to look ahead in the years to come in relation to technological advancement and how society will respond to it. It's a pretty easy read and having Yang narrate the audiobook was a nice touch and felt more personal.

3/5.

Despite a concept that, while familiar in most dystopian fiction, had potential, the writing style, plot, and character development ultimately bring the story down. The first half is drawn out longer than necessary, with an interesting section right before the second act which soon transforms the book into a Hunger Games derivative. Even then, the world and characters are flat and the last two thirds of the book feel too contrived and underserved by the writing style. I've heard the next two books are better, so I'll at least try them since I do like the concept.

4.5/5 Stars!

First Book of 2016! Also, my first Star Wars book ever! This is truly the definition of a “movie-to-book” adaptation, which you don't normally see with these mainstream young adult-aimed series. But that doesn't mean the book wasn't great. It was great being able to see how the movie translated into book form, as well as the extra scenes that weren't included in the movie (some of which I believe should've been in the movie to tie a few loose ends). I actually listened to the audiobook version of the book, narrated by Marc Thompson, who makes the story just as entertaining as it would be if you had the book in front of you. His impersonations of the characters were good to only be from him (though I feel like the character of Snoke was voiced by someone else; if not, Marc was really great at that!). I'd definitely recommend the book to Star Wars fans, whether they're new to the saga or have been around since 1977. While the book is not the best written, it's still an entertaining read and it keeps you on the edge of your seat, waiting for more.

MS. MARVEL VOL. 2 by G. WILLOW WILSON ★★★★★Here is the conclusion of Kamala's first big adventure in the Marvel Universe! Collected are issues #12-19, and from the first eleven issues, I was left wondering what new things would come up for Kamala. Yet, G. Willow Wilson raises the stakes and puts Kamala in challenging situations that unfold more of her story and the mythology that she's become entangled in (again, see Inhumans for more). From a mystery love interest, to the Inhumans and New Attilan, to Ms. Marvel struggling to balance the life of a superhero and a normal teenager, this volume offers more of what fans have already been introduced to in the first volume: laughs, heart, wit, and some pain. The last few issues in this volume were bittersweet, due to the involvement with Secret Wars, and even if you were to read this after the Secret Wars event, you still feel the weight of the world on Kamala and she struggles to be someone that she thinks everyone needs. Even in the last few pages of the volume, Kamala realizes what it means to be a superhero, and that's what makes her character so powerful and relatable. I can't wait to start on her new adventures post-Secret Wars! Ms. Marvel is a character everyone should be paying close attention to. She may surprise all of us in the future.

A pretty decent “prologue” to the larger story at hand in The Expanse. I think it would have benefited from a little more wiggle room in terms of story length, but in what we got, it was a fair introduction to the creator behind the mysterious Epstein drive. While I wasn't looking for a purely scientific survey behind the drive and how it works, it would have been nice to dig more into Solomon's backstory as an “engine engineer.” I did enjoy the back-and-forth of his past and present, as well as the change of tenses with each section. And while it ends on a dour note, the world around it makes you want to know what life was like years before we meet Holden, Miller, and the rest of the characters in their present day.