Rob
3.5 stars. Review eventually
I started reading this and just lost steam. Normally I try to push through on books in the hopes I'll like that more later, but this year especially I'm not interested in doing that.
I started reading this and just lost steam. Normally I try to push through on books in the hopes I'll like that more later, but this year especially I'm not interested in doing that.
Story
This volume is a giant flashback, that was presented chronologically in the anime series.
We see Eren & Co. as they spend their time in training to fight the titans. We also get a lot more back story on the other members of their trainee class.
I think I prefer the anime's approach of having it chronologically rather than as a flashback. However Mr. Isayama does it early enough in the series that it may not matter too much because most of the story so far has focused on Eren, Mikasa and Armin.
I like this story arc as it really gives depth to the supporting cast which I think becomes more important later on.
Can't wait for volume 5!
Artwork
This volume didn't have quite the level of action in it as previous ones, so it's hard for me gauge on that point.
Mr. Isayama seems to be getting more comfortable with his characters as the series goes on.
Story
This volume is a giant flashback, that was presented chronologically in the anime series.
We see Eren & Co. as they spend their time in training to fight the titans. We also get a lot more back story on the other members of their trainee class.
I think I prefer the anime's approach of having it chronologically rather than as a flashback. However Mr. Isayama does it early enough in the series that it may not matter too much because most of the story so far has focused on Eren, Mikasa and Armin.
I like this story arc as it really gives depth to the supporting cast which I think becomes more important later on.
Can't wait for volume 5!
Artwork
This volume didn't have quite the level of action in it as previous ones, so it's hard for me gauge on that point.
Mr. Isayama seems to be getting more comfortable with his characters as the series goes on.
Story
This is the part of the series that really started to suck me in. While Eren can be a bit frustrating at time, I absolutely love Mikasa. She might be my new favorite female character in all of Japanese fiction.
We get a lot of depth added to both her and Eren and the nature of their bond in this one. We're also presented with a new wrinkle to the Titan problem which is left unresolved in the anime and a large part of why I decided I had to start reading the manga itself.
Overall I think this volume is a little more interesting than the first and if you enjoyed that one, you should like this one.
Artwork
The artwork here is once again uneven. I'm not sure if this is true of all manga or is just the case in this series, but the action can be really hard to follow.
I like the way the characters are drawn and you can really see that in full color version of the Anime series, but can be lacking in many panels of the manga.
Overall though I'm enjoying the story too much to care about it though.
Story
This is the part of the series that really started to suck me in. While Eren can be a bit frustrating at time, I absolutely love Mikasa. She might be my new favorite female character in all of Japanese fiction.
We get a lot of depth added to both her and Eren and the nature of their bond in this one. We're also presented with a new wrinkle to the Titan problem which is left unresolved in the anime and a large part of why I decided I had to start reading the manga itself.
Overall I think this volume is a little more interesting than the first and if you enjoyed that one, you should like this one.
Artwork
The artwork here is once again uneven. I'm not sure if this is true of all manga or is just the case in this series, but the action can be really hard to follow.
I like the way the characters are drawn and you can really see that in full color version of the Anime series, but can be lacking in many panels of the manga.
Overall though I'm enjoying the story too much to care about it though.
3.5 stars. Review eventually
Executive Summary: If you liked the Martian, you'll probably like this. It follows a very similar structure. I didn't like this quite as much, but overall enjoyed it.Audiobook: Ray Porter does a fantastic job as usual. I always enjoy his narration style and he's a good fit for tone of this book. It really adds a bit extra that makes me glad I did the audio version.Full ReviewI really loved [b:The Martian 18007564 The Martian Andy Weir https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1413706054l/18007564.SY75.jpg 21825181]. I'm generally not a “hard” sci-fi fan. I tend to prefer space fantasy or space opera. However there was something about that book that just really appealed to me.Their wasn't so much of a plot as a series of scientific problems where our overqualified protagonist managed to “science the shit” out of them until the book ended. This book had a very similar structure. The protagonist felt like it could have easily been Mark Watney.I struggled a bit with this at the start. Our protagonist wakes up with amnesia which to me felt like it was simply a plot device to create more mystery and suspense as the slowly remember critical details at just the right time of the book.That said at a certain point of the book (I won't say which, since I don't like to include spoilers in my reviews), things really picked up for me and I was hooked in. It was this aspect more than anything that distinguished this book from the Martian for me.That said I felt like I had to suspend my disbelief a bit. Things just felt a bit over dramatic at times. I was also starting to wear down a bit at the “formula” of problem after problem with science to the rescue.Overall I found this to be a fast and (mostly) fun read, but a bit derivative of his earlier work. I think if you enjoyed the formula of the Martian, you'll likely enjoy it again here.
Executive Summary: If you liked the Martian, you'll probably like this. It follows a very similar structure. I didn't like this quite as much, but overall enjoyed it.Audiobook: Ray Porter does a fantastic job as usual. I always enjoy his narration style and he's a good fit for tone of this book. It really adds a bit extra that makes me glad I did the audio version.Full ReviewI really loved [b:The Martian 18007564 The Martian Andy Weir https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1413706054l/18007564.SY75.jpg 21825181]. I'm generally not a “hard” sci-fi fan. I tend to prefer space fantasy or space opera. However there was something about that book that just really appealed to me.Their wasn't so much of a plot as a series of scientific problems where our overqualified protagonist managed to “science the shit” out of them until the book ended. This book had a very similar structure. The protagonist felt like it could have easily been Mark Watney.I struggled a bit with this at the start. Our protagonist wakes up with amnesia which to me felt like it was simply a plot device to create more mystery and suspense as the slowly remember critical details at just the right time of the book.That said at a certain point of the book (I won't say which, since I don't like to include spoilers in my reviews), things really picked up for me and I was hooked in. It was this aspect more than anything that distinguished this book from the Martian for me.That said I felt like I had to suspend my disbelief a bit. Things just felt a bit over dramatic at times. I was also starting to wear down a bit at the “formula” of problem after problem with science to the rescue.Overall I found this to be a fast and (mostly) fun read, but a bit derivative of his earlier work. I think if you enjoyed the formula of the Martian, you'll likely enjoy it again here.
I enjoy pretty much everything John Scalzi writes. This one was fun, but nothing special. I probably liked it better than his last book, but not as much as some of his others. It was slow at times, and the dolphins were a bit too much. The cats were great though.
As usual Wil Wheaton's narration is a great fit for Scalzi's snark.
I enjoy pretty much everything John Scalzi writes. This one was fun, but nothing special. I probably liked it better than his last book, but not as much as some of his others. It was slow at times, and the dolphins were a bit too much. The cats were great though.
As usual Wil Wheaton's narration is a great fit for Scalzi's snark.