William
This was really good fun - but absolutely not what I expected.The Premise: There is a woman around whom murders seem to occur suspiciously often and who seems to almost miraculously put the pieces together to solve the crime before the police. That's pretty much the plot of every “Cozy Mystery” series from Miss Marple, to the [b:The Vampire Knitting Club 41882197 The Vampire Knitting Club (Vampire Knitting Club #1) Nancy Warren https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1537203595l/41882197.SY75.jpg 65375197]. The difference is that this protagonist, Mallory, actually realises that this is not normal and desperately tries to avoid other people to prevent them dropping dead in a reliably intriguing manner. When humanity contacts aliens (in the very near future) Mallory begs a lift and moves to a space station in the hope that, by being away from humans, the murders will stop. Of course they don't...they just get more interesting.What I Expected: I thought that this would be a self-aware, low stakes comedy, playing on our understanding of “Cozy Mysteries”. Sort of along the lines of “What would a book co-written by Agatha Christie and Douglas Adams look like?”. I was wrong.What I It Was Really Like: What I found was that it was not really a comedy - there are some chuckle inducing moments, but this was less “Ha! Isn't it funny how murders always happen when she is there?” and more on the side of “If people dropped dead around you, wouldn't you be traumatised?”. Poor Mallory is only just holding it together. That said, I was just starting to get worried that the book was going to be depressing when it launched into introducing us to the world. This is a fascinating universe that Ms Lafferty has created, with a cast of weird, funny and interesting creatures and characters. Then the real plot kicked in and things got interesting....and then just when I thought I knew the direction the book was going in, that was when the real, real plot revealed itself and things got epic in a really fun way.OK, there were bits when things seemed to drag, and the flashbacks in the middle of the book got a little too much for my taste, but was it worth it? Oh yes! The final third of the book was just gold and really left me wanting to spend more time with these characters.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a bookclub read and I was intrigued to see how differently some people reacted to the mystery and storytelling style.
A positive for me was the way in which each character was flawed, yet relatable - they all had made mistake or had a negative personality trait - yet each was presented as human and worthy of sympathy. Other readers surprised me by feeling the exact opposite and disliking the regular flashback chapters that revealed the character's backstories. I actually thought this was handled very well and, once I caught on to the structure, looked forward to each flashback as pieces of the jigsaw.
Something that was both a positive and a negative is Ms Lafferty's writing style. To me it is eminently readable and just flows. It almost feels fairy-tale in its smoothness. My mental image of the story was very much one of brightly coloured animation. Her writing style lends itself to a social story, but very much not Hard SF. If you are trying to figure out the science behind things, I suggest leaving your brain at the door or you'll get a headache. I just had to firmly tell myself that there had obviously been a huge revelation in our understanding of science at some point, so nothing works the way we think it does...then it was all OK.
A negative for me was that several “surprises” seemed to have flashing neon signs on them long in advance - to the extent that I was sure that they were red herrings the murderer, the nature of the ships AI and, above all, the use of the large 3D printer as a cloning device...dood, they make such a big deal out of the fact it can print a pig...with every last detail of the organs...what do think is going to happen?. It very much surprised me that some other readers found these same points rather too much of a surprise.
So I think this book presents itself differently to different people. I found it an enjoyable, interesting story well told with its greatest strength being the interesting and relatable characters. Put it this way, I immediately picked up another book by the same author - that should tell you what you need to know.
This book is just delightful. An orc warrior is tired of swinging her huge sword (it's hard on the back) and decides instead to open a shop selling burnt-bean water, something gnomes call coffee.
Yes this is a tale of a coffee shop being invented, bit by bit in a fantasy world. It is told with warmth, humour and a cast of adorable, yet interesting characters - each one a misfit in their own way, yet each bringing something to the team.
There is a serious moral woven through the story, though it was just there - part of the characters being themselves - never preachy.
A lovely, warm and funny book. I very much look forward to future tales from this author.
This book should have come with a warning: “Tchaikovsky is highly addictive and may be damaging to your sleep patterns!” Book 1 had left me highly attached the the characters, book 2 then threw these characters into peril - peril written to challenge each character in ways specific to their them...and I loved it.
The downside of the book was twofold - I did not want to put it down - it was one of those books where I was tired, it was late, I was literally struggling to keep my eyes open, but I had to read just one more page to see the character safe or to find out the next revelation...just one more page! Which leads to the other downside. Eventually there were no more pages! I can't criticise Mr Tchaikovsky, he resolved the immediate plot and left it in a satisfying and interesting place, while leaving big questions to be resolved in book 3. This is always a balance - if an author gets it wrong the reader can feel cheated, or just not interested in the next book. Here Mr Tchaikovsky gets it spot on....and yet....
OMG I want to know what happens next!
This was a very impressive, epic, science fiction story. While the author seemed to have a whale of a time slowly unveiling a vast and complex future setting (clearly carefully set up to pose challenging ethical questions) he managed to do that without ever giving me the feeling that I was reading an essay - no I was gripping the book hard and reading at every chance I had because this story is told through the eyes of a bunch of ground-level very flawed, yet relatable misfits from a range of backgrounds who I instantly warmed to and really wanted to see to safety.It felt a bit as if the crew from [b:The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet 22733729 The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1) Becky Chambers https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405532474l/22733729.SY75.jpg 42270825] had been dumped in the middle of a truly epic, species ending, crisis. These are very different crewmates, but there's the same elements of being a family and understanding that we can all be family despite being different (even different species).
I'm sure you've heard those tracks that start out with some quiet notes, or a soft voice singing a simple tune, then slowly instruments join in until you have a grand, epic masterpiece that just sweeps you away.
Well here it is in written form.
I've read this book three times now, so you can tell that it's got something. It starts out with a young girl worried about her archaeology course and her boyfriend and then...things get epic.
The climax of this book is brilliantly paced, leaves me holding my breath even after reading it for the third time, and just brings everything together so well.
I just really love everything written by this author, and this is a great example of her work.
Overview: A breathtaking climax to the series told by a great storyteller.
This series is rather hard to describe - it's not a simple three act play. There are many themes and plots weaving in and out, so it is hard to say “this is a story about...”, because it is about so many things. It is a story about prejudice, about societal norms, about guilt and social pressure. It has all the good points of old fashioned Science Fiction, real science and imagined situations - lots of good “what if” scenarios - yet it explores them with a truly diverse cast of believable people who you come to know and care about. These people have plenty of interpersonal drama and growth, as well as getting put in dangerous situations that are described in such amazingly written action scenes that I found myself having to remember to breathe. Perhaps the greatest asset (apart from the brilliant writing style that sucks you in from the first line) is the setting. The setting is so rich and detailed with fascinating hints strewn throughout - I truly believe that there is enough material touched on in this book alone to fill another 100 volumes (Tellon Blaze, Cioni's Apprentices, Jarra's grandparents, Paul who stood with Helena - just to name a few).
Janet Edwards is my favorite living author, and she just keeps getting better.
Once more, thank you Ms Edwards!
Another wonderful, light hearted, baking/detective story with a little wich & ghost spice to liven things up.
This author has really grown in skill. The characters and storytelling get better and better with each book and she manages to make the baking scenes almost as riveting as the murder investigation. As someone who finds the attraction of competitive baking to be borderline incomprehensible - the fact that I was on the edge of my seat during these scenes is a real testament to Nancy Warren's writing skills!
Another fun mystery in the countryside with witches, ghosts and baking.
This book felt gentler than most, the inevitable death was well into the book so there was plenty of time for plot and setting to deepen before the actual investigation kicked off.
I read these books for fun - not for great mental workouts, however I've read quite a few mystery books and it's gotten to the slightly annoying point where I can often guess the culprit, not by solving the crime, which is satisfying, but by looking at how the story is written (“He's the least likely person who we're not overly invested in...so it's probably him”), which is not satisfying at all.
This book bucked the trend and I was absolutely shocked by the big reveal - yet looking back, all the clues were there!
And the story was jolly good fun too (and made me fancy a scone).
That's the sign of really good writing.
A well written mystery that also happens to very believably and satisfyingly continue the tales of all of [a:Jane Austen 1265 Jane Austen https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1651510251p2/1265.jpg]'s major characters.I expected to enjoy this story, but I wasn't expecting to be sucked into the interpersonal dynamics so quickly or so powerfully. I think it's a testament to the author's skill that, while reading, I really believed that these were Austen's characters and I really wanted them to be OK. I mean if Elizabeth is acting cold towards Mr Darcy or if Marianne and Colonel Brandon seem to be in trouble, then of course it bothers me - I'm already invested and I know what these characters have been through to get to where they are - they deserve a happy ending!Fanny and Edmund Bertram's journey was especially rewarding.In a minor (but very good) way this is book is also “Austen: The Next Generation” with the introduction of the young Mr. Jonathan Darcy of Pemberley and Miss Juliet Tilney of Northanger Abbey, whom Emma Knightley is very keen to introduce to each other. These two youngsters are intent on solving the titular mystery but are severely hampered by the dictates of propriety which, among other things, forbids them to meet or correspond privately. An excellent tale, and I do so hope that we shall hear more of the young Mr Darcy and Miss Tilney, they make a charming couple, and an excellent crime fighting duo.
This was a brilliantly written story told from two opposing points of view in alternating chapters.
One version of the tale is told from the point of view of a very depressed anthropologist from a high tech Earth as he observes, and is drawn into the affairs of a medieval level society (a fallen colony) threatened by a bizarre plague by the daughter of a local chieftain - it is pure science fiction.
The other version of the story relates the same events from the point of view of a warrior princess of this society as she enlists the help of a wizard to defeat a demon threatening her people - it is pure epic fantasy.
A wonderfully creative book. I fully intend to try more tales from this author.
Wow that was good! Intelligent, well told and fascinating.This is an amazing story, part historical fiction, part detective story, part urban fantasy, part full on epic fantasy. It is a story with really great characters (who I really hope to read about again soon) in a complex and fascinating world that really holds a critical mirror up to our own. While I have been told that this book can be read on its own - I did not find this to be the case, I do strongly recommend reading the novellas in the series first:• [b:The Haunting of Tram Car 015 36546128 The Haunting of Tram Car 015 (Dead Djinn Universe, #0.3) P. Djèlí Clark https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1537226167l/36546128.SY75.jpg 58277622] : Not vital to the central plot, but a great introduction to this very complex world and to two very good characters. Also it is just a really great story on its own merit.• [b:A Dead Djinn in Cairo 29635542 A Dead Djinn in Cairo (Dead Djinn Universe, #0.1) P. Djèlí Clark https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1459173382l/29635542.SX50.jpg 49993780] : I really feel you must read this one before the novel as it introduces some very key features as well as the main character of the novel. I had started the novel first, got confused with certain references and then went back and read this story which cleared things up.• [b:The Angel of Khan el-Khalili 57888459 The Angel of Khan el-Khalili (Dead Djinn Universe, #0.2) P. Djèlí Clark https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1619663376l/57888459.SY75.jpg 90689051] : This is skippable, but is very short and adds great atmosphere.I'm going to seriously miss this world and these characters - here's hoping for a sequel soon!
This is a fantastic little tale, a great detective story in a fascinating setting. The storytelling was a wonderful balance of detective-style investigation, creepy horror elements but balanced out with enough humour that things never got too dark. I really hope I get to read more stories involving these characters.
A really fun adventure with plenty of humour, a really fascinating setting and characters you just want to find out more about. While the plot is resolved by the end of the book, the ending sets up what would be an excellent series. I SO hope Ms Carriger returns to tell us the continuing story and lets us discover more of this mind-blowing world!
This book is collection of novellas ranging from the beautiful and inspiring to the dark and depressing.
While it is a collection of different stories, the narrative does flow between them in a novel-ish way, there are no significant time jumps and events from one section feed directly into the next. That said, I found the feel of the stories are radically different. Without too much of a spoiler, I found the first tale to be an awesome adventure, the desert based tale to be at times beautiful and moving. The final two city-based stories however became steadily darker and more disturbing - not to my taste.
As they are so different I think it's only fair to break things down:
• The Assassin and the Pirate Lord. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• The Assassin and the Healer. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
• The Assassin and the Desert. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (beautiful)
• The Assassin and the Underworld. ⭐️⭐️ (too predictable)
• The Assassin and the Empire ⭐️ (predictable and way too nasty for my taste)
To summarise, I'm really glad I read this book for the Desert tale, but by the end I was glad to finish. I may come back to read another in the series at some point, but right now I need something different to get over that extremely dark ending.
