aaronj21's Reviews (912)

The Tudors hog all the attention in British history and Henry VII and his daughters hog all of the attention in Tudor history. The dynasty was kicked off by Henry VII though, a fascinating and inscrutable, though far less flamboyant character. This book provides great context for the foundations of Tudor rule as well as an arresting account of one of the least understood though perhaps most successful English monarchs.

Immersive and truly remarkable world building. Absolutely could not stand Martin Silenus though.

Interesting and philosophical with any number of real world non-martial practical applications.

Difficult to get in to but worth the effort. An emotional story with perhaps one of the most shattering portrayals of grief I have ever read. Also, I love reading from Ann’s perspective, she was completely unhinged in a very mundane sort of way and I never knew what she was going to do or say.

I don’t know whether the book or movie is better, having experienced both, but I can say I think they complement each other. The book offers a depth and nuance the films can’t match and the movies flesh out and standardize the rather sparse and bare bones world building of the first novel. I’d highly recommend reading this at around the same time as watching the films.

I liked this far more than I thought I would; I generally can’t stand personal, memoir style writing in my books. But informed as it was by the queer relationship with horror film the personal anecdotes were not only bearable but captivating. There’s a fair bit of incisive film analysis too which I appreciated.

I’ve rarely read a sci-fi book with such compelling ideas, I know I’ll be mulling this one over for some time to come. This is the kind of science fiction book that makes you want to pick up books on astronomy and cosmic background radiation.

Fascinating as a historical artifact and a beautiful snapshot of the English language in the 1740’s but irremeably boring after Pamela’s wicked master “reforms”.

There are many popular science books about humanity’s search for life in the universe, but few are as comprehensive and engaging as this one. Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger takes the reader on a tour of the current state of astronomical surveys for potential extraterrestrial life, explains the difficulties inherent in this search, and shows us what a breakthrough might look like. The writing style is fluid and immersive while also managing to teach the reader a varied range of concepts. Ultimately this book accomplishes what the best popular science titles aim to do, entertain and educate the reader while also whetting their appetite for more extensive reading in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC version of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been a huge fan of Lev Grossman’s writing ever since reading the Magicians Trilogy years ago. The Magicians is one of the best fantasy work of the twenty first century so far and has one of the most impressive and immersive magic systems of any fantasy I’ve ever read; I am fully prepared to die and be buried on this hill. So naturally when I read Grossman was trying his hand at Arthurian legend I knew I had to read it.

The author did not disappoint and managed to write a book that was both grounded in the mythology yet fresh and compelling, creating an expansive work that hits all the right notes and says something important about stories in general and the Arthurian legends specifically.
The set up for this book is as simple as it is interesting, Collum a naïve, aspiring knight from nothing and nowhere, arrives to Camelot only to find Arthur is dead, the age of legends is passed, and only the C tier knights remain, listless and dispirited. Together they go on a quest to find the next king of Britain and ensure Arthur’s legacy doesn’t fall into obscurity.
Interspersed throughout the story are brief chapters detailing the different characters’ backstories “The Tale of Bedivere” and “The Tale of Nimue” etc. These short chapters were some of my favorites and were doled out with judicious spacing, making me want to know more about each player in this epic tale, always looking forward to the next installment.

I loved Grossman’s take on the Arthurian mythos and could tell he’d done his homework on the topic. He’s right, Lancelot’s perfection is unsettling and makes him hard to relate to, Guinevere’s art for statecraft was probably underutilized, and Arthur’s true genius lay in strategy and knowing people, not in his swordsmanship. I also loved the portrayal of the struggle between the old Pagan Britain and the relatively new forces of empire and Christianity. This tension is rife in the original stories (I mean Merlin, enough said) but it was delightful to read a book that placed that conflict at center stage.

Overall this was a very enjoyable and fulfilling read for me. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who likes Arthuriana and / or liked The Magicians series.