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blairconrad's Reviews (1.12k)
A story told as a series of non-chronological vignettes about a loosely-related group of people. An intriguing concept, and reminds me of [b:The Turning|985392|Turning|Tim Winton|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180014051s/985392.jpg|856423]. I couldn't quite get into it, though. In general, I had little to no sympathy for the characters. I also found it a little difficult to immerse myself in the setting of each new story -the initial spate of questions I had to ask myself ("Who's this? Where are we? When are we?") took me out of the moment.
Some of the vignettes are really interesting and fun to read (the opening story, told about Sasha, and Alison's story were by far the best), but most of the others didn't reach the same heights.
Some of the vignettes are really interesting and fun to read (the opening story, told about Sasha, and Alison's story were by far the best), but most of the others didn't reach the same heights.
I like Guy Gavriel Kay. He thinks about the countries he sets his novels in, has interesting characters, and I generally like the level of the magic he introduces into what would otherwise almost be historical novels. In spite of that, for some reason, I often find myself running cool on his books for about the first 2/3s, then finally getting in to them, at least the first time I read a book. This happened to me for Lions of Al-Rassen, Tigana, and A Song for Arbonne. Not this time.
I was grabbed almost from the outset by the characters and events in the various settings, including Alun’s initial exchange with the faerie, the introduction of Kendra, and the relationship between Brynn, his wife, and Ceinion.
I also enjoyed being back in the world of Al-Rassan and Sarantium. It’s familiar enough that it’s starting to feel like home, and I really like the way that Kay has treated (and continues to treat) Jad-worship.
Unfortunately, from the book’s strong start, Kay continues with a sort of gradual downhill slide to the end.
Kay constantly shifts between various characters’ viewpoints, something that could have added interest, but which really just served to break my focus, reducing the involvement I felt. I’m going to have to reread some of the old novels, but I thought his investment in throw-away storylets and characters was higher this time ’round, and for some reason reminded me very strongly of Robert Jordan’s style.
Also, the involvement of the half-world seemed stronger in this book (which might be appropriate for a novel set at the boundaries of civilization), and a little frivolous. In particular, the faerie’s trek through the woods to warn Brynn of the approaching raid was just a little too deus ex machina for my liking.
The thing that really threw me about the ending, though, was the level of “and they lived happily ever after”. The right people get married, certain wronged parties achieve social positions that they perhaps deserve, or at least will benefit from. Furthermore, Ceinion and Aeldred’s acceptance of Kendra’s visions was just a little bit too easy, and I felt like the visions were just kinda tacked in there and didn’t really serve much purpose in the story.
So anyhow, the book was pretty good, and definitely entertaining. It’s still probably a must-read for you Kay fans out there, but I wouldn’t recommend it to a first-time reader. Much better to start with the Tapestry or Sarantium.
I was grabbed almost from the outset by the characters and events in the various settings, including Alun’s initial exchange with the faerie, the introduction of Kendra, and the relationship between Brynn, his wife, and Ceinion.
I also enjoyed being back in the world of Al-Rassan and Sarantium. It’s familiar enough that it’s starting to feel like home, and I really like the way that Kay has treated (and continues to treat) Jad-worship.
Unfortunately, from the book’s strong start, Kay continues with a sort of gradual downhill slide to the end.
Kay constantly shifts between various characters’ viewpoints, something that could have added interest, but which really just served to break my focus, reducing the involvement I felt. I’m going to have to reread some of the old novels, but I thought his investment in throw-away storylets and characters was higher this time ’round, and for some reason reminded me very strongly of Robert Jordan’s style.
Also, the involvement of the half-world seemed stronger in this book (which might be appropriate for a novel set at the boundaries of civilization), and a little frivolous. In particular, the faerie’s trek through the woods to warn Brynn of the approaching raid was just a little too deus ex machina for my liking.
The thing that really threw me about the ending, though, was the level of “and they lived happily ever after”. The right people get married, certain wronged parties achieve social positions that they perhaps deserve, or at least will benefit from. Furthermore, Ceinion and Aeldred’s acceptance of Kendra’s visions was just a little bit too easy, and I felt like the visions were just kinda tacked in there and didn’t really serve much purpose in the story.
So anyhow, the book was pretty good, and definitely entertaining. It’s still probably a must-read for you Kay fans out there, but I wouldn’t recommend it to a first-time reader. Much better to start with the Tapestry or Sarantium.
It's hard to untangle this from book 17 in my mind, as I finished the last half of 17 and all 18 in one mad rush last night.
Plenty of action. More than usual for the books, and it was really exciting. Closure on a lot of fronts, with a little bit of uncertainty at the end, just to keep us on our toes. I enjoyed meeting two characters that we'd been curious about.
As always, the struggle between Johan, Tenma, Nina - and their ethics and morals - was engrossing, and I was really taken with a few of the panels - Urasawa can really pour it on when he needs to.
Ultimately, a fitting end to the series, which I can't recommend highly enough.
Plenty of action. More than usual for the books, and it was really exciting. Closure on a lot of fronts, with a little bit of uncertainty at the end, just to keep us on our toes. I enjoyed meeting two characters that we'd been curious about.
As always, the struggle between Johan, Tenma, Nina - and their ethics and morals - was engrossing, and I was really taken with a few of the panels - Urasawa can really pour it on when he needs to.
Ultimately, a fitting end to the series, which I can't recommend highly enough.
Pretty disappointing. Really, it seemed to be almost content-free, after the initial discussion of the Prisoner's Dilemma and the contests organized around the same.
Like many "popular science" books, this one paired a researcher and a writer, so the researcher's ideas could be palatable to normal people. Unlike [b:other such books|1202|Freakonomics A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything|Steven D. Levitt|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1157833345s/1202.jpg|5397], this pairing was a failure. It seemed like the book was constructed in a way to not include too much math for normal people, but not include too much soft content for the scientists. The result was a book that didn't offend, but didn't have anything to offer anyone. And way too many stories about how Nowak met this person who (in addition to being a brilliant researcher) liked to play guitar or squash or whatever...
Like many "popular science" books, this one paired a researcher and a writer, so the researcher's ideas could be palatable to normal people. Unlike [b:other such books|1202|Freakonomics A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything|Steven D. Levitt|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1157833345s/1202.jpg|5397], this pairing was a failure. It seemed like the book was constructed in a way to not include too much math for normal people, but not include too much soft content for the scientists. The result was a book that didn't offend, but didn't have anything to offer anyone. And way too many stories about how Nowak met this person who (in addition to being a brilliant researcher) liked to play guitar or squash or whatever...
My first [a:Iain Banks|7628|Iain M. Banks|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1207926823p2/7628.jpg] novel, and definitely not my last. Not an incredibly easy read, what with non-linear storytelling, but easier than something like [b:Catch-22|168668|Catch-22|Joseph Heller|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1242256344s/168668.jpg|814330], whose story was much more fragmented, if I recall correctly.
I've read reviews where people complain that Prentice was so annoying that the reader couldn't continue, but I didn't find him to be quite that bad. Sure, he has flaws (largely present to be overcome, it seems), but I didn't think they were that much worse than anyone else of his age and generation.
After the introduction, I caught onto the patchwork of story bits and the collection of names being thrown at me, and really got into the story, and actually enjoyed one or two of the characters. Eventually I was involved to the point where I was clamouring for more.
The best part, though, was Banks's language. He's got an awesome ear for prose that made almost every page a delight to read, regardless of what was happening during that bit of the story.
I've read reviews where people complain that Prentice was so annoying that the reader couldn't continue, but I didn't find him to be quite that bad. Sure, he has flaws (largely present to be overcome, it seems), but I didn't think they were that much worse than anyone else of his age and generation.
After the introduction, I caught onto the patchwork of story bits and the collection of names being thrown at me, and really got into the story, and actually enjoyed one or two of the characters. Eventually I was involved to the point where I was clamouring for more.
The best part, though, was Banks's language. He's got an awesome ear for prose that made almost every page a delight to read, regardless of what was happening during that bit of the story.
Not a good opener for me - I really didn't identify with the protagonist. Possibly because I'm not a hard-drinking, smoking, drug-using, hard-driving journalist. Eventually, though, the story became interesting - who's the mystery killer? What (if any) connection do they have to the protagonist (whose name I've already forgotten)?
As before, Banks has a decent turn of phrase, which does make the reading more enjoyable.
As before, Banks has a decent turn of phrase, which does make the reading more enjoyable.
Like [b:Complicity|12014|Complicity|Iain M. Banks|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/416RCXY5DTL._SL75_.jpg|2132], this was a bit of a slow start for me, mostly because there's a huge amount of jargon, initialisms, and crazy fighting at the very beginning. Eventually things settle down, and we can enjoy some flashbacks, which did a great job of drawing me into the world and making me care (a little) about the characters. I enjoyed Pressfield's prose as I did during [b:Gates of Fire|1305|Gates of Fire An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae|Steven Pressfield|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1158206180s/1305.jpg|1154187], but ultimately felt unfulfilled, as this book lacked the emotional depth that it possessed.
By all accounts a very good book, and apparently Mizuki is a genius, but I just couldn't do it. The plethora of characters, barely introduced, and with oddly childish outlooks, just didn't hold my interest. 200 pages in, I was completely bored and couldn't even distinguish one character from another, let alone care about them.
I’m reading this as part of Defective Yeti’s NaNoReMo 2007 (National Novel Reading Month 2007). So far, I’m bowled under by the lack of plot, but I can’t say I’m not enjoying the book – I giggle aloud usually once or twice a chapter. Still, I’m not sure a book that’s essentially nothing more than a string of Saturday Night Live skits will keep my interest until the end. In particular, I’m getting tired of the list of captains and majors and colonels and so on, many of whom I suspect of having been introduced just so chapters can have titles.
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I’m a little conflicted here. I don’t really want to give the book 4 out of 5 – I want to give it 3 and 5. On the one hand, the individual chapters are fun to read – some of the sketches (skits?) are very funny, and I giggled out loud a number of times. On the other hand, they grew somewhat tiresome, as the same form was replayed over and over, and there’s only so much silliness even I can take.
For well over half of its pages, the book was plotless, and this made it hard to come back to – there was just too little incentive. As things moved on, though, a plot did develop, and more than that, I became appreciative of how Heller was weaving the small story snippets together, presenting information in a non-chronological puzzle whose shape gradually became more visible. As others have noted, the book would probably become better and better as it’s reread, but the rewards weren’t quite great enough the first time around for me to tackle it again right away.
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I’m a little conflicted here. I don’t really want to give the book 4 out of 5 – I want to give it 3 and 5. On the one hand, the individual chapters are fun to read – some of the sketches (skits?) are very funny, and I giggled out loud a number of times. On the other hand, they grew somewhat tiresome, as the same form was replayed over and over, and there’s only so much silliness even I can take.
For well over half of its pages, the book was plotless, and this made it hard to come back to – there was just too little incentive. As things moved on, though, a plot did develop, and more than that, I became appreciative of how Heller was weaving the small story snippets together, presenting information in a non-chronological puzzle whose shape gradually became more visible. As others have noted, the book would probably become better and better as it’s reread, but the rewards weren’t quite great enough the first time around for me to tackle it again right away.