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reubenalbatross's Reviews (521)
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Well, I really didn’t think I’d ever be DNF-ing the final book in a series, but I don’t have the strength to finish it. I don’t even care about what happens to the characters – it’s clear from how everything has progressed that the book is going to have a typical fantasy ending, so I can pretty much already predict the plot points.
From the offset of the book, everything moved so fast, switching between POVs every three or four pages, that I struggled to connect with the story at all. Almost every chapter was just meaningless day to day life stuff, putting all the physical pieces in place before the battle without any good character work. Pretty much nothing of interest for 268 pages.
There are also essentially no stakes in this. I know that in the end it’s all going to be ok, and Gwynne clearly didn’t want to kill off any major character before the big battle, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to use them as a gratuitous death in the finale. So when any of the characters were in danger in this first 44%, I couldn’t take it seriously because I knew no-one was going to die.
Unfortunately (in my opinion), almost every fantasy series ends with the good guys winning. I read a lot of fantasy, but even so I don’t usually have this much apathy towards the end, so clearly there are things Gwynne could have put in place to keep the interest. However, so much of the tension he is trying to build is based off the 'we might not win' narrative, rather than on questions like the horrible things they might have to do to win, or what winning actually means. This leaves everything feeling pretty weak, as I can’t get behind the character’s fears or motivations at all.
Everything is also extremely convenient. So far, nothing has gone wrong for a single character. Even if they think a bad thing has happened, it turns out to be of benefit. Everything they try and do, they achieve, no-one has died, and (once again) nothing interesting has happened. Its just groups meeting up, chatting shit, and mildly fucking around.
This convenience is extremely prevalent in the hunt for the seven treasures. Even at the start of the series I found the concept verging on corny, but thankfully until this book the problem didn’t really rear its head. Now, however, all of the characters are just on side quests to find the treasures that haven’t already fallen into their laps in some of the most convoluted ways possible. It’s giving horcrux and child’s Easter egg hunt.
Some of the other things that annoyed me were:
- The ‘romances’. Every character is getting paired off, clearly in an attempt to increase emotional tension when one person in a couple is in danger. But it doesn’t work at all, because all of the romances are so lifeless, underdeveloped, and empty (somehow even Maquin and Fidele’s, who were half of Ruin). They’re clearly just being adding to emotionally manipulate us (much like Storm’s injury cliff-hanger at the end of Ruin).
- When the spear is removed from where it was embedded in the tree trunk, we’re told the skeleton it was holding up collapses. I’m sorry, WHAT the fuck? A skeleton isn’t joined together. A skeleton is just a collection of disjointed bones, there aren’t ligaments, muscles etc. holding it together. So how the FUCK was a spear holding up an entire skeleton by itself in such a way that when it was removed the skeleton came apart???
- The explanation of Trigg’s weird 2-sided treachery still makes no sense to me, and has been pissing me off for months.
- Gwynne is being HORRENDOUSLY heavy handed in his hints at the whole Ethlinn thing, whatever that thing is. It makes me not even want to look it up just out of spite…
- Thannon IS Corban’s father????? What the fuck. This one is very probably just on me, but still pisses me off.
It’s truly disappointing that my read of the series has come to this anti-climactic end. I really wanted it to be a new favourite. I thought the first two books in the series were really fresh, and all of the subterfuge and twisted morals intrigued me, but once all that was resolved and the lines were drawn, the core of the story just didn’t hold up. And after my disastrous read of The Burning GodI’m not going to be forcing myself to finish any book for any reason, even if it is the last in a series.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book… wow.
It has impacted me on a deep subconscious level, and I'm not even sure in what way. Very rarely, if ever, has a book left me feeling like this. It’s as if messages have reached my subconscious through the depth of the prose, but my conscious mind can’t comprehend them. I'm crying and I don't even know why.
Right from the first page, and seeing the strength of Akbar’s prose, I know this was going to be a good read, but it ended up as a truly great one. It is a gorgeously crafted piece of work, literally stunning in places. Akbar is incredible.
I’ve read books in the past where authors are clearly trying to achieve what Akbar has here, but they never work. They’re either monstrously pretentious and emotionally distant or so confusing in format that you can’t get any clear idea of the author’s intent.
What Akbar has created, on the other hand, is a total work of art, and its depth and philosophies have fundamentally changed my outlook on life, even if I’m not sure yet in how many ways.
A couple of quotes that really stood out to me:
“For all our advances in science…we’ve always held the same obnoxious, rotten souls. Souls that have festered for millennia while science grew.
"Maybe it’s because we could pass along science. You wrote a fact in a book and there it sat until someone born five hundred years later improved it. Refined it, implemented it more usefully. Easy. You couldn’t do that with soul learning. We all started from zero. From less than zero, actually. We started whiny, without grace. Obsessed only with our own needing. And the dead couldn’t teach us anything about that. No facts or tables or proofs. You just had to live and suffer and then teach your kids to do the same. From a distance, habit passing for happiness.”
“An alphabet, like a life, is a finite set of shapes. With it, one can produce almost anything.”
For such a long book, it starting off with a gratuitous, male serving sex scene is not encouraging for a Sci-fi written in the '70s.
Think I'll give it a miss.
Think I'll give it a miss.
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funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First of all, if this book is romantasy, Legends & Lattes is romantasy, and I know that’s not true. It’s pure cosy fantasy.
The book started off really strong. I absolutely LOVED Caz – what an awesome idea for a sidekick – and really related to Kiela, especially the dreaded "There was no denying it. She was going to have to talk to people."
I also really liked the narration. Davies gets the vibe of the book completely and adds to the reading experience, unlike many narrators I’ve listened to that are either neutral or off-putting.
However, towards the end the cosy-ness definitely started to wear on me. There were these allegedly massive stakes, but everything came way too easily for the characters, and it moved right into cheesy territory. Not egregious, but not as graceful as Baldree’s works.
Then I really didn’t like the last chapter. Larran calling the female mer-horses ‘mamas’ was repulsive to me. And the two of them zooming straight to marriage after we’d barely even seen them touch each other felt ridiculously rushed and jarring.
Having said that, until the last 10% or so, I did have a nice time reading this book. I won’t be continuing the series (unless I hear amazing things), but it was fun while it lasted.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Wowza, such masterful writing!
I loved how Miraz and Peter's fight was written. We were told the events via description from the narrator, characters describing the fight to the Doctor who couldn't see well, and characters discussing it between themselves. It meant the descriptions didn’t feel bogged down, and the experience was a lot more holistic.
Also, I'M SORRY?? The descriptions of what the trees ate at the feast was so fucking magical and imaginative. One of the most magical things I’ve read in a very long time.
And then in the matter of a few words the ending had me almost tearing up.
Something that didn’t really affect my enjoyment of the story, but did rile me up a little, was the Christian message it’s trying to put forward - that it’s important to keep belief in God and follow his lead. HOWEVER, all of the kids have SEEN Aslan before. They have proof of him, so disbelieving in him/not having faith in him now is no way near the same as someone in the real world who either doesn’t believe in God at all, or used to but doesn’t now. One is trusting in something you have literal proof of being real and good, the other is completely blind faith. If I was Trumpkin I’d also think they were all fucking insane.
However, it wasn’t a message that was pushed a lot in the book, so the above was definitely more a rant on the general idea, rather than criticising Lewis specifically.
I did enjoy the first part of this, though the surprising similarities to Anita Ahlborn’s ‘Brother’ (which was written after this) meant my enjoyment was diminished.
However, at 30% I realised this book has a pretty big problem with pacing. Which is particularly notable because pacing isn’t something I usually notice while reading.
The first third was highly strung and addicting, but now at the 35% it’s slowed right down to a crawl, almost like reading the start of another book with new characters and settings being introduced. Completely lacking action or even tension of any kind, even though Claire’s PoV is trying make us think there is.
As a result, I’m not really interested in reading any further.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love the structure of the three stories within this collection - telling the middle, end, and new beginning of the human race.
I also didn’t realise until 80% in that the bloody collection title is one world from each story title! Nice bit o’ fun.
Rocannon’s World
3.75 stars
3.75 stars
Really interesting stuff and started out great, but the plot definitely lost momentum towards the end. I also didn’t find myself caring for the characters much, so any emotional weight was lost.
Planet of Exile
4.25 stars
Planet of Exile
4.25 stars
One of the most accurate allegories I’ve read in a long time - all about the foolishness of pride and misplaced arrogance, and the inability to work with others and concede to some of their ideas because that would be 'giving up'. All while the thing you’re meant to be fighting for/fixing is going up in smoke.
It did have a bit of a slow start, but when it got going, it was really good, and the last two paragraphs nearly had me in tears.
Only thing I wasn’t sure about was the inclusion of the snow ghouls. I really didn’t see any point to them. They had no real influence on the story, and were also never mentioned as part of the dangers of winter, which is where their inclusion would have felt most powerful.
City of Illusions
5 stars
It did have a bit of a slow start, but when it got going, it was really good, and the last two paragraphs nearly had me in tears.
Only thing I wasn’t sure about was the inclusion of the snow ghouls. I really didn’t see any point to them. They had no real influence on the story, and were also never mentioned as part of the dangers of winter, which is where their inclusion would have felt most powerful.
City of Illusions
5 stars
Dear blinkin’ lord this one is something special.
The idea of mankind needing an enemy is such a complete truth I’ve held for many years, so it was so intriguing to read about a world that hinges on that concept and the philosophy that it brings forth.
The idea of mankind needing an enemy is such a complete truth I’ve held for many years, so it was so intriguing to read about a world that hinges on that concept and the philosophy that it brings forth.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oooogh. What a bloody ending! Even though I knew Hodges and Holly were going to survive, I was still on the goddamn brink of terror in those final scenes.
And a good ending!! Woop!
As for the rest of the book, what a truly masterfully layered piece of work. So many things I’ve seen versions of before, yet nothing felt corny, out of place, or tired.
And truly beautiful developing relationships between the characters.
I was hoping for a re-appearance of Augie somewhere along the line, even just a cameo, but I guess twas a fool's hope.
I was hoping for a re-appearance of Augie somewhere along the line, even just a cameo, but I guess twas a fool's hope.
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Cute and affirming.
At 46% everything is starting to feel veeery repetitive and pedestrian:
- Mahit, based on almost nothing, conveniently uncovers one of Yskandr's plots.
- We hear fuck all from Yskander, and Mahit can’t manage a sentence without begging him to return.
- Mahit can't trust anyone but really wants to be everyone's friend.
- Weird chat about literature that’s getting too convoluted, and not in a good way.
- Oh no, Lsel is under possible attack. Maybe from within (shock, horror).
It's all so wishy washy, and basically all just Mahit's speculation. Nothing has actually happened apart from a war being declared, but even that wasn't exactly interesting. The levels of bland are outstanding, and from reading reviews it isn’t going to get any better.
And so much of it doesn’t even make sense in the world Martine has created! For example, the flimsiness of the imago line tech, especially with how excruciatingly important they apparently are. Surely something a little more sophisticated could have been made to secure data (a cloud, data relay etc.)? Also, how Mahit has supposedly been training her whole lie to be ambassador, and is obsessed with Teixcalaanli culture, yet knows pretty much NOTHING about them?? How does that work then?
I also really can't help but compare the book to Yoon Ha Lee’s Ninefox Gambit, which (published three years before this) includes many of the same themes/tech and is an absolute MASTERPIECE. After reading something so similar and so well done, Martine’s work unfortunately fails rather drastically in comparison.