samtherat17's Reviews (162)

Pretty good mystery, but isn't really too great in terms of other Poirot stories.

One of the most innovative solutions to a mystery. 

Crazy plot twist.

You can check out my review for Volume 1, as all the things I said are basically the same for this one. Great characters, mysteries and travelling.

The Feluda series is probably my favourite detective series of all time. The stories themselves are pretty good, but what makes these stories so great are the characters and the locales.

The iconic trio of Feluda, Topshe and Lalmohan Babu will forever be remembered. The stories make you travel all over India and the locations are so perfectly described to make you feel as if you are there.

I have only read the English translation so I can't speak for the original, but the translator has done a pretty good job. 
Obviously, the writing is simple, (the stories are literally made for kids!) but it's great. 

Something else that's great is Mr. Ray's ability to write so many entertaining detective stories while keeping them family-friendly. 

So, as you have probably already understood from the rest of this review, I absolutely adore Feluda and would recommend you give this and Volume 2 a try.

This book is quite frankly, mind-boggling. There is so much political maneuvering and so many factions at play it becomes hard to keep track of everything. 
The interesting thing about this book is that there is no clear black and white. The characters feel cold and grey which I feel that suits the tone of the book but could be a problem for some. There are many themes covered such as the environment, power and the effect of prediction. 
The main thing I liked about this book  is just the general plot. Seeing the journey of the main characters and seeing the intricacies of being pre-born and prescient was very intriguing. However, this book is not without its flaws. I mentioned at the start of this review that this book is mind-boggling and sometimes it just becomes too much to handle. The long philosophical passages just become too much at some point and it starts to drag. I feel like the book could have been a bit shorter.
Also, some characters feel vastly different from Dune: Messiah and maybe it's because of the nine-year gap in between the books but it feels a little off-putting.
In the end, while this book has its flaws, I did like it quite a bit and would recommend you to read it.

Edit: After some time contemplating, I've decided to lower my rating to 3.75 stars from 4 stars. I feel like the problems I mentioned impacted my experience more than I originally thought.

This was an absolutely breakneck edge-of-the-seat thriller. This book explores the concept of different worlds in which you made different decisions and it is very thought-provoking. Jason has some great development and his journey throughout this book will have you cheering for him. I do have to say however, that the book didn't land as well emotionally as it was supposed to for me, however it might be different for others. All-in-all, this is a great blend of sci-fi, thriller and love story and I would recommend you to read it.

Emperor's Soul: 5 ⭐
Hope of Elantris: 3.5 ⭐
Eleventh Metal: 4 ⭐
Allomancer Jak: 3 ⭐
Secret History: 5 ⭐
White Sand excerpt: Can't really rate.
Shadows for Silence and Sixth of the Dusk: 4 ⭐
Edgedancer: 3.75 ⭐

Overall great short story collection, didn't really dislike any stories. Although, what really made this collection was all the Cosmere info which is really eye-opening. Would definitely recommend to get the most out of the Cosmere

The whole Amar Chitra Katha Mahabharat is a great and accessible way to consume this great epic.