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thecaptainsquarters
Ahoy there me mateys! I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .
I really wanted to like this debut fantasy novel. It was compared to Glen Cook and the adjectives "gritty" and "medieval" were used. One of me favourite author's, Tamora Pierce, gave it a four-star review on Goodreads and read it twice. Hence its appeal. But this one just did not float me boat. Instead I had to abandon ship and watch it sink to the watery depths never to be seen again. I just found the writing style to be dense and confusing. I would have liked the plot to be more focused. Also I found the main character, Durand, to be rather flat and not compelling. I thought I was going to get a character that I didn't necessarily find admirable but would root for almost despite meself. Some of me crew members are highly enjoying this one but the little bit that I read was less than stellar.
So lastly . . .
Thank you Macmillian-Tor/Forge!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
I really wanted to like this debut fantasy novel. It was compared to Glen Cook and the adjectives "gritty" and "medieval" were used. One of me favourite author's, Tamora Pierce, gave it a four-star review on Goodreads and read it twice. Hence its appeal. But this one just did not float me boat. Instead I had to abandon ship and watch it sink to the watery depths never to be seen again. I just found the writing style to be dense and confusing. I would have liked the plot to be more focused. Also I found the main character, Durand, to be rather flat and not compelling. I thought I was going to get a character that I didn't necessarily find admirable but would root for almost despite meself. Some of me crew members are highly enjoying this one but the little bit that I read was less than stellar.
So lastly . . .
Thank you Macmillian-Tor/Forge!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Ahoy there mateys! Get ready for a bit of a rant with spoilers. Read at yer own peril . . . This was me first reading of this classic sci-fi work. I did read some Heinlein back in me youth. But I seemed to have read only “juveniles” like “the rolling stones” and “have spacesuit – will travel.” And details of those reads remain extraordinarily fuzzy even if thinking of them brings back feelings of happiness in general.
Sci-Fi aficionados would always express surprise that I had not read this masterwork by this Grandmaster of the genre. And it has been on the list to read forever. But I have always been hesitant to read it. Some common problems with it seem to be its portrayal of women, religion, and smugness. But then the library had an audiobook version of it, and I decided to give it a go.
I absolutely ADORED the setup and first bits of this book. I loved our introduction to the Martian. I loved his simple ways and foreign viewpoints. I loved his earnestness and vulnerability and own type of innocence. I found his friend, Jill the nurse, to be a tremendously strong-willed woman. I loved the escape to Jubal’s house. I loved hearing “grok” in context. I was absolutely engrossed and fascinated. I loved watched Mike listen, absorb, and grow. So what happened? Mike the Martian has learned what he needs to at Jubal’s house and decides to leave the Nest and go out into the world.
And my enjoyment of the book began to die. First, all the interesting political posturing over Mike’s fortune is just swept to the side in a tidy bit of lawyering. Then the first place Mike decides to visit in his newer grown-up phase is the carnival? Because sure that makes sense. So Mike learns the art of the con and Jill becomes a boring archetype whose happiness about her body involves its use to seduce the viewer and to have sex with Mike and others. I have nothing against the enjoyment of sex and I don’t even have a problem with sex as used in stripping or other things. My problem is that Jill goes from an intelligent woman who loves her body to a seemingly bubble-headed woman whose only ambition is to follow Mike around in order to be surrounded by his good grace . . . and his perfect manly sex.
So in addition to touring with the carnival, Mike also decides to start a church based on the Fosterite Church portrayed in the book. Now the Fosterite “church” in the book is actually delightful in its hypocrisy. Gambling, drinking, sinning . . . it’s all okay as long as ye be gambling on the machines in the Fosterite Church while drinking the church-sponsored brand of beer and donating some of yer ill-gotten wins back to the church, etc. So Mike wants to change the world with his ideas and philosophies and decides to use a horrible selfish corporation church as basis of the mechanism to do so? WTF? What a lame cop-out. The Martian creates a cult.
And the strong women of the story continue to degrade. So the woman discover the joys of sex with a willing and thoughtful partner. Okay that’s fine. But then there is a rape and the response from I-used-to-be-intelligent-but-became-a-moron-the-first-time-I-had-good-sex Jill is “Nine times out of ten, if a girl gets raped, it’s partly her fault.” I almost stopped the book right there. Perhaps I should have. Because the Jill from the beginning of the book would not have said such a stupid thing. But it IS a masterpiece so I continued listening.
And apparently when woman become sexually free they want three things 1) to sleep with ALL the men, 2) to have babies, lots of babies, and 3) all want hetero-sexual non-monogamous relationships. Gag. I happen to think there is more to being a woman then being forced to having babies, having no standards when it comes to picking a sexual partner (any man will do?), and I don’t believe that every woman on the planet is straight. Also the woman in Jubal’s household actually sulk and are passive-aggressive about who gets to have sex with Mike until they figure out a schedule they like. Alpha male with beta jealousy-ridden females fighting over his time. Of course that is the dream of any and all American woman. And of course Mike doesn’t notice the in-fighting because he is above that. Ugh. Mike impregnates most of them. Bleh.
And then of course there is the smugness. Mike’s way is the ONLY way to be and he will be a martyr to the world that will eventually all see the way. All the people will realize that they want to live in these large sexually-free societies where there are mass orgies, cannibalism, and baby making. All will learn the true Martian language. All will believe in Mike’s church. Any who doesn’t is a prude and a waste that will be weeded out. All the men are smug and know what’s best. The women hold “positions of power” but do nothing that Mike hasn’t approved of. In fact some of the women, like Jill, actually like to have so little individuality that they begin to look like each other and switch places with each other because it doesn’t matter who has the experience. They can be filled in on the details later. Oh and they can magic themselves younger and more aesthetically pleasing. And that is supposed to be freedom for women?
The only idea I could kinda get behind is the lack of emphasis of consumerism culture. But that’s easy when Mike is so rich that money doesn’t matter and he can perform magic and get what ye want.
I would never ever want to live in the society espoused by Mike the Martian. I almost wish I had never read this mess of a book. Sure it might be a forward thinking book for a certain-type of heterosexual male-dominated society. But it’s a surprisingly backward book for me despite the hippy-free love orgies. I would say that the criticism of this book is well-founded. I was going to listen to the moon is a harsh mistress next. But I am not sure I can stomach it. And I cannot recommend this book to others. Arrrr!
Sci-Fi aficionados would always express surprise that I had not read this masterwork by this Grandmaster of the genre. And it has been on the list to read forever. But I have always been hesitant to read it. Some common problems with it seem to be its portrayal of women, religion, and smugness. But then the library had an audiobook version of it, and I decided to give it a go.
I absolutely ADORED the setup and first bits of this book. I loved our introduction to the Martian. I loved his simple ways and foreign viewpoints. I loved his earnestness and vulnerability and own type of innocence. I found his friend, Jill the nurse, to be a tremendously strong-willed woman. I loved the escape to Jubal’s house. I loved hearing “grok” in context. I was absolutely engrossed and fascinated. I loved watched Mike listen, absorb, and grow. So what happened? Mike the Martian has learned what he needs to at Jubal’s house and decides to leave the Nest and go out into the world.
And my enjoyment of the book began to die. First, all the interesting political posturing over Mike’s fortune is just swept to the side in a tidy bit of lawyering. Then the first place Mike decides to visit in his newer grown-up phase is the carnival? Because sure that makes sense. So Mike learns the art of the con and Jill becomes a boring archetype whose happiness about her body involves its use to seduce the viewer and to have sex with Mike and others. I have nothing against the enjoyment of sex and I don’t even have a problem with sex as used in stripping or other things. My problem is that Jill goes from an intelligent woman who loves her body to a seemingly bubble-headed woman whose only ambition is to follow Mike around in order to be surrounded by his good grace . . . and his perfect manly sex.
So in addition to touring with the carnival, Mike also decides to start a church based on the Fosterite Church portrayed in the book. Now the Fosterite “church” in the book is actually delightful in its hypocrisy. Gambling, drinking, sinning . . . it’s all okay as long as ye be gambling on the machines in the Fosterite Church while drinking the church-sponsored brand of beer and donating some of yer ill-gotten wins back to the church, etc. So Mike wants to change the world with his ideas and philosophies and decides to use a horrible selfish corporation church as basis of the mechanism to do so? WTF? What a lame cop-out. The Martian creates a cult.
And the strong women of the story continue to degrade. So the woman discover the joys of sex with a willing and thoughtful partner. Okay that’s fine. But then there is a rape and the response from I-used-to-be-intelligent-but-became-a-moron-the-first-time-I-had-good-sex Jill is “Nine times out of ten, if a girl gets raped, it’s partly her fault.” I almost stopped the book right there. Perhaps I should have. Because the Jill from the beginning of the book would not have said such a stupid thing. But it IS a masterpiece so I continued listening.
And apparently when woman become sexually free they want three things 1) to sleep with ALL the men, 2) to have babies, lots of babies, and 3) all want hetero-sexual non-monogamous relationships. Gag. I happen to think there is more to being a woman then being forced to having babies, having no standards when it comes to picking a sexual partner (any man will do?), and I don’t believe that every woman on the planet is straight. Also the woman in Jubal’s household actually sulk and are passive-aggressive about who gets to have sex with Mike until they figure out a schedule they like. Alpha male with beta jealousy-ridden females fighting over his time. Of course that is the dream of any and all American woman. And of course Mike doesn’t notice the in-fighting because he is above that. Ugh. Mike impregnates most of them. Bleh.
And then of course there is the smugness. Mike’s way is the ONLY way to be and he will be a martyr to the world that will eventually all see the way. All the people will realize that they want to live in these large sexually-free societies where there are mass orgies, cannibalism, and baby making. All will learn the true Martian language. All will believe in Mike’s church. Any who doesn’t is a prude and a waste that will be weeded out. All the men are smug and know what’s best. The women hold “positions of power” but do nothing that Mike hasn’t approved of. In fact some of the women, like Jill, actually like to have so little individuality that they begin to look like each other and switch places with each other because it doesn’t matter who has the experience. They can be filled in on the details later. Oh and they can magic themselves younger and more aesthetically pleasing. And that is supposed to be freedom for women?
The only idea I could kinda get behind is the lack of emphasis of consumerism culture. But that’s easy when Mike is so rich that money doesn’t matter and he can perform magic and get what ye want.
I would never ever want to live in the society espoused by Mike the Martian. I almost wish I had never read this mess of a book. Sure it might be a forward thinking book for a certain-type of heterosexual male-dominated society. But it’s a surprisingly backward book for me despite the hippy-free love orgies. I would say that the criticism of this book is well-founded. I was going to listen to the moon is a harsh mistress next. But I am not sure I can stomach it. And I cannot recommend this book to others. Arrrr!
Ahoy there mateys! Though the First Mate and I have very different reading tastes, occasionally we do recommend books to each other. He and I both read the following:
darkly (Marisha Pessl)
We listened to (independently) and talked about the audiobook and I enjoyed his viewpoint so Iordered asked him to write a review. So you get one from me and a bonus additional review from me crew. Please note that I write like I talk and the First Mate writes like he thinks. Hope you enjoy!
Side Note: The First Mate preordered the audiobook but I also received an eArc from the publisher, Delacorte Press, in exchange for an honest review. I thank them for the e-book even though I listened to it :)
From the Captain:
I really loved the last book I read by the author and had high hopes for this one. I read it over two days. On the first day, I was convinced that it was a five star read. However, when I was finished I was very dissatisfied. Basically there were issues with the characters, settings, and ending.
I have to admit that the Darkly company games and its founder, Louisiana Vera were fascinating. I loved how the board games were discussed and elements of them were revealed as the book progressed. I loved slowly learning about Louisiana and her upbringing. It felt like both the board games and the artist behind them could be real. These elements were the highlight of the story and had me spellbound.
The problematic elements had overtaken the excitement by the end. I didn't mind the main character, Dia. However there was a lust-triangle that I seriously found distracting. Also there were seven teens (4 boys, 3 girls) involved in the contest. I honestly forget about one of the boys by the end and don't even remember his name. The two other girls continued to be confused by me. I am not sure if that was due to the narrator's accents for them or how they were written. I feel like there should have been four teens total so that they could have been fleshed out better.
The setting also bothered me. The teens get taken to an island where the factory is but for seemingly no real reason given that the majority of the action took place on the mainland. Also some of the plot took place in the Valkyrie game. Both the game and the "internship" really seemed to be nonsensical most of the time. The more I thought about the realities of the setting and the situation, I more I was bothered. Especially once the "twist" about Louisiana's family is shared.
But it was the ending that drove me bonkers. Dia goes home and extremely conveniently finds a secret about her own family. This twist annoyed me but it is what Dia decides to in the last pages that made NO sense given her personal growth during the course of the novel. I understand that the author was going for symmetry. I just hated it.
I know that my opinion seems so negative but I promise that I had so much enjoyment listening to the novel. I don't regret the read and will be reading whatever the author writes next. I just wish that the book held up upon reflection and that it lived up to the prior novel I read by her. Arrrr!
From the First Mate:
Marisha Pessl’s greatest strength as a writer is her incredible skill as a stylist. She’s capable of weaving intricately beautiful prose that hints and promises untold depths lurking beneath the mere surface of the plot. The line-by-line quality of her writing enamored me when I first encountered it, and it is that same quality that makes her work an “instant buy” whenever she has a new work coming out (regardless of how far into the future that may be). So, of course, Darkly was a pre-order from the moment I saw it available.
Unfortunately, Darkly is thus far my least favorite of Pessl’s books. That’s not to say it’s bad. Like all of her other books, I very much enjoyed the experience of reading it. Her prose is still as electric, intricate, and beautiful as ever. The work had me enthralled for the better part of an afternoon. And yet, I’m more likely to reread any of her other three books before rereading this one.
Part of the reason I didn’t enjoy Darkly as much as its predecessors is the central creative MacGuffin. Board games simply have never really appealed to me. And while Pessl does a fantastic job of creating mystery and intrigue around the Darkly games, they came across to me like mere shadows of Cardova’s Night Films from Night Film. Is that simply because I enjoy film in a way that I’ve never enjoyed board games? Perhaps. But it was in thinking about the similarities between the Darklies and the Night Films that made it clear to me how much of Darkly is a remix of Pessl’s previous books.
Dia is a less adult Blue. Louisiana, a melding of Hannah Schneider and Stanislas Cordova. The Darkly factory a more sprawling version of the Peak. The interns seem a curious mashup of the friend groups from both Special Topics and Neverworld Wake, especially in how all three groups acted towards our main characters. And, of course, the elements of suicide, mazes and puzzles, broken families, coincidence, and the impermanence of found families, which appear in all four books.
There’s nothing wrong with a writer reusing themes, elements, or ideas from work to work. Sometimes that very repetition elevates the overall corpus. Every Faulkner novel is, to some degree, examining the same tensions, for example. For me, the problem in Darkly was that it kept reminding me of her other books, which I enjoyed more.
The other major issue with Darkly was that it felt incomplete. I don’t know if that was because it was firmly placed in the YA category or if there was some other reason, but it felt like there were sections that set up storylines and characters that never amounted to anything. For instance, we get seven interns, but three say and do so little that they might as well not have been there. The factory is set up as a fascinating location, and then so little is done there. The ending feels rushed, with more than one dangling thread being explained away, such as “the lawyers said you can’t see that” when Dia asks about several things. Neverworld Wake proved that Pessl could tie up her complex stories in a short, satisfying package (compared to Special Topics and Night Film, which were over five hundred pages). So, it wasn’t necessarily length that made this one feel incomplete.
Darkly is proving to be one of those frustrating works that I enjoyed while reading, yet I enjoy it less the more I think about it. I can still think about the beautiful writing and some of the individual parts, and I can recall the joy of reading it. But then I think of the whole, and I can’t say it worked for me. It hasn’t done anything to change Pessl’s “instant buy” status for me, but it will probably be quite some time before I reread it.
darkly (Marisha Pessl)
We listened to (independently) and talked about the audiobook and I enjoyed his viewpoint so I
Side Note: The First Mate preordered the audiobook but I also received an eArc from the publisher, Delacorte Press, in exchange for an honest review. I thank them for the e-book even though I listened to it :)
From the Captain:
I really loved the last book I read by the author and had high hopes for this one. I read it over two days. On the first day, I was convinced that it was a five star read. However, when I was finished I was very dissatisfied. Basically there were issues with the characters, settings, and ending.
I have to admit that the Darkly company games and its founder, Louisiana Vera were fascinating. I loved how the board games were discussed and elements of them were revealed as the book progressed. I loved slowly learning about Louisiana and her upbringing. It felt like both the board games and the artist behind them could be real. These elements were the highlight of the story and had me spellbound.
The problematic elements had overtaken the excitement by the end. I didn't mind the main character, Dia. However there was a lust-triangle that I seriously found distracting. Also there were seven teens (4 boys, 3 girls) involved in the contest. I honestly forget about one of the boys by the end and don't even remember his name. The two other girls continued to be confused by me. I am not sure if that was due to the narrator's accents for them or how they were written. I feel like there should have been four teens total so that they could have been fleshed out better.
The setting also bothered me. The teens get taken to an island where the factory is but for seemingly no real reason given that the majority of the action took place on the mainland. Also some of the plot took place in the Valkyrie game. Both the game and the "internship" really seemed to be nonsensical most of the time. The more I thought about the realities of the setting and the situation, I more I was bothered. Especially once the "twist" about Louisiana's family is shared.
But it was the ending that drove me bonkers. Dia goes home and extremely conveniently finds a secret about her own family. This twist annoyed me but it is what Dia decides to in the last pages that made NO sense given her personal growth during the course of the novel. I understand that the author was going for symmetry. I just hated it.
I know that my opinion seems so negative but I promise that I had so much enjoyment listening to the novel. I don't regret the read and will be reading whatever the author writes next. I just wish that the book held up upon reflection and that it lived up to the prior novel I read by her. Arrrr!
From the First Mate:
Marisha Pessl’s greatest strength as a writer is her incredible skill as a stylist. She’s capable of weaving intricately beautiful prose that hints and promises untold depths lurking beneath the mere surface of the plot. The line-by-line quality of her writing enamored me when I first encountered it, and it is that same quality that makes her work an “instant buy” whenever she has a new work coming out (regardless of how far into the future that may be). So, of course, Darkly was a pre-order from the moment I saw it available.
Unfortunately, Darkly is thus far my least favorite of Pessl’s books. That’s not to say it’s bad. Like all of her other books, I very much enjoyed the experience of reading it. Her prose is still as electric, intricate, and beautiful as ever. The work had me enthralled for the better part of an afternoon. And yet, I’m more likely to reread any of her other three books before rereading this one.
Part of the reason I didn’t enjoy Darkly as much as its predecessors is the central creative MacGuffin. Board games simply have never really appealed to me. And while Pessl does a fantastic job of creating mystery and intrigue around the Darkly games, they came across to me like mere shadows of Cardova’s Night Films from Night Film. Is that simply because I enjoy film in a way that I’ve never enjoyed board games? Perhaps. But it was in thinking about the similarities between the Darklies and the Night Films that made it clear to me how much of Darkly is a remix of Pessl’s previous books.
Dia is a less adult Blue. Louisiana, a melding of Hannah Schneider and Stanislas Cordova. The Darkly factory a more sprawling version of the Peak. The interns seem a curious mashup of the friend groups from both Special Topics and Neverworld Wake, especially in how all three groups acted towards our main characters. And, of course, the elements of suicide, mazes and puzzles, broken families, coincidence, and the impermanence of found families, which appear in all four books.
There’s nothing wrong with a writer reusing themes, elements, or ideas from work to work. Sometimes that very repetition elevates the overall corpus. Every Faulkner novel is, to some degree, examining the same tensions, for example. For me, the problem in Darkly was that it kept reminding me of her other books, which I enjoyed more.
The other major issue with Darkly was that it felt incomplete. I don’t know if that was because it was firmly placed in the YA category or if there was some other reason, but it felt like there were sections that set up storylines and characters that never amounted to anything. For instance, we get seven interns, but three say and do so little that they might as well not have been there. The factory is set up as a fascinating location, and then so little is done there. The ending feels rushed, with more than one dangling thread being explained away, such as “the lawyers said you can’t see that” when Dia asks about several things. Neverworld Wake proved that Pessl could tie up her complex stories in a short, satisfying package (compared to Special Topics and Night Film, which were over five hundred pages). So, it wasn’t necessarily length that made this one feel incomplete.
Darkly is proving to be one of those frustrating works that I enjoyed while reading, yet I enjoy it less the more I think about it. I can still think about the beautiful writing and some of the individual parts, and I can recall the joy of reading it. But then I think of the whole, and I can’t say it worked for me. It hasn’t done anything to change Pessl’s “instant buy” status for me, but it will probably be quite some time before I reread it.
Ahoy me mateys! Ah delightful. I started reading this book because I couldn’t sleep. Then suddenly it was 12:15 am and I knew I had to go to bed. But I wanted to finish this! I loved the story-line and the main character, Elisa. Elisa has a body type that is not typical of leading ladies and it was a nice and unusual twist. Additionally this was a young adult book where Elisa grows and changes in major ways . . . you know, kinda like real teenage people do. And the author chose to focus mostly on the inner workings of the character’s mind and on the plot rather than descriptive passages. Not that I don’t love long flowery imagery. But Elisa and the world felt fresh in many ways from other young adult series that I have read recently. The romance in the book alone was proof of that. Made me rather happy actually and not in the normal manner. Additionally the religious society and history of magic of this world was fun. It delved into it just enough for the story to move forward and for explanations and I have no complaints. But it does make me intrigued by what the next book in the series will bring. Enough typing. More reading.
If you liked this review see others by The Captain at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
If you liked this review see others by The Captain at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
2024 reread:
Ahoy there mateys! Usually when I read this book, I focus on the robot. This time I listened to it in audiobook form and was more focused on the monk's side. The monk questions their life purpose. I too am in transition mode and I don't know what the future holds for me. It is a scary place to be and yet a humbling place to be. Just living. I love Mosscap's view on life and wish I could live more with that viewpoint. This novella is both comforting and thoughtful. I love it so. Arrrr!
*****
Ahoy there me mateys! It be no secret that I love Becky Chambers work. So much so that I didn’t really know what the book was about other than that the series name suggested a monk and a robot. Aye, but how we meet said monk and robot were fantastic.
I, of course, adored this. I want to meet a tea monk. If I was lucky, I would love to meet the best tea monk, Dex, and see what they brew for me. I also would love to meet the robot, Mosscap, and pester it with every question I could think of. Watching the two interact was just wonderful.
This book is hopeful, a bit philosophical, and shows slices of life. Becky Chambers does this so very well. I knew it was a novella. I knew it would be short. And I was still surprised by how engrossed I was watching everything unfold and also with how much I wanted to know what happened next when it ended. The ending seemed abrupt but it was really just because I was transported into the story and this world faded away.
I need to know what happens next. I need lots more Becky Chambers books in general. Arrr!
Ahoy there mateys! Usually when I read this book, I focus on the robot. This time I listened to it in audiobook form and was more focused on the monk's side. The monk questions their life purpose. I too am in transition mode and I don't know what the future holds for me. It is a scary place to be and yet a humbling place to be. Just living. I love Mosscap's view on life and wish I could live more with that viewpoint. This novella is both comforting and thoughtful. I love it so. Arrrr!
*****
Ahoy there me mateys! It be no secret that I love Becky Chambers work. So much so that I didn’t really know what the book was about other than that the series name suggested a monk and a robot. Aye, but how we meet said monk and robot were fantastic.
I, of course, adored this. I want to meet a tea monk. If I was lucky, I would love to meet the best tea monk, Dex, and see what they brew for me. I also would love to meet the robot, Mosscap, and pester it with every question I could think of. Watching the two interact was just wonderful.
This book is hopeful, a bit philosophical, and shows slices of life. Becky Chambers does this so very well. I knew it was a novella. I knew it would be short. And I was still surprised by how engrossed I was watching everything unfold and also with how much I wanted to know what happened next when it ended. The ending seemed abrupt but it was really just because I was transported into the story and this world faded away.
I need to know what happens next. I need lots more Becky Chambers books in general. Arrr!