Interesting story, but written in an incredibly dizzying way. Fairly cheesy narrative framing and rapid POV changes mar what is otherwise a relativelyInteresting story, but written in an incredibly dizzying way. Fairly cheesy narrative framing and rapid POV changes mar what is otherwise a relatively fresh and unpredictable book. It does a good job of ramping up the feeling that the endgame is approaching, but it can end up feeling very foreign compared to the earlier books. ...more
Baptism of Fire is a potent mix of very in-depth exposition and teeth-gritting battle, as the already-grimy world of the Witcher is made somehow even Baptism of Fire is a potent mix of very in-depth exposition and teeth-gritting battle, as the already-grimy world of the Witcher is made somehow even less inviting thanks to a massive war. It has some fairly dry politicking bits (which will probably be important in later books) but that’s woven in between Ciri’s blow-by-blow descent in to madness, and Geralt leading a bannerless ragtag group of really engaging characters through leagues of slaughter. The fact he’s a Witcher isn’t that important any more - the last few books have made clear that most of the beasties are long gone - and now he must reckon with his place in the world as it burns. It’s a lot of reading to get to this point, but it’s my favourite so far. ...more
Reading this as part of The Complete Witcher, it is presented in extremely stark contrast to The Last Wish. TLW sets the scene wonderfully, as a serieReading this as part of The Complete Witcher, it is presented in extremely stark contrast to The Last Wish. TLW sets the scene wonderfully, as a series of standalone episodes tied together by snippets of Geralt’s recovery from a nasty injury. Sword of Destiny, however, details what feels like a descent in to madness; it starts off with wordy, Shakespearian debates about life, the universe and everything, before deliberately smudging the continuity with dream sequences, hallucinations and hasty plot points. SoD’s Geralt feels extremely different from the Geralt we follow in TLW - his grip on reality loosens with every chapter, and his understanding of the world is undermined at every turn.
Sword of Destiny was written first (despite being placed second after TLW) and you can definitely tell. It feels experimental in some ways, as if it was an Unfinished Tales-style anthology of old world building material. Two especially egregious examples include: the introduction of a massively important and mysterious character from Geralt’s past, who then magically appears and disappears in the next chapter; and the Surprise War� which occurs in the last segment, which is the equivalent of a post-it from the editor saying “WHAT ABOUT THE SEQUEL?�.
It’s not a bad book. The author’s writing style is really engaging (even if I stopped following what was going on semi-frequently) and it’s an important stepping stone to the rest of the series. It just feels a bit underbaked compared to the first book, which is a masterclass of an introduction to the world of the Witcher....more
I read The Last Wish as part of The Complete Witcher, and it serves as a great bitesize introduction to the world - mostly. It takes the form of a strI read The Last Wish as part of The Complete Witcher, and it serves as a great bitesize introduction to the world - mostly. It takes the form of a string of short investigations (the last of which is The Last Wish) with short stories of Geralt’s recovery at a temple he uses as his base in between. Each investigation is standalone and about 30 pages long, making it a very forgiving and accessible read, and each one ratchets the mystery up to 11 before hitting you with a plot twist and a fairly bombastic finale, although the initial few don’t land as well as the later ones.
Outside of stumbling blindly through the first four hours of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, I’ve had next to no experience of the franchise. I must admit I had to look up the details of the universe to get the most out of The Last Wish - it’s effectively a grim fable, with Geralt contending with bloodthirsty versions of folkloric European characters, including [checks notes] the Seven Dwarves at one point. TLW itself never explains why, and I’m not sure I would have enjoyed it had I not given myself the required context; in essence, something happened ten thousand years prior which ended up combining or destroying realities, causing fables to spill into the real world. Also, unicorns can travel between alternate realities. Cool.
I don’t think not knowing any of that will explicitly diminish your enjoyment of TLW, however, unless you’re as picky about lore as I am. It’s definitely a valuable and enjoyable read, as it’s source material for both the Netflix series and the first game. It’s a whirlwind tour through a frankly bizarre universe and genuinely very enjoyable. ...more
This book started quite strong, but is irreparably undermined by the American “life coach� culture that spawned it. The author has clearly had a long This book started quite strong, but is irreparably undermined by the American “life coach� culture that spawned it. The author has clearly had a long and successful career during some of the most formative years of applied criminal and operational psychology, but he has managed to condense it down into a banal 1-hour infomercial script aimed at the narrowest possible target audience: white men in California in the 1990s aged between 29 and 50.
That being said, he has clearly found some very powerful techniques. He gives examples of their use in hostage situations - an interesting read by themselves - followed by contrived/clearly fabricated “day to day� anecdotes of when someone used the same technique to negotiate a salary or convince their neighbour to stop shooting their cat with an air rifle or something (I can’t remember, but it honestly doesn’t matter). The wisdom in this book is undeniably present, but it’s buried deep, and you will need to translate it into your own terms. I will need to read this book at least once more to properly absorb the techniques, but I’m not sure I actually want to.
There are some tips that seem relatively evergreen, though; the “extreme anchor� during salary negotiations, for example - set your salary range with your desired salary as the minimum and something ridiculous as the maximum to make your actual salary seem like a bargain. Sure, fine, but this only worked for people who were already deep into a career earning three times the average salary of your average American. I’m a nearly-30 European nonbinary person with no qualifications in their field, so this technique would come across as pure delusion.
My final shot at this book would be the assumptions it makes of its readers. The author is a confident, financially and mentally stable middle aged white man who really, really likes America. The FBI have never done anything wrong, and everyone just needs to man up, and of course, you agree with this. Some sentences are so loaded with barely-concealed right wingery that I had to stop reading lest I experience apoplexy on my morning commute. In short: might be worth a read, but it’s not the “communications bible� it things it is. ...more
The Silmarillion is a peculiar book - apparently Tolkien started writing it in WW1, and was still revising it when he died, which is� nuts. It starts The Silmarillion is a peculiar book - apparently Tolkien started writing it in WW1, and was still revising it when he died, which is� nuts. It starts off with a creation story - amazing - and continues into the colonisation and the first contest for Middle Earth - great - before delving microscopically into lineages and individual stories in the Second Age. Some of these are great, but a lot of the detail in this second “act� really sizzled my brain.
Up until this point, you get some fascinating context for LotR, which followed like, 30(?) years later; the timescales involved in the creation of this whole world are insane and impressive in equal measure. Off-hand references in LotR are deliberately referential to the Silmarillion, e.g. Return of the King mentioning that Shelob is the last of Ungoliant’s children, and it turns out that Ungoliant was a big-ass spider that shat all over two giant shiny trees, so that’s fun. However, the nitty-gritty of who’s related to who when the focus shifts from the Undying Lands to Middle-Earth is simply too hard to follow on first reading (in my opinion).
If you stick with it, though, holy crap - you get rewarded with the Akallabêth, explaining why the world is round for Men and detailing the fall of Númenor, which is incredible. After this, you then get to read about the preceding events of Lord of the Rings up until the destruction of the One Ring, which makes the tough bits more than worth it.
The intro warns you about how difficult a read the Silmarillion is, and I went into it willing to sacrifice the bits I wasn’t able to follow. I ultimately didn’t skip anything, but it’s a struggle at times. It also apparently contradicts itself a lot, but I honestly didn’t notice, as it’s still told from a “translator� persona by the author.
tl;dr the beginning of Tolkien hard mode, v cool...more
Return of the King is a bit nuts. The main selling point for me was a whole extra epilogue that I had never heard of before - the Scouring of the ShirReturn of the King is a bit nuts. The main selling point for me was a whole extra epilogue that I had never heard of before - the Scouring of the Shire - which would have made an amazing standalone/fourth film if they felt the need. The appendices in the back of the latest addition also provide a huge amount of detail about language, pronunciation and shared history for any and all things Middle Earth. Some of them are a bit of a slog, but there’s some fantastic background and lore tidbits in there which really enrich the main thread of Lord of the Rings.
The book itself is still a fairly tough read even at this point in the trilogy, but if you have a dictionary nearby, you can learn a lot about language thanks to Mr. Tolkien’s complex and imaginative way of writing. There’s nothing else I can say that hasn’t been said already, but the emotional weight (and the unexpected and homoerotic tenderness spread throughout) is incredible. What a journey. ...more
Two Towers definitely feels like Lord of the Rings, but the awe and wonder of the first book is quickly traded for political intrigue, deep local legeTwo Towers definitely feels like Lord of the Rings, but the awe and wonder of the first book is quickly traded for political intrigue, deep local legend and martial manoeuvres. A lot of the events in the book are clearly of massive historical import, and this is really well put across throughout; whilst some of the monologuing that characters do afterwards can be quite challenging, it really helps establish exactly what you’ve just witnessed. Besides, nobody works a 9 to 5, so they’ve all got time to stand around and process exactly what happened. I also love the fact that the descriptions of these events are capped by flagstone sentences saying that this person “was never seen by mortal eyes again�, as it really makes you feel like you’re reading history, or perhaps an eyewitness account.
Two Towers is definitely very different from Fellowship, and is constructed using language that is even more difficult to understand. Conversations between two characters (who aren’t hobbits) are often hard to interpret and usually full of references to extremely specific parts of history, but if you keep trusting the direction they’re going in, it’s a really rewarding read. Also, Treebeard is adorable ...more
**spoiler alert** I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading the Fellowship of the Ring. I admit, this was actually my fourth attempt; the pr**spoiler alert** I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading the Fellowship of the Ring. I admit, this was actually my fourth attempt; the previous three attempts were me trying to read the abominably tiny text of an anniversary edition that I'd bought over a decade ago, which lead to me failing to get past page 20. However, armed with a Kobo, I set out to read it properly, and I am so glad I did.
Tolkien's way of writing is, at times, nearly impenetrable. This lead me to develop a specific approach to reading Fellowship, which involved relinquishing my constant need to know about each lore point as soon as it is mentioned. I quickly realised this simply wasn't possible if you scrutinise each page too closely, so I instead developed a trust and a patience for the book which dividends very quickly. Characters will grandstand and espouse songs, stories and hearsay, but only the relevant parts will be reinforced, whilst the rest is woven neatly into the atmosphere of the book; ultimately, each member of the Fellowship is trying to prove their worth and knowledge, and usually that means that everyone else in the Fellowship is as new to what they're saying as the reader. Everything I didn't recognise is something that, time and attention span allowing, I could no doubt read about in the other 16-or-something books. I love me some depth.
Beyond the lightspeed worldbuilding, the book itself follows the hobbits' surprisingly heartwrenching (idk what I was expecting) loss of innocence and shelter; it starts with Gandalf letting off fireworks, and ends with them betrayed and sprinting to a river amidst a desolate Gondor. Frodo is routinely forced to reckon with the scope of the calamity he's found himself in, and learns that his quest to destroy the Ring is even less straightforward than it first seemed. He can only continue by the grace of the legendary people he encounters, having been saved from death more than once by Tom Bombadil and sheltered by Galadriel, whose lands will die as soon as he destroys the Ring. Basically, I knew that it was "good" and "big", but I had no idea just how groundbreaking the book is. I can't imagine what it must have been like to read this back in 1954.
I am so pleased that I started my journey into Lord of the Rings, even if I had a few false starts. It's amazing to see how much DNA has been preserved and titrated into even the most popular fantasy series (looking at you, WoW) and I am thankful that his works are still being diligently interpreted by his family to this day. I can't say anything about this book that hasn't been said a million times before, but it's been wonderful to go back to where it all started. ...more
This book is impressively terrible. It’s basically a generic Wrong Trousers story (except with haunted armour) pasted over the top of the Diablo univeThis book is impressively terrible. It’s basically a generic Wrong Trousers story (except with haunted armour) pasted over the top of the Diablo universe, but in reality, it has such a loose connection to the source material that it might as well have been based on the Magic Roundabout. It flails madly to establish itself until the half way point, at which point, it leans heavily on references to well-established plot points in Diablo 2, which it still manages to get very wrong. It also conjures up legendary figures from the lore, then abuses and destroys them in the weirdest ways imaginable.
I have played Diablo since I was 8, and I have always wanted to explore the universe outside of the games which, with the exception of Diablo 3, are deliberately light on detail to allow you to focus on the apocalypse. I really wish I hadn’t tapped in to this particular novel, as it takes my favourite game of the series (number 2) and corrupts it in order to try and prop up a deeply unimaginative story which doesn’t really seem to give a crap about the decades of lore that precedes it.
The author’s writing style aims for horror fiction but sits firmly in ao3 Sonic the Hedgehog self-inserts. It thinks that it’s immensely intelligent, but even concepts that should be a home run (shifting pocket dimensions, haunted armour, agents of prime evils) are mutilated and overexplained to the point where they feel mundane. Both female characters exist purely as sexual objects for the protagonist and antagonist, and are routinely rendered helpless and at the mercy of incompetent men for no reason, even though they are both members of two separate and well-established mage orders. On the other end of the spectrum, some characters inserted by the author are so obnoxiously powerful that they actively ignore a giant plot point if Diablo 2 - set several years after - which focuses on a giant crystal built with the express purpose of suppressing the powers inherent in humanity.
I could go on forever. Just don’t read this book if you like Diablo. Christ. ...more
Catch-22 is a grimly amusing read about what happens when bureaucracy is valued above all else. Set in an American camp in Italy in WW2, it plays withCatch-22 is a grimly amusing read about what happens when bureaucracy is valued above all else. Set in an American camp in Italy in WW2, it plays with the idea of rule-following to the letter in the complete absense of critical thought. The titular "catch" is one that the camp doctor mentions when the main character is attempting to get signed off to go home: he can say he's crazy, at which point he would be classed as insane and sent home, but if he says he's crazy, then he's sane enough to realise he's crazy, ergo, well enough to fight. This hellish circular logic pervades the entire book in a fantastic way to create an incisively satirical anti-war story.
Surrounded by an entire camp of people going through the motions, you get to watch the main character attempt to wiggle his way out of fighting through every channel possible - official and unofficial. Lives are ruined thanks to paperwork technicalities before people even get into their planes, at which point their lives are ruined and ended by the war they are fighting. People are broken and chewed up to feed the American war machine, even though its goals are nebulously defined and - quite often - maliciously manipulated or simply running off dodgy intel that people are too scared to confirm. Each page is rammed full of hopelessness and exhaustion, but the comedy that Joseph Heller is able to wring from each situation (however horrid) is incredible....more
This book is fantastic - in parts. The crux is that it contains some incredible insight into evergreen and universally-important skills, such as boundThis book is fantastic - in parts. The crux is that it contains some incredible insight into evergreen and universally-important skills, such as boundary-setting, communication, trauma-processing, empathy and the practice of safe, comfortable sex with enthusiastic consent from all parties. However, large swathes of the book (including the final 60+ pages) are entirely America-centric and talk about/is aimed at swingers of a certain age in what feels like a specific city. Sure, this might indeed be the "polyamory bible" if you're American yourself, but even then, you must treat it like you would a reference in a university paper and use it in your journey to draw your own conclusions.
Put simply, it is impossible to write this kind of book in a way that doesn't just focus on one place. After all, it documents the experiences of two authors, and due to the limitations of the universe, those authors can only live in one place at any particular time. This doesn't stop them from highlighting some immensely illuminating research into sex and relationships, and talking open and honestly about their polyamory; it is wonderfully heartening to read about people (often aged 50+) who have lead entirely polyamorous lives who are willing to let you into their world, warts and all. No journey is perfect, and they give you a window into their world and their own personal journeys that will provide you with unmatched insight into your own relationships if you keep an open mind.
I firmly believe that, regardless of what relationship structures you adhere to, this book is worth a read. I learnt a hell of a lot about surprising topics such as arguing constructively and defining relationships as they start, and I was also given a tremendous amount of further reading on the topic (as well as fascinating facts and history). I also got a lot of worried looks from people sitting next to me on the train, which made it all the sweeter.
My final comment on this would be that I was a touch disappointed that the book didn't really mention neurodivergence; a lot of the polyamorous/non-monogamous people I know are neurodivergent in some way, and they firmly believe their ND status and their relationship structures are intrinsically linked. This also means that a lot of the communication advice in the book is coming from the standpoint of people who are almost entirely neurotypical, meaning that some of the stories and advice within felt very, very foreign. It does have a commendable focus on trauma, however, and I am very happy they covered it.
Also, there's a chapter on raising kids in polycules/non-standard relationship structures, and it managed to make me - a career kid-hater - feel cripplingly broody. ...more
It wasn't until the final 20 pages that I realised how this links in to Ayn Rand's philosophy of objectivism, because until that point, it was an actuIt wasn't until the final 20 pages that I realised how this links in to Ayn Rand's philosophy of objectivism, because until that point, it was an actual story. After this point, it devolved into some sort of Republican cottagecore manifesto, which would then (sadly) be spun out across 2,800 pages in The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged - and at least we got Bioshock out of one of those.
It starts off extremely on-the-nose but fairly strong - everyone is a denominated cog in a post-apocalyptic society, don't talk about the old stuff or go into the forest, etc - and is capable of dealing with some interesting suppositions and ideas; you get to watch several characters break militant theological conditioning and slowly begin to behave and think individually. Unfortunately, the individuals they become happen to be staunch Republicans, who are very happy to (after being shunned by their society) replace tyrannical red-scare boogieman communism with their own brand of Freedom� through the use of extreme, disproportionate violence, which they will lead from their 1 bedroom house in the mountains. It's short enough to be included in a Lockheed-Martin employee handbook, and I have a sneaky suspicion it's already there.
If I could sum this book up in one word, it would be an exasperated "Christ."...more
I have only given this book four stars, but I would call it my favourite book ever written without hesitation.
90% of this book is an absolute goldminI have only given this book four stars, but I would call it my favourite book ever written without hesitation.
90% of this book is an absolute goldmine. It deals with an inspired theological question: what happens if people stop being able to die? In Discworld terms, the answer is clear: without a chaperone, all that life builds up, and weird stuff starts happening. There are three central threads to the plot, and two of them are fantastic; Reaper Man focuses on Death attempting to retire as a human would (to devastating effect), an ancient wizard robbed of the right to die (but cured of his infirmity), and something to do with lifeforce condensing itself into shopping trolleys, which is fine too, I guess.
Admist the usual silliness, it deals with some infinitely deep topics, and very cleverly balances an endless life trying to find meaning with a life at its end that has been suddenly - and rudely - extended indefinitely. Although Discworld revels in characters slowly developing over the course of the series, this book condenses a full mid-eternity crisis for a central character into sub-300 pages in an absolutely masterful fashion. Better yet, thanks to TP's refusal to take your familiarity for granted, it is an excellent springboard for new Discworld readers who didn't get on with The Colour of Magic.
Could do without the shopping trolleys, though (as amusing as it was)....more
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