"Everything I did was a long and agonizing decision, and every human on the planet terrified me"
Oof that little line didn't need to hit so hard. Damn."Everything I did was a long and agonizing decision, and every human on the planet terrified me"
Oof that little line didn't need to hit so hard. Damn.
Look I read this one on Bowie's birthday whilst listening to his Glastonbury set which probably influenced my time with it quite a bit. Relationship stuff really isn't my thing when it comes to reading but I still enjoyed Let All The Children Boogie. The bonding over music between the two characters is done well and the Sci-fi mystery element thrown in is initially intriguing, though it could probably have done with the story being a novella rather than a short story to properly flesh it out and pace the ending better.
It's an enjoyable read even if it is a bit overly optimistic and hopeful for a grumpy cynic like me.
Merged review:
"Everything I did was a long and agonizing decision, and every human on the planet terrified me"
Oof that little line didn't need to hit so hard. Damn.
Look I read this one on Bowie's birthday whilst listening to his Glastonbury set which probably influenced my time with it quite a bit. Relationship stuff really isn't my thing when it comes to reading but I still enjoyed Let All The Children Boogie. The bonding over music between the two characters is done well and the Sci-fi mystery element thrown in is initially intriguing, though it could probably have done with the story being a novella rather than a short story to properly flesh it out and pace the ending better.
It's an enjoyable read even if it is a bit overly optimistic and hopeful for a grumpy cynic like me....more
A good and pretty pacey read that's something of a cross between the Expanse and Wayfarers series. A small crew fighting against the odds on their faiA good and pretty pacey read that's something of a cross between the Expanse and Wayfarers series. A small crew fighting against the odds on their fairy dishevelled ship to survive in a universe full of imaginatively drawn alien species, world's, and cultures. All while the threat of colossal moon sized beings with a penchant for making origami out of planets looms in the background.
It's a book that maintains a near constant breakneck pace throughout that rarely lets up as the crew lurch from one event to another. This takes a little betting used to, especially early on, as just when one crisis seems to have abated another immediately kicks in. Something which does also unfortunately mean it rarely slows down enough to really hit the character beats as a result and downright robs some moments of their catharsis.
Overall decent. It's full of creativity from the myriad different alien species, and they don't come much more different than those contained in this book, to the really imaginative use of gravitic weaponry and engines that adds a unique element to the combat and space flight but the character work is a little flat it's a story they could definitely have done with taking some time to look around a little every once and a while.
Feels like this is a book that will likely improve upon a reread as it's something of a departure from the other books in the series, both the wider DFeels like this is a book that will likely improve upon a reread as it's something of a departure from the other books in the series, both the wider Discworld and the Death focused entries. The focus is mostly on a few new characters, although Lu-Tze has played a minor part in other stories before, as it follows the story of Jeremy, Lobsang, and the history monks which somewhat wrong footed me in terms of what I'd expected going in. The Death books tend to vary in just how much they actually feature Death themself but this one seems particularly light on the character and even Susan is sidelined for the cast majority until the plot requires her to take charge later on, something that is pretty jarring.
It's still very funny in parts as the Horsemen are great, Lu-Tze's constant dispersing of Mrs Cosmopolite's wisdom is wonderful, and the Auditor traps have become pretty iconic but overall the pacing seems uneven. I can't tell if there needed to be less book or more but the rather front loaded adventure of Lobsang and Lu-Tze plus Jeremy and Igor (who are both more or less ditched afterwards) doesn't seem to quite fit together with Susan coming to the fore later on, perhaps would have been better had there been more of Susan in the earlier parts investigating the clues Death had laid down for them.
The Pariah starts off quite well, the writing is good and Alwyn as a character has a good narration for conveying the story but the rest of the characThe Pariah starts off quite well, the writing is good and Alwyn as a character has a good narration for conveying the story but the rest of the characters are quite flat, there's far too much plot contrivance with Alwyn running into important characters from his past too often and too conveniently for the plot, and there's just nothing particularly unique about the world to make it stand out. It's a pretty standard medieval feudal system setup with some off-brand Vikings thrown in for good measure and a dash of religious schism.
The story starts over a lot too which becomes pretty tiring by the third time the set up has been ditched once more and Alwyn is discovering a new setting and mentor to follow. Something that contributes heavily to the rather meandering pace of the book as it tends to hit a lull each time Alwyn begins anew.
Most of the story is fine, if unremarkable, but Alwyn being so utterly good at everything while constantly talking about how fortuitous he's being to get away with whatever the plot requires becomes tiresome. Ah the incredibly observant thief and master linguist with a knack for discerning lies and emotions who can translate ancient texts for a heathen people who couldn't manage it themselves, skilled enough to become a worthy swordsman in the space of mere weeks and who also just happens to solve a mystery that has confounded scholars for hundreds of years... Yawn.
By the time he's randomly captured for a chapter towards the end of the book for no other reason than to tie up a plot point with a character from earlier in the book before finding exactly what he was after and going on with his day I was ready to be done with this book.
It's okay, the concept is fairly interesting but it's also just not one of Tchaikovsky's best and the pedestrian plot coupled with flat characters reaIt's okay, the concept is fairly interesting but it's also just not one of Tchaikovsky's best and the pedestrian plot coupled with flat characters really made for distinctly average read. There's just not a lot to remark on in general, it definitely had some promise which it ultimately squandered and while not terrible by any stretch it's bleh.
This was a fun read. Really cool interesting and fascinating concept with the vast labyrinthine seemingly never ending pathways linking different planThis was a fun read. Really cool interesting and fascinating concept with the vast labyrinthine seemingly never ending pathways linking different planets and parts of space together paired really well with a main character full of sardonic wit. Tonally it's just a delight to follow Gary's progress through the artefact as the story flips between his on going exploration and the origins of how he first ended up becoming lost and alone in such an alien place. Possibly would have been nice had it been longer but as a snapshot into this mysterious space and how Gary is changed by his adventure there it works well and makes for a very enjoyable self contained reading experience....more
After an interesting start The Bone Ships pretty quickly becomes a rather dull slog. The writing is fine but there's no great depth to it and it feelsAfter an interesting start The Bone Ships pretty quickly becomes a rather dull slog. The writing is fine but there's no great depth to it and it feels rather clunky and obvious in how the characters motivations are portrayed, everything feels a little too signposted.
The characters for the most part are incredibly flat too, Joron has the most development over the course of the book but it doesn't feel earned and no one else is really given any depth. Meas stays the same incredible badass character she starts out as but nothing about her ever actually feels inspiring. Everyone else, bar the underused Guilame, has no actual characterisation beyond their often stated injuries, deformities, and birth defects etc which play a huge part in the hierarchy of this world. Presumably this was intended to mark just how cruel this world is meant to be but that never really landed and the author really likes bringing it up, characters like Farys are rarely mentioned without some accompanying line about their burnt face and they seem to have no other aspect to their character.
There are also quite a few typos and plot holes throughout. The Ship wife of the Cruel Waters being a Gaunt Islander with one leg, something treated with disdain and banishment to a life of begging or shoe making in the Hundred Isles frequently being invited aboard Tide Child and at no point any of the crew wondering hang on that's a bit strange. The Gaunt Islanders having no four rib ships meaning therefore Tide Child will be quickly recognised as an enemy ship being is a plot point despite previous and subsequent mention of Wavebreaker the Gaunt Islander four rib ship...
Chapter 33 “I only saw them from a distance but the four-ribber, I think it is the Wavebreaker"
Chapter 34 “The flag will not fool them, not for long. Once someone who knows the ships of the Gaunt Islands well is consulted they will know they do not have a four-ribber."
Chapter 35 "Meas kept Tide Child on a course converging with the Gaunt Islanders, level with the leading four-ribber."
Sigh
As for the positives, the world building is quite interesting initially but even that is somewhat overdone to the point it interferes with the flow of reading given just how many aspects of this world the author wanted to make unique. It's not terrible but it is a disappointing read overall....more
Another perfectly capable Rivers of London book and overall a good read in an off itself. It's probably just as good as the rest of the series, thoughAnother perfectly capable Rivers of London book and overall a good read in an off itself. It's probably just as good as the rest of the series, though my enjoyment has lessened somewhat as the series has gone on. Its a fun, quick read, perhaps a little too safe with its characters but that's unlikely to be something that changes after nine main books plus countless graphic novels and short stories
The central mystery plot is pretty good, although a few aspects could definitely be picked at and the slightly hamfisted info dump chapter was a bit of a let down.
It's hard to have too much to say about it, the characters are good and are used pretty well even if a few too many are packed in, there's the usual Peter or someone stood next to Peter knows something incredibly specific and useful at the right time issue but the series has settled down into what it likely always was going to be; a procedural that provides a decent case each iteration and makes incremental changes through time that will keep chugging on and on.
They're good reads but the days of them being potentially great are probably gone, and as per usual Nightingale is underused.
I've always loved the ideas in Adrian Tchaikovsky's books even if the books haven't always lived up to the concepts but with City of Last Chances he aI've always loved the ideas in Adrian Tchaikovsky's books even if the books haven't always lived up to the concepts but with City of Last Chances he absolutely nails it for me, everything about it is brilliant. The writing is some of Tchaikovsky's best prose, it's deep and enthralling, providing an engaging window into a complex and fascinating world packed with creativity. It's also refreshing to have a contained story these days, no trilogy or ten book series here just a well rounded tale of a city on the brink that provides a satisfying conclusion.
There's certainly a sink or swim element to starting out with this book mind. It begins three years into the occupation of Ilmar; a city of packed with rebellious factions, some naive idealists, others simply using it as a method of attaining power, most only wanting revolution if it ends with them on top. There's summoning magic, demon powered factories, diminished gods, mysterious passages to who knows where, and the ever present boot of the occupation molding everything to their perfect image. It's a lot to take on board initially but it's also a rich and rewarding experience as things click into place and more about the city and fascinating world is revealed....more
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