I actually enjoyed Day Zero maybe more than I did Sea of Rust - it was imaginative, heart-warming, and overall an entertaining and well-written tale tI actually enjoyed Day Zero maybe more than I did Sea of Rust - it was imaginative, heart-warming, and overall an entertaining and well-written tale that was better than I felt a lot of the reviews were giving it credit for. Lots of cool little easter eggs and other fun stuff in here as well. Recommend this series, especially with it being such a quick read....more
An absolute riot of a book for the most part, WTMHYE explores the "what if?" scenario of the moon suddenly turning into a cheese-like substance, exploAn absolute riot of a book for the most part, WTMHYE explores the "what if?" scenario of the moon suddenly turning into a cheese-like substance, explored via numerous non-interconnected viewpoints. This was a LOT of fun, with Scalzi's typical endearing and entertaining prose and humor, and a lot of fun scenarios explored. On the negative side, I found some of the storylines a bit hard to engage with as they sometimes felt like a bunch of backstory and then a few minutes of interacting with cheesemoon, however most were engaging and added a lot to the story.
Scalzi has a tendency to write 'too perfect' dialogue - everyone is sharp, witty, has the right thing to say, and that's on display in this novel, but it's just so entertaining you don't really care. Overall, I really enjoyed it but didn't *LOVE* it, but would still recommend it to anyone and everyone since Scalzi is such an easy and fun read across all of his novels.
Wil Wheaton was, again, notably excellent narrating a Scalzi novel, and I agree with the afterword - Wheaton has become how I hear Scalzi prose in my head, through and through, despite how brilliant Dufris was on the OMW series....more
I generally love this type of "dessert" to a series - the little bits of extra bonus content to fill in the gaps. This was no different, as I enjoyed I generally love this type of "dessert" to a series - the little bits of extra bonus content to fill in the gaps. This was no different, as I enjoyed quite a bit of this filler and the alternate endings and such. I will say that what is keeping it from 5-stars is that the beginning stories are a bit slower than the latter ones, and I actually had found myself going "should I be reading this so long after finishing Cradle?", only to have the latter stories hit home much more. ...more
Over my years of reading, I've come to terms with the fact that certain authors just *work* for me, and almost everything they spit out is going to tiOver my years of reading, I've come to terms with the fact that certain authors just *work* for me, and almost everything they spit out is going to tickle my fancy. Jacka has quickly emerged as one of those people whose style, tactics, prose and characters just click for me, and I blow through their books. It's been a hot minute since I read An Inheritance of Magic, so it was more than a little vague in my head, but I felt that I moved right back into this world very quickly at the start of this novel, which is a great bit of writing to draw the reader back in without going through tedious "previously on" type review.
As a whole, I loved this installation and blasted through it in a few days. I really recommend this series, as much as the Alex Verus series, and hope it gains traction. ...more
I absolutely, positively cannot decide what I think of Dogs of War. At all.
Rex is an augmented bioform - a humongous dog, modified, armored, enhancedI absolutely, positively cannot decide what I think of Dogs of War. At all.
Rex is an augmented bioform - a humongous dog, modified, armored, enhanced, given human type intellect, along with giant shoulder-mounted guns. Rex is the result of a program to weaponize animals in this form, and he joins Honey, a hyper-intelligent bear, as well as Bees, who are...well...a giant swarm of intelligent bees, as a war team with Rex as their leader. The first part of the novel introduces us to these characters, and gives a solid background foundation that is intriguing, shocking, and awe-inspiring at once. We learn the way that Rex and his compatriots are controlled, via feedback implants and training, and explore some of the morality right out of the gate.
However, the rest of the novel lacks a bit compared to this initial introduction. It is fun to explore these bioforms a bit more, as well as examine a lot of pretty heavy and complicated social issues and commentary, along with some morality introspection that is high quality. That said, the story itself gets a bit scattered and off-the-rails, and skips through time make the book's timeline feel a bit strange. As Rex and his team are allowed to escape, we pull back the wool more and more on a clandestine war occurring, both in the open and behind the scenes, and grapple with some tyrannical and evil power grabs and actions.
Dogs of War is a mixed bag - brilliant at times, lacking at other times. I feel that every Tchaikovsky novel I read is some version of this, with things I adore and things that lose me a bit. Dogs had a ton of layers to peel back, thought-provoking things to analyze, and some really fun politics, but it also drug a bit and was a little scattered, which kept me from calling it a 5-star er. Overall, I liked it a lot. ...more
Last Stop was the Wexler I know and love - fun action, exciting characters, great dialogue, and some humor sprinkled throughout. This one struggled toLast Stop was the Wexler I know and love - fun action, exciting characters, great dialogue, and some humor sprinkled throughout. This one struggled to 'grab' me, despite that, so I can't say it's my favorite of his novels, but I really enjoyed the world created here and will be returning. ...more
It has been a HOT MINUTE since I read any Kevin Hearne. I was an Iron Druid superfan for a number of years, met Kevin a handful of times and maintaineIt has been a HOT MINUTE since I read any Kevin Hearne. I was an Iron Druid superfan for a number of years, met Kevin a handful of times and maintained a minor online relationship back in the day via my r/fantasy connection, so I am definitely familiar. However, he has admittedly fallen off my radar since around the time A Plague Of Giants came out, largely due to me pulling further and further away from the specfic online community over the years. That said, Ink & Sigil was an intriguing concept for me, so it's been on my radar since it was released, and I am glad to have read through it now that I have!
Al MacBharrais is sort of a magical cop in a sense, who has a unique magical ability surrounding the use of written sigils, which must be drawn with inks containing specific reagents. This gives him the ability to influence people, heal, grow stronger, and a number of other options. Al has found himself cursed from an unknown source, and as a result he is unable to speak aloud, as anyone who hears his voice grows more irate with him the more he speaks. Additionally, his apprentices continue to turn up dead in 'freak accidents'. After his most recent apprentice dies, Al finds himself peeling back layers of subterfuge and conspiracy as he unravels the mystery of his predicament.
As a whole, I enjoyed Ink & Sigil quite a bit - Hearne's trademark humor and snark were omnipresent, with quite a few laugh-out-loud moments throughout. The characters were fun, especially Buck Foy (lol), Al's hobgoblin assistant. I thought the layers of the mystery were fun and interesting, however I was not a huge fan of the ending and the direction it happened to go, as I felt like it was almost a predictable, and probably a bit too hamfisted bit of social commentary.
And, while I enjoyed the humor, and generally enjoy Hearne's dedication to craft alcohol and 'nerdy' interests, it sometimes became a bit much discussing the drinks and taste of those drinks at each establishment they went to - and I say that as a person with a pretty firm drinking and craft beer history. I also felt as though the sigils themselves were underrepresented and underexplored - they could and should have been a major part of the story, but I felt most of the time that they were an afterthought. That said, not enough to take away from the overall story, which was enjoyable.
I would definitely recommend this book, especially to fans of Hearne and the Iron Druid novels (a certain someone and his dog even make a cameo appearance). ...more
Sea of Rust takes a look at a post-human world, where the AI and robots conspired to overthrow and, in true Bender Bending Rodriguez style, "kill all Sea of Rust takes a look at a post-human world, where the AI and robots conspired to overthrow and, in true Bender Bending Rodriguez style, "kill all humans". What follows is the battle of robot kind to exist in a post-human world with limited resources, scrapping out survival on spare parts and hopes. A new intelligence is taking over, offering robots the chance to join a collective hive mind, access all the world's information and that of all other linked robots, however not all robots are quick to give up their own individuality or autonomy.
The writing itself is approachable, if a bit utilitarian, however the characters are vivid and bright, and the action is exciting and well done. As a whole, I liked but did not adore Sea of Rust, though it did certainly give me the 'you should read more Cargill' vibes. I think there's some original stuff here, but a lot of it felt like I'd already read it in similar novels, though anytime you deal with robots/AI/etc you're going to feel a bit of derivative nature, so I am not going to hold that as a negative.
As a whole, a solid read across the board. ...more
My followers know I ADORE a good bit of in-world lore in a novella format, and The Fall is a lovely little prequel to Cahill's new series. I enjoyed tMy followers know I ADORE a good bit of in-world lore in a novella format, and The Fall is a lovely little prequel to Cahill's new series. I enjoyed this bite-sized chunk of snack-read. ...more
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