Carved From Stone And Dream frankly takes an already outstanding series, and kicks it up a notch. We're in the heat of things right from the get-go, aCarved From Stone And Dream frankly takes an already outstanding series, and kicks it up a notch. We're in the heat of things right from the get-go, and I had moments of finding my heart pounding relatively routinely. The careful crafting of this series has long had me invested, involved in the lives of Diego, Miguel, Guillermo, and in this novel, the fascinating Nico.
I can't really gush enough about this book - I adore Frohock's prose, her storytelling instincts, and the way these characters have been crafted. There's so much additional drama because of the desire for safety of these characters, and some damn mental health support. The feel of the book as a whole is different from the previous, kind of spy-novel type, which I enjoyed greatly, and I enjoy the fresh feel that it gave the novel. There are many different plotlines happening, and the subtlety many are handled with keep the reader on their toes - paying attention to little details, trying to piece together what's happening behind the scenes, what's coming, what this or that off-screen character is up to.
I have long recommended this series to just about everyone, and will continue to do so. Los Nefilim is an absolute gem, one of my absolute favorite series for a million reasons. The amount of mounting tension, the character investment, the worldbuilding here all have me eager for any and all Los Nefilim lore and story I can get, and have me re-reading this novel again.
Merged review:
Carved From Stone And Dream frankly takes an already outstanding series, and kicks it up a notch. We're in the heat of things right from the get-go, and I had moments of finding my heart pounding relatively routinely. The careful crafting of this series has long had me invested, involved in the lives of Diego, Miguel, Guillermo, and in this novel, the fascinating Nico.
I can't really gush enough about this book - I adore Frohock's prose, her storytelling instincts, and the way these characters have been crafted. There's so much additional drama because of the desire for safety of these characters, and some damn mental health support. The feel of the book as a whole is different from the previous, kind of spy-novel type, which I enjoyed greatly, and I enjoy the fresh feel that it gave the novel. There are many different plotlines happening, and the subtlety many are handled with keep the reader on their toes - paying attention to little details, trying to piece together what's happening behind the scenes, what's coming, what this or that off-screen character is up to.
I have long recommended this series to just about everyone, and will continue to do so. Los Nefilim is an absolute gem, one of my absolute favorite series for a million reasons. The amount of mounting tension, the character investment, the worldbuilding here all have me eager for any and all Los Nefilim lore and story I can get, and have me re-reading this novel again....more
I continue to feel the same way about James SA Corey books in general - they're good, fun characters, interesting politics, etc. They just do not quitI continue to feel the same way about James SA Corey books in general - they're good, fun characters, interesting politics, etc. They just do not quite hit on all cylinders for me. I'm left feeling a bit unfulfilled, and while I'm fully engaged in the the happenings of the story, I don't *care* as much as I feel like I should. I can still say confidently that this is a good book, well-written, clever, and enjoyable. Anyone who enjoys the Expanse will, or should, enjoy it. The audiobook narration is spot-on, and really adds to the experience.
For me, I just wish I 'clicked' with Abraham and Frank the way I do with other authors, as I enjoy them both as people and just met them a few weeks ago on launch day. ...more
I really slowly read this short story over a few weeks, in small chunks between tasks etc. It was not the most optimal way to read a story, but in allI really slowly read this short story over a few weeks, in small chunks between tasks etc. It was not the most optimal way to read a story, but in all honesty, I could only do short bursts with In The Shadow of Their Dying. In part because it was still a bit dense despite the short length, in part because it's intense and brutal in its own way (Fletcher and Spark, I mean duh), and in part because it just didn't quite click for me. Some of the characters were not my speed, and the overall tone of the story was very frantic and stressful. The writing is, of course, enjoyable and pleasant, both authors being ones whose prose I enjoy thoroughly. However, this story was just not my jam.
The book itself is gorgeous and incredibly well made, with beautiful artwork and page art....more
Look, at this point I'm unabashedly enjoying revisiting the entire Drizzt saga. I understand they are not exactly the beacon of literature, but they aLook, at this point I'm unabashedly enjoying revisiting the entire Drizzt saga. I understand they are not exactly the beacon of literature, but they are fun, exciting, and really bring me back to my teen years when this series almost singlehandedly got me into "adult fantasy", back to when me and my buddies were passing back and forth our dad's copies of the Dark Elf Trilogy and Icewind Dale Trilogy, each excited to hang out again to geek out over what we'd read in our time apart. Not only is the series sentimental, but I can't stress enough that it's *fun to read*, and with how dark everything is nowadays I think that's needed from time to time. ...more
An expansion on what we've already read, TNRBD was another interesting little distraction from completing DoS that was a delight to read, but ultimateAn expansion on what we've already read, TNRBD was another interesting little distraction from completing DoS that was a delight to read, but ultimately felt like window dressing to me. ...more
While not my favorite of Weeks' works, this sprawling entry into the Night Angel series was a fun, exciting, and twisty-turny romp that I enjoyed overWhile not my favorite of Weeks' works, this sprawling entry into the Night Angel series was a fun, exciting, and twisty-turny romp that I enjoyed overall....more
This was probably my least favorite Cornwell book that I've read to date, and at the same time I can't quite pin down why. I didn't find it quite as iThis was probably my least favorite Cornwell book that I've read to date, and at the same time I can't quite pin down why. I didn't find it quite as interesting, its characters as engaging, or the writing as smooth as in most of the other novels, and I think that's the biggest detractors for me. Still a good book by most standards, just not as good as I've come to expect from Bernard....more
As a fan of Mr. Terry as a person, I'd love to say I liked this book more than I did. This was a re-introduction to Brooks for me, after skipping a loAs a fan of Mr. Terry as a person, I'd love to say I liked this book more than I did. This was a re-introduction to Brooks for me, after skipping a lot and/or picking/choosing which Terry Brooks works I wanted to invest my time in. Unfortunately, the incredibly slow start to this novel, combined with the fact it never drew me in at any point, really condemned my opinion of this book. I wanted to like it more than I did in reality, and even the best audiobook narrator in the industry didn't make it more interesting for me. So it goes - I powered through it on my drive, I never engaged, never felt connected, and never really cared. I *wanted to*, I just didn't....more
I'll keep this one succinct. At the end of Farilane, Robin Sullivan's afterword says she feels as though Farilane is MJS' finest work to date. I agreeI'll keep this one succinct. At the end of Farilane, Robin Sullivan's afterword says she feels as though Farilane is MJS' finest work to date. I agree with that. It's a terrific and exciting ride, with ample twists and turns, and an absolutely gutwrenching ending. It's handled very well, with clues out in the open and the characters working to piece them together, and a very satisfying direction the story goes.
Nolyn returns us to the world of Riyria, which for many of us longtime readers is like putting on a nice old sweatshirt that is comforting. It is seveNolyn returns us to the world of Riyria, which for many of us longtime readers is like putting on a nice old sweatshirt that is comforting. It is several hundred years after the events of the previous released series, but features some of the same characters who have lived on, and/or references them quite often. Without the time or energy to write a huge lengthy review, I will say that I enjoyed returning to this world, but that Nolyn left a bit to be filled in, and felt a bit watered-down in some areas. It had engaging characters, but just lacked some "oomph" I was looking for, and some of the fullness of story from the previous series. I am still extremely eager to get my hands on the next novel in the series, and will assuredly still back the upcoming kickstarter.
I don't want to sound as though I did not enjoy Nolyn, as I very much did - it just didn't blow me away as some of the previous novels have....more
I blasted through this novel pretty quickly, and will admit I enjoyed it a lot more than I did Boneshaker, which I found to be a bit anemic, scatteredI blasted through this novel pretty quickly, and will admit I enjoyed it a lot more than I did Boneshaker, which I found to be a bit anemic, scattered, underutilized. Clementine (which I will admit I thought was book #2 in the series, since that's how audible had it listed) was a fun break from other novels - I don't think I'll be picking up Dreadnought immediately, but this has given me some reason to return to the series in the future. ...more
When I sat and read Ready Player One nearly a decade ago, I was absolutely hooked. Cline's writing was approachable, witty, and the constant pop cultuWhen I sat and read Ready Player One nearly a decade ago, I was absolutely hooked. Cline's writing was approachable, witty, and the constant pop culture references gave me the appropriate amount of warm fuzzies. The story itself was interesting, exciting, and the ending was relatively worthwhile.
Ready Player Two, on the other hand, felt like an underwhelming continuation, even if I did enjoy it enough overall to give it 4-stars. Barely. I might actually change that as I walk myself through this review, quite frankly. (Later edit: I definitely walked it back to 3-stars)
We find the same crew from the original, now in charge of the GSS and the OASIS, and wildly rich as a result of it. Before long, a hidden discovery leads to, wait for it, a nearly identical quest to the one Wade and co are tasked with in Ready Player One. In fact, ultimately, it follows such a similar story arch as to feel like a redux of the first with some different window dressings. The references are still there, though this time almost feel piled on top of each other needlessly - I enjoy being reminded of video game nostalgia, music, pop culture, etc, but at times you're just beat over the head with it unnecessarily.
The quest itself is essentially one pop-culture challenge to the next, which ended up frustrating me as a reader, as it just felt like cheesy excuses to wedge more references in. The challenges themselves were all very convenient - Wade always had *THE PERFECT EXPERT* at his disposal in every situation, able to walk him through challenges, or provide the exact right piece of super obscure information as needed. The number of times something crazy obscure came up, and 2-3 characters all knew of it/played it/knew the trivia etc was astounding. Everything felt *just so easy* - everytime something bad happened, it felt like a complete lack of dilemma, as one of the ancillary characters would inevitably pop in with JUST WHAT WAS NEEDED in JUST THE NICK OF TIME!
The characters themselves are a big step backwards from the first novel as well. Wade ultimately became a shell of the flawed, interesting character he was in the first novel. He comes across as Cline addressing every criticism of him and opting to try and fix them, down to him being "right" about everything in the end, and everyone groveling to him. He's certainly not perfect still, but he lacks a lot of depth, continually 'doing the right thing' in every situation without fail. The ancillary characters are ultimately much more interesting, but are horrifically underutilized. Very few are explored in any detail, especially the newer crew of kids who take after him, and ultimately provide some very bland behind-the-scenes, almost deus ex machina level just-in-time assistance, while being largely unexplored.
A lot of things felt flimsy and weak - at the beginning, Wade's ex-girlfriend Art3mis would barely talk to him, if at all, after being unable to ever forgive him for the decisions he made surrounding the new OASIS interface. However, by the midpoint of the book, that is seemingly water under the bridge, and everything is hunky dory with them, and they sail off into the sunset happily ever after. It just felt fake and forced. Wade had Batman-level money and technology at his disposal, and in one scene towards the end is able to overcome an army of military attack bots in a matter of seconds to save his friends, with no repercussions whatsoever.
The book also had massive pacing issues. Things moved glacially slow at times, then during the actual 'questing' portions, they essentially went from "oh man this is impossible" to "wow we did it it's over phew" in no time. All the pieces fall into place, everything goes great, sail off into the sunset. Praise be! It just lacked drama, lacked suspense, and lacked any real "oomph" to the characters or story.
All of that said, and that was plenty to say, I still rather enjoyed the book, and blasted through it in a couple days. Cline's prose is very accessible, the references are like constant little shots to the brain that kept me engaged somehow, and in spite of having endless complaints about how easy and perfect and idyllic everything was, I still ultimately had fun with it. The ending is as blah as blah can be, but I still finished the book with some semblance of a smile on my face, and was not UNHAPPY I'd read it. Did the book need to exist? Probably not. RPO was plenty great on its own....more
Much like it did last year, a new Abercrombie book completely tore me out of the mire of "reading sparingly if at all", and completely engrossed me. IMuch like it did last year, a new Abercrombie book completely tore me out of the mire of "reading sparingly if at all", and completely engrossed me. I won't hesitate to say that Joe is close to my favorite author at this point - they just immediately bring me back into reading, into imagination, into enjoying fiction again.
The Trouble With Peace was an addictive, thoughtful sequel to 'A Little Hatred', bringing us back into that same world-we-know-but-don't-know from the First Law, with the same deep characters and political scheming.
I appreciate that there's a certain level of affection for a particular author driving me towards the positivity, but Abercrombie's work here is an excellent experience - dramatic, funny, and heartwrenching at times. The dialogue is consistently engaging, the prose approachable but immensely stylish and eloquent. The Trouble With Peace is everything I enjoy about Abercrombie works....more
An awesome little physical book of Nathan's hilarious and heartwarming comics, including a handful only in the book. I quite enjoyed it, found it to bAn awesome little physical book of Nathan's hilarious and heartwarming comics, including a handful only in the book. I quite enjoyed it, found it to be a good bargain (I think I paid like $11 for it), and I adore the series. Strange Planet has truly been one of those "lights in dark times" for me this past year. ...more
An interesting and really unique book and setting, All Systems Red does a ton with relatively few words. The characterization is excellent, however I An interesting and really unique book and setting, All Systems Red does a ton with relatively few words. The characterization is excellent, however I was left wanting a bit something more out of the storyline or bot development even so. I feel like this is probably a 4.5 overall, it was *really* good and deserving of its awards. I'll likely read the rest of the series shortly....more
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