The book is fascinating because for once the fantasy setting isn't loosely Middle-earth but Middle-eastern in flavor, like a portion of the Arabian NiThe book is fascinating because for once the fantasy setting isn't loosely Middle-earth but Middle-eastern in flavor, like a portion of the Arabian Nights fleshed out. The description of the city of Dhamsawat and its people and customs down to the food and poetry are richly evocative. I find the description of spellcasting and evil practices and portrayal of monsters deliciously detailed and mesmeric. In contrast the protagonists seem bumbling and maudlin, and the interaction between Raseed and Zamia especially stilted and forced. While the storytelling feels to me a bit choppy and in places dragging, the book managed to keep me curious enough to read it to its glorious, and shocking, conclusion with the bloody magic battle in the castle. The ending neatly ties together the Falcon Prince (whose appearance confused me in the beginning: "Why is he so important?") and the practitioners of the truly horrible evil magic....more
Two time travellers harried by an obssessed patron of the university hellbent on reconstructing Coventry Cathedral had to juggle life in the 19th centTwo time travellers harried by an obssessed patron of the university hellbent on reconstructing Coventry Cathedral had to juggle life in the 19th century Oxford with its modern version (plus some hairy trips to pre-Medieval (?) England), dealing with psychics, rare imported ornamental fish, jumble sales, and butlers. Throw in a dog and a cat and an absent-minded professor who forgets everything when his mind is occupied with catching a rare fish species and that pretty much describes the most lighthearted, hilarious Connie Willis Oxford time-travel series I've read so far. I love her description of old Oxford, the language shifts and the hot mess that is time travel in her world (it's never ever uneventful)....more
As in other books by Ms Willis that I've read, the characters in Bellwether is plagued with ongoing low grade stresses that distract them in their purAs in other books by Ms Willis that I've read, the characters in Bellwether is plagued with ongoing low grade stresses that distract them in their pursuit. in Passage it's the odd layout of the hospital complicating every trip to other parts of the building; in Lincoln's Dreams it's the boyfriend slash psychiatrist hounding the two main characters, plus publishers and agent demanding manuscript; in Doomsday Book it's a group of American bell ringers and a formidable, Bible-citing mother refusing to cooperate with quarantine. In Bellwether it's an incompetent research assistant with an attitude, whose fashion ideas include duct-taping her forehead. To say nothing of management meetings that shockingly involve hugging, among other horrors.
Navigating all these problems while trying to come up with the causes and triggers of trends and herd behavior, two scientists somehow have to manage to secure research data and equipment, a process that ultimately leads to sheep stampeding all over the research complex and a budding romance.
While not as riveting as Passage or Doomsday Book (no hair rising moments), I like Bellwether for its chapter openings, rich snippets of information about past trends, from hula hoop to coffee shops....more
Don Tillman, a genetic professor whose life is governed by rigid timetables and logic (think Sheldon Cooper of The Big Bang Theory) decided that sinceDon Tillman, a genetic professor whose life is governed by rigid timetables and logic (think Sheldon Cooper of The Big Bang Theory) decided that since social protocols are unfathomable, the best way to find a partner in life is by using a scientific selection process that he dubbed The Wife Project. Using a carefully constructed questionnaire he hoped to find the ideal woman who, among other desirable traits, does not smoke, is not a vegetarian, a moderate drinker, etc.
He certainly wasn't expecting Rosie, who was in a lot of ways the opposite of the ideal wife, but on a single date overturned the neat structure he had built his life around. Soon he found himself doing things he never thought he would ever do: learning bartending, and dancing, pretending to be someone else to acquire DNA sample, escaping from toilet window, spending time outside the Museum of Natural History during his visit to the US, going to a baseball game and even watching romcoms.
Telling the story in first person narrative from Professor Tillman's perspectives saves the book from becoming crass and shallow. Tillman's inability to comprehend social signals might frustrate other characters in the story but it was what made him adorable, lending gravity to his motives and actions. His is a slow, methodical, patient and thorough falling in love, told in the blandest language possible (parts of the book read like a research paper), but in the end this is a wholly satisfying book, and a very funny and tender love story....more
I was skeptical reading this eighth installment of the Temeraire series because the reviews I've read have raised some misgivings especially with the I was skeptical reading this eighth installment of the Temeraire series because the reviews I've read have raised some misgivings especially with the whole Laurence-has-amnesia issue. While on the one hand I can see that in separating Laurence from Temeraire Novik may have meant to show how the two can manage well on their own (though this has been amply proven in Victory of Eagles), especially Laurence, who always appeared to be at a disadvantage without Temeraire's assistance especially in the linguistic department, this part of the book feels dragging and overlong for what ultimately amounts to nothing very significant to the overall story arc.
But the second half of the book more than makes up for it with a lot of action, Chinese court intrigue (and a tragedy of celestial proportions), glimpses of horrific dragon treatment by the Russians, and details of grueling (pun intended; just read the part about Chinese combat logistics) battles, siege, and carnage. The book ends with the most gut-wrenching, despairing cliffhanger I've encountered in the series so far....more
To me Crucible of Gold is an improvement in terms of pace and dynamics compared to Tongues of Serpent, the sixth installment in the Temeraire series. To me Crucible of Gold is an improvement in terms of pace and dynamics compared to Tongues of Serpent, the sixth installment in the Temeraire series. Temeraire and Laurence and their crew and comrades flew from crisis to crisis, having one close call after another. The glimpses of South American dragon's interaction with their humans resembles the Tswana dragons too much in terms of possessiveness and involvement in human affairs to be a novelty but is still fascinating. It's also interesting to see the post-Cortez South America with dragons compared to the way we know it from history: some aspects like the plague are present in the book, while the rest are markedly different.
Novik yet again proved she isn't averse to deal a heavy hand to some of the familiar characters that have featured in previous books like Capt. Riley, while making further revelations about still some others like Capt. Granby. The emotional impact of these is what makes the books more interesting than the previous installment.
I haven't always been a fan of Iskierka but in this books she is less abrasive and I grew to like her (a very tiny bit) and I follow Kulingile's, and his captain Demane's, growth with considerable interest....more
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