en-US Sun, 06 Apr 2025 11:00:49 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg ReadStatus9278070505 Sun, 06 Apr 2025 11:00:49 -0700 /review/show/7467358115 Mike wants to read The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
]]> ReadStatus9254024308 Mon, 31 Mar 2025 08:15:01 -0700 /review/show/7450457325 Mike started reading Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
]]> Review7128650909 Thu, 27 Mar 2025 12:25:03 -0700 /review/show/7128650909 Mike gave 3 stars to Blindsight (Firefall, #1) by Peter Watts
bookshelves: here-be-aliens, science-fiction, reviewed
Overall a disappointing read. While the book explores a lot of interesting concepts (self, identity, humanity, etc) it felt as though the story suffered for it. The characters were interesting as was the idea of the book, but for whatever reason the story felt slow, clunky. The ending a bit rushed, jumbled, and inconclusive. There was not enough of a pay off for the amount of time I put into the book. ]]> ReadStatus9239272083 Thu, 27 Mar 2025 12:24:46 -0700 /review/show/830608414 Mike started reading Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson
]]> Review7128650909 Thu, 27 Mar 2025 12:22:20 -0700 /review/show/7128650909 Mike gave 3 stars to Blindsight (Firefall, #1) by Peter Watts
bookshelves: here-be-aliens, science-fiction, reviewed
Overall a disappointing read. While the book explores a lot of interesting concepts (self, identity, humanity, etc) it felt as though the story suffered for it. The characters were interesting as was the idea of the book, but for whatever reason the story felt slow, clunky. The ending a bit rushed, jumbled, and inconclusive. There was not enough of a pay off for the amount of time I put into the book. ]]> ReadStatus9231371690 Tue, 25 Mar 2025 13:48:54 -0700 /review/show/7434628788 Mike wants to read The Man Who Saw Seconds by Alexander Boldizar
]]> ReadStatus9211211505 Thu, 20 Mar 2025 15:25:50 -0700 /review/show/7128650909 Mike started reading Blindsight by Peter Watts
]]> Review571108932 Wed, 19 Mar 2025 04:10:15 -0700 /review/show/571108932 Mike gave 5 stars to Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1) by Steven Erikson
bookshelves: fantasy, epics, fantasy-sword-and-sorcery, reviewed
After five years I have decided to dive back into Malazan to both enjoy the series again and to see how different the experience is with foreknowledge of the series.

The first thing that struck me was how much I had both forgotten about this book and what plot beats I still recalled. I had a much better understanding of the world this time through and that helped me sort out all the relationships and agendas that were at play. The first time I read this book I was very much in the dark about a lot of why things were they way they were. Subsequent books filled out bogger picture but having that picture this time through helped out a lot. I also noticed more seeds planted that will grow into much bigger plot arcs.

I had also forgotten how delightful Kruppe was; I have encountered few characters as delightfully obtuse yet frightfully cunning as poor, put upon Kruppe.

All in all I am happy with my decision to dive back in. I will be taking time between books to read other stuff but I am looking forward to retreading the Malazan path. Who knows, maybe this time I won't be as disappointed with how the series concludes.

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Original review

Well, looks like I have stumbled into a new epic fantasy series to eat up my time. At least this one is finished so I won't have to spend agonizing years for the next installment (cough::George R. R. Martin::cough).

Anyhoo, I found Gardens of the Moon to be a highly engaging book. It took me a little bit of time to ease into the flow of the book, figure out what the general layout of the world was, its myths, its history, its magic, getting character relationships set. This book doesn't hold your hand with vast texts of exposition, it reveals its world to the reader incrementally in a rather natural way. It isn't the most accessible book in that way, but the investment of time and energy is well worth it. It has got something for every body: intrigue, betrayal, great set battle scenes, mysterious magic users, clashing empires, gods manipulating mortals. The beauty of this book is that it integrates all these fantasy tropes into an excellent and engaging narrative.

So, GotM (I'm sure that abbreviation will catch on like wildfire)reminded me a lot of A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones for you HBO watchers out there). It told its story from multiple POVs that, at least in the beginning, had no connection with each other. As the story unfolded these various plot lines were masterfully woven together and united in the climax of the book (which was fantastic). I thought Erikson did a great job breathing life into the characters and really dug deep into what motivated them and how they reacted, internally, to the challenges they faced. Plot drove character development just as the evolving characters drove the plot.

In the end I was left with a great story, populated by characters I cared about, and plenty of fertile ground for subsequent stories to grow in. I eagerly look forward to reading the rest of the series and seeing how the world brought forth in GotM develops. ]]> Review7351682061 Mon, 03 Mar 2025 10:35:08 -0800 /review/show/7351682061 Mike gave 5 stars to Dragonfired (The Dark Profit Saga, #3) by J. Zachary Pike
bookshelves: fantasy, rtc
Full series review to come. It was fantastic and I highly recommend it to folks looking to scratch that weird high fantasy/high finance satire itch. ]]> Review7318374250 Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:01:58 -0800 /review/show/7318374250 Mike gave 4 stars to Son of a Liche (The Dark Profit Saga, #2) by J. Zachary Pike
bookshelves: fantasy, rtc
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