From Book 1 to Book 3, this story really morphed into quite an epic tale! What a pleasant surprise. The audio book narration was good although the malFrom Book 1 to Book 3, this story really morphed into quite an epic tale! What a pleasant surprise. The audio book narration was good although the male voices are a little weak.
Much of this book departs from "present day" in the story to recount the story just after "the crossing" event. The recollection link is through Kelsea's trance-like dreams. It is as though Kelsea becomes the person she is dreaming about. The story also has a strong adult theme as well with mildly explicit sex scenes and profanity.
The character development is stronger in this book, I think, than the previous two books. Or it could be, as the gaps of the previous two books get filled in, I came to understand the characters a little better. It is kind of like the progress made doing a thousand piece puzzle.
As mentioned earlier, this story developed into an engrossing tale. I have a couple of small issues though. The writing got increasingly complex. The shifts from present to past were long shifts. It was confusing for me to understand which plotline is the mainline story. I think they both are main plotlines. I didn't get the the sense of "braiding" of the plotlines together like in other books I have read using this writing technique. It does work out in the end. In fact, the end was quite a surprise.
The other small issue I had is that the story is too long. I'm not sure what I would edit out. It just seemed that some parts of the story were so ponderously long that almost caused it to get bogged down.
The book overall turned out to be a pleasantly engaging story I enjoyed....more
The Wizard and Glass takes a detour into Roland's past as a young gunslinger. In the strange context of The Dark Tour, this is a classic Western themeThe Wizard and Glass takes a detour into Roland's past as a young gunslinger. In the strange context of The Dark Tour, this is a classic Western themed tale. Again, listening to the audiobook, Frank Mullen brings the many characters to life.
The previous book ends with Roland and his cohorts aboard a computerized train that travels faster than the speed of sound. This book picks up with them on the train that is hellbent on self destruction. The train's computerized brain is getting a bit wonky would love to take Roland and company with him (it?). The train loves riddles so Roland presents a challenge: if they can stump the train on a riddle they don't die. Of course, they are successful but not in a way you might think.
They arrive in a "different when" in Kansas with no sign of "the beam" that will lead them to the Dark Tower. As they puzzle out their situation, it becomes vitally important for Roland share his backstory before they go any farther. From there, the story launches into a lengthy and entertaining tale that I can only characterize as a "dystopian fantasy western."
King, as usual, is a master spinner of tales. The characters and dialogue are first rate. His unique turn of phrase enriches the characters and story. I thought he might have been a tad over indulgent that department. And while the story is interesting, it is incredibly long. The backstory is also a love story.
The beam that leads our heros to the Dark Tower is a straight line. The story to get there however is riddled with zigs and zags. And so far, I'm enjoying this epically wierd journey....more
The Invasion of the Tearling is generally an enjoyable story but overly long.
Queen Kelsea in Book 1 breaks the agreement with the Mort Queen3.5 stars
The Invasion of the Tearling is generally an enjoyable story but overly long.
Queen Kelsea in Book 1 breaks the agreement with the Mort Queen by refusing to continue send slaves once a month to Mort. There was a big standoff with the Mort army where Kelsea through her magic wins. The victory is short lived however. The Red Queen masses her superior army to invade the Tear.
The story marches along at a snail's pace as the Mort army marches across the Tear to the capital New London. Kelsea starts to see that she is changing. She's no longer the plump plain girl she once was. Like a butterfly emerging from the cocoon, Kelsea has transformed into a beautiful woman. Her womanly desires have also awakened although this gets downplayed. Kelsea looks to her past in the hope to find a solution to stopping the inevitable invasion. It is here the story morphs to 300 hundred years in the past just before "the crossing."
Kelsea goes into a deep trance and finds herself connected to Lily Mayhew. Lily is a prisoner of a marriage to an abusive husband. This pre-crossing story has a fairly long storyline that flips back and forth with the mainstream story. Lily's story is important to Kelsea and somehow seems relevant to Kelsea's predicament. For me though, it served to diffuse much of the tension of having an overwhelming army marching New London.
Around page 300 or so I got bogged down as the two story lines were hanging in limbo. I managed to slog through to a major cliffhanger at the end.
In spite some loose threads, I like story and looking forward to next book....more
The Last Town is the conclusion to The Wayward Pines trilogy. I listened to the audio book and the same narrator does a great jBetween 3.5 and 4 stars
The Last Town is the conclusion to The Wayward Pines trilogy. I listened to the audio book and the same narrator does a great job with the story.
This is an interesting and thought provoking story overall. By the third book though, the theme starts to wear a little thin. Also, the contrived love triangle is a little irritating. I think the story could have probably done without it altogether. The only strong female happens to be one of the villians.
Ethan Burke, the town sheriff, manages to get the together by staging an execution where everyone participates. Instead of proceeding with the execution, Burke, let's the cat out of the bag by telling the townspeople the truth about their situation in Wayward Pines. Pilcher, the man who built the town and brought the people there, shuts down the town's protective perimeter to punish the town. Monsters called "aberrations" (Abby for short) live in great numbers in the forest surrounding the town. The Abby's are ape like creatures who are intelligent vicious predators who can hunt individually and in organized packs. With the town defenses inoperative, the Abby's come into town to terrorize and kill. Horror and drama ensues....
This series is good but not great. I think this partly because I had hard time relating to the characters. It is more of a superficial connection rather than getting into the heads of the characters. In spite of some of my misgivings though, I was hooked on the story and had to see it through to end. I'm glad I did....more
I think Book 2 gets off to a better start than Book 1. The audio book is again well done.
Ethan Burke learns the truth of the situation in Wayward PineI think Book 2 gets off to a better start than Book 1. The audio book is again well done.
Ethan Burke learns the truth of the situation in Wayward Pines. In fact, he is Sheriff. Pilcher, the brilliant scientist, created Wayward Pines and the fake life that everyone is living. Pilcher also believes he is more like a benevolent god than a caretaker on behalf of the people of the Pines. There is only way to live-Pilcher's way or die. Burke has a murder case to solve while struggling enforce Pilcher's form of justice.
The storyline has a well-worn feel to it where a nutcase is in control over people's lives. The town's people are treated more like lab rats than people. But is this a bad thing considering the situation everyone happens to be in? What would be a better alternative? Of course, these questions aren't too difficult to answer. The challenge is getting them answered and survive.
Wayward is a fast paced thriller that is interesting to read. The story and characters have me hooked....more
The Queen of the Tearling is the February read for the Bookish Buddies book club. I like this book and think it is an entertaining story. I listened tThe Queen of the Tearling is the February read for the Bookish Buddies book club. I like this book and think it is an entertaining story. I listened to the audio book. The narrator brought the book to life with enthusiasm.
Here is a story that has some traditional ingredients that still work (for me at least). First, let's start with a spunky young heroine. Check. A gruff loyal warrior to protect her. Check. An evil queen who is also sorceress. Check. A mystery man for whom the young queen has a crush. Check. Some despicable characters. Check. Magic necklace. Check.
Kelsea is the daughter of the former Queen who died when she was very young. The young princess is raised in secret by a couple with the utmost loyalty to the crown. On Kelsea's 19th birthday, she reaches her majority to be the Queen of Tearling. The young queen must earn the credibility of her guard to take her seriously while making a perilous journey to New London. Forces are at work to have the new queen assassinated before she even reaches the city. The powers that be want to keep Kelsea's uncle, the acting Regent, on the throne. The Regent is corrupt and easily manipulated.
Kelsea is a strong female character with a sense of what she is about. She is not the stereotypical beautiful princess. In fact, she is quite plain in looks and carrying a little to much weght. The chemistry between Kelsea and the captain of her guard is a key ingredient which makes this story work. The supporting characters are not as well developed but are compelling in their roles.
I do not classify this book as Young Adult. Profanity, some violence and sexual references makes this an Adult book in my opinion.
Great characters and good story makes The Queen of the Tearling a fun and entertaining read....more
What happens when a semi-formulatic detective story is wrapped up in futuristic science fiction? For me, I got Altered Carbon. This is a imaginative fWhat happens when a semi-formulatic detective story is wrapped up in futuristic science fiction? For me, I got Altered Carbon. This is a imaginative fun read that blends two genres I really like. The narrator did an adequate job with this audio book succeeding eventually getting me engrossed into the story. Myself and couple of my Bookish Buddy pals wanted to read the book before the Netflix series by the same name airs in early February.
Takeshi Kovac is taken out of "storage" and put into the body of a former cop. He is hired by a rich man to investigate the rich man's suicide. The rich man is alive of course. Kovac was transported from his world to a futuristic Earth. To me, this futuristic Earth had a campy feel that reminded me a little of the movie The Fifth Element. In this future, the human body is nothing more than a "sheath" to house the person's memories and abilities. If a person commits a crime he/she's body is removed and this essence is stored for a long time even centuries. Kovacs had committed a crime and was serving his time in storage when he is summoned by this rich guy. The rich have at their disposal being able to keep backups of themselves and additional cloned bodies. That is how this rich man is able to survive his own suicide. Just like a computer, if a body is destroyed between backups, any memory is gone. This rich man does not think it is feasible that he took his life. It's Kovacs' job to figure out what actually happened.
The story has many subplots and a delightful cast of chracters. Not the least is totally automated hotel named The Hendrix. The name is derived from a certian 1960's left-handed rock guitar player. There's also a bit of sex, virtual torture and drugs. Since people can replace their bodies, some aren't concerned about health as much, except for "real death" when the essence is destroyed or erased.
The detective story is filled with twists and turns. I think it got sidetracked enough I got lost for awhile on a couple of occasions. Apparently, Kavacs meets up with some people that he has "history" prior to his current iteration of himself. I also found the science fiction trappings a little distracting at times. There is a sort of a romance story. Do the people involved have a "real" connection or is it just pheromones of the body? There is a scene where Kovacs has discussion with himself on the topic.
Altered Carbon does manage to be a decent detective story set in a science-fiction world that is entertaining and fun. I'm looking forward the Netflix series and also the next book....more
This book is like driving a winding and twisty road and when I reached the destination (the end of the book) makes me wonder if it was worth the trip.This book is like driving a winding and twisty road and when I reached the destination (the end of the book) makes me wonder if it was worth the trip. I listened to the audio book and there are several narrators and they did a good job with the book.
Six Crows is a book that shifts POV's among the six main characters. They plan to break into a seemingly impenetrable fortress to kidnap a person of extreme importance to merchants of the city that the "crows" call home. There are numerous twists in plot as they undertake this impossible job. A fair number of the twists are predictable. It takes the whole book to get the backstory on each of the main characters. Just when I get to know the characters the book ends! To be continued....in the next book?
The leader of the gang is Kaz. He's crafty, resourceful, streetwise and emotionally challenged. He talks specific members of gang to go on this insane job with the promise of a large sum of money if they succeed. Between character backstory being interwoven into the main(?) plot, for me, made it hard for everything to gel. Character chemistry works fairly well most of the time. The writing and world building is well done when I think about the individual elements. There are great characters especially as I learned more about them. There are also great action sequences. By the end though, the glass of water is half empty.
This book is a well written entertaining read that left me sort of empty by the end. I have my reservations about checking into the next book....more
I really liked Dark Matter by this author so I thought I would give Pines a shot. Also, at the time of this review, Audible has the three boo3.5 stars
I really liked Dark Matter by this author so I thought I would give Pines a shot. Also, at the time of this review, Audible has the three books in the series on sale for $1.99 each. The narration of the story is well done.
It's kind of hard to review the book without spoilers to the plot. Anyway, Ethan Burke is a secret service agent goes to Wayward Pines to find a couple agents that went missing there. Upon arrival, he and his partner get in automobile accident where his partner dies. Next thing Ethan knows is that he wakes up hurt and can't remember anything. Not even his name. The reader shares Ethan's frustration as things come back to him and realizes he can't leave (or escape) this hamlet of paradise nestled in the mountains of Idaho. Something is not right about Wayward Pines. I can give away one tiny spoiler. Ethan finds out the cricket noises aren't really crickets. The cricket chirping really comes from little speakers hidden in the bushes around town. The people living in the town are also a little squirrelly. Ethan finds that he is "existentially disoriented."
The story, for me anyway, feels like a cross between a Steven King type of story and Dark Matter. One of those hauntingly weird bits where a guy doesn't know what the hell he has gotten himself into. The reader is also in the dark about where the story is going. I found this frustrating which left me wondering at first if the story is worth continuing on or cut my losses and DNF-ing the thing. The story does get better and really good toward the end. I'm now well into the next book.
Pines is a creatively written book where I had to be patient to let myself get absorbed into the story. This is interesting and good thriller fiction with a twist of horror. I'm hooked and proceeding to the next two books in the series....more
I never really got into the video game thing. Largely because I never was any good at it. The best I could manage was Space Invaders and Asteroids. WhI never really got into the video game thing. Largely because I never was any good at it. The best I could manage was Space Invaders and Asteroids. When my seven year old son clobbered me at those games, I gave it up altogether. Ready Player One is about the cyber-world where people would rather be in the virtual cyberspace than face the pathetic situation of their reality. The time is set in a dystopian future 2045 but the story is a nostalgic trip down memory lane talking about video games, devices and movies of the 1980's. I thought the plot and characters creatively developed in the cyber video game motif. Overall, the writing was tight and well developed and kept me entertained throughout the book.
The story follows Wade Watts aka Parzival (his avatar name) on OASIS. Wade is a bright teenager who lives in a ghetto in the Midwest USA. OASIS is an all encompassing online program where people can shop, go to school and play vintage online video games. OASIS is basically the foundation of this future society. The developer of OASIS dies and leaves his substantial fortune to the one who can find the "Easter Egg" in the virtual cyber universe. Parzival, or "Z" for short, is engaged in this epic hunt. So are millions of other people (referred to as "gunters").
Z is virtual friends with Aech and Art3mis and fellow competitors in the quest for the Egg. The creator had a thing for old video games and movies. The clues to find the Egg are buried somewhere in the trivia of these media. Most of which I have seen and/or know about. So we get a look a the movie War Games with Mathew Broderick (and other movies as well). I fondly remember a totally meaningless but funny line from that movie: "I'd piss on a spark plug if I thought it'd do any good!" uttered by General Beringer (played Barry Corbin). That particular line unfortunately never factored into the search for Egg. Z also has a major crush on Art3mis.
I really liked just how the characters and story was "packaged." Sure, some of the details are kind of "out there." For example, the virtual reality equipment and bandwiths to handle such systems. Like the video games themselves, who cares? If you need something, you get it. The nostalgic aspects makes the story, I think, easy to relate to whether you are a gamer or not. I also found Z's sardonic observations hauntingly on the mark: "For a bunch of hairless apes, we’ve actually managed to invent some pretty incredible things. Computers. Medicine. Lasers. Microwave ovens. Artificial hearts. Atomic bombs."
"It was the dawn of new era, one where most of the human race now spent all of their free time inside a videogame."
"I was watching a collection of vintage ’80s cereal commercials when I paused to wonder why cereal manufacturers no longer included toy prizes inside every box. It was a tragedy, in my opinion. Another sign that civilization was going straight down the tubes."
Then there are some quotes that are just plain fun. Here is an example:
"My avatar was buffed to the eyeballs and armed to the teeth."
In short, I really enjoyed the story, liked and identified with characters, and loved the writing....more
Well it is getting better. The Arm of the Sphinx is an improvement over the previous book Senlin Ascends. The Sphinx book was the April read fo4 stars
Well it is getting better. The Arm of the Sphinx is an improvement over the previous book Senlin Ascends. The Sphinx book was the April read for the Bookish Buddies group.
Book 2 builds heavily on the base information set up in Book 1 and takes the book into a different direction. The main character, Senlin, has transformed from a school teacher to a captain of a pirate ship. The crew, four people, are loyal to his quest to find Senlin's wife. Trouble is brewing in the Tower though. The ship and crew are in dire straits so they are left no other choice to seek out the Sphinx.
The story this time around is more interesting as the plot has expanded. The ship's crew characters are developed more. There are relationships between the members that we learn more about. Senlin is still a key character but the focus is broadened to include the other characters.
There are still quite a few "unknowns" left from the previous book and a few more created in this book. The unknowns are written somewhat like a mystery tale. The difference is they are just left hanging with a major teaser at the end of the book. That is one aspect of the book that I found annoying. The other "weakness" is I'm still not connecting real well with story or the characters.
However to contrast the things that bothered me are the writing and the story. I liked the writing and its kind of introspective nature. The story also is creative and entertaining.
The main plot still moves painfully slow. I will be looking forward to the next book in the series to see what happens next....more
I managed to slug my way through this book and in the end, I don't think it was altogether worth it. If I had to do it all over again, I would have 'cI managed to slug my way through this book and in the end, I don't think it was altogether worth it. If I had to do it all over again, I would have 'cherry-picked' my way through the stories.
I like to read these collections to get a taste of some authors before I dedicate the time to start a whole book. That aspect of this collection, gave me some insight as to some authors who would be low on my desire to read. Another positive was, all the narrators in this audio version of the book did a pretty good job. So, I couldn't blame it on the narrators for not liking the stories.
Big down side: THE BOOK IS TOO LONG! I think they could have done better with fewer than 21 stories. Maybe 12 or 15 stories max. It took forever to get through this book.
My ratings---
5 star: None. 3.5-4 stars: Abercrombie, Butcher, Vaughn, Sanderson, Gabaldon, Martin 2.5-3 stars: authors not mentioned specifically 1-2 stars: Block, Sykes, Lindholm (aka Robin Hobb), Snodgrass
A special note on GRR Martin's contribution to the collection. His story was a Game of Thrones prequel. It was exquisitely written. My problem with the story is that I could not follow the flow of the story. It was like a lot of little stories glued together. There were a lot of characters and intricate detail (even for a novella) that I just couldn't keep track of in relevance to the overall story. Some of the characters were fairly obvious and others not so much so. It's probably just me.
The title "Dangerous Women" is kind of a misnomer. A few of the main characters were "dangerous" as in bad-ass butt kicker types. I won't go into what other women were considered "dangerous." In Diana Galbaldon's story, I don't recall a predominate woman at all in her piece.
There are all sorts of genres: fantasy, dystopian, historical fiction, fiction, science fiction, women's fiction, post-apocalyptic, para-normal and maybe some I forgot or couldn't figure out what genre to classify. I think I covered most of it though. A couple stories were about dealing with elderly mothers as they aged and needed extra help. I would have cut those stories out of the collection. The stories were marginally of interest but I don't think merited to be in the collection.
I approached the book with an open mind so I read (listened to) to every story. I would recommend approaching the book by reading the beginning of a story for a few pages. If it works for you, continue on, else skip to another story. I can't remember a single story that improved greatly toward the end than in the beginning. In fact, the opposite was true on a couple: the story went downhill from the beginning.
In the second book of the trilogy, I think the story has came into its own. The characters are masterfully written, multi-layered pWhat a great story!
In the second book of the trilogy, I think the story has came into its own. The characters are masterfully written, multi-layered political intrigue, treachery, tenderness, friendship, cynicism, love(?)...
Darrow has a Spartacus flavor to him while he is trying to keep his agenda while others seek to ally or kill him. The descriptive prose sends the reader into the space world. In other parts of the book, the prose is poetic and beautifully written.
First, I'd like to say the audio production of this book is first rate. I highly recommend the audio book.
A reluctant hero who really doesn'4.5 Stars
First, I'd like to say the audio production of this book is first rate. I highly recommend the audio book.
A reluctant hero who really doesn't want to get involved in the politics of his situation unfair as it is. Well, Darrow's view radically changes and finds himself in a "game" where only one team can "win."
Sound familiar? Yep. There is a definite Hunger Games feel to this story. This is a dystopian science fiction tale that is very well written. Darrow makes a good hero as he undergoes a transformation from a Helldiver to a Gold (the upper class of Mars society). In spite of the Hunger Games feel, there is something slightly off about the story but I can't quite put my finger on it.
In any case, this first book of a trilogy is a very satisfying beginning. I'm looking forward to the next story in the series....more
I'm a fan of the Kate Daniels books by the writing team of Ilona Andrews so I thought I'd give this book a try. I was not disappointed. The book has aI'm a fan of the Kate Daniels books by the writing team of Ilona Andrews so I thought I'd give this book a try. I was not disappointed. The book has a little different take on a dystopian type book by adding a science fiction twist. The world of an Innkeeper, I thought, was also kind of unique. I liked the main characters, Dina, the Innkeeper, Sean, the werewolf and Arland, the vampire.
It's kind of hard to get into much of the book without leaking spoilers. I will try though. If I give up a spoiler, well, you have been warned.
Dina lives in this backwater Texas town when there is a rash of local dogs being viciously killed. Dina is on her way home when she encounters a group people standing around a dead dog. No one knows why or who is killing the dogs. Although there is a suspicion that Sean, the local werewolf, might be the culprit. Dina knows better than to get involved but when she finds a strange creature lurking around her inn, she gets involved. That is also when she and Sean start seeing more of each other. Another interesting aspect of the story is that the inn, the building and surrounding land, is magical and can do all sorts of things.
Dina ends up killing one of the creatures with her broom (I won't elaborate). She drags the thing back to the inn and nearly ends up getting caught by the Sheriff. The Sheriff suspects something fishy is going on at the inn, he pays her a visit. He asks her a few questions and is not satisfied. He says, "Something is not right about this place and I don't think you are telling me the truth." And Dina responds, "You want to know the truth? The Inn is magical and the creatures causing problems are aliens from outer space." (This is not an exact quote but close enough). Dina's response happens to be the truth but the Sheriff just shakes his head and walks off.
The story is an enjoyable one. It kind of goes over the top a couple of times for my tastes but still a fun read. There is a romantic love triangle of sorts but does not overly influence the story. Oh and another character, is Beast the dog. Beast is this little dust mop of a dog that manages to kick the Sean's butt in one scene.
Clean Sweep is a quick, fun read. I will be checking out the next book in the series.
A super book! I listened the audio book and the narration was pretty good. He brought the characters and story to life. I thought he did all the voiceA super book! I listened the audio book and the narration was pretty good. He brought the characters and story to life. I thought he did all the voices of the all characters really well. I especially liked his portrayal of Eddie the best.
The story picks up with Roland waking up on a beach with some curious creatures checking him out. Roland narrowly escapes with his life. He continues his trek to find a door...
Book 2 is is still kind of cryptic but not as much as Book 1. The characters are the main event in this story. In all of the Stephen King books that I have read so far, the characters are all well written. The Drawing of the Three characters are superbly written. The dialog defines each of the characters. Eddie's character adds spice and a sarcastic humor that had me frequently laughing.
The Gunslinger is an interestingly strange story where a lot of diverse story elements come together in way I think only Steven King can master. This The Gunslinger is an interestingly strange story where a lot of diverse story elements come together in way I think only Steven King can master. This story serves an introduction to the Dark Tower series of books. I listened to the audio book and the narrator did a magnificent job bringing the characters and story to life.
The story is a weird mixture of story elements. The Gunslinger character to me is a mixture of a middle age knight mythology but with a Western flare of six shooters. The Gunslinger, named Roland, is on a quest of sorts to find and potentially kill the Man in Black. In this quest, we get to see through Roland's recollection of memories how he finds himself to be on this hunt. Destiny perhaps? There are modern elements with a twist...the song Hey Jude played ragtime. I have a hard time trying to imagine how that would sound! There are graphically violent elements intermixed with sexual references.
The story, as strange as it was, kept me riveted to listening. I have had this book on my TBR list for quite awhile. When I saw that the movie was coming out, I wanted to get the book read. The preview that I watched seemed quite a bit different from the book. Although The Dark Tower becomes more important towards the end of the book, it is not major element for most of this story. The ending of the book switches mode and I found it a little on the confusing side....interesting but kind of cryptic.
This book is a change up from what I have been reading. I found it to be refreshingly entertaining and interesting. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
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