First time with Everett for me. Reminds me a good deal of Vonnegut. Maybe not in style, but in general approach. In my opinion, he did a grand job of First time with Everett for me. Reminds me a good deal of Vonnegut. Maybe not in style, but in general approach. In my opinion, he did a grand job of balancing dark humor with powerful messaging RE the subject of lynching in America. Probably lots of violence triggers from the get-go for some folks....more
Listened to this as an audiobook. Just such fun that it wasn't possible for me to give it anything other than 5 stars.Listened to this as an audiobook. Just such fun that it wasn't possible for me to give it anything other than 5 stars....more
I wasn't as crazy about the last three books as I was the first six. And as a grand finale, this one felt a little lackluster to me. Still a great serI wasn't as crazy about the last three books as I was the first six. And as a grand finale, this one felt a little lackluster to me. Still a great series as a whole--I just wish it had been a little tighter in the last three books.
(view spoiler)[Still absolutely no apology from me for despising how the series' loudest, most bombastic and self-assured character's death was handled off "screen" (and worse yet: between books). That Chrisjen Avasarala's demise was reduced to a footnote was a blunder that I simply cannot fathom. A slap in the face to the readers who loved the character. She deserved to go out with a gigantic, on-screen bang. I don't care if the the 30yr jump might have made it more difficult to pull off. (hide spoiler)]...more
This author's endings have always left me a bit confused. But never actually disappointed. So there's that.This author's endings have always left me a bit confused. But never actually disappointed. So there's that....more
I love it when buying/reading an utterly unfamiliar author/book pays off. Non-linear stories are one of my favorite things when done well, and this seI love it when buying/reading an utterly unfamiliar author/book pays off. Non-linear stories are one of my favorite things when done well, and this series of linked tales was done well....more
I've always been a fan of the Western genre, and I understand that this was intended to be more of a statement on justice, human nature, and civilizatI've always been a fan of the Western genre, and I understand that this was intended to be more of a statement on justice, human nature, and civilization in general rather than a traditional "Rope Opera". But considering the sheer volume of high praise for its Transcendence, I found it to be overly purple, muddy with far too many characters, too preachy, and pointlessly racist** at times. It's very short, so I didn't have much trouble finishing it, but it didn't nearly meet the high hopes I had for it (let alone the praise heaped upon it). The characters just weren't up to the task the author assigned them.
**Before anybody gets in a twist; I'm not suggesting the author was racist, or that the book needs to be vilified for its portrayal of "the times." I was just frankly uncomfortable reading what amounted to phonetically-spelled Amos and Andy skits pointlessly interspersed throughout the early parts of the otherwise competently written (if not loved) story. Tilburg may have been writing about 1885 society, but it was published in 1940. For all the talk of his mastery of the language, I would have expected far less ham-handed portrayals of the racism of "the times." But since the passages did nothing to advance the narrative, in my opinion, I would have much rather not encountered them at all....more
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