So this was a fun short story in the dresden verse , it was fairly hard to find , but once i did find it , it was one of the most enjoyable short storSo this was a fun short story in the dresden verse , it was fairly hard to find , but once i did find it , it was one of the most enjoyable short story in Dresden verse . It involved everything fun , from quips , wits , action sequences that blow your mind , to Harry having a nice moment with Thomas, Harry being Gay , To Harry Burning another building .
Of course this one also had similar demerits , like the constant lines about female anatomy and many misogyny moments .
That said , it was just so much FUN !
Also the introduction of new sect of Little people and Yoda-esque talking Keef was just splendidly done ...more
A return to big foots , considering how fascinating the whole myth of big foots are , I am surprised that Butcher keeps featuring them in short storieA return to big foots , considering how fascinating the whole myth of big foots are , I am surprised that Butcher keeps featuring them in short stories only . That being said, this was a weaker outing. The whole story again centred around Irwin but this time the threat was easily diffused and the scenario wasnt really that difficult. The funny moments also felt tacky and really didnt feel as entertaining as most dresden books do.
However , it's still a dresden book and i just love reading about the dresden world ...more
I started reading Dresden Files sometimes around 3 years back , it started out as a palate cleanser book , I used to read it as a light read in betweeI started reading Dresden Files sometimes around 3 years back , it started out as a palate cleanser book , I used to read it as a light read in between whatever 700+ pages long fantasy book I was reading at the time, it was to refresh myself , to sort of re-calibrate myself before I went to read the next book in the series , but before I knew it Dresden Files turned itself into one of my favorite book series ever.
Something Borrowed takes place following the events of Blood rites and it details the marriage of Billy and Georgia , where shenanigans happen to ruin the wedding , luckily (or unluckily) Harry is the best man .
The book had plenty of laughs and excitement and it's baffling how butcher managed to put so much stuff to process in just 30 odd pages. There were moments that I really laughed out loud and kept doing re-reads to enjoy the moment again and the thrill and action bit was also not shabby at all.
The book also further made sure that as a reader I really felt connected to Billy and Georgia as side characters , they were likable before but reading this gives their presence in the series more meaning for me (which is scary coz Jim Butcher may read this and then just break my heart in some future book , swear he's worse than George R R Martin)
30 pages and yet it's one of the best books I have read this year ....more
Remember Remember the... You know what ? I am not gonna do it , coz every reviewer and their followers who's read this has done this same beginning anRemember Remember the... You know what ? I am not gonna do it , coz every reviewer and their followers who's read this has done this same beginning and if nothing else , V For Vendetta teaches us to be different , think for ourselves and believe in Anarchy
It's a tale about one man with certain special skills who singlehandedly uproots a fascists regime that is ruling a dystopian England . The tale is poetic and a cautionary tales against believing in partisanship .
I enjoyed every bit of the book now as much as I did the first time I read it . These days this story rings even more close to me as my own country deals with privacy concerns , censorship to free speech , hate mongering and most of all people defending partisanship inspite of evidence in front of them against such support .
As I said , it's fantastic and I suggest everyone to read it ....more
I have been diagnosed with COVID and ergo I am basically in bed all day reading stuff to pass the quarantine , but at one point I was too bored to staI have been diagnosed with COVID and ergo I am basically in bed all day reading stuff to pass the quarantine , but at one point I was too bored to start something new, at the very same moment I see the new trailer for Long Halloween , one of my favourite batman books growing up , I then find out that it's unreviewed by me on goodreads , so a quick re read has bought me back to this book , which even after all these years , is still my favourite batman origin book to recommend
This is not me saying this book again tells u the tale of How Batman came to be , no , that would be Batman year one . But this book is taking place in the same universe as Year one and it focuses more on the realistic mob bosses in Batverse more than the freak villains
This book is very much a noir telling , with a lot of nods to old gangster movies , in fact the book starts in the similar scene to the GodFather movie . However this time the Mafia is actually the bad force . In time we are introduced to all the familiar foes of batman while the detective tries to solve murders and stop the crime syndicates of Gotham taking over the city .
The best part for me is the book standing grounded in reality , with the focus more of Mafia and Batman's detective works rather than the freaks and the supernatural . The only thing I don't like about this story is the art style
Overall , I am reading this book some 10 years after I read it the first time , and it still remains a must read Batman book ....more
I'm not reviewing this , instead I'll review both this vol and final vol together . But so far , it's sooooo goodI'm not reviewing this , instead I'll review both this vol and final vol together . But so far , it's sooooo good...more
Dresden Files is my favourite book series of all time . It's my go to book when I am feeling down or I am stagnant while reading , or
10 out of 10 book
Dresden Files is my favourite book series of all time . It's my go to book when I am feeling down or I am stagnant while reading , or if i want change . Naturally I get a little biased when a Dresden book comes out , but all bias aside , I was massively dissatisfied with the previous book . But having read this i have actually changed my view on the prior book and in fact increased its rating
What I liked:
There's a lot that I liked in this book, in simple terms , this can very much be described as a single long battle scene ... but thats like saying Infinity wars was just action and no pay off. Yes, Battle Ground is indeed a long battle sequence ,however that's not necessarily a bad thing . The action is brilliantly portrayed and involves nearly all the previously mentioned side characters in the whole series. In between There's a lot of surprises from characters dying , to Characters turning into unlikable or likeable .
Theres a lot that happens in this book , but the book mainly relies on your investment on the established characters and the clever and fast paced action that really entertains but never becomes repetitive or dull
What I didn't Like:
This would be mostly nit-picking but some of the surprises were too telegraphed and you could see them coming from a mile (it still managed to get the reaction the author intended but it was predictable) . There were also some very clichéd plot points such as the whole "star born" thing .
Conclusion:
This is definitely my favorite book in Dresden files , but thats what I always Say about the most recent installment of Dresden files books. This is however the best book I have read this year , of course this can't be read as a standalone and even as a single Dresden book it feels incomplete without reading Peace Talks , which was a poor read at first but having read this book , peace talks elevates a notch . Overall , its an awesome book, recommended for all Dresden files readers and those who haven't read it , please read the whole series to get to this point of the series
Jim Butcher brings in his usual witty writing style to weave an intrinsic plot filled with Good but not as good as last 13 previous books
WHAT I LIKED:
Jim Butcher brings in his usual witty writing style to weave an intrinsic plot filled with surprises and many "holy crap ! " Moments . To this Jim Butcher adds some happy Family moments for Harry to enjoy with both Maggie and his new girlfriend (which is also a scary prospect because Jim Butcher can not tolerate a happy Harry Dresden for too long ) . Butcher also weaves in another heist , this one more like Mission Impossible than Ocean eleven , and finally topped it all off with some superb Action scenes , and one action scene with a severely Overpowered character that you absolutely wouldn't see coming and boy it would pay off big time . There's also many changed status quo , especially the relationship dynamics between Harry and his previous allies , this likely sets up for some fantastic opportunities for future books , talking of which , in terms of opportunities , I didn't think anything could get bigger than Hades , but apparently a new villain in this book proved me wrong and then there's a rising question of which side Harry is on , the side which fights the things that go Bump in the night or the side which fights against them. I can't wait for the next book
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
There's a severe lack of witisicm in this book compared to prior Dresden books , even the worst books in the series had me chuckling a few times , in this book however much of the references for my non-american brain and many jokes/sarcasm fell flat . The scenarios created were also way too plot convenient at times . The books ending also felt incomplete and it was obviously intended to be so , but I don't really place unsatisfactory endings to Dresden files books . The repetition of Heist in successive books also didn't feel right . And again we have a lot of unnecessary gratuitous sleazy scenes (which ofcourse is a given when Lara is on site) .
CONCLUSION:
There are more things I don't like in this book than the last 10 or so Dresden books combined , but at the end of the day it's still a Dresden book and it was enjoyable and fun to read with a brilliant plot and some super duper ass kicking moments . I enjoyed it but it's not as good as last 10 books...more
The 2nd read made me like it even more and the flaws I found on the 1st read seems insignificant this time , partly because I see thThis is surprising
The 2nd read made me like it even more and the flaws I found on the 1st read seems insignificant this time , partly because I see the bigger picture now , having read other books in the series and now I appreciate the foreshadowing . Also I get the setting with this one , the idea wasn't to be sexist pig , the idea was to put Harry in an uncomfortable environment and have fun , and nothing can be more uncomfortable for a shy/idealist guy then to be placed in the middle of a porno movie set . ...more
And so it ends . 10 books , Over 10 thousand pages, 100s of characters to love and many of those lovable characters dying , over 2 and half yea[image]
And so it ends . 10 books , Over 10 thousand pages, 100s of characters to love and many of those lovable characters dying , over 2 and half years and finally the Malazan book of fallen has ended for me. And Pardon me a moment of exaggeration but I believe this series is possibly one of the most epic fantasy story ever told.
What I Liked In the Series:
Considering this is the final book of the series , I would like to talk about not only the things I liked in this book , but also the things that I enjoyed in the series as a whole .When the series started , we were led to believe that the peak of the age of heroes has just concluded an Malazan empire as a whole was seen as a powerful , yet evil empire , which is trying to pose as a nobel empire but in the end winning lands over thousands of dead bodies and continuing the killing with culls of the lords and ladies of the conquered lands. Now however with the series ended the whole picture turns out to be completely different as we see new heroes emerge and the old heroes and legends pass away or are revealed to be nothing like their legends paints them as and the Malazan Empire? is it Evil? well that depends on what perspective the reader holds.
And that's one of the beautiful things about the series . It leaves the interpretation of each character , each empire upto the reader but along the way questioning these empires and also drawing parallels with the present day world standings and ideas.
This whole series was a complex set of stories that is Epic fantasy like no other , this book doesn't simply create a lead protagonist and simply shows his/her journey from being underdog to a champion , this book instead shows various champions and shows their paths taken , and along the way challenging fate and killing gods even.
Each book in the series acts like a difficult puzzle that starts as a confusing mess but as you read along , it appears as if you are on a journey to collect all the pieces and finish a marvelous puzzle , & in the end the marvel of the puzzle astonishes you. I won't lie to you , the complexeness of this book may take a while getting used to (100s of pages in the first book or atleast mid-way of 2nd book) but I assure you , despite having not read a lot of epic fantasy books, I highly doubt I'll ever find any epic fantasy better than this .
What I Liked (in this book):
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Now , about this book , considering how the previous book fared, I was very worried about how this book would go. Rarely have I ever come across a book, that delivers such a lame penultimate book. Thankfully , Erickson delivers big time with this book .
Of course Erickson prowess in terms of his fantastic writing style and story telling remain intact , this time however Erickson severely holds back on his usual philosophical monologues . I know most people love this bit about the series , but I used to find them excessive and what starts as an enjoyable questioning of real life turns out into me mentally screaming "Oh shut up with this philosophical BS and get on with the good stuff".Well none of that in this book.
This book delivers , in my view , just the apt amount of philosophy and mainly focuses on the aforementioned "good stuff". Good stuff being the many countless high stake battles , delivered with masterful tactical and military knowledge on the author's part. And of course the characters , which was pretty funny considering the more likable characters of the series didn't get involved in this book a lot (more on that later)
The emotional involvement for me as a reader in this book was also high and Erickson plays it to perfection as many chapters left me devastated and many just made me cry ugly man-tears . One particular tearful moment that broke my heart came during the epilogue and honestly , I won't forget it soon. [No spoilers obviously , but man that hurt 😭😭] .
And here's the fun part , for about 50% of the book , I was actually enraged that none of my favorite characters actually featured in the story and while that could be a point of contention for me , thinking about how much this book drew emotionally from me , I actually bow in front of the master story teller that Erickson is . To make you cry with the characters you like and love and care for , is a good author , but to make you a emotional wreck using characters you don't care for ... now that certainly is a sign of a great author.
What I Didn't Like (In this book):
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There still were a few problems with this one though. And almost all of it has to do with how it all ended. The ending left a lot of loose ends , plenty of unanswered questions and just many characters fate left unattended with many of said unattended characters being readers favorite or even the empress of the Titular Empire .This is obviously a result of the vast number of characters that were created in the first place and also the fact that there were plans for the universe to be expanded upon and characters utilized by another author who helped making this series and this last bit pisses me off for being such an obvious cash grab . It's the dune follow up all over again .
The book also made a mess of timelines and left me confused with many plot points at various point of the series (again I'm told most of these are cleared in the books written in the same universe but not really being part of the Malazan book of fallen)
And finally I had issues with some characters , Most importantly Tavore , for a lead character , she featured in about 5 of the 10 books and had one of the most important role and yet not once did i feel empathy towards her. As a character she is bland and I never cared one bit for her.
Conclusion:
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In the times when J.K. Rowling tried force feeding people into believing that her universe was diverse and every one had kinky sexy times with each other . Malazan book of fallen appears one of the finest , diverse and epic fantasy book out there. Think of diversity , black , brown , human , elves , LGBTQ , even Human - Non Human relationship , it's all there (TAKE THAT ROWLING) .
It's got a formula that leaves the reader confused at the beginning but finishes with a flourish that leaves readers asking for more . This is one of my MUST-Read recommendation .
This book in particular was brilliant , but it left characters unanswered and that is this books biggest flaw and for that reason alone this fails to be a perfect book . But in a world filled with Tolkien-esque fantasies , This book creates it's own niche and stands tall over even Tolkien's work....more
The penultimate book of the series comes in the heels of 2 of the finest books in the series , and probably 2 of the best epic fantasy books th[image]
The penultimate book of the series comes in the heels of 2 of the finest books in the series , and probably 2 of the best epic fantasy books that I have ever read , creating massive amount of hype and expectations for this book .
What I Liked :
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The book started off with the Bonehunters in the Lether empire and that meant, Tehol Beddict and his manservant made a quick return and that was a massive positive as they are the two best characters of this whole series and they elevate the reading experience a hundred times over.
The story in itself really turned dark , and don't get me wrong , the series had previous dark moments of it's own , but this book just surpassed the previous level of darkness especially with the whole hobbling ritual .
We were also given a perspective of the K'chain species and that was the first time that this species was explored in such details . This made the world of malazan even more vast and mind you , this is the 9th book in the series and Erickson managed to further give us world to explore.
Needless to say , the archaeological details in the writing style of Erickson , in terms of the world , and the various tribes and their rituals , remain a key ingredient to the whole a series and this book was no different . The military details added in action sequences also continue to paint a vivid picture for the reader's mind and entertain it's audiences.
What I didn't Like:
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Generally , I have very little bad to say about a Malazan book , but this time it's different .
One of the constant gripes of mine with this book series is , it's introduction and elimination of vast characters , the character list so far has been staggering ,with many characters dying or disappearing , having served very little purpose . This book adds more characters and most of the unknown characters are tedious to read.
Speaking of Tedious reading experience , this book was very tedious . The book , like all the rest of the books in the series , is segregated into 4 parts (4 books) , of these 4 parts , the middle 2 parts were excruciating to read , with characters I as a reader didn't care about , events that I was not interested in reading and characters delivering tangential speeches and monologues filled with philosophical diatribe for pages at stretch .
Sure , these philosophical speeches show the brilliance of Erickson's brain and tries to convey to the author about the hypocrisy of the world , both erickson's Fictional one and the real one , but as a reader , it starts to weigh you down very very soon.
In fact the whole K'chain Che'mel storyline was dull until the very end and I really couldn't care one bit for the Barghast and the war fought between them and the arynkai , or for that matter the war of the Burned Tears wasn't necessary either .
This is the only book that has ended in a cliffhanger and before doing so it has left me as a reader very confused (Like , I still can't understand what the shake are and if they are what I think they are, then , what does that make the Edur ?), many status quo were changed and they came about very abruptly and didn't sit well with me at all and the number of deaths , just felt , bloated in the end .
Conclusions:
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In the end , the writing style of Erickson , once again becomes both the blessing and the curse for the book , but sadly this time , I as a reader can't say I enjoyed the book very much . At near 1300 pages and ending with a cliffhanger , it felt that the book could well have managed 500 less pages . While I started this book with high hopes , I'm now worried that what I previously considered the best Epic fantasy I've ever read , could very well ruin that legacy , based on how it manages to end the series.
BAMBOOZLED!! I Can not believe that Agatha Christie could come up with such a fantastic mystery back in 1926. I mean , reading those final page[image]
BAMBOOZLED!! I Can not believe that Agatha Christie could come up with such a fantastic mystery back in 1926. I mean , reading those final pages had me stunned , can't believe this book isn't given more credit , even now .
What I liked :
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1926 . Nineteen friggin twenty-six ! That's how old this book is . A lot of books , written after 1926 and considered classics, fail to age well enough to make a reader really boast about said book , this was not such a book , and it absolutely blows my mind how well this book feels while reading and afterwards recommending to people.
In fact , staying on the subject of when this book was written , to me ,there were a lot of things in this book , that appeared to go against the usual style and stereotype of the present day mystery novel. And while I can't really be sure of how the mystery novels from the 1926 read , this book definitely felt as if it broke all kinds of stereotypes and schemes that a regular mystery novel follows , now and even back then. And just think about how impressive it all is , that a Female author from the 1926 , wrote a male detective character and boldly changed every trope that a mystery author follows.
Talking of said Detective , Hercule Poirot is present in this book , in all his unique and quirky glory and this time there's no Hastings to annoy you. The new narrator has a very similar style in describing all the doings of Poirot and the mystery surrounding things but compared to Hastings this new narrator is easily tolerable .
The mystery itself is just gripping and the finest so far in this series , with so many twists and turns and the final reveal, which I can guarantee 99% of first time readers would find Unpredictable . After finishing the read the first time , I actually decided to re-read the book and knowing how-it-ends made looking for clues very easy and the masterful and decoyed writing of Agatha Christie made me marvel .
What I didn't like :
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I am really finding it difficult to think of things I didn't like , and honestly , I got nothing . Maybe it's the euphoria of having just finished this book twice and still be bamboozled by it all that's making me ignore any flaws .But for me this was a perfect book.
Conclusions :
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Honestly the ending plays a big part in realizing just how this book truly is but I gotta say , I was thoroughly entertained and the final reveal was both satisfying and jaw-dropping for me. Of course , I am no master of the mystery/detective novels genre, but for now at least , with my limited exposure of mystery/detective books, I can vouch for this book to be the perfect Murder Mystery....more
What a fantastic issue . It seems Invincible keeps getting better with each volume .
But before I start , can anyone confirm , are all the Invincible What a fantastic issue . It seems Invincible keeps getting better with each volume .
But before I start , can anyone confirm , are all the Invincible volume names derived from US TV shows ?
The main focus of the story was in developing the love triangle and the relationship between Mark and Amber and this was handled with the help of the suitmaker buddy of Mark , who acts like a father figure to advice Mark move ahead .
But between this relationship progression was a fantastically written Hostage situation which featured some cameos from a friendly neighborhood hero and a certain Dark Knight , those cameos aside the end of this Hostage scene was brutal and asked a big question of the No-kill policies of certain heroes and anger issues of the Viltrumite race .
There's also the developing relationship of Mrs Grayson and the alien baby and yet again we are shown the suffering that Mrs Grayson suffers for being in a super family and also shows the strength she possess to still be at the side of her son after all that suffering .
As I said , it's another fantastic issue , so far my favorite in the Invincible run , and I can't recommend this title highly Enough...more
What actually is a happy ending ? I mean if all the loose ends are tied and characters getting a good finale a happy ending , or is it a sad on[image]
What actually is a happy ending ? I mean if all the loose ends are tied and characters getting a good finale a happy ending , or is it a sad one if there is loss of honour & innocence along the way?
What I Liked :
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Steven Erickson maintains the high standards he has already set to deliver another tale which is exquisitely written and filled with wonderfully imaginative characters made out of moral greys and an ever expanding world and this time he merges the Malazan world into the world of Lether to create an entertaining and thought provoking result .
The initial pages showed the complexity of the new Lether empire how the new empire was run by the subjugated conspirer rather than the warrior conquerer and with it was depicted the political games that are played in the land by gods , humans , ministers and even citizens living in roofless houses .
Then there were the very revealing journeys one in the land of shadows , one involving escape from lether and finally one which was carried out by an outcast and a Ghost . This journey was the most rewarding and ended with a lot questions answered and lots of tragic lows.
But that's just the first part of the book and while that was fun , the stakes and the fun really turned up a notch during the 2nd part when the Malazan marines landed in the land of Letheras as magic and military tactics led to really thrilling and fun (& gore) filled pages . Finally the last few hundred pages saw the author really rip the readers apart with deaths & returns , some of these deaths especially felt like someone squeezing your heart for emotions until there was none left to squeeze out.
What I didn't Like :
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There is very little I didn't like, namely the lack of pages spared for Tehol and Bug . Now this is more of a personal issue for me and I don't think many readers will mind it that much , but for me , Tehol & Bugg are two of the most entertaining characters I have come across in High Fantasy , and for most part their appearance in this book felt like someone teasing a bunny with a fake carrot . It felt like a tease and a guest appearance despite them playing a very key role in the events of the book .
Meanwhile many characters death came about very abruptly and many characters final fate also felt to have been rushed , one character in particular failed to make any sort of impression to me , and this character has been present in the series from book 1 .
Conclusions:
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Yet another fine product from the mind and hand of Erickson and this one managed to shorten the list of characters so far present in this series . It was a lot of fun to read and has me excited to see where the book heads next ,at the same time losses of some of the characters had me a bit shook and I'll need some time to recover. Definitely worth the time to read .
Readers of my blog know , I don't generally read and review classics . Let it be known that I do read classics , however I don't tend to review[image]
Readers of my blog know , I don't generally read and review classics . Let it be known that I do read classics , however I don't tend to review them . Why you ask? well because it's a classic , what can I possibly say that hasn't been said before , and if , say I didn't like the book , would my opinions matter ? IT'S A CLASSIC GAHDAMIT!
What I Liked :
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Fahrenheit 451 paints a murky picture of a possible future where in attempts at making people happy , the government have gotten rid of every system that made them work hard , that made them question things , that basically made them intelligent . This involves destruction of all educational and literature works .
This book is an important piece of literature which depicts the importance books have in the growth of human from a quadruped ape to a civil biped who knows the difference between right and wrong ,strives for knowledge and questions everything .
Book Quotes:
“Stuff your eyes with wonder, he said, live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.”
The author descends into countless philosophical exposition to depict how horrible an act burning of mere pages of books could be and what impact it led to the society which filled itself with mass media garbage and pushed him/herself into a world of monotony and often leading to a life of unrealized potential and lacking a sense of fulfillment leading to a high rate of suicide and road rage murders as a route to escapism.
But it's more than just another philosophy filled piece of literature , the book works really well in creating a really good suspense story , with a brilliantly created dystopic world , in which guns aren't a big deal , but having hid a book can lead to fatal consequences and even the closest allies or family members couldn't be trusted if they read a book and in doing so the author not only manages to develop his protagonist as a character but also represents the naysaying side casts
Book Quotes:
“We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?” ― Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
The final 50 odd pages in particular make for a nail-biting read as the events go at a real fast page and keep you on your toes guessing what happens next , making for a fantastic read even for those who don't like to go into the philosophical debates the book is mainly serving it's reader.
What I didn't Like :
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As I have stated before , the book is filled with Philosophical tirades from the author and if you don't have the patience for that you may find pages after pages of long exposition and view points that really can turn you off and even in a mere 250 page book , make you wonder if those pages were necessary .
Meanwhile , I basically grew up on TV and comic books , so when this book throws some serious shade at those medias , won't lie , it breaks my heart . And , believe me , i can understand where the author is coming from , the times when this book was published may well have been times where these other medias were just propaganda .
Book Quotes:
“If you hide your ignorance, no one will hit you and you'll never learn.” ― Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
But , as I said before , I grew up on TV and Comics ,learnt what's right and wrong , the concept of hope , heroes and even the importance of eating your greens .hence the book rubbed me the wrong way at times and it felt to me like Ray Bradbury was trying to be too pretentious and riding a really really high horse
Another thing that bugged me , but I'm not sure if this was the writing style of the author or just the book edition that I was reading , but the segue between two chapters or events in the book was very abrupt,weird and simply not smooth. This led to quite a few confusing minutes while reading .
Verdict :
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Fahrenheit 451 , is an important piece of literature , one that I feel absolutely every bibliophile should read at least once in his/her life . Personally I don't see much wrong with the book and I absolutely recommend this to everyone I can ....more
As of writing this review I have completed one of my 2017 goals and finished reading all the Dresden Files main novels available as of now , and I must admit , while I started the book series a bit skeptical , it has now become one of my all time favorite book series.
As is the usual case , This Dresden Files book, like all of the other books before it , delivers in terms of fast pace , humor , fantastic magical world building , strong character development and most of all an absolutely fun reading experience .
The book also excels in relating previous books events and further develops certain characters into further newer roles . (view spoiler)[ (Butters). (hide spoiler)]
Meanwhile there were certain fantastic character returns and exploration of Greek Mythology that really amused me and made me realize certain things in regards to those characters and Myths that I hadn't done before
There's some really emotional moments in this book , probably more than any of earlier books in the series and the writing of Jim Butcher really manages for you to feel those emotions and making these books even more brilliant.
Book Quotes:
“I’d gone with my usual option. I was running through long tunnels filled with demons and monsters and nightmares, because it was easier than going to the gym.” ― Jim Butcher, Skin Game
Meanwhile while all the prior books depended on an amalgam of mystery and magic elements ,this book has a mixture of Heist and Magic .This resulted in twists , turns and many double crosses on every step to keep the readers guessing and entertained .The fact that how some of the previous books have dealt with characters meant that readers were also uncertain about many lovable side characters , and I for one was scared that my favorite characters may end up dead in a few pages
(view spoiler)[ Another massive positive was that Butcher managed to show that despite the massive changes Harry has undergone since he became the Winter Knight , he is still the same Harry (hide spoiler)]
, this was partly important to re connect the series with those fans who were offended or turned off by the changes in Harry in the previous few books , while not letting newer fans or fans who have appreciated these changes to feel let down either
What I Didn't Like :
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I know that the series is planned to last 6 more books , but it still seems like somehow the last few books have side-stepped some major stories , specifically the matters of the White,Black & Grey Council and the matter of the White Court of Vampires .
There were also a couple of flaws or rather plot holes , not anything massive , very minor issues . This was somewhat surprising since I know that Butcher like Rothfus undergoes a process of Beta readers who help him find and correct flaws in his books , yet I did manage to find a few. That said maybe this is just some kind of planned inconsistency that Butcher has intentionally placed to make use of in future books, I mean it has happened before
Conclusions :
Book Quotes:
“You destroy buildings, fight monsters openly in the streets of the city, work with the police, show up in newspapers, advertise in the phone book, and ride zombie dinosaurs down Michigan Avenue, and think that you work in the shadows? Be reasonable.” ― Jim Butcher, Skin Game
And alas now ends my reading of one of the most entertaining series that I have ever read .The series kept improving with each passing book and Skin Games continues that trend to probably be considered one of the best books in the series . The next book has been awaited for the last 3 years and with no information regarding the release date available so far , it's going to be a very anxious wait for me . As I'm pretty certain that my skepticism of this book series during the first 3 books have been long forgotten and I have truly become a Dresden-Junkie , a fanatic , an Obsessed fan ....more
Seemingly a big cast for this one , but maybe it's because i often read epic fantasy , but i found every cast member diBrilliant !
WHAT I LIKED :
Seemingly a big cast for this one , but maybe it's because i often read epic fantasy , but i found every cast member distinct and easy to keep track of , which was also responsible for me really getting interested about the whereabouts and the status of every character.
The idea of another mystery in a closed environment , a ship (which has now followed a plane and 2 train murders) , made me sceptical before i even started reading but as I started reading i realised how ingenious and unique this book was as the environment plays a key role.
This was also the first Christie Book that i read , which used brilliant foreshadowing, benign events that took place in first 3 chapters , are revealed to be key ingredients in solving mystery .
The suspect pool was so good that i kept changing my opinion on who the culprit is more than a dozen time throughout the book. I wasn't a huge fan of Race's return but i feel like he is a mature and clever version of Hastings , and that is something i wholeheartedly welcome .
But the cherry on top was how the murder was committed and how Poirot figured it all out . It's always a pleasure when the puzzles are solved but this book was especially pleasurable as it really fulfilled the satiety centres with both the Murder method and the culprit reveal.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
The final chapter felt needless to me and the end result of the culprit felt like a bitter pill at the end of a sweet cake . Apart from that , this was perfect
CONCLUSION
Nearly perfect and very satisfying, definitely a book worth many re reads and recommends...more
Cold Days - By Jim Butcher is the fourteenth book in this popular Modern , Paranormal , As Usual my reviews can be found at - A Blog About Book
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Cold Days - By Jim Butcher is the fourteenth book in this popular Modern , Paranormal , Over-the-top Protagonist , action packed , Fantasy tale and this one is probably the best , If you don't mind that changes and changed status quo .
Just Saying : Following my review of the last Dresden book (here) ,I was approached by a few fellow Dresden readers and they pointed out that for them the last book wasn't very good , there reasoning was that they didn't like that Harry Dresden the Protagonist changed so much , That the secondary characters changed so much.
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I actually liked those changes.I do accept that everyone has his/her own opinion and many don't handle changes so well . So that said the following review is yet again based on my opinion , it's not been influenced by any one else's and I definitely don't think that this is the only opinion that one should have .
What I Liked :
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It's yet another fast paced, action packed adventure , with a new role for Harry . The mission he undertook has gotten even more deadlier and near impossible and Harry once again obviously pulls it off complimented by some excellent writing by Jim Butcher that leads to probably one of the best plot in the series as of yet .
While everything that was previously good with the series remains as such this book got an advantage over it's predecessor in the exploration of the downward spiral that Harry took courtesy of (view spoiler)[ taking up the Winter Knight mantle (hide spoiler)] . Through out the book we see him face not only new deadly physical monsters but also monster withing himself and this struggle was one of the strongest aspect of the book.
Book Quotes:
“I kept a straight face while my inner Neanderthal spluttered and then went on a mental rampage through a hypothetical produce section, knocking over shelves and spattering fruit everywhere in sheer frustration, screaming, 'JUST TELL ME WHOSE SKULL TO CRACK WITH MY CLUB, DAMMIT!”
The supporting cast itself are very entertaining with the changed status quo developed during the previous book remaining intact . This leads to some very interesting character interaction and impact on the story .
Many of the previously established mysteries and details were revealed in the book , chief among them was the role of Rashid & identity of Outsiders , meanwhile newer antagonists were revealed and it was a joy-ride for the whole book with witty dialogues , fun characters , banters galore , mayhem of unprecedented level and fine mix of plot and exposition . But the best part probably was the finale that led to many a new changes that could and probably would impact future books of the series
What I didn't Like:
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Yet again the flaws can be very subjective for the series.On a personal level I just had one problem with the book , that was the fact that in comparison to previous books of the series , this book took a little while to actually reveal it's key plot and sure it wasn't much of a big deal for me but it was a little something I considered to be worth mentioning .
Other subjective cons may include the fact that the new status quo for Harry and the other characters developed in Ghost story have now become a permanent thing , and one could very well argue that Harry as a character has changed considerably .
Book Quotes:
“About thirty feet from the door, Molly abruptly stopped in her tracks and said, "Harry."
I paused and looked back at her.
Her eyes were wide. She said, "I sense..."
I narrowed my eyes. "Say it. You know you want to say it."
"It is not a disturbance in the Force, she said, her voice half-exasperated.”
There's also the persistent issue of mild misogyny in the series and this time its actually a bit too nasty , but this was in part due to the demand of the story as they were needed to display how the new role of Harry is trying to change him and make him a monster that he had always fought against.
Conclusion :
Overall it was probably the best book in terms of plot and if the finale of Dead Beat wasn't so awesome I'd have said that this was probably one of the best book in the series . But while those who can't adjust to changes in their favorite characters may call this book a weaker installment , In my honest opinion this book was fantastic and deserved the Goodreads People Choice award that it received in 2013 ...more
The purpose of a review blog is for readers to post a review for the world to see , However for this post I'd rather want only those who have r[image]
The purpose of a review blog is for readers to post a review for the world to see , However for this post I'd rather want only those who have read this book to continue reading further. It may sound silly but I simply can't write a review for this book without giving out Spoilers of previous books in the series .
What I Liked:
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Dresden Files books are always fun , they are certain to produce humourous banter between characters, sarcastic quips and wiseass remarks . Then there's also a really fast paced , dense plot, filled with exhausting amount of action and magic and not to mention a superb world building and exploration . As usual this book delivers on all of these fronts.
But what this book does better than it's predecessors is exploring a new entity and in doing so this book breaks the typical character traits of it's protagonists, giving him new rules , new perspective , new goals , new challenges and even a somewhat new world to explore..
It's always been fun to witness the adventures of Harry as he goes through them by using excessive amounts of physical , psychological and magical powers but here he is almost powerless , and whatever power he does have is pretty lame in comparison to what powers he used to wield , not to mention these new powers come with various new rules* that makes the already difficult tasks of Dresden even more tougher.
*half of which he doesn't even know about.
Similarly the plot also changes a lot of characters and their respective status quo resulting in a more darker world and a dark cast of characters to work with than ever before . This creates a scenario where reader realize how important Harry actually was for the Fictional world of Chicago & also focuses on how Harry's exploits have made Chicago vulnerable when he is not there to deal with the repurcussions of his action.
The writing of Jim Butcher also keeps reader guessing and anticipating the future events and all in all makes the hefty 600 pages fly by in no time with various new lore , myths , fantasies generated in due course of time . This was also followed up with another fantastic emotional end to the book and this time unlike the previous book Butcher's writing skill do manage to bring in a few emotional sentiments for the reader*.
*atleast it did to me and if it didn't do it to you , well I don't know , maybe you are made of stone or something.
What I Didn't like : [image]
Yet again this was a near flawless book for me , whenever I thought that something was wrong Butcher somehow managed to make it right. An example for this would be (view spoiler)[ the glaring omission of Thomas through out the story , as no matter what you think of Thomas as a character no one can deny that the death of Harry would hurt him the most , and yet he was missing for all the book , right until the final chapter and what became of Thomas actually turned out to be one of the best part of the book for me. (hide spoiler)]
The cons of the book can be very subjective feelings , as far as I am concerned none of the cons I'm about to list bothered me, But i can understand why it would bother others .
There were plenty of repetition of prior events and the magical mechanisms / rules in the book, it almost felt like Jim was trying to explain things to a new reader* . Another thing that can make few people be turned off is the fact that due to the special circumstances that Harry was in , his involvement while dealing with opponents were very limited .Many similarly may find the new status quo and further darkening of the world very depressing and dislike the new changes
*which is unlikely to happen on the 13th book of the series
Conclusions: [image]With the series nearly coming towards the end Jim Butcher's thirteenth installment in the Dresden Files delivers big time with a refreshing changes bought to each and every character , massive development of previous characters , fantastic new world , rules and myths created . Meanwhile the book doesn't forget what made it successful and keeps the old formula of action-filled plot , intense moments throughout the book , unexpectedly delivered witty and sarcastic humour and a fun filled page turner. A must read !...more
Dr Rashmit
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