Reviews and Comments

Strakul

Strakul@wyrms.de

Joined 3 years, 1 month ago

Science fiction and fantasy. Astronomical Data Scientist at STScI/MAST in Baltimore. Opinions are my own. Follow me on Mastodon at mstdn.social/@VirStrakul Longer reviews on my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/

#Astronomy #Books #Gaming #Fantasy #SciFi

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Brandon Sanderson: The Alloy of Law (2011)

"Three hundred years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, Scadrial is on the verge …

Review of 'The Alloy of Law' on 'Goodreads'

Another fine addition to the Mistborn universe.
Good characters and lots (and lots) of action. The world building is mostly set already from the prior Mistborn books, though it takes it in a new direction and hints at things to come. [a:Brandon Sanderson|38550|Brandon Sanderson|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1201547425p2/38550.jpg] is planning 2 additional trilogies in the Mistborn universe and this novel feels like a stepping stone between the first and second trilogy.
You won't get the deep sense of satisfaction from the original trilogy: there isn't a lot of new world building, the list of characters is small and only a few develop meaningfully, and the plot, while fast-paced, ends with a few things unfinished. It left me wondering if the next trilogy will be set a few years from this event or will be decades later and incorporate what the 'bad guys' were trying to accomplish. I'm hoping for the later.

If you care …

J. R. R. Tolkien: The Lord of the Rings (The Lord of the Rings, #1-3) (2005)

The Fellowship of the Ring is the first of three volumes of the epic novel …

Review of 'The Lord of the Rings (The Lord of the Rings, #1-3)' on 'Goodreads'

I finished my re-read a day or two ago. I have nothing to add: this is an awesome book that I've always loved. I'm in the process of rereading the Appendices, which are surprisingly good if you want to learn about the history of Middle Earth. Parts of it feel like a condensed version of the Silmarillion, which I've also enjoyed.

Trained from birth in swordplay and combat, a young knight named Siris has journeyed to …

Review of 'Infinity blade' on 'Goodreads'

I've never played the Infinity Blade game and I'm not sure it's my thing. If the price drops, I may give it a try. Hence, I did not know the backstory, but decided to get this novella anyways because I am a fan of [a:Brandon Sanderson|38550|Brandon Sanderson|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1201547425p2/38550.jpg] and he claimed no prior knowledge was necessary. That is indeed the case. I had no trouble at quickly picking up the story. In fact, it almost feels better this way. The world is cleverly designed and I enjoyed the blend of magic and technology. I don't know if that's Sanderson's or ChAIR's doing, but it was great. There wasn't a huge cast of characters (this is a novella after all), but those that were there were well-written. I would have liked a little more backstory for a few of them, but, again, the story is meant to be short. The plot started …

Lev Grossman: The Magician King (The Magicians, #2)

The Magician King is a new adult fantasy novel by Lev Grossman, published in 2011 …

Review of 'The Magician King (The Magicians, #2)' on 'Goodreads'

I was a bit hesitant to read this one. I only mildly like the first one ([b:The Magicians|6101718|The Magicians|Lev Grossman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1313772941s/6101718.jpg|6278977]), but didn't want more Narnia/Potter mash up. It turns out the second one feels a bit more original and, to me, more enjoyable.
There are two main plot lines and the story appears to lack focus, but once you get 3/4 of the way through everything snaps together and you realize that there was a purpose to all the meandering and even the smallest things become important. Also, the story becomes really interesting at that point and I could barely set it down.
In terms of characters, we get to see more of Quentin and he sounds a bit more mature than in the prior book, eventually even becoming a likeable character (I didn't connect with him in book 1). Julia is now a prominent character and her story arc …

Aldous Huxley: Aldous Huxley's Brave new world (2003)

Brave New World is a dystopian social science fiction novel by English author Aldous Huxley, …

Review of "Aldous Huxley's Brave new world" on 'Goodreads'

I did not have to read this book as part of my high school/college education, and I am sad for that. There are a lot of interesting ideas put forth in this book. It's a good read, but mainly this is a book that makes you sit down and think. I knew this was the case, and so was not disappointed at the character or overall plot, in fact, I guess it reads like a book from those times rather than something written today. However, the themes and ideas were incredible and well ahead of their time. The world is presented as an utopia, but as you explore it you're not quite sure if that's the right word. This is a frightening world to live in and I can totally see the point in comparing it to other works like Orwell's 1984 or Moore's Utopia.

Suzanne Collins: Mockingjay (2010, Thorndike Press)

Katniss Everdeen's having survived the Hunter games twice makes her a target of the Capitol …

Review of 'Mockingjay' on 'Goodreads'

The final book of the Hunger Games trilogy does not disappoint. We see a lot more depth into the world and get to see some cool action. The story still revolves around Katniss, which means we don't get to see things she doesn't, but we get deep into her mind. We can see that she, along with some of the other victors, have been greatly impacted by the Games and the subsequent events. This is not your typical escapist fantasy where the hero goes and chops up his/her enemies and then goes back home to a normal life. I was very satisfied with the ending and the plot events.
The only downside I can think for the book is that the pacing is a bit uneven. Some parts fly by, while others drag a bit. Still, it's a very engaging read. I was a bit worried since book 2 had …

reviewed The key to creation by Kevin J. Anderson (Terra incognita -- bk. 3)

"The third volume of the Terra Incognita trilogy brings brave explorers and mortal enemies across …

Review of 'The key to creation' on 'Goodreads'

The final book in the Terra Incognita series. It's a fast-paced, action-packed finale. Lots is going on, though the action tends to focus on Ishalem and the two ships- Dyscovera, and Al-Orizin. There is much more magic than in the prior books, which I felt detracted a bit from the story since (without spoiling it) it has to be used to stop the conflict. The story arc is actually pretty predictable; I don't remember seeing any major plot twists. The ending felt a bit dragged out, probably since it was epic in scale, but it kept switching to a set of POVs where very little action (but otherwise cool things) was going on.
The characters is really where this series shines. There are two sides of the conflict, but you can't decide if the Tierrans or Urabans are right since both sets of characters are so engaging and you want …

Review of "The Dragon's Path (The Dagger and the Coin, #1)" on 'Goodreads'

I wasn't sure what I was expecting. The book started a bit slow, but that could be since I was very busy with my work and the characters in the story were all spread out at first. However, things quickly sped up, connections were made, plots revealed, and WOW this is cool! I read the last 200 (electronic) pages in a flash.
Here's the deal: it's epic fantasy, but the cast is not too large. Also, there are some trope-breaking things there, the most obvious being the banker. Yes, that's right- one of the main characters is a young girl banker who loves her wine. This is one case were I was actually excited to have characters visit government offices to file paperwork. Even though that sounds boring in real life, the author really makes the characters shine.
Clearly the characters are the strongest point in this novel, but setting …

Neil Gaiman: American Gods (EBook, 2001, PerfectBound)

Released from prison, Shadow finds his world turned upside down. His wife has been killed; …

Review of 'American Gods' on 'Goodreads'

This was a very interesting concept and a pretty good book. It's not among my favorites, but I can't quite point to anything that was particularly disappointing. Maybe I just felt a bit disconnected with the story having never lived or traveled through middle America.
Overall though, it's a good book and good read.

Hub: Okko

Review of 'Okko' on 'Goodreads'

I generally don't read graphic novels, but this one caught my eye. It was an interesting read. The world/country (Pajan) is practically medieval Japan but with actual monsters and magic. The tale is fairly straightforward and the illustrations are bright and colorful.