Reviews and Comments

This is a great book in The Wheel of Time series. It picks up where The Dragon Reborn left off and sets the stage for a lot of cool things to happen with the various characters. It has a little bit of everything without focusing too much on a single group of characters, which will become increasingly hard as the cast of characters continues to grow.

Check out my full review at my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2022/01/book-review-shadow-rising-by-robert.html

This was a good continuation to the series. It's not as strong as the prior novels, but the secrets revealed push it up there. If you've been reading the Skyward novels then this one is a must as you get a better understanding of cytonics and learn what delvers actually are.

Check out my full review at my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2021/12/book-review-cytonic-by-brandon-sanderson.html

Another great stepping stone in the saga of The Wheel of Time. A plot that starts slow but by the end has you breathless; characters that continue to evolve as they embrace, or try to run from, their destiny; and a setting that grows clearer and more complex, this book has it all. This was a great addition to the series and, in my mind, a sort of capstone book that wraps up the first arc of The Wheel of Time. With the Dragon Reborn fully declared, the series takes on a new direction as the enemies become clearer and the stakes higher.

Check out my blog for a full review: strakul.blogspot.com/2021/10/book-review-dragon-reborn-by-robert.html

Overall, this was a good book. It's not as strong as The Eye of the World, but does a good job of continuing the story and setting up some interesting threads that we will want to see resolved in the series. The reluctant hero is a big part of this particular book, but we see some payoffs with epic scenes near the end that cement their role in the story. It is a must read for fans of The Wheel of Time as it sets the stage for more to come.

For a full review, check out my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2021/10/book-review-great-hunt-by-robert-jordan.html

This book is where it all starts. Even at the onset, you can tell it's going to be a long ride. This book has it all, a fast-paced engaging plot that hints at a grander adventure to come; a unique cast of characters that grow and develop within the book, and for the rest of the series, too; and a setting that captures the imagination, whether it is of the magic, the cultures, or the legends of thousands of years past.

For a full review, check out my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2021/09/book-review-eye-of-world-by-robert.html

Overall, this was a fun book. I don't think it's as good as the first of the Foundation novels, but it still is pretty decent in continuing the story in that universe. It gives up some of the large time spans and grandiose scale to focus instead on a bit of a mystery which gives it a fresh take compared to the others. The Second Foundation itself is quite intriguing and makes you wonder how far along their plans will actually take them.

For a full review, check out my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2021/09/book-review-second-foundation-by-isaac.html

This is a great book if you're already in the Foundation story and it really sets the stage for the series. The two parts feel a bit disjointed, but that is only superficial. The whole premise is whether psychohistory can be changed by individual action. The first part suggests no, the second suggests yes. In addition to the interesting premise, the story is strengthened by better characters that grow and act for much longer than in the prior novel. And now the stage is set for a race to see who will reach the Second Foundation.

For a full review, check out my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2021/08/book-review-foundation-and-empire-by.html

I enjoyed re-reading Foundation and plan to continue to read the others in the series. As I've grown older I've become more appreciative of history and how it has shaped our lives, so reading about a science fiction setting where people effectively write the history they want to have is just fun.
The principles of psychohistory, the statistical study of masses of humans to predict their behavior, was fascinating and today's real-world applications of data science scratch at similar concepts. Of course, this is a science fiction book, but it nonetheless explores the what-if: what-if this psychohistory were real and could be applied on human civilization at large?

For a more in-depth review, check out my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2021/08/book-review-foundation-by-isaac-asimov.html

The third of the Murderbot Diaries books. This was also quite interesting with some neat new characters, particularly Miki. Though it didnt feel as good as ART, it was still a curious bot that helped grow Murderbot. Overall the story was fun, but lacked some of the clarity and intrigue of Artificial Condition. However, it does set the stage for future novels.

This is the second book of The Murderbot Diaries and I enjoyed it a lot more than the first one. It had a bit of a detective novel feel to it, even though it isn't anything like that. Plus I really enjoyed that there was another AI for Murderbot to talk to. I hope ART comes back in the future! Looking forward to reading more of these fun, short books.

This is an other great Brandon Sanderson book, even if it isn't his best. I enjoyed the characters, especially Lightsong, and the mysterious magic of Breaths and BioChroma. The magic feels far more incomplete than, for example, Mistborn or Elantris, but it feels deliberate as I'm sure Sanderson will return to this world in the future. I reread this book because of two elements in it that appeared in Words of Radiance. It's interesting to see how Sanderson is starting to link the Cosmere books together. I look forward to reading from all his series and spotting the connections!

For a full review, check out my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2014/04/book-review-warbreaker-by-brandon.html

This was a great addition to The Stormlight Archive! I enjoyed the scientific discoveries Navani and other made in that they slowly peeled back some of the mystery of the world, but did so while retaining the framework of a story rather than as an info-dump or similar. As usual, we have some strong characters and an explosive plot so this was fun to read. I took it slow and steady, but could easily have devoted large chunks of time to blaze through this. I can't wait to see how the next book resolves some of the interesting issues raised in this one!

Check out a more in-depth review at my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2020/12/book-review-rhythm-of-war-by-brandon.html