Yeah, I saw your five stars I'm not sure what's not working for me. Possibly my expectations were too high, you gave it 5/5, it's had great reviews and whatevermort said it was King's best in years. But I haven't given up on it yet!
Just hit on a lot of things I really love when reading. Great narration from a character I came to quickly like, a great small town setting, a coming of age hook that grabbed me right away as usual, and just character interactions I really enjoyed. Just quickly found me sucked in and always thinking about when I would be reading the next chapter with that sense of mystery.
Traits that all my favourites I've read this year have in common.
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I'm a tenth into it. Starts very well, with an original premise that has tons of promise for a great story. It's quite long, so I hope the high level so far can be maintained through all of it.
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I'm a tenth into it. Starts very well, with an original premise that has tons of promise for a great story. It's quite long, so I hope the high level so far can be maintained through all of it.
As a horror novel, this is probably the purest, and best, thing King has written since the 80s. But it's a slow burn.
Really slow.
And as much as I liked it, I can't really encourage people to plow on through if they aren't enjoying the ride, because it takes a long time for the story to develop. The biggest portion of the book focuses on the biography of the main character: his career as a musician, tragedies, loves, that sort of junk. It reads a lot like the romance portion of 11/22/63.
Somewhere around the middle the real story finally begins to heat up, and eventually you get a heavy dose of horror in the style of the classic weird fiction authors (Arthur Machen's "The Great God Pan" and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, were both major influences, and it shows.) The payoff is one of the darkest things King has wrought since Pet Cemetery, and it kicks plenty of ass, but If you aren't enjoying the ride, it might not be worth it.
I enjoyed the ride. Mostly. I got impatient for a brief stretch in the very middle, during the strictly biographical portion. Then some cool things happened
(the carnival photo/addiction cure section)
and it sucked me right back in.
Overall, it was a great book. When I finished, I went over to Goodreads and gave it 5 stars. Now I'm sort of waffling, thinking maybe I should've given it 4 instead. I think the long buildup was probably worthwhile (because it makes the ending work better) but some may disagree.
Scavenger book 2: Pattern by K.J. Parker
This was every bit as satisfying as the first book in the series, but also totally different. Unlike the first book, which dealt mostly with questing and encountering dangers on the road, this is much more stationary, and plays out as a drama about the challenges of rural life, being part of a community, trying to fit in with people who don't really understand you.
The humor that I loved in the first book is still there, and even though there's less violence, this (ultimately) ventures into territory that is much darker.
Some may not enjoy the slow pacing or the liberal doses of weird surrealist logic, but I thought it was an excellent read. If the third book holds up, this will probably go down as one of my top 10 favorite fantasy series of all time. Great characters, great world-building, funny, twisted, and well written.
Hmm, I'll make myself sit down and finish it. Sounds like the payoff at the end is worth it. He is forever my favorite author so I suppose I should have more faith (lulz).
I picked up Station Eleven, A Brief History of Nearly Everything, and The Martian at the store today. I read The Martian months ago but I want a physical copy of it. So good.
Hmm, I'll make myself sit down and finish it. Sounds like the payoff at the end is worth it. He is forever my favorite author so I suppose I should have more faith (lulz).
I picked up Station Eleven, A Brief History of Nearly Everything, and The Martian at the store today. I read The Martian months ago but I want a physical copy of it. So good.
Hmm, I'll make myself sit down and finish it. Sounds like the payoff at the end is worth it. He is forever my favorite author so I suppose I should have more faith (lulz).
I picked up Station Eleven, A Brief History of Nearly Everything, and The Martian at the store today. I read The Martian months ago but I want a physical copy of it. So good.
Krowley's post is a good write up and explains it better than I could. I suppose since I haven't read much Stephen King (just 11/22/63 and Revival), it's not like I am comparing it to his part works, and Revival just felt like a lot of other books I love.
Plus Revival does have a major focus on something I think about a lot as well, so I was just constantly wondering where the story would go.
But lots of varied tastes in these threads, The Martian gets lots of love, and I have no idea why!
So I'll read The Martian next, then Annihilation. I keep seeing Robin Hobb mentioned in here so I'll have to look at his books and find where to start.
Krowley's post is a good write up and explains it better than I could. I suppose since I haven't read much Stephen King (just 11/22/63 and Revival), it's not like I am comparing it to his part works, and Revival just felt like a lot of other books I love.
Plus Revival does have a major focus on something I think about a lot as well, so I was just constantly wondering where the story would go.
But lots of varied tastes in these threads, The Martian gets lots of love, and I have no idea why!
Yeah, Revival actually has a narrative voice and style that's very similar to 11/22/63. Anyone who likes that book should feel pretty much at home with this one, at least stylistically. Most of his classic novels are written in the third person with an occasionally shifting viewpoint to allow for a larger cast of characters and a larger scale of events.
The first person viewpoints in Revival and 11/22/63, along with the way both are framed as memoirs, make them feel almost like parts of a matching set.
Semirhage getting a literal goddamned spanking from Cadsuane.
The only critique I really have is that I was able to guess some of the twists, like
Sheriam being Black Ajah. I did not guess that Verin was, though (even though she was a double agent at the end). It was also obvious from a mile away was that Aviendha was just being tested by the Wise Ones and they were expecting her to stick up for herself, not actually be punished.
Yeah, Revival actually has a narrative voice and style that's very similar to 11/22/63. Anyone who likes that book should feel pretty much at home with this one, at least stylistically. Most of his classic novels are written in the third person with an occasionally shifting viewpoint to allow for a larger cast of characters and a larger scale of events.
The first person viewpoints in Revival and 11/22/63, along with the way both are framed as memoirs, make them feel almost like parts of a matching set.
Reading my first Murakami novel. Tried a couple of his short stories before. Better nate than lever.
Read only 18 books towards my Goodreads 2014 goal of 24, and that's with a couple of short books and graphic novels counted. Thing is, I've been stuck on both The Brothers K and Reamde all year. Really hope to finish those two books before 2015 rolls around. The culprit? Getting a 3DS earlier this year..
I'm debating whether to read Words of Radiance (Brandon Sanderson).
I read Way of Kings and overall enjoyed it - the world-building was interesting and there were some stirring plot points. But it felt a bit long. Some boredom-spren for me.
I'm debating whether to read Words of Radiance (Brandon Sanderson).
I read Way of Kings and overall enjoyed it - the world-building was interesting and there were some stirring plot points. But it felt a bit long. Some boredom-spren for me.
I'm debating whether to read Words of Radiance (Brandon Sanderson).
I read Way of Kings and overall enjoyed it - the world-building was interesting and there were some stirring plot points. But it felt a bit long. Some boredom-spren for me.
That is good to hear. In Way of Kings, I thought a chapter or two would be spent on the main male character's time in the "bridge company" and then the plot would move on from there. Little did I know that would be about 500 pages.
I thought WoR was a bit weaker. I'd say the first book starts out pretty slow and just explodes the last 200 pages. The second book pretty much goes at a decent clip the entire time with a decent ramp up at the end.
I don't mind a slow burn and thought the characters were a bit better done in the first book, and I liked the plot scenario slightly more (I loved me some bridge compnay), so yea, I found the first book a bit better.
I thought WoR was a bit weaker. I'd say the first book starts out pretty slow and just explodes the last 200 pages. The second book pretty much goes at a decent clip the entire time with a decent ramp up at the end.
I'd argue that last two hundred pages has been the epitome of my fantasy reading thus far. So I compare the two novels overall, instead of focusing on individual parts.
For Kindle friends into the Expanse series, the fourth one, Cibola Burn is only $3.25 on Kindle right now. A far cry from the $13 I paid six months ago, but alas. Here's the link: Cibola Burn on Amazon
Liked the first one but I didn't love it. Should I continue with the series?
Spoiler for one
memory is messed up, but if I remember correctly one of the main characters died, the detective I think? Does he come back? He was the redeeming part of the novel. I dont mind getting spoiled. I wont keep reading if he stayed dead
memory is messed up, but if I remember correctly one of the main characters died, the detective I think? Does he come back? He was the redeeming part of the novel. I dont mind getting spoiled. I wont keep reading if he stayed dead
Just finished The Lies of Locke Lamora. It was slow to start and I put it down a couple times early on. By the middle I was hooked and savoured the rest of it. Overall, it was a great read.
Semirhage getting a literal goddamned spanking from Cadsuane.
The only critique I really have is that I was able to guess some of the twists, like
Sheriam being Black Ajah. I did not guess that Verin was, though (even though she was a double agent at the end). It was also obvious from a mile away was that Aviendha was just being tested by the Wise Ones and they were expecting her to stick up for herself, not actually be punished.
I don't really read nowhere near as much as I would like to so I am trying to really get into reading nowadays. Finished Enders Game a few days ago, really enjoyed that and now thinking of getting Speaker of the Dead.
Currently I have The Name of the Rose and The Black Count to read through. Not sure which I'll start first
Finished this a few days ago, which was terrific and much better than the movie:
And finished this earlier today: It was my first Philip K Dick novel and it was a very interesting alternate history book where we got to see all of the perspectives from each side of the war and how they were affected by it. The historicity theme and reality themes, etc. provided some deeper ideas to ponder within our lives (not just grounded within the book). I still have Ubik and A Scanner Darkly to read as well from him when I got them from the Kindle sales.
I am reading The Children's Act. Quite heavy material as you can probably guess. I am reading at a leisurely pace, taking in the arguments, examining my own thoughts on the matters, and drawing my own conclusions.
"Time is of the essence. Everyone please bear this in mind and speak briefly and to the point.
Words to live by for the short story writers out there.
I'm really looking forward to this too. For those that don't know, this is airing on Radio 4 in the UK daily between the 22nd and 27th of December. It's directed by Dirk Maggs who also directed the Neverwhere adaptation they did, as well as the later adaptations of the Hitchhiker's Guide radio plays. It's going to be awesome, one of my all-time favourite books.
I don't really read nowhere near as much as I would like to so I am trying to really get into reading nowadays. Finished Enders Game a few days ago, really enjoyed that and now thinking of getting Speaker of the Dead.
Currently I have The Name of the Rose and The Black Count to read through. Not sure which I'll start first
I just finished that a few weeks ago and I highly recommend it. I found it much more approachable then Foucault's Pendulum, which I also loved. I may be odd though since I found the discussions of 14th religious philosophy and politics far more interesting then the murder mystery that forms the basis of the book. Immediately upon finishing it I also had a strong urge to find Mr. Eco and slap him a few times, but that's likely just a result of personal taste.
I'm really looking forward to this too. For those that don't know, this is airing on Radio 4 in the UK daily between the 22nd and 27th of December. It's directed by Dirk Maggs who also directed the Neverwhere adaptation they did, as well as the later adaptations of the Hitchhiker's Guide radio plays. It's going to be awesome, one of my all-time favourite books.
Just saw this. I'm sad to say I haven't read any of them. I've had a few customers buy All the Light We Cannot See and I made a mental note of it because the title is fantastic and so is the cover. I'll have to check out some of these books once I get through the backlog of books I just bought.
Picked up a digital copy of the Myst Reader since I lost my hardcopy in the move.
If you haven't heard of them, they're great companion books telling the history of the D'ni race (the Bookwriters from the games) from the perspective of 3 people living in the twilight of their world. Written by Rand Miller and his brother Robyn, the guys behind the games.
Liked the first one but I didn't love it. Should I continue with the series?
Spoiler for one
memory is messed up, but if I remember correctly one of the main characters died, the detective I think? Does he come back? He was the redeeming part of the novel. I dont mind getting spoiled. I wont keep reading if he stayed dead
Finished The Children's Act. In the turn of a leaf I realised, perhaps why this story is doomed to not do so terribly well.
It opted for melodrama as it upted the anti to move the story along in the second act, where none was needed.
Still, a worthwhile read. Should had ended post judgement.
I just finished The Death Cure and it was SO good! I'm sad that the trilogy is done now though. I can't wait for the second Maze Runner movie next year! I started The Kill Order now though for more of that Maze goodness. It's the prequel book!
I just finished The Death Cure and it was SO good! I'm sad that the trilogy is done now though. I can't wait for the second Maze Runner movie next year! I started The Kill Order now though for more of that Maze goodness. It's the prequel book!
Not much of a spoiler considering who he dedicated the book to
I spent like the first 350 pages going like, "man, I would have thought a king book dedicated to THAT man would have resulted in a lot more insanity than what's gone on this far..." That ending more than made up for it though lol
I'm not sure what's not working for me. Possibly my expectations were too high, you gave it 5/5, it's had great reviews and whatevermort said it was King's best in years. But I haven't given up on it yet!
