tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35572068691697530402024-03-18T15:16:41.231-04:00Bradley Horner's Book ReviewsBrad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.comBlogger3720125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-66703285349699526192024-03-18T15:15:00.001-04:002024-03-18T15:15:43.179-04:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10783217-one-salt-sea" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="One Salt Sea (October Daye, #5)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1312045992l/10783217._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10783217-one-salt-sea">One Salt Sea</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2860219.Seanan_McGuire">Seanan McGuire</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/570796635">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Re-Read 3/18/24:<br /><br />I think I liked the core conflict of the Selkies the most, with dear auntie's big ask, her sorrow, driving it all.<br /><br />Stopping a war is all fine, of course, but some things go deeper. Family.<br /><br /><br />Original Review:<br /><br />I am enjoying the series a great deal more than I had for the first few books, so much so that I'm afraid that I've reached the fandom stage. I loved the stakes on this one and things really changed in a good way. Sure, most people don't classify THAT kind of change as very positive, but it has given Toby a great tension that I kinda thought had been lacking. Perhaps I love the whole concept of murdering your darlings. At least the cat is free to explore. :)
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-88928619456446670702024-03-16T16:19:00.001-04:002024-03-16T16:19:55.164-04:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784301-dead-country" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Dead Country (The Craft Wars, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1654178699l/60784301._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784301-dead-country">Dead Country</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3405346.Max_Gladstone">Max Gladstone</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5397651144">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I don't know why this book or the rest of the Craft series isn't getting so much more attention than it has. The worldbuilding is lush and deep, its rules-based magic system so gorgeous and legalistic even as it is so balanced. <br /><br />But this one -- this was was so grounded, very much a western in its basic plot form. It was very surprised how much I loved falling into it, growing more lush in its fantasy and UF feel.<br /><br />I always loved the Craft series, and this is slightly different, even though we're back in the PoV of my first, and favorite character.<br /><br />Coming home is hard. Coming to terms with yourself and your connections to everything you've ever know, is even harder.<br /><br />Highly Recommended.<br />
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-67516789229312542562024-03-16T14:42:00.002-04:002024-03-16T14:42:10.364-04:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61996641-dawnshard" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Dawnshard (The Stormlight Archive, #3.5)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1660672835l/61996641._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61996641-dawnshard">Dawnshard</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/38550.Brandon_Sanderson">Brandon Sanderson</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6341694520">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I had nothing but a great time with this novella. New (and very funny) radiants on a trip across the open seas to foreign lands, learning great new Cosmere secrets and securing allies while also giving us a great story.<br /><br />To me, this is just more of the great worldbuilding and core story to the rest of the Stormlight Archives. I can't see how it shouldn't belong in the huge core novels, other than the fact that it IS a side story.<br /><br />But since I'm loving every part of the journey, I just can't separate a damn thing.<br /><br />I LOVE the reveals and the new tech. :)
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-9086166108954902312024-03-15T13:16:00.001-04:002024-03-15T13:16:25.566-04:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17250961-oathbringer" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archive, #3)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500062685l/17250961._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17250961-oathbringer">Oathbringer</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/38550.Brandon_Sanderson">Brandon Sanderson</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1080690749">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Re-Read 3/15/24:<br /><br />I'm still enjoying the frelling hell out of this. I really appreciated all the focus on Dalinar's past even MORE on re-read. Especially when we get to the point where all my perceptions of this place -- and the other -- gets turned on its head.<br /><br />No spoilers. <br /><br />But, HOLY HELL what a ride THAT became! ;)<br /><br /><br /><br />Original Review:<br /><br />Holy c**p.<br /><br />This was amazing.<br /><br />I thought it was going to be hard to top the first two doorstoppers, but this one not only outdid the others in page-count but also in the quality of the storytelling. Every aspect of it was brilliant.<br /><br />I'm not usually one to gush on and on about epic fantasies. Most are pretty okay and I can slog through and eventually enjoy certain ones like GoT all right, but a few really manage to jump right out there and grab you with character, world-building, and overall story with heart, rage, heartache, and amazeballs reveals that are about as far away from the usual as you can get but still slam you with the reality and inevitability. I'm talking about Dalinar. <br /><br />I mean, sure, we get a lot of great stuff from Kaladin as he grows into his new heroic role and learns a lot of disturbing things about the Parchendi, including the fact that humanity is the invaders to this land, that we are the villains. And Shallan continues to grow as an illusionist and her love story is quite satisfying if generally on the backburner to the main action. Doesn't matter. I think I'll always love her and all her split personalities.<br /><br />But even though we think we've learned a lot of things about the ultra-honorable Dalinar and we're satisfied with the fact that he's bonded with the Stormfather himself, the reveals regarding his missing memory is kinda shocking, to say the least. I mean, it's kinda flooring. And now all the unspoken and referred-to actions of his younger self now make a lot more sense. He's an animal. All about the passion and the Thrill. The blood-rage, the thing that consumes all. How did he get here from there? Ah, that's the trick, no? <br /><br />Well, I can tell you all that it is all brilliant. :)<br /><br />But don't just think this is all character development. Indeed, most of it is occurring during really fantastic scenes of action or during inopportune times. The momentum is maintained. And then there's a whole squad of flying, storm-riding heroes. Matter-altering women, master illusionists, blade dancers, immortal assassins, gods, and my personal favorite... the cognitive realm itself.<br /><br />Oh, yes, we are treated to the homeworld of the Spren. A lot of it. And a very cool place it is. :) Nature spirits or creatures of pure thought, who cares? It's damn cool. :) And the reveals about humanity? NICE. :)<br /><br />I think this one might be my favorite. It obviously builds on the previous novels, but it has the wonderful distinction of not just gliding. It pushes and strives for a lot more and I couldn't be happier. :) <br /><br />Bravo, Sanderson! You've got a life-long fanboy here!
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-4769330269924443212024-03-10T18:51:00.000-04:002024-03-10T18:51:01.048-04:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60584064-weaponized" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Weaponized" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1646884001l/60584064._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60584064-weaponized">Weaponized</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/56353.Neal_Asher">Neal Asher</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4945733971">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
The good:<br /><br />This establishes the pre-EVERYTHING of the Polity universe, pre-Prador (tho, that war begins here,) pre-AI political dominance, pre-outright-Jain nastiness, and firmly sets the stage for what will be the first Polity novel, ending with the Prador War. <br /><br />What's so good about this, if ya'll have read the rest?<br /><br />It is closer to ourselves. <br /><br />Indeed, we get a more tight look at colonization, needing to change ourselves to adapt to deadly planets, and the lines we draw or completely break when survival is on the line.<br /><br />Indeed, this novel breaks out all the fun guns with outright transhumanism taking the front stage while a Jain-infested planet tries to kill them. How much of a monster can they all become?<br /><br />I love this kind of SF. Sure, Asher has done even better in the future, but if we consider just WHERE this takes place in the full timeline, it works extremely well as a starting point for ANYONE interested in the series.<br /><br />Fair warning, though: It goes all out bloodthirsty and does make a few assumptions about our knowledge of the full universe. It's a compromise, but for anyone wanting blood and guts, with alien, AI, and nanotech nasties, I can't recommend a finer action novel.<br /><br /><br />The bad:<br /><br />There's nothing much new here for long-time fans. BUT, that being said, it IS still a fun ride and satisfies many hard-SF urges. Indeed, I can't get enough.<br /><br />
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-3186627492425407552024-03-09T09:34:00.000-05:002024-03-09T09:34:02.092-05:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34203092-spice-and-wolf-vol-5" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Spice and Wolf, Vol. 5 (light novel)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1486597740l/34203092._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34203092-spice-and-wolf-vol-5">Spice and Wolf, Vol. 5</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2936674.Isuna_Hasekura">Isuna Hasekura</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6325347616">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Surprisingly, this light novel really clicked with me. Maybe it's because Holo and Lawrence are getting along a bit better, with less of the game-playing, but I think it's because I really enjoyed this one's plot.<br /><br />The merchant intrigue was really quite fascinating this time.
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-57416879694315998352024-03-07T16:58:00.002-05:002024-03-07T16:58:56.369-05:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/672955.Spherical_Harmonic" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Spherical Harmonic (Saga of the Skolian Empire, #7)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1316130057l/672955._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/672955.Spherical_Harmonic">Spherical Harmonic</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/34854.Catherine_Asaro">Catherine Asaro</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6209533939">2 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Yeah.<br /><br />Well, this is the first of the whole series where I was actively put off by the language. It was the super short, "Surge. Blah. Blah. Blah," stuff. I know it should have given me more descriptive impact, but it went on far too long and I was wondering if I was going through some cerebral infarction. <br /><br />Getting beyond that, I was just trying to figure out what the importance of being a jungle-captive, which maybe didn't have to be so bad, but then it all boiled down to assumptions and piss-poor communications and then the obvious straw man of the Traders being the baddies, I started zoning out. Yes, it's the aftermath of the war, but these situations are now getting annoying. I may need to call it after this one.
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-85781363787967267162024-03-06T21:03:00.002-05:002024-03-06T21:03:26.467-05:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34118558-spice-and-wolf-vol-4" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Spice and Wolf, Vol. 4 (light novel)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1486286782l/34118558._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34118558-spice-and-wolf-vol-4">Spice and Wolf, Vol. 4</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2936674.Isuna_Hasekura">Isuna Hasekura</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6322042923">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
A little mystery in a small village leads to a little bigger religion-centered conflict. <br /><br />And yet, it still manages to be a cozy merchant/romance fantasy. And better yet, I didn't have to endure such a nightmare of horrible "let's prove his fidelity to me" hijinks. That, I hope, is DONE.<br /><br />This one was a lot more comfortable.
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-37699389789974001152024-03-03T15:31:00.001-05:002024-03-03T15:31:17.773-05:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34085579-spice-and-wolf-vol-3" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Spice and Wolf, Vol. 3 (light novel)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1485839590l/34085579._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34085579-spice-and-wolf-vol-3">Spice and Wolf, Vol. 3</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2936674.Isuna_Hasekura">Isuna Hasekura</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6311355841">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
All right, so, the others were pretty focused on making that money and being a little more honest with each other about their feelings, but THIS one made me AGGRAVATED. <br /><br />To go so far -- on both sides -- to assume you're right, to take up big risks on the market, even going so far as to make the other angry to accepting a MARRIAGE proposal?<br /><br />Okay, fine, this does sound like any number of romance tropes, even bad ones, but UUGGGHHH it is so frustrating to read.<br /><br />And yet, it still works here.
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-59828765583037850282024-03-02T19:57:00.002-05:002024-03-02T19:57:46.575-05:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34078289-spice-and-wolf-vol-2" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Spice and Wolf, Vol. 2 (light novel)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1485820997l/34078289._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34078289-spice-and-wolf-vol-2">Spice and Wolf, Vol. 2</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2936674.Isuna_Hasekura">Isuna Hasekura</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6308800762">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This light novel is very much a fun light adventure featuring a ill-turned merchant and his befriended wolf-god, Halo. She's well on her way to wrapping him entirely around her finger -- but then, Lawrence sure seems to be doing a fair job of that, himself.<br /><br />Very cute. I can't tell whether I enjoy the merchanting stuff, including getting into shady dealings, more than the romance. It's a seriously slow burn.
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-58314978311850972442024-03-01T21:55:00.002-05:002024-03-01T21:55:42.566-05:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6483360-spice-wolf-vol-01" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Spice & Wolf, Vol. 01" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1340904653l/6483360._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6483360-spice-wolf-vol-01">Spice & Wolf, Vol. 01</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2936674.Isuna_Hasekura">Isuna Hasekura</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6260066898">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This light novel is hitting quite a few sweet spots for me. It's wholesome, for one.<br /><br />A traveling merchant meets a wolf girl who just happens to be a god of commerce. She's cute, scary, and seemingly as lonely as he is. Most of the time, it's all business, but the rest is pure romance.<br /><br />It's unusual enough to sit just right. :)<br /><br />One of these days I may read the manga or the anime, but for now, I'm sticking with the original novella translation.
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-31899566476436092492024-03-01T18:20:00.000-05:002024-03-01T18:20:01.340-05:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/127823173-divine-might" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1696367077l/127823173._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/127823173-divine-might">Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/995841.Natalie_Haynes">Natalie Haynes</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5485015150">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
An intermediate overview of the female goddesses in Greek Myth, nicely tied to modern, even recent adaptations in pop culture. <br /><br />But no worries, Haynes proves once again that she's got her finger on the pulse on the classics. An enjoyable read. Indeed, I take it back. It is also good as a primer on this subset of the Greeks. I particularly enjoyed the passages about Artemis and the Furies.<br />
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-6132154744917938632024-02-29T22:40:00.002-05:002024-02-29T22:40:08.615-05:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75593499-machine-vendetta" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Machine Vendetta (Prefect Dreyfus Emergency, #3)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1675082567l/75593499._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75593499-machine-vendetta">Machine Vendetta</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/51204.Alastair_Reynolds">Alastair Reynolds</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6170989963">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I love the Prefect Dreyfus novels. It's a great blend of detective novel matching well with a high-tech belt of many hundreds of orbiting colonies in a system in Reynold's overall Revelation Space universe. <br /><br />It is great because we get to see things at the calmest before the technoplague, but also because we see how they all lived at their so-called awesome SFnal height.<br /><br />Not that things are all that calm or easy. A lot happened in the first two novels, but it may not be necessary to read those before picking up this one. It's pretty clear that the artificial (and one might say, derived human, advanced) intelligences are the biggest bads, or at some times, just really annoying. It's clear, however, that they are seriously formidable -- and one seems to have it bad for Dreyfus. :)<br /><br />So very enjoyable. The worldbuilding is vast and complicated, but never a pain. The mystery is always the key, but the reveals are even more delicious.<br /><br />Highly recommended for all you space-opera, hard-SF mystery fans.
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-78966489315941454722024-02-28T14:05:00.001-05:002024-02-28T14:05:41.592-05:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61280566-night-angel-nemesis" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Night Angel Nemesis (The Kylar Chronicles, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1706272256l/61280566._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61280566-night-angel-nemesis">Night Angel Nemesis</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1370283.Brent_Weeks">Brent Weeks</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5916896097">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I went ahead and re-read the original trilogy in preparation for this, but oddly, I wonder if that was necessary.<br /><br />Yes, it's great to know the growth of the characters from before, but really, there wasn't much of a direct continuation aside from things we'd have to learn afresh, anyway. <br /><br />That being said, Kylar has issues. Guilt from what happened before (no spoilers) only grows into new, fresher pain and guilt through the events in this novel. It's fine, mind you, but he truly likes to beat himself up for a guy whose profession is ASSASSINATION.<br /><br />I actually rather loved this book. It doesn't have a lot of the characters we grew to love except Vi and Kylar, except by off-action mention, but we DO have a lot of Kylar and his growing misadventures as he tries to save a baby or two. Of course, these are rather important babies, and the Chantry also wants them, so there's no lack of tension. <br /><br />Indeed, the whole Nemesis part of the book truly seemed to be this one RATHER interesting guy who ALWAYS had Kylar's number, but upon reflection, I do think the true nemesis is Kylar, himself. <br /><br />Great action, and a long, crazy adventure. And even if it is rather more focused on him, I didn't mind it. <br />Just don't expect this to hit quite the same highs as the previous ones. It's a slightly different beast.
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-34173630992824805522024-02-27T16:55:00.001-05:002024-02-27T16:55:49.628-05:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/66861.Stephen_Fry_s_Incomplete_Utter_History_of_Classical_Music" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Stephen Fry's Incomplete & Utter History of Classical Music" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356453411l/66861._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/66861.Stephen_Fry_s_Incomplete_Utter_History_of_Classical_Music">Stephen Fry's Incomplete & Utter History of Classical Music</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10917.Stephen_Fry">Stephen Fry</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6264800655">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Mild, brief Fry humor amid a nicely huge, or rather, broad, if brief, selection of music throughout western history. <br /><br />No, there ain't no Greeks here. Let's start with the monks a-chanting, head on through the Medievals, the Madrigals, Renaissance, etc through Haydn, and what we've got is a very brief SURVEY. <br /><br />But hell, that's fine. I enjoyed every second of it. <br /><br />Um. Except the Madrigals. I hate chorals, too. I'm fine if we just stick with the boondocks of the Medieval period, or better yet, just give me ALL the "Sumer is icumen in" on repeat for approximately a full day of revelry right before some asshole lord comes in and kills my wife and takes my daughter. It is 1225 AD, after all.<br /><br />That reminds me though: <br /><br />It's 1364 AD<br /><br />Imagine Guillaume de Marchaut’s Mass being played so somberly at Charles V’s coronation, only to have the tip-tops of the passage end with “ASSSSHOOOOOLLLEEEEE”<br /><br />But everyone would be too embarrassed to stop the mass. The King would just be looking side-eyed at the composer, thinking how best to murder Machaut.<br /><br />The music continues somberly, and then at the rise of the next chant, another “Assssholllleeeee” graces the pews.<br /><br />No one dares to stop the music now. It’s holy, after all.<br /><br />And then, another “Assssshoooollleeeeee.”<br /><br />By now the king is going to murder the FUCK out of Machaut, but in the meantime, all the church, the nobles, EVERYONE, is snickering, having a horrible time trying not to burst out in laughter.<br /><br />Near the end, Marchaut bows his head, saying, “Worth it.” to the person sitting next to him.<br /><br /><br /><br />THIS is why classical music kicks ass. Even if it is apocryphal.
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-67031452629917666572024-02-26T21:56:00.001-05:002024-02-26T21:56:53.582-05:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3407707-great-masters" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Great Masters: Brahms- His Life and Music" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1539853555l/3407707._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3407707-great-masters">Great Masters: Brahms- His Life and Music</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7283.Robert_Greenberg">Robert Greenberg</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6297120011">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Muahahahahahaha I think I rather love Brahms. His music is bombastic and really appealing, but after this little lecture series on Brahms, the man, himself, is highly amusing.<br /><br />He LOVED messing with people. Between his devoted care of the Schumanns, his undying hate of Wagner, his many, many fireplaced works that might have been lost brilliance, this damn guy ALSO loved to insult many people to their faces while staunchly defending them behind their backs.<br /><br />He's just that kind of guy. And money? He always dressed threadbare, earned tons of money, and just did all he could to give it away as soon as people threw it at him.<br /><br />In a way, I think ALL of that expresses his musical genius, too. He threw it ALL at us, endlessly gregarious and generous.<br /><br />What a damn guy.
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-88977216538405797772024-02-26T18:38:00.001-05:002024-02-26T18:38:43.419-05:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/142181.The_Inverted_World" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Inverted World" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1245646253l/142181._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/142181.The_Inverted_World">The Inverted World</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23419.Christopher_Priest">Christopher Priest</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/579886303">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Re-Read 2/26/24:<br /><br />Oh, Portugal. <br /><br />Ahem, I mean, this really is a rather unique novel. I re-read it mainly because I wanted to give tribute to Christopher Priest, who died very recently. What a writer!<br /><br />In this particular book, I am fascinated to see just how many odd perceptual plays mixed with outright different PHYSICS alterations to reality come together to create a uniquely human attempt to make sense of one's world. This is as true in this one as in the majority of all his other, equally wonderful novels.<br /><br />They're almost all of them grounded so very well, curious, familiar, and intensely OFF in ways that would normally make most of us scream and run for the hills, but his characters are so -- used to.<br /><br />It's truly wonderful and odd. <br /><br />I have a theory about this one. Even though this was a novel from 1974, it's almost like we jumped ahead to ST:TNG warp bubble physics, but without spaceships, it's focused on the ground with a manually moving city that requires constantly laid tracks.<br /><br />Does that sound odd? It should. And it actually seems to make all the sense in the world... once you get there. <br /> <br /><br /><br /><br />Original Review:<br /><br />This novel is actually all kinds of amazing when it comes to the exploration of a few core ideas and more than very decent when it comes to exploring humanity, perception, and irreconcilable differences.<br /><br />The story is ostensibly a coming of age story, an acceptance of one's world, and then, eventually a deep dissent without a true solution, but it comes across so easily, so effortlessly, that I'm truly unsurprised that this was nominated for the Hugo in '75 and won the British SF award in the same. So the characters are good, the story is very solid... then what, exactly, makes this novel stand out?<br /><br />The concept. An intersection of our Earth with these people's Earth. Not original enough? No problem. How about an infinite space of earth along a fluid time? The city is on rails, a direct concept that is carried over to <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12392681.Railsea" title="Railsea by China Miéville" rel="nofollow noopener">Railsea</a>, travelling slowly into the future and away from the past, which doesn't sound so surprising except when you realize that if the inhabitants actually walk in one direction or another, they actually explore the real past or the future. Infinite space along a traversable time, the inverse of the Earth we actually live in.<br /><br />But this is where the story gets interesting. There's guilds and explorers and the crossing over along very predefined instants where the two Earths meet, and then we start asking questions about perception.<br /><br />It's truly much more than this, but it gives you a nice taste and it's truly a grand exploration of ideas across many points. :)<br /><br />Truly a great recommendation for any SF lover. :)
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-8346014597593691272024-02-25T11:27:00.002-05:002024-02-25T11:27:46.416-05:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23168817-the-dark-forest" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Dark Forest (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #2)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1412064931l/23168817._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23168817-the-dark-forest">The Dark Forest</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5780686.Liu_Cixin">Liu Cixin</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1221238342">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Re-Read 2/25/24:<br /><br />After just finishing this again, I'm shaking. <br /><br />What an amazing book. And not just for the implications for alien life and the Fermi Paradox, but for the strict interpretations of Game Theory, deep strategy, and the sheer imaginative scope of future, nearly impossible to avoid, destruction of humanity.<br /><br />Some SF need serious read-throughs, and this one absolutely fits that bill. <br /><br />A good deal of the opening is just pure characterization, but I think it all serves a great purpose, illustrating that a person's mind-set and willingness to be open to things, or even just trying to maintain happiness, IS a wildly excellent strategy in both the short-term and long -term.<br /><br />Maybe we should all consider that.<br /> <br /><br /><br /><br />Original Review:<br /><br />Will the Dark Forest sprout the seeds of love?<br /><br />It's an excellent question, even if it induces a deep pessimism and the likelihood of eventual suicide. And yet, this is exactly what we're asked to consider at the end of this excellent novel.<br /><br />First things first. How does it compare to the first novel? Well, it's a very different read. I can even say it's sedate and deliberate, despite the axe being held over the Earth and all its inhabitants for hundreds of years. We've got a sociology experiment going on here, with lines drawn between optimism and pessimism, faith and despair, and it shows in everything that goes on in the world. In this respect, the novel is very much a product of the many classics of the SF genre that never need to rely on great space battles to tell a good story, and while there IS a space battle, and it's very interesting, it is by far and away the least important message that the novel is wanting to get across.<br /><br />Strategy is the real plot motivator here, like playing an extremely long game of Go. Lies and the game of darkness is necessary and obvious from the start. Whomever plays the game best will manage to save their civilization. Humans? Or Tri-Solarans?<br /><br />The secret is there all along, from the first few pages to the last few, and yet we have hundreds of years, societal upheavals, blackmail, and the unsatisfied desire to live a simple and good life.<br /><br />I started the novel assuming that I'd have a problem with the characterizations again, as I did with the TBP. For the longest time, I just assumed that I'd be dealing with cardboard characters that were only there to promote and ultimately propel the story forward. (Which would have been fine, in fact, because the TBP was so full of wonderful ideas and scope that it held its own regardless.)<br /><br />I honestly didn't expect The Dark Forest to actually hold up its main character, Lou Ji, to a higher standard and push him through the tale as strongly as it did. Perhaps, had I known that he'd be as strong as he was, I would have paid much closer attention to him from the very start.<br /><br />As it is now, I'll know what I'll need to do upon a second closer reading. What was mostly unsaid was his internal debate, but that's no matter, because it was always there, mostly hidden in the same way that the Dark Forest hides all.<br /><br />With some effort, though, his motivations and plan could easily be mapped and enjoyed as an omniscient reader, enriching the tale's excellent ideas with a truly heroic and sacrificed man. <br /><br />Will the dark forest sprout the seeds of love? Who knows. But it's clear that Lou Ji plans to live his life under the assumption, up to and beyond the point of his greatest despair. I loved it. This novel is not an idea novel, after all.<br /><br />Sure, it has plenty of interesting ideas, from turning fight vs flight into a moral and then a forced imperative, to assuming that the best way to fight transparency is with the occult. Speculative science took a serious back seat in this novel, but that's okay. We had plenty of other things to keep us busy.<br /><br />As for the bad parts of this novel? Well, the translation of certain terms are extremely unfortunate. I can't tell you how much I absolutely hate the terms used for our heroes and our villains. Wall-Facers and Wall-Breakers? Seriously? Yes, I get it. You face the wall and contemplate how to scale it, planning move after move until you cannot be beat. Got it. Wall-breakers break the Wall-Facers. Got it.<br /><br />But, my god, they sound so stupid in English. I would have been fine with a dumb name like Go-Masters or Chess-Masters. At least we'd have a better image in our heads than someone who sits like a dunce in a classroom after being scolded by the teacher. Seriously.<br /><br />Other than that, I really enjoyed the stratagems between these contestants with the weight of the worlds upon their shoulders, even if it did seem a bit contrived that the UN would decide to prop up a few of their best and brightest to face off with the Tri-Solarans in a battle of wits. (The Tri-Solarans still have their molecule-probes, and they can place them wherever they want to watch and plan accordingly, so with this greater intelligence on their side, the UN planned to force all that intelligence gathering upon these Wall-Facers as either the heroes-that-must-be-beat, or one fantastic diversion to put the enemy off the trail. Not bad reasoning at all, if you can convince the enemy to fall for it. Fortunately, they did.)<br /><br />I truly believe that the two novels go nicely with each other, and now, I'm even more excited to read the third, but now my expectations have been adjusted away from epic space craziness into the true beginnings of real communication and discovery. Again, shall we go over the dichotomies of faith and despair? I thought not. :)<br /><br />It's a very thoughtful novel. I recommend it to everyone who loved the Three Body Problem with the caveat that you ought to expect a grand social and strategic battle of wits that showcases an understated and lazy hero who's only claim to fame is a deeper understanding of the stakes and the will to keep his mouth very tightly shut. (That part was very satisfying.)<br /><br />Was it challenging? Yes. Was I slightly disappointed at times? Yes. Did I get over it? Absolutely. :)
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-83921356503881891282024-02-23T13:00:00.002-05:002024-02-23T13:00:12.710-05:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1140171.Masque_World" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Masque World (An Anthony Villiers Adventure)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1181340559l/1140171._SY160_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1140171.Masque_World">Masque World</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/26068.Alexei_Panshin">Alexei Panshin</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6193894627">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I'm surprised that this little comedy of SF errors, with boorish family members and boorish ideas of parties ACTUALLY turned out to be an SF XMAS tale.<br /><br />*takes note*<br /><br />An XMAS SF, mildly humorous, customs-humor on a backwater world. <br /><br />It very much has the feel of better-times and celebrations for no particular reason. Sometimes this is exactly what we might need in these dark days. :)
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-31851749200608516732024-02-19T11:58:00.002-05:002024-02-19T11:58:51.173-05:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1715813.The_Thurb_Revolution" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Thurb Revolution" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1492174941l/1715813._SY160_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1715813.The_Thurb_Revolution">The Thurb Revolution</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/26068.Alexei_Panshin">Alexei Panshin</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6193894602">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
There's something nice to be said about genteel, clever behavior in a light comedy-SF, and it's mostly the fact that we hardly see anything like it in today's literature.<br /><br />Why can't we have genteel social commentary anymore?<br /><br />Oh, right, because that life seems to have moved on. And yet, this IS very nice.<br /><br />The kind of revolution in this novel is probably not what you think. It's a handful of young men rebelling against a stodgy old general. The revolt is limited to running away, writing articles, and a bare minimum of a bear-trap.<br /><br />And above all, POLITE SOCIETY.<br /><br />I didn't realize I needed this.
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-85273085990087077652024-02-18T21:23:00.002-05:002024-02-18T21:23:41.973-05:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/386372.Mort" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Mort (Discworld, #4; Death, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388181166l/386372._SY160_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/386372.Mort">Mort</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1654.Terry_Pratchett">Terry Pratchett</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/571288226">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Re-Read 2/18/24<br /><br />YA Discworld? Check. New Job? Check. Making mistakes? Check. <br /><br />TAKING ON THE PERSONIFICATION OF DEATH? Check.<br /><br />So funny, so clever. A fantastic re-read.<br /><br /><br /><br />Original Review:<br /><br />Being one of the first and the latest of all the Pratchett reads, I'm really surprised just how much I loved this one. I'm upping the star count to a full five just because I think I liked Mort, the character, even better this time around.<br /><br />DEATH on DISCWORLD. :) Seriously, there's nothing quite like it. Him. The personification. :) He meddles so much with humanity, tries to get drunk, and hires an apprentice. Not all in that order. <br /><br />Death is the mewling cat at the party of life. :)<br /><br />The story is a bit more interesting, I must say, than the ones immediately preceding it, and of all the books, I think it captures the essential spirit of all the ones to come after. High praise, no? I hope so. :)<br /><br />Very funny stuff. :)
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-54769745684575421302024-02-18T08:41:00.001-05:002024-02-18T08:41:14.606-05:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34507.Equal_Rites" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Equal Rites (Discworld, #3; Witches, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1407706800l/34507._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34507.Equal_Rites">Equal Rites</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1654.Terry_Pratchett">Terry Pratchett</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/571288320">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Re-Read 2/18/24<br /><br />I forgot how much I loved this one. Especially on the third read, I love piecing together all the bits and pieces that develop later with their origins. Simon, for example. The only thing I really miss seeing here is Ridcully. The current archchancellor has his charms, of course, and the sparks do fly between him and Weatherwax, but I think it would have been REALLY funny to have her opposite to Ridcully. That's just me. Fan fiction in my mind.<br /><br />And that's also a bit of something, no? Discworld lives and breathes. It's EASY to live there. Just gotta make sure you don't take a tumble in the Ankh. That's were the dead people go.<br /><br /><br /><br />Originalish review:<br /><br />The Great Pratchett Re-Read Continues!<br /><br />The third book begins the "real" development of the whole Discworld mythos, and rather than focusing on setting, it goes whole-hog (or Witch) into character and a rather deep social issue.<br /><br />It is, at its core, a novel about breaking down the walls that the sexes tend to put up to keep the other side out. Witches can be wizards and vice-versa. :) <br /><br />I didn't appreciate this as much the first time although I got the whole social bit perfectly... and mainly that was because I hadn't quite gotten as invested in the characters that would soon become the main driving force of the novels. <br /><br />But now that I've had the pleasure of reading every novel, I'm fine. Just fine.<br /><br />But Weatherwax seems to be not quite fully formed here. Isn't that odd? Or perhaps it isn't. This is the first time we see her and I have nothing but fond memories of the woman she reveals herself to be later. BUT, of course, such things always come with time. Thankfully, the wizard/witch battle was still brilliant. :)<br /><br />Standing out was the Head Librarian, again, and Simon. And of course, our little witch was fun to follow but, unfortunately, she's not Tiffany.<br /><br />Even so, I'm so glad to be revisiting all this! :)
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-2857029761681170432024-02-17T14:11:00.001-05:002024-02-17T14:11:25.879-05:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55596771-speaking-bones" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Speaking Bones (The Dandelion Dynasty, #4)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1636784734l/55596771._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55596771-speaking-bones">Speaking Bones</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2917920.Ken_Liu">Ken Liu</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4730914765">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I have to admit this capstone to the series deserves all the praise. Indeed, the whole Dandelion Dynasty is one of the most impressive epic fantasy series I've ever read.<br /><br />It's the characters, the fate of two nations, and the so-impressively-amazing worldbuilding -- but it's also the investment WE the readers put into it. Ken Liu pulled off a real piece of literature here.<br /><br />The two cultures are so fleshed-out, so amazing in their own ways, and so destructive. We get it all right here in this final novel. The full war, the many tragedies, the hope of peace, even greater tragedies, and eventually, a new chapter in the two cultures. <br /><br />It's so vivid, heroic, devastating, and endlessly fascinating. I loved every aspect of the high technology/automation on one side and the wyvern-like beasts on the other. There's no real way to describe it than to LIVE it in the pages -- and that's what I would recommend for ANYONE. <br /><br />This is really great stuff. <br /><br />Like, truly great stuff.<br /><br />I don't think I'll ever be able to forget it.
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-6377316988546660022024-02-16T20:52:00.002-05:002024-02-16T20:52:13.566-05:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8496901-late-eclipses" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Late Eclipses (October Daye, #4)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1407034703l/8496901._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8496901-late-eclipses">Late Eclipses</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2860219.Seanan_McGuire">Seanan McGuire</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/570796625">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Re-Read 2/16/24:<br /><br />I'm loving the true introduction to the blood magic and the reveal about Toby's lineage. I'm totally on board this re-read now and I'm excited to see where it goes... again. :)<br /><br /><br /><br />Original Review:<br /><br />The series is getting better and better. Any kinds of hesitation I had when reading the first three books are fixed and blown away by this installment. Maybe it's because Toby is getting a little power-up, and maybe it's because of the continued serious consequences that aren't rehashes of what has already come before. The repetitions are not overdone nor are they inappropriate. Better yet, I've got a big hankering for some later reveals. It's one of the greatest joys of reading. I've got the fire in my belly and I've got to eat another right away. :)
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3557206869169753040.post-74018801869394536722024-02-15T21:15:00.002-05:002024-02-15T21:15:51.940-05:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6782468-an-artificial-night" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="An Artificial Night (October Daye, #3)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441832440l/6782468._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6782468-an-artificial-night">An Artificial Night</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2860219.Seanan_McGuire">Seanan McGuire</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/570796614">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Re-Read 2/15/24:<br /><br />Since I'm now revisiting the series, I just want to point out that I really DO like this novel in particular. The whole trip to Blind Michael's land (multiple times) was really dark and really adventuresome. It really took these books in a cool direction.<br /><br />It also means a lot that we get a lot more personality out of a certain salty sea witch. I love that woman.<br /><br /><br />Original Review:<br /><br />Some aspects of this novel were slightly repetitive, but that's ok since it drove the point home that thank-you's are a strict no-no. Unfortunately, too much of it drew my attention to the writing.<br /><br />Otherwise, I thought that this was the strongest of the three novels. The very nature of repetition, including the conflict with Blind Michael, was the novel's main strength. I really enjoyed the conflict and escalation, and even the super-heavy focus on the candle worked into something more than a plot device. I've got the feeling, without any concrete proof, that the work has been drawn into something much more subtle than the very straightforward heroic urban fantasy that it resembles.<br /><br />That's high praise, by the way.<br /><br />The melodrama was quite high, and I loved seeing the hard choices being made. It was definitely a turning point for the main character.<br /><br />On to the next in the series!
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Brad Hornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111816753928019659noreply@blogger.com0