Steve

Just the worst protagonist.

Revisado: 01-25-25

I've never met a more frustratingly stupid and annoying protagonist than Rin...

The Poppy War starts with promise but left me frustrated and disappointed. The promise of an exciting book seeped with historical parallels of China was let down by poor execution due to uneven pacing, derivative storytelling, and wildly inconsistent and annoying character development.

The first part of the book felt like a mismatched homage to Harry Potter and other school-based fantasies, complete with an orphan protagonist navigating an elite academy, eccentric mentors, and schoolyard rivalries. Unfortunately, it lacked originality, and Rin’s rise to the top of her class felt rushed and convenient. It's hard to shake the feeling that this was a recycled formula, with only superficial differences to set it apart. But, as familiar and overdone as this formula is, I didn't hate it. Part 1 was the best section of the book, and I may have like it more if the theme didn't shift so much it gave me whiplash. We're also met with a cast of supporting characters that all but vanish in parts 2 and 3.

By parts two and three, the narrative turns to war, devastation, and moral ambiguity. This would have been compelling if Rin’s characterization hadn’t unraveled so dramatically. Her descent into addiction and her erratic personality shifts made it impossible for me to root for. One moment, she’s an arrogant, determined warrior; the next, she’s a self-absorbed opium addict, teetering between indecision and reckless violence. And crying. So much crying. The motivations behind these shifts were inconsistent, and it made it hard to connect with her. No knock on real addition here, I get that it's a disease. But if you've ever seen the show Intervention and was horrified at how dumb and pathetic the addicts on that show were, you understand what kind of character Rin is.

To make matters worse, Rin’s attraction and infatuation with former classmate turned general Alton felt juvenile and out of place in such a dark and brutal story. It came across as forced and melodramatic, giving parts of the narrative a distinctly YA feel that clashed with the otherwise mature themes of war and genocide. Instead of enhancing her character, this subplot weakened it, making her appear less complex and more like a trope-driven heroine. To top it off, there's nothing about Alton that's so attractive. Handsome and a talented fighter. Ok. His personality was that of a complete POS otherwise. Oh, and he's an addict too.

While I appreciate the ambition behind the story, Rin’s development—or lack thereof—made it difficult to fully engage with the book. The world-building is intriguing, if not confusing, and the themes of colonialism and war are worth exploring, but the uneven tone and underwhelming character arcs ultimately weighed it down.

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Can't put it down

Revisado: 05-20-23

Terrific read, can't put it down. I instantly want to get into the next book of the series.

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More like a CW show

Revisado: 04-28-23

It was fine. Hard to take seriously when I'm reminded these characters are supposed to be 16 or 17 years old. They all have the personalities and mannerisms of being in their late 20s or early 30s. It's like trying to be convinced Luke Perry is 16 in 90210, or better, that 30 year old Chase Stokes from Outer Banks (my wife loves that show). He's 17? lol sure.

Anyway, none of these characters are believably 17, so that aside it's a fun read. Oceans 11 light, in a fantasy setting. I never read Shadow and Bone but I did watch the show, so I was confused by the character introduction; again no big deal. If you come into this without reading S&B just know none of the Dregs were actually in those books, just the show. Which is probably a great move by the producers as they're the best part of the show. I digress.

Inej is great, Kaz is the damaged hero (A little too forced, I mean, that backstory is a tad ridiculous), Nina and Matthias are fine - both at times sound like they're mature beyond their years on one page and like they're bratty 13 year olds the next. Jesper and Wayland are there, sometimes, forgettable the next.

I'll get to book 2 eventually. But, this didn't make me need it.

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A bit of overhype

Revisado: 04-28-23

I don't remember the first time I picked this up but I know it was before I used Goodreads, it was maybe 15 years ago, so I guessed on my initial rating based on that memory.
I'll need to lower that rating.
I feel like I have to like this book, like I should like it, but I don't get it. The setting is fantastic, I want more of the world the characters live in, but without having to read the prose. Gardens of the Moon is broken up into 'Books.' Just as I was getting into Book 1, Book 2 shows up with new characters, a new setting, and seemingly no direction. This is a trend. A connection is eventually made down the line, but it's a hike to get there. Chapters are long and twisted, intriguing narratives broken up by infodumps and threads that appear to lead nowhere.
This 10 novel series won't go any further with me, sadly.

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Pages of nothing at all

Revisado: 04-03-23

This book is confounding. So many times I wanted to DNF and put it away, but I struggled on anyway - and then got interested - only to be bored again a few chapters later. I was then blessed with an ending that felt like a limp over a finish line.

Before I go on, "Assassin's Apprentice" is a misnomer. In 500 pages, he trains for like, 2 chapters. There is no "assassin-ing" (lol). Imagine a first hand telling of a soho yuppie's sad childhood. There's a chapter near the end, it's one of the longest chapters, called "Assassinations." Guess what happens in this chapter? if you guess assassinations, you'd be wrong. Instead it's some of the most bland and dry reading I've ever experienced. Pages discussing coteries and ensuring princes have sires, and the king discussing trade routes or something...I dunno. A few princes shout at each-other over how to rule the kingdom, but like, I just didn't really care.

I know this is a popular and beloved book, but I don't get it. There are chapters of nothing happening, then a chapter of interesting events or an interlude about the Red Ship Raiders...then back to Fitz describing in great detail a carriage ride, and how it was long and boring..and telling me how boring it was... by boring me about it. Every now and then we get a chapter that's nothing but an info-dump of information about a town, or region, or geography of the land. I normally despise info-dumps. Here, it was a welcome relief.

Some of the later books in this world of "The Realm of the Elderlings Series" feature a ranger type character with an axe, maybe a deer or wolf or falcon behind him on the book cover... yea that guy is not in this book. When I read Fitz, all I see is a fancy french nobleman from the 1800s.

Robb seems to have a lot of ideas for a multi-book story, and tries to introduce all of it in bits and pieces, without actually making any of it interesting. I can tell she has some grand scheme for an epic tale, but we're treated with only the crumbs of that grand story. All if it held back in a 500 page backstory for the main character,

Slight spoilers:
All the side characters are an over-exaggeration of tropes. The mentor who teaches by being a complete a-hole and overly abusive - but he cares?. The villain who must also train the POV is basically Dick Dastardly, and also abusive - but he doesn't care..? A love interest who's the daughter of the 'drunk abusive father" who she loves and can't leave because he needs her - or something. The kind old king, the mysterious ally who speaks in riddles and makes no sense - but it's deep bro trust me, it'll mean something in the next book I suppose. Ah,and the childhood friend who ends up being resentful of Fitz and resolves to do everything he can to act as the spoil to the "hero."

Oh and .. SPOILER ... let me tell you how much this author loves killing dogs. It's unbearable. Building a character by killing dogs doesn't fly for me. Maybe I'm overly sensitive because my dog died 4 weeks ago (as of this writing), but I don't care. It's such a cheap tool to use and adds absolutely nothing.

I will not be reading the next book. Finishing this was a relief. (less)

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An absolute page turner.

Revisado: 09-08-22

Alternate history told in 1830s United Kingdom. On the surface, a fun romp through Oxford University and it’s Babel tower. Where students with a knack for language, are taught this world’s version of magic. Progress and industry and built around silver and etymology. Words from two languages, inscribed onto silver, produce results rooted in those words true meaning. The twist is not simply understanding the definition of the words, but understanding the true langue and history of the word. Living, breathing, and dreaming the language. Silver lines steam engines, works machines, powers boats, keeps buildings standing tall, holds up bridges, and more. The British Empire is built on silver.

The problem is, the words of the classical languages don’t hold the same power as they used to. Match-pairs (as they are called) of English to French, German, Spanish, even old English, don’t power the silver they way they did centuries ago. Enter the books central theme, colonialism. Our narrator, Robin (a name given to him by his English “savior”), is a boy from Canton, China (Present day Guangzhou). Robin, fluent in Mandarin, grew up with an English tutor, and developed a knack and a love for languages. He is saved from the Chinese cholera pandemic that took his mother, and offered to go to England with an Oxford Professor, with a spot within the University promised to him if he maintains his studies. While at Oxford, Robin forms a close relationship with students who share a similar background, and rooted in colonialism. Ramy (from Calcutta) and Victoire (from Haiti). A fourth, Letty, is English, the daughter of an English admiral, out of place simply for being a woman.

What begins as a an entertaining look into the everyday lives of Babel students and a wealth of world-building within the university, turns into the realization that England’s reign comes at a high cost. Paid for by its colonies, and its less technological rivals. Robin, Ramy, and Victoire were not granted acceptance to the most prestigious school in the world out of the kindness of the Crown’s heat, but because they are tools. To be guided, molded, used, and if one were to brake, cast away without a second thought. Here is where the full title starts to make sense.

The book isn’t perfect. I have decades of fantasy reading in my background and it still took me a few page rereads to grasp the magic system. It’s not the it’s complicated just, slightly unclear. There’s never a defined line of, “here’s how it works”, but it slowly opens up as you go along.

My biggest issue is the suspension of disbelief regarding the magic system itself in relation to the world stage. This is an alternate history story after all. Yet the 1830s we are set in is not all that different than our own. There was the rise and fall of Rome, America’s revolution, and the Napoleonic wars. Though, it was briefly described that Rome first discovered the magical properties of Silver, how did they fall? How and why did England gain all the power it did? You would think Rome, undefeatable, given their ability with Silver. Furthermore there is a backstory involving China and the real-life Opium Wars. In this case, the UK is pushing poppy imports in exchange for China’s vast silver supply. Yet, if China has this supply, how are the so weak? The knowledge of silver’s power has been around for centuries. From Rome, to Spain and Portugal, France, and England. If the secret is guarded, how and why was it passed around as is did? The narrator gives a brief explanation that the UK defeated France because of their deeper scholarly pursuits; the discovery of better and more unique match-pairs swung the power to England. I just wish I understood how the geopolitical stage was set the way it was in regard to silver.

This a great big book, and one I could not put down, but the world outside Oxford isn’t delved into as much as I would have liked. Not to explore it in any nuance, but to better understand the global power struggles that are often referenced throughout, and set up for the fast-pasted grade finale.

If you can set aside the questions you will have about the world around Oxford and England, you will fall in love with this book.

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Worthy of all the hype

Revisado: 01-18-22

I had a ton of fun with this book. It made me smile, laugh, and almost cheer out loud. I’ll admit, the ending was super corny but really sweet. What frustrates me is why it took me so long to start. Something about the description, and I think it was this, “And thanks to an unexpected ally…” I don’t know why but the thought of a wedged in alien to save humanity in a book that uses real science seemed farfetched. Like it was doomed for constant groans and eye rolling. It turns out, it was the best part of the book. The absolute heart of it all.

So, a cataclysmic event is threatening all life on earth. It's an interstellar microorganism that’s drawing energy from the Sun. It breeds and multiplies on Venus, and seems unstoppable. It’s also an incredible energy source when harvested (which is key). At the rate it's eating, Earth will be plunged into another extinction level ice age within 30 years.

Astrologists also happened to discover that stars in nearby systems are also slowing dimming. All except one. Why that one? That's what humanity needs to know. So, they unite in a last ditch 3 man suicide mission to that system to see why, and maybe bring home a cure. It's a 13 year (3 for the crew - physics!) one way trip.

Spoilers from here:

Unfortunately for earth, the science officer of the mission, Ryland Grace, wakes up from his medically induced coma (for the journey) to find the other two crew members dead in their beds. Oh, and he has no idea where he is, who he is, or why he's hooked up to all these medical systems.
It's a fascinating section of the book and a clever way to introduce us not only to the character but the issue at hand. Memories begin to race back to Grace as he begins deducing the situation.

But the bread and butter of the book, imo, is what comes next.

With hundreds of stars, There’s bound to be Alien life, right? Turns out there is, and they want to know why their star is dying too.

Enter, Rocky. Or Grace’s name for his new ally. First contact was a blast too. I felt every moment of Grace's excitement and hesitation. I was prepared for a corny “little green man” or maybe an X-Files Grey alien. Nope. We are introduced to a blind, hyper hearing (think Daredevil”) super-intelligent, spider-like creature with a rocky like exoskeleton about the size of a Labrador. He’s the last surviving member of his crew as well. Once Grace is eventually able to whip up an application to translate Rocky's unique tones into English and vice versa, their conversations open the story up like an onion. Rocky is a joy too.

“I sleep. You Watch. “
“Good. Proud. I am scary space monster. You are leaky space blob.”
“He puts his claw against the divider. “Fist my bump.”

Grace and Rocky form such a bond I felt pain when they discussed the eventuality of their parting. I won’t go into too much, but I’ll just say they you absolutely need to read this book.

End spoilers...



It might be too sciency for some people and Weir really likes to talk science, but it’s in a fun way and he explains most of it in an understandable way.

I would really love a follow up.

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Tremendous performance

Revisado: 01-04-22

Fantastic conclusion, and cements Glokta as a top 5 character in the fantasy genre. Highly recommend.

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Just didn't make sense

Revisado: 12-08-21

I enjoy books that are creative and original. Books that go against the norm. House of Leaves is one of my favorite books I've ever read.
This just seemed to try too hard. Nothing made sense and chapters would start without any information about what's happening. By the end you get an expected resolution, at least from my perspective. It's a book what goes for shock but ends up being typical.

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This was a beast,

Revisado: 10-18-21

I've been meaning to get into this series for a while but something always distracted me for one reason or another. I think the reviews I've read intimidated me a bit as well. A silly thought in retrospect, and I think the term "grimdark" is a little silly now. Sure, this book is not set in a very pleasant land and the main characters aren't what you may call your typical fantasy heroes - something I appreciate, actually. In fact my favorite POV was the one I thought I'd be most bored by. The Albino master torturer for the king. Now reading some more reviews in depth I find he seems to be a fan favorite. While your trope-ish POV hero swordsman is an upper-class snob way in over his head. Joe Abercrombie seems to take a lot of pleasure if flipping expectations on their head. I'll never get tired of that.

All in all I must say if you've been on the fence over starting this series, jump off and get in to it. It's a lot of fun.

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