Benjamin Griffin

Card is a master storyteller, but…

Revisado: 01-03-23

This story seems to ramble and turn on itself. I am glad to finish the series; it has been a long time coming, but I was ultimately disappointed. I’m not sure if it was the narration or the writing or the combination, but many scenes (not the memorandum pieces) that just seemed like “talking heads.”
The story felt about 10 hours longer than needed. Honestly, if Card was any less of a storyteller, this wouldn’t have worked at all. He can’t help but tell an effective story, but, for me, this was not the engaging experience I found in the previous stories.
Additionally, the leap from Shadows in Flight to this title was too drastic. And the beginning was … well, it was just too much. Any other author and I would have dropped it and not finished the book.
I’ll keep the book to have the set, but I doubt I’ll ever read it again.

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Disappointing

Revisado: 03-14-19

The narrator does an “OK” job, but action scenes lack luster.

Utterly unsatisfying ending. The last two chapters were like the author just got tired of writing.

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YAY!

Revisado: 03-26-16

I am so glad that they made a movie of this book. Not because the movie was better, but because without the movie I might never have looked for this book. Simply put, this is amazing. The story is riveting. The narration Style fantastic. And the narrator's performance is mind-blowing. I would recommend this book to anyone who... Well, anyone at all. simply fantastic.

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Felt more like philosophy than story...

Revisado: 03-24-16

Orson Scott Card is one of the best. This story just got too deep into the philosophy for me. seemed like half of the story was dialogue explaining things.

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Surprisingly, the movie may have been better

Revisado: 05-25-15

Scott Brick narrated beautifully, as usual.
The story was good, and perhaps, if I hadn't seen the movie first, I may have enjoyed this more, but I really felt that much of this story was " preachy." Malcolm goes on and on, frequently repeating himself, which is bad enough, but then some of the other characters quote him... More than once the obstinence of some of the characters seemed like an excuse to go on about chaos theory.

And by the end of the book, the little sister acted more like a caricature of a little sister than I think is realistic in the situation.

I'm not sorry that I read it, but this is definitely not a reread for me.

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A Masterpiece!

Revisado: 05-20-15

As this is the 5th book in this series, I came to it with many expectations. I can honestly say that every one was met, surpassed, and left me wondering why I had sold the book's potential so short.

By several chapters in I was already going on about the narration--wonderful. I was surprised by the inclusion of other narrators since Mary Robinette Kowal has done the work by herself for all of the previous books, but the performance was so smooth that I easily lost myself in the narrative.

I felt myself drawn into this story, feeling the heartaches and frustrations as though they were my own. I was moved to furious rage and felt desperate powerlessness as well as wonder and joy. In short, I was transported into this story like few I've ever experienced. I laughed out loud and was moved to tears. I stopped in the middle of chapters to bug my wife with the "amazing thing" I'd just read.

There is so much I want to say about this story, but I don't want to give away spoilers, and I don't have space to write so much here. And I'd much rather you read the book for yourself than listen to me talk about it.

I HIGHLY recommend this book! Of Noble Family is easily one of the best books I've ever read. I love it!

And if you haven't read the first four, do that!

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Good, But Not Awesome

Revisado: 02-22-15

This is a good story. Really, my only complaints are technical ones. There were just a few moments in the story where I questioned how believable the situations were, and the narrator seem to use the same voice for a lot of different characters. These are not major flaws, but they were enough for me to give only 4 stars instead of 5. The story is engaging. The premise is really cool. And there are many, many moments that truly draw you into the emotional experiences of the characters. I can totally see why they wanted to make this a movie.

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A MUST READ for writers

Revisado: 02-12-15

This book is so much more than a book about outlines. It is an instructional survey of both the business and the craft of writing a novel. Every minute of it is a treasure trove of revelations. This needs to be on the shelf or virtual shelf of anyone who is serious about writing a novel. Loved it.

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Great story, but...Sound effects? Really?

Revisado: 02-05-14

I really enjoyed this story, but in audio form, they either should have left out the sound effects, or they should have used actual sound effects. Having someone say “tap tap tap” totally breaks the rhythm of the narrative and jerks you out of the experience.
If the story wasn’t so compelling, the sound effects would be a deal-breaker for me.
That said, I’ll admit this is my third time through. It could be so much better though....

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The Only Thing Wrong with This Book Is . . .

Revisado: 08-30-13

. . .That the sequels aren't already written. This is 100% YA fiction, but fully sophisticated enough to be enjoyed by adults as well.

Sanderson's Rithmatic Magic system is fascinating, and the depth of story makes you feel like you've really stepped into a world right in the middle of its own history.

The story only deals with the events in the school in one town, but while reading, you can truly believe that this school is part of a MUCH larger world with complex and interesting issues/politics/histories/cultures. . . you name it.

The characters are fun, the humor is delightful, and the conflicts and resolution are intense and fulfilling.

This is a Five-Star story for me. Definitely worth the buy!

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